Tag Archives: Let’s Cook

FOOD

delish Gulab Jamuns

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Gulab Jamuns are one of my favorite Indian desserts.  The sugar syrup-soaked deep fried balls made with a milk/flour dough with a hint of saffron and cardamom may be too sweet for some, but for me, it is the perfect dessert served by itself or with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream.  For years, I used the mix made by Gits, a famous Indian instant food brand.  But once my aunt taught me how to make these, there was no looking back.  The recipe is foolproof, it turns out the perfect Gulab Jamuns each time and each person that has tried these wants the recipe promptly.  So, here’s how I make my favorite sweet and if you do give this a try, I’d love to get your feedback.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk powder
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup ghee
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk (I use it straight from the fridge, but it can be at room temperature)
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • A strand of saffron, crushed
  • Oil for deep frying (I used vegetable oil)

How to:

1. Mix the milk powder, flour, baking soda, ghee, and the tbsp of sugar.  Add the milk slowly and mix the ingredients into a dough that is nice and moist and not dry.  Hold back some of the milk if your dough has already come together nicely.  Cover this mixture with plastic wrap and set aside for three hours.

2. After three hours, pinch off little balls of dough and make into smooth balls about 1 cm in diameter.  Continue to make these balls, placing each one on a plate, ensuring they are not sticking to one another.

3.. When all the dough balls are made, heat enough oil to deep fry the balls.  Test the oil temperature by dropping a little piece of dough.  When it rises to the top immediately, you are ready to fry the balls.  Fry the balls in batches, turning them gently till they are evenly golden brown.  Transfer to a plate set up with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

4.  Now make the sugar syrup.  Take the 3 cups of sugar in a large flat bottomed pan, add four cups of water, and bring the mixture to a boil.  This takes about 20 minutes.  Now add the saffron and cardamom, give it a swirl, and reduce the heat to low.

5.  Now add the fried balls to the sugar syrup, gently tapping it into the sugar syrup so it can absorb the liquid.  Set aside for 30 minutes and then serve warm or cold, either by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

FOOD

Tahini parathas – Where India meets the Middle East

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I love parathas, the flaky, stuffed with anything, griddle cooked with generous amounts of ghee or oil flatbread. I’ve made it plain and with many a stuffing; but seeing a half a jar of tahini in my fridge, triggered an idea. What if I stuff the parathas with tahini and cook them with some toasted sesame seeds on top? Well, there was no waiting on my part as I got to work and created these flaky breads. In the words of my mom, they were melt in your mouth goodness!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups atta (I used this whole wheat flour from the Indian store)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Water to form dough
  • 1/2 cup Tahini (use the one that is smooth, where the oil does not separate such as Trader Joe’s organic Tahini or Sooms which is available on Amazon)
  • 2 tbsps toasted sesame seeds
  • Oil or butter to cook the flatbreads

How to:

1. Mix the atta, salt, and oil in a bowl, adding water and kneading till the dough comes together nicely and is smooth. I used my stand mixer for creating the dough.

2. Divide the dough into 1 inch balls. Take each ball on to a lightly floured board and spread it with a rolling pin into a medium sized circle (like a medium sized tortilla)

3. Spread a tsp of tahini all over the dough with your fingers and roll the circle gently into a rolled log.

4. Slowly circle the log into a coil, tucking ends under (see image below).

5. Take the snail shaped coil and spread into a medium sized tortilla on a lightly floured board. Gently press some toasted sesame seeds into the paratha.

6. Put the paratha onto a warm griddle, dribbling a tsp of oil all around it and cook till brown spots appear. Flip it to the other side and continue cooking till you see brown spots.

7. Remove from the griddle and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

8. Serve plain with a hot cup of tea, or eat with your favorite veggies.

FOOD

Fresh pasta the Giulia way

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Giulia is an Italian foodie who lives in Southern Italy. She shares her family recipes and delicious concoctions as @giuliaeats on Instagram. I love the food she makes and earlier this week when she posted a traditional recipe for making pasta, I had to recreate it ASAP. I did not have a pasta maker and what followed was a painstaking process of lining up a ruler on the pasta dough to cut the strips with a knife. Making the dough took about 10 minutes, there was a 30 minute resting period, and getting the pasta done took about 75 minutes. Of course, not only did I make the Tagliolini, but I also made a batch of lasagna noodles and two batches of pappardelle with the dough. If you have a pasta maker, this will be ready much quicker. With more time at home, there is no time like the present to give this a go. I am sharing this recipe with Giulia’s permission!

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams 00 flour (This is key. The flour is available on Amazon)
  • 5 eggs
  • 40 grams extra virgin olive oil

How to:

1. Mix the ingredients well with your hand to make a dough and set aside the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into four balls.

3. If you have a pasta machine, you can run the dough through your machine.

4. Since I do not have a pasta machine, I used a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a rectangle that was around 9″ by 12″.

5. Using a ruler as a guide, I cut the rolled dough into thin strips (see image) to make the Tagliolini.

6. I rolled out two other balls of dough similarly, and using a ruler, cut it into broader pasta, pappardelle.

7. I took the last ball of dough, rolled it out and cut it into 8 lasagna noodles.

8. I’ve only cooked the Tagliolini so far, and have saved the rest. To cook the pasta, boil water, add some salt, and cook the pasta for about five minutes.

9. Serve with your favorite sauce. I just sautéed some capers, red chili flakes, and garlic in olive oil, tossed the pasta and had it topped with some fresh mozzarella.