Mango Jam #noPectin

It has been a while since I last posted a recipe on the G'Gina's Kitchenette. You know what they say, 'When life hands you lemons make lemonade!( or in this case use it as a part of your Jam - I know PJ)' But what do you do when it hands you death, accident, unwanted troubles and family and friends' health issues?

Well not to burden you with the details but I have had quite a few check in on me..I lost my Dad-in-law in July and have had some issues with family health. Also an unfortunate accident happened, one that I will learn from. I had once lost all hope. But I trust God will bring peace and favour to us.

Cinnabon-style Cinnamon Rolls - Mummy's First Anniversary

I have always wanted to make these rolls. I have been missing Cinnabon's rolls since moving from Dubai, UAE. Most times I miss Cinnabon's Cinnamon rolls during a rainy day :) And would you believe it actually rained today (the first rain) and quite heavily may I add!

It has been a year since I first joined Bread Bakers. I still remember how a few days after joining Bread Bakers and the first event I was to participate in, I had heard of the sudden and untimely demise of my dear Mum. Today marks the first year since Mum left for Heavenly Abode. Mummy has always been my inspiration to bake and cook. She was a fabulous cook and her presence is truly missed in my life. I am grateful to our Good Lord for letting Mum continue to advise and be my guide especially in difficult moments and even when in the kitchen. The difference between how it was earlier when Mum was just a phone call away and now is that I listen to her advice to the 'T' with no questions asked. So yes I am thankful she still guides me. I still miss her like crazy though. Today I am quite spent from the difficult night I had mulling about Mum and our good ol' times.I miss Mum's jokes, laughter and smiles the most. Love you Mum and miss you loads.

I will be trying this recipe again. My biggest critic is my part time maid Betty. Since she loved the flavour of these rolls and my hubby and I felt it lack some more of the fluffiness to make it like Cinnabon's layers, I will definitely be going at this again. These reason for the slight flatness of these rolls is when I placed the tray into the oven to bake at 200°C, our apartment building's gas supply was over and they had changed it to the new supply during the bake. So for 5 of the 15 minutes of the bake the temperature was automatically changed to much higher than it was meant to be. Of course I figured this out at the last few minutes of the bake.

Unfortunately this recipe was meant to go into today's Bread Bakers' event of theme : Rolls. I had to go to church and when I came there was the first downpour of rains this year. I still tried to make it but looks like I messed up on the time conversion this time. I just heard its owing to the Daylight savings time which is an hour forward.

To make these super simple and luscious rolls, 

You need:

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 1 1/4 tsp dry active yeast 
• 1 egg, room temperature 
• 1/6 cup or 40 gms of melted butter
• 21/4 cup plain flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the spread and sprinkle:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 11/4 tbsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/6 cup or 40 gms butter, softened 

For the topping:

• 40 gms cream cheese, softened 
• 30 gms butter, softened
• 25 gms castor sugar or icing sugar 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 
• Pinch of salt 

The Make:

Preparation time: 10 minutes | Resting time: 10 minutes | Baking Time: 15 minutes | Makes 9 rolls

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the lukewarm milk and sugar. Allow to activate. If it does not froth, you need to try with a fresh batch of yeast.

2. In a large bowl, place all the dough ingredients and the prepared yeast and mix well.

3. Turn the dough out to a floured surface. Cover and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. You will find the dough has doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and lightly grease a baking 9X13 inch baking tray.

4. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon powder.

5. Roll the dough into a 9X13 inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the 40 gms of butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

6. Carefully roll up the dough to a log. You can also use a baking mat to do this if unsure. Cut out 9 rolls and place them on the prepared baking tray.

7. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown up to 15 minutes.

8. While the rolls are baking, beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence or extract and salt.

9. Once baked, spread the frosting on the warm rolls just before serving.

Bon Appetit! Hope you enjoy this bake.

Easy-Peasy Garlic-ky Mini Rolls #BreadBakers #NoBake

I am thankful to our Good Lord for showing His Mercy on us. My dearest Daddy had a mild chest pain last Thursday and my little girl and I rushed over to Dad and Mum's home which is a little away from the city where we stay.

