Patishapta for Makar Sankranti

Winter time is especially busy for the sweet shops in Kolkata, with a plethora of 'nolen gur' or 'first harvest jaggery' sandesh and rossogollas. While in law school, couple of my friends and I would often walk to the nearest sweet shop after dinner and devour freshly prepared 'notun gur-er rossogollas' for dessert. We frequented the shop so much, that the server stopped asking for our order, and would simply bring out plates full of warm rossogollas. Ah! Those 'mishti dates' are long gone...

During the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti, the sweet shops would sell 'patishapta' - sweet crepes filled with coconut-jaggery inside. This year, having just returned from India, we simply could not sit and crave for the sweets that are synonymous with Makar Sankranti. So, one of my friends and I decided to make some patishapta, even though it was bang in the middle of the week. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

Crepe batter:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina/ suji
1/2 cup milk plus more to get desired consistency
1/4 cup jaggery or sugar

Filling:
1 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 cup grated jaggery
1/2 cup khoya ie dried whole milk(optional)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds powered
1 tbsp ghee

Khoya gravy for dipping/ garnishing (optional)
1/4 cup khoya grated
4 tsp sugar
pinch of cardomom seeds, powdered
dash of milk

Method:

Filling:

• Heat ghee in a medium fry pan. Add cardamom powder and grated coconut in quick succession.
• Saute for a few minutes till the coconut is light brown in color. 
• Add jaggery and sugar and mix well. 
• Continue to cook till the mixture is evenly cooked and the jaggery/ sugar is completely incorporated. Set aside to cool. 

Alternatively, you could go the shortcut method, and crush some home-made coconut - jaggery laddoos brought from India, add some khoya, and warm it with some milk and call it a filling. That's what we did. :)

Crepe batter:

• Whisk the all purpose flour and semolina in a medium bowl. 
• Add milk gradually and mix together for a very thin batter. 
• In a small bowl, mix jaggery/ sugar and two tablespoons of milk and microwave for 15 seconds, till the jaggery/ sugar melts completely. Add to the batter and mix well. 

Khoya gravy

• In a small pan, heat the khoya, sugar and milk together until well incorporated. 
• Add cardomom seed powder and set aside. The gravy thickens as it cools, so you might have to add more milk or warm it up while garnishing.

Making the patishapta:

• Once all the preparation is done, heat a non-stick tawa or flat bottomed skillet to medium heat. 
• Brush on a little bit of ghee or oil, and pour a small ladle full of batter. Rotate the pan to spread the batter in a thin layer. Cook till slightly golden brown in color.
• Gently place a tablespoon of the filling on one edge of the crepe. Roll it like a frankie and gently pat it to spread the filling evenly inside the crepe. Repeat process with remaining batter.
• To serve, place the patishapta in a plate, and gently drizzle the Khoya gravy on top. 

Bon Appetit!

Hetal from Houston

Traditional Fruit and Nut Cake

   The credit for this cake recipe goes to The Duffadars !! This was the first cake I ever baked and is the most frequently made one in our oven . I have been following this blindly since Hetal passed me her family recipe over an email a few years back. The  baking bug has been biting me since last few days and this evening the irresistible urge made me try the recipe yet another time ;  I was not failed this time either :) The room still smells of freshly baked cake and adding onto the holiday vibes.

Fruit and nut Cake

Prep Time : 20mins
Baking Time : 35 mins
Serves : 4-8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 125 g butter ( 1 and 1/4 sticks)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 cup nuts etc ( cherries, raisins and cashews; I added crumbled pethas I got from my recent India visit)

Method :

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Mix butter, sugar and eggs using a hand blender.
• Add in other dry ingredients slowly to ensure uniform mixing.
• Bake for 35 mins.

Serve warm with icecream !! Heavenly :)

Keep Baking !

Happy Festive Season ,

Ajanta from Walnut Creek

Pineapple Kheer

This Diwali celebration was a little bit different. It was just the two of us in our new nest in Walnut Creek, CA - far away from the friends we usually celebrate with. Its a new place that promises a new life but memories of good times spent with friends lingered ... I was missing fun we all had cooking together. 

What better way to feel better than to whip up some new recipe for Diwali. I decided to make something simple yet new for the Lakshmi pooja. Rice kheer is simple…and pineapple is our favorite fruit!! There you go… Boom! It took me less than a minute to decide to put them together. 

So I looked up recipes online (a.k.a due diligence) and finally thought the best way would be to stick to the way our Didu (grandma) made kheer and then add pineapple to it. After all, Grandma knows best! Here it goes-

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook time : 30-40 minutes

Serves : Should be good for party of 4-6.  It was a lot  for just the two of us, so I froze most of it in small plastic containers for much needed portion control!

