Saffron-Walnut Cookies

All these days I was managing my baking with a convection oven but now I am really excited to have purchased a traditional OTG oven, after consulting my mentor in baking, Mrs.Shyamala Sivaraman. Yippie!! Here is the first recipe that I tried in my new oven. I adapted the recipe from Priya's versatile recipes. The best thing about the recipe is the aroma of saffron, the divine smell just spreads all over the house! 

Christmas fruit cake (Eggless and alcohol free)

Christmas is nearing and here is the cake recipe for the festive season! A fruit cake that is alcohol free and also eggless :) I am a big fan of fruit cakes/plum cakes/tea cakes. Traditionally fruit cakes are made by soaking dry fruits in rum for many days but when I came across this recipe is Maria's menu, I was so excited to try it out and very happy with the way it turned out :) 

The original recipe uses apple juice to soak the fruits, I have replaced it with orange juice. You could use try with either. 

You could also check out my other eggless cake recipes for the holiday season!

• Eggless glossy lemon cake
• Whole-wheat orange cupcakes with caramelized orange zest (Eggless and butterless)
• Eggless vanilla sponge cake in pressure cooker
• Eggless Sticky Date Pudding

Whole-wheat orange jaggery cupcakes with caramelized orange zest (Eggless and butterless)

A rainy evening, warm home-baked cupcakes with a hot cup of tea!! Sounds divine right? Well I just experienced the bliss with my family and I'm very happy to spread and share the cheer with you all!

I have adapted the recipe from two sources. The muffin recipe is from vegrecipesofindia.com and the idea for caramelized orange zest is adapted from Rachel Allen's show - Cake diaries!

The muffins can be had as such, without the glaze or zest and they are low in fat, as I have used only whole-wheat flour, jaggery and olive oil. To make it a little special, you can include the sweet and tangy topping. Try out this delicious recipe and do let me know if you liked it :)

You might also like to try out my other low fat cakes:

• Healthy Banana Walnut Loaf
• Whole-wheat brownies (Eggless and butterless)
• Carrot - wheat flakes cake (Eggless and butterless)
• Ragi Chocolate Cake (Eggless and butterless)

Kasi Halwa | White pumpkin halwa

Wondering why a traditional sweet recipe now? Ofcourse there is no reason required to have a sweet, but I tried this recipe on Diwali day and got time to post just now!! 

Kasi halwa is made with white pumpkin and is a traditional sweet that is served along with the grand breakfast during weddings and other family functions. It is pretty simple to make, do try it out and let me know how it turned out to be :)

Recipe source: Jeyashri's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

• White pumpkin - 2 cups, grated
• Sugar - 3/4th cup
• Ghee - 3 tablespoons
• Cashewnuts - a few
• Cardamom powder - a pinch
• Orange food color - a pinch

METHOD:

1. Grate the pumpkin. Slightly squeeze the water that is let out from the pumpkin. Do not overdo it
2. Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and fry the cashewnuts. Keep aside
3. In the same pan, fry the grated pumpkin. Cook on a low flame, till the pumpkin is cooked well (About 15 minutes). The pumpkin has to become soft
4. Add sugar and food color at this stage. After adding sugar, the mixture will again become watery. Cook on a medium flame, adding ghee in intervals, till the halwa leaves the sides of the pan
5. Add cardamom powder and mix well
6. Remove from heat, garnish with fried cashew nuts and serve warm
7. You can also refrigerate it for 2 days, after it is completely cooled

See you all soon with another interesting recipe!

Hyderabadi Style Lunch menu - Vegetable Dum Biriyani and Khubani Ka Meetha

Traditional Hyderabadi Biriyani is prepared in a authentic way of slow cooking by sealing the pressure or dum. I have seen dum biriyani preparations only on television programs. I have not tasted it too! So I never thought about preparing a dum biriyani at home. 

Recently, after the festive season, there were lots of dry fruits at home. So I was hunting for a recipe with dried apricots and came across Khubani Ka Meetha in vegrecipesofindia. That's when I was hooked on to various vegetarian dishes from Hyderabad cuisine. Along with the dessert, I prepared this biriyani and it was a complete meal and a special one for a Sunday! The recipe might look quite long but do not panick, with proper planning and getting the ingredients ready, the process will be very simple. Try it out and do let me know how it turned out.

Khubani Ka Meetha (Dried apricot dessert)

Khubani Ka Meetha is an authentic dessert that is famous in Hyderabad. It is a perfect finish to a Biriyani meal :) Khubani is dried apricot and the sweet dish prepared with apricots is known as Khubani Ka Meetha. The amount of sugar added is very little (just about a teaspoon), as apricots have a natural sweetness in them. Enjoy the mild yet rich dessert warm or cold with fresh cream.