In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, yogurt and butter together until well incorporated. Add the milk, orange zest, and stir again. Now add all the remaining ingredients and mix well for a smooth batter.
Brush aa square 9 inch or rectangular 10 by 8 inch cake pan with oil and then line with parchment paper. The size of your pan will determine how deep each square is. Some like a thinner slice but if you prefer a thicker one use an 8 inch square.
Pour the batter into the pan and smoothen the top with a spatula.
Cover the batter and let it rest about 25 minutes. As the semolina absorbs the liquid it will thicken.
Remove the cover and using a thin sharp knife lightly score the tops diagonally to make 12 diamonds. At this time preheat your oven to 350F. prepare the middle rack.
Place the almonds in the batter one for each square. For a thick square you could place it face down for a thinner slice you could place the almond on its vertical side.
Bake until the top is golden and the edges are beginning to caramelise about 30-35 minutes. Turn the broiler on to broil the top a few minutes. Remove the cake pan from the oven as soon as the top begins to darken to a colour you like. Be careful not to burn the cake.
Immediately pour the hot sugar syrup over the hot Namoura. Let it cool at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
FOR SUGAR SYRUP:
Combine all the ingredients for the syrup and boil until thickened and reduced in volume by a third. Do not stir while it boils. the syrup need
In a large jug pitcher, combine hibiscus petals, honey, and boiling water; let steep 20 minutes to 40, depending on how strong you like the colour and flavour.
Strain, add lime juice and refrigerate until chilled.
4 tinned peaches, peeled and sliced (or you can use frozen)
4 tablespoons cold orange juice
2 cups chilled sparkling white wine or sparkling apple juice, plus more for serving
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
Place sliced peaches in freezer for 1 hour. Reserve the liquid syrup.
Combine peaches and lime juice to a smooth puree. If you like you drink sweeter add some of the fruit syrup to the peach puree.
Pour half the puree into two champagne flutes. Drizzle two teaspoons of orange juice into each glass. Pour remaining peach puree. Top up with sparking wine or juice as per your choice.
Garnish with a peach or orange slice. A young basil flower or edible flower is also an option.
A classic Sindhi street food of thick lentils and crispy fried dough. Vegetarian. Can be vegan if you replace ghee with oil and milk with water.
Ingredients:
1 cup Bengal Gram
1/4 cup Refined Flour
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp amchur or dried mango powder
3 tbsp ghee or vegetable Oil
1 tsp whole Cumin seeds
Pinch asafoetida or hing
2 slit Indian Green chillies
9 fresh Curry leaves
FOR DOUGH
1 cup maida or all purpose refined Flour
1 cup atta or indian wholewheat flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee melted
2 tbsp fine Semolina
1 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 cup plain wholemilk
Water as required
GARNISH
1 small red Onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
Sweet and green chutney
METHOD FOR THE DAL
Soak chana dal 3-4 hours until puffy.
Drain, wash and pressure cooker in 3 cups water for two whistles.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, dry mango powder and salt and 1 tbsp ghee.
Stir gently and cook on low heat until mixture thickens. This dal should have a chunky, spreadable consistency.
Heat oil or remaining ghee in a small tempering spoon or mini skillet on high heat.
Add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and cumin seeds and cook till fragrant .
Pour the oil and spices over the dal.
Mix well. Taste for salt and adjust to taste. Remove from the fire.
FOR THE PAKWAN
Sift refined flour or maida and atta into a large bowl.
Add semolina, half teaspoon cumin seeds, black peppercorn powder, oil and salt.
Add milk and stir.
Add room temperature water a little at a time and knead into a soft pliant dough. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and let rest 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into eight portions and keep covered with a damp cloth.
On a flat clean surface dusted with maida, roll each portion into a flat chapati of five-inch diameter using a rolling pin.
Prick lightly with a fork. This prevents the pakwan from puffing up while frying.
Heat vegetable oil in a large kadai or deep heavy bottomed dutch oven on high heat. When hot but not smoking lower temperature to medium and deep-fry pakwan in hot oil until golden and crisp in 2-3 batches. Make sure they are golden on both sides.
Drain over paper towels. Serve immediately with the dal. Spread luke warm cooled dal over the fried dough.Garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves and chutney as desired.
Cream or whisk sugar and margarine together with the vanilla. Add eggs and mix to incorporate evenly. Add flour and mix with a fork until it just comes together. Add cold water and using your hands bring the dough together into a flattened ball. Plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour.
Preheat oven to 350f and prepare the middle rung. Line a baking ray with parchment or a silicone mat.
On a clean well floured surface roll out the dough into a square about 1/4 inch thick. Use a 2.5 inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles. Remove excess dough and reuse to cut out more circles.
