A Road Trip and Lemon Flavoured Pound Cake

(Adapted from Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake: Recipe Junction)

This weekend we went for a road trip to my cousin's wedding in a nearby town. It's really been ages since we went on a road trip. Hubby generally stocks up on lots of fruit, biscuits, and juice when we take up a trip. But this time, he requested me for a cake. As if I need an excuse to bake something!!!

I baked a light and airy Lemon flavoured Pound Cake from my blogger friend Indrani's blog. Indrani is one person who I esteem not only as a talented food blogger but also as a wonderful human being. A loving wife and doting mom to her three fabulous children, she is a bundle of positive energy and good cheer. Once when she wanted to bake bread, she no qualms about picking up the phone and asking me for tips...though we have never met in person. That's Indrani...direct, straight-forward, and down-to-earth. This time too, when I was having jitters about which recipe to pick, she asked to make whichever my children would like. I feel very close to her. Be sure to visit her blog for a wide variety of recipes.

You can view Indrani's recipe here.

The Pound Cake is basically an English/British recipe where a "pound" (nearly 250 grams) of each ingredients is required. So that would be a pound of eggs, a pound of flour, and a pound of butter. However, you can go by the measures given in this recipe. You will get a golden-brown beauty of a cake.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

APF(all-purpose flour) : 3 and 1/2 cups

Butter : 1 and 1/2 cups (softened, in room temperature)

White sugar : 2 and 1/2 cups(powdered)

Eggs : 4

Salt : 1/2 tsp.

Baking Soda : 1/2 tsp.

Buttermilk : 1 cup (mix 1/3 cup curd with 2/3 cup water)

Lemon Juice : 1 tblsp.

Lemon zest : 1 tblsp.

Process:

1. First, beat the butter and sugar till the mixture is soft and fluffy. You can use a electric mixer to do this. I did it using my hands.

2.Next, add the eggs one by one. You should add one egg, beat some more and then add the next egg.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda. Now add half of this dry mixture to the butter-sugar mix. Add half cup of buttermilk.

4. Now add the rest of the flour and half cup of buttermilk. Mix this till the mixture is even and there are no lumps. If the batter appears thicker than a normal cake batter, dont worry. Pound cake batter is thick!!

5. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. I also added half teaspoon of lemon extract (optional).

6. Pour this batter into a cake tin of your choice. Make sure you grease the cake tin. I used a aluminum loaf tin that I lined with butter paper and greased with oil,

7. Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C for ten minutes. Now bake this cake for 50 minutes at this temperature.

8. Take the cake out of the oven. Let it cool to ten minutes.

9. Slice and enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event on KFB "Know Your Blogger: Week 4".

Butter Naan @ Home

(Adapted from Garlic Naan Recipe: Veg Recipes of India)

My little S is not much of a rice person. Unlike typical Bengalis, she loves anything that is related to rotis. So she is always clamoring for roti, paratha, kulcha, pita bread, bread....etc etc. This is too much for a bhaat-maach loving Bong like me. But what can I do? Once a mother...etc etc.

Last month, we were lunching at Aminia restaurant, where S fell in love with soft, spongy Butter Naans. Since then she has been pestering me to make them at home. Last Sunday, I decided to plunge right in and try making the Naans at home.

Naan is a type of Indian flatbread that is flat but also leavened. There are ways to achieve this leavening process without yeast too. But since I am great friends with yeast, why not give it a try?

I referred to a very nice and easy recipe that I got from my friend Dassana's blog. You can find her recipe here.

Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups all purpose flour (APF)/maida 

2 tsp sugar

1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1 and a half teaspoon active dry yeast

1.5 or 2 tsp lemon juice or 3 to 4 tsp yogurt

4 tbsp oil or butter

¾ cup lukewarm water... add more if required

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic (optional)

1 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji

1 to 1.5 tsp salt or as required

extra oil or ghee for frying or smearing on the naan (optional)

Process:

1. Take 3/4th cup luke warm water and dissolve the sugar in it. Now add yeast to the water. Keep undisturbed in a warm dry place for 10 minutes.

