BOMBAY KARACHI HALWA

As most halwas made from 'flour', this halwa too has a a very chewy texture. The Bombay Karachi halwa is made from cornflour and is so much more easier to make when compared to wheat halwa etc.

Actually it is extremely easy and very straight forward. 

A sugar syrup is made and then the slurry (cornflour and water) is cooked in it. Ghee is added in regular intervals and cooked. With the addition of mixed nuts, this cornflour halwa is an absolute delight. You can smell and taste the cardamom and rose water...............yum!

The recipe I have shared yields perfect Bombay halwas. If you don't like it too chewy you can stop cooking after the mixture has become transparent. The more you cook, the more chewier it gets.

INGREDIENTS:

cornflour - 1 cup

water - 2 + 1 cup

sugar - 2 and 1/4 cups

lemon juice - 1 tsp

ghee - 1/2 cup

orange or red food colouring - few drops

cardamom powder - 1 tsp

rose essence - 3 to 4 drops( optional)

almonds and cashewnuts, chopped - 1/2 cup

PROCESS:

• Grease a glass dish with some ghee, line it with parchment paper and brush it with some ghee. My dish was 8x5 inches. Sprinkle about  2 tbsps of the mixed nuts(reserve the rest for later) in the dish and keep it ready.

• In a bowl, mix together the cornflour and the 2 cups of water. Add the water slowly, whisking it continuously to avoid lumps. Keep aside.
• In a non stick pan, add the sugar and 1 cup water. Mix and then switch on the stove. Bring it to a boil and then add in the lemon juice.
• Once the sugar has completely dissolved, on low to medium flame, slowly add in the cornflour mixture. Mix continuously. The mixture will become thick as you heat it. 

• Once it has become translucent and thick, add in the ghee, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition. Make sure the ghee has been completely absorbed before each addition. Keep the flame on low, as it is easier to mix continuously.

• Next, add in the orange food colouring and mix continuously.
• When the mixture is almost transparent, add in the cardamom powder and the rose essence and mix well.
• When you lift the mixture with the spatula and drop it you can now see that it is transparent. cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes. At this stage, add in the chopped nuts and mix well. Switch off the stove. It will be like jelly. It took me about 30 minutes of cooking to get to this stage. 

• Transfer the halwa into the greased dish and smoothen the tops with the spatula. Let it cool completely.

• Once cooled, overturn the halwa onto a plate, and cut it into desired slices.

NOTES:

• If you want it very less chewy, you can switch off the flame about 10 minutes after the cornflour mixture has become transparent. This is roughly about 25 minutes of cooking time on the whole.
• The more you cook it, the more chewy it will become.
• Keep stiring as you cook.

POACHED EGGS IN A TAMARIND BASED CURRY

I love any sort of tamarind curry. Unfortunately, my family hates anything to do with it..........and I hate cooking just for myself.........so when I do make it.........I  make a BIGGGGG pot so I can eat it for a few days :D

This recipe holds many memories, and hopefully will be carried on for many more generations!It may be 'just another egg curry' for many, but for us it holds many stories.......many memories!

The whole extended family at my grandma's sitting together at one table during dinner........laughing, giggling and reserving(more like fighting!)  the next dosa for themselves........hahaha...............even though 3 dosa pans will be busy making dosas simultaneously, it was never fast enough!......gosh..........what a gluttonous family!!!!!!!!:)

Although you can serve this curry with rice, the best combination hands down would be hot HOT, crispy ghee dosas........Oh my! What a delicious combination!

INGREDIENTS:

5 eggs

Oil - 3 tbsps

onions, chopped roughly - 2 

garlic - 4 cloves

tomato, chopped - 1

green chilies, slit - 2

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

curry leaves - 1 sprig

red chili powder - 2 and 1/2 tsps 

turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

cumin powder - 1 tsp

coriander powder - 2 tbsps

hing/ asafoetida powder - a pinch

tamarind - 1 big lime sized

thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

salt to taste

fresh coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsps

 

PROCESS:

• Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water. Nicely squeeze the tamarind to extract the juice. Keep aside. Add 1 more cup of water to the pulp, repeat and extract the juice again. So we have 2 cups of tamarind water. Keep aside.
• Puree the onions and garlic together in a blender until smooth. keep aside.
• In a wide wok, heat the oil.
• Add in the mustard seeds.
• When they start to splutter add in the curry leaves and the chilli powder.
• After a few seconds add in the green chilies, onion and garlic puree. Cover and let it cook in the oil for a minute or so or until the raw smell goes.
• Next, add in the tomatoes and some salt. Cover and let it cook until soft and mushy. Add in splashes of water to avoid burning the masalas. Open the lid and stir at regular intervals.
• Once the tomatoes have become soft, add in the cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and cook well for about 30 seconds.
• Once the spices have cooked, add in the tamarind water. Cover and let it simmer till the water level has gone down, and the consistency has become thicker. You can add 1/2 or 1 more cup of water if necessary.
• At this stage, add in the asafoetida and taste to see if the salt and the curry on the whole tastes perfect. 
• Next, add in the coconut milk. Simmer for a minute or so.
• Now that our curry tastes perfect, add in the eggs. With the flame on low, break the eggs directly into the curry one by one into the curry. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 to 6  minutes. Then, flip the eggs over and cook further for another 3 to 4 minutes.  
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and close the lid.
• Serve hot with dosas!

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND BLONDIES

BLONDIES are blonde brownies! :) cute right??? :D 

No cocoa powder is used here and brown sugar is substituted for white sugar. 

The insides are slightly moist and gooey. So do not over bake them. Or else they will turn out hard. The edges of the blondie will become browned and will leave the sides of the loaf pan. That's your cue to check the middle and remove them from the oven when they are done.

