Choco chip chocolate muffins

Choco chip chocolate muffins

1 cup refined flour(maida)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup choco chips
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Recipe:

 Preheat the oven at 180c for 5 minutes. Sieve all the dry ingredients. Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl. Now add the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients.  Add half of the choco chips and reserve the rest for topping.Do not mix vigorously . The mixture should be lumpy. Scoop the batter into  cup moulds . Top each cup with choco chips and  bake at 180c for 15 minutes. Check the cake with a toothpick. If the batter sticks the toothpick bake for 5 more minutes.

Note:

 A roughly mixed lumpy batter will give good muffins.
If you are using metal moulds grease with oil and dust with flour.( I use silicon moulds)
Allow the muffins to cool completely before storing them else the top layer gets sticky.

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Chocolate pastry

I had prepared this chocolate pastry for my neice,who had come here just before going abroad. I was keen on preparing something delicious and chocolaty as she loves chocolate ,she was astonished to know that it was prepared at home :) 

A little time and planning is enough to get this delicious pastry made for your loved ones :)

Chocolate pastry

Chocolate sponge cake6-7" round
Sugar syrup1/2 cup
Non dairy whipping cream 1 and 1/2 cup
Ganache1/4 cup

How to  make sugar syrup

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
Mix water and sugar. bring it to a boil.  cool completely .

how to make ganache

2 tablespoon cream
1/2 cup grated dark chocolate
Mix cream and chocolate.  Put in a pan and boil. Cool completely before using it.

Whipping the cream

Non dairy whipped cream 1and 1/2 cups
Ganache 1/4 cup
Take the cream in a big bowl. Run the electric beater( whipper) for 8- 10 minutes continuously . Add ganache and beat for 2 minutes . To check whether the cream is properly whipped, just invert the bowl of cream, if the cream is stiff and doesn't fall ,your cream is ready. Cover the bowl with a cling film and refrigerate. This should be consumed within 3 days.

Icing the chocolate pastry

Cover the cake completely with cling film. Refrigerate the cake overnight. This will help to slice the cake  evenly.  Remove the cling film. Trim the upper portion of the cake to make it round and flat.Slice the cake in three even sized disc shaped pieces. Place the lower piece and dress it with sugar syrup. Don't add too much of sugar else your pastry will be soggy. Later using a palate knife spread  a layer of whipped cream. I have used white whipped cream.Place the second layer of the cake . Spread the sugar syrup and later whipped cream. Now repeat this process for the third layer.  Spread whipped cream on the sides of the cake. It takes time to spread cream evenly on the top portion and on the sides.  Using palate give it a neat finish.  Using a star nozzle pipe cream on the sides of the cake and decorate it .Pipe some stars on the top of the cake. You can also decorate with thin slices of chocolate. 

 Note: Occasionally dip the palate knife in hot water . This will help you getting a smooth finish to the cake. 

Always prepare the cake ,syrup and cream a day before. 

Decoration tips:

Chocolate pastry can be decorated using white chocolate,chocolate shavings,choco chips crunchy choco rolls.  Refrigerate for 5 hours before serving the pastry

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Mixed vegetable curry

Mixed vegetable curry

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed vegetables diced into 1 cm squares
(French beans,capsicum,carrot,potatoes,peas,caulifower,cabbage)
1/4 cup paneer diced
3 large tomatoes,blanched and pureed
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi
salt acording to taste
2 teaspoons coriander leaves
1/2 cup fresh cream

Procedure:-

Heat oil  and add onions. Fry till they are light pink. Add turmeric powder. Now add the vegetables and saucé. Add salt and cover the pan with the lid. Let the vegetables cook  in its own water,don't add any water. Once the vegetables are cooked add tomato puree and little water . Cook. Add all the dry masala powders and paneer. Cook for 2 minutes.  Switch off the flame and add the fresh cream. Mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:

 you can fry the paneer pieces  but I prefer to use it raw . Fried paneer absorbs oil and adds more calories to the gravy.

Always add fresh cream only after you have stopped cooking. Else the cream may split  and your curry may spoil.

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Badam burfi

Badam burfi  (Almond burfi)

Ingredients:

1 cups badam
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup ghee
1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
5-6 strands of saffron(optional) soaked in 2 teaspoons of warm water

Soak the badam in warm water for an hour. Remove the skin of the badam and grind it to a fine paste. You can use  saffron water or few spoons of milk to grind it to a fine paste.Heat a thick bottomed pan and add the paste  and sugar into the pan and cook. Cook till the mixture is thick. Now add ghee few spoons at a time. The mixture will absorb all the ghee . Once you have have finished adding all the ghee mix this mixture vigorously .the mixture will start leaving the pan . Cook until the mixture forms a ball leaving the pan. Now add cardamom powder and mix well. Spread this mixture into a greased plate. Allow to cool . Cut into desired shapes.

