Strawberry Swiss Roll

I remember learning these super delicious Swiss rolls in my first bakery lessons around 6 years back. I was super excited to bake this then, as the way a sponge cake sheet is rolled with fillings of your choice.
I have tried this many times before, but finally created the best possible Swiss roll.
I hope my readers will enjoy this.

Strawberry Swiss Roll

Ingredients:
For sponge Cake:
2 Eggs
50gm Sugar (Grained)
50gm Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Salt (a pinch)
30ml Water
1tsbp Vanilla Essence

For the Strawberry Filling:
As it is not season of strawberries, I used strawberry syrup. You can use strawberry jam too.

Whipped Cream
Strawberry Syrup or Jam
Sugar Syrup to moisten the sponge sheet.

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven at 225 degree Celsius.
• Line a cake tray with butter in which you need to make the sponge sheet.
• Sieve Flour and baking powder together.
• Whip eggs and sugar for 5 minutes with help of an electric blender till it turns fluffy and moo use like.
• Add all the other ingredients (sugar + flour+ baking powder+ Vanilla Essence).
• Beat the mixture till it becomes smooth and fluffy. ( Do not over mix the batter)
• Fold in water with the batter very lightly
• Pour the batter into the greased tray and bake it for 15 minutes or till it becomes brown from the top.
• Keep checking it from time to time.

For the Filling:

250 ml whipping cream

Food color (Pink) (a pinch)

1tbsp Icing Sugar
Strawberry Syrup (I used Mapro)

Procedure:

• Take 250 ml of any whipping cream.
• Whip the cream with the help of a beater. Make sure the cream is cold
• Add the pink color and the strawberry syrup.
• Fold it in.
• The filling is ready to be used in the roll. 

For assembling the rolls:

Strawberry Swiss Roll

•     Remove the sponge from the tray once it is cooled down.
•     Place the sponge over a butter paper.
•     Moist the sponge with sugar syrup. (You can add strawberry essence in the syrup if u want to)
•     Apply the whipped cream with a palate knife.
•     Spread it all over smoothly.
•     Now roll the sponge alongwith the butter paper with light hands.
•     Seal it from both ends. 
•     Keep it in the freezer for 30 minutes so that it sets and cutting the Swiss rolls becomes easier.
•     After 30 minutes remove the butter paper.
•     With the help of a pallate knife do the icing of the Swiss roll with the remaining cream.
•     Cut into slices and serve.
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Kurukuri Bhindi with Rich Cashew Gravy

I tasted this kind of Bhindi for the first time in Pune, Maharashtra. I came to know tat this is some speciality in the restaurants of Pune.
I got bored of making the regular bhindi so tested this one at home. Its different. The crispiness of the ladyfinger when it blends with the smooth and tangy tomato and cashew nut gravy gives a very rich taste.

Kurkuri Bhindi with rich Cashew Gravy

Ingredients
250gms Ladyfinger (Bhindi)

For frying the Ladyfinger
2tbsp Gramflour (besan)
Salt to taste
1tsp Red Chilly Powder
1tsp Mango Powder (Amchur)

For the Gravy

3 medium sized onions
2 medium sized tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
12-15 Cashew nut
Milk to soak the cashews
2 tbsp Fresh Cream
Salt to taste
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Whole Red Chilies
Fresh Coriander Leaves
1 cup water (or as you want the consistency of the gravy to be)
1 tbsp Ghee

Procedure:
For Frying the Bhindi:

• Cut the bhindis lengthwise.
• Sprinkle besan + salt + amchur + red chilly powder. Mix it well.
• Heat oil for frying
• Deep fry the bhindis till its crispy.
• Remove on towel paper.