I did not remember about this BreadBakers' event as a result as I was too stressed having just lost Mummy 11 months ago. My sisters who are abroad were petrified and asked me to leave at the soonest. Luckily Dad's initial cardiac results were normal. He has to go through a TMT on Tuesday and so I am scheduling this post ahead of time. We also have to drive back to our apartment with Daddy as he plans on staying with us for a bit so I may be settled only by evening hours to complete the updated post links which is ok owing to the time difference which will still  meet the event challenge time. Since it is my first time at scheduling a post, I am a tad nervous it may not happen on time. Nevertheless, family is the most important, Food always takes second place to Family, so Karen please excuse me in case this does not happen on time.

I would like to thank my good friends (you know who you are) for checking in on Daddy's health and my well-being during this trying time even if for a day or two. Also thank you for cheering me up with shared laughter and moments via calls, visits and messages. You are amazing! Just goes to show who true friends are and the love that you bestow on me is irreplaceable. God bless your families and you abundantly.

Since I did not bake ahead of time and if you have been following my posts since last May, you would know that Mum's oven is at our other home which does not make it easy for me to go over just to bake these rolls. As although we have a full fledged kitchen there all the ingredients and tools are at this home . So what started as my experiment to make Garlic Dough Balls turned out to be Garlic Mini Rolls. We had a rough Sunday night with my little girl feeling ill and so when I made this on Monday afternoon, I was pretty groggy. Sorry about the last day name change of my recipe title Karen.

My husband and I consume raw garlic as a part of our morning routine. This was started a few years ago, when a nutritionist asked my husband to have it as he seemed to have a borderline high cholesterol value back then. Then it became a habit and when we learnt of the many benefits of garlic, then it just became a part of our daily routine.

So the last time I tried this technique of baking is when I was at home after Mummy's passing away and had committed to making Whole Wheat Pita Bread. Trust me when I say that this is not only an easy technique of baking but gives almost the same results as the oven if done right. For those of you who have an oven, I will provide instructions as to how to bake it normally in the oven as well.

Garlic happens to be my favourite condiment so I could not resist participating in this event. I would like to thank the lovely Karen H Kerr of Karen's Kitchen Stories for choosing this theme.

You can serve these mini rolls with your favourite soup or simple as an appetizer as well. 

The Verdict: My 6 year old gobbled up most of these rolls as a snack! :D


You need:

• 1 pod of a medium sized garlic, peeled and cleaned; half the pod sliced finely, other half minced or microplaned
• 2 tbsp of butter / ghee (Clarified Buter) / Olive oil
• Salt - 1 tsp + a sprinkle
• 1 cup of whole wheat flour 
• A pinch of sugar
• Luke warm water  -  to knead
• 1 tsp Yeast

The Make:
Makes 8 mini rolls | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Rising Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes

1. Proof the yeast by taking the yeast with a pinch of sugar and mixing it with some lukewarm water in a small bowl. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes till it froths.
2. Next in a large vessel, add the yeast, flour and salt and knead well with the lukewarm water added in bit by bit to form a smooth dough ball. Allow to rest in a warm, dark place for at least 30 minutes. The dough would have doubled.
3. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the finely sliced garlic pieces with the butter, ghee or oil. If you do not have a mortar and pestle you can do this with your grinder/blender and if using the oil, slowly trickle the olive oil in during the grinding process. The resultant will be a creamy garlic butter. Add a sprinkle of the salt and mix well. Set aside half of the garlic butter. If you are using a blender, do not exceed a minute.
4. Next knead in half of the garlic butter in the dough and roll the dough within your palms to a longish log, as evenly as possible. Cut out pillows of dough as even as possible and roll the dough into balls or in my case pillow-shaped. Repeat till the entire dough is used and placed on the vessel with some distance between the dough pillows to allow it to expand.
5. The dough bits will expand further. Next brush the top of the dough rolls with the remaining half of the garlic butter and place the minced garlic on top and lightly press down.
6. After brushing, heat the remaining garlic butter in a pan and place the dough rolls on the pan. Cover with a lid with a steam outlet or slightly left open to allow steam to pass. Heat each side for 2 minutes.
7. For those using an oven, butter the baking pan with the remaining garlic butter after brushing the dough bits and line the dough rolls at a distance from each other. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Flip over in case you do not have top heat in your oven.

