JAGGERY AND COCONUT MILK SHEERA

This cream of wheat dish is a variant of the traditional sheera I make with coconut milk.

 

 

 

 

If you use margarine this sheera is vegan.  You can also replace the coconut milk with whole milk and use charoli seeds instead of cashews.

 

Serves 6

2 cups fine semolina (raw or sooji)

3/4 cup  ghee or margarine

3/4 cup jaggery grated

1 teaspoon nutmeg powder

1/2 cup unsalted cashew pieces (1 tsp reserved for garnish)

1/4 cup fresh finely grated white meat of coconut

2.5 cups boiling hot water

1 cup coconut milk

METHOD

Roast the rawa or semolina in a large non stick skillet on high heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cashews and or almonds and stir again. Add the margarine or ghee and stir it into the nuts and semolina and roast another 4-5 minutes. Add the  nutmeg and stir well. Add jaggery to the hot water and coconut milk and stir well. Stir in shredded coconut Immediately add the hot liquid to the semolina.

The mixture will splutter and steam so keep stirring vigorously until the water evaporates and the halwa/sheera thickens to a consistency you like. The sheera will have a faintly amber color on account of the jaggery.

Cool for a few minutes and serve. You can garnish with a few more  cashew pieces.

BUTTER SHEERA OR SUJI KA HALWA WITH BUTTER

Sheera or semolina halwa is really a spiced up version of cream of wheat. It is one of India’s most enduring desserts served to man and God, on sad and happy occasions. It is comfort home cooking at its best. I don’t make mine with ghee which is the norm and I use less sugar and butter than the standard recipe. I prefer a slightly salty butter. The combination of sweet and salty is irresistible.

Serves 6

2 cups fine semolina

1 cup butter (if using unsalted add a pinch of salt)

3/4-1 cup castor sugar (as per your taste)

1 teaspoon green cardamom seeds powder

8-10 crushed saffron strands

1/2 cup slivered almonds or cashew pieces or both (1 tsp reserved for garnish)

4.5 cups boiling hot water

METHOD

Roast the raw or semolina in a large non stick skillet on high heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cashews and almonds and stir again. Add the butter and stir it into the nuts and semolina and roast another 4-5 minutes. Add the saffron and cardamom and stir well. Add sugar and stir quickly and immediately add the boiling hot water.

The mixture will splutter and steam so keep stirring vigorously until the water evaporates and the halwa/sheera thickens to a consistency you like.

Cool for a few minutes and serve. You can garnish with a few more almonds and cashews.

 

DATE, WALNUT BANANA CAKE WITH JAGGERY AND RUM GLAZE

This cake contains no refined sugar.  Walnut flour is combined with all purpose flour to make a cake thats light and fluffy. Use packaged cream and not fresh cream to make the glaze.  You can omit rum and add rum flavouring or use a flavouring of your choice.

MAKES 1 91/2 INCH TUBE/LOAF CAKE

1 cup  (150 grams)finely chopped seedless brown dates soaked in half cup boiling water for 15 minutes then pureed

1/4 cup  (50 grams) finely chopped dates

½ c. butter or margarine OR 115 GRAMS OR 4 OZ, softened

2 eggs whisked at room temperature

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

3/4  tsp. Baking soda

¼ tsp. Baking powder

4 Tbsp.  strained plain whole milk yoghurt or use sour cream

1 c. mashed over ripe blackened bananas about 2 whole bananas

1 maida or all purpose flour

1/2 cup walnut flour

¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup toasted and skinned walnut pieces

METHOD

Grease cake pan lightly.
Preheat oven 350 C and prepare bottom rack. Cream butter or margarine and pureed dates until fluffy using. stand or hand mixer. Add vanilla, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon and whisk again. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until incorporated. Add mashed bananas and beat again.

Stir soda into sour cream or yogurt and mix well. Add to the batter and beat again.

