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DESSERT |
This is where vegetarians can really let their hair down, since very few dessert recipes call for poultry, fish or meat. I understand that Baba is quite indulgent about people eating unfertilized hen's eggs (no life taken)So you can eat REAL cake, and nobody consumes more dairy products then the people of Bhaharat... and this page is not about losing weight, it's about not killing animals and eating them. So enjoy!!! |
| Recipes |
A rich chocolate Bundt cake
It does not need to be frosted, which makes it an easy dessert.
(one Bundt cake)
2 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 oz melted, unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to
Butter a Bundt pan and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs, until it is well coated.
This makes a much better crust than flour does.
In a large bowl, add the sugar to the shortening and cream well. Blend in the eggs, one at
a time, and beat well. Stir in the melted chocolate.
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Combine the cream and vanilla extract. Add to the chocolate mixture alternately with the
dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan a few
minutes before removing.
This is not an authentic Swedish recipe because their flour is
different enough to cause problems in baking. However, the results seem authentic.
Difficulty: easy to moderate.
Time: 20 minutes preparation, 1 hour baking.
Precision: measure carefully.
Thick, rich Spanish hot chocolate "Las ideas claras y el
chocolate espeso."
"The ideas clear and the chocolate thick."(Spanish saying)
It's not like any hot chocolate anywhere else. It is the best hot chocolate in the world.
(Serves 6)
1/2 cup unsweetened powdered cocoa
1 cup sugar
7 tsp. cornstarch (cornflower)
1/2 cup water
4 cups milk
Mix the cocoa and sugar together.
Dissolve the cornstarch (cornflour) in the water and combine with the cocoa-sugar mixture
in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir this until it is a smooth paste.
Begin heating this mixture, continuously stirring it with a whisk. Gradually pour in the
milk. Continue stirring as you bring it to a simmer.
Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. The cocoa is ready when it thickens and is
glossy and smooth.
The consistency of the finished product should resemble chocolate pudding that didn't quite set. If you halve this recipe, you'll get just the right amount for two large mug-fulls. This cocoa is especially fantastic when you dip churros into it (a churro is a sugary, deep-fried, doughnut-like stick).
Difficulty: easy.
Time: 15 minutes.
Precision: measure the ingredients.
Serious chocolate brownies
This is an adaptation of the classic "Scrumptious Brownies" recipe found on the
box of Baker's unsweetened chocolate.
(32 brownies)
8 oz unsweetened chocolate (8 squares)
1/2 lb. butter
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan and pre-heat oven to
Melt the chocolate and the butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.
Whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool while beating eggs.
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla at high speed for a full 10 minutes.
Blend in the chocolate-and-butter mixture at low speed.
Add flour, beating just to blend. Stir in walnuts, if desired.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake. The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted
into the center comes out slightly dirty.
Cool in pan, then cut into squares.
Difficulty: easy to moderate.
Time: 30 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking and cooling.
Precision: measure the ingredients.
Yield: 24 servings
3 c Semisweet chocolate
chips
1 cn Sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c Margarine
1 c Chopped walnuts (opt)
Place all ingredients except walnuts in large
microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave on Medium until chips are melted (3-5 minutes), stirring
once or twice. Stir in nuts. Pour into well-greased square baking
dish 8x8. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.
4 1/2 c Sugar
18 oz Chocolate chips
1 lg. Can
evaporated milk
3 tbsp. Vanilla
1 c Butter
Dash salt
Cook sugar and canned milk to rolling boil for 6 minutes;
Stirring
constantly. Use large stainless steel pot; remove from heat. Add butter,
chocolate chips, vanilla, and dash of salt Stit until mixed. Pour into
buttered pan. Let stand 6 hours before cutting. Will keep a long time in
cookie tin or a sealed container in a cool place.
* The original recipe calls for 1/2 lb butter, but I find that
the butter
"pools" on top of the finished fudge. I only use 12 T of butter and my
fudge turns out fine!
Nobody but nobody has a bigger sweet tooth than the people of India: Swami is considered "Rasa Swarupa": sweetness itself! Consider yourself blessed.
Lets Start with some recipes from Goa where one of Spain's
Holy men, Saint Francis Xavier, is buried.
How's that for a tie in folks?
200g maida (white flour)
10 egg yolks
500g sugar
1cup coconut juice (thick)
1/4 nutmeg (powdered)
200g ghee (hydrogenated oil)
Take the coconut milk, mix it with the maida, sugar and egg yolks. Stir thoroughly till
sugar has dissolved, andd nutmeg powder and keep aside. Heat a little ghee in a pan and
pour in one cup of batter. Bake till brown. Add another spoonful of ghee and another cup
of batter. Bake and repeat this till all the batter is used up. Turn the bebinca upside
down and cool before serving. Note: Baking of bebinca is done over a slow fire.
This is a common sweet made during the Christmas season and is distributed to guests
during their "obligatory" visits to friends and family. Production (and I do
mean "production"), usually involved the whole family, and often, the extended
family getting together to produce these sweets in assembly line style!
500 g. maida (flour)
1/2 cup coconut juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
3 or 4 cardamons (powdered)
Sugar to taste and oil for frying
Mix all the ingredients and cook over a slow fire till a soft dough is formed. Cool, knead
and take small marble-like portions, roll over the back of a fork and deep fry till golden
brown.
1/2 kg flour
2 tablespoons ghee (hydrogenated oil)
a pinch of salt
For the filling:
1/2 kg. sugar
1/2 cup water
1 half ripe coconut grated fine
100 g. cashew nuts (chopped very fine)
100 g. raisins
2 tablespoons ghee
6 cardamons (powdered)
oil for frying
Mix flour, salt and ghee well, add just enough water to knead into a small dough. Keep
aside.
Heat sugar and water till a syrup is formed. Add the grated coconut, ghee and nuts. When
the mixture has thickened, add raisins and cardamon powder. Remove from fire after the
mixture turns quite dry. Cool and keep aside.
Divide the dough into small balls, roll out into thin rounds, put a spoonful of the
coconut filling on each round, wet the edges, press down to form half-moon shapes. Trim
edges preferably with a cutter and deep fry in hot oil.
This is a very popular dessert created during the Hindu festival of Holi. Holi is the last
day of the Hindu calendar. On the eve of this festival a huge wood pyre is made and set
afire. Discarded or unwanted materials like dead wood of trees, broken pieces of furniture
etc. are also put in the fire. This symbolizes the destruction of one's ill feelings
and/or animosities towards others. The next day the Holi Festival is celebrated by playing
with colors in the morning with friends and neighbors getting together. In the evening
visits are made to friends and relatives when sweets are offered and good wishes extended
to one another.
1/2 kg lentils (dhal)
1/2 kg. Cane sugar (jaggery)
1/2 k.g white flour (maida)
100 ml. oil
1 teaspoon cardamon powder
1 teaspoon hydrogenated oil (ghee)
Wash gram dal and boil this with half tea sp.salt and water
till it is very soft. When it is slightly cold strain and add jaggery and grind to a fine
paste, If it is sticky put it on a low fire and dry up completely. This is called puran.
Knead maida with half teaspoon salt with water.It should be neither very hard or too
soft.Add oil and knead it till oil is absorbed and now do equal balls of puran and kneaded
maida. Roll maida ball into a small puri.Fill it with puran ball. MAKE it into a ball and
roll to a poli. Put on the pan and fry it dry turning both sides. Eat this melted with
pure ghee. It is delicious eaten hot and with a nice cup of tea.
1 cup wheat flour
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cup water
1&1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon chopped almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon raisin (optional)
Heat butter in a pan on low heat. Add wheat flour and fry
until it gets light brown. Then add water and sugar. Stir
constantly until it thickens. Serve hot. Almonds and raisin may be added for garnish.
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tea spoon baking powder
1 tea spoon baking soda
1 tea spoon salt
2 table spoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup oil
1 tea spoon vanilla
2 table spoons vinegar
2 cups cold water
Mix the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl,
mix the rest of the wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry
mix to the wet ingredients; mix thoroughly. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes in a two
nine-inch cake pans in
preheated oven. After cooling these for about 2 hours, decorate with frosting as you wish.
Serves 6 to 8 people.
Lassi is very popular at breakfast, lunch and as a snack. It
can be sweet or salty. If you wish to make sweet Lassi,
do not add salt or cumin. Instead, add sugar to your taste.
1/2 cup plain yogurt,
300 ml ice-cold water,
2.5 ml ground roasted cumin seeds,
1/4 tsp salt,
1/4 tsp finely crumbled, dried mint, (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in the blender and blend for 3 seconds.
If you do not have a blender, put the yogurt in a bowl, and
beat with a fork or whisk until smooth and creamy.
Slowly add the water, beating as you do so. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Squeezed mangoes or mango pulp (available in
International/Indian stores) -- 1/4 of total quantity desired
(read tips below)
Milk (preferably not Skimmed) -- 1/2 of total quantity desired
Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt -- 1/4 of total quantity desired
Cardamom -- about 1 piece per cup
Blender (a.k.a. mixer).
Peel the Cardamom and powder the grains; throw away the peels.
Alternatively you can use half a spoon of
readily available powdered Cardamom.
Add ice cream/frozen yogurt, milk, and mango pulp to the blender and blend them for about
2 minutes.
Add Cardamom to the milk shake and blend it again for a few seconds.
Refrigerate the milk shake and serve with or without ice.
If you have all the ingredients ready, this will take less than 5 minutes.
Whether you are using ice cream or frozen yogurt,
make sure to use the one without flavor. Vanilla is
recommended because it is very close to being a generic flavor.
Some people like the milk shake to be thick and some like it watery. Control the
consistency by varying the
amount of ice cream/frozen yogurt. Likewise, the quantity of mango pulp that goes into the
shake depends on
individual tastes.
So, experiment by preparing a small quantity first.
2 1/2 cups Carnation Milk Powder
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
A pinch of baking soda
3 cups Sugar
5 1/2 cups of water
4-5 Cardamon (Elaichi)
Oil for frying
Mix milk powder, all-purpose flour and baking soda in vessel.
Add whipping cream and knead well. Make sure the
dough is soft and easy to knead (add milk if needed). Leave for a few minutes.
Make the sugar syrup: Add sugar to the water. After the
solution starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it boil for 4-6
mins. Add powdered cardamon and keep the syrup aside.
Heat oil. Meanwhile, roll the dough into round or oval shaped
"jamuns". Fry the jamuns until brown and dip them in
the sugar solution.
Makes about 40-50 "great" gulab jamuns. Try this recipe and see the difference!
6 medium carrots,
3 cups milk,
8 whole cardamom pods,
6 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee,
6 tablespoons sugar,
1-2 tbs golden raisins,
1 tbs shelled, unsalted pistachios, lightly crushed,
1 1/4 cups double cream (heavy cream), lightly whipped (optional)
Peel the carrots and grate them either by hand or in a food
processor. Put the grated carrots, milk, and cardamom
pods in a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Turn head to medium and cook, stirring
now and then, until there
is no liquid left. Adjust the heat, if you need to.
Head the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low
flame. When hot, put in the carrot mixture. Stir and fry
until the carrots no longer have a wet, milky look. They should turn a rich, reddish
colour. This can take 10-15
minutes.
Add the sugar, golden raisins, and pistachios. Stir and fry for another 2 minutes.
This halva may be served warm or at room temperature. Serve the cream on the side.
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