Serve hot aside your favourite soup or as it is with some butterspread/cheese spread.

April 2016's #BreadBakers' event : Our ingredient of the month is GARLIC, in celebration of National Garlic Day in the United States - 19 April - and one of our favorite food holidays. Black garlic, white garlic, elephant garlic, smoked garlic; powdered, roasted, raw, crushed or whole, include some garlic in your bread!

Now for some lovely Garlic breads from our #BreadBakers family of amazing bakers:

• Black Garlic Parmesan Sourdough Bread from Magnolia Days
• Buttery Garlic Cheddar Rolls from Kylee Cooks
• Buttery Garlic Knots from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Buttery Garlic Pull Apart Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Caramelized Garlic Chèvre Stuffed Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Cheddar, Garlic and Jalapeno Beer Bread from A Palatable Pastime
• Cheddar Garlic Dinner Rolls from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cheese and Garlic Biscuits from A Baker's House
• Cream Cheese Stuffed Garlic Rolls from Herbivore Cucina
• Domino's Style Garlic Bread from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Easy-Peasy Garlic-ky Mini Rolls from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Garlic Batard from Hostess at Heart
• Garlic & Gorgonzola Focaccia from Baking in Pyjamas
• Garlic, Herbs and Cheese Bread from La Cocina de Aisha
• Garlic Naan with Green Chiles from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Garlic Pull Apart Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Garlic Sunflower Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Gluten Free & Vegan Garlic Breadsticks from What Smells So Good?
• {Gluten Free} Seeded Black Garlic Flat Bread from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Green Garlic Parathas - Flat Bread from Sneha's Recipes
• Herbed Garlic Butter Garland Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Multi Grain Garlic Naan from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Pissaladière from The Bread She Bakes
• Roasted Garlic Focaccia from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Triple Garlic Knots from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Whole Wheat Garlic Ciabatta Bread from Cooking Club

 #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Swedish Polar Bread #BreadBakers

Whew! This was one challenge I will never forget. After the relocation last year, there are a few places I have learnt which sell baking items. My choice of Polar Bread would do well if there was Rye of any form either Light Rye or Dark Rye and this I learnt after my research in the last few days. This is the very first time that I have left my baking to the last minute. My dough is still proving as I type this. Thank God for time differences which makes me hopeful to post this recipe before 800 hrs EST.

Since I live in India now ingredients such as Quinoa, Rye, etc can be availed if ordered online earlier. Of course it has a steeper price owing to the import tax but all in the name of Baking. I was super busy with the family and myself since the last few weeks with weddings, engagement, School Cultural Fest, Karate assessment, etc. Oh by the way I now hold a colour belt in Karate (Shito ryu)...Hya!! Just got to know last evening.

I began my research on this bread late which gave me little room to notice the Rye or even think of looking for it. Lulu Mall here also has its presence in the Middle East and I foolishly thought I could avail the flour there. Unfortunately, Rye primarily grows in Eastern, Central and Northern Europe and its growth belt stretches from Northern Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia into central and Northern Russia. It is also grown in North America, parts of South America, Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), Turkey, Kazakhstan and in Northern China.

I did find an online portal and a company that would have delivered the Rye if I had not waited till the last minute. Yesterday the one day I got free from all my personal commitments, I spent close to 4 hours++ in search of Rye. By the way I find it strange to say Rye so much as I have a school friend Ryan who I nicknamed Rye ..hahaha!

Polar Bread is a Scandinavian bread and it has very little information online. In fact, in Sweden I believe Polar Bread is known as Polarbröd which one site even claimed is the  brand name for Mjukkaka. Mjukkaka is the bread of Northern Sweden and literally translates to 'Softcake'. Polar bread probably derives its name from a company 'Polarbröd' founded in the 1800s and is a  family company with old traditions. You can read more about the origin of this bread here.