Add walnut flour, all purpose flour, baking powder.  Mix well. Finally stir in the chopped dates and walnut pieces.

Bake in buttered 9 ½ in. loaf pan at 350 for 30-40 minutes on the bottom rung of the over  until sides of the cake pull away a little and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Top with glaze once cake has cooled.

For the glaze melt together 80 grams grated or finely crumbled extra dark coconut palm jaggery and 200 ml packaged cream (not fresh) until smooth over a low flame. Stir in 1 tsp corn flour and allow sauce to thicken a little. Then stir in 2 tbsp dark rum and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.  Hold a strainer over the banana loaf and strain hot glaze this through a fine sieve to remove any pieces of fibres and spread it over the baked cake.

 

BAATH OR BATICA CAKE-GOA SEMOLINA CAKE

 

 

ALSO KNOWN AS BATICA OR BOLO DE RULAO THIS IS A SEMOLINA AND COCONUT CAKE MADE BY THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY OF GOA DURING CHRISTMAS. UNLIKE THE X’MAS FRUITCAKE THIS IS LIGHT AND EASY TO EAT WITH A BEAUTIFUL CRUMB THAT COMES FROM LETTING THE BATTER SIT FOR SEVERAL HOURS IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

TRADITIONALLY THE CAKE IS LINED WITH PASTRY AT THE BOTTOM, SIDES AND STRIPS OF DOUGH ARE LINED OVER THE TOP. THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL AND MANY COOKS  SKIP IT.

INGREDIENTS

FOR A 8 INCH/20.3 CM ROUND CAKE OR A STAR SHAPED CAKE PAN 23.5 x 23.5 x 5 cm

1/2 KG READY MADE SHORT CRUST PASTRY  (OPTIONAL)

2/3  CUP FINE SEMOLINA OR SOOJI/RAWA

1.25  CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR OR MAIDA

2 TBSP LIGHTLY TOASTED CASHEWS COOLED AND  GROUND TO A POWDER (WILL BE SLIGHTLY CLUMPY)

1  CUP DESSICCATED  COCONUT

1/2 CUP COCONUT MILK

1 CUP GRANULATED OR CASTOR SUGAR

125 GRAMS BUTTER, UNSALTED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

2 TABLESPOONS MELTED GHEE

4 EGGS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

1 TEASPOON CARDAMOM OR NUTMEG POWDER

1 TEASPOON ROSE, ORANGE OR LEMON WATER OR USE VANILLA EXTRACT (ADD MORE DEPENDING ON CONCENTRATION OF YOUR WATER)

CONFECTIONERS SUGAR FOR DUSTING

METHOD-

COMBINE THE SEMOLINA, BAKING POWDER, FLOUR AND GROUND CASHEWS IN A BOWL AND RESERVE.

BEAT THE SUGAR, MELTED GHEE  AND BUTTER UNTIL CREAMY ON MEDIUM SPEED IN A STAND MIXER USING A PADDLE ATTACHMENT OR USE A HAND MIXER.

STIR IN THE FLAVORING- ROSE,LEMON, ORANGE OF YOUR CHOICE AND NUTMEG OR CARDAMOM AND BEAT AGAIN.

ADD THE COCONUT MILK AND  DRIED COCONUT. WHISK ON LOW SPEED FOR 20 SECONDS.

ADD THE EGGS ONE AT A TIME AND CONTINUE TO BEAT ON MEDIUM SPEED.

ADD THE MIXTURE OF SEMOLINA, CASHEWNUT FLOUR, BAKING POWDER AND FLOUR IN BATCHES AND CONTINUE TO BEAT UNTIL JUST INCORPORATED. DO NOT OVER BEAT.

COVER WITH PLASTIC WRAP AND REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.

FOR THE PASTRY (OPTIONAL)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 F AND PREPARE MIDDLE RACK.