Note: Most of recipes ask for more ghee than what I have used, but I  have seen this amount of ghee will make the recipe more healthier . There is no difference in the taste.

Saffron is optional. the color of your burfi may change if using saffron.I have not used it.

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Palak paneer

Palak paneer

Ingredients:

A big bowl of spinach leaves( approx 5 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste
200gms paneer
1 tablespoons oil

Wash the spinach leaves and blanch them for 3-4 minutes. Strain the water and allow it to cool. Don't discard the water.Heat oil and fry onions till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry well till the raw smell disappears. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft and have become a paste. You can smash them with the back of your spatula. Meanwhile puree the spinach. Add this to the tomato mixture. Mix well. Add the dry powders and salt.  Add the spinach water to adjust the consistency.Cut the paneer into cubes  and add it to the gravy. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Tip for a dhaba style flavour:

Heat a small piece of charcoal till red hot. Put it in a small bowl and place this bowl  on the gravy. Add 4-5 drops of ghee on the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pan in which you have cooked the gravy. See that no smoke disappears from the pan. After 5 minutes open the lid and take out the bowl. Throw away the leftover ghee and charcoal.

Note: you can fry the paneer pieces. Fry the paneer  to golden brown and then dip them in water. Squeeze the pieces. This will make paneer soft and sponge . I prefer adding them raw . If you have stocked paneer for more than a week, just dip the pieces in hot water for 2 minutes and squeeze them. 
You can also add some cream to get a rich flavour.

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Jam biscuits

Intro:

Its raining since past three days and I was busy doing my embroidery for the last cushion .I was wondering how these jam biscuits are made.  I remember lavishing them since my childhood. As I scrolled over my recipe book ,I got this recipe which I had copied few years back but had no time to bake. As this recipe called for egg and I didn't have any, I preferred using milk. Hope you all will love this recipe.

Jam biscuits

Ingredients:

Refined flour 200 gms
Sugar 100 gms
Butter 100 gms
Milk 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence 1 teaspoon
Mixed fruit jam 2 teaspoon

Recipe:

 Powder the sugar. Mix the flour,sugar and butter with gentle hands until they look like breadcrumbs. Add vanilla essence and mix well. Now add milk 1 teaspoon at a time and mix. The mixture should form a soft dough. So remember that excess milk will make the dough sticky to handle. Use milk only as required.  Roll this dough into a cylinder and wrap with a cling film.  Keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Preheat the oven at 180 c for 5 minutes. Take your dough off the fridge and remove the cling film.  Cut 1/2 inch circular discs of the cylindrical dough. Give it a proper round . Make a depression in the middle  of the disc using your little finger. Using a pointed knife spoon little jam into this depression . Place them on a baking tray. Bake it in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. If you see the biscuits are brown before the mentioned time remove them from the oven. Baking always depends upon the size of the biscuit. Cool them completely on a wire rack. The biscuits may be soft when hot ,but don't worry, once cool they will be crispy.

Note: Always refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 hours. This will help you get good shape and avoid  the fat of the dough sticking your palms.

 Consume them only after they have reached room temperature. Warm biscuits will be soft.

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Tutti fruti loaf

Intro:

This is one of the simplest cake  I have ever prepared and tastes so yummy. Kids enjoy this cake as they love the taste and colour of tutti fruti bits. I have used flax seeds instead of eggs,You may use egg as well :) Bake this cake and enjoy with your kids.

Tutti fruti loaf

Ingredients:

Refined flour( maida) 120 grams

Butter 100 grams

Powdered Sugar 100 grams

Flax seeds powder 2 tablespoons

Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon

Baking soda1/2 teaspoon

Vanilla essence1 teaspoon

Tutti fruti 1/2 cup

 Milk as required

Recipe:

Mix the flax seeds powder in 1/2 cup of water and keep aside. Add a teaspoon of flour to the tutti fruti and mix well.Grease the loaf tin with butter on all four sides. Sprinkle some refined flour and shake the tin so that the refined flour sticks the butter greased all over the tin.  Sieve refined flour ,baking powder,baking soda. Cream the butter and powdered sugar. Add essence and mix well. Now add the flax seed paste and mix well. Add the flour ,few spoons at a time . If you find the batter thick ,add some milk. The batter should form a ribbon when poured back into the mixing bowl. Now mix half of the tutti fruti into the batter and mix. Pour into the greased pan. Top it with the remaining tutti fruti . Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Note:   By adding flour to the tutti fruti ,they will not sunk in the loaf pan and will stay sticked to the batter.

Flax seeds when mixed with water will form a rubbery paste. This will make the cake fluffier.

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