For the gravy:

• Soak the cashew nuts in milk.
• Peal the onions, finely chop them.
• Heat ghee in a kadahi, add in the cumin seeds + whole red chillies. when they stop cluttering add in the chopped onion + green chillies + ginger and garlic paste.
• Mix them well, let it cook on low heat till the onion turns pink.
• Then add the tomato puree. 
• Add in salt + turmeric powder + cumin powder + coriander powder + red chilly powder.
• Mix all this well. Cover the lid so that the tomatoes are cooked properly stirring continuously.
• When the mixture is cooked. Switch off the gas stove.
• Let it cool.
• Then put the mixture into the blender to make it a fine paste.
• Again in the same kadahi, add in 1 tsp ghee again then add in the cooked onion tomato paste + the cashew paste.
• Mix it well. let this mixture cook for 10 minutes.
• Then add in fresh cream and 1cup water. 
• Add in the coriander leaves.
• Close the lid let it simmer on low heat for another 5-8 minutes.
• Put the gravy in the bowl.
• Top it wid the fried crispy bhindi.
• Serve hot with Chapatis.

Kurkuri Bhindi with rich Cashew Gravy

Marble Cake

Being pregnant makes you indulge in all that is rich in calories. I had this terrible craving of eating a freshly baked homemade cake. And nothing better than eating a cake which has a blend of both vanilla and chocolate flavours.
Its the best alternative, if you  cannot decide on to what flavour you want to have in cake. The cake is rich in its flavours, buttery and moist.
Normally it is baked in a bundt pan, but due to its unavailability, I baked it in a normal round baking dish.
If u have it then go for it.

Marble Cake

Inspired by : Joy of Baking Website

Ingredients:
295gms Plain Flour (Maida)
170gms Butter (Salted or Unsalted) at Room Temperature
250gms Castor Sugar
3 Large eggs
2tsp Vanilla Extract
2tsp Baking Powder
1/4tsp Baking Soda
120ml Milk

For the chocolate batter:
140gms of Semisweet Dark Chocolate

1 Baking Dish
Butter or non stick spray for lining the pan

Procedure:

• Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 20 minutes.
• Butter the pan in which you need to bake the cake.
• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl using the double boiler method or simply heat it in a microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients together (Flour + Baking Powder + Baking Soda)
• Now, with the help of a hand blender beat the butter until smooth.
• You can even use your hand to cream the butter. I prefer using hand and blender both
• Now add eggs one at a time, make sure it does not cuddle up.
• After the eggs alternately add the maida and the milk.
• Keep stirring slowly.
• Now divide the mixture into two portions. Depending on to which portion you want more, vanilla or chocolate.
• Now in one portion mix in the melted chocolate.
• Place the batters into the Pan which u have prepared alternating with vanilla and chocolate batters.
• In the end with help of a knife or a fork draw light swirl to give the marble effect.
• Place it inside the oven.
• Bake it for about 35-40 minutes or till the toothpick comes out  clean when inserted.
• Remove from oven and place it over a wire rack till it cools down completely.
• De-pan it.
• Dust it with icing sugar or cocoa powder.

Slice of Marble Cake

Tips:

• While baking when u see the color starts to appear, cover the cake with a sheet of aluminium foil, so tat it does not become too dark.
• Marble cake is the best accompaniment with evening tea or coffee.

Kashmir: A Dream Destination

I always wanted to visit Kashmir, but was always apprehensive about the safety issues there. We always thought that going as a couple is not safe one should always go as a group so that if something happens one has people to support. But all these apprehensions disappeared into thin air, when we were actually there.

I am too inspired by movies ;p snow clad  mountains, heroines dancing wearing a saree, bornfire and so on, so we decided to visit this beautiful place during winters, when the temperatures are low, snow everywhere.
So Feb was the right time.

To get to Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kahmir we boarded a flight from Mumbai to Srinagar a direct flight of 2.30 hrs

At the Mumbai airport Good Times Bar

. We finally reached Srinagar and it snowed just 2hrs before our flight landed. The temperatures were already freezing.

Snow at the Srinagar Airport

We spent our first night on a 100-foot houseboat with carved cedar interiors on Nagin Lake., named as Gurkha Houseboats, a property of Welcome Heritage Group. 
Superb display of hospitality was seen at the houseboat. 

Inside view of the Houseboat

Speciality of Kashmir Paper Mache Handicraft

Dinner Laid out.

Just before the sunset we took a shikara ride on d dal lake, the captain of the shikara showed us various places on the lake like the floating garden, kabootar khana. These r the places where many bollywood movies were shot. we saw mughal gardens, which had no flowers but yes snow was all around.

