Gulab Jamuns - Reason To Celebrate

News !! Reasons to rejoice and celebrate. I have got myself my own domain. In one more day all will be set, further changes will follow like new design and other new interesting things which will make my foodie friends enjoy my blog even more.

So to celebrate, I ended up making Gulab Jamuns. This was my second attempt and the results were even better. May be my happiness got into those sweet balls !! My first attempt was on Diwali, which by luck also came out to be pretty good.

When Srivalli announced the new ICC in October, reading the name of the dish gave me fritters. I wondered if yet again I will be able to fulfill the challenge or not. Frankly speaking I have been always little skeptical in making Gulab Jamuns. Giving the round shape then facing the frying disasters really frightens me. Although when it comes to having gulab jamuns then I can gorge lots n lots of them. I have seen my mom making them but mom is mom and I am a daughter. Nothing can be compared to the perfection of a mother. But thanks to Srivalli, finally I have been able to shed away my fears and make such delicious soft and gooey syrapy sweet balls ie. Gulab jamuns. Next time whem my mom will come, I will definitely make for her.

Ingredients
For gulab jamuns

2 cup khoya
1 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
Oil for frying

For sugar syrup

2-3 cup sugar
a few saffron strands (not necessary)
2-3 cup water

Method

For making sugar syrup

* In a thick bottom pan, heat water. Dissolve sugar and bring it to boil.
* Let it simmer for few minutes till one string consistency is achieved. From time to time remove the scum from top.
* Add the saffron strands.

For making balls

* In a large bowl, add flour, khoya and cardomom powder. Mix well using hands.
* Knead into a firm dough using a liitle oil. Do not use water.
* Make small firm round balls from the dough.
* Keep the balls in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. This will prevent them from cracking while frying.
* In a wok heat oil and deep fry these balls on slow flame till golden in color.
* Soak the balls in the sugar syrup for about half an hour.
* Serve them hot

Lemon Prune Tart - A Sinful Dessert

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."- Albert Einstein

I took a lot of inspiration from this quote reading Leo Babauta's blog and this is the reason for my delayed tart. I know you all must be wondering what kind of tart I am making that I disappeared for so many days. But in true terms I made the tart twice to achieve the perfect flavor and color and then after so many clicks the perfect shot, which I liked. I know I have a long way to go after all mastering anything takes time and depends on how often and how much you do it. Still I really envy food bloggers who have such professional food pics with food worth dying for.

The first tart I made using dried prunes, it came out to be a little sweeter. So the next time when I made prune tart again, I added lemon to it which reduced both its sweetness and the golden color. Making the prune tart is very easy. Its just that it takes a longer time to make. But all good things are priceless. When you will have the first bite, you will just feel wonderful. The flavor and aroma is almost sinful, filling your senses.

Ingredients

For the pastry

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
pinch of cardamom powder

For the filling

10-12 dried pitted prunes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup golden syrup
2 eggs
1 lemon juice

Method

* Put flour, sugar, butter and an egg together in a bowl and mix properly with hands.
* When everything is properly mixed, using a little water form a firm dough.
* Keep the dough in refrigerator for half an hour.
* After half an hour, remove the dough and roll out in the form of a large round flat thin pastry.
* In a preheated oven at 180 degree, bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
* Meanwhile start making the filling. On a low flame, heat butter and golden syrup in a pan.
* Remove the syrup after few minutes. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add to the syrup along with lemon juice. If you want, you can add cardamom powder to the filling too.
* Remove the pastry from the oven and let it cool.
* Arrange the prunes on the pastry, followed by pouring the filling evenly over them.
* At 160 degrees, bake the tart for around 30 minutes.
* Serve warm with mango sauce.

Food Ingredients Dictionary - Golden Syrup

Thanksgiving is in a few days. A time to thank everyone dear to our hearts. And what could be a better way other than serving a delicious Thanksgiving lunch or dinner with choicest of dishes. So in my ever going quest to learn something new and serve my family all of my culinary experiments, I am in the process of making a Prune Tart this time. Tomorrow I would post the recipe. Tart has been done. Filling would be made in the evening followed by the perfect click and posting. Not wasting any more time, I would come straight to point. I am going to introduce a superb sweetener, Golden syrup to all my foodie friends which I have used in this tart.