Ingredients:

Ingredients for pineapple kheer

Milk - 11/2-2 cups (Any type)

Rice- ¼ cup

Sugar

Fresh Pineapple – ½ cup diced into tiny pieces

2-3 Cardamom pods

Raisins (optional)

Saffron -  few strands

Almonds (Sliced)

Method:

• Soak rice in water for about 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.

• Heat milk and let it boil. Add pre-soaked rice to boiling milk.

• Add sugar and stir till dissolved completely.

• Add cardamom, saffron and almonds.

• Add pineapple last and simmer for no more than 2-3 minutes to prevent milk from curdling.

• Garnish as you desire. I garnished with saffron, almonds and freshly cut pineapples.

• Serve warm or chilled.

Pineapple Kheer

We thought it was different and tasty …pineapple flavor gave the rice kheer a new twist!!!

Hope you will like it.

Happy Diwali!

Ajanta from Kunming, China this time! :P

Chocolate Cupcake with Mocha Frosting

Cupcakes are always safer to bake as we can control the portion size and it takes lesser time. So last week for a friends get together, I decided to bake very simple chocolate ones. Never doubt the power of chocolate :P  Wanted it to look a little fancy and hence decided to use mocha frosting;  I love mocha :D and this recipe has been tried and tasted by a friend so I gave it a shot.

Packed tight and ready to go  :)

Prep Time: 30 mins
Baking Time: 30 mins
Serves: I never comment on that ;) it made 12 cupcakes though!

Ingredients :

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs ( room temperature) 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Whipping cream - 1/2 cup

Instant coffee powder - 1/4 tsp

Milk chocolate - 0.5-1 oz / 5-6 cubes ; this depends on your love for chocolate

Method:

Cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners.
• Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. 
• With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
• Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While cupcakes are in oven, prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

• Melt the chocolate in a microwave at low power.
• Add coffee powder and blend well to make sure there are no lumps. Let it cool.
• Whip the cream with electric mixer till it forms stiff peaks and add the chocolate mixture to it. 

Tip from friend:  If you don't want to add chocolate, you can mix the coffee with a few teaspoons of whipping cream or milk and then add it to the whipped cream.

Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with frosting using a table knife or small offset spatula.
Decorate with grated chocolate, walnut / almonds or anything of your choice.

Enjoy baking! Bon Appetit ...

Ajanta from Walnut Creek, CA this time :)

Coffee & Walnut Ring

I like a little something sweet on my dining table almost all the time... It does not need to be fancy. A coffee cake made with readily available ingredients comes handy when I have such sweet craving. This goes equally well with morning coffee or evening tea or even with your late night ice-cream :)

Coffee-Walnut Ring

Serves: 10 people
Prep Time: 10 mins
Baking Time: 40 - 45 minutes

Ingredients

• Oil/ Melted butter
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar ; I use 1 cup when I do not add maple syrup on top
  
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp instant coffee ; I use Nescafe ( original recipe calls for 1 tsp coffee extract )
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• Walnut halves to decorate

Method

• Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a 6 1/4-cup tube or a 9 inch square pan, preferably nonstick.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and add the butter, sugar, eggs and coffee powder / extract. Beat well until the mixture is smooth, then stir in chopped walnuts.
• Spoon the mixture in the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until risen, firm and golden brown.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out carefully onto a wire rack. While the cake is still warm, spoon over half the maple syrup . To serve, top with walnut halves and drizzle with the remaining maple syrup.

When served with Vanilla Ice-cream ... Bliss !

 Enjoy your cake !


Ajanta from Amherst

Keri no Ras - Aamras

I love all things mango. Unending supply and variety of mangoes makes summer my favourite season. I even went to India one time in the middle of summer, so that I could eat the king of fruits to my heart's fill (Yes, I'm that crazy!). My latest trip to the Indian grocery resulted in an impulsive purchase of TWO boxes of mangoes. Result? The apartment was filled with faintly sweet fragrance as they slowly ripened. 

Everyday I would check each piece to determine which ones were ripe enough to eat and/ or refrigerate. Soon enough, there were far too many ready to eat and no place in my refrigerator. So I made the staple meal for Gujarati households during the summer (read 'mango') season - 'Keri no Ras' to eat with poori. Its makes for a perfect lazy Sunday lunch for a mango loving soul. Oh dear Lord! The very thought of Ras-Poori makes my mouth water. Here it goes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4-6 persons

Ingredients

3 ripe mangoes

1 cup skimmed milk, cold

2-4 tsp sugar (depending on how sweet the mangoes are)

1/2 tsp ground ginger powder

Method

• Peel and dice mangoes into 1" cubes. Extract as much pulp from the pits.

