Dates Kulfi (Low fat)

Last week mom got some Arabian dates while doing her regular grocery shopping. The big black dates were so sweet and tasty and that was enough to tempt me to try out some interesting recipe with it. 

I have already tried sticky date pudding before. So this time I wanted to make a dessert without any baking involved. While browsing the net, I found various recipes for dates milkshake, dates payasam/pudding/kheer etc. 

I finally decided to make my own dates payasam by adding all that I wished to! I used the one spoon of condensed milk that remained after doing toffees, then included some remaining fresh cream that was lying in the refrigerator and I wanted to use it in a day or two. So the final product was a creamy and yummy dates payasam/pudding/kheer or however you wish to call it. I left it to cool and I thought I could refrigerate it and serve it chilled. But I decided I would not blog it here, as there was nothing special in it. 

Then came my mom with a fantastic idea. As I had added fresh cream in the recipe, she asked me to freeze it in kulfi moulds and freeze it! And look at how it turned out! My God.. Moms' are always the best! Don't you agree?? 

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 7-8 mini kulfis)

• Dates - 5 big (deseeded)
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Condensed milk - 1 tablespoon (absolutely optional, I just wanted to empty the remaining condensed milk in the fridge)
• Sugar - 2 teaspoons (This depends on your taste and also the sweetness of dates)
• Fresh cream - 1/2 cup (I used low fat fresh cream. You could use the full fat cream too)

METHOD:

1. Soak the dates in 1/4 cup of warm milk for 15 minutes
2. Grind the soaked dates into a smooth paste. You can use the milk in which you soaked the dates, for grinding
3. Boil the remaining milk and add the dates paste
4. Stir continuously and cook in low flame for 5 to 10 minutes
5. Add in the sugar, condensed milk (optional) and fresh cream
6. Cook for 2 minutes and once it starts to bubble, switch off the heat
7. Allow it to cool
8. Pour it in kulfi moulds and freeze it for a minimum of 5 to 6 hours or overnight
9. Just before serving, take a bowl of water and dip the moulds in the bowl of water for 10 seconds and then pull out the kulfi
10. That's it!! Start licking and enjoy this low fat but rich in taste dessert, absolutely guilt free!

Note - It is not necessary to freeze in kulfi moulds. If you don't have them, then you can use small mud pots (matka kulfi!!) or just freeze them in an air tight container and while serving, just scoop and serve like ice-cream!

Idli Wedges

Recipe ideas for left over idlies - Idli upma.. boring, Fried chilli idli.. too much oil. So here is a unique recipe for left over idlis and I'm sure next time you would prepare idlis, specially to make this dish! Idli wedges it is!! I came across this recipe in rakskitchen and have tried it many times. But they would get over as soon as I prepare them and I would not be left with any, to take pictures. Thankfully today I had all the time with me to leisurely take photos after preparing the crispy idli wedges. They can be altered according to your choice and can be served as an evening snack or even as a finger food for parties!

 

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 16 wedges)

• Idlies - 4
• Oil - 2 tablespoons (I used olive oil, any other oil like sunflower, til, rice bran etc. of your choice could also be used)
• Gun powder/ idli milagai podi - 4 tablespoons

METHOD:

1.     Cut the idlies lengthwise in the shape of wedges

2.     Brush each idli with oil

3.     You can follow any of the following procedures to prepare the wedges:

·        Bake the wedges in a pre-heated oven at 190C for 10 minutes

·        Grill the wedges for 15 minutes (I followed this method)

·        Toast the wedges with very little oil in a pan on medium flame till they turn crisp

·        Deep frying is the last option that I would suggest as the idlis would absorb a lot of oil (If you are not so calorie conscious, then go ahead!!)

4.     In a plate sprinkle the gun powder/idli milagai podi and toss the baked/fried wedges over the powder so that it coats the idli wedges on all sides

5.     Serve hot with ketchup/chutney/sambhar according to your taste buds!

Chewy Caramels (Toffee)

Thinking of caramel toffees, makes me feel nostalgic. During my primary school days, birthdays of friends would make any of us excited and the main reason behind that being the caramel toffees that the birthday boy/girl would give us! Apart from chewing the toffees, playing with the wrapper by pulling it from either side with all our strength was even more fun!

I had some condensed milk remaining after making caramel custard and while I was browsing for some interesting recipes with condensed milk, I stumbled upon a youtube video by Nigerian Food TV that showed a 3 ingredient easy toffee recipe. I tried it immediately and am very happy to share the recipe with you all here.

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter - 1 tablespoon
• Condensed milk - 300 grams (You can use one full tin too)
• Vanilla essence - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)

METHOD:

1. Melt butter in a pan (preferably non-stick pan) and add condensed milk to it
   
2. Keep stirring continuously and once the milk starts to boil, add the essence to it
   
3. Continue to stir and you will notice that the milk thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Keep scraping the edges to avoid crystallization
   
4. After about 15 minutes, you will notice the color changing to light brown. Switch off the heat at this stage
   
5. Take an aluminium foil or butter paper and grease it. Spread the caramel on to it and level it with the back of a spoon
   
6. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes
7. Cut them into desired shapes
8. You can also wrap them as shown and it would be a perfect gift!

NOTE:

• It is better to wrap the caramels in wax paper or foil, put them in a zip pouch and refrigerate them. This is the best option for storage in any hot and humid regions (a useful tip from joyofbaking.com)

Yummy chewy caramels are ready! But BEWARE.. They can be really addictive!! 

Eggless Caramel Custard (Steamed dessert)

Exotic desserts are not just meant to be on the menu cards of star restaurants, they can adorn your home dining table too! Here is one such lip smacking dessert that requires very few ingredients and also can be prepared very easily by just steaming it. So why not try it out and surprise your kith and kin with this heavenly delight. I have adapted the recipe from madhurasrecipe.com and made minor changes in the process of cooking and in the preparation of caramel.

