Busbousa - Middle Eastern Semolina Cake

Hello Readers!

I had been wanting to bake with semolina since a long time when I came across this dessert on a TV show and I knew I wanted to delay no further. :) Hope this leads to a lot more baking with Semolina, more often called Suji or Rava in India. Its a pretty simple and easy dessert flavored mildly with rose water. :) Yes that's what excited me in the first place. Its amazing how different cultures across the world use everyday simple things in different ways to come up with beautiful dishes. When I sit here and eat this dish I quietly close my eyes and feel I am probably in Egypt or turkey :D. But nothing beats the homeliness of a dish when it comes out of an oven at your house.

This is a middle eastern dessert which is easily veganized. I have used soy curd, other than that coconut cream will also do great in this dish. How to make soy curd ? I am planning to write blog posts on vegan essentials like non dairy milk and curds.. will keep you posted and link them into this blog. Self raising flour is pretty easily available but in case you cant find it you can replace it with 1/2 cup Maida plus 1/4 tsp baking powder. I dint have any rose water so I used gulkand (Rose and sugar
paste) which is easily available. Dilute a tsp of gulkand in 2 tsp of water and you are good to go. This cake doesn't really rise like normal cakes. It rises just a bit and stays dense. The texture remains much like the milk cake Indian sweet. Its a lovely sweet dish. Hope you too try it and love it :)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup Coarse Semolina (suji)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Self Raising flour (or 1/2 cup Maida + 1/4 tsp baking pwd)
1/2 cup Soy Curd / coconut cream (or any other non diary curd)
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Vanilla extract
10-15 Blanched Almonds
Rose Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs rose water

Steps

1. In a large bowl mix together semolina, desiccated coconut, sugar, flour, curd, vanilla extract and vegetable oil with a spoon.
2. Once the solids and liquids have combined well get your hands dirty and mix well into a pasty course mixture.
3. In a mildly greased baking vessel put this mixture and press down into an even layer. Let it sit for around 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile preheat your Oven to 180 C.
5. Prepare the rose sugar syrup. Place the sugar and water in a bowl and bring it to a boil, stirring only till sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add lemon juice and rose water into the syrup and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.
7. Cut the set Busbousa mixture into squares or diamonds with a knife. Decorate with almonds.

8. Bake this mixture for 25-30 minutes at 180 or until the top is slightly golden.
9. Pour cool syrup on top of hot Busbousa. Let it seep in.. :)
10. Enjoy this fragrant dessert hot or cold :).

Broccoli Sweet Corn in Sunflower seed sauce

Hi Readers!

April has been a very busy month with travelling, shooting and family celebrations. There has been a lot of cooking going on but somehow I was not fully content with the things I made :(. I realized that whenever I plan my cook it doesn't go as well as my impromptu cooking :).. And this is how I landed with this yummy dish with absolutely no planning !  (very unlike me :P)

Broccoli and sweet corn, both yummy vegetables. Broccoli brings a lovely flavor and aroma to your food AND gives you a good dose of protein as well. I love the natural sweetness corn brings about. This is the first time I used sunflower seeds in this manner and the result was yummy creaminess. This gravy pairs well with rice or chapatis/breads. We devoured it with brown rice and not a grain was left.

Ingredients

2 cups Broccoli florets

3/4 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted ones)

1 medium Onion - sliced thin

1 Tomato - Boiled and pureed

1 Green chilli

1/2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

1 clove, 1/2 inch cinnamon

1/2 tsp Turmeric pwd

1/4 tsp Cumin pwd

1/4 tsp Coriander pwd

pinch of nutmeg

2 tbs Sunflower Oil

1 tbs chopped fresh coriander

Salt to taste

Cooking steps

1. Boil the sunflower seeds in half cup water for 10-15 minutes to soften them.

2. Soak broccoli florets in boiled salted water to get rid of any dirt.

3. Puree the boiled tomato with green chilli and keep aside. Grind the sunflower seeds after step 1 into a paste.

4. Steam / boil broccoli and corn (Optional). Helps to reduce the cooking time.

5. Take a pan and saute onions in 2 tablespoon oil until they turn transparent. Add clove and cinnamon along with the onion.

