Vanilla Sauce | topping for cakes and desserts

Okay, so you have some guests coming over and you have quickly whisked up a cake for them. You really really wished you had more time on your hands to dish out some fancy dessert but alas, its only a sponge cake you had time for...... 

........or so you would have thought until you came across THIS recipe for a super simple easy-peesy vanilla sauce that gives your humble sponge cake (or any dessert) an extra oomph!! Oh yes... trust me on this! :) I am talking out of experience :D

A week back, at a friend's place I had the opportunity to taste vanilla sauce. It was my first time and I fell in love with it! I was amazed by its simplicity. It was divine when served along with the yummilicious apple pie that she had baked for me :) :) I made a mental note of the recipe... little did I know I would have to put it to use so soon!! 

A few days back, I had some guests over for dinner and after battling it out in the kitchen for a straight three hours trying to put together the main dishes, I had very little time to sort out my dessert. But I had made up my mind to serve out a pretty looking dessert as I had a tiny tot amongst my guest list and I did not want to disappoint the sweet loving little one. So here is where my new-found recipe came handy. I had baked an eggless chocolate walnut cake the previous night and kept it ready and waiting for the next day's dessert. And after the three hour battle, it took me just ten minutes and 4 simple ingredients to put together this yummy concoction. With a dash of colourful sprinklers on top, the simple sponge cake transformed into a fancy dessert. Oh yes, the little one was delighted! :)

For quick dessert make-overs or for those who are not too fond of the heavy creamy frosting on cakes... this recipe is a sure keeper! 

Bialys | bee-AH-lee (chewy rolls topped with caramelized onions)

 

Say hello to Bagel's cousin, The Bialy (pronounced bee-AH-lee)! Isn't the name cute? :) Oh I loved the name, the first time I read it!! Though these fellows look like a bagel (or a doughnut too!), it is quite different from them. A Bialy is round chewy baked yeast roll with a depressed middle, not a hole, and typically filled with cooked onions and sometimes poppy seeds. Bialys are originally created by the Polish, who migrated to New York and settled there popularising it as the New York Bialys. 



It really amazes me how there are like a zillion different techniques out there in bread baking across the world! Each bread has its own unique shaping and baking process and that's what makes bread baking absolutely fun! :)

 

Yes, the process of shaping these bialys was a joy. And as always, its a feeling of absolute bliss seeing a bread rise as they bake in the oven and finally digging into the freshly baked goodie... oh my my! :D These make for a great meal, as is. You could slather on some butter on them, if you like. Or you could also top up your bialys with paneer or cheese. I loved them the way they are... you can figure, I couldn't resist them as I clicked away these pictures :D :D

Quick-fix Kadai Biryani (without pressure cooker) | Ready in 30 mins

I love simple biryanis. The ones with just right flavours, not too mild and not too overpowering. And the amount of vegetables that goes into it also matters to me. It shouldn't be overdone  yet I like my biryani to have decent amount of veggies in it. I have always had a notion in my head that biryani is a complex dish and one that needs loads of ingredients and cooking time! This has made me shy away from trying them at home as I prefer to keep my cooking simple and quick. Hence, biryani has been a dish that we used to order in from a local eatery. 

It was only 2 days back that I made an impulsive decision of making my own biryani at home! I have no clue what made me go for it, especially at 8 in the night after a long working day! But there I was gathering my ingredients on the kitchen counter. I had it all planned up in my head, all that was left to do was... COOK! :D My version uses simple ingredients and follows a super easy method.

So well, I wanted my biryani to have generous helping of potatoes as that was one veggie we both love in any form and then I wanted paneer in too. Those were the only two major players I had in my mind. Green Peas and Sweetcorn just found their way in as I began cooking!! Yeah, that's how my cooking happens, the recipe unfolds itself as the cooking progresses :)

I did not want to use a pressure cooker as I wanted the rice grains to be nice and fluffy and wanted to monitor it as it cooks, hence opted to cook in a kadai. As the cooking commenced, the fragrance was mighty tempting and to my greatest joy, it was done so quickly! The final product was simply super... way beyond what I had in mind :) 

On popular demand, the recipe was repeated last night,... yes it was that YUMMY! :D

Batata Song | Potato in Tangy Onion-Tamarind Gravy | Konkani Dish

It amazes me how even though the Konkani community is not as large as some of the bigger communities in India  its cuisine is no less diverse than the rest. In fact the flavours and preparations varies within the community itself! Konkanis are from Kerala have a distinct style of cooking while their counterparts from Mangalore and Goa have an equally different yet distinct style of preparations. Local ingredients find their way into Konkani food prepared in different parts of the country.

