Wheat Flour Laddoo

Ingredients
Wheat flour - 1cup
Besan - ½ cup
Sugar - ½ cup
Powdered sugar - ½ cup
Chopped roasted cashew nuts - 3 tbs
Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp
Melted Ghee (clarified butter) - ½ cup

Method
Heat a pan and dry roast wheat flour and besan
When it is lightly coloured, remove from fire and allow to cool
Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder and mix well
Melt ½ cup sugar in a pan. Add ¼ cup ghee in it. Pour the content immediately in a greased bowl
When it cools, grind it coarsely and add this to the prepared flour mixture
Add the roasted cashew nuts to the remaining ¼ cup ghee
Add this to the flour mixture and mix well
Make the laddoos before it becomes dry

Grilled Sandwich with Mayonnaise

A quick and delicious snack!

Ingredients
¼ cup spring onion - chopped

¼ cup tomato - chopped

¼ cup capsicum - chopped

¼ cup cabbage - chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves - chopped

¼ cup grated carrot
2-3 green chillies - chopped

2-4 tbs mayonnaise

Brown bread slices

Salted butter

Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of dry mango powder (aamchur powder)

Method
1. Mix all the chopped vegetables, chillies mayonnaise, coriander leaves and seasoning

2. Butter the bread slices lightly on one side only

3. Put the filling on bread slices (the buttered-side on the outer side) and cover them each with the remaining four breads (leave the buttered-side on the outer side again)

4. Pre-heat OTG / griller for 5 minutes

5. Grill the breads on medium-high till golden brown

6. Remove and cut into two triangles

7. Serve hot with ketchup

How to make almond icing

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 cup castor sugar
2 cups ground almonds

Method:

Whisk eggs and add castor sugar.
Add the icing sugar and almonds.
The paste will be slightly thick. Knead well.
Brush warm apricot jam on the top of the cake to place the almond icing firmly.
To cover cake, roll the paste on the cake, with a rolling pin.
Leave to dry in a cool place for a day before icing with royal icing.

Christmas Cake (Fruit cake)

Traditional and delicious, this is a hit with children and adults alike!

Ingredients:
100 gms tutti-frutti
100 gms black currants
75 gms mixed peels
50 gms sultanas
200 gms flour
185 gms unsalted butter
185 gms brown sugar powder
4 eggs
1 tsp grounded spices
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 rind of lemon - grated
1 tsp golden syrup
50 ml rum or brandy for soaking the fruits
50 ml rum or brandy for pouring on the cake after baking

Preparation:
Wash and dry the fruits and cut them into tiny pieces if required
Make sure to remove the seeds (if any)
Soak the fruits and peels in 50 ml rum/brandy for 5-6 hours before baking

Method:
Soften the butter and whip it till its light and fluffy
Add sugar to the butter
Whip the eggs separately and then add little at a time to the butter-sugar mixture
Add the spices and lemon rind
Add golden syrup and mix well
Add fruits and flour alternately to the batter and fold in lightly
Grease the baking tin
Turn the mixture into the prepared baking tin
Preheat oven for 5 minutes at 150 degrees centigrade
Bake the cake for an hour at 125 degrees C if it’s a small oven
If a large oven is being used, bake for an hour at 150 degrees C

Make sure its baked completely by inserting a skewer into the cake; if it comes out clean, it’s baked
Remove the cake from the oven and leave for cooling onto a wire-rack
When cooled, turn the cake upside down and pour the rum/brandy on it
Leave it upside down for a day to allow the rum/brandy to be soaked by the cake
After a day, the almond icing can be put on the cake to enhance the taste...

Hara Bhara Kabab (veg tikki)

Ingredients:
150 gms fresh green peas
2 small potatoes (boiled)
30 gms cashews (chopped)
1/4th bunch fresh fenugreek leaves (methi ke patte, chopped)
3 pods garlic (chopped)
1” piece ginger (chopped)
1-2 green chillies (chopped)
¼ tsp chaat masala
¼ tsp cumin powder (jeera)
¼ tsp dry mango powder (aamchur)
Bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:
Heat oil in a pan
When hot, put garlic and sauté for a minute
Add ginger and cashews and sauté for another minute
Add peas, fenugreek leaves, jeera pwdr, jeera pwdr, chaat masala and salt and sauté for about 5 minutes
Put off burner and let the mixture cool

Grind the mixture and remove in a bowl
Add mashed potatoes and mix well
Make small balls and flatten to form a ‘tikki’ shape
Roll over the bread crumbs and shallow fry till golden brown

Serve hot!

Rum Truffle Chocolates

For Truffle
200 gms - cooking chocolate
100 ml - whipped cream
25 gms - butter (unsalted)
2 tbs - rum

For Coating
50 gms - white chocolate OR 25 gms cocoa powder

Method
Heat cooking chocolate till soft (don't melt completely)
Heat whipped cream and butter till it boils and mix with chocolate until smooth
Add rum and mix well
Put this truffle filling in an air-tight container and refrigerate till it becomes hard
Now place the cocoa powder on a plate OR melt white chocolate (as per your coating choice)
Remove the truffle filling and make small balls
Roll the balls on the cocoa powder OR dip in white chocolate for the coating
Refrigerate and wrap in foil when set

Rich Chocolate Brownies

These are my favourite - delicious and moist - Rich Chocolate Brownies!!
To enhance the taste, before serving, heat the brownie in a microwave and top with vanilla scoop of icecream and hot chocolate fudge ;)

INGREDIENTS: -
200 gms Dark chocolate
200 gms Butter
50 gms Cocoa
175 gms Sugar
3 Eggs
40 gms Flour
75 gms Self raising flour
150 gms White chocolate
50 gms Walnuts

METHOD: -
Mix dark chocolate and butter
Add cocoa and sugar into chocolate & butter mix
Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well
Add flours, white chocolate and walnuts
Pre-heat oven for 5 minutes and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees C.

...because I Love Cooking!!!

Yes... this is my latest interest... after traveling and photography, cooking is my latest passion.

I'm going to share some of my favourite recipes on this blog. Some recipes are my own, some from the net and others taken from cook-books with my variations :)

I'll begin with my favourite brownie recipe...
Cheers!