Mawa Cake | Eggless Mawa Cake



There is a famous mawa cake which is made in Pune which is a richer version of a buttery sponge cake, they deliver it to many shops in Mumbai and as iv been told by many the cake is sold the very same day in a matter of hours. It is that good.
I used to love the texture of the cake and it was my tea time favourite.
Mawa is also called khoya, it is whole milk thickened by heating it on a pan keeping the heat very low. Basically in short mawa is just milk solids.

Check out my Homemade mawa recipe. You can make your own mawa in no time now.

The original pune mawa cake has eggs but I tried this cake without eggs, seriously you could not tell its egg free. Not many can tell the difference between cakes with or without eggs if made right.

For this eggless mawa cake recipe use only butter as the texture and aroma will be perfect along with the mawa to achieve a rich and spongy cake.

This is definitely not the actual recipe but I promise you if you follow this exact recipe you will have a moist, spongy and rich mawa cake ready for tea.

 

Note : As always the egg,butter and milk must be at room temperature.

Pre heat oven on 180 c for 15 min.

 

This is what you need

 

                                                                     1/4 cup grated mawa

 

1/4 cup butter

 

1/2 cup milk

 

2tbs sugar

 

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

 

1/2 cup condensed milk

 

Sift once

 

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tbs corn flour

 

1 tbs baking powder

 

1/2 tsp baking soda

 

pinch salt, just a pinch please

 

Start by mixing the butter, mawa and condensed milk on low for 2 min, then add the sugar and on medium speed for beat for 5 min.
Again beat on low adding vinegar and vanilla essence for 2 min to set the mixture.

Add a tiny amount of the sifted flour and beat, now add in the milk.
Alternate adding flour and milk. Keep your electric whisk on medium speed.

The mix must be smooth and pale with creamy colour.

Pour into your greased cake tin and bake at 175c for 25/30 min.

The cake will be ready once you insert a knife or tooth pick in the middle.

Now your done! You will love this cake.

Easy Breakfast Club Sandwich

I love bread who doesn't right ! A nice big sandwich for breakfast would be my ideal food of choice instead of oats, smoothies or Indian Breakfast dishes.
The night before I made this I dreamt of a yummy club sandwich, strangely I dream of food most of the time.
Obviously there was no bread as I don't keep white bread on weekdays at home , so I ran to spinneys and got the extra large super white sandwich bread. I would not make a club with brown bread. Ever.

Yes I could go out and just get a delicious club from out but noooo I like making my own, home made club sandwich's are the tastiest and I insist you all try this super simple turkey and egg club sammy in your very own kitchen.

It is the bomb guys !



Bacon is added in a classic club but I don't eat pork so I stuck to turkey ham.

 

 For 1 large sandwich you need

2 slices turkey ham, use more if you love your meat

1 egg (hard boiled)

1 large tomato

finely chopped lettuce

2 slices cheese

3 slices bread

2 tbs mayo

ground pepper

butter

toothpicks

 

 

Toast the bread and apply butter on each slice immediately.

Make sure the bread is not too toasty. Just a little light brown is what we need.

 

Mix the lettuce with mayo and add pepper to taste.

 

Cut the boiled egg.

 

Now lets build our club, take a well buttered slice of bread and add the sliced turkey ham, little bit of mayo lettuce then add the sliced tomato.

Top with cheese, you can add pepper on top if you want. I did.

 

Then add another slice of buttered bread, add in the mayo lettuce, sliced boiled egg, a little sprinkling of salt and pepper, cheese then another slice of turkey ham.

 

                                     
Last add the last buttered bread slice. Almost ready guys !

Trim the sides and cut in fours.

Add a tooth pick in the middle so everything stays in place.

Now your done ! Eat away happily, I had a great morning after this.

Looks good?

 

Nom Nom !

Methi Chaman Recipe



After trying quiet a few methi chaman recipes this is my favourite one, the flavour of coriander and a bit of spinach makes this dish a bit extra yummy, I always serve these with phulkas, boondi raita  and onions on the side, it makes the perfect lunch or dinner for us.

 

Methi chaman has no red chili powder or turmeric, the spice is only from the green chili.

