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:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Banana Oats Appe

Have you ever bought a cooking equipment and been petrified to use it because you’re new to it? That is precisely what happened to me coz I’ve had the appe pan for over five years and I’ve been petrified to use it… until a couple of weeks ago when I saw a post on Instagram, by Monalisa Mehotra. She’d made Banana Oats Appe and they looked so stunning, I just had to make them. Monalisa, heartfelt thanks for the recipe. 😊 Also, your recipe helped me get over my ‘appe pan fear’ 🙈 hence, truly, THANK YOU! ❤️

While the original recipe idea is Monalisa’s, I’ve added tiny touches and specific instructions to ensure the recipe does not go wrong. I never post a recipe unless I perfect it and I will always pen a detailed recipe to ensure it works just as beautifully in your kitchen as it does in mine. With the tiny changes I incorporated, I’ve now made this recipe thrice and I promise you, it’s perfect! I am writing the recipe exactly (proportions, extra ingredients, timings, et al) as made by me. Follow the recipe to a T and you shall have a bowlful of delicious Appe(s). I would say, these are very similar to banana fritters, just sans the excess oil as fritters are usually deep fried. Makes for a perfect evening, tea-time snack. 😊

Ingredients:

½ cup oats flour
1 tablespoon rice flour
2 over-ripe bananas
2½ tablespoon jaggery powder or grated jaggery
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
A pinch of cinnamon
A good of pinch salt
½ cup milk (room temperature)
½ teaspoon baking powder
Oil for the Appe pan

Method:

1. In a pan or a wok, stirring constantly, roast the oats flour on extremely low heat until a lovely aroma reaches your olfactory senses. Remove into a bowl and keep aside.
   
   
   
   
   
2. In the same pan/wok, stirring all the time, roast the rice flour on the lowest flame possible. When well roasted, remove the rice flour into the same bowl in which you have emptied the roasted oats flour. (The same rule of patience applies to this flour too. It will get done way fast, though, as the quantity is very little.) 
   
   
   
   
   
3. In the same pan/wok, now add the desiccated coconut and on very low flame, stirring all the time, roast it until the coconut gets a tad crisp. The desiccated coconut may turn one shade darker, which is quite alright. When roasted, empty the contents into a bowl, keep aside and allow to cool a bit.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add cinnamon powder and salt to the roasted flours.
   
   
   
   
5. Using your fingertips, crush the roasted desiccated coconut as finely as possible. 
6. Add the crushed coconut to the dry flour mix.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Peel and mash the bananas as smoothly as possible. 
   
8. Add 1½ tablespoon jaggery powder to the mashed bananas and mix it well. It will melt quite fast as it’s in powder (or grated) form.
9. Add the banana-jaggery mixture to the dry roasted flours and give it a mix. 
   
   
   
   
10. Add the milk and mix to form a smooth batter. Taste the batter and add the remain 1 tablespoon jaggery powder if you prefer a sweeter batter (I did). Mix the batter until the jaggery is well blended into the batter.
    
    
    
    
11. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Just a minute before making the Appe, sprinkle baking powder and give it a GENTLE mix.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Heat an Appe pan. Into each indentation add half teaspoon of oil and when the oil is hot, lower the flame. 
    
    
    
    
    
14. Depending on the size of the appe indentations, spoon batter into each one. Cover and on LOW HEAT cook the appe for 2 minutes (yes, i marked time) on one side. 
    
    
    
    
    
15. After the 2-minute mark, flip each appe to cook the other side. Use a teaspoon or a fork to flip the appe. 
16. After flipping the appe, add a few extra drops of oil into each indentation if you so wish (I did). Cover and cook the other side, on LOW HEAT for 2 minutes.
17. Remove the appe into a bowl. Continue making appe until all the batter is used up. 
    