6. Add tomato chilli puree and ginger garlic paste. Saute till the raw smell goes. 

7. Now mix in the powdered spices turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook for a minute or two.

8. Add the broccoli, corn and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. 

9. Add salt to taste.

10. Add sunflower seed paste and mix to coat the veges. Add 1/2-1 cup more water to get the desired consistency. Bring to a simmer before switching off the heat.

11. Sprinkle fresh coriander and a pinch of nutmeg for aroma.

12. Enjoy this flavorsome curry with rice/roti :).

Cheesie Macaroni Pasta in White Sauce

Hello All ! :) Its been a while I posted a savory dish here. This recipe was requested by a friend on Facebook. Here is a Cheesie Macaroni Pasta made in vegan white sauce made from Cauliflower.

Dumping dairy has opened my eyes to how many vegetables can be used to replicate flavor and consistency of dairy products. This was one of my very first Vegan Pastas! :) Super light on your tummy, delicate and creamy as hell, this pasta is a great vegan alternative. The cauliflower sauce has a very mild flavor and all vegetables and herbs complement it well. I like to keep it simple and pair it with one or two veges.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
2-3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup macaroni pasta
1 Tbs Cashew nuts
salt
pepper
8 garlic cloves
Red bell peppers
handful Basil leaves

Steps
1. Cook the Cauliflower Florets in sufficient boiling water with a teaspoon of salt. Remove off heat once florets are cooked through. Drain and keep aside to cool.
2. Soak cashew nuts in hot water.
3. Following instruction on pack cook macaroni in hot water with salt and a tablespoon of oil. Once cooked drain away the water into another bowl and wash pasta with cold water. (drained water can be used in preparing white sauce of pasta)
4. Grind the cooled cauliflower florets in a blender with some water into a smooth paste. Add little water to thin down the cream as needed. Season with salt and pepper as per taste.
5. In a saucepan take a tablespoon of oil and saute minced/thinly sliced garlic cloves.
6. Chop red peppers into thin slices and optionally steam them. Add these to the saucepan and slightly saute them.
7. Add the cauliflower sauce to the saucepan. Thin down the cream if needed by adding water and bring it to heat.
8. Add cooked macaroni and mix to coat evenly with the sauce. Add basil leaves.
9. Enjoy a flavorful , super light Macaroni in white sauce :).

Pumpkin Pistachio Macaroons

Been busy busy busy shifting and settling up my new home and finishing a Yoga teacher certification course. Which is why I've been away from my blog since few weeks. Now my new kitchen is ready for me to cook :) and I am excited to get started.

Coconut macaroons is my recently discovered favorite thing to munch :). Its quick to make & needs minimal ingredients. Just simple coconut macaroons taste lovely by themselves. I just got curious and wanted to mix up a few flavors :). Crisp on the outside and coconut-ty inside. A lovely snack along with your evening chai! Pretty simple and flavorful. Hope you like it!

For me these Macaroons taste best crisp and fresh out of oven. However if you make a big batch and store, then just warm them a bit in a preheated oven and they are crisp again!

Makes - 15 small macaroons

Ingredients
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 tsp cinnamon pwd
3 Tbs Jaggery syrup
2 Tbs Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Tbs crushed pistachio
1 Tbs choco chips - For topping

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Prepare pumpkin puree with steamed pumpkin.
4. Mix 2 tbs crushed Jaggery with 3 tbs warm water to make jaggery syrup.
5. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to get a coarse sticky dough. If the dough feels too soft and cant hold shape add more coconut to firm it up.
6. Use a scoop tablespoon and fill it completely with the mixture. Press down the mixture firmly into the scoop and remove extra. Use a thin device to slide the shaped dough out of the scoop mould.
7. Line the baking sheet with macaroons and decorate on top with chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes till edges are slightly golden brown.
9. Cool for sometime before transferring to cooling rack.
10. Scrape from parchment paper and serve. 

