Ratatouille - Baked Eggplant with Zucchini, Red and Yellow Peppers

I happened to watched Disney's Ratatouille during my French Food Week in November 2016 and loved Remy, the little rat that wanted to become a renowned French chef. So I checked out for this recipe and tried it out. Ratatouille happens to be a delicious dish and though the recipe looks a little complicated, it is quite easy to prepare. It is typically made with garlic, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. It can be baked or simmered on the stovetop, and the seasonings usually include a variety of herbs. This stew is perfect on its own with toasted bread or cooked eggs but it can be eaten over pasta of choice too! I found this recipe at https://cookieandkate.com/best-ratatouille-recipe/

Serves 3 to 4 

Ingredients

• 900 g ripe red tomatoes
• 450 g eggplant (brinjal) diced into ½ inch cubes
• 225 g large red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, cut into ¾ inch squares
• 225 g zucchini, diced into ½ inch cubes
• 225 g yellow squash, diced into ½ inch cubes
• 5 tbsp + 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt, divided, more to taste
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 425 °F with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
• To prepare your tomatoes, remove any woody cores and blitz them in a food processor until they are broken into a frothy pulp. Set aside.
• On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tbsp of olive oil until lightly coated. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer across the pan, sprinkle with ¼ tsp of salt, and set aside.
• On the other baking sheet, toss the bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil and ¼ tsp salt. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer. Place the eggplant pan on the middle rack and the other vegetables on the top rack. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and caramelizing on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and use a wooden spoon or to stir any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, or as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
• Once 15 minutes are up, remove both pans from the oven, stir, and redistribute the contents of each evenly across the pans. This time, place the eggplant on the top rack and other vegetables on the middle rack.
• Bake until the eggplant is nice and golden on the edges, about 10 more minutes (the eggplant will be done sooner than the rest). Remove the eggplant from the oven, and carefully stir the eggplant into the simmering tomato sauce.
• Let the squash and bell pepper pan continue to bake until the peppers are caramelized, about 5 to 10 more minutes. Then, transfer the contents of the pan into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering for 5 more minutes to give the flavours time to meld.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in 1 tsp olive oil, the fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Crumble the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it into the pot. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.
• Serve in bowls, with a little drizzle of olive oil, additional chopped basil, or black pepper on top, all optional with toasted bread with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top or with cooked eggs or on pasta.

Chinese Toffee Banana

I happened to watch this recipe on some food channel. It seemed so easy and yummy that I immediately set about doing it. Lucky I had all the ingredients in hand.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, cut into thick diagonal slices
• 50 grams self raising flour (Use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt with 1 cup flour for homemade self raising flour)
• 25 grams corn starch + some for dusting
• 90 ml water
• 1 tsp oil
• Oil for deep frying
• 120 grams sugar
• Black and white sesame seeds for sprinkling
  
  
  
  
  
  

Preparation

• Mix self raising flour, corn starch and water into a smooth batter. Add a tsp of oil and mix it well. (The oil is supposed to make it puffy.)
• Heat oil in a deep pan
• Dust the banana slices in corn starch, dip them in the batter and cook them in the hot oil in batches until crisp and golden brown.
• In a heavy pan, add the sugar over medium heat and keep stirring it till it just forms a caramel (just as it turns brown). Switch off immediately and remove from the stove.
• Toss the fried banana slices one after the other to coat them completely in the caramel and drop them immediately into a large bowl of ice water. This will set the caramel. 
• Almost immediately, drain them and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.
• Serve hot immediately or with ice cream.

Note

It is very important to coat the bananas immediately in the caramel before the caramel hardens.

Dhokla

I had tried the instant dhokla recipes and failed miserably. So I decided to do the traditional dhokla with the traditional dhokla batter and it did come out very well! No shortcuts! Quite elaborate and time consuming but worth the wait and energy! Recipe from www.foodviva.com

Makes about 16 pieces

Ingredients
For the batter

• 1/4 cup gram lentil (chana dal)
• 1/2 cup rice (I used idli rice)
• 1/4 cup sour curd
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 tbsp green chili, ginger, garlic paste
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• Salt, a pinch
• 1/2 tsp Enos fruit salt
• 1/2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• Paprika powder, pinch

For tempering

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, optional (actually, better without!)
• 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 2 curry leaves
• 2 to 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander, for garnish
  

Preparation

• Clean and soak gram lentils and rice for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain and grind to a fine paste with sour curd and water. The batter should not be of idli batter consistency. 
• Add salt and turmeric, cover and allow to ferment in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours.
• Grease a container with oil and prepare a steamer with 2 to 3 cups water. (I used the idli cooker)
• Add oil and green chili, ginger and garlic paste to the batter and mix well. Add Enos fruit salt and mix in one direction for a minute. The batter should be doubled now.
• Pour it immediately into the greased mould. Sprinkle cumin seeds and red chili powder on the top and steam for about 10 to 15 minutes or till a fork comes out clean if inserted.
• Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and cut it into squares.
• Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add sesame seeds and stir for 30 seconds. Add curry leaves, remove from flame and add water. Pour immediately over the dhoklas to coat evenly and serve immediately garnished with chopped coriander.

Indonesian Mango Sago Pudding

This is an authentic Indonesian version of the popular South Asian dessert Mango Sago Pudding. This is much simpler than the Indian version which calls for the elaborate and time consuming reduced milk. Recipe from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLBqESkDVnk

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sago
• 2 cups mango cubes 
• 1 1/4 cups thick coconut milk
• Sugar as per taste, optional
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup ripe mango cubes for garnish
  

Preparation

• Soak sago in water, about 5 minutes while bringing water to boil in a vessel. After water boils, drain sago and add it to the water. Allow to boil about 15 minutes till it turns translucent. Drain and wash in cold water to avoid sticking together. Drain and refrigerate till use.
• Blend mango cubes, coconut milk and sugar, if using, in a mixer till smooth. Remove to a mixing bowl.
• Add sago and refrigerate at least for 2 hours.
• Serve garnished with mango cubes.

Mango Sago Pudding

Mango Sago pudding is a South Asian dessert popular in Indonesia, China and Thailand. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com as tweaked in the blog. 

Serves 5

Ingredients

• 2 cups mango puree
• 1/2 litre milk
• 1/2 cup sago, soaked for 1 hour in water
• 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch, mixed in 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup sugar or sugarfree substitute
• 1/2 cup ripe mango cubes
  
  
  

Preparation

• Set aside mango puree in the refrigerator.
• Bring milk to boil in a vessel and simmer till reduced to 3/4 cup. Switch off flame and bring to room temperature.
• Boil soaked sago in enough water till soft. Switch off flame and drain. Wash in normal water, drain and refrigerate till use.
• Boil coconut milk in a vessel, add sugar, cardamom and stir. Slowly add cornstarch mixture and stir till thickened.Switch off flame and bring to room temperature.
• Blend reduced milk, coconut milk mixture and mango puree in a mixer till well combined. 
• Remove to a mixing bowl and mix the chilled sago thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Garnish with mango cubes and serve.

Mango Phirni

Phirni is believed to have come in with the Mughal kings and is a popular sweet dish in North India and Pakistan. Mango Phirni is made by adding mango puree to the basic phirni. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes
• 4 cups milk
• 8 to 10 almonds, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, peeled and ground to a fine paste
• 1 cup mango puree
• 1/3 cup sugar (You could use sugarfree substitutes)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 8 to 10  strands saffron, soaked in warm milk
• 15 pistachios, chopped for garnish
  

Preparation

• Bring milk to a boil in a vessel and simmer until reduced to three fourths.
• While milk is simmering, grind soaked basmati rice to a fine paste with 1/2 cup simmering milk and set aside.
• After the milk has reduced, slowly add the ground paste into it and keep stirring constantly till it mixes well and begins to thicken, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add almond paste, sugar, saffron and cardamom powder and stir to form a creamy and smooth mixture without any lumps. Switch off flame and bring to room temperature.
• Add mango puree and mix till well blended. Refrigerate until serving time.
• Serve garnished with chopped pistachios.

Mango Shrikhand (Amrakhand)

Mango Shrikhand is made by adding mango puree to the basic, Maharashtrian sweet Shrikhand made with strained yogurt (hung curd) and flovoured with cardamom and saffron. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com.

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups mango puree
• 2 cups strained yogurt (hung curd)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• Few saffron strands, soaked in warm milk
• 2 to 3 tbsp powdered sugar (I used sugarfree drops)
• 8 pistachios, chopped
• 6 almonds, chopped
• Ripe mangoes, chopped for garnish
  

Preparation

• Place curd in a muslin cloth over a vessel and leave it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
• In a bowl, add the strained yogurt and mix well till blended. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add the mango puree, saffron and cardamom into the mixture till well blended, smooth and creamy. You could also use the mixer to blend them. 
• Chill for at least a couple of hours and serve garnished with chopped nuts and mangoes. 

Mango Mastani

Mango Mastani, I believe, is a very popular drink in Pune, used to be served by an age old cold drink house to its customers. It was praised for its flovour and was called 'mast' meaning 'lovely' and came to be given the royal name "Mastani' after the famous and beautiful wife of the Marathi general Peshwa Bajirao. Recipe from www.sailusfood.com.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups mango puree, chilled
• 3 tbsp sugar or sugarfree drops
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 4 scoops mango ice cream
• 6 almonds, chopped
• 8 pistachios, chopped
• 4 cherries
• Mango cubes for garnish
  

Preparation

• Bring milk to a boil in a vessel and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Add sugar, allow to dissolve and switch off heat. Refrigerate for a while.
• Set aside 1/2 cup mango puree and blend the rest with the chilled milk to a smooth consistency.
• Pour 2 tbsp mango puree in the bottom of each glass and pour the blended thick mango milkshake to about three fourths of the glass. Place a scoop of mango ice cream on the top and garnish with nuts, cherry and mango cubes.

Mango Falooda

Recipe from www.sailusfood.com. Very yummy mango falooda does take some elaborate preparation but is completely worth it while the mango season lasts!

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 5 tbsp sugar, can be adjusted as per your taste (I used sugarfree drops)
• 1 tbsp basil seeds, soaked in about 1/2 cup to 1 cup water for 30 min (Sabja seeds)
• 1 cup falooda sev (Recipe below)
• 2 cups mango puree
• 4 scoops mango ice cream
• 1 1/2 cups mango cubes
• 8 to 10 pistachios, chopped
• 6 to 8 almonds, chopped
• Cherries for garnish

Falooda Sev

Yield about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar (You could also use sugarfree substitutes)

Preparation

• Grease the press (in picture) and set aside. 
• In a vessel add a litre of ice cold water and ice cubes and set aside in the refirgerator.
• In a mixing bowl, add corn flour, 1/2 cup water and sugar and mix well without any lumps.
• Bring one cup water to boil in a heavy bottomed vessel, reduce flame and slowly add the cornflour mixture. Keep stirring constantly till it thickens and turns transparent and glossy. 
• Switch off and spoon the mixture into the sev press (Use the mould with thin holes).
• Remove the ice cold water from the refrigerator and press the hot cornflour mixture through the sev press into it so that the thin strands are completely immersed in the cold water.
• Refrigerate the sev immersed in cold water till use.

  

  Mango Falooda

Preparation

• Bring milk to a boil in a vessel and simmer till it reduces to 1 cup. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. Switch off and chill till use.
• Set aside the soaked basil seeds in the refrigerator.
• Blend mango puree with sugar and refrigerate till use.
• Chill the falooda sev till use.
• Chill the serving falooda glasses in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
• To assemble falooda, take the chilled glass and add few mango cubes in the bottom followed by 2 tbsp basil seeds. Follow it with 2 heaped tbsp of falooda sev and then 3 tbsp of mango puree. Slowly pour 2 to 3 tbsp of chilled milk. Next layer with few more mango cubes followed by basil seeds, falooda sev, mango puree and chilled milk in the same proportion as before. 
• Finally place a scoop of mango ice cream on the top and garnish with chopped nuts and cherry. 
• Serve immediately.

Mango Rabri

I had excess milk in the refrigerator and was looking to make some dessert out of these. I came upon Sailu's food blog www.sailusfood.com with a lot of yummy mango desserts. As the mango season is still on, I began trying them one by one and loved each of the desserts. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 1 litre milk
• 1 cup mango puree 
• 2 tbsp sugar (I used sugarfree drops)
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 6 to 8 strands saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• 6 to 8 almonds, chopped
• 10 to 15 pistachios, chopped
• 1 cup mango cubes
  

Preparation

• Bring milk to boil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Reduce heat and allow to simmer. Keep stirring at regular intervals and keep moving the cream that forms on the top to the sides till the milk is reduced to less than half the quantity. 
• Add sugar and half of the chopped nuts continue to simmer till the milk is reduced to 1/3 of the original quantity. 
• Add cardamom and saffron, mix well and switch off. 
• Allow to come to room temperature and add the mango puree. Mix well till well combined. Remove to a bowl and chill for a couple of hours.
• Garnish with the remaining nuts and mango cubes and serve.

Jackfruit Idli (Halasina Hannini Kadubu)

I had some left over jackfruit and was looking for a sweet dish from them. I got this recipe from http://www.smithakalluraya.com/2016/06/jackfruit-idli-halasina-hannina-kadubu.html. I tried it and it came out well. I believe the dish is famous in Coastal Karnataka.

Makes about 8-10 idlis

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw rice rava (See note)
•  2 – 2 1/2 cups ripe jackfruit, deseeded and chopped coarsely
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1/2 cup jaggery, add more or less as per your taste
• 2 – 3 cardamom
• Salt, a pinch
• Oil to grease mould

Preparation

• In a mixer, grind jackfruit and jaggery with little or no water to a coarse paste.
• Add grated coconut and cardamom and grind everything to a fine paste and add it in a mixing bowl.
• Add rice rava and salt a little water. Mix well and allow to stand for about 20 minutes. The consistency should be a little thicker than idli batter. 
• Grease idli moulds with oil and pour the mixture into them.
• Steam for about 15 minutes. It is done when a toothpick or a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the idlis.
• Serve hot.

Note

To make rice rava, soak raw rice in water for an hour, drain it on a cloth for an hour or two and dry grind it to a coarse semolina (rava) consistency.

  

Ras Malai

I tried this for the first time for my sister-in-law who loves these. Recipe from indianhealthyrecipes.com

Makes 8 ras malai

Ingredients

For Malai/Rabri

• 3 cups milk 
• saffron threads, a few
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used sugarfree drops)

For Chhena/Indian Cottage Cheese

• 5 cups milk
• 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

For Sugar Syrup

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of cardamom

For Garnish

• Almonds, chopped
• Pistachios. chopped

Preparation

• Bring 3 cups of milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed vessel on medium flame. Add saffron and keep stirring it often.
• Add sugar and continue to stir. Keep moving aside the cream that forms on the top. Continue to stir till the milk is reduced to half the quantity. Switch off and set aside.
• While the malai is being done, bring 5 cups of milk to a boil in another vessel. Add vinegar or lemon juice and keep stirring till the milk curdles completely. Add more vinegar or lemon juice if needed. Switch off and add ice cubes into the vessel.This keeps the chhena soft.
• Strain it through a muslin cloth and tie up the ends. Squeeze out the excess water and hang it for an hour or 1 1/2 hours. (I kept it hung for about 2 hours)
• When the water is completely drained, knead the chhena for about 3 minutes. (You can watch how to knead chhena here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5OATz9GyRQ)
• Divide it into 8 portions, make balls and flatten them. If the edges crack, smoothen them gently. Set aside.
• Bring water and sugar to a boil in another vessel. Add cardamom. When the syrup begins to boil rapidly, add the flattened chhena. Cover and cook on moderately high flame for 8 minutes. They would have doubled in size.
• Take them out one by one, cool and squeeze out the syrup by placing them between 2 spatulas.
• Add them to the malai or rabri.
• Add pistachios and almonds and simmer for about 2 minutes to allow the chhena to absorb the milk. 
• Refrigerate, preferably overnight and serve.

Cuban Banana Casserole

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com, courtesy Cocina Cubana Club

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 bananas - sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced in small cubes
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (You can substitute with almonds)
• 1 tablespoon brandy (I left this out as I didn’t have any!)

Preparation

• Butter the bottom of  a baking dish heavily and line it with half of the bananas. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter cubes.
• Sprinkle with half of the raisins and pecans or almonds. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. 
• Let cool for 5 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Platanos Maduros (Sweet Fried Plantain)

I happened to be watching the movie Chef yesterday and was so taken up by chef Casper and his food truck Cubanos. Every time Casper had his food truck stationed and his menu written on the chalk board, I was so drooling over it, especially the Platanos Maduros, that I immediately searched for authentic Cuban recipes and tried it out immediately from tasteofcuba.com. The plantain that is so easily available in Cuba is none other our Nendran or Yetham (Nendran is one of the four cultivars of banana that is known as plantain!) from the Kanyakumari - Kerala belt. And it was so easy to make! 

Ingredients

• 2 ripe plantains (Nendran) (the more ripe and black the better - as in the second picture)
• Oil for frying

Preparation

• Cur off the edges, peel the bananas and slice them diagonally about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.
• Heat oil in a pan to about 350 degree F (the oil must sizzle when a drop of water is added.
• Drop the slices in the oil and fry till the bottom is golden and then turn them over and fry till the top side is golden. The edges must be slightly darker and caramelized.

Notes

• You could fry them a little longer so that the sides are darker than golden brown. They actually taste much sweeter and more delicious than the golden brown ones as the sugars caramelize very well.

French Fries

I found the perfect MacDonald French Fries recipe on Nicko's Kitchen. Purely vegetarian!

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 500 grams potatoes
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp corn syrup (recipe below)
• Oil
• Salt to taste

Corn Syrup

Yield 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar  
• 3/8 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (You can substitute with ¾ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 pinch salt

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and put cover for 3 minutes to get sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Uncover and simmer, stirring often, until it reaches the soft ball stage, about 25 minutes. Cool and store in a covered container at room temperature.
• Syrup should keep for about 2 months.

Preparation

• Peel and cut potatoes into 1 cm x 1 cm thick matchsticks.
• Put it in a bowl of ice cold water for 5 minutes to remove the excess starch.
• In another bowl, pour boiling water. Add powdered sugar and corn syrup. Remove the potatoes from the cold water bowl and put it in this bowl for 10 minutes. 
• Remove and dry on paper towels on a plate. Leave the plate in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F. Put the potatoes in a big steel basket (I used a big steel strainer) and place it in the hot oil for 2 minutes. 
• Remove and drain on paper towels. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F again. Put the potatoes back in the strainer and into the hot oil for about 4 to 5 minutes or till golden brown.
• Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle salt and serve.

Kaju (Cashew) Pista Roll

Ingredients
For Kaju Dough

• 1 1/2 cups cashew, dry roasted lightly, about a minute and powdered
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp warm water

For Pista Dough

• 1 cup pistachio, dry roasted lightly, about a minute and powdered
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 drops pista essence
• 1 tbsp water

Preparation

• Lightly warm sugar for a minute.
• Mix the cashew powder and sugar in a bowl. Add the warm water, one tsp at a time. Mix well to make a thick cashew ball.
• Mix the pistachio powder and sugar in another bowl. Add the pista essence and warm water and mix well to make a pistachio ball.
• Place the cashew dough on a grease aluminium foil and roll it into a rectangular sheet. 
• Then make a pistachio roll of about 1 inch diameter and equal length as the cashew sheet.
• Place the pistachio roll on the cashew sheet and roll so that the cashew sheet will cover the pistachio roll. Using a sharp knife, cut into pieces of desired length.

Chocolate Milk Roll

Recipe is my experiment from Chocolate Pista Roll recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup khoya (mawa), recipe below
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 drop rose essence
• 1 tbsp Cocoa powder

Recipe for Instant Khoya

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat milk powder (I used Amul Dairy Whitener)
• 1/2 tbsp ghee (Clarified butter) 
• 1/4 cup milk 

Preparation

• Take milk powder in a bowl.
• Heat milk and ghee in a small pan till it comes to a boil.
• Add this hot milk-ghee mixture to the milk powder. Mix it with spoon. It should look like crumbled khoya. If it still looks dry you can add more milk 1 teaspoon of milk at a time.
• You can shape it while it is warm. As it cools it will hold that shape and it will harden. After that it can be grated or crumbled as needed.

Preparation

• Take khoya and sugar in a pan. Turn the heat on medium and stir continuously till the sugar is dissolved and all the moisture goes. Switch off after the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. Divide the mixture into two equal parts.
• Add two drops of rose essence to one part. (This step is optional - you can use any essence of your choice)
• Add cocoa powder to another part.
• Mix each part well.
• Shape them while it is warm. (If the mixture cools completely, it will be hard to give them a shape. Grease your hands with a little ghee or oil and place the cocoa mixture on an aluminium foil. With a rolling pin make an even rectangle of 6 inches x 3 inches. Next make a mawa-rose essence roll of 6 inches long and 1 inch diameter.
• Then place the mawa roll on the cocoa sheet and roll so that the cocoa sheet will cover the mawa roll evenly from all the sides.
• Now roll it back and forth with your hand to seal the joints and to make the roll tight. Then cover it with aluminium foil and chill in the refrigerator till it becomes firm (about 20 minutes).
• Then using the sharp knife cut into pieces. (Clean the knife in between to make clear cuts.)

Note:

The cocoa sheet must be at least 1/2 inch thick.

Chocolate Pista Roll

Ingredients

• 1 cup khoya (mawa), recipe below
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder 

Recipe for Instant Khoya

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat milk powder (I used Amul Dairy Whitener)
• 1/2 tbsp ghee (Clarified butter) 
• 1/4 milk

Preparation

• Take milk powder in a bowl.
• Heat milk and ghee in a small pan till it comes to a boil.
• Add this hot milk-ghee mixture to the milk powder. Mix it with spoon. It should look like crumbled khoya. If it still looks dry you can add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
• You can shape it while it is warm. As it cools it will hold that shape and it will harden. After that it can be grated or crumbled as needed.

Preparation

• Take khoya and sugar in a pan. Turn the heat on medium and stir continuously till the sugar is dissolved and all the moisture goes. Switch off after the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. Divide the mixture into two equal parts.
• Add chopped pistachios to one part. (I also added two drops of pistachio essence and green food colour - optional)
• Add cocoa powder to another part.
• Mix each part well.
• Shape them while it is warm. (If the mixture cools completely, it will be hard to give them a shape. Grease your hands with a little ghee or oil and place the cocoa mixture on an aluminium foil. With a rolling pin make an even rectangle of 6 inches x 3 inches. Next make a pista roll of 6 inches long and 1 inch diameter.
• Then place the pista roll on the cocoa sheet and roll so that the cocoa sheet covers the pista roll evenly from all the sides.
• Now roll it back and forth with your hand to seal the joints and to make the roll tight. Then cover it with aluminium foil and chill in the refrigerator till it becomes firm (about 20 minutes).
• Then using the sharp knife cut into pieces. (Clean the knife in between to make clear cuts.)

Note:

The cocoa sheet must be at least 1/2 inch thick or it might break.

Tub Trim Grob (Rubies in Coconut Milk)

This is a dessert we tasted in Absolute Thai. I found the recipe at http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/rubies-in-coconut-milk. I tweaked the measurements and the colour a little to taste and colour.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cans whole water chestnuts, about 50 to 60 pieces. See note.
• 15 drops rose (You can mix red colour with rose)
• 2 cups cornstarch
• 1 cup water

Preparation

• Slice each water chestnuts into half, making 2 round disks. Make three more cuts into the disks to make about 12 pieces. 
• Drop the food colouring into the chestnut and stir. 
• Put the cornstarch in a bowl. Drain the chestnuts of any juices and drop them into the cornstarch. Shake the bowl to coat the chestnuts with the flour. Scoop the chestnuts into a strainer and shake off any excess flour. Put them into another bowl. Sprinkle some water over the chestnuts and put them back in the bowl of flour.
• Bring a pot of water to boil. Put the coated chestnuts into the boiling water. The cooked chestnuts will float on the water. Scoop them up in a strainer and dump them in a bowl of ice water.
• Microwave the sugar and water in a cup for about 3 to 4 minutes till syrupy. 
• Divide the chestnut rubies into bowls. Add equal amount of coconut milk and sugar syrup. Add syrup more or less to taste. 
• Serve chilled or with crushed ice.

Note:

Water chestnuts are available online at amazon.in, ebay, etc. They are also available in Amma Nana supermarket, Chennai.

Appam & Vivikkam (Sweet Rice Cakes)

This is another traditional breakfast dish from Tirunelveli handed down to my mother from my dad's family. My mother still makes them and sends them over to me. I tried it for the first time and it turned out quite well! 

Makes about 12 to 15 appams (அப்பம்) or vivikka (விவிக்கா)  

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw rice
• 1/2 cup sour yogurt 
• 3 bananas (Poovan variety)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar (You can add more or less to taste)
• Cashews and raisins, roasted in oil
• Oil for frying

Preparation

• Wash and soak rice in water for an hour. Drain it completely and dry on a clean cloth under a fan for 2 or 3 hours till completely dry.
• Put it in a mixer and grind it to a fine powder. Using a sieve separate the coarse granular flour (semolina texture) about 1/4 cup. Set the fine powder aside.
• Heat about 3/4 cup water in a sauce pan and add the coarse granular flour in it with a pinch of salt. keep stirring till it forms a paste. Remove from heat. Allow to cool.
• Once it is cool, add the yogurt into it and mix well. 
• Now add the fine powder little by little and mix well to make a ball of dough.
• Allow it to ferment at least for 18 to 20 hours. 
• Mash bananas and sugar and add it to the fermented batter. Add the roasted cashews and raisins and mix well.

Appam

Appams

• Heat a non stick pan. Add a tsp. of oil. Take a little batter and drop it into the heated oil. Spread it and allow to cook. (It must cook well otherwise it can tear when flipping it over). Now flip it over and allow to cook on the other side. 
• Remove from heat and serve hot.

Vivikkam

Vivikka

• Grease idli plates, pour batter into them, steam for 5 to 7 minutes or till done.
• Serve hot.