Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns are super delicious, pillow soft, spiced, loaded with raisins and candid fruits. I made these buns with whole wheat flour.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 200 gms

Brown sugar - 2 tablespoons

Instant yeast - 1 tsp

Milk powder - 2 tablespoons

Raisins - 2 tablespoons

Cranberries - 2 tablespoons

Pineapple chunks - 2 tablespoons

Orange zest - 1/2 tsp

Spice powder - 1 tsp (cinnamon, clove, cardamom)

Milk + water - 1/2 cup / as required

Butter - 2 tablespoons

Honey - 1 tsp (to brush after buns are baked)

Whole wheat flour + water - 2 tablespoons

(to make a paste and draw a cross on buns before baking)

Method:

# Mix whole wheat flour, brown sugar, milk powder, yeast, spice powder.

# Add raisins, cranberries, orange zest, pineapple chunks mix well.

# Add milk + water and knead a soft dough. It will be sticky... add butter and start kneading the dough...till it becomes soft.

# Cling wrap the dough till it doubles in size. (For 1 hr).

#  After first proofing, gently knead for 2 more minutes.

# Grease the baking tin with oil/ butter. (8' rectangular baking tin)

# Divide the dough to 12 portions. Take each portion tuck it well and arrange them in the baking tin.

# Cover and allow it to rest / proof for 2nd time.(30-35 minutes)

# Mix 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour + water to make a paste. Fill it in a piping bag.

# Preheat oven at 190'c.

# Once the buns doubles in size make a cross.

# Bake at 190'c for 20-25 minutes.

# Once it is baked, brush some honey.

# After 10 minutes demold and allow it to cool on wire rack. 

Hot Cross Buns are ready to serve.

Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberry Smoothie

Good Morning!

A simple, easy, healthy, fuss-free Smoothie recipe with fresh strawberries and banana's.

Ingredients:

Fresh strawberries - 1 cup

Banana's - 3-4 nos (medium size)

Oats - 2 tablespoons

Milk - 1/2 cup (125 ml)

Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Method:

# In a blender add chopped bananas, chopped strawberries, oats, sugar, milk and blend well... until every thing is smooth.

# Transfer to the serving glasses, garnish with strawberries and enjoy.

Pl. do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Proso Millet Dosa (Millet Dosai)

Proso Millet Dosa / Pannivaragu Dosai(Millet Dosai)

Millets are a good source of nutrition as compared to rice. Nowadays people prefer to take millets in their daily food intakes. Proso Millet / Pannivaragu/ Barri / Varrigulu/ Barahu dosa recipe is easy to make with just 3 ingredients. 

For dosa no fermentation is required but if you wish can rest the batter for half an hour.

My batter rested for 3-4 hrs. As I prefer resting the dosa batter which gives a slight sourness to dosa.

Ingredients:

Proso Millet/ Pannivaragu - 3 cups

Urud dal/ black gram dal - 1 cup

Fenugreek/ methi seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1.5 tsp / as per taste

Oil - 3-4 tablespoons

Method:

# Rinse and wash proso millet.

# Soak it for 2-3 hrs.

# Wash and soak urud dal and methi for 45 minutes.

# First grind urud dal and methi to a smooth paste. Sprinkle water / add water to form a smooth paste.

# Remove the urud dal paste in a container.

# Grind proso millet, salt by adding little water in two batches.

# Mix well urud dal paste and prosomillet paste together with your hands, as it helps the batter to ferment faster. For dosa batter you can add little water to adjust the consistency. It should not be thick like a idli batter. A thin dropping consistency.

# Heat a tawa / non-stick pan. Sprinkle oil let the tawa be heated well, add a scope of batter and spread to form a circle to make dosa. Sprinkle some oil. Flame should me in medium heat.

# In 30 seconds flip the dosa.

# Cook for 30 seconds. 

Proso Millet/ Pannivaragu Dosai is ready to serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Carrot Rice

Carrot Rice

Good Morning!

Carrot Rice is a delicious, healthy variety rice which can be packed as  lunch box for kids and office-goers.  You can add onion's in this recipe.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup

Carrots - 2 medium size (finely chopped)

Field beans/ green peas - fistful

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera/ cumin - 1/2 tablespoons

Urud dal -1/2 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Ginger - 1/2 tsp finely chopped

Green chilli - 1/2 tsp finely chopped

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves and mint leaves for garnish.