Adding other spices ruin the flavour of this dish so try doing it at your own risk, sugar can be added to balance the bitterness but why would you right? Methi chaman is supposed to have a slight bitter taste that's the beauty of this dish.

 

So guys if your looking for an Indian fenugreek recipe give this one a try, its delish.

 

 

Sorry for the bad lighting..

 

This is what you need for Methi Chaman

 

2 cups fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup spinach (I used frozen)
4 Cashews
1/2 cup paneer
1/2 tsp cream

1 tomato
4/6 garlic cloves
1 or 2 green chili (depends on the heat)
1/2 onion

Tempering
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 cardamom pods
2/3 cloves

> Steam the fenugreek leaves, spinach and coriander for 5 min.
Blend everything with cashew and a little water.

> Microwave the tomato for 2 min and puree.

> Make a paste of the onion, green chili and garlic.

 

In ghee and all the ingredient's listed in tempering.
Then add in the onion mix, cook for 5 min on low.

Add in the tomato and the salt, cook on low till the onions and tomato become a paste.

 

Add in the fenugreek puree and a little water, cook covered for 10 min on low heat.
Stir in between, now add in the paneer and cook covered again for 4/5 min.
Check for seasoning and add salt if required.
Last add in the garam masala.

Add cream just before serving and sprinkle a pinch of garam masala for extra flavour.

Now your done !

Almond Cake/Loaf | Moist Almond Tea Cake



Try this moist and scrumptious tea cake and you will be hooked, the batter for this cake is very versatile too. I tried adding chocolate, rum and dry fruits last time and that turned out sinful, it went beautifully with ice cream.

 

I love this almond cake/loaf recipe all the more as the almond flour makes it taste nutty and rich, you can add any flavouring of your choice and experiment, I promise this cake will not fail you, pinky promise guys. Just make sure you bake with no fear in your mind and always expect the best results.

 

 

Make sure the egg and milk are at room temperature. 

Preheat oven to 180 c for 15 min.

You need :

1 egg that's it just one

 

1 cup self raising flour

 

l cup powdered sugar

 

1/2 cup almond flour

 

1/2 cup melted butter

 

a pinch baking powder

 

1/2 cup milk or more if the mixture is too thick

 

2 tbs crushed whole almonds for a nutty bite

 

1 tbs vanilla essence or extract

 

 

Before you start boil about 2 cups water, use a small pan for boiling the water.

Use this to beat the eggs and sugar over the hot water to make it pale and fluffy.

Turn off the heat when you are beating the egg and sugar.

 

Dry mix

Mix the self raising flour, baking powder, almond flour and the crushed almond pieces.

 

Crack the egg and add the sugar to a large bowl, now give it a whisk with your electric whisk, beat on high and place the bowl on top of the hot water vessel.

 

Make sure you do not touch the bottom of the bowl to the hot water. The steam is enough to get a fluffy texture.



 

1.2.

 

You will notice in pic 1. the egg is a bit frothy after beating on high speed for about a min.

In pic no 2. the egg and sugar has turned more frothy and a bit pale after beating on high speed for 3 min. This is a good sign. Keep beating on high.

3.

 

After beating for 5 min you can see how pale and fluffy the mixture is in pic 3.
Beat on low now to set the mixture. At this stage add the melted butter.

Now add the dry mix little by little and cut with a wire whisk.

Last add in the milk and fold the mixture very gently.

I used a mini loaf tin for this cake, pour the mix into the tin by pouring the batter from a height to form ribbons, this will give you a light and moist cake.

Bake at 180 c for 30 min.

 

Cool on a wire rack then cut.

 

                              

 

Now your done !

The Simple Full Breakfast | What I Ate on New Year Morning

I know I am 21 days late for this new year post but better late than never right !

This is what we ate on new year morning, eggs, mushrooms, tomato and some fruit on the side made our day puuuurefect !!

This combo is a classic in my eyes and you cannot go wrong with something simple. Ever.

 



 

Use the best butter and free range organic eggs always ! Just saying !  