Coming back to my predicament of being a last minute baker for the first time for a blogging event, I still did not hold the Rye. My friends and neighbours of the community apartment complex I lived in gave me several options. One suggested I visit a store near by which led me to another branch where after almost reaching the store I was informed by the owner that it was unavailable at that branch and to drive back to a place closer to home. Unfortunately what I said was Rye and what he heard was Rice Flour! Oh gosh! So then on returning home began the research of what could be substituted instead of Rye and that brought in suggestions such as grounded brown rice, finger millet (Ragi), Red Rice powder (for the Dark Rye colour), buckwheat, etc. One of my neighbours Ritu suggested using the Rye flakes found in certain kinds of Muesli. Unfortunately even that type of Muesli is not found here locally. 

Rye is low in Glutenin and high in Gliadin. Of course the Mjukkaka requires some amount of white flour or bread flour. I finally succumbed to a combination of Finger Millet, Bread flour and Red Rice flour considering the darker Rye. Hope this works (remember my bread is still proving). Like Daddy said last night when I asked about Rye Flour availability in Dubai (he is on his break there) is to use what is locally available. I remembered how I used to resort to asking Mum whenever I was stuck in my cook or bake. I took it as her word and decided to go with what I have.

If you are using Rye, remember that you can alter the ratio of Rye to Bread flour keeping in mind that the total quantity should be equal to the recipe requirements. The more Rye you add, the denser the bread gets. I had taken an equal quantity of Bread Flour and Finger Millet with Red Rice flour. The only thing I would do now that my bread is all baked is to have a higher ratio of Bread Flour to Finger Millet and Red Rice (hence I have resorted to the original quantities in the recipe below). Also the next time I will try and make this with Rye Flour. In my haste I rolled out the bread a little thinner than the 1/4" thickness so it did not turn out to be as fluffy as I would have liked it. More reminded me of the darker brown Mediterranean flatbread 'Kuboos'. 

These are the ingredients that Polarbröd use to make their soft bread taken from this link. You may have to hit 'Translate this page' to read it in English : 

INGREDIENTS

Wheat flour, water, sifted rye flour (20,4%), syrup, sugar, wheat gluten , rape seed oil, sugar beet fiber, salt, fermented wheat flour, yeast, emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides of mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid), baking soda (antler salt), fruit sugar, malt flour ( barley ), flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid), enzyme.

Contains gluten. Milk free.

I am going to give you two options, one of my modified Finger Millet and Red Rice Flour additions and one with the original Rye flour. Please revert to the Rye flour for all available purposes, i.e. in case you have Rye flour where you stay at - use it! I do not want to change history at least not for now. 

You need:

• 500 gms of plain flour or white bread flour
• 60 gms of Rye flour (or in my case 20 gms of Red rice flour and 40 gms of Finger Millet)
• 60 gms of Yoghurt (or you can also use Sour cream or Crème Fraiche)
• 5 tsp sugar or honey
• 2 tsp fennel seeds or anise seeds
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried yeast

The Make:

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes | Proof time: 1 hr, 20 minutes | Cook time: Up to 6 minutes per soft bread | Makes at least 6 soft breads

1. First mix the sugar and yeast in the water and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.

2. Next add the flours, salt and seeds in a large bowl and mix well. 

3. Add the yeasted water and yoghurt to the flour mix and knead well to a sticky dough.

4. Continue kneading on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth.

5. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased plate/bowl and leave it to prove in a warm place and double in size. This should take about 20 minutes.

6. Turn out the dough to a floured surface and knock the air out of the dough.

7. Divide the dough into equal sizes (6 numbers) and roll out each dough ball into a 1/4" thickness. Try to roll out perfect rounds and if not possible do your best.

8. Prick the rolled dough circle on both sides with a fork.

9. Next place the dough discs on a floured surface, cover and allow to rest for 40-60 minutes.

10. Preheat a griddle or in my case a cast iron flat pan or skillet or any other pan and place the dough discs onto the griddle on medium heat and cook each side for at least 2-3 minutes.

Serve warm with your favourite stuffing or dip. Bon Appetit! I love saving the best for last....

February's #BreadBakers event is 'Griddle Breads' hosted by Anshie Dhar of Spice Roots. She had openly themed the griddle breads to include anything from Rotis, crumpets, English muffins, etc. Thank you Anshie for choosing this theme. I was almost certain that I would back out after yesterday's fiasco but yaaay I made it in time! Here are some of the griddle breads from our Famous and Fabulous Bread Bakers' family...

