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:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sumac - Zatar Roast Chicken (Done Two Ways)

This recipe is the perfect example of ‘Ugly-Delicious’.

I’d been itching to make this ever since a friend (Priyanka) had cooked this for a potluck, one that I’d been unable to attend. I troubled Priyanka with so many questions as I hate for a recipe to go wrong. Quite a many people say, people who cook by ‘andaz’ (without ingredient proportions), by instinct, are better cooks, I’m certainly not the type to cook ‘by andaz’. Give me perfect recipes and I will surely re-try them in my kitchen. I guess it’s Andaz Apna Apna!

The marinade gives the roast a dark muddy look, but, oh those flavours… they pop ever so gorgeously on the palate. I promise you, this one’s a keeper, guys!

I did not change much in the recipe shared by Pri. The one thing my Bawi genes forced me to incorporate, though, were potato roundels. This recipe is courtesy Priyanka Anand, the girl who ever so kindly, and patiently, answers my most ridiculous recipe queries. *sheepish grin* Priyanka, thank you, ESM! *evil grin, you know why*

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken legs
1 large onion, cut into thick semi-circles
2 large potatoes, scrub, retain skin and cut into half centimetre roundels
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium-sized garlic, finely minced (I used a garlic press)
½ - ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 – 1½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (I used MDH Deghi Mirch powder)
2 teaspoons Zatar
3 teaspoons Arabic All-Spice
3 teaspoons Sumac
Salt to taste
Butter to baste while roasting

Method for Marination:

1. Cut deep gashes on the chicken legs.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Mix olive oil, minced garlic, turmeric powder, chili powder, Zatar, Arabian All-Spice, Sumac and salt.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Apply the marinade to the chicken legs, onions and potato roundels and keep aside, in the fridge, for at least an hour. (The chicken can be kept in the fridge for hours, or even overnight)

Method of Oven Roast:

1. Preheat the oven for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees C.
2. Lay out the potato roundels at the bottom of the baking pan and set the marinated chicken on top of the potatoes. Spread the remaining potatoes and the onions around the chicken, in the baking pan. The extra marinade can be spooned onto the chicken if you prefer a spicier roast.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Slide the baking pan into the oven and bake at 180 degrees C for 45 minutes.
4. At the 45-minute mark, baste the chicken with butter, increase the oven setting to 200 degrees C and roast for 7 to 8 minutes more.
5. Bring out the chicken and allow to rest for a few minutes. Serve with gorgeously roasted potatoes and onions. (Scrape off the potatoes stuck to the bottom of the tray; those are the best bits - I served a lightly crisped Buttered-Zatar-sprinkled Garlic Bread with the roast chicken. You may, or may not, serve it with a bread of your choice)
   
   

   

   Ugly-Delicious, indeed!

Method for Air-Fryer:

1. Make a make-shift squarish pan with a double-layered aluminium foil to fit the air-fryer basket. The make-shift pan should be slightly smaller than the size of the air-fryer basket. All four ‘edge’ sides of the air-fryer basket need to be open so as to allow proper airflow.
2. Preheat the air-fryer for 3-4 minutes at the 200-degree setting.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Put the marinated chicken legs (underside facing up) in the make-shift pan and lower the pan into the air-fryer basket.
4. Air-fry for 12 minutes at 200 degrees.
5. At the 12-minute mark, flip both the chicken legs and continue air-frying for another 10 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
6. At the 10-minute mark, baste the chicken legs with a wee bit of butter (optional, but of course, I did) and continue air-frying for 2 more minutes.
7. Remove the chicken from the air-fryer and serve it with onion rings and a wedge of lime. (I was a tad lazy hence no onion rings, I merely made do with a wedge of lime)
   
   
   
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. The Arabic spices mentioned in the recipe are all available on Amazon (some on Big Basket, too). Go buy them coz they will not go to waste. Why?? Coz once you make this roast; you’re going to want to make it time and again. This is my promise to you!!
2. The bake time will depend entirely on your oven – so please keep an eye on the roast and adjust the timing accordingly. I say this, as the bake time in my oven differed greatly from the bake time mentioned by Priyanka in her recipe.
3. At the time of this bake, I had run out of olive oil hence opted for the extra virgin version and it worked just as beautifully, so don’t let that stop you from baking these babies.
4. 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:

Künefe

Künefe

The first time I heard of this dessert was when my nephew and his fiancé (now his better-half) posted a photograph of this dessert on Facebook. This is one of the most delicious Middle Eastern desserts ever. The crisp sweet exterior, made of Kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) mingling with delicious molten cheese is gastronomically orgasmic. I served Künefe by itself as Grumpy (by now i'm quite sure you all know Grumpy stands for 'husband' :P ) and Anu are diabetic but you can serve this with ice cream or with whipped cream. The fragrance of orange blossom lingers at each bite. ‘Theobroma’, in certain cultures translates to ‘Food of the Gods’; to me this was a dessert fit for the Gods. If Kataifi is available in stores near you then this one is a must-try!