2. Now take the W.W flour (Atta) and mix with the APF. Add salt, lemon juice, and butter. Rub the butter nicely into the flour till the flour resembles breadcrumbs. Now add the water containing yeast to the flour and start kneading with your hands. Add more lukewarm water depending on the stickiness of the flour.

3. The dough should be soft and pliable, yet firm and should spring back if touched.

4. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and keep in a warm place for nearly one and a half to two hours. The dough will double up in size.

5. Make medium-sized balls of the dough and keep aside for a further 20 minutes.

6. On a board take some Nigella seeds. Press each ball on the nigella seeds and then roll out into a chapati of moderate thickness. Optionally, you can also add crushed garlic and celery to this mixture and add it to the dough balls.

7. Heat a tava or frying pan. Place each Naan on the hot tava and roast till each side is evenly browned.

8. Next, you can add oil directly in the tava and fry it like a paratha. But I roasted it further on the open flame like a roti/phulka.

Oven recipe:

If you want to bake the Naan in an oven, pre-heat the oven at 300 degrees C for 20 minutes. The maximum temperature in my oven is 250 degrees so I use that temperature. Next, place the rolled Naan on a greased tray in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes using both the filaments on middle rack.

9. Smear the Naans with a dollop of butter and serve it with any side-dish. We had it with chicken curry and some mixed vegetable curry.

Yummy on a winter evening!

Akoori: A Parsi Delicacy

(Adapted from Akoori: Let's Talk Food)

The winters are here in Kolkata...at last! Soft, sunshiny days melt into deliciously chilly nights. You just want to snuggle into the warm quilt and sip a warm cuppa coffee while watching your favourite movie.

No bitterly cold, raw mornings when you would hardly want to venture out of your home. The winters in Kolkata are associated with many exhibitions and fairs so you can make it a picnic with your family on every weekend. For me, I love Kolkata winters because of the Puli Pitha, that get made on Poush Sankranti. And of course, the eternal favourite Book Fair that is held at the end of January.

Winter is also the time when you can eat with good cheer. In summers, we hardly feel like eating. Just cool salads or daal soup is what the system craves for. In monsoons, my appetite goes for a toss. But winters...aah! Just bring it on.

Every weekend I get a new list of food requests from my family!!!

This week on KFB, Know Your Blogger - Week 3, the star of the week was Priyadarshini Chatterjeee. 

Priyadarshini has a varied number of recipes on her blog. She excels in all kinds of fusion recipes. Do have a look at her blog here. I am a big fan of her writing style which is easy and conversational. Her food photography is par excellence.

I selected an egg dish called Akoori. Akoori is the Parsi style scrambled eggs. I served this dish with home-made butter naans. Super hit!

You can read the original recipe here.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Eggs: 4

Milk: 1/4th cup

Turmeric powder: a pinch

Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

Onions: 1/4 cup (chopped fine)

Tomatoes: 4 tbsp (chopped fine)

Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup (chopped fine)

Green chillies: 2 (chopped)
Grated ginger: 1 tsp
Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

1. First break four eggs in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and milk. Whisk till the mixture is frothy.

2. Now chop the onions, tomatoes, and green chillies. Gather all the ingredients together.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped green chillies and ginger, Fry for a few seconds and then add the onions. Once the onions turn pinkish, add the tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves, and the cumin powder. you can also add red-chilli powder. When the tomatoes turn mushy, add the egg mixture. Add more salt if required.

4. Fry and scramble the eggs. You can keep the dish soft and creamy. I stir-fried it some more.

5. Garnish with some more coriander leaves and serve hot.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event on KFB, "Know Your Blogger - Week 3".

An Assamese Delicacy: Masor Tenga from Jayati's Food Journey

(Adapted from Masor Tenga - An Assamese Delicacy - Jayati's Food Journey)

This week on the "Know Your Blogger" event on the Kolkata Food Bloggers, the star of the week is Jayati. I have been following Jayati's blog for quite some time now. Her recipes are delicious and flavorful. While browsing through the recipes, I hit upon this fish dish that was the one for me!

The recipe is called Masor Tenga. This delicacy from Assam uses a minimum of spices and has a mild, subtle flavour that is really endearing.

Just look at the glorious dish!

You can have a look at Jayati's original recipe here.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:

Rui maach/ Rohu fish: 4 pieces

Tomatoes (big in size): 1 and a half (chopped)

Fenugreek seeds/ Methi seeds: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Green chilli: 1 (slit)

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Mustard oil

Chopped coriander/ Cilantro leaves: a handful

Salt to taste

Process:

1. Gather the ingredients together. Dust the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder and fry them in hot mustard oil. Do not over-fry the fish.

2. Heat a tablespoon of mustard oil in a wok and add the methi seeds. Once the methi emits an aroma and turns brown remove the methi seeds. Add the green chilli and the chopped tomatoes. Fry the tomatoes till they turn mushy.

3. Add salt and turmeric and stir fry some more. Now add water. I also added a teaspoon of sugar at this time to suit my taste. 

4. Now gently add the fish pieces. Lower the gas and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice. You can add more lemon juice if you want the gravy more sour and tangy in taste.

5. Take off the gas and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with hot steamed rice!

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event "Know Your Blogger" at KFB.

Oven Baked "Guilt-Free" French Fries

(Adapted from the Oven Baked French Fries: Cocoawind)

This is week I am back on track. The past two weeks have been terrible with my little one down with a nasty viral fever. She took a full week to get better. At almost the same time, my mom met with a minor accident, sustained a knee injury and was laid up for two weeks.

I was feeling so low that could not get myself to blog anything. Both the girls in my life are getting better...so I am back with a BANG!

This time the Kolkata Food Bloggers are conducting an ongoing event called "Know Your Blogger". The blogger who is in focus this week, is the beautiful, super-talented, Sarani. Her blog is known as Cocoawind. Do check it out for a wide variety of lovely recipes.

While browsing through all the recipes I found the exact one for me. The recipe in question is Oven Baked French Fries. You can check the original recipe here.

This recipe is a sure-shot winner. It is a guilt-free recipe where you can make french fries with just two teaspoons of oil.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Big-sized potatoes: 2

Oil: 2 teaspoon (I actually used 3 tsp)

Freshly-ground black pepper: 1/4th tsp

Salt to taste

Process:

1. Wash the potatoes and cut them in the shape of French fries.

2. Now pre-heat the oven at 425 F/ 220 C for 10 minutes.
3. Toss the potatoes in a mixture of oil, pepper, and salt. Make sure each potato piece is well coated with this mixture and spread with on a greased baking tray.

4. Place the tray in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the French fries were done but I kept them in the oven for for 10 more minutes to make them crispy and brown.
5. Remove from the oven and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event on KFB.

Besan ke Ladoo: Diwali ki Mithai

(Adapted from Besan Ladoo Recipe: Veg Recipes of India)

This weekend it was Diwali. My little S, who is all of 7+ was mighty excited about the whole thing. When she was younger, little S was not too fond of Diwali. But now she is at a stage where she loves lighting up phooljhari and rangmashal. She laughs delightedly when her father lights up chakris.

In my in-laws place, the Kali Pujo/Diwali night is celebrated as the Lokkhi/Olokkhi Pujo.

So in the evening, we decorated the house with diyas and my shashuri (ma-in-law) performed the pooja. After which we all went to the terrace to burst the Diwali sparklers. We generally avoid bursting crackers because we dont like all the noise.

This Diwali, I made besan ladoos from the super-talented Dassana's blog. You can find the recipe here.

The recipe is very simple. And you can store the ladoos for long in an air-tight container.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Besan: 2 cups
Ghee: 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
Powdered sugar: 3/4 the cup
3-4 green cardamoms
Raisins: 1 tablespoon
Chopped cashews: 1 tablespoon (optional)

Process:

1. Powder the green cardamom seeds to a fine powder.

2. Now take the besan in a kadhai/wok and dry roast on a medium flame. Keep stirring contstantly, so that the besan does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

3. After stirring this way for about 10-12 minutes you will get a nutty smell of the roasted besan. Now add the ghee to besan amd mix well. Make sure you have roasted the besan well or else you will get a raw smell of besan in your ladoos.

4. Keep stirring the besan with the ghee till you get a lovely nutty aroma. The besan will leave ghee from the sides. Now switch off the gas and add the powdered sugar. Also add the powdered green cardamom powder and chopped raisins.

 

5. Mix all of this well. Let this mixture cool. 

6. Roll into small or medium sized ladoos.

Serve immediately or store in airtight container.

Note: If you find it difficult to mould into ladoos keep the mixture in the fridge overnight. If you still find it difficult to roll the ladoos, add 1-2 tablespoons of melted warm ghee.

I am sending this recipe to the ongoing event on the Kolkata Food Bloggers called "Deepavali - Festival of Lights".

Tutti Fruti Cake - A Melt in the Mouth Wonder!

The Durga Puja is over. The days are hot and humid but at night there is a nip in the air. The festive air is still very much on with the countdown for Diwali and Bhai Phonta/ Bhai Dooj. In Kolkata, and for all Bengalis everywhere, Diwali is synonymous with Kali Puja. On this auspicious day, we worship Goddess Kali and festivities abound.

I am already excited about the onset of winter and winter of course means lots of baked goodies. This weekend, I baked a tutti fruiti vanilla cake. I had some tutti fruiti in the fridge that was begging to be used. So...voila!

This is a super simple recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:

APF/ Maida: 1 and a half cups

Sugar: 1 cup

Eggs: 2

Milk/water: 1 cup

Oil/butter: 1/4th cup

Baking powder: 1 and a half teaspoon (level)

Salt: a pinch

Vanilla essence: 1 teaspoon

Tutti fruiti: a handful (for decoration)

Process:

1. This is a basic cake so all you need to do is to mix all the ingredients together. However, keep in mind the measures of all the ingredients are same as given. If you alter the measures, the cake may not turn out as expected.

2. First separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the whites till foamy and then add sugar. Gently mix the sugar in the egg whites. Now add the egg yolks and milk and beat well.

3. Sift the maida with baking powder and salt. Add this dry mixture gradually to the wet mixture and mix gently.

4. Do not mix vigorously or over-beat if using a hand/stand mixer. I prefer to mix lightly by hand till the mixture is lump free. Add vanilla essence. The cake batter will be thick but flowy. You should be able to say "1-2-3" before the batter drops completely from the spoon. If the batter appears too thick and not flowy add 2 tablespoons of milk or water to get the consistency right.

5. You can add the tutti fruiti in the cake batter. However, I do not add in the batter because the tutti fruit tends to sediment at the bottom of the cake.

If baking in the oven (OTG);

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C for 10 minutes. Place a steel bowl of water in the oven while pre-heating.

2. Pour the cake batter in a greased cake pan. I used a square brownie pan that is 8 inches in diameter.

3. Wrap a piece of wet towel strip around the cake pan and secure with a safety pin or Velcro fastener. This step is optional and I use this technique to prevent crack formation on the surface of the cake.

4. Bake at 180 degrees C for 40-45 minutes. After the cake is baked use a toothpick to prick the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is baked well. If not, bake for ten more minutes.

5. I generally do not grill the top surface of this cake because I want a soft crust.

If baking in the microwave:

1. Pour the batter in a microwave-safe mould or pan.

2. Place inside the microwave and bake for 5-6 minutes on 100% (HIGH) power.

3. Allow 5 minutes standing time before removing the cake from the oven.

Now your cake is ready. Let it cool down till it warm to touch. De-mold the cake. Decorate the surface with tutti-fruiti or with chopped nuts and raisins.

Enjoy the warm cake with your family and friends. I am sending this cake for the ongoing event on Kolkata Food Bloggers, "Deepavali, Festival of Lights with Sweets and Savouries".

Have a beautiful, shining Diwali everyone!