Besan Burfi

The month of October brings with it all the Indian Festivals, Dusshera, Karwachauth, Diwali, Bhai Douj and somewhat cooler temperatures in Austin. So lets kick start this season with a great Mithai (sweets) recipe.

Mithai (Sweets) is the traditional dessert or choice of sweets in countries like India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. Sweets are homemade or purchased, then shared. Many social gatherings, wedding ceremonies and religious festivals often include a social celebration of food, and the flavors of sweets are an essential element of such a celebration.

Besan, also known as garbanzo bean flour, or gram flour, is a pulse flour made from ground chickpeas known in a number of Asian countries as gram. It is a staple ingredient in Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Bangladeshi cuisines. Gram flour can be made from either raw or roasted chickpeas.

RECIPE: Besan Burfi

Ingredients

1 Cup Besan
1 stick Butter
pinch of saffron
1 can sweetened condensed milk
slivered almonds for decoration

Method

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the besan.
2. On medium to low heat, brown the besan. be very careful not to burn it and continuously move it around so as to brown it evenly. This might take 10-15 minutes to get it right. add a pinch of saffron to it.
3. Once browned nicely, you will be able to breathe in the nutty, toasted aroma of the besan flour. Now add the condensed milk and stir it vigorously to break up the knots so you are left with a thick but smooth batter like mix.
4. Pout it onto a parchment lines baking sheet. Decorate with almonds or any nuts of choice and let it cool and set for a few hours. You can refrigerate it to haten the cooling process. Cut into desired shape and serve it on a decorative platter.

What is Paneer and How to make it at home in minutes?

Paneer (pronounced Pen-eer) or Chhena (chai-na) originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is an unaged, acid set, non-melting cheese made by curdling heated milk with an acid like lemon juice or white vinegar. The curds separate from an opaque liquid called the Whey. The curds are high in Casein (a slow digesting protein).

How to make Paneer at Home?

Ingredients
½ gallon whole or 2% milk
2 Tbsp White Vinegar

Method: Boil the milk in a 4-6 quart pan. When it reaches almost to boiling point, reduce the heat and add the vinegar. Stir with a wooden spoon and the curds will separate from the whey water. Drain using a mesh cloth or sieve saving the whey water. Use the curds and whey water to make a variety of different dishes.

Whey is called the “healing water” in India for its strength building properties. It is high in protein and retains many vitamins and minerals. It is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It is a rich source of Thiamine, Vitamin B 12, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Selenium, Riboflavin, Calcium and Phosphorous.

Whey water can be used in several different ways,

1.       Whey water can be used to knead dough.
2.       You can use it to cook oats and later add milk of choice.
3.        It can be added to curries and gravies.
4.        It makes delicious smoothies
5.        It can be used as a soup base.
6.        It can be incorporated in to baking.
7.        Use it to make rice and pasta.

whey water after extracting paneer

What is Paneer Bhurji?

Paneer Bhurji is a staple dish in my house. My kids absolutely love it with some fresh homemade Naan or Lachha Parantha. It literally means a scramble or hash made with crumbled paneer. It is delicious served with whole wheat roti, Lachha Parantha (pan seared layered roti) or Naan.

Paneer Bhurji

Ingredients used; vegetable oil, cumin seeds, onions, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric, coriander powder, turmeric, salt, fresh tomatoes, coriander leaves, English peas and fresh crumbled paneer.

Bourbon-Caramel-Cayenne Truffles

I am not a big fan of using Cane Syrup but to make certain types of Chocolate Fudge and Truffles you need to use some sugar syrup to avoid crystallization. I usually make them plain but today I have added Cayenne Pepper and Red Chili flakes to the mix and the result is outstanding with a bite to it. To make them plain just omit the peppers. 

Bourbon-Caramel-Red Chili Truffles

RECIPE: Bourbon-Caramel Cayenne Truffles

Ingredients

3 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 TBSP Evaporated Milk, whole milk
1 TBSP Cane Syrup
pinch of salt
1 TBSP Bourbon
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 1/2 Oz Bittersweet Chocolate chips
1 3/4 Oz Milk Chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 TBSP unsweetened Cocoa

Method

1. Combine 3 TBSP brown sugar, 2 TBSP milk, 1 TBSP cane syrup and a pinch of salt in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, heat till the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
2. Add in 1 TBSP bourbon, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, both the chocolates, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp red chili flakes. Let stand for a minute and stir to combine till smooth. 
3. Pour into a shallow dish, cover and chill for 4 hours. 
4. Heat a metal TBSP in hot water, pat dry with a paper towel and scoop out the chocolate mixture. Dip in cocoa and using both hands roll into balls. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Ingredients

Combine 3 TBSP brown sugar, 2 TBSP milk, 1 TBSP cane syrup and a pinch of salt in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, heat till the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat

Add in 1 TBSP bourbon, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, both the chocolates, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp red chili flakes. Let stand for a minute and stir to combine till smooth

Scoop it out into a shallow dish and chill for 4 hours

Scoop out the chilled mixture with a spoon and cover them with cocoa powder and roll.

Hope you enjoy them with your family and friends.

Phirni (Indian Rice Pudding)

Its my Fathers Birthday today so wishing him a very happy and healthy long life. He is not much of a cake person and as far back as my memory goes he would request my mom to make the traditional Indian Kheer to celebrate his day. Kheer is another version of Rice Pudding just like Phirni. And so here I am celebrating the young man from 10,000 miles away with his favorite birthday dessert.

Most of us who know Indian cuisine have heard about Kheer. This is an Indian dessert pudding that is made using milk and rice. It is a very popular dessert and is available in most Indian restaurants. It is an important part of a lot of Indian festivals and occasions. Phirni is a version of this pudding, but it is made with coarsely ground rice.

RECIPE: Phirni (Indian Rice Pudding)

Ingredients

1 Cup rice
8 Cups whole milk or 2%milk
1/2 Cup milk, to coarsely blend rice
1 Cup sugar

1 TBSP rose water (optional)
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1/4 Cup golden raisins

Garnish:
slivered almonds
slivered pistachios
rose petals

Method

1. Soak a cup of rice in plenty of water for a few hours.
2. Drain all the water and coarsely blend rice with 1/2 cup milk in a blender.
3. Heat 8 Cups of milk in a large, heavy bottomed pan and bring to a boil. Add cardamom powder, saffron threads and rose water.
4. Once it boils reduce heat to medium and pour in the rice/milk blend mix slowly in a single stream while continuously stirring it. This is a very important step so as to get a smooth creamy consistency and to avoid getting a lumpy pudding.
5. Keep stirring the mixture till it starts to thicken. Add the golden raisins and keep stirring till it is thick enough to coat your spoon or ladle.
6. Add sugar and mix it well.
7. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. pour into a serving bowl and let it come down to room temperature. Garnish with slivered almonds, pistachios and rose petals. Chill in the refrigerator till its time to serve.

Hope you enjoy making it!

Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread

While driving the kids off to school this morning, heard on the radio that in anticipation of Fall, toilet paper makers are coming up with a pumpkin spice fragrance. First thing that crossed my mind was, YES!!! That’s what I was missing, pumpkin spice to wipe my tush. Don’t get me wrong I love me some Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and my kids hide the pumpkin pie in our house so that can have a sliver before it’s all gone but toilet paper, now that did not quite sit well (no pun intended). This is a food blog so what the heck am I rambling on about, follow along and read the rest.

It’s still very hot in Austin and I am not quite ready to dive in head first into the Pumpkin spice delights so while we wait for the cooler Fall temperatures to kick in let’s get on with the next best thing and that is the warm and delicious Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread. This make for a great after school snack with milk especially when you have a lot of after school activities.

RECIPE: Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread
Adapted from Restaurant Recipes

Ingredients

1 ¾ Cup bread flour 

2 tsp  baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 mashed overripe bananas

2/3 Cup sugar

1/3 Cup margarine or butter

2 Tbsp milk

2 eggs

1 Cup walnuts, chopped

Method

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.
3. In another medium size bowl, cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the mashed bananas and mix in eggs and milk.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until just mixed it. do not over mix.
6. Add the remaining flour and mix it in the same way. Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
7. pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. top the batter with remaining 1/2 cup walnuts. Bake for 55-60 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
8. Cool, slice and dig in.