I served strawberry's and lightly whipped cream too as a special treat, try getting plain heavy whipping cream and add sugar to your taste, whipped cream tastes best when made fresh in your own kitchen.

 

In todays post there is no recipe as such, but these ingredient's are what you need to make a simple full breakfast.

# Mushrooms sautéed in butter, Italian herbs, pepper and salt.
Cheese(optional)

#Tomato cut in circles lightly grilled with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

#Chicken sausages steamed or boiled for 5 min, then cooked with olive oil to lightly brown on all sides. You an add some pepper if you like.

#Eggs beaten with a dash of cream, salt and pepper. Cook with butter and scramble.
Cheese (optional)

#Toasted Bread with butter and orange marmalade.

#Our drink was grapefruit and orange together.
Try making your own juice too it just takes a few extra minutes.

That's it guys now its done. I know this breakfast is nothing special or fancy but we sure did enjoy a quick and easy egg and sausage breakfast for our new year morning.



 

My darling likes to go for the strawberry's and cream first ! Cute !!

South Indian Prasad Recipe (easy prasad for pooja)

Hey guys I'm back.. Happy new year you all !!
I took a break as I lost my son last year, my boy Cerberus was 7 and he was and will remain the most precious and handsome Doberman you could lay your eyes on.

I'd like to start with a sweet dish guys as come what may life goes on and you got to live it and smile no matter what.

This Prasad is made during poojas and offered to god in most south Indian homes, I do not make offerings to idols but I sure love the aroma and taste of hot prasad so I make them on festivals after a nice vegetarian lunch.
Below is the pic of my boy, looking handsome as always !

 

 

Here's what you need

1/2 cup rice, traditionally unpolished red rice is used

(i stuck with basmati) boil for 10 min in 2 cups water, then drain

1/2 cup jaggery (use more if you want)

1 tbs black sesame seeds

1/2 cup beaten rice (poha)

1/8 tsp salt (do not skip the salt)

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg powder

1/4 cup cashews

few coconut pieces

2 tsp grated coconut

1/2 cup ghee

edible camphor or regular camphor used for the aroma 

 

1.2

 

3.4.

5.6.

 

My tip : Use a pressure cooker to make your life easy.
Lets start cooking !

1.

Start by adding the half cooked rice, jaggery, salt and sesame seeds into a pot or pressure cooker.
Add little water and pressure cook for 2 whistles, the jaggery melts and the rice gets mushy, this is what we want..

2.

After about 5/7 min the pressure will go and now you can remove the lid.
Add the heat back on and stir for a min, now add in the beaten rice.
At this point if you feel the mixture is very dry and sticky so add in about half cup or more  water if you want it a bit on the runny side. Stir well.

3.

Add in the cardamom and nutmeg powder and keep cooking for 10 min,till everything turns into a sticky gooey mix.

Prasad’s are mushy and sticky so do not panic. Keep the flame to low.

4.

After 10 min its time to fry the cashews and coconut.
Add in the ghee  into a pan and fry the coconut pieces and cashews till brown, switch off the flame and add in the grated coconut . Pour this into the cooked Prasad.
Usually a lot of ghee is used but I stuck to ½ cup.

5.

Mix the fried cashews and coconut into the mix really well. The ghee will make the prasad get a beautiful shiny look.

 

6.

I did not get edible camphor so I burnt the regular camphor into a steel container and placed it on top of the prasad, cover with a lid quickly so the flavours infuse.

The aroma of camphor is what gives this prasad a divine taste. 

 

Now your done. Serve warm.

 

 

Breakfast Bread Pizza with Eggs



I love pizzas and when I woke up today I felt like having one so bad for breakfast, sadly I did not have any pizza base or any pizza sauce so I decided to make some bread pizza with eggs and some capsicum on top.

It was sooooo good with all the melted cheese the toasty bread and the garlic butter flavouring. Yum.

Try it, its healthy with the egg,capsicum and tomato, and a great way to start you day.

Make it a complete meal by serving with fruit on the side.

The highlight of this breakfast bread pizza is the garlic butter and pizza seasoning. This is what makes this dish get a 10 on 10, so do not kip it.