Generally referred to as pale or light treacle, Golden syrup is a thick, amber-colored form of inverted sugar syrup looking just like honey. Golden syrup has an interesting story about its discovery. Way back in 1883, a Scottish businessman Abram Lyle was refining sugarcane in his factory, when he found a byproduct golden in color with very sweet taste. He took that home and used it as a spread and for making desserts. Due to the golden color, it came to be known as Golden Syrup. He first sold it to Lyle's employees and other locals. In 2006 Guinness World Records listed it as the Britain's oldest brand.

Golden syrup is made from the juice of sugar canes, which is evaporated to produce the flavor and texture of the syrup. For vegans who do not eat honey, it is a great substitute for making desserts. Comprising primarily of sucrose, glucose and fructose, golden syrup is easy to be stored without worrying about the low temperatures in winters. In UK it is a popular ingredient for making tarts or as a topping for pancakes. One thing that has to be taken care of is to use it in lesser amounts. It is sweeter than sugar.

Wonton Soup - A Recipe Of Warm Goodness

October is leaving making me feel guilty about how much less time I have given to my love my blog and my fellow food enthusiasts. At first it was festival fervor and then all the festivities had left me tired. But Diwali festivities were indeed a joy. A time which comes once in a year.

Visiting friends and having guests have made me gorge on so much of calories. I am sure each of the food lover must have put on a few kilos. Post the festivities, the time to shed those extra kilos has come. Being not an exercise person what max I can do is with food. That too cutting on the high calorie ingredients and opting for healthier ones. And now with cold winds and dropping temperatures winter is on its way. A time when we want to sleep a bit more in mornings, eat a bit more in meals and feel a bit more drowsy.

Light soups are a delight in this cold weather. Warming our souls and protecting us from the cold winds. And when it comes to soups, I have a special liking for Chinese soups. Hot n spicy balancing the coldness. Last night I decided on making Wonton soup keeping my dinner light and having a great morning ahead. Deriving its name from Cantonese (simplified Chinese), the name won ton means swallowing a cloud. The wontons floating in this popular soup of Chinese cuisine are thought to resemble clouds. The soup is served hot and makes a fulfilling meal in itself.

Ingredients

For Wontons

1 cup chicken minced
2 tbsp onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1-2 green chillies finely chopped
salt to taste
a package of wonton wrappers
water as required

For Soup

4 cup chicken broth
vegetables of your choice (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, scallions etc)
1/2 cup noodles (optional)
salt to taste
pinch of black pepper

Method

* Mix all the wonton ingredients together properly to make the filling.
* Then moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with water.
* Place a big teaspoon of the filling in the center and fold the edges giving desired shape.
* Take care in closing the edges so that the won tons do not open while boiling.
* In a large pan boil water add the won tons made.
* Let them cook for 10 minutes and they come up in the pot.
* Remove them from the pan and set aside.
* Boil chicken broth in another pan with salt and pepper according to your taste.
* Add broccoli, scallions and won tons to it.
* Bring it to a boil.

Note: No need to add all the won tons made. You can use a few as per your requirement and freeze the rest. For almost 2 months you can use them for making wonton soup.

Diwali Festival - Suggest A Recipe

I always seem to remember festivals as special days which brought the family and friends together. Other than new clothes, beautiful rangolis, mango leave torans, fresh flowers, smell of camphor, incense sticks what I was more excited about was great food delicacies. From sweets to chocolates, cakes to desserts, curries to pastas everything was made with special care and festive spirits. And on the days of the festival cooking together, then eating together was real fun resulting into great bonding and delicious food. Such is the fervor of festivals. Magical !!

Now when Diwali, the festival of lights is just after few days, I have been thinking, planning are reading through the blogs for deciding on the festive meals. This time its my turn to host the festive dinner. Already I have been occupied with a lot of cleaning and decorating the house and neglecting my blog. But I promise to be back with full set of mouthwatering recipes and photographs of what all I had made.

For Diwali I have thought of few and rest you all suggest me. Already I had a big mind boggling session with no results. So I would be glad to get a little help form all my foodie friends and visitors. Add a comment with your suggestions. The recipe that would be a hit with my guests, I would feature it on my blog. You all just have to give the post link and I would get extract the recipe from there (**this time no gifts but I promise next time I would offer a giveaway). According to the five course would take one from each suggested like a soup, a dessert, a curry etc.

So I am signing off for now. Would be meeting with all of next week with more. Wishing you all a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali !!