Spices 'N' Sugar

Basic Eggless Cake

This basic eggless cake is one of the super easy and moistest cakes and I made this cake with food colors and it was the first time I was using food colors, so added little but afterwards I made same cake again at my son's 2'nd bday and it was a huge hit!!

Here is a sneak peak into it..

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups All purpose flour(Maida)
1 Tin of Condensed milk
11/2 Cup Orange juice
1 cup Butter
1 tbsp Vanilla essence
2 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Baking soda
11/4 tbsp Vinegar
Food colors(optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a big bowl swift all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Add condensed milk, orange juice and butter. Mix all and add vanilla essence.

Add vinegar and gently fold the mix.
For a colorful inside, divide cake batter into 4-5 different bowls. Add food color of you choice.
Pour the batter as you like, either by adding 1 color cake layer or just dropping different colors and getting a multicolor marble effect.

Preheat oven at 375 degree Fahrenheit/ 180 degree Celsius for 15 minutes.
Grease a 8 inch round baking dish.
Pour the prepared batter in the greased baking dish.

Bake it for 30 minutes. Check whether cake is baked by pricking a knife/ toothpick in center and if it comes out clean, turn off the oven and take out the baking dish and let it cool for 10-15 minutes before turning the cake on the cooling rack.
In case the cake is not cooked completely let it bake for another 5 minutes.
Once cake is completely cooled, its ready for icing/ decorations.

**This cake recipe is great for making moist cupcakes as well but in case of cupcakes check the oven within 15 minutes or at most it takes 20 minutes, may differentiate from oven to oven.

Malpua

Malpua is a popular North Indian delicacy, mainly served hot with Rabdi (flavorful thickened milk). Originally its made with mawa(thickened dried milk powder) and deep fried but my version is healthier and definitely not fried and taste awesome. I thought what could be a better occasion than wintery cold nights to have some hot Malpuas with cold ice cream when temperatures in US was touching -35 Fahrenheit.

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 15 malpuas)

For Malpuas:

1 1/2 cups Maida (All purpose flour)

1/2 cup grated paneer( Cottage cheese)

1/2 can of Condensed Milk

1/2 cup warm water

1 tbsp Fennel seeds

1 tbsp Baking Powder

Oil for cooking

For Sugar syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

4-5 Saffron strands

1-2 cardamom

DIRECTIONS:

Start with preparing batter for Malpua's. In a bowl pour condensed milk, add grated panner, maida, baking powder and mix well.
Slowly start adding warm water to above mixture and prepare a thick batter.
Coarsely crush fennel seeds and add it to batter too. You can prepare this batter in advance and keep it aside.

Now in a heavy bottom pan add 2 tbsp oil and heat it on medium to high.
Once the oil is hot pour a ladle full of batter and let it spread itself.

After a few seconds flip the malpua and let it cook. Make sure malpua's get evenly cooked and turn brown on both the sides.

For the Syrup:

Add water and sugar in pan and let it boil on medium heat for 5 mins. Add saffron strands and crushed cardamom.
Now turn off the heat and let it sit before you are ready to serve.

To serve:

When you are ready to serve the malpua's, heat the sugar syrup.
Add pre- made malpua's to heated syrup and soak it for a minute.
Serve hot with ice cream or just like that!!

Tip:

Don't leave malpua's in sugar syrup for long or they will be very soft and start breaking.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I LOVE, love love love Cream Cheese Frosting!! Its like the best frosting after the chocolate frosting and very easy to make. The cream cheese frosting goes well with red velvet cake, carrot cake and more....

Ingredients:

8oz or 1/2 Cup Cream Cheese, room temperature
8oz or 1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
2-3 Cups Confectioners Sugar or Powdered Sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch( for thickening)
1 tsp Clear Vanilla Extract

Directions:

In a bowl mix cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. Start with low speed and mix it well until its blended well and smooth.
Now add cornstarch and start by adding 1 cup of sugar at a time and adding more gradually so that it doesn't blow off in whole kitchen.( In case you don't have powdered sugar you can grind the granulated sugar till its powdered well). Keep adding sugar till desired level of sweetness is achieved. Add more sugar in case the frosting doesn't have stiff peaks or doesn't pipe well (thickened icing gives best result while piping).
Add vanilla extract and mix well.
Cream cheese frosting is ready to use.
Use the knife or spatula and spread over cakes or cupcakes!!!

Variations:

Add the frosting to any of your fruits and enjoy!!
You can add different colors to frosting.
Add chinese five spice mix for added flavor on carrot cake.

**This cream cheese frosting is good to frost about 15 cupcakes.

Brigadeiros..A brazillian treat!!