INGREDIENTS:

For the caramel:

• Sugar - 1/4 cup

For the custard:

• Milk - 1/2 cup, at room temperature
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
• Corn flour - 1.5 tablespoon
• Vanilla essence - 1/4 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Mix all the ingredients required for the custard and keep aside
2. Heat sugar in a pan and keep stirring it continuously. It will begin to melt and in a while start becoming brown in color 
3. The moment it changes color, remove from heat and pour it in a round cake pan or dhokla stand or any dish which you can use to steam
4. Swirl the pan, so that the caramel coats the entire bottom of it
5. Now pour the prepared custard mixture over the caramel layer
6. Cover the pan with an aluminium foil and steam it in an idli steamer/pressure cooker for 20-25 minutes (Make sure to add enough water in the steamer/pressure cooker)
7. Gently run a knife along the edges of the pan and demould the steamed custard on to a serving plate
8. Enjoy it warm and experience the melting moments to the fullest! (Yummmm)
9. You can also refrigerate it and have it chilled. It firms, but still melts in your mouth and tastes even better!

NOTES:

• In the original recipe, the pan was not covered with an aluminium foil while steaming. But I was concerned if the moisture would delay the cooking time. So I would prefer to cover it with a foil. You can try without it too
• For a rich texture, it is preferable to use full fat milk and yogurt. I had only the regular toned milk (3.5% fat)
• and yogurt and trust me, the texture would make you believe that full fat milk was used! But it is better to avoid skimmed milk or low fat yogurt for this recipe
• Burning the sugar more than desired, would make the caramel taste bitter. So remove from heat, the moment it changes color to brown. You could also add a teaspoon of water to sugar and heat it, if you are worried about burning it

Look at this delicious beauty! I'm sure you are drooling :P

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins - Eggless

Happiness to me, is the smell of freshly baked goodies that surround my home! Here I am, typing this post, with such a satisfied happiness, after baking these sweet little goodies for my dear cousin who has come home for vacation. I am now happy to share the recipe that was enjoyed by her and ofcourse all others at home too. This recipe has been adapted from Madhuram's egglesscooking.com and I have spiced it up a little with addition of fresh spices!

INGREDIENTS:

• Flour - 1 cup (I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of maida)
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 3/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala/All spice powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Ground ginger powder (sukku podi) - 1/2 teaspoon
• Pumpkin puree - 1/2 cup **
• Granulated sugar - 6 tablespoons
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Oil - 3 tablespoons
• Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon
• Choco Chips - to garnish (optional)

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C
2. Line 6 muffin moulds with paper liners or grease them
3. Mix all dry ingredients together (flour, salt, baking soda, spices). Keep aside
4. Blend all the other ingredients together except choco chips (pumpkin puree, oil, sugar, milk, vinegar, vanilla extract)
5. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
6. Fill 3/4th of each moulds with the batter
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes (Mine was done in 16 minutes)
8. Cool the muffins on a wired rack for 5 minutes and then remove from the moulds and cool completely
9. Enjoy this tea time treat with your family!

NOTES:

** Pressure cook the pumpkin for 2 whistles and puree it in a mixer or food processor 

Healthy Heart Toast

This is a perfect eggless version of the famous french toast! I came across the recipe in Sharmispassion.com and gave it a healthy twist by replacing semolina(rava/sooji) with quick oats. I had these cute little heart shaped cookie cutters which I had not used for long, so I shaped the toasts with it! It is not necessary to shape the bread, you can use it as such, even without the sides being removed. So let us head on directly to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• Bread slices - 4
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Quick oats - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
• Carrot - 1 small, grated (optional)
• Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Roasted cumin powder - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
• Salt - as needed
• Coriander leaves - a handful, finely chopped
• Oil - for toasting 

METHOD:

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the bread slices and oil
2. If desired, cut the bread slices into any shape of your choice. Else use it as such
3. Apply a spoonful of the yogurt mixture to one side of the bread slice
4. Heat a pan and brush it with very little oil
5. Place the bread on the pan, with the yogurt layer facing down
6. You can apply the spread on the other side too
7. Toast both sides till golden brown
8. You can also grill the slices for 5-6 minutes
9. Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney

Eating healthy, can be tasty too!

Honey Oats Ladoo

Looking for a healthy snack to munch on between meals or in the evening? Here it is - Honey-Oats Ladoo!

Well, let me be frank here, I came across homemade granola bars in Sharmispassions.com and immediately started doing it but my mixture didn't seem to form firm bars, so I ended up making these ladoos! They tasted great, so I thought I would rather post it here. I always ensure that I eat some healthy snack or fruits in the mid-morning around 11 AM. This recipe is a great option for mid morning snack or evening as a tea time snack.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 5 small ladoos)

• Quick oats - 1/2 cup
• Cornflakes - 2 tablespoons
• Dry fruits and nuts - 1/4 cup (I used almonds, walnuts, dry grapes and dates. This is absolutely your choice)
• Butter - 1/2 tablespoon
• Water - 1/2 tablespoon
• Sugar - 1/2 tablespoon
• Vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)

METHOD:

1. Dry roast the quick oats, cornflakes, dry fruits and nuts. Make sure not to overdo it as the oats would burn
2. Once a nice aroma starts to come, switch off the heat and keep the mixture aside
3. In the same pan, melt the butter and add in the sugar, water and honey
4. Once the honey mixture starts bubbling, add the roasted oats mixture
5. Mix well and transfer the contents to a plate and spread it. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes
6. Shape the honey-oats mixture into round balls or ladoos. Store them in air-tight containers and munch on as and when you wish to!

Eating healthy, can be tasty too!