Mummy's Special Christmas Cake

I would like to wish my eldest sister a very Happy Birthday today! Without you sis, this life would not be the same! Thank you for being such a wonderful big sis! I love you and can't wait to see you home soon (just a few more days...yaay)!

This is one cake that featured in all our Christmas-es to date. The last two years have been different as I was the one baking as per Mum's instructions over the phone. Simple to make and  has one pre-baking task, which is soaking the nuts and raisins . The earlier you do it the better.

This year I did not use only the cashew nuts and included raisins and soaked them way in advance in October. So there is a slight difference but the rest is just the same.

Christmas 2012

I have not eaten a whole slice as we are on pre-Christmas lent. So I cannot tell you how it tastes but textural there is a very slight difference from Christmas cake 2011 and 2012.

Mum used to make this cake for our family and relatives and this cake has been tasted and feasted by many as she used to pack them up and send it to us when we were studying away from home.

This year I have staged the Christmas meals (unlike last year...whew!) since the last few days however I still have a lot to do before I am done with final touches, as I am sure you do to, so I will get right to it.

You need:

• 500 gms of cashew nuts
• 250 gms of raisins (optional - mum used to soak cashews only)
• 700 ml of brandy or rum (* instead of alcohol)
• Zest of 1 orange (optional)
• 1 tsp of nutmeg 
• 1 kg flour
• 1 kg castor sugar or powdered sugar
• 500 gms of butter, room temperature
• 12-14 eggs
• 2 tbsp of extra flour**
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup of sugar (burnt sugar process. Please check Ginger Wine)

The make:

Preparation time: 1-2 months for soaking the nuts, 1 hour pre-baking time | Baking Time: 2 hrs, 10 minutes

1. Soaking the nuts: This is normally done at least a month in advance. Soak the whole cashews 1-2 months in advance with brandy or rum in a tightly sealed jar.Remember the level of the alcohol dips as the cashew nuts absorbs the alcohol and increases in size. So top up by add the alcohol in stages. I added first 175ml, followed by another 175ml and them 350 ml. *Tip:If you do not want to use alcohol, you can also just soak the nuts a few days in advance in cranberry or grape juice and store in a cool, dry place.You can add the raisins if using during the mixing process or after chopping cashew nuts. Chop the cashew nuts, add the raisins to it and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 250◦C. Grease the cake tray(s) with butter on all sides. If your cake trays are a little old, then I would suggest using a foil and then greasing the foil before lining the cake tray. I did that with one of my cake trays that had a few scratches or you can just use butter paper. Now I cannot tell you how many cake trays each of you would need. However what I can tell you is that it would fit approximately two 9" * 10" * 2" cake trays.

Ready to go into the oven

3. Add the flour, baking powder and sugar and fold in with a spoon. Allow it to stand for at least 20 minutes.
4. Whisk the eggs in a large deep-bottomed bowl until fluffy. Add the butter and blend well.
5. Slowly add the flour mixture one ladle at a time to the egg-butter mixture until cake consistency is achieved. Add the nutmeg and/or the optional orange zest. I have never used this so far as Mum does not include the orange zest.
6. Next add the chopped cashews and raisins with the residual alcohol. Now with the ladle just mix in the the cashews and raisins. No need to beat the mixture at this stage. Add the burnt sugar. If the mixture seems to be slightly watery its either that you have not mixed the nuts, raisins and alcohol enough or that the mixture has thinned due to the alcohol quantity, in which case dust the top of the mixing bowl with the extra flour** and mix again with a spoon (although this is not advisable so try not to add all of the residual alcohol if over a few tablespoons).
7.  Allow the mixture to stand for another 20 minutes before pouring into the cake tray(s). Pour the mixture halfway of  the cake tray leaving room for the cake to rise.
8. Lower the oven heat to 170◦C and slowly place the cake tray. The first cake tray may take a tad longer than the subsequent ones by 10 minutes. Check in 30 minutes, if the cake has risen to a full. Then open the oven and using a fork or skewer, check if the cake has cooked. If cooked, the fork would come clean. The first cake tray may take between 40-45 depending on the size of the cake tray. Repeat until all of the batter is used.

This cake will go well with the Ginger wine recipe I posted recently. Enjoy!

I assure you this cake is one to be served during Christmas week and I sincerely apologise for the delay in posting this recipe. Hope you try it anyways or next year is always there. Over the next few weeks I will be away but will find time to post you more treats of the Christmas week that you can try over the New Year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2013 from our family to yours.

Turkey Stuffing

To stuff the turkey in Turkey Delight, you can make the stuffing separately and stuff the bird or just make it separately and use the stock of the giblets for the turkey flavour. The former is possible in case of a smaller bird and the latter is preferred for a bigger bird as it would as it is take longer to roast.

To make this deliciously moist and flavourful turkey stuffing, 

You need:

• Stock of the the turkey giblets or Chicken stock - about 3-4 cups
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 1 celery, diced
• 1 large potato, diced and half cooked
• 1 loaf of bread (it is better if the bread is a day or 2 old), diced into cubes
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 3-5 tbsp of butter
• 1 crispy apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
• 1 cup of pimento green olives, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Paprika- 1 tsp (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

The make:

Preparation Time: 1 hour | Cooking Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour | Serves 6 adults

1. Make the stock out of the turkey giblets - heart, gizzard and neck and bring to a boil, uncovered for about an hour. Strain the stock and set aside to use with the stuffing. You can also use chicken stock, however I preferred the former.

2. Toast the walnuts either on a skillet under browned (ensure you do not burn them) or in a microwave oven for about a minute until you get the toasty aroma. Set aside to cool. Next toast the bread cubes in a pan with half of the butter quantity. Old bread is used as it would be dry and you would end up with a perfect consistency of stuffing. If not old bread, you could end up with mushy stuffing. Tip: if the bread is not old, dry them out in the oven for about 10 minutes before use.

3. Heat a deep-bottomed skillet with the remaining butter. Lower the heat to medium and toss in the shallots and celery until cooked for about 5 minutes. 

4. Add the apples, raisins, parsley, potatoes and olives and mix well. Next add the bread and give it a good stir. 

5. Add 1 cup of the giblet stock enough to cook the contents in the skillet. Add the thyme, basil, paprika, salt and pepper and the lemon juice and mix well.

6. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes or until the apples have softened. Check intermittently and mix to avoid the stuffing sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Add stock as required to keep the stuffing moist.

Now you can either stuff the bird with the stuffing or just set aside to serve with the Turkey Delight and the Turkey Gravy. Enjoy!

Boondhi Besan Laddoos (Gramflour sweet small balls) - Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali one and all. May the festival of lights bring love, prosperity and peace to you and your loved ones.

Happy Diwali!

I tried this recipe after almost 21 years. My cousin Gigy who was also my neighbour is an ace graduate of home science and she had made this in her home science lab at school. I had it in my handwritten recipe book from the older times. As I made these laddoos last night into the wee hours of the morning, I recollected the good times we spent during my childhood in my neighbourhood with neighbours from diverse cultures. So thinking back, I remembered all the diverse types of laddoos that I had growing up as a child - Indian which itself had many different versions and flavours owing to our large subcontinent's diverse states and cultures, Pakistani, etc.

Laddoos boxed up for Diwali celebrations

I would also like to congratulate my friend Shireen Pais Sequeira who just had a baby princess 8 days ago. I had mentioned in my earlier posts that Shireen, a successful food bloggist of Ruchik Randhap http://ruchikrandhap.blogspot.in was the most recent motivator to enable me to start this blog. I wish her continued success in both her blogging and personal life. These laddoos goes out to your little munchkin Shirs.

Another close up

Close up

I just realised how difficult it is to convert Indian sweet names to English. For example, the literal translation of Laddoos is Small Balls. 

Ever since Green Gold's Chota Bheem has taken on to the silver screen and to the twinkle of our little one's eyes, Laddoos have been a sweet delight and interest in the homes of toddlers and little kids. So I am sure your little one will take to this sweet with awe and interest. Laddoos can also be had as a tea time snack.