    
    

Chef Notes:

1. I used the Bagrry’s brand of oats flour. Pick up any brand available in your vicinity.
2. When roasting the oats flour and the rice flour I urge you NOT to be in a hurry. Roast both the flours very patiently, on low flame. The flours are to be well roasted to ensure the appe do not taste raw. A beautiful ‘roast aroma’ will reach your olfactory senses when the flour is well roasted. 
3. Preferably, do not allow the flours to change colour but… don’t fret too much if they go one teeny-tiny shade darker. Teeny-tiny, truly does mean just that. Do NOT allow them to go dark. Also, remember, the rice flour will roast faster as the quantity is small.
4. Ideally, mash the bananas with a fork, in a plate instead of a bowl for a smooth mash. I say this because I’ve seen people (in videos) struggling to mash them in a bowl. (Just a question of common sense, sometimes… not very common *evil grin*)
5. Please use over-ripe bananas. Just ripened ones or slightly raw ones will not lend the desired soft texture (within) or the sweetness.
6. The desiccated coconut crisps up a wee bit hence, once cool, crush it with your fingers. There is no right, or wrong, size here so crush them as much as possible and continue with the recipe.
7. I used 2½ tablespoons jaggery powder. You may add jaggery powder a little at a time and achieve the sweetness as desired by you. The quantity of jaggery powder will also depend on how sweet the over-ripe bananas are. 
8. This quantity of batter yields 18 regular size appe. Please don’t ask me to measure the indentations of the appe pan. *heavy sigh*
9. Ideally, keep serving the appe as soon as you bring them out of the appe pan. The only downside to doing this is, there may not be any left for you coz they get polished off in a frikkin’ jiffy. I should know, I barely get to eat three. Sigh!
10. Add half teaspoon oil into each indentation to ensure the appe cooks well. Yes, these are healthy appe but if you are too stingy with oil, you will be left holding an appe that tastes dry. By the way, how do I know?? I merely brushed the appe indentations with oil the first time I made these babies. They popped out quite dry. Now, you don’t want that, do ya? I think not! 😝 Posting a pic of the 'less-oil' version. If you don't mind this texture, then you may merely brush the pan with oil.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Some GK… The Appe pan is also known as Paniyaram pan and the Dutch call it an Aebleskiver pan. 
12. I recommend you remember the direction in which you fill the appe pan and begin flipping the appe in the same direction. This is to ensure the appe are evenly cooked. 
13. As mentioned at the onset, the original recipe belongs Monalisa Mehrotra. This version of the recipe and the photographs, though, belong to my blog, Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite 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:

Rice Flour

Desiccated Coconut

Milk

The Less-Oil Version

Murmura Ladoo (Mamra Na Ladoo)

I’d seen a post, of these ladoos, on a food forum at Facebook and I’d been yearning to make these. It brought back a memory of mum’s masi making these ladoos for her. Yes, mum loves Murmura Ladoos. While I did read the recipe posted at the food forum, I check out many recipes online and finally homed in on a You Tube recipe by Bharatz Kitchen. These babies turned out super!

Ingredients:

3 cups (57 grams – cup filled to the brim) murmura / puffed rice / mamra

1 cup (200 to 210 grams) jaggery

1 tablespoon clarified butter

Extras To Keep Ready:

A tiny bowl filled with room temperature water (for jaggery check)

A bowl of cool water to dip your hands

2 plates or thalis

Method:

1.    Roast the murmura on medium heat, stirring continuously, in a nonstick pan or a large wok. Do not allow the murmura to burn or catch colour.

2.    When all the murmura are hot to touch and well roasted (randomly pick up two-three murmura and break each into two, if you hear a ‘snap’, they’re well roasted)

3.    Remove the murmura onto a plate and keep aside.

4.    Put same the wok/pan back on low flame. Add clarified butter.

5.    When the clarified butter melts, add jaggery and allow it to melt. Keep stirring it continuously, preferable with a flat wooden spoon.

6.    When the jaggery has melted completely, cook it until it begins to turn one shade darker.

7.    Take a drop of jaggery and drop it into the tiny bowl of water.

8.    Fish out the jaggery from the bowl and if it has held its shape without disintegrating the consistency of jaggery is perfect.

9.    Shut off the stove and QUICKLY but CAREFULLY add the murmura to the molten jaggery.

10. Mix the murmura and jaggery in a way that the jaggery evenly coats the murmuras.

11. Transfer contents of the wok onto a plate.

12. Dip your hands in cool water, take a portion of the murmura-jaggery mixture and quickly roll it into a ball, place it onto the other plate. The size of the ladoo is entirely up to you.