Shikara Ride @ Dal Lake

An awesome view

Dal Lake in the evening

Shopping on the Dal Lake

Few Purchases

Floating Restuarants @ Dal lake

After a fantastic stay at the Gurkha Houseboats we shifted to enjoy the hospitatlity of the Taj Group of Hotels. A beautiful property on the hills. 

Taj Srinagar

Front View of Taj

Coffee Shop @ Taj

Satisfy your Food Cravings by ordering online through Food Panda.

Gone were the days when u were new in a city and you never knew where to have food. You are busy unpacking and have no time to go out and have something. The same thing happened with me when I had moved from Mumbai to Pune, then I came across this amazing website Foodpanda.com which promises to deliver food at your door step.
Before writing about my experience about ordering through the site I would tell something about the company and how it works.
Food Panda has its operations running in 8 countries including India. It has made ordering food more convenient   as you don't need to go the sites of individual restaurants to order food, You just need to register yourself on foodpanda, and thus all your problems are solved thereon.
In India, Food Panda has it oeprations in Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Noida and Panchkula-Mahauli-Chandigarh.

You can order your food in three simple steps: select your area, select the restaurant,  and then order. Many reputed chains of restaurant are registered with food panda like Pizza hut, Subway, Zaafran, mast kalandar, pind baluchi and many others. Depending on the city and the area you are living in u can order. There are around 1820 restaurants registered depending upon the cuisines like mughlai, continental, Italian, sea food, European, Ice cream, deserts and many more. You can browse through the menu of the individual restaurants and order as per your likings.
One more thing you don't need a laptop to go to their website, just download their application on android, ios servers and there you go.
I had a very fine experience while ordering. Due to server problem I was not able to get the unique id which you get when you register for the first time on your mobile network. The customer care was so friendly they called me and accepted my registration and order without any hassles.
Here is the link to this site:
http://www.foodpanda.in/

http://www.foodpanda.in/restaurants link to the restaurants. 

Lettuce & Pineapple Salad

Salads are considered to be the most boring of all the dishes, but  it can be the most adventurous one too. One can do so many experiments with it. Add in colors, different dressings and you can make a treat for your palate. All that it requires a little inspiration from here and there.

Lettuce & Pineapple Salad

Ingredients:
4 leaves of Lettuce
6-7 Cherry tomatoes
1/2cup Pineapple diced

For Dressing:
1tsp Honey
1tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Roughly chop the lettuce leaves. You can do it with hands without using knife.
• In a bowl, add in chopped lettuce + diced Pineapple + cherry tomatoes cut into halves.

To make the dressing:

• Take a bowl add in honey + olive oil + lime juice + salt + pepper. Mix well.

Toss the salad with the dressing.
Serve

Indian Desert: Falooda Recipe

I remember having this awesome delight during my stay in Mumbai when I was here for the first time. We were staying in Holiday Inn, so one night after dinner, we were craving for some Indian desert. Pondering over the menu I came across Falooda read the description and found it quiet interesting, without second thought I ordered it. And so I discovered this awesome desert which is just superb with loads of flavours.
Then I came to know that it is the famous street food of Mumbai, Again I ate this in Chowpatty. So I  just wanted to try this at home.
Its quiet a simple dish to prepare and all the ingredients are readily available.You need to make little effort in finding the sabja seeds, I odered  it online from Big basket.com. Will review it in one of my posts later.

Falooda 

Yield:
Makes one Glass

Ingredients:
1glass of Milk (Full Cream)
50gms Falooda Sev or Vermicelli
2tbsp Rose Syrup
2scoops of Kesar Pista Kulfi (you can use any variant)
1tbsp Sabja Seeds (Sweet Basil)

Procedure:

• Soak Sabja seeds for at least one hour before making the desert.
• Boil the Falloda sev or vermicelli in water till its done.
• Remove the water once it is cooked, add the cooked noodles in milk.
• Add in sugar 1tsp and rose 1tbsp rose syrup.
• Cook this for five minutes.
• Remove it from gas. Allow it to cool.
• Keep it the freezer or refrigerator untill it is chilled.

For Serving:

• Take a tall glass, add in 1tbsp of Rose syrup at the bottom of the glass.
• Now add in sabja seeds.
• Pour the milk over it.
• Add in kesar pista kulfi.
• Serve chilled.