For this sweet mouthful,

You need:

• 250 gms of gramflour or besan
• 250 gms of sugar
• Pinch of Lemon Yellow Food colour
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of Cashewnuts (chopped)
• 300 ml of refined oil
• 200 ml of ghee or clarified butter (I used this organic cow's ghee. I must say it was so light)
• 12 cloves of cardamom, de-seeded and powdered
• 1.5- 2 cups filtered or boiled/cooled water

Tools used

Tools required:

• One large deep bottomed skillet or frying pan
• 2 large perforated ladles (1 of them must have the perforation, the size of a whole peppercorn)
• 2 spoon
• 1 mixing bowl
• 1 large deep bottomed pot (you can use a non-stick one also)
• 1 small skillet
• 1 large bowl
• 1-2 large sheets of butter paper
• 1-2 large sweet boxes (Recycling is good esp. since these days a lot of effort is used in making these boxes. I just do not feel like throwing them away. I usually save my old sweet boxes and re-use them after wiping with a dry cloth)
• 1 large plate

To make these laddoos, it is essential to have your utensils ready prior to the cooking process. Ensure it is clean and dried (free off water). The perforated ladles are required as one of them would be used to form the droplets of pearl shaped fried balls(boondhis). The other one would be used to strain the boondhis once fried.

The make:

Cooking Time: 45 minutes| Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Makes roughly 12 golf ball sized laddoos

1. In the small skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp of ghee and toss in the raisins and cashews until lightly brown. You can add the cashews first as it takes slightly longer than the raisins. Set aside.
2. Next it is best to get working on the sugar syrup before working the batter as it takes a good 8-10 minutes to get this done. Take the deep-bottomed pot or non-stick deep bottomed skillet and add the sugar and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil on medium to high heat. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Simmer till about half thread consistency or until bubbles form on the surface. Turn off the heat and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, add the gramflour and 1/2 cup of water and stir well ensuring no lumps are present. Add a pinch of salt and the lemon-yellow food colour. The mix should have a slightly thicker consistency than dosa batter. Test the batter by using the perforated ladle to see if it drops through the perforations without intervention. If not add a tablespoon of water to the batter and stir and test again until required consistency is achieved. I had to repeat 3 times to get the consistency right.
4. Heat the oil on high and the ghee in the frying pan. Do not overheat or else the oil turns brown and affects the boondhis. Remember that the frying pan should have at least 1.5" of oil. Test to see if the oil is the right temperature by taking your little finger and dipping it in the batter and dropping it into the heated oil. If it rise immediately then it is ready.Lower the heat to medium.  
5. Place all the vessels close to each other as shown in the picture above - the sugar syrup pot, the batter mixing bowl and the frying pan. Hold the perforated ladle about 1.5"inches above the oil over the center of the frying pan with one hand. With your other hand, take the spoon pour some of the batter onto the perforated ladle to cover all of the holes without spilling over the edge of the ladle. Tip: if you hold the ladle higher than 1.5" inches above the oil, the boondi will not be round. It gets more of a tear-drop shape.
6. The batter will start dropping through the holes into the oil. Move your hand with the batter-perforated ladle in clockwise direction to avoid the batter concentrating in one position in the pan and layering. Drop enough boondis into the oil so they just cover the surface of the oil in frying pan in a single layer without overlapping.
7. Fry them for a few seconds and/or until the sound of sizzling stops and boondis are light gold in color but not crispy. Drain the boondi out of the oil with the second perforated ladle so as to allow the oil to drain from the boondhi back into the frying pan and transfer the drained fried boondhis to the sugar syrup pot and mix with another spoon.
8. Tip: Remember to wipe the perforated batter-ladle before adding the next scoop of batter. This helps to keep the boondi round and avoids blocking to allow free flow of the batter through the perforations.
9. Repeat this process with rest of the batter. Let the boodhis soak in the syrup for few minutes.
10. Next add the powdered cardamom seeds, roasted cashews and raisins to the syrup and mix.
11. Drain off the excess syrup by taking out the boondhis from the syrup into a large bowl.
12. If the boondis are still hot, let them rest till warm and easy to handle. Ensure they do not become cold or you will not be able to roll them into balls to make the laddoos.
13. To make the laddoos, scoop up some of the boondi mixture into your palm with a spoon. Gently squeeze the mixture between both palms to shape into a round ball about the size of a golf ball. You can also make bigger laddoos as required. As you are squeezing some of the syrup will come out.  
14. As you finish making each laddoo, put it on a plate with a sheet of butter paper and continue on to make the next laddoo. 