13. Keep dipping your hands in water and continue making murmura-jaggery ladoos until all the mixture is used up.

14. This quantity gave me 18 ladoos, the size of large lemons.

Chef Notes:

1.    We wanted hard ladoos hence cooked the jaggery to one shade darker, after it had melted. If you prefer ladoos a tad softer and chewier, as soon as you realize the jaggery is molten and melted, add the murmuras and continue with the rest of the recipe as mentioned. For softer and chewier ladoos, do NOT allow the jaggery to go a shade darker. Also, for softer ladoos, you may omit the jaggery-drop water check.

2.    Yes, you may use powdered jaggery instead of regular jaggery cubes.

3.    Please keep both the bowls of water and the plates ready as you do NOT want to run around at the last minute.

4.    Once the mixture is taken off the stove it is scalding hot but solidifies very rapidly. That is precisely why from Point No 9 to 13 you need to work very quickly. You also need to be very careful as the mixture is hot and that is why we use the bowl of cool water to dip our hands. I’m told some people also coat their hands with ghee. How well that works, I really have no clue.

5.    Even after having dipped your hands in cool water, you will be going, “ouch ouch” at times, while handling the hot mixture. Come on, be brave, I could do it, so can you. *evil grin*

6.    Preferably, use a nonstick vessel if you are giving this a try for the first time. Also, post-cooking, it’s way easier to clean.

7.    There can be many variations and additions to this ladoo. Please note, I have made the absolute basic, no-frills recipe.

8.    There is an easy way out if you are scared of handling the hot mixture. Lightly grease a thali with clarified butter, pour in the hot murmura-jaggery mixture, press the mixture into the thali and spread it evenly. The spread should be, approximately, an inch thick. Quickly make square or diamond shaped cuts into the mixture with a knife as you would when making chikki. This will make it easier to break the murmura pieces after it solidifies. Voila! Instead of ladoos, you’ve made murmura chikki. Now that I’ve given you an easy way out, there’s no excuse for you not to make this, eh? 😉

9.    You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite 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:

 

 

The Quintessential Parsi Lagan nu Custard

When we Bawas receive an invite to a wedding, or a navjote (Parsi thread ceremony), two thoughts immediately come to mind. One, ‘caterer kaun che?’ (Translation: Who’s the caterer?). Second, I hope they have Lagan nu Custard on the menu. Fortunately (phew!), there’s hardly a Parsi wedding or navjote that’s complete without this delectable dessert. It’s rich, smooth and positively sinful. But invites to these Bawa dos don’t come too often and I don’t see why any of you should have to wait to try this delightful dessert. Go on give this a try, it's a very easy bake.

Btw, we Bawas (Parsi) pronounce this as “Lagan nu Custar”. 😉

Ingredients:

1½ liters full fat milk (I use Amul Gold or Chitale)

4 eggs, well beaten but NOT very frothy

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract/essence

6 + 16 teaspoons sugar or adjust to taste

Two pinches of nutmeg-cardamom powder (elaichi-jaiphal powder)

20 almonds, slivered

Method:

1. Heat milk and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and allow it to simmer until 1.5 liters of milk reduces to 1 liter.
   
   
   
   
2. Take 6 teaspoons sugar in a clean, DRY vessel.
   
   
   
3. Heat the sugar on very low heat until it begins to melt. As soon as it begins to melt pick up the vessel with a kitchen pincer/pakkad, hold it above the flame and keep moving the vessel around to ensure the sugar caramelizes evenly.
   
   
   
   
4. As soon as the sugar turns an even golden brown, GRADUALLY AND VERY CAREFULLY pour the molten liquid into the simmering milk.
5. Stir to mix the caramel evenly into the milk.
   
   
   
   
6. When the milk reduces to 1 liter, begin adding the rest of the sugar, little by little. Keep checking for sweetness - to suit your taste buds. The amount mentioned in this recipe is the exact amount used by me. (Recommended: Add some extra sugar once the milk sweetens to suit your palate. I recommend this as you will be adding 4 eggs to the milk at a later stage)
7. Take the milk off the stove and allow it to cool completely (room temperature).
8. Beat 4 eggs with ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract/essence. (Recommended: Beat eggs with vanilla extract/essence as that helps eliminate the typically egg-y smell from the custard)
9. Add the beaten egg-vanilla mix to the cool milk. Check for sweetness and add extra sugar if/as required.
10. Strain the milk-egg mix into another bowl/vessel or strain it directly into the baking tray/pyrex dish.
11. Sprinkle the nutmeg-cardamom powder, give the mixture a gentle stir.
12. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C for about 20-25 minutes.
    