You need :
4 slices of bread
2 boiled eggs
2 large tomatoes
1 onion sliced
1 medium size capsicum chopped lengthwise
Provolone cheese as much or less as you like
salt and pepper to taste
chili flakes as per taste
chopped coriander for garnish

Mix
1 tbs butter and 1/2 tbs olive oil melted for 20 sec in the microwave
2 garlic crushed
1 tsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian pizza seasoning
After melting the butter immediately add the garlic, pizza seasoning and grated parmesan.

Here's how you make breakfast bread pizza :
Marinate the onion,tomato and capsicum with some olive oil and pepper/salt and chili flakes.

Using a fork mash the boiled egg ,salt, pepper and the cheese. Add less salt as the cheese is very salty, you can even skip the salt if you want.
Mix it well.

Next spread the Mix on the bread slices and bake for 5 min in a preheated 180 c oven. This is what brings out a wonderful flavour and aroma to your bread pizza.

After removing the bread from the oven add sliced tomato and spread the boiled egg mix on each slice, now add the sliced onion and capsicum on top.

Grill for 7 to 10 min at 200 c till the all the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with some chopped coriander and now your done !
Have a great morning with delicious bread breakfast pizza !

Best Mixed Green Salad Ever





This is my favourite salad recipe and I love having it for lunch, we mostly add in grilled leftover chicken but on Tuesdays we stay strictly vegetarian so I skipped the chicken and added chickpeas and feta for some extra flavour.

 

The dressing for this green salad is also very versatile, I sum times use it to marinate fish or chicken too. Please try it, its fab !

 

 

This was my plate !

                                        
It is important you use a mix lettuce pack, I used a pack of organic salad mix.

 Chop the veggies only when you want to toss the salad.
I used cucumbers, black olives, onions soaked in viniger and chopped tomato.

 

 As I skipped the chicken  I added some boiled chickpeas and feta cheese.
I got the feta cheese mixed with some parsley from the supermarket, oh yes it was the bomb.

I always make salad marinades in my used mini tomato paste bottle.

Here's the dressing recipe

1 tbs vinegar

3 tbs olive oil, extra virgin only

1 tsp Dijon mustard or dry mustard powder

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 lime squeezed

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

small garlic crushed

All you do is add everything to a small jar with a tight lid, close the lid and shake till everything is mixed. That's it, now your done !

Mix the salad ingredients ,pour the dressing and toss !

Serve immediately !

 



Adding orange juice instead of viniger and some chopped grilled chicken is also another tasty way to have this salad, try it for another time but for now give this recipe a go, its amazing and so fresh and zesty. Make some today guys !

Cheesy Zucchini Veggie Bake



When I need to eat my veggies as a complete meal I prefer making them into a lovely casserole, the crusty top and cheesy inside is what makes me love eating a variety of veggies and not missing any chicken. I just adore the buttery topping with my favourite panko breadcrumbs. Yummmm !

 

 For this dish I added spinach, mushroom and tomato so it is a complete meal and we are full !

If you wish you can also serve with some soup on the side, that will be wonderful, right?

 

This recipe is so easy !

Cut zucchini in circles and toss them in very little olive oil adding a pinch salt.

Just to soften them a bit.

 

Cook mushrooms adding salt , crushed garlic and pepper.

 

Grate some yummy cheese.

 

Saute spinach with garlic and a small onion adding salt and pepper.

 

You can add more veggies of your choice and make a few layers, the choice is yours totally.

 Start by adding some panko to melted butter, this will be the topping for the bake.

 Add some butter to the dish you will be baking this in, add some tomatoes and sprinkle some buttery panko, we are going to be creating veggie layers.

 Next add half of the the zucchini and then the spinach in the middle.

 Cover with a the mushrooms.

 Again add in the rest of the zucchini and top with cheese.

 Top with the buttery panko and bake at 200 c covered with a foil for 20 min.
Uncover and bake for another 10/15 min on grill till golden on top !

 I made 2 casseroles that day, my hubbys favourite Chicken and Mushroom Bake. just for him.

 That's it, the top will be golden and a bit crusty and dinner is ready guys !
Cheers !