Place 1.5 teaspoons of preserves in the center of each circle and then using your thumb and forefinger pinch the sides together to create a triangle. Brush sides with egg wash and sprinkle with black poppy seeds if desired. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden. Cool and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. Refrigerate what’s left in an airtight box for up to 3 days.
An eggless dessert that is great for so many occasions. Diwali, Thanksgiving even Christmas. You can use different pears like Anjou or Bartlett to make this dessert. They tend to be larger so you will need fewer pears.
Ingredients
2 cup water
2 whole star anise seeds removed
5 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
3 black whole peppercorns
2 inches fresh ginger root peeled and coarsely chopped
350 ML ginger ale or ginger soda
Peel and juice of one orange
1/2 cup castor sugar
8-10 small to medium firm Indian pears (Nakh), peeled and cored, leaving stems on
1/2 cup custard powder
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whipped vanilla cream
350 grams Digestives
10 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 tablespoons skinned roasted hazelnut pieces
Directions
Blitz crackers, ginger powder and cinnamon to a fine powder. Then add butter and blitz again until you have a soft dough.
Press dough into a 7 inch square French tart pan wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours until firm.
Heat milk then add custard powder, stir and cook till you have a smooth thick spreadable custard. Cool 20 minutes. If lumpy strain your custard.
Pour custard into the prepared tart over the crust, smoothen the custard then cover with wrap and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
In a large pot about 10 inches wide combine water, sugar, whole spices ginger ale and orange peel. Cook 8 minutes on a low flame.
Then place pears stem facing upwards into the liquid. Cover with a piece of parchment and cook on a slow flame until tender. Pears should be fully submerged in the liquid.
Do not over cook; the pears should be easy to slice. The poaching time will vary depending on the ripeness of the pears.
Remove tart from the fridge and unmold onto a serving plate. Cover with whipped cream. Slice each pear so it can be spread across the cream easily. If you use the smaller Indian pears you can leave them whole. Top with toasted hazelnuts and drizzle with cooled poaching syrup.
A dish that is traditionally made with pork this is the vegetarian version prepared with potatoes.
Use baby potatoes or cut whole cooking potatoes into wedges.
MEGHALAYA STYLE BLACK SESAME POTATOES
Considered a specialty of the Khasi community this dish is made in most homes and every recipe varies just a little bit.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg boiled and peeled baby potatoes
6 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 cup onions finely sliced
6 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 tsp peeled grated fresh ginger
2 red Thai chillies finely chopped or to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp honey (optional)
salt to taste and chopped parsley or coriander leaves for garnish
METHOD
Toast sesame seeds in a dry wok about 8 minutes on medium flame until fragrant. Cool and grind to a paste. Reserve.
COARSELY GROUND BLACK SESAME SEEDS
Heat pan on a medium flame. Add okl add onions and chillies and toss until soft on a medium flame. Add garlic and ginger and mix well.
Add turmeric, honey and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss, then add potatoes and cook 4-5 minutes on a medium flame. Toss potatoes to ensure they are evenly coated in spices. Add the sesame seeds and honey and continue to cook until fragrant. Garnish with coriander or parsley and serve with rice or rotis.
Goan chorizo is both salty and spicy so add additional salt and red pepper flakes with care. You can use various Goan, East Indian or Mangalorean pork masalas for this dish. I’ve found they all work well.
Ingredients serve 4
2 cups Goa red rice or Ukkade rice
250 gm chorizo / Goan pork sausages
2 red bell peppers deseeded and sliced
1 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste
2 medium red onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup tomato puree
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tsp bafat masala powder
1/2-1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar or to taste
red chilli flakes (if desired to taste)
salt to taste
Whole spices (garam masala)
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom
For garnishing (optional)
2 tablespoons coriander or parsley leaves chopped
Lime juice
1 cup diced and lightly pan fried potatoes
4 crispy fried eggs
2 red onions finely sliced soaked in white vinegar
Instructions
Remove the chorizo meat from the casing and crumble it onto a plate. Discard casing.
Wash the Goa rice 2-3 times and soak it in sufficient water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and dry completely.
In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil and saute the onions until just tender. Add the chorizo and stir well.
Add the garlic and ginger paste followed by the tomato puree and the Bafat masala. Cook until fragrant and bubbly. Add the sugar and vinegar.
Add the rice, and gently toss to coat in oil and flavours. Pour in 3 cups of hot water water add the whole spices, add 1 tsp salt, cover and cook until fluffy. Check salt to taste & adjust spices if required. Add the vinegar and sugar.
Open the lid, fluff up the rice gently with a fork, cover & leave it to cook in its own heat for 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped parsley or coriander, fried potatoes & serve hot with crispy fried eggs and vinegar onions.
