Donuts / Doughnuts is a much liked sweet delicacy around the world and is made in various forms. A visit at our local Dunkin Donuts outlet had me motivated to try them. Since then after researching quite a bit, I finally landed with one for the deep fried variant. The end result was quite the yummy one & since then I have been hooked on making them. I can definitely vouch for the fact that this will be a sure fire hit amongst the sweet lovers in your circle. You can decorate it with your choices of sprinkles.
Cuisine: USA
Makes: 14- 16 no.s
Ingredients
• 2 ½ cup Flour/maida
• 2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 57 gms butter unsalted melted
• 4 tbsp. sugar
• ¾ cup milk (whole or tonned)
• Pinch of salt
• Veg oil for deep frying
In a bowl add warm milk(not hot); sprinkle yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes until it starts to foam.
In a bowl, add melted butter, egg, salt and sugar and whisk until combined. Add the yeast & mix.
Now add flour and knead well for about 5 minutes. The dough will be little sticky. That’s perfectly fine. Grease a bowl with veg oil and put the dough in it and close and leave it to rise in a warm place until double in size. It normally takes 1 hour to rise but again it will depend upon the room temperature. Wait for 2 hours at the max.
Now punch down the dough and sprinkle some more flour and knead until non sticky. But do not add too much flour. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into 1.5 inch thick and with a cookie cutter or you can use a glass and cut into rounds. If using glass, dust the rim with flour and then cut. You can use a small bottle cap to cut a small round in the middle of the rounds. Sprinkle some flour on a paper or a baking paper and place the roundels on them and let rest for about 30 mins.
Heat oil and make sure the oil is hot enough but not piping hot. Deep fry each roundel for about a minute on both sides and remove them. Should be golden brown on both sides. Once they are cooled, dip them in melted chocolate and decorate them with sugar sprinkles, jimmies or you can simply dust them with powdered sugar/icing sugar.
This dish was a Maharashtra based delicacy, but due to its exquisite taste & sheer simplicity this dish has become a crowd favourite. A perfect accompaniment for tea, this can easily be favoured for lunch, dinner or even a quick bite. Pav means bread and bhaji means vegetable dish. The main base for the bhaji here is tomato.
Cuisine: Maharashtra (India)
Serves: 3
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 3 small tomatoes finely chopped
• 7-8 dry red chillies
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• ¼ cup cooked peas
• ¾ cup boiled potatoes
• 2 tbsp. pav bhaji masala(store bought)
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Few coriander leaves chopped
• 6 Pav (store bought)
Keep dry red chillies in boiling water for an hour. Grind with garlic cloves to a smooth paste. You can add little water for this but add 1 tsp. at a time and grind. Set aside.
In a pan, add butter & oil. Add cumin seed and when they start to splutter add the prepared dry chilli paste. Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions and green chillies saute. Add tomatoes and cook till they soften. Add Pav bhaji masala and chilli powder, cook for another minute and add the peas and boiled potatoes. Add Salt and with a masher, mash everything. If you don’t have a masher, use the back of the spoon to mash. Add 2-3 tbsp. water and keep on a low flame for about 3-4 minutes. Switch off the flame and garnish coriander leaves.
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE !!!!! STAY BLESSED ALWAYS 🙂 🙂 🙂
Cuisine: USA/All over the world
Serves: 3
Ingredients
• 60 gms unsalted butter softened
• 60 gms sugar
• 50 gms flour/maida
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp. milk
• Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the cupcake tray with cup cases.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and beat for about 3 minutes. Pour into the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
For the buttercream: Mix 50 gms of unsalted butter with 125 gms of powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla essence. You can adjust the consistency by adding more sugar and if too thick, loosen it up by adding 1 tbsp. milk at a time. I have topped it with some M&M.
Cuisine: India/Asian
Serves: 5
Biriyani – this is something which would be bankable any day for me and my husband. It’s been a while since I had prepared a biriyani & for a change I decided to go with the egg variant. There’s absolutely no mess in cooking this. Full of flavours and spices, you won’t need any curry as a side for this dish. Will be preparing another egg dish soon.
Ingredients
• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 2 tsp fennel seeds/perumeerakam
• 3 cloves
• 5 cardamoms
• 1inch cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tbsp. oil
• Salt to taste
• water as required
For the gravy
• 5 hardboiled eggs, peeled and make slits
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 ½ tbsp. oil
• 2 cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup potato, cubed and boiled
• 1 tbsp. tomato puree/paste
• ¾ cup yogurt/curd
• 1 tsp. chilli powder
• 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt / 2 chicken stock cubes to taste
• 4 green chillies slit
• Chopped coriander and mint leaves
I have cooked the rice using draining method. Boil enough water and add salt and ghee. Throw in the spices and add the rice. Cook rice to perfect consistency. It shouldn’t be too soggy. Drain and set aside.
In a bowl, mix yogurt, chilli powder and ginger garlic paste and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan; add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Saute till they crackle. Add the onions and saute till transparent. Add green chillies & potatoes and fry for a minute or two. Add tomato puree and stir well. Add in the yogurt mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Add salt/chicken stock cubes. Add the eggs, coriander and mint leaves and mix gently. Remove from flame.
For layering, in a deep sauce pot or any cookware, add ½ tsp. melted ghee. Add the egg masala and then top with rice. Repeat the process and garnish with some more mint and coriander leaves. Put the lid for 15 minutes and then serve it with some raita and pappad.
Cuisine: North Indian
Serves: 4
Among all the food items served during Holi festival, I think this almond flavoured milk is the most popular drink in North India. This is the first time I am making this and yes I loved it. Though I have chucked out little ingredients and made my own version, I am happy with the outcome.
Ingredients
• 1 litre milk
• 6-7 tbsp. sugar
• A pinch of saffron/kesar (kumkuma poo)
• 5 tbsp. almonds
• 2 tbsp. cashewnuts
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds/saunf (perum jeerakam)
• 5-6 cardamom (elachi/elakka)
• ¾ tsp. peppercorns (kurumulagu)
• 5-6 rose petals or ½ tsp. rose essence
• Few pistachios chopped
Soak the almond in water for 1 ½ – 2 hours.
In a pan, bring the milk to boil and add sugar and saffron strands. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Peel the almond skin (See notes below) and set aside in a bowl. To that add cashewnuts, fennel seeds, cardamom and pepper corns.
Grind into a fine paste by adding ¼ cup water or more. Pour the paste into the milk and stir and add 3 rose petals (chopped) or essence and close the pan and set aside for about 20 minutes. Strain the milk into another bowl and add rose petals and pistachios. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Notes: For peeling almond skin, Put the soaked almonds in a microwavable cup/mug or in a pan on stovetop and heat for about 2 ½ minutes. Take them out and put them in a sieve/strainer/arippa and keep them under running water. You will see the skin will be all wrinkly. Just squeeze them and the skin will fall off easily.
Cuisine: French
Serves: 2
Mini desserts like these cute mousse cups are great for parties, wherein guests can gorge on more than one of them! Very luscious and fluffy in texture, they are also rich and creamy in taste. I have gone for lemon flavours here. As always the chocolate variant is a house favourite (which is already posted). If you don’t eat strawberry, it’s always optional you know. And yes, it’s a VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL DESSERT FOR YOUR LOVED ONES.
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 2 tbsp. corn flour
• 1 ½ cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon strawberry/vanilla extract
• ¾ cup whipped/ fresh cream
In a sauce pan, combine sugar and corn flour. Gradually add the milk & cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer and stir constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Pour the contents of the sauce pan into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the strawberry/vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add the whipped cream and fold in until combined.
Refrigerate for an hour or more before serving. Top with crumbled vanilla cake and fresh strawberries.