February's Griddle Breads

• Amaranth (Rajgira) Paratha from Herbivore Cucina
• Cheese and Potato Gözleme from Cook's Hideout
• Corn Pancakes from Magnolia Days
• Cornmeal Griddle Cakes from Noshing With The Nolands
• English Muffins from La cocina de Aisha
• Fruity Hemp Seed Pancakes from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Griddle Scones from Hostess At Heart
• Homemade Corn Tortillas from Kylee Cooks
• Lachha Paratha - Indian Layered Flatbread from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Masala Poli - Spicy Potato Masala Stuffed Poli from I Camp in my Kitchen
• Masala Roti from Sneha's Recipe
• Paneer Kulchas - Griddle Fried Cottage Cheese Flatbread from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Paruppu Poorana Poli from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Peanut Butter and Apple Griddle Cakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Phool Makhana Parathas (Puffed Lotus Seeds Parathas) from Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Saffron Unleavened Bread from Kidsandchic
• Satpadi - Spiced Griddle Bread from Spiceroots
• Scallion Pancakes from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Sourdough English Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spicy Loli - Breakfast Flatbread from Food Lust People Love
• Spinach and Feta Gözleme from Spill the Spices
• Stacked Apple Arepas from The Schizo Chef
• Staffordshire Oatcakes with a Bacon & Cheese Filling from Ruchik Randhap
• Stove-Top Muffins (Diphaphata) from Wholistic Woman
• Swedish Polar Bread from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Vitumbua (Coconut Rice Pancake Balls) from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Welsh Cakes from Passion Kneaded
• Yeast Raised Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Pastry Chef Online

 

 #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Malaysian Red Snapper with Lime Leaves #FishFridayFoodies

I have always been a lover of seafood and just loved that Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm started this new group of Fish Friday Foodies of Fish food lovers.

Red Snapper is a low-calorie, lean source of protein rich in selenium, Vitamin A, potassium and Omega-3 fatty acids. Besides this is quite a flavoursome fish as well.

I grew a small potted lime plant in my balcony at my last place of residence. After a few months of seeing some produce from the plant, sadly I had to let go of it as it became diseased. Hopefully if ever I move into a home with a better garden area, I will attempt at growing the lime tree :)

Now while I had a chance to use the produce off my young lime plant, I made this Red Snapper with Lime leaves. The fragrance throughout my home that day was amazingly uplifting and fabulous.

You need:

• 1 kg Red Snapper, cleaned and cut into medium sized pieces
• 2 large shallots, quartered
• 1/2 tbsp Peppercorns
• 3-4 Star Anise
• 4-5  Lime Leaves + 2-3 for garnish
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and quartered
• 2 tsp Freshly Ground Coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 red chilies quartered
• 250ml of coconut milk
• Zest of 1 small lime
• Salt to taste
• Drinking water, heated

The Make:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes | Serves 4-6 adults

1. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a clay pot or a wok and toss in the star anise, fennel seeds, red chilies, cinnamon sticks and set aside after a minute.

2. In the same pot, add the remaining oil and toss in the shallots and saute till translucent on medium heat.

3. Next add the garlic, coriander, turmeric, salt and peppercorns and saute for another minute or until the spices leave the sides of the pot and is cooked. 

4. Lower the heat and pour half the quantity of coconut milk, sugar and pour in a cup of heated water.

5. Add in the the sauteed spices earlier set aside and turn to medium heat again for a minute or until heated but not to a  rolling boil.

6. Lower the heat and then add the Red Snapper fish pieces, lime zest and lime leaves. Cover and cook for 30 minutes and then check if cooked well. If not increase by 5 minutes and check. Once cooked add the remaining coconut milk and allow to heat not boil else it will split.

7. Serve hot aside piping hot bowl of steamed rice of your choice. Garnish with lime leaves.

Bon Appetit!

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies?  We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month.  To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com.

Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

An InLinkz Link-up

Word Press:

Singaporean Black Pepper Crab

This is a sweet and spicy variant of crabs. Blue swimmer crabs taste well with this recipe blend. However you could try using some of the other crab varieties.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I have not made any plans as yet to bake any delicacies as health does not permit the same. But who knows! For those of you celebrating the occasion hope you have a warm and lovely Valentine's Day with your loved one and/family.