My family is from Cochin while my husband's is from Mangalore. This makes way for a very interesting line up of Konkani cuisine each different and new to both of us as the food is influenced from the two different coastal regions. Recently I learnt of this particular dish called Batata Song, the name itself caught my attention and the fact that it has been my husband's childhood favourite made my interest rise a little more for this dish. An interesting combination of coconut oil, jaggery and chilli powder goes into this to give potatoes a unique flavour. Coconut oil is commonly used in several Konkani preparations lending its distinct flavour to the dish it is added into.

I had a quick foodie chat with my ma-in-law and figured this dish is a song to make, literally! :D Simple ingredients, simple preparations and simply yummy flavours! Oh, I just loved this dish to bits :) 

The joy of re-creating husband's childhood favourite and being certified that it tasted very close to (if not equally good or better!! :P) his mum's preparation... is a yoo-hoo moment! :D Sure all you wifeys would agree with me here!! :) 

Batata song can be served as a side with chapathis or with rice and dal. Both tasting equally divine. 

Torcettini | Sugar crusted yeasted cookies

When I first saw these cute little cookies that Aparna posted for April's 'We knead to bake', I loved the way these cookies looked and liked the simplicity in this recipe. This was the first cookie recipe that I came across that used yeast! I was eager to make my own batch and but unfortunately things kept me busy whole of last month and I could make time to bake these cookies only this weekend. Well well, was I delighted with these!? I was!!! Crunchy crisp on the outside with the grainy sugar crystals and chewy soft on the inside, these cookies were truly a delight to much on at well, any hour of the day..!!

What delighted me even more was that my family absolutely loved it and in fact thought this was my 'best' baked goodie so far... now that does sound nice doesn't it? :) I did not waste any time and whipped up another batch the yesterday! :) The second batch too disappeared in no time! :D These are mildly sweet, as no sugar goes into the dough and the only sweetness is from the sugar crust. I loved this about these cookies... try it, sure you would love it! :)

Sprouted Moong and Horse Gram Salad

From being a person who would run the other direction if I see sprouts or anything to do with it, I have actually begun to love it! I still do not like them raw. No, I can never get myself to really like that form of it. But, I try variations to ensure my interest level is kept alive in these little power packed beans/grains. This was the first time I am trying my hands at sprouting horse gram. I used my usual simple method of sprouting moong beans... and this time too it worked like a charm!  It always amuses me to watch them sprout :)

Adding in a little onions and a handful of grated coconut to these simple sprouts makes them so yummy to munch on. I had them as a sides with my curd rice once and as a snack to munch on along with my evening coffee another time. Both the times, they tasted real good and you get this sort of feeling of goodness that you are treating yourself to some good health while you snack away to glory! :D

Some of my other Sprouted Moong recipes: Sprouted Moong Salad, Sprouted Moong and Coconut Rice,  Sprouted Moong and Mayo Sandwich, Sprouted Moong and Peppered Potatoes

Beetroot and Alu Paratha | Beetroot and Potato Indian Bread

 

 

Beetroots are one of the most nutritious vegetables. They have been named ‘super food’ by numerous experts. Oh yes, I have been educated loads about this veggie and have without a fuss, eaten it during my growing up days. But when it comes to the present day in my own kitchen, I have somehow been unable to include it into our regular diet. I love the taste of beetroot, I have no issues there. In fact, there is no particular reason for me to ignore the veggie except the fact that I found its runny colour a little messy to deal with. Bah, lame excuse... I know! :(

 

So apparently, Beets weren't going to let me do away with them. Recently we figured, I was low on haemoglobin and needed to pump it up with just some wholesome healthy nutritious food and upon medical advice, Beetroots were perfect for doing just that! I was forced to feed myself beets everyday.

