Wheat Bread

Enjoy hot, homemade, soft whole wheat bread with maska (butter)!

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour: 1 1/2 cups
• All-purpose flour (maida): 3/4 cup
• Milk powder: 1/4 cup
• Dry yeast: 2 tsp
• Powdered jaggery: 2 tsp
• Salt: 3/4 tsp
• Butter: 2 tsp
• Oil: 3 tsp
• Warm water: 1 cup (you may need a little more or less)

Method

1. Put the yeast and jaggery in a bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup of warm water to the yeast and jaggery mixture.
3. Set it aside for 5–10 minutes.
4. You will see bubbles, and the mixture will become fluffy.
5. Add the salt, melted butter, wheat flour, milk powder and maida. Mix to make a nice dough.
6. Transfer the dough to a clean, greased surface. Knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes elastic, using oil as needed. 3 tsp of oil is enough.
7. Shape it into a soft dough and place it in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 1 hour.
8. After 1 hour, the dough will have doubled in size.
9. Punch down the dough and knead it again for 2–3 minutes.
10. Shape the loaf and place it in a greased loaf pan. Here I used a round mould.
11. Let it prove again until it doubles in size.
12. After proving, brush a little water on top so that it does not dry out.
13. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if you like. You can also use oats or mixed herbs.
14. Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it turns brown.
15. Brush butter on the bread while it is still hot.

Enjoy hot, homemade, soft bread with maska!

Bourbon Biscuits

Children's favourite homemade bourbon biscuits!

Ingredients for the biscuits

• All-purpose flour (maida): 1 cup
• Butter: 3 tbsp
• Desi ghee: 2 tbsp
• Cocoa powder: 2 tbsp
• Powdered sugar: 1/4 cup
• Milk: 3 tsp (at room temperature)
• Baking powder: 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla essence: 1/2 tsp
• Salt: a small pinch (skip the salt if you use salted butter)
• Granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Ingredients for the cream

• Butter: 2 tbsp
• Cocoa powder: 3 tbsp
• Powdered sugar or castor sugar: 3 tbsp
• Milk: 1 tsp

Mix all the cream ingredients together except the milk, then add milk as needed. Do not make the cream too loose, or it will squeeze out from between the biscuits.

Method for the biscuits

1. Put the butter and ghee in a bowl. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture becomes light.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the same bowl.
3. Add the vanilla essence and 2 tsp of milk.
4. Mix everything together to make a smooth dough. Add a little more milk if needed.
5. Keep the dough in the fridge for an hour.
6. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin between sheets of butter paper.
7. Cut the biscuits into long rectangles. Prick holes on top with a toothpick.
8. Sprinkle some granulated sugar over the biscuits.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 12 minutes.
10. Let the biscuits cool completely.
11. Spread the cream between 2 biscuits and press gently.

Your bourbon biscuits are ready! This recipe makes about 12 biscuits. Enjoy them with hot ginger tea or coffee.

Vegetable stew

A comforting vegetable stew cooked in coconut milk with whole spices.

Ingredients

Cut all the vegetables into small cubes.

• Cauliflower: 1/2 cup
• Onion: 1/4 cup
• French beans: 1/4 cup
• Carrot: 1/4 cup
• Green bell pepper (capsicum): 1/4 cup
• Paneer or tofu: 1/4 cup
• Potato: 1/4 cup
• Green peas: 1/4 cup
• Spinach: 1/4 cup (optional)
• Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon: 1-inch stick
• Cloves: 2
• Cardamom: 1
• Green chillies: 2
• Coconut milk: 1 cup thick and 1 cup thin
• Rice flour: 1 tbsp
• Salt: to taste

You can use any vegetables you like.

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a heavy pan.
2. When the oil is hot (but not too hot), add the cinnamon, cloves, green chillies and cardamom.
3. Sauté for a minute. Add the onion, carrot and potato.
4. Cover with a lid and cook until they become a little soft.
5. Add the cauliflower, green pepper and peas.
6. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover with the lid.
7. When all the vegetables are soft, add the paneer or tofu.
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Make a paste of the rice flour with the thin coconut milk and add it to the vegetables.
10. Mix well and let it cook through.
11. Add the thick coconut milk and turn off the heat.
12. Serve hot with rice or garlic bread!

semolina ( rawa) ladi pav

A healthy ladi pav made with semolina (rawa).

Ingredients

• Medium semolina: 1 1/2 cups (if you only have coarse semolina, grind it first)
• All-purpose flour (maida): 2 tbsp
• Milk powder: 2 tbsp
• Active dry yeast: 1 1/2 tsp
• Honey: 2 tsp (or 2 tsp sugar)
• Salt: 3/4 tsp
• Butter: 2 tbsp
• Vegetable oil: 3 tsp (for kneading and greasing)
• Warm water: 1 1/2 cups, or as needed

Method

1. Put the semolina, all-purpose flour, milk powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well with a spatula.
2. In another bowl, mix the yeast, honey and 1/4 cup of warm water.
3. Leave it for 10 minutes, or until the yeast blooms.
4. Add this yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the butter and 1/2 cup of warm water.
5. Add the remaining water gradually; you may not need all of it. Mix to make a nice dough.
6. The dough should not be stiff. It should be loose, because semolina absorbs more water than all-purpose flour. Transfer the dough to a clean, greased surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes elastic, using oil as needed. 3 tsp of oil is enough for kneading and greasing.
7. Place the soft dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Let it rest for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
8. After 1 hour, the dough will have doubled in size.
9. Punch the dough to remove the air and knead again for about 2–3 minutes.
10. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Shape the pavs round or oval, as you like. Arrange them on a lightly greased tray about 1 inch apart.
11. Leave the tray to rise again for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
12. Bake the pavs in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes, or until they turn brown.