Although I have been to Singapore on more than one occasion, this recipe quite reminds me of the time I spent with two favourite people in my life my buddy Nina Silva and her then boss Anneliese Reinhold who were also my internal clients from the legal department where I worked earlier on. We shared a wonderful lunch with these scrumptious crabs being the center of the meal which is the first time I had this dish. I will always remember you both whenever I see or have this flavoursome dish (and even otherwise ;-) ) which tasted so much better when it was with you both. I'm sure your company is what made the difference!

To make these flavoursome crab dish,

You need:

• 1 kg blue swimmer crabs, cleaned and washed well
• 11/2 tbsp oil
• 11/2 tbsp ginger, grated finely
• 8 garlic cloves, grated finely
• 2 red chilies, finely minced
• 3 tbsp black pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 3 tbsp soya sauce (*or 2 tbsp Ketjap manis which is an Indonesian sauce which is a thicker variant of soya sauce flavoured with garlic, anise, etc.. If you are using ketjap manis, then reduce sugar to 3 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce (optional - some do not like the taste of oyster sauce although recommended for this recipe)
• 4 tbsp castor sugar/finely granulated sugar
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• Drinking water
• 1 tbsp salt

The Make:
Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes | Serves 3-4 adults

This dish has to be served right off the wok and preferably consumed in one sitting, so put on your eating apron with a center table waste dish and enjoy this with your family/friends.

1. Add the sauces and sugar with about 3-4 tbsp of water in a small bowl, stir well and set aside.
2. Crack the legs of the crab to allow the flavour of the sauces to enter the meat well. You will regret if you do not do the same.
3. Quarter the crab and in a large wok, heat the oil over high heat.
4. Fry the prepared crab in batches until the shell turn a bright orange colour and the meat almost cooked. Set aside.
5. You can drain any excess oil from the wok and set aside. Do not chuck the oil away as it is full of crabby flavour.
6. Next add the spring onions, ginger, garlic, pepper, chilli, coriander and salt to the wok and fry for another minute.
7. Add in the sauce mixture and stir well. Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer for a few minutes.
8. Toss in the crab pieces to the wok and coat the crab pieces in the sauce mixture. Add some of the oil set aside earlier in case it seems too dry.

Serve immediately. Bon Appetit.

Golden Syrup

Golden syrup is not readily available everywhere but can be used in quite a few recipes. It is a very simple ingredient to make with such limited ingredients I am sure you can find in your pantry at home. I used this syrup for the Gingerbread men biscuits that I made recently. This syrup has a long shelf-life so as long as you follow the instructions well.

You need:

• 100 gms sugar
• 3 tbsp water

Additionally,

• 1/2 kg sugar
• 300 gms boiling water
• 1 sliced lemon (Large or small lemon)
• 1 sterilised jar

The Make:
Cooking time: 45 minutes | Resting Time: 5 minutes | Makes about a medium sized jar
Adapted from Todd's Kitchen

1. In a saucepan, on medium heat, add the sugar and 3 tbsp of water and mix well. Keep stirring till sugar dissolves. The sugar becomes a nice dark caramel colour. This process is similar to the one I did for the Ginger Wine and Mummy's Christmas cake as well with the burnt sugar.

2. Next turn the heat to the lowest and add the boiling water carefully, a bit at a time to avoid spluttering. Stir it well.
3. Add the remaining sugar on medium heat and stir it through until the sugar is completely melted.
4. Lower the heat to the lowest and let it simmer to about 45 minutes and add half a lemon to avoid it from caramelising  any further and preventing any sugar crystals from forming lumps. Do not stir during the 45 minutes.

5. Turn off the heat and take out the lemon. You can consume the lemon as a candied lemon or use it in another recipe.
6. Let the syrup cool down for about 5 minutes only and transfer to the sterilised jar and let it cool down further in the jar without the lid on.
7. The syrup would thicken as it cools down to about the same consistency as that of honey. Use the Golden Syrup as you wish in your recipes like in the Gingerbread men biscuits.
As long as you use a sterilised jar, this syrup would last you for months on the shelf.

Pazham Bonda - Fried Mashed Banana balls

This is one from my mum's kitchen again. A very simple to make tasty tea-time snack! There are so many variants of Bonda but this one by far strides well with both kids and adults alike. This also makes for a good on-the-go snack and can be made in various sizes as well. It has a texture very similar to that of a doughnut.

Normally bonda is made with plain flour (maida) only however as  I mentioned in my earlier posts and profile as well, Mum's kitchen has always adopted healthier options. This variant is made with a combination of wheat flour and plain flour. I would suggest you make this at home rather than buying it from a restaurant as it is simple to make and you know how sweet to make it and how much and what type of oil to use.

You need:

• 2 cups of Wheat flour
• 1 cup of Plain flour (maida)
• 6-8 Bananas, mashed
• Jaggery/Sugar/Brown sugar/Cane sugar to taste
• 1-2 cups drinking water
• A pinch of baking powder
• Cooking oil - to deep fry

The Make:
Preparation Time: 3-4 hours | Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes | Makes 8-10 medium sized balls

1. Combine all the ingredients above into a dough.

2. Set aside to rest for about 3-4 hours. You can leave it for longer if you have the time as well. This batch was rested for at least 6 hours.

3. Once rested, divide the dough and roll it into tennis sized balls. You can make them smaller if you like as well.

4. Heat a large/deep-bottomed wok with the oil for up to 2 minutes.

5. Lower the flame and place the rolled balls carefully into the oil and deep fry till golden brown.

6. Drain and place the bonda on a clean kitchen towel.

7. Serve hot with tea or coffee.

Bon Appetit!

Christmas Shortbread Cookies

With a school going toddler who is completely excited by the idea of Christmas - Santa, Carols, Christmas trees, stars....cookies, cakes...and more, you know you have to be at your best in making Christmas treats. Tomorrow is Izzy's Christmas Class Party. I was always planning to bake a cake and Christmas cookies for her class and staff with or without a party. So I was glad to know today that they have a Christmas class party tomorrow.

These shortbread cookies are so super simple and I got an excellent batch, which were pre-tested by my husband and my excited toddler. I was a bit worried that I would find the cookie jar empty by the time I was done making the batches of these cookies.

Now I normally used to make these cookies as a slightly wet mix, so I have never owned a cookie cutter. With  a toddler around, like I mentioned earlier, you just have to be on your best creative behaviour. I found a handy star shaped Fisher Price block in my little one's play pen. After cleaning and drying it, it became the Christmas Star! Problem solved!

Christmas Star Shortbread Cookies

You need:

• 250 gms of salted butter
• 500 gms of flour
• 125 gms of icing sugar or castor sugar
• 125 gms of cornstarch

The make:

Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes | Makes 30-40 cookies (depending on the cookie size)

1.  Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead well using your fist and knuckles until the mixture holds well together. Continue kneading and folding in until the dough cracks. Tip: Unless you knead well, the dough will not hold together for the next step (rolling process)
2. Gently roll the dough evenly till it is thin enough however not wafer-thin. Tip:Make sure you maintain the same thickness for each roll-out process as some of the cookies may cook faster than the others.
3. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters of your choice and toss the extra dough back in the bowl with the remaining dough. Repeat this process till all of the dough in the bowl is used.

Cookie dough cut and ready to be baked

4. Preheat an oven to 250○C for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to 180○C. Place the cookies onto a butter paper or  cookie sheet  and carefully place in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes in batches as required. Remember that each subsequent batch would need lesser time in the oven than the first. I took the first batch in for the whole 10 minutes, the second batch took about 7 minutes and the third 5 minutes.
5. You can decorate them as desired. I planned on icing the class kids' names however the cookie's were too small for the precious little ones' names. Maybe in my next attempt, after I invest in larger cookie cutters! I did hand cut a heart for my munchkin and she was particularly pleased as she knows it was a special heart among the stars! I got a nice big thank you, hug followed by rains of kisses!

Merry Christmas darling little ones!






**New: Since my little one enjoyed these cookies so much over Christmas, I decided to bake them with one of her favourite flavours, Chocolate! I made chocolate Shortbread Cookies for her birthday and sent them to school which was again well-received! I wanted to share some pictures with you of the same. Additionally (to the above ingredients), add 100 gms of cocoa powder (sweetened is better if it is for the little ones)

Mummy's Ginger Wine - A Christmas Special

What better to include in the Christmas celebrations than Ginger Wine. I decided to make Mum's perfect Ginger Wine as our Christmas beverage. The last Christmas I was back home and had a taste of her delicious Ginger Wine. With your eyes closed, it tasted so much like a high-end branded sparkling wine. No exaggerations!

I must say that I truly did not expect this batch of wine to turn out as good as it did. I started it out in October as it takes a good 21 days to  ferment after the initial prep and then another 21 days resting time after straining. Home made wine tends to be sweet and if not made well in advance tastes like a non-alcoholic, albeit festive flavoured beverage. When the wine ages over time, it gives you that extra feel good spirit and serves well with your elaborate Christmas lunch or dinner! You can also add Cinnamon sticks in the first 21 days for extra colour and flavour which compliments the ginger well.

Ginger Wine served

I have seen mum making many a homemade wine to know that you need a ceramic jar (bharani) to store the wine. Storing ingredients to make wine in steel or plastic jars is not advisable. The other reason to use a ceramic jar is that the wine ages well in a cool, dark place and glass jars do not serve this purpose either. If the wine for some reason gets spoiled due to exposure to light or contamination by using unsterilised utensils, then the only option you will have is to toss it out!

Ceramic Jar with wooden pestle

You need:

Utensils: sterilised and dry

• Ceramic Jar
• Clean Cloth for additional sealing of the jar
• A cloth string or ribbon to affix the cloth in place
• a Wooden Pestle or grinder
• A large spoon
• Deep bottomed vessel for the sieving process
• Deep bottomed skillet for boiling process and later for the burnt sugar process
• Large clean sieve (remember to buy a new one as sieves can be hard to clean/sterilise perfectly once used for any other food ingredient)
• Funnel to fill bottles after resting time
• 2 glass bottles / empty alcohol bottles

Ingredients

• 1 kg ginger, skinned and washed well
• 1 kg refined sugar, castor sugar or dermerera or brown sugar
• Water just enough to cover the ginger in the boiling process (4-6 cups)
• 1 tsp of yeast (optional)
• 1" cinnamon sticks (2 nos) - optional
• 1 cup of sugar for browning, 1 cup of water - optional

The make:

Preparation time: 40 minutes | Fermenting time: 21 days | Resting Time: 21 days

1. Wash the ginger well and crush in the grinder (without water) or using the wooden pestle. It does not have to ground to a paste, just crushed well to allow the juices to be extracted once left for fermenting.

2. Boil the ginger well with water enough to just cover the ginger.

3. Add the sugar and stir lightly. Set aside and allow to cool.

4. Once lukewarm, you can add the yeast if desired and lightly stir. You can also add the cinnamon sticks.  Transfer the ginger and liquids in the ceramic jar. Seal the jar with its original lid and top with a clean cloth and seal with a cloth string or ribbon. This is to avoid any contamination or exposure to light.

5. This is important - Store in a cool, dark place to avoid any exposure to light for 21 days.

6. On the 22nd day, strain the contents of the jar to a large deep bottomed vessel. Transfer the strained ginger juice to the ceramic jar, discarding the strained ginger.

7.  This is an optional step. For added colour, you can take the 1 cup of sugar and place it in the deep bottomed skillet. Heat the skillet on high and stir in circular motion. The sugar browns and melts to a sticky residue. Reduce the heat to the lowest. Add the 1 cup of boiling water and stir once the sizzling reduces. Turn off the flame and add it to the ceramic jar when lukewarm. Lightly stir. Cover the jar back as before and allow it to rest another 21 days.

Burnt Sugar

8. You can strain the contents of the jar once more in the deep bottomed vessel. If you find some burnt sugar at the bottom of the jar, then just pour some of the strained wine back in to the jar and stir out the contents back into vessel. Bottle the strained wine using the funnel.

Your wine is ready to be served on the 43rd day onwards.

All thanks goes to my Mum for all the tips and tricks in making this exquisite wine and her original recipe. Cheers Mum, you are simply the best! Merry Christmas all!

Ginger Wine' all bottled up for Christmas!