Transfer to plate

• As the Laddoos cool to room temperature they will become      firm but they should still be moist.

• Laddoos will keep at room temperature in a covered container for up to 7-10 days depending on the weather and for one month in the refrigerator. If you make it in the summer, I suggest transferring it to the refrigerator after 2 days.

Additional tips:

• Remember if you leave the boodhis to cool down to room temperature(below warm), the sugar crystallises. 
• The syrup should be of the right temperature, so warm up slightly before draining the boondhis if it turns cold.
• If you have too much of boondhis, set aside as a salt snack or you can add it to yoghurt and have it with lunch/dinner. If you have already added it to the sugar syrup, then you can drain and have it as sweet boondhi as well. You can also serve the sweet laddoos with the salty boondhis as a tea time snack.

Namkeen boondhis

Boxed up!

Enjoy this sweet delight ...Wish you all a safe and fun-filled Diwali!

Banana Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding is well known in the English cuisine. Not so much "Banana" Bread Pudding but the concept is pretty much English! Traditionally Bread Pudding is accompanied with sour cream or toffee sauce. It goes well with honey, maple syrup or even ice cream.

Banana Bread Pudding

This is how I made mine. Inspiration to any banana bread pudding - browning bananas and stale bread. I am so lucky.. I had both the company of both this weekend :) Jokes apart, I guess Banana Bread may have emerged from the idea of avoiding food wastage and it is pretty excellent despite the deteriorating health of its prime two ingredients. This makes for a good breakfast meal or tea snack and would go well with a nice hot cup of tea.

There is a sense of satisfaction, in making this dish when you have slightly stale prime ingredients that almost always has no takers. This is what the wise mean by "Old is Gold". Caution: I think the Banana Bread Pudding can tickle your funny bone a lot in 4-6 hours after consumption :)

To make this delightful dessert/meal,

You need:

• 8 slices of a day old bread
• 3 large bananas (or in my case 2 large bananas and 3 plantains) Tip: use what you have available at home
• 1/4 cup cane sugar or 1/2 cup of honey (you can use regular sugar as well - in fact you can use half the quantity of sugar and half the quantity of honey as honey tastes good with bananas)
• 1 cup milk (of your choice)
• 2 tsp of powdered nutmeg
• 2 tsp of powdered cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used cashewnuts)
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
• 1 tbsp rum (optional)
• Condiments (optional) - honey or maple syrup or sour cream or toffee sauce or ice cream, etc

Banana Bread Pudding just out of the oven

The make:

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Serves 4 adults

1. Soak the bread in the milk and set aside for at least an hour. You can also leave it overnight.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and/or honey and vanilla essence.
3. Top the bread mixture with the whisked egg mixture and add the powdered nutmeg and cinnamon and  mix well.
4. Next mash the bananas well and add it to the bread  mixture.
5. Add the chopped nuts and raisins.
6. Preheat the oven to 250◦C for at least 10 minutes. Grease a baking loaf tray or a pudding tray and carefully add the pudding mixture. Place an aluminium foil over the top to ensure even heat distribution (no need to tuck the foil at the sides of the tray)
7. Lower the heat to 200◦C and place the pudding tray in the center of the oven ensuring even heat. 
8. Allow to cook for at least 30 minutes. Use a skewer to check if the pudding is cooked well. 
9. Turn off the flame once cooked and allow the pudding tray to cool on the rack. 
10. Serve hot with your choice of condiments or as it is or with a hot cup of tea.

This makes for a nice dish on cold winter days. Enjoy! Bon Appetit!

 View from the side

Served up