Jhatpat Coconut Ladoos

The coconut ladoos are all time favorite. They are prepared on many occasions and festivals/Puja. So me too prepared them on this Navratra :))). And why only pujas, when u have unexpected guest at home, this is the best way to impress them :). Their are several ways of preparing it, but I am always keen of preparing something quick and easy-peasy. So here is the quick and easy way for making them which do not require any cooking, mix everything, make balls and they are done. I am sure that you guys will love for sure :)

Ingredients:

• Dry desiccated coconut – 1 cup
• Milk Powder – 1 cup
• Powdered Sugar – 1/3 cup
• Green Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
• Lukewarm Milk – 1/4 cup (For kneading the dough)
• Raisins – 2 tbsp (For garnishing)

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl now knead soft dough by adding a little milk. Do not add entire milk in one go, add it as required. Make small balls and garnish it with raisins. Your laddoos are ready.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks & Happy Cooking
Priyanka :)

Dil-e-Bahare Dahi mein Cigar-e-Baby Corns

I can never forget this recipe, this was my start towards the food world or you can say that this is my launch recipe. In Jan 2013 when I left my job,  we had a Master chef India online contest in March. I participated with this dish and guess what? I won 2nd prize. It was a dream come true. That was the first contest I participated and won too. It gave me great confidence and my journey begun.......

Ingredients required :-

For Baby Corn Cigars

• Baby corns (1 packet)

• Oregano – 1 tsp

• Chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp

• Thyme – 1tsp

• Basil – ½ tsp

• Lime Juice – 1 tsp

• Olive Oil - 2tbsp (you can use any vegetable oil if you don’t have olive oil)

• Boiled potatoes – 1 & ½ cups (mashed)

• Corn Flour – 2 tbsp

• Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp

• Coriander leaves finely chopped– 2-3 tbsp

• Garlic paste – 1 tsp

• Bread crumbs – 1 cup

• Salt (as per the taste)

• Oil for deep frying

For Yogurt Dip

• One Cup hung curd/full fat Greek Yogurt

• Finely Chopped onions – 2-3 tbsp

• Finely Chopped Capsicum or bell peppers (any color) – 2-3 tbsp

• Finely chopped green chillies as per the taste

• Coriander leaves finely chopped

• Salt (as per the taste)

METHOD

• Blanch the Baby corns by putting them into the boiling water for 3-4 minutes and immediately take them out and keep them in ice cold water.

• Cut the baby corns into two halves.

• For the marination, in a bowl take oil, add oregano, basil, Thyme, chilli flakes, lime juice, chilli powder, garlic paste, salt to it. Mix nicely all these ingredients together.

• Add the baby corns and coat the marinate over them and keep them into the refrigerator for half an hour.

• Now roast the coated baby corns in a hot pan just for a minute or two, by drizzling very little oil and keep them aside for cooling.

• For outer covering of the baby corn cigars, take mashed potato in a bowl then add ginger paste, corn flour, coriander leaves and salt. If you like you can add green chillies to it. Mix everything well.

• Take a small part of the potato mixture, roll it properly. Place a corn piece in the centre of the mixture and roll them properly. You can wet your palms or apply some oil while making the cigars. Remove the excess covering of potato mash.

• Roll them over the bread crumbs and deep fry them till they get a nice golden brown color.

For Dipping Sauce

• In a bowl take yogurt add finely chopped bell peppers, finely chopped onions, finely chopped green chillies, finely chopped coriander leaves, salt.

• Mix all these ingredients well.

• Keep the dip in the refrigerator to serve chill with hot cigars.

Serve these hot with chilled yoghurt dip :)))

Enjoy and Happy Cooking
Priyanka :)

Chocolate Coconut Laddoos/Chocolate coconut Balls

We all know about the tasty coconut laddoos, and if they are combined with chocolate then they become tastier and when we pour chocolate sauce on them then ………. they are just divine. I did this experiment with the leftover chocolates and it turned out to be amazing.

Ingredients for Laddoos

1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup of semi sweetened chocolate

5 to 8 Almonds

Ingredients for chocolate sauce/Ganache

1/2 cup Fresh cream

1/2 cup chocolate chips or broken sweetened chocolate

Method

In a microwave safe bowl break the chocolate into small pieces and put it into the microwave for 30 sec. Chocolates melts very fast in microwave, therefore we have check first and if not done then again keep it for 15 sec more (If we will keep it for more time it might burn). Now in a bowl we will take finely grated coconut laddoos. Then we will add the condensed milk and our melted chocolate and make dough out of it.

Now we will make small balls out of that and will keep it in refrigerator for 15 mns.

For the chocolate sauce –

We will take the chocolate and melt it in the same manner and then add fresh cream to it by continuously stirring it. After mixing it well we will get a nice consistency sauce.

Pour the sauce on the chilled laddoos, decorate it with chopped almonds and serve.

Enjoy your day!!!

Thanks & Happy Cooking
Priyanka :))))

Pineapple cake with Fresh Cream frosting

Will always remember this, my first official cake. I baked the utmost that simple pineapple cake which my Papa used to bring when I was a kid, on my B'day, I tried my best and luckily it taste the same, simply loving it. Here is the recipe for you all.

Ingredients
Cake

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour (Maida)
• 3/4 cup butter - room temperature (unsalted)
• 1 & 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp Pineapple essence
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (Canned)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp sour cream (totally optional)

Frosting

• 2 & 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream (550 ml approx)
• 3 tsps powdered sugar/confectioner sugar (or as per the taste)
• 1 tsp pineapple essence
• 1 cup canned pineapple pieces, strained well
• Keep the canned syrup to moisten the cake
• Maraschino cherry (for decoration)

Method

Cake

• Grease the baking dish with some butter and dust with some all-purpose flour or line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 350F or 180⁰ Celsius.
• Sieve all the dry ingredients (i.e. All-purpose flour + Baking powder + Salt) together atleast for 3 times (to make the cake more soft) and keep aside.
• In another bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until it forms a creamy texture and become fluffy. For this the butter should be at room temperature.
• Add one egg at a time to this and beat each egg into the mixture till it is nice and fluffy.
• Add the pineapple essence and the crushed pineapple and sour cream.
• Now add one third of the dry ingredients to the batter and fold it in. Then add half of the milk and mix. Fold alternately milk and the dry ingredients till they are all incorporated into the batter. Do not over mix otherwise the cake will become hard. Always use cut and fold method.
• Pour the batter in the greased tin and bake the cake at 350 F/180⁰C  for about 30-35 minutes. Use a toothpick and insert it into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean then the cake is ready. If not, bake for a few more minutes but keep an eye over it. Mine cake was done in 34 minutes but every oven varies temperature wise.
  
• Take it out and let the pan cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then invert the pan onto the cooling rack and slide the cake out. Let the cake cool completely.

Frosting

• In a mixing bowl, mix the heavy cream, pineapple essence and sugar and using a hand blender or whisk, whisk it till the cream has thickened and when you lift the whisk, the cream stays in peaks. Always keep some ice in other bowl below your cream bowl.
• Now slice the cake into two pieces horizontally. Brush the cake with the pineapple syrup left after straining the pineapple pieces. Ice the lower layer with a layer of whipped cream and spread out an even layer of the pineapple pieces on top of the whipped cream layer.
• Brush the lower part of other layer of the cake with pineapple syrup and then place it on top. Now again brush upper part of it with syrup.
• Now cover the cake with the whipped cream icing and decorate it as per your choice with maraschino cherries and pineapple pieces.
• I didn’t have cherries at home so I used strawberry jam by whipping it and mixing some water.

 

Bye & Happy Baking :)

Priyanka