They are absolutely delish and I got this recipe off Chetna Makan's website. The brown sugar, the cardamom and the almonds really work together to create magic! Such an addictive snack :D

INGREDIENTS:

unsalted butter - 100g

all purpose flour - 1 cup

baking powder - 1/2 tsp

pinch of salt

cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

chocolate chips - 1/2 cup

almond flakes - 3/4 cup

brown sugar, packed - 1 cup

vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

egg yolk - 1

whole egg - 1

PROCESS:

• In a saucepan, heat the butter until nice and frothy. Keep stirring. Once the butter becomes transparent( clarified butter) switch off the flame. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom powder. Keep aside.
• Now take a big bowl and pour in the cooled clarified butter. 
• Add in the brown sugar and mix well until well combined.
• Add in the egg yolk and whole egg and give it a good mix until well combined.
• Now add in your dry ingredients. Mix until everything is well mixed.
• Add in the chocolate chips.
• Next, add in 3/4 of the almond flakes and reserve the rest for the garnishing.
• Mix well and pour into the greased and prepared baking tin.
• Garish with the reserved almond flakes and lightly press them down.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted.
• Cool completely before cutting.

NOTES:

1. If the tops of the blondies are getting browned before the insides are cooked, just cover it with aluminium foil and continue baking.
2. When the edges of the blondies become slightly browned and they leave the sides of the loaf pan, it is ready. Check with the toothpick to see if the insides are cooked.

BLACK STICKY RICE DESSERT/ BUBUR PULUT HITAM

This dessert is famous in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is one of my favourite traditional desserts in Malaysia. Got this recipe from my mother in law! she makes the best!

In Malay 'Pulut' means glutinous rice, 'hitam' means black and 'bubur' means porridge. 

The black glutinous rice is cooked until soft and mixed with any form of sugar and coconut milk. It is so simple and tasty. 

The rice takes a very long time to cook. So it is wise to soak it overnight. As the rice cooks it gives you a nice purplish brown colour.

INGREDIENTS:

black glutinous rice - 1 cup

salt - 1 tsp

pandan leaves, knotted - 4

white sugar - 1/2 cup +2 tbsps

thick coconut milk - 3/4 cup

PROCESS:

• A picture of the black glutinous rice.

• Wash and soak the rice in water overnight.
• Pressure cook the drained rice along with 5 cups of water and salt for about 8 whistles or until soft and cooked( the rice must easily be squashed with your fingers ). Alternatively you can cook it in a pot too, but might take longer to cook.
• Wait till it is completely cooled before opening the pressure cooker. 
• Once the rice is cooked until soft, add in the pandan leaves and cook further till the water level has gone down and you have a nice porridge consistency. say about 7 to 10  minutes.
• Then, add in the sugar and cook for 5 minutes and then add in the coconut milk. Simmer for a minute and then switch off the flame.
• The consistency of this dessert must be like a thick porridge.

NOTES:

• You can add in more sugar or coconut milk as per your taste.

JANGIRI - SOUTH INDIAN SWEET

Jangiri is a South Indian sweet made from urad dal batter............ then fried and soaked in sugar syrup. When you bite into it the sugar syrup should ooze out into your mouth.

Ofcourse its extremely unhealhy but its okay if you limit your consumption and eat carefully.

When you buy  it from the shop we end up thinking its difficult to make. But its actually so easy and we just need to remember a few tips that I have mentioned under 'notes' below. This is exactly how we make our ulundhu vadai/ medhu vadai batter. So all those who are already pros at vadai making.........its a piece of cake for you! once you have got your batter perfect, the rest is easy.

INGREDIENTS:

jangiri dough:

urad dal/ uundhu - 1 cup

cornflour - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

orange food colouring - few drops

 sugar syrup:

sugar - 2 cups

water - 1 cup

cardamom, bruised - 4 to 5

other ingredients:

oil for frying

PROCESS:

• To make the jangiri dough- Wash the urad dal a few times and soak in water for about 2 hours.
• Then, wash the urad dal again and drain the water completely.
• Now in a blender, adding water little by little, blend to a smooth paste. The consistency will be similar to that of ulundhu vadai batter. I added 1/2 cup of water on the whole. The batter must not be too watery. 
• Transfer the batter to a shallow wide plate. Add in the required amount of food colouring and the cornflour and mix well using your hands. You can check if the consistency of the batter is correct by adding a small drop of batter in a bowl of water . If it floats, its perfect.

• Transfer the batter to a piping bag/ plastic cover and tie the ends. make a tiny hole at the end of the bag for the batter to come through.
• Now to make the sugar syrup- Take the sugar and the water in a heavy bottomed vessel. Mix well and then heat. Bring it to a boil and then turn down the heat. Simmer and keep stirring and switch off the flame when you have reached the one string consistency. Add in the cardamoms. Switch off the flame and close. Set aside.
• Now to fry the jangiri- In a shallow and wide frying pan, heat the oil for frying the jangiris. When the oil becomes hot, on low flame, pipe the batter to shape the jangiris directly in the hot oil. Make 2 circles on top of each other and make tiny circles close to each other following the shape of the big circle.
•  Cook for a few minutes and then flip and cook further till crispy and cooked.

•  Remove them from oil and drop them in the warm sugar syrup. Let it be immersed well in the sugar syrup for about 30 to 40 seconds and then arrange them on a plate.

NOTES:

• Grind the urad dal adding water little by little. Make sure the blender does'nt get too hot. 
• The batter must be nice and fluffy and not too watery. The consistency must be that of ulundhu vadai batter.
• If the batter isn't light and fluffy the jangiri will not absorb the sugar syrup well. The sugar syrup must be warm when you immerse the jangiri in it. Only then it will absorb the sugar syrup.