I saw Brigadeiros for the first time on Unique Sweets TV Show and since then I had decided that I will be making them for my son's 2nd birthday party. These were a complete hit at the party & believe me its very easy and quick sweet to prepare.

If you love Chocolate... this is heaven and if you don't like Chocolate, You will start falling for it!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Can of Condensed milk

3 tbsp, Unsweetened cocoa powder

1tbsp, butter

Nuts or sprinkles to garnish

Muffin cups

DIRECTIONS:

In a heavy bottom pan, heat butter on medium heat.

Once butter starts melting, empty the condensed milk in the pan and add cocoa powder.

Keep stirring for 12-15 minutes until the mixture becomes shiny and it starts leaving the bottom of the pan.
Once the mixture is thick enough that it doesn't fall once you tilt the pan, its ready.

Let this mixture cool completely in fridge.
Meanwhile crush some pistachios & almonds and put some sprinklers, cocoa powder on a plate to cover up the Brigadeiros.
Once the mixture is completely cool, grease your hand with butter and make 1.5 inch thick balls.
Cover these balls in nuts, sprinklers, cocoa powder or anything else of your choice and place in muffin cups.

Brigadeiros are ready to serve, share and enjoy!!!!

Almond & Cranberry Biscottis

Biscotti's with a hot cup of tea on lazy sunday morning..what else can you ask for???
I fell in love with these when I made them for the first time.... I took them with me to India during my last India trip and everyone loved it there as well. Prepare some of your own and enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups All purpose floor (more for dusting)
3/4 cup Sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1/2 cup Silvered Almonds
2 tsp oil for greasing

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit.
On a cookie sheet, lay a parchment paper, grease it with oil and keep aside.
In a mixing bowl add eggs, vanilla essence and sugar, mix well.
Add all purpose flour, orange zest and baking powder. Mix all. I prefer to mix by hands and bring it all together, its a little sticky mix but in case you feel its too runny add more flour.
Spread the mixture on greased parchment paper with 1 inch thickness.
Bake it for 20 mins or until the log starts turning golden on edges.

Leave the baked log to cool for 1 hour at least.
Cut the log into 1/4 inch thick sticks with a serrated knife and cut these sticks in half.
Again place these sticks on parchment paper and bake at 350 degree fahrenheit for 20 mins, turning sides midway.

Cool completely before serving or storing.

Quinoa Salad

Healthy, easy to prepare, refreshing salad!!

Nowadays its almost like a ritual to have a bowl of boiled quinoa in refrigerator. Other day I prepared this while expecting my hungry husband to return from office. This is a great refreshing salad...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup boiled Quinoa (While boiling add salt)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
5-6 Kalamata Olives
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp meditteranean spice mix
Fresh coriander leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Slice grape tomatoes and kalamata olives in half.
In a bowl add boiled quinoa, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, cucumber and crumbled feta cheese.
When ready to serve add avocado slices on top, add 1 tbsp lemon juice and fresh coriander.
Its ready to serve!!

Egg Rolls

Egg rolls used to be my all time almost favorite snack in Delhi in cold winter evenings...just next to hot steaming momos..:P!!!. Once my husband asked me what to have in breakfast and I told him I miss egg rolls in US... I must say in the last few months he has become a perfectionist in making tasty egg rolls (good for me ;)) and now its kinda staple breakfast item at our home !!

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs (only egg whites or whole egg up to you)
2 uncooked chapati( We use ready to cook ones or you can make your own)
Black pepper powder to taste
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chat masala

For filling:

Half cup red onion juliens
Half cup red, yellow and green pepper juliens
3-4 button mushrooms thinly sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil for cooking

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare the filling of sauteed vegetables, heat a pan and add 1tsp oil.
Add onions and saute for a minute, add mushrooms and mixed peppers and saute for another minute and add all the spices. Mix all and cook a little but keeping veggies crunchy.

For egg rolls first beat the eggs and add red chili powder/black pepper powder with salt to taste.

Heat a flat pan ( make sure the pan is not too big, just right for your chapati to fit in and with rised edges, so egg mixture will not spread too far).

Add chapati and cook it till its almost done and then flip it and let it cook on other side.

Meanwhile add half of the beaten egg mixture on chapati and let it cook by moving chapati ( in circular motion, don't flip) time to time so chapati doesn't burn. When egg mixture start settling, flip chapati and let eggs cook on other side.

When eggs are done, flip chapati again, spread green chutney (mint chutney or any other sauce of your choice), add sauteed vegetables, sprinkle some chat masala & some lemon juice and roll it up.

Egg rolls are ready to enjoy!!

