Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake

Okay, you’ve read the name of the recipe, and I need to tell you at the very onset; no Gulab Jamuns were harmed in making this cake… coz, none were used. *evil grin*

I have known apprehensive souls go ‘urgh' at the mention of this name. I sent them a piece of this cake, and they asked me for the recipe. Yup, that’s how good this cake turns out… every single time. I have baked this one so many times, I’ve actually lost count of how many cakes I’ve baked.

I saw this recipe on Saee Koranne – Khandekar’s Instagram profile and I just had to try it. I hadn’t baked a cake in over three decades, and not in a million years had I ever thought I’d restart my ‘cake’ journey with this eggless beaut. Best decision, ever!

The cake crumb is dense and moist, quite like a semolina mawa cake. The base and the sides get baked to deep shades of brown every time, resulting in a gorgeous lightly-chewy exterior. This cake does not have too much of a ‘rise’ so please do not fret about that. Just know it’ll turn out really well.

This recipe belongs to Saee. I haven’t changed the recipe at all. All I’ve done is convert the ingredients down to the last gram. Also, the bake time of her oven differed from mine. Other than that, I have made no changes at all. Follow the recipe to the T and you’ll bake a superb cake each and every time! Saee, heartfelt thanks for this gem!❤️

Ingredients (Dry):

1 cup / 100 grams Gulab Jamun Mix (I used Chitale brand)
½ cup / 80 grams fine semolina (Barik Rawa)
½ cup / 85 grams powdered sugar
1 teaspoon / 4 grams baking powder
2 teaspoons / 6 grams Everest Milk Masala
8 -10 strands of saffron, lightly crushed

Ingredients (Wet):

1 cup / 200 grams fresh yogurt / dahi (not sour, not sweet – just bland/pheeka) - smoothened
100 grams packet salted butter, melt and cool to room temperature
14 - 15 tablespoons milk
A little extra butter to grease and line the cake tin

Ingredients (Garnish - Optional):

10 almonds, sliced/slivered
10 pistachios, sliced/slivered

Method:

1. Grease with butter and line an 8-inch cake tin with parchment paper.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Preheat the oven to 150 deg Celsius.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add the smoothened dahi, milk, and mix.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Add the cool melted butter and mix the batter until the butter is well incorporated into the batter. 
   
   
   
   
   
6. This will give you a thickish batter.
   
   
   
   
7. Pour the batter into the cake tin.
8. Sprinkle the slivered nuts at the inner perimeter of the cake tin.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
10. When done, bring out the cake and allow it to cool a bit.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Remove it from the cake tin and allow it to cool completely. Voila, done!
    
    
    

Chef Notes:

1. Preferably, procure the Chitale Gulab Jamun Mix. I’ve used that every single time and never had a problem with it. In case you don’t have access to it, of course, any Gulab Jamun Mix will work. Please note this Gulab Jamun Mix is in powder form. It is not a paste. Just clarifying. 
2. My oven takes about 40 – 45 minutes to bake this cake. The temperature setting of your oven may differ, so do keep a keen eye on your cake after the 30-to-35-minute mark.
3. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   Some more photographs:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sticky Mango Rice – Khao Neow Mamuang Lat Kati

I have been meaning to make this for ever so long and I finally got around to whipping it up this mango season. This recipe is a combination of Kay Plunkett-Hogge and Marion Grasby’s recipe for Sticky Mango Rice. I used Jasmine Rice for this recipe but if you can lay your paws on Sticky (Glutinous) Rice go with that. I cannot help but emphasize, as have the authors of the recipe, please make it with ripe mangoes of very good quality or it isn’t worth the effort.

Ingredients:

125 grams raw Sticky rice (or Jasmine rice)

250 – 300 mils coconut milk (I use Kara or Dabur cartons)

60 grams (1/3^rd cup) palm sugar or castor sugar or regular sugar

A big pinch of salt

2 – 3 ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped into pieces or sliced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

For Use:

A steamer or a steamer basket or a makeshift vessel colander steamer

A 15-inch by 15-inch muslin cloth (or cheesecloth)

Method:

1.    Soak the Jasmine rice in water for 3 hours.

2.    After 3 hours, drain and rinse the rice in fresh water.

3.    Bring water to boil in the base of a steamer/vessel. When the water gets to a roaring boil, lower heat, put the top colander-like section over it.

4.    Put the muslin cloth on the colander section and spread out the rice in an even layer. Fold the cloth over the rice, cover with a lid.

5.    Increase the flame to high and steam the rice for 20 minutes.

6.    Check the rice at the 20-minute mark and if it isn’t cooked to sticky texture, continue cooking (covered) for 8 to 10 minutes more, or until desired texture is achieved.

7.    While the rice is cooking, toast the sesame seeds on low flame. When the colour of the sesame seeds get to a light toasty colour and a nutty aroma reaches your olfactory senses, remove the sesame seeds into a plate. Keep aside and allow to cool.

8.    On very low heat, stirring all the time, heat coconut milk, sugar and salt in a stainless-steel vessel or a non-stick pan. When the sugar melts and the milk is heated through, remove from fire, and keep aside.

9.    Remove the warm cooked rice from the muslin cloth, retain approximately 50 mil of the coconut milk mixture and pour the rest into the rice.

10. Give it a stir to ensure the coconut milk is well incorporated into the rice. Cover and keep aside giving the rice time to absorb the coconut milk completely.  

To Serve:

Divide the rice into four or five equal portions, top (or serve alongside) with chopped/sliced mangoes. Drizzle the remaining coconut milk over each portion and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Serve!