Falooda

Cottage cheese sizzlers with Green Rice & Schezwan Sauce

Sizzling is all about capturing the flavor of the most important ingredient “ smoke”.  The method of smoking food is a classic tradition in cuisines in an around the world. Smoking Kebabas, tikkas, are a favorite among all the foodies.

The whole drama involved in getting the hot skillet on the table with occasional steam and hiss makes the diner even more craving for the dish.

If one search on web about the origin of this spectacular dish, one may not find a lot about it as some says its American and some Italian, some even says its from the maximum city. Whatever may the origin be the sizzlers leaves you salivating for sure.

It might qualify as a culinary genius but surely a genius in tastes, presentations.

Sizzler tastes best with best made sauce be it Schezwan Sauce, black pepper sauce or simple Worchester sauce. 

Cottage cheese sizzlers with Green Rice & Schezwan Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Vegetables accompaniment:

1 cup cauliflower florets (boiled)

1 cub carrot (cubed) (boiled)

1/2 cup green peas (boiled)

7-8 baby onions

1/2 medium sized capsicum

1/2 medium sized red bell pepper

1/2 medium sized yellow bell pepper

Salt to taste

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tbsp red chilly sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1tbsp Butter

French Fries

For the Patty:

250 gms fresh cottage cheese (paneer)

2 medium-sized potatoes (boiled)

2 green chilies

1tbsp garlic and ginger paste

Salt to taste

1tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Red Chili Sauce

For the Green Rice:

1 cup Long-grained Rice

250 gms Coriander (Finely chopped)

6-7 Garlic Cloves (Finely Chopped)

2tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

1tsp Basil

1tsp Oregano

2tbsp Chili Flakes

For the Sizzler Plate:

2-3 cabbage leaves

Procedure:

For the boiling of the vegetables:

Take a vessel put in the cauliflower + green peas +carrots. Add 3 cups of water in it + 1 tsp of salt. Let the vegetables cook for 10 minutes.

Sauté of the vegetables: 

• Heat butter in a kadahi, add in the onions. Sauté them for a while till it changes color and turns pink.
• Add in the capsicum + red and yellow bell peppers. Saute this also.
• Then add in all the remaining boiled vegetables. Mix them all well.
• Add in Salt + Red Chili Sauce + Worcestershire sauce+ Black Pepper + Oregano + Basil.
• Let all this cook for a while. Keep it aside.

For the Patty:

• Now in a bowl, mash the boiled potato, and then add in the cottage cheese. Mix it well.
• Add in the green chilies + ginger + garlic + Red chili sauce + Worcestershire sauce. Mix them all well.
• Then divide the batter in equal part so that 3 patties can be made out of them.
• Take one part, make it in a big flat tikki (patty)
• Heat oil in pan; put the patty in it to roast it.
• Once it get cooked. Keep it aside.

For the Sauce:

• Take another pan; add 1 tsp oil in it. Then add in 1 tsp chopped garlic.
• Then add in the 2 tbsp of sauce Schezwan + 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Mix it well.
• After one boil, switch off the gas.

For the Green Rice:

• ·         Soak the rice for 1 hour before cooking.
• ·         Boil the rice with salt and 1tsp oil.
• ·         Heat the remaining oil in a wok; add in garlic and the chopped coriander.
• ·         Add in salt (if required) + basil + oregano + chili flakes.
• ·         Add in boiled rice.
• ·         Mix it well.
• ·         Add in lime juice.
• ·         Mix and keep it aside.

How to assemble:

• Put the plate on the stove.
• Place the cabbage leaves on it.
• Put the patty on one side of the plate. and 1 bowl of vegetables on the other side.
• On one side of the plate spread rice.
• Put some french fries on it also.
• Add 1 tbsp of butter over it to get that extra smoke.
• Add 1 tbsp of schezwan sauce over the patty and the vegetables.
• Sprinkle water so that the smoke gets even more wild.
• Serve hotttt

Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

Yet another Day, yet another craving for cupcakes and this time it is Chocolate.  Read somewhere:

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” 
― Charles M. Schulza

So all the chocolate lovers gear up for this weekend and try these yummilicious cupcakes with loads of chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

110 gms Flour

110 gms Castor Sugar

110 gms Butter

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

30 ml Milk

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Procedure:

• ·         Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
• ·         In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and keep aside.
• ·         Put the butter and sugar in a bowl.
• ·         Cream with beater till light and pale.
• ·         Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well.
• ·         Add in vanilla extract.
• ·         Gradually add in the flour, seeing that no lumps are formed.
• ·         Add in milk.
• ·         Mix it well.
• ·         Do not over beat the batter.
• ·         Pour the batter in greased and lined muffin tray.
• ·         Bake for 15-20  minutes at 160 degrees.