Golden ripe mango cubes

• In a blender, blend mango cubes, milk and sugar into a thick pulp or 'aamras'.
• Strain the 'aamras' in a fine wire strainer or cheese cloth to remove any mango fibres.
• Pour in a bowl and stir in ginger powder. Refrigerate till ready to serve with poori or chapatis. It can even be served as a delicious summery dessert.

NOTE: Aamras can be easily frozen in a freezer safe container if you wish to relish the golden goodness all year through. I do it in small 2 serving sized containers, for easy thawing.

Keri no ras

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Mango Pie

Mango is undoubtedly my favorite fruit and anything about it (even thought) makes me very happy. I got this recipe from a friend a few summers back and since then it has always been in demand. Here goes the unbelievably easy recipe for all of you.
This recipe calls for 3 mango pies. The friend who passed me this recipe tried adjusting ingredient amounts to make 1 pie and unfortunately it did not turn out well- she warned! But you never know, it might work for you! I have not tried yet coz most of our friends have sweet tooth. So we never have leftover desserts in our fridge :)

Mango pie with fresh strawberries

Serves: 1 - 16 ( Totally your wish !)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Setting time: Minimum 4 hours

Ingredients:

• Mango pulp can (850 gms); Indian Grocery Stores carry cans with exactly this amount.
• Sour cream (8 oz)
• Philadelphia Cream Cheese (8 oz)
• Plain gelatin (3 sachets); Generally plain gelatin packet comes in 4 sachets of net weight 4 oz
• Sugar (6 tsp)
• Pie crust (3 small)

Method:

• Mix sour cream and cream cheese and beat it lightly (~ 3mins) to soften it.
• Mix mango pulp with sour cream and cheese.
• Dissolve gelatin in water as per instructions on the packet.
• Add sugar and gelatin to the pulp and mix well.
• Divide the mixture into three parts; I just pour it into crusts and fill them to the brim.
• Cool it in the refrigerator for four hours or till the pulp is set.

Serve chilled with Cool Whip or fresh fruits.

A slice down ;)

A very happy spring to all of you !! 

Cheers...

Ajanta from Amherst

  

'Sandesh' ..A Bengali sweet treat !

This sweet was made for Diwali as well  but it is an all-time favorite for all Bengalis and people with and without sweet tooth seem to like it equally!

Ingredients : 

1 lb. Ricotta cheese

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cardamom powder
 Pistachios and raisins for garnishing



Directions:  

Step 1 : Cooking cheese and sugar on low flame

1. Knead cheese into a fine, smooth paste. In a wok over low heat, cook cheese and sugar, stirring continuously.This step can take long depending on quantity . I doubled the amount and it took around 2 hours. When sugar has melted and cheese starts leaving sides add cardamom powder. 



Dividing mixture into individual portions

2. Remove from heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes. While still warm, divide into 25-30 portions. Mold each portion into desired shape. Decorate with raisins and pistachios. I alternated but you can use any one / both. Serve at room temperature.

The final product !

 
'It was hard to eat just one' !! So give it a try :)

Ajanta from Amherst

Lakshmi Puja special 'Besan ka laddoo'!

 I had made besan ka laddoo, on the occasion of ‘Kojagari Lakshmi Puja’,  which is celebrated on the same day as  ‘Sharad Poonam’. I wanted to follow my mom’s tradition of making  some sweet at home on this day just to get a feel for the festival. 


This sweet is not a Bengali mishti but had to make something which was fast and involved readily available ingredients as it was a last minute decision.

Recipe Courtesy: Sis-in-law who has a passion for cooking as well!

Ingredients:

1.     Besan/ gram flour: 1 ½  cup

2.     Suji/ Semolina: 4 tbsp

3.     Ghee: ½ cup

4.     Sugar: 1 cup

5.     Cardamom powder: 1 tbsp

6.     Nuts ; I used cashews but almonds/ pistachios will be good too.

Roasted besan

Directions:

1.   Mix besan, suji and ghee well in a bowl.

2.   Tranfer this mix to a nonstick pan and roast in medium flame for  10- 15 minutes. The color would change to brown at this point. If you feel that besan is not cooked well (as  stoves have different heating capacities, so the time may vary) roast for some more time.

3.   Remove from flame and allow it to cool for ~15 mins

4.  Add sugar, cardamom powder and nuts and make into laddoos.

Sugar and nuts added to roasted besan

Happy Festive season!

The home made laddoos did give a ‘feel good’ quotient to a very simple Lakshmi puja at home.

Ajanta from Amherst.