 

 

 

 

Hence, I am back to being friends with Beets and am looking out for options to feed myself this wonder veggie in various forms. While I am yet to experiment the other options, how can I not make myself some parathas out of beetroot?! My love for parathas is obvious and after having made Spinach Potato Parathas, I used the same recipe to make Beetroot Parathas. The inclusion of potatoes contributed to the softness of the parathas and the colour of the dough was so appealing I felt like I was playing with modelling clay :P

 

Beetroot lovers, oh well... you are sure to love this no doubt!! And for those who are not too fond of beets, this is one of the best ways to include them in your diet as the flavour of beets isn't strong at all and if not for the lovely red colour, you wouldn't even know these were made of beets!! Go for them and treat yourself to some good health :)

Cinnamon Hearts | Cinnamon flavoured bread rolls

 

 

Cinnamon Rolls are divinely flavoursome!! Oh yes. I have heard a lot of these rolls, but have never got around tasting them... until yesterday. I made my own batch of these goodies and boy did I love the flavour! Cinnamon is known for its fragrance and is a common ingredients in our Indian cooking. I was delighted to discover that cinnamon powder is even more flavoursome and when combined with bread gives a lovely spicy sweetness to it. Spicy sweetness??! Yes, there is a mix of mild spice and sweetness all at once! :D

 

 

 

 

I wanted fluffy bread to make my cinnamon rolls, so I opted to use All Purpose flour this time. It wont be long before I make a wholewheat version of it though. I tweaked my fool-proof bread recipe and added in some fresh cream and butter to it and was absolutely delighted with the resulting fluffy cottony bread.

 

 

This time instead of rolling them into regular bread rolls, I wanted to give my rolls a different look. Shaping them into hearts gives these cinnamon rolls a cuteness that makes them irresistible. I was so happy with these that I was beaming from ear to ear when I pulled out these cuties from the oven. The home smelt divine with the cinnamon emitting a natural incense like fragrance.

 

Awe your guests with these fabulous cinnamon rolls or just give them as gifts to little ones. But before that treat yourself and family to these flavoursome rolls! Everyone is sure to love them :)

 

Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes | Baked French Fries

Now who doesn't like french fries!? No doubt it is one of the favourite snackies much loved by young and old alike. Given me a plate of fries, and I can just munch it all up in no time, cant you?! Well, it has a charm of its own.  Sigh, the deep frying that goes in to make french fries piles up the calorie content in it, which is the only thing that makes me put on my breaks while munching on these goodies. How I wished there was an alternative!

Voila... there is an alternative... and here it is! :) Here is a baked version of the good old french fries. It uses much less oil and it is as yummy as its deep fried counterpart :) The best part here is, you can customize your potato crispies exactly the way you like it. Add in the spices you like, make it spicey or bland, cheesey or cheese-less  ... well, just go creative :) I have used baby potatoes here just cos I found the little rounds cute :) you could go traditional and use big potatoes and cut them into long potato fingers to get the exact feel of the potato fries. 

So, go on... indulge in this guilt-free snackey :)

Caramelized Kerala Banana | Nandarbale Kele Bhajile | Konkani Dessert

 

 

The flavoursome bananas from Kerala, locally called as Nendram pazham are so versatile, that they taste yum just as is and also can be transformed into several scrumptious desserts. The Kerala Banana Fry Halwa is my favourite variation while this simple to put together pan fried or caramelised version comes a very close second. 

 

Well, there is not much of a recipe here really, but I realised this is a simple dessert that we Konkanis prepare and I felt it is simply too good and so easy that it has to be shared to others as well.

 

 

 

 

This calls for the banana to be pan-fried and uses very little ghee.. thus making it a healthy dessert option. And if like, you can even cut out the sugar from it, but hey.. what is a dessert with no sugar eh?! So that much indulgence is allowed :) Tastes best right off the stove while the banana is still warm and soft while the sugar is crunchy. As it cools the sugar may get syrupy, which I personally do not prefer. But again its up to individual preferences. So, here is how you can make yourself some Caramelises Kerala Banana :)