This recipe makes about 8 medium-sized pavs. Enjoy the hot, homemade, soft pav with bhaji, batata vada or maska (butter)!

Baked Veggies

Today I made baked vegetables in a white sauce made with wheat flour. It is very healthy and tastes delicious too.

Ingredients for the vegetables

• Broccoli: 1/2 cup
• Cauliflower: 1/2 cup
• Green zucchini: 1/4 cup (optional)
• Red, green and yellow bell peppers, cut into cubes: 1/2 cup
• Potato cubes: 1/4 cup
• Boiled fresh sweet corn: 1/2 cup
• Onion, cut into cubes: 1/4 cup
• Boiled pasta: 1/4 cup (optional)
• Blanched spinach: 1/4 cup
• Paneer cubes: 1/2 cup
• Grated cheese (any kind you like): 1/4 cup

You can add or leave out any vegetables, depending on your taste and what is available.

Ingredients for the white sauce

• Wheat flour: 2 tbsp
• Butter: 1 tbsp
• Milk: 2 cups
• Salt: 1/2 tsp, or to taste
• Coarsely ground black pepper: 1 tsp
• Mixed dried herbs: 1 tsp
• Garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
• Grated or sliced cheese: 1/2 tbsp

Method

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the garlic paste and sauté for a minute.
2. Add the wheat flour and sauté for 2 minutes on low heat. The colour should not change.
3. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking continuously. The sauce should be smooth, without lumps. Add as much milk as needed for the consistency you like.
4. Add the salt, black pepper and mixed herbs and mix well. Add the cheese to make the sauce cheesy.
5. Add the vegetables and pasta and mix well.
6. Transfer everything to a baking dish, top with cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.

Enjoy with garlic bread, or eat the baked vegetables on their own. They taste delicious!

Amba ( Raw mango ) dal & Panhe

In Maharashtra, Haldi-Kunku is celebrated in the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar. Amba dal and panhe are served to guests on this occasion, along with flowers!

Ingredients for amba dal

• Chana dal (split Bengal gram): 2 cups
• Grated raw green mango: 1 cup (choose a Totapuri mango, which is not very sour)
• Green chilli paste: 2 tsp
• Curry leaves: 10–12
• Salt: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Sugar: 1/2 tsp
• Chopped coriander: a handful
• Vegetable oil: 4 tbsp
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Hing (asafoetida): 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Method for amba dal

1. Soak the chana dal in water for 4–5 hours. Drain the water and grind the soaked dal coarsely.
2. Add the green chilli paste, grated mango and salt to the ground dal. Mix well and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and hing one by one. Add the curry leaves.
4. Let this tempering cool, then add it to the dal mixture and mix everything well.
5. Add the coriander leaves and mix.

The amba dal is ready.

Ingredients for panhe

• Raw green mango pulp: 1 cup (I used 2 Totapuri mangoes, which are not very sour)
• Jaggery (gul), finely chopped: 1 cup
• Salt: 1 tsp, or to taste
• Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
• Saffron: 10–12 threads

Method for panhe

1. Peel the raw mangoes. Soak the saffron threads in 1 tsp of hot water.
2. Put the mangoes and jaggery in a vessel.
3. Pressure cook the mango and jaggery for 3 whistles.
4. Let it cool. Remove the mango seeds and grind the pulp with the jaggery to a fine paste.
5. Add cold water to get a sharbat-like consistency, or as you like. Add more jaggery if needed.
6. Add the cardamom powder and soaked saffron.
7. Mix everything well.

Enjoy amba dal with flavourful, cool panhe!

Egg less orange & tuti fruity sponge cake

Today I made an orange and tutti frutti sponge cake in my mini bundt cake pan. It came out very soft and delicious!

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour (maida): 1 1/4 cups
• Sugar: 1 cup
• Thick yogurt: 1 cup
• Orange zest: 1 1/2 tsp (I used freshly grated orange peel)
• Orange juice: 2 tbsp
• Pineapple essence: 1 1/2 tsp (you can use vanilla essence instead)
• Any odourless oil: 1/2 cup
• Tutti frutti: 1/4 cup
• Baking powder: 1 tsp
• Baking soda: 1/2 tsp
• White vinegar: 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Powder the sugar in a mixer and put it in a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the baking powder and baking soda and mix again. Add the vinegar, mix, and leave for 2–4 minutes. You will see air bubbles.
3. Add the oil and pineapple essence and mix well. Add the orange zest and orange juice.
4. Add the maida and fold it in gently. Add the tutti frutti.
5. Mix well. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Pour the batter into a greased cake tin and bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light brown.

This cake tastes wonderful: soft and delicious. Enjoy it with tea or coffee!