RESERVE 1/4 THE DOUGH TO MAKE STRIPS. ROLL OUT THE REST OF  YOUR PASTRY DOUGH INTO A CIRCLE, ON A CLEAN WELL FLOURED SURFACE TO 1/4 INCH THICKNESS. PLACE THE CIRCLE IN YOUR STAR SHAPED OR ROUND PAN AND SPREAD OUT OVER THE BOTTOM AND ALONG THE SIDES OF THE BAKING PAN, ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP.  USING A FORK PRICK THE BOTTOM WITH SMALL HOLES.

ROLL THE REST OF THE DOUGH OUT INTO 1/4 INCH THICK SQUARE AND CUT INTO 6-8 STRIPS. COVER WITH A PLASTIC WRAP AND RESERVE ON A PLATE IN THE FRIDGE.

BAKE PASTRY SHELL FOR 25 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM OVEN AND COOL.

REDUCE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 325F.

WHILE YOUR PASTRY IS COOLING REMOVE BATTER FROM FRIDGE, UNWRAP AND MIX INGREDIENTS TOGETHER WITH A SPATULA. LET REACH ROOM TEMPERATURE.

IF YOU DON’T PLAN TO DO THE PASTRY, BUTTER YOUR BAKING PAN GENEROUSLY AND LINE WITH PARCHMENT.

POUR THE BATTER DIRECTLY INTO THE PAN OR OVER THE COOLED PASTRY. SMOOTH THE TOP WITH A SPATULA.

LINE THE TOP WITH  LATTICED STRIPS.

BAKE ON MIDDLE RACK UNTIL TOP IS GOLDEN AND A CAKE TESTER INSERTED IN THE CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN.

COOL IN PAN. USING A SMALL SHARP KNIFE LOOSEN THE CAKE FROM THE PAN. THE PASTRY OFTEN BAKES INTO THE BATTER SO YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE IS CLEARLY BUT YOU WILL TASTE IT. THEN UNMOLD ON A PLATE AND TURN OVER. DUST WITH CONFECTIONERS SUGAR.

SERVE WITH A DESSERT WINE, COFFEE OR TEA.

 

 

 

RED VELVET CAKE

Watch my video on IGTV to learn how to make this recipe and more on the fascinating history of this popular cake. If you want to make cupcakes the recipe is slightly different and you will find it on my website as well.

http://www.taradeshpande.in/red-velvet-cupca…-cheese-frosting/

When I make this cake for kids I use natural beet colouring. It cannot imitate the synthetic colouring in the same way  (see cake below) but it is a healthier option. I leave the choice to you.

 

 

Makes 2 8 inch round cakes

2.5  cups all purpose flour or Maida

2 tbsp  good quality non-Dutch unsweetened cocoa powder (also called regular)

Pinch of salt

1.5 teaspoons baking soda stirred into a teaspoon of lime juice just before use

225 grams or 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

300 grams castor or fine granulated sugar

4 eggs at room temperature

1/4  cup fresh yogurt or sour cream mixed blended with 1/2 cup water

3 tbsp beetroot liquid concentrate or 2 tbsp of any food safe red colour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For boiled frosting refer recipe

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare middle rack. Grease both cake pans and line with wax paper.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add the cocoa and mix well.

Mix in yogurt, food color and vanilla. The batter should be bright red. If not add more color.

Combine lime juice and baking soda and add to mixture. Stir well.

Gradually beat in the sifted flour on low speed until just blended.

Do not over beat or you will have a dense cake.

Divide batter between 2 pans . Smack the pans against the counter to remove any air pockets in the batter and smooth tops with a spatula..

Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven. Place pan on a cool surface and cool  in their pans 20 minutes. Turn the cakes over on a cooling rack. The cakes must be completely cool before you frost them.

You can frost this cake with cream cheese or the traditional boiled white frosting or cream cheese frosting-

http://www.taradeshpande.in/red-velvet-cake-…l-white-frosting

http://www.taradeshpande.in/red-velvet-cupca…-cheese-frosting/