    
    
    
13. At the 20-25-minute mark, carefully slide out the dish for a minute, sprinkle a few slivers of almonds. If they do not sink to the bottom, evenly sprinkle the rest of the almond slivers over the custard. Slide the dish back into the oven and bake for 10-15 more minutes or until a knife comes out clean. (Note: If the almond slivers sink to the bottom when you throw in the first few slivers to check, please bake for 10-12 more minutes and then sprinkle the remaining almond slivers)
    
    
    
    
14. If you want a nice golden brown on top with specks of dark custard, shut off the oven, fire up the grill and continue cooking/baking until the desired color is achieved. (Note: You may have to move the baking tray/pyrex dish a few notches higher in the oven so as to allow the custard to brown under the grill.
    
    
    
    
15. This custard can be served warm (room temperature) or cold.
    
    

Chef Notes:

1. Apologies for the ‘caps’ at certain points in the recipe. The caps are not written to offend; only to emphasize.
2. When you heat the sugar for the caramel, it's best to avoid using a spoon. Videos for the same are available on my You Tube channel, Kenzy's Kitchen Korner. They're simple, amateur home videos, made merely to show you the process. Do read the notes attached to the videos. That way, you won't go wrong with the caramelization process. 
3. You may use regular milk instead of full fat milk, but the custard will lack the richness that it’s meant to have.
4. When you add the caramel to the simmering milk, please add it very gradually and carefully (I cannot stress this enough), as the milk tends to froth up and rise in the vessel.
5. Do remember to add extra sugar as the sweetness of the milk will reduce once you add the eggs. You really don’t want to eat a bland custard.
6. The vanilla extract added to the eggs, to eliminate the egg-y smell, is a trick that will work with any dessert. 😉
7. Please ensure the milk is absolutely cool before you add the beaten eggs coz you sure as hell don’t want scrambled eggs in your custard. *evil grin*
8. Straining the milk-egg mixture is an important process as it will keep out bits of egg that haven’t blended in. 
9. I cover the baking tray (from outside) with tall aluminum foil on all four sides 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. The bake time will vary with individual ovens therefore, the first time you bake the custard, please keep an eye on the dish to ensure it does not burn.
11. I sometimes blanch the almonds and then cut them into slivers and sometimes, I don’t. Either works so don’t fret over that.
12. Do not add slivered almonds at the beginning of the baking process as they will settle down to the bottom of the tray if you do so.
13. Variation: You may add ¼ tin condensed milk to the simmering caramelized milk and adjust the sugar quotient accordingly. I prefer not to, though.
14. The photographs that you see in this recipe have been taken at various times, over the years, as and when I have made Lagan nu Custard.
15. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Caramelization Videos:
                                                             Step 1:

I have not added any music to this video as i need you to understand the consistency of the sugar at this point of caramelization. The sound of the sugar says it all. 

 

Step 2: 

     Tiny points to remember when you caramelize sugar

1. Do not use a spoon to stir the sugar or the caramel.
2. Caramelize on very low heat; do not be in a rush or the sugar is sure to burn.
3. Once you see the sugar beginning to melt, from any side/corner, hold the vessel with a kitchen pincer/pakkad, keep it slightly raised over the flame and keep swirling the vessel gently as shown in the video. That'll ensure the sugar caramelizes evenly. It'll also ensure the sugar does not burn or darken excessively from any one side.
4. Once the desired colour is achieved, pour the caramel quickly (but very carefully), while it's molten, into whatever you wish to use it in.

Step 3:

The details of the video are the same as the ones mentioned in Step 2. The only difference is the sugar caramelization is just about done in this video.                                             

                                                                    Step 4:
In this video the caramelization process is complete. The sugar has turned into a beautiful, molten liquid of golden brown.
I used this caramel to make Lagan Nu Custard, a Parsi dessert. I carefully and gradually poured this, little by little, into the simmering milk as the milk froths up vigourously when you add the caramel to it.
For the leftover caramel that cooled and stuck to the vessel, i poured in half a cup of the same hot milk and gently simmered it until the leftover caramel began to re-melt and sipped into the simmering milk. No wastage! 😉
This process of caramelization can also be used for Caramel Custard.

Some more photographs..