For Syrup:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

A dash of orange blossom water

2-3 drops of lime juice 

For Künefe:

450 grams shredded phyllo dough

300 grams unsalted mozzarella cheese, shredded

100 grams ricotta cheese, shredded

1 cup butter, melted

½ cup milk

For Garnish:

3 tablespoons pistachios, chop half the pistachios and finely grind the other half

Method:

1. Add the sugar to the water and bring the mixture to a boil. Add in a few drops of lemon juice to clear the syrup. 
2. As soon as the syrup clears, remove from heat and allow it to cool.
3. When cool, add a dash of orange blossom water. Cover and keep aside.
4. Cut the shredded phyllo dough pastry into tiny pieces with a pair of scissors.
5. Add melted butter to a non-stick pan, when it heats up a bit add the chopped phyllo and stir continuously. Keep mixing until the phyllo shreds have turn crispy and the butter dries out.
   
   
   
   
6. Add milk and mix till the butter and milk are completely incorporated into the chopped pyhllo shreds. Remove from heat.
7. Place half the buttered phyllo dough in a round spring-pan or a Pyrex dish. Press the phyllo shreds into the base of the dish to form an even layered base.
   
   
   
   
8. Combine mozzarella and ricotta cheese evenly on top of the phyllo shreds and evenly press the cheese on top of the phyllo shred base.
   
   
   
   
9. Layer the rest of the buttered phyllo shreds and once again press evenly on top of the cheese.
   
   
   
   
10. Pre-heat the oven to 190º C for ten minutes. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove Künefe from oven and pour the cool sugar syrup over the hot Künefe.
    
    
    
11. Allow the Künefe absorb the syrup for about 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the finely ground pistachios. (Variation: If you prefer a crispy version of Künefe, pour the syrup on top just before serving.) Serve Künefe by itself or with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
    
    

Cheat Kataifi:

Tried and tested by Nandita, a foodie friend at Facebook. Heartfelt thanks Nandita for allowing me to share the cheat Kataifi idea on my blog.

Get you local mithai shop to make UNSWEETENED Suterfeni for you and use that as a substitute to Kataifi. It works quite beautifully. This is quite, quite the same in taste as Kataifi. The texture of Suterfeni strands is very similar to Kataifi hence this substitute works. At the cost of sounding repetitive, please remember it has to be unsweetened because if you use the regular sweet Sutarfeni the end result of Künefe will be sickeningly sweet. Now you don’t have to wait to get your paws on Kataifi, go make it guys. :) 

Chef Notes: 

1. Sautéing the shredded phyllo dough properly till the butter dries out is an important procedure for the pastry to turn out crisp.
2. Künefe, is not easily available but you may find it in the ‘Middle Eastern cuisine’ section of gourmet shops.
3. I used two types of cheese but you can choose to use only Mozzarella cheese if you so wish.
4. Please serve this dessert hot, as soon as the Künefe has absorbed all the sugar syrup and while the cheese is still hot.
5. I have specially added the photographs at the blog of the shredded phyllo dough carton, and its inner contents, so that readers may get a perfect idea of what is to be used.
6. Before you ask me whether you can use vermicelli in place of shredded phyllo dough, the answer to that is, ‘no’. :P
7. 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.
   
   
   
   

French Loaves with Garlic Herb Butter

French Loaves with Garlic Herb Butter 

Never ventured into the kitchen?? Want to try your hand at cooking something truly simple?? Here's a recipe that will help you take those baby steps in the kitchen with great ease, the end result of which will be beautiful and drool-worthy.

Ingredients:

French Loaves / Baguettes

Garlic Herb Butter (Get the recipe here)

Method:

1. Diagonally slice the French loaves/baguettes.
2. Apply the garlic herb butter to one side of each slice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Wrap each loaf separately in aluminum foil.
4. Place them under a hot grill.
   
   
5. Grill for 15 to 20 minutes. Please check intermittently to ensure they don't burn.
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. The Garlic Herb Butter can be prepared three days ahead and refrigerated.
2. You can also shape the butter into logs/roll/s, wrap the logs individually in plastic cling film and freeze the herb butter logs for up to a month.
3. For the Garlic Herb Butter, I chose parsley as my primary herb but feel free to go with any herb of your choice.
4. Please adjust the lemon juice according on your taste buds. 
5. 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.