Method:

# Heat a pan add oil, mustard, let it splutter well, add jeera, urud dal, channa dal, let it slightly change its colour, add ginger, green chilli, carrot, field beans/ mochai, saute well. 

# Add dry masala's and salt. Sprinkle water and cook on slow flame. 

# Once cooked add rice, drizzle some oil and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and mint leaves.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Zarda Pulav / Meethe Chawal

Zarda Pulav/ Meethe Chawal

Zarda Pulav / Meethe Chawal is a sweet rice which is dressed with chopped nuts and flavoured with cardamom and saffron. This recipe is prepared for Vasanth panchami in North India. 

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 3 tablespoons

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Clove - 2 nos

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Bay leaves - 2-3 nos

Cashew & almonds - 1/4 cup

Raisins - 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder -1 tsp

Saffron strings - few

Milk - to soak saffron strings

Method:

# Wash and soak basmati rice for 1/2 hr.

# Boil 3 cups of water add 1 bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, add soaked basmati rice. Cook until it is 70 percent. Remove excess water from cooked rice.

# In a heavy bottom pan add ghee, bay leaves, fry cashew, almonds. Remove the nuts in separate plate.

# In the same ghee add turmeric powder, 1/2 cup water, sugar. Once sugar melts add half cooked rice.

# Allow it to cook on slow flame for 10-12 minutes.

# Once the rice soaks the sugar syrup add cardamom powder, saffron strings soaked in milk. 

# Mix chopped nuts. Serve Zarda Pulav/ Meethe Chawal.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Jowar Laddu

Jowar (Sorghum) laddu is a delicious, easy, healthy laddu packed with calcium and iron. Kids generally don't like to have millets. This is a healthy recipe which can be served in the evening with milk.

This laddu can be stored in an airtight container for 15-20 days.

Ingredients:

Jowar / Sorghum flour - 1 cup

Jaggery powder - 3/4 cup

Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Chopped cashew / almond - 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method:

# Dry roast jowar/sorghum flour on a medium flame or until you get a nice aroma. Be very careful as it gets burnt very soon. It took 10-12 minutes for me to roast the flour. Remove it. Allow it to slightly cooldown.

# Add jaggery powder, cardamom powder.

# Heat a pan add ghee, fry nuts add to the jowar, jaggery mixture.

# Mix well and start making laddu. 

When it is warm roll the laddu's.

Jowar Laddu's are ready to serve.

Please do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake 

Chritmas fruit cake is delicious, moist, super soft, aromatic cake. I'm sure while baking this cake...the flavours will definitely invite your neighbour's to knock the door.

This is an eggfree, butter milk cake with dried fruits and nuts soaked in tea decoration.

Soaking dried fruits 

http://swadishtkitchen.blogspot.com/2021/12/soaked-dried-fruits-for-christmas-fruit.html

Ingredients:

Dried fruits - 120 gms (mix of berries, raisins, appricot, glaze cherries, dried gooseberry, black raisins, tutti frutti.

Nuts - 30 gms (cashew, almond, walnuts)

Whole wheat flour - 1+1/4 cup (140 gms)

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Buttermilk - 1/4 cup

Oil  - 1/3 cup

Brown sugar - 120 gms

Tea decoration - 1/2 cup

Orange zest - 1/4 tsp

Lemon zest - 1/4 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Spices - cinnamon, cardamom, clove, mace ( yo can add while making tea decoration / as. Powder while mixing the batter.

Method

1 cup = 120 gms (flour)

# Sieve whole wheat flour and baking powder for 3-4 times.

# Soak dried fruits and nuts in tea decoration for over night / 2-3 hrs. 

Pl. check the method by clicking the link.

# Put the soaked dried fruits and nuts in siever for 1-2 hrs.

# Mix oil and brown sugar. Add butter milk, soaked dried fruits and nuts, lemon zest, orange zest, vannila essence.

# Preheat microwave convection oven at 150'c.

# Mix sieved flour in two batches.

#Grease baking tin with oil/ butter.

# Pour the cake batter.

#Bake at 150'c for 1 hr / until the skewer inserted comes out clean.

# Demold after 5-10 minutes.

Allow it to cool down completely on a wire rack.

Slice the Cake and enjoy with family and friends.

Do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!