Chai... Tea... Kappi :)

TEA... something many of us cannot live without :).. That sip of hot tea/coffee is all you need to kick start your day. This lovely addiction was my biggest hurdle in going vegan. Sometimes you get so attached to it that your day feels empty and drowsy until you have a shot of your caffeine. (It is definitely more in the mind than what your body actually needs) This was my state in the beginning and now I am happy I have managed to overcome my attachment by replacing it with vegan alternatives. These days I can go without any tea/coffee most of my days. First, I tried to switch to soy milk tea.. which can taste very good if made well. But I wasn't very satisfied with my soy tea so I've been looking at other interesting options ever since. Of course Black tea is also a very good alternative. This post here is about the alternatives I have tried and they have helped me forget my 'milk' tea :).. Hope this can help those making the transition.

Here are some vegan options for your daily cuppa of tea / coffee :). I usually switch and alternate between these.

Golden Milk (Turmeric tea)

Turmeric is an awesome herb with multiple therapeutic properties. It has proven anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. I think in current time it is an important herb to be added to your diet. Make sure you source pure turmeric for consumption. It is beneficial to have this tea before going to bed. I used coconut milk to make this tea. The two flavors work well together as a hot beverage. Freshly made coconut milk is a better choice. Avoid boiling your coconut milk as it breaks very easily. Instead apply gentle heat or sometimes I warm it up by keeping my (metal)cup of coconut milk inside another filled with piping hot water.

Ingredients (for 1 cup)

1 tsp turmeric pwd
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
Spices - cinnamon,clove,pepper (1/2 inch stick, small pieces)
1 tsp sugar/jaggery (optional)

Steps

1. Keep water to boil along with the dry spices. Let them boil for 2-3 minutes to infuse the spices.
2. Add turmeric powder and continue to boil for a few minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add your coconut milk and sweetener of choice. Don't boil this concoction too much.
4. Sieve and sip. You are drinking something good for your body :).


Ginger Lime Tea

Something very simple and effective. I feel ginger spice gives a good kick in morning. Lemon is known for its benefits. A good combination for sore throat,cough and beneficial specially during seasonal allergies.

Ingredients

1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 cup water
Half a small size lemon
1 tsp sugar/jaggery (optional)

Steps

1. Grate ginger. You can use a teaspoon or more depending on your taste.
2. Boil a cup of water to piping hot. Switch off the heat, add grated ginger and cover for a minute or two.
3. Sieve into a cup. Squeeze in the lemon. Add sweetener as per taste.
4. Enjoy :)


Coconut milk Coffee

Oh what would I do without a coconut. No wonder it has become so dear to me. So glad to be living in a place with abundance of coconut :).

This isn't something new as many people use coconut mylk in their coffee. But I am going to try to make it interesting and Frothy :). Again, watch your coconut milk and avoid heating it too much.You can infuse this with spices to make it more interesting. I used homemade coconut milk which was medium in creaminess.

Ingredients

1 tbs coffee powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs water

Steps

1. In your coffee cup, add the coffee powder, sugar and 1 tbs water and whip the mixture with a spoon.
2. Whip Whip Whip... :) This is going to need some arm strength and fifteen minutes of your time. Whip till mixture turns from dark color to light golden color. As you whip you are incorporating air in your mixture which makes the coffee frothy.

3. Boil your water. Lower the flame and add coconut milk and heat.
4. Pour this liquid into your cup. Stir and enjoy a Light Frothy Coffee :).

These are few ways I've been replacing my milk tea with interesting options :).. I am sure there are many varieties of tea out there... I am going to keep searching :D. Meanwhile I hope this can be useful for people looking for Vegan Tea options.

Note - How to make Coconut Milk at home - http://wellnessmama.com/2447/homemade-coconut-milk/