Achari Baingan ( Spicy Baby Eggplants)

Baingan/Eggplants/Brinjal is one of my favorite vegetables these days and I am experimenting to use it in different cuisines like my Eggplant & Tomato Pizza apart from traditional Indian dishes!! On my routine visit to farmers market I always pick up fresh eggplants, with other fresh produce :)

This week I bought these long & thin eggplants also known as Oriental or Asian eggplant and decided to make Masala Baingan or eggplant with spices or Achari baingan, which in India we usually make with small baby eggplants.

INGREDIENTS :

4 medium size long eggplants*
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp dried coriander powder
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tbsp amchur (dried mango powder)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp mustard oil (or any other cooking oil)

DIRECTIONS :

Wash the eggplants and cut into big pieces (Keep in cold water so they won't turn black ).

Heat the oil in a pan, add all the spices except amchur powder.
Add diced eggplants, mix with the spices, add salt.

Cover the pan and let the eggplants cook at medium heat for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally and until eggplants are tender.
Add amchur powder, mix all.
Serve hot, with choice of bread or rice!!

*In case you are using baby eggplants, follow the above recipe with 8 baby eggplants, remove the crown and give each of them a slit in between.

Stuffed tomatoes

Does this ever happen to you ????? Have so many tomatoes in fridge and not sure what to do?? Try my Stuffed Tomatoes recipe...this is an quick & easy one & totally worth it!!!!

All you need:
4 Tomatoes, de-seeded & hollowed
1 medium size boiled potato
1/2 cup boiled yellow lentil
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

How to prepare:

For Stuffing:

Mash the boiled potatoes, add boiled lentils, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder.
Heat a pan, add 1 tsp oil, add cumin seeds and let it crackle.
Add the potato-lentil mash mix to pan and saute it a little.
Remove pan from gas and let the mixture cool.

To serve:

Grease a oven safe glass bowl or a cookie sheet.
Pre heat oven at 450 degree fahrenheit/ 180 degree celsius
Cut the crown of tomato and scoop out the center & seeds.

Now add the prepared potato mixture to hollowed tomatoes.
Preheat oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake tomatoes in a greased dish for 10-15 minutes.
Once done, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and broil in oven for 2-4 mins or until cheese melts & turn golden brown.
Serve hot.

Couscous is really easy to prepare. For 1 cup of couscous boil two cups of water with 1 tbsp butter or olive oil. Add couscous, turn off the heat and cover the pan. Stirring occasionally with fork, keep pan covered till couscous is fluffy and ready to eat.

**I used Couscous & pickled cucumber to serve with Stuffed tomatoes. You can use anything like flavored rice or anything else of your choice. You can even make a curry and add stuffed tomatoes to curry before serving.

** For vegans avoid using cheese.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms is one of the most popular appetizers served in Italian restaurants..but being vegetarian we never tried it, as most of the times the stuffing has some non-veg ingredient.
Thus I decided to try it at home and surprise my Honey bunny :P.

Its very easy and doesn't need much preparation.

All you need:
1 lb fresh mushrooms, white mushrooms also known as Button mushrooms.
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 tbsp finely chopped green pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped red pepper
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp red chili flakes
Salt to taste
1 tsp Oil

How to prepare:

Wash mushrooms and remove the stems. Keep the hollowed whole mushrooms on paper towel, so the excess water is soaked.
To start with filling, heat a pan, add oil and saute chopped onions.
As onion starts changing its color add chopped red and green peppers with salt and red chili flakes and saute all for another minute.
Let the sautéed mixture cool. Once its cool enough, add bread crumbs & parmesan cheese.
Fill the mushrooms with prepared stuffing and keep aside.

Ready to serve:

Before serving pre-heat oven at 400 degree Fahrenheit.
On a greased baking sheet, place the stuffed mushrooms and bake for 10-15 mins.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese on baked mushrooms & serve hot with choice of dip!!

Eggplant & Tomato Pizza

A simple, delicious veggie pizza yet low in calories is hard to find. Earthy flavor of roasted eggplant, sweetness of cherry tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, freshness of Basil leaves & melted mozzarella cheese create a flavorful awesomeness in every bite. Its a must try for every pizza lover !!

All you need:

1 Pizza base ( Thin crust, regular, brooklyn style or whichever you like)

6 Slices of medium round eggplant
5-6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half length wise
1/2 medium red pepper sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Homemade pasta sauce for base
3 mozzarella cheese slices
Red chili flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Fresh Basil leaves

How to prepare:

Start by roasting eggplant; In a hot pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil & chopped garlic & then add eggplant slices. Let it roast in the pan till eggplant is fully cooked (usually 3-5 mins). Do not cover the pan while cooking, otherwise eggplant slices will turn mushy.