F       For the Icing:

     Chocolate Ganache

    Ingredients:

    100 gms Chocolate

     50  ml Cream

     Procedure:

• 
  
•     Melt the chocolate on a double boiler or you can do it in the microwave also.
•     For 30sec-1minute microwave it in the oven.
•     Fold in cream.
•    Whisk together to combine.
•     Put it in piping bag/spread it over the cupcakes.
•     After spreading the ganache, top it with whipped cream
•     I added yellow color, in the whipped cream you can choose any of the colors.
•     Decorate with sprinkles.
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  Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

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Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I am posting another awesome flavour of cupcakes. As February is approaching, Red Velvet Cupcakes  are ideal for the month of love decorated with hearts and other sprinkles.

Hoping u all will enjoy these beastly creatures a lot.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

125gms Flour

125gms Castor Sugar

50gms Butter

15gms Cocoa Powder

1tsp Vanilla Extract

1tsp Baking Powder

1/4tsp Baking Soda

1 Egg

Few drops Red Color

85ml Buttermilk

Few Drops of Vinegar

Procedure:

·          Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

·          In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.

·          In another bowl cream butter and sugar till pale.

·          Add the egg beat well.

·          Then gradually add in the flour mixture.

·          Finally add the color, buttermilk and vinegar.

·          Pour the batter into the lined and grease muffin moulds.

·          Bake in an oven for 15-20minutes at 160 degrees.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

100gms Butter

200gms Icing Sugar

50gms Cream Cheese

Food color of your choice

Procedure:

·          Beat the butter in a bowl.

·          Add in the cream cheese.

·          Then add in the icing sugar.

·          Beat till stiff.

·          You can add the food color but I have kept it white color.

·          Pipe on the cooled cupcakes.

·          Decorate with sprinkles

Vanilla Cupcakes with whipped cream and strawberries

Whenever I think of cupcakes I have this song going on in my  mind :
                                            "You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye These tiny creatures makes me go weak in the knees, and whenever I see them in any cake shop I just want to have all of them that results in over-eating. Since a long time I wanted to make them at home, with proper knowledge of it, so i decided to take a class, I attended Palate Culinary Studio in Mumbai, to learn the art of making the cupcakes.  It was a great experience and I learnt a lot. I made them at home, and they came out just the way I wanted them to be. Here is the recipe of Vanilla cupcakes. You can experiment it with different icings, but i chose whipped cream. Hope u will enjoy reading them and making them too.

Vanilla Cupcakes with whipped cream & strawberries

Ingredients:

110gms Flour

110gms Castor Sugar

110gms Butter

1/4tsp Baking Powder

30ml Milk

2 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Procedure:

• ·         Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
• ·         In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and keep aside.
• ·         Put the butter and sugar in a bowl.
• ·         Cream with beater till light and pale.
• ·         Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well.
• ·         Add in vanilla extract.
• ·         Gradually add in the flour, seeing that no lumps are formed.
• ·         Add in milk.
• ·         Mix it well.
• ·         Do not over beat the batter.
• ·         Pour the batter in greased and lined muffin tray.
• ·         Bake for 15-20  minutes at 160 degrees.

For the Icing:

Ingredients:

250 ml whipping cream

Food color of your choice

1tbsp Icing Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract

7-8 Strawberries (small)s

Procedure:

• ·         Take 250 ml of any whipping cream.
• ·         Whip the cream with the help of a beater. Make sure the cream is cold.
• ·         Add in color of ur choice, or u can leave it white also.
• ·         Put it in the piping bag.
• ·         Pipe it on the cup cakes.
• ·         Take some small strawberries, place it on the iced cupcakes.
• ·         Dust it with icing sugar