Chef Notes:

1.    While I do have a steamer at home, it is a huge one hence did not bother with it. I chose to use a makeshift steamer with a vessel below with a colander above it. QED! 😉

2.    125 grams of raw rice will usually yield 250 grams of cooked rice which is an ideal quantity for dessert, for 4 (or max 5) people.

3.    The number of mangoes you choose to serve, with the rice, is entirely up to you. We used 3 Kesar mangoes because we were greedy, ideally 2 would have sufficed. *giggles*

4.    I did not have palm or castor sugar which is why I opted for regular sugar and it worked beautifully so don’t get too hassled if you don’t have palm or castor sugar in your pantry.

5.    I also know friends who cook this recipe with Maharashtrian Ambemohar Rice. The aroma of mango blossoms that emits from this rice and its flexibility to be cooked to sticky texture, make it a perfect substitute for Sticky Rice. If you choose to use Ambemohar, cook the rice as you would normally do but to a sticky texture. Follow the rest of recipe as written. Btw, I also have friends who swear Indrayani rice works as well. I haven’t tried it tough.

6.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs:

Bread Pudding

Traditional Bread Butter Pudding is fine, but every once in a while, I like to take a recipe a tad further and put my own twist on it. Also, this one has absolutely no butter, but it's so decadent you're not going the miss the butter at all. This is my way of making Bread Pudding. It is not the traditional dry style of bread pudding; the one served with a custard sauce. I like my Bread Pudding soft from within and, crisp and chewy from the top. The texture of this is such, one does not need any custard sauce to go with it. This version is neither dry and nor is it totally mushy. I promise you, though, you’ll love the final outcome. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-liter full fat milk

24 heaped teaspoons granulated sugar

5 slices of stale white bread,

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8^th teaspoon nutmeg powder

1/8^th teaspoon cardamom powder

Half a handful of mixed nuts (pistachios, almonds, cashew nuts) – optional

Method: 

1.    If you are using mixed nuts for garnish, chop into slivers and keep aside.

2.    Cut the crusts off the bread slices and cut the slices into pieces. Keep aside.

3.    Heat milk in a large vessel.

4.    Add sugar to sweeten.

5.    When the sugar melts, remove from the vessel from the stove and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.

6.    Break eggs into a bowl, add vanilla extract and the cardamom and nutmeg powders.

7.    Beat eggs well but not too frothy. I merely use a hand rotor to whisk.

8.    Add the beaten eggs to the cool, sweetened milk and give it a good whisk to ensure the milk and eggs are well incorporated.

9.    Add approximately three chopped slices of bread to the milk and whisk. The break should soak and break down in the milk.

10. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C for about ten minutes.

11. Empty the milk-egg-bread mixture into a baking tray.

12. Scatter the remaining bread pieces onto the top of the milk and allow them to ‘float and soak’ for 10-15 minutes. Do not squash these into the milk.

13. Put the baking tray into the middle slot of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

14. At the 30-minute mark, slide out the tray and sprinkle the slivers nuts, if using. If you aren’t using the nuts for garnish, ignore point number 14.

15. Continue baking for 30 more minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

16. If you prefer a nice, slightly crisp, chewy top, switch off the main oven and switch on the broiler mode (top grill that lends heat from above) and continue baking until the bread pudding achieves the colour you desire.

17. Remove tray from the oven and allow to cool. This can be served at room temperature and you can also keep it in the fridge for 4 to 5 hours and serve it cold.

Chef Notes:

1.    I used normal, stale sliced white bread but if you have baguettes or croissants, please feel free to use them. Mostly any kinda bread works... No, no not sourdough or rye, please. Thodi apni bhi akkal lagao. 🤦‍♀️ Please note, stale bread works beautifully for this dish so if you have leftover stale bread, just go with that.

2.    The reason I whisk up a few slices into the milk is because it lends a lovely creamy texture to the pudding. The dry kinda bread pudding is so not my thing.

3.    Also, the reason I add remaining pieces of bread to ‘float and soak’ is because they turn beautifully crisp and chewy because of the limited soaking and the sugar content. This way the bread pudding is neither dry nor is it totally mushy. The soft texture within and the crusty-chewy texture on top is a sheer pleasure to the palate.

4.    The sugar content is mentioned exactly as used by me. Feel free to adjust it to suit your palate but, ALWAYS keep the milk on the sweeter side coz you will be adding eggs and bread to it. Do consider the added eggs and bread when you sweeten the milk, or you’ll be left holding a bland pudding.

5.    Always add vanilla extract to the eggs when whisking them for desserts. It helps eliminate the egg-y odour in the dessert.   

6.    You can avoid the slivered nuts and merely opt for the chewy bread texture if you so desire. I did add them coz I’m a Bawi; we love eggs, bacon, cheese and nuts and not necessarily in that order. 😊 I did make a second batch without garnishing it with nuts to show you the crisp, chewy texture.

7.    Just to clarify, the black specks you see in the milk (process photos on the blog) is not dirt. It’s the cardamom-nutmeg powder. *cheeky grin*

8.    When baking bread pudding, do not fill the baking tray right till the top. Ensure the bread pudding mix is filled to three-fourth tray level only. This is because bread pudding tends to rise when baked and you do not want an overflowing or dripping tray in your oven.

9. When in lazy mode, I sometimes cover the baking tray (from outside) with tall aluminum foil on all four sides of the baking tray so as to prevent oven wall splatters. Saves me an enormous amount of time from having to scrub the oven clean after the bake. Once the milk is in semi-set mode, I snip off the tall foil and proceed with sprinkling the slivered almonds. Easy-peasy! 😉
10. I have mentioned the oven timings according to my oven. Oven settings differ, hence, once a knife comes out clean, proceed to turn on the broiler and brown the bread pudding from top. This will ensure the pudding you make does not burn.
11. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some More Photographs: