Baking – Meal Haven

No Bake Mango Tart

This easy and delicious mango tart can be assembled in a jiffy. When mangoes are in season, make the most of it. Try making this gorgeous tart and impress your guests.

Ingredients:

For Custard:

Milk – ½ litre + ¼ cup milk

Custard powder – 3 tbsp

Powdered sugar – 4 tbsp

For the tart shell:

Biscuit crumbs (digestive or any other biscuit) – 2 cups

Melted butter – 1 cup

For garnish:

Pistachio powder – 2 tbsp

Mangoes sliced – 4 (sliced thinly)

Preparation:

First, powder the biscuit in a mixer jar or blender. Add the melted butter to it and mix well. Take a tart pan or a detachable cake pan and grease it with butter slightly. Add the biscuit crumb mixture to it and spread it evenly around the pan. Place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes till it sets.

Meanwhile, take a cup and add the custard powder to it. Add ¼ cup of warm (not hot) milk to it and mix it well. Put the ½ litre of milk to boil. Reduce the flame to minimum when it starts to boil. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Next, add the custard powder and milk mixture to it and keep stirring it to avoid forming lumps. When the mixture becomes semi-solid, remove it from the flame. Cover it with a cling foil and keep it in fridge for about 20 – 30 minutes.

Take out the custard mix and spread it evenly in the tart pan or cake pan. Keep it in the fridge for an hour or two and when set, garnish it with pistachio powder and mango slices.

Eggless Ladi Paav

Baking

Ladi Paav as it is called in India are soft and spongy dinner rolls or slider bunds served with Indian street food like pav bhaji, dabeli, or with a cup of hot masala chai.

Ingredients:

Warm milk – 1 cup + 1 tbsp for brushing

Sugar – 2 tsp

Dry yeast – 1 tbsp

Maida / All Purpose flour – 3 cups

Salt – 1/2 tsp

Butter, softened/melted – 2 tbsp and1 tbsp for basting

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Water – 3 tbsp for activating yeast

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, add water, sugar and dry yeast. Mix it well and let it rest for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. When the yeast is activated and rises up, add 3 cups maida, baking soda and salt. (Sift the baking powder and maida well). Add the milk and knead until the dough turns soft. Then, add the butter and knead the dough until it is soft and pliable.

Cover with cling wrap or wet cloth and rest for 2 hours in a warm place. Then, after 2 hours, when the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough and knead it slightly to remove the incorporated air.

Divide it into 10-12 equal sized balls and place the balls into a greased tray. Place them leaving equal space in between as it may rise during baking.

Brush the dough with milk and cover with cling wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes or until the dough rises again.

Preheat an oven and bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes, or until the pav turns golden brown from top.

Once the pav is out of the oven, rub with butter to get a shiny look. Cover with a wet cloth and allow to cool completely.

The ladi pav is ready to be served with tea or pav bhaji.

Aloo (Potato) Parathas

Baking, Breakfast

This is a bread dish from the north of India, made with the dough of whole wheat flour stuffed with a spicy potato stuffing. It is best enjoyed with yogurt, pickle and butter.

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 4 big

Onion – 1 big finely chopped

Green chillies – 4 finely chopped

Cumin powder/Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt as needed

Coriander Leaves – 1 tbsp chopped

Red chillie flakes – 1/2 tsp

Oil/Ghee for cooking – As required

For dough:

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt – to taste

Water – 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes well and grate it so that there are no lumps in it. You may also mash it well making sure there are no lumps.

In a mixing bowl, add the grated potatoes, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, red chillie flakes, chopped onion, coriander powder, jeera powder, salt and mix well. Keep it aside.

In another bowl, add the wheat flour, salt. Add water gradually and knead the dough. The dough should be pliable and soft. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Make small-medium balls of the dough and roll them out into 3 inch circles. Add a spoonful of potato filling in the centre and seal it with little oil. Gradually press the rolling pin on all sides while making the parathas. Be very careful to apply pressure evenly. It is very important to ensure that your potato mixture is mashed well and not lumpy or you will never be able to make perfect parathas. Seal the dough and round it with your fingers. Now roll them with a rolling pin into round parathas. Apply the pressure very evenly and gently on all sides. Press very lightly so that the mixture does not come out.

Heat an iron tawa and roast the parathas, cooking them on both the sides with a spoonful of ghee/oil. If you want to use less ghee/oil on the parathas, first roast them on both the sides on low flame and when they are slightly crispy, apply ghee/oil with a kitchen brush on both the sides. You must keep the flame low.

Serve hot with pickle, onions and curds .

Orange Cake

Baking, Desserts

My sweet tooth began at an early age. I remember growing up, eating this cake which mom made so often during my school days. She always used to make it with butter but here, I have substituted it with oil for obvious health reasons. Nevertheless, this cake bursts with citrus flavours and tastes just delicious.

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – 2 1/2 cups

Eggs – 4 large

Baking powder – 2 1/2 tsp

Sunflower or Canola oil – 1 cup

Freshly squeezed orange juice – 1 1/4 cups

Granulated sugar – 1 1/2 cups

Orange zest of 3 oranges

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F or 180 degree C. Grease two loaf pans (8 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch pans).

In a mixing bowl, whisk flour and baking powder and keep aside.

In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar on high speed using a hand held electric mixer for 3 -4 minutes until they become fluffy. Then, reduce the speed to low and keep adding oil slowly until well combined. Now add the orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract and keep whisking until it is well combined.

Next, add the flour slowly keeping the speed of the beater on low or use a spatula to mix it well. Do not overmix it as the cake may fall flat while baking.

Then, pour the batter into the two pans for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.

Dust it with powdered sugar and serve.

Note: I always used to grate the oranges to take the zest but a tip from my friend Cini was a great time saver. She asked me to peel the orange skins using a peeler and chop it fine with a knife or grind it once in the mixer to a coarse texture. Try and let me know if this works for you too.

Stuffed R’ghayef/Msemen (Moroccan Stuffed Flat Bread)

Baking

Moroccan cuisine has a number of flat breads which are mostly pan fried. These breads are mostly served with Tajines, soups and stews. R’ghayef is very much like the other Moroccan bread Meloui, but this one has a stuffing of onions and parsley inside.

This recipe was sourced from the ‘diplomatic kitchen’. You can substitute the all purpose flour in this recipe with wheat flour also.

Makes 10.

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

All purpose flour or maida – 3 cups

Semolina or rava – 1 cup

Salt – 1 tsp

Instant yeast – 1 1/4 tsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 3 tsp

Oil for brushing on the breads

Water for kneading dough – 3/4 cup or more

Stuffing:

Onion finely chopped – 1/2 cup

Chillie flakes – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Parsley chopped – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Melted butter – 1 1/2 tbsp

Preparation:

In 1/4 cup of warm water, add the yeast and sugar and stir well. Keep it aside for 10 minutes until it froths well and rises.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, semolina, salt, the frothed yeast, oil and knead well adding enough warm water. The dough should be soft and pliable. Once it is kneaded well, rub yr hands with little oil and apply the oil all over the rolled ball of dough. Cover with a cling wrap and keep it aside for 2 to 3 hours until it doubles up in size. The more it sits, the softer the bread will be.

After 3 hours, take the dough and punch it and divide the dough into 10 balls and keep it covered with cling wrap for another hour (pic 7)

Now, to prepare the stuffing, take a small mixing bowl and add the finely chopped onions, chopped parsley, red chillie flakes, cumin powder, salt and melted butter. Combine well and keep it aside.

Take a ball of the dough and roll it into a circle as thin as possible. Place the prepared stuffing evenly on the rolled out dough (picture 9). Fold the circle (as shown in picture 10). Then, fold the other two ends again (as in picture 11) to make it into a square. Now, roll and flatten the square to about one inch thickness (picture 12).

Heat a griddle and when it is hot, lower the flame and place the rolled out dough on it and cook. Add a few drops of oil on all sides and when golden, flip and cook the other side, adding a tsp of oil again.

Serve with any curry of your choice.

Note : You can use 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour for this recipe or substitute the all purpose flour with wheat flour.

Srilankan Pol Roti

Baking

These are rustic flatbreads native to Srilanka which are made of coconut milk, chillies and shredded coconut. As Srilanka is a coastal island, their cuisine is mostly tropical flavoured.

Delicious in every bite, you can serve this with any curries or gravies.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour – 1 cup

Maida – 1 cup

Onion – 1 finely sliced

Curry leaves – 10 leaves finely chopped

Red chillie flakes – 1 tsp

Green chillies – 3 finely chopped

Coconut grated – 1 cup

Thick Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water – 1/4 cup or as needed

Preparation:

In a big mixing bowl, add the grated coconut, finely chopped green chillies, onions, chopped curry leaves, red chillie flakes and mix well. In another bowl, mix both the flours separately and add it to the coconut. Add the oil, salt, coconut milk, water and knead it well.

The texture of the roti will change depending on the amount of grated coconut you add. The more you add, the more softer it will be but you may find it difficult to roll them out.

Incorporate all the items together and knead into a soft pliable dough. Apply oil to your hands, knead it again and keep it for an hour to rest.

After an hour, separate it into 10 balls and keep it aside. On a lightly oiled surface, take a ball and shape the dough into circles. You may use a roller pin to shape it into a roti. If it sticks to the surface, dust a little flour and try rolling it into the shape.

Heat a skillet/tava. When it is really hot, place the rolled roti on the skillet and allow to cook on one side. Smear a little oil on it and flip it to cook the other side. Apply a little oil again and cook until it is golden in colour.

Serve it with any of your favourite gravy.

Veggie and Chicken Pizza

Baking

This recipe makes 4 pizzas. You may halve it for making two pizzas or freeze the dough and make it later.

For Pizza topping:

Mozarella cheese – 250 gms or as needed

Capsicum – 1 thinly sliced

Onion – 1thinly sliced

Mushroom – 3 sliced

Tomatoes – 1

Tinned Corn kernels – 1 tbsp

Cooked chicken – 4 or 5 small pieces (optional)

Olives – 3 or sliced (optional)

Tomato Sauce – 2 tbsp

For Pizza dough

Warm water – 2 1/2 cups

Sugar – 1/4 cup

Instant yeast – 3 tsps

Oil – 1/4 cup

Maida/All purpose flour – 6 cups

Salt – 2 tsp

Preparation of the dough:

In a bowl, add water, sugar and yeast. Allow the mixture to become frothy. It takes about 10 minutes to become frothy. Then, add the oil.

In another bowl, add maida and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and mixing it gently. Continue to add the flour little at a time and combine all together with a spatula. The dough will be a little sticky at this time. Gently knead it by hand for 5 to 7 minutes until soft. Once the dough is kneaded, apply oil all over the dough and cover the dough in plastic wrap and keep it in a wide bowl. Let the dough rise at room temperature and double in one hour.

After it has doubled in size, turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Pull the dough around to bottom and make it into a circular ball. Cut it into 4 equal pieces.

You may halve the recipe and make 2 pizzas. You may also freeze one portion or two portions for later use.

For 1 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce:

Tomatoes – 3 or 4 peeled and diced

Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Garlic – 1 minced

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf – 1

Dry Oregano – 1 tsp

Dry basil – 1 tsp

Red Chillie flakes – 1/4 tsp

Black Pepper powder – less than 1/4 tsp

Salt – As needed

In a pan, heat oil. Add garlic and then the diced tomatoes. Add the sugar, basil, oregano, bay leaf, pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes until the raw smell disappears.When cooked, cool it and blitz it in a mixie or blender, until smooth.

Preparing the pizza:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees for 15 minutes or until it beeps.

Meanwhile, roll out one portion of dough into the desired shape (round or rectangle) into a medium or thick crust, as per your preference. Place a parchment paper over the baking tray. Place the rolled out dough on the parchment paper. Spread the pizza sauce over the rolled out dough. Add grated cheese over it and top it with vegetables and the chicken pieces. Sprinkle Italian herbs and chillie flakes. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes at 200 degree celsius. Take it out, slice and serve.

Bread

Baking

The staff of life. Mainstay of existence of many. It is a staple food for many, prepared with flour and water and is one of the world’s oldest foods. Comes in combinations of different flours, shapes, sizes and textures. I have tried a lot of bread recipes but the one that I absolutely loved is this one. Soft with a perfect crispy crust, this one is easy to make, with minimum ingredients. This makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

Warm water- 2 1/4 cup

Dry yeast – 2 1/4 tsp

Salt – 1 tbsp

Sugar – 3 tbsp

Maida or All Purpose Flour – 6 1/4 cups

Olive oil – 2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

Take the warm water in a deep big bowl. Add yeast to the bowl and stir well. Then add sugar and stir again well. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes to foam.

To this bowl, add salt, 2 tbsp oil and 3 cups of flour and mix well. Add flour again little by little and knead it by hand or if you have a electric dough hook, knead it well for about 10 minutes. The dough should not be too sticky. If after adding 6 cups, the dough is still sticky add 1/4 cup or else, leave it at 6 cups.

Add 1/4 tsp oil to the bowl and turn the dough over a few times to coat the outside of the dough with the oil. Cover and allow to rise until double in size (1-2 hours).After it’s risen, shape bread into two loaves and place in two 9×5 inch greased bread pans. Cover again and allow to rise until about double in size (about 30-45 minutes). Brush a light coating of egg wash (whole egg beaten with 1 tbsp water) on top of the dough before baking. Bake on 190 degrees Celsius (375degrees F) for 30-35 minutes. Brush a light coating of butter on the top of the bread, and allow the bread to sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then remove from pan and set on a wire rack to cool.