Baked Gulab Jamoon / Jamun

Several years ago Gulab Jamoons used to be my go to dessert. My sister-in-law had shared this recipe with me and it was fool proof. However, the gulab jamoons were deep fried. When I stopped deep frying foods I stopped making them. I have not made them for a very long time. Lately, I have been trying to come up with baked versions of a lot of deep fried recipes. This is my latest converted recipe.

Gulab Jamoon is one of the few desserts that my daughter loves. I remember once I had to make 110 gulab jamoon for a dinner party. My daughter was just 5-6 years old then. I heated up a large kadai/wok so I could get it done quickly. I made the first batch of 10 and put them on a kitchen paper towel. My daughter asked if she could taste it and I told her she could have two. I turned around to make the next batch of 10. By the time the second batch was done the first one had disappeared. All 10 gone! Even today she prefers to have them dry before they are added to the sugar syrup. And she will not eat them unless they are made by me. Now I have a healthier version that I can make for her. She gave this recipe two thumbs up.

Last week I made my first attempt at baked jamoons. They turned out hard and unedible. In hindsight I realized the dough needed more liquid, the baking temperature should have been lower and they were baked longer than needed. Two days ago I fixed all those problems and got the perfect jamoons. To ensure that I didn't just get lucky I tried it again yesterday with identical successful results. I ran my trials on a small quantity. You can increase the amount by doubling the recipe.

You will need (for 6-7 jamoons)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry milk powder
a pinch baking powder
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

For the syrup
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine the ingredients for the syrup in a pan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat all the way and simmer.

Combine the first three ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the whipping cream and form a very soft dough. Divide the dough into 6-7 marble sized portions. Roll each portion on the palm of your hand to form a ball. Place the prepared jamoon on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat with all the portions.

Bake in the preheated oven at 325 F for 6-7 minutes or until the top is dry and the under side is just beginning to brown. You should be able to pick up the jamoon without altering its shape.

Switch the oven to broil. Remove the parchment paper from under the jamoons. DO NOT FORGET TO REMOVE THE PAPER. Broil for 1-2 minutes watching the jamoon like a hawk. They should turn a deep golden brown. Turn them over and broil for half a minute. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes. The size of the baked jamoon should be considerably larger than the size you started with.

Place the jamoons in the syrup and let them simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat. Allow the jamoons to soak for about half an hour at the minimum before eating. You can refrigerate the jamoons and they will keep for a couple of days. Heat leftovers in the microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.

Enjoy!




This is my entry for week two, day one of BM #47 for the theme Indian Desserts. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#47.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Several years back we started celebrating Thanksgiving with a traditional meal. Stuffing was one of the recipes I wanted to make. Though the word stuffing suggests it is used to stuff something, stuffing is also eaten as a side. It was the side that I wanted to make. Having no idea where to begin I started asking around and searching online. I found prepackaged bags of bread cubes with spices. You were supposed to add the vegetables and bake it. It seemed simple enough so I bought a package and tried it. We did not enjoy it. Next year I bought a different brand but stuffing remained the least popular of the Thanksgiving dishes. Over the years I have refined all my thanksgiving recipes and a couple years ago I found this stuffing recipe made of a day old challah loaf.

I have not made any other recipe since then. This is my annual go to recipe. It has a mix of vegetables, fresh made vegetable stock and the very flavorful challah loaf. Challah is a rich flavorful bread and my daughter munches on the loaf all by itself. This year I had planned to bake the challah myself but things got rather hectic just before Thanksgiving so that did not happen. I have promised myself to make it next year. We shall see. In the meantime here is the recipe for stuffing.

Recipe adapted from here.

You will need (for one 13 x 17 baking pan)
1 loaf of day old challah (I got it from Whole Foods)
2 cups celery, diced
2 cups onion, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
8-10 sprigs thyme, use leaves, discard stem
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
3 cups vegetable stock
2 oz. butter for cooking
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Cut the challah into small cubes. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet for at least a day up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Dice the onion, carrots and celery.

Heat 1 oz. butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the onions and sauté until transparent.

Add thyme, parsley, celery and carrots. Cook for about 10 minutes, do not cook them completely.

Prepare a 13x9 baking dish by rubbing some of the remaining butter on the bottom. Melt the rest to combine with the stuffing mixture. In a large bowl, combine the bread, partially cooked vegetable mixture, vegetable broth and the melted butter. Season it with salt and black pepper.

Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.

Bake covered with foil for 45 minutes. Remove foil and let it brown for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Cranberry Orange Cookies

When I baked cranberry muffins using fresh cranberries I did not know what to expect. My daughter absolutely loved the sweet and tart muffins. I took my cue and decided to bake more goodies with fresh cranberries. These fresh cranberry orange cookies were very well liked. They made their way into the school lunch box as dessert.

I am not big on cookies and we rarely have cookies in the house. Today my daughter had a big chemistry test so I decided to bake some cookies for her to snack on when she got back from school. I was thinking of chocolate when I suddenly decided on fresh cranberries. She did full justice to the cookies when she got home.

Instead of all purpose flour I used whole wheat flour. As such the cookies don't keep very well. If you plan to eat them over an extended period substitute 50% of wheat flour with all purpose flour. I did not add any nuts but you could add 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts if you like.

You will need
1/4 cup butter, melted
scant 1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. applesauce
2 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur organic white whole wheat flour)
a pinch baking powder
a pinch salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the applesauce and orange juice. Beat until blended. Now mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Fold the flour into the butter mixture. Add the cranberries.

Mix together and drop large spoonfuls of the batter on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will be very soft.

Gently transfer them to a cooling tray. They will harden just a little but these cookies are meant to be soft and moist.

Enjoy!

Samosa Chaat With Chole

I have had samosa and I have had chole but I had never tasted a combination of the two. In fact I had never heard of samosa chaat with chole where the two are eaten together. The ingredients seem like they would make a perfect combination so I decided to give it a try. I had baked some samosa. I had made tamarind chutney and pudina chutney to go with it. All I needed was chole and some whisked yogurt.

I have the say the result was exceptional. The flavors were great together. They were perfect for a cold fall afternoon. I will definitely make this combination again.

Chaat toppings vary as per taste. I have seen pictures of sev and onion added as topping to this chaat. For my family I chose the chutneys and yogurt. Once you have the base you can experiment with the topping till you find a combination you love.

You will need
For the chole
1 cup chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1 tbsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. chole masala
1 tsp. cumin coriander powder
1 green chili pepper, minced
1 large tomato, diced

1 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste

salt to taste

For the chaat
Samosas
Tamarind chutney
Pudina chutney
1/2 cup yogurt, whisked
Chole from recipe above

To make the chole
Soak the beans overnight. Discard the soaking water, add half a cup of fresh water and pressure until tender for about 10 minutes (3 whistles). Reserve the cooking water. If using canned beans drain the water, rinse and keep aside until needed.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion. Saute the onion on medium low heat until it is translucent and starts to change color. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chole masala, cumin coriander powder and the green chili pepper. When the spices coat the onion add the tomatoes. Add the reserved water. If using canned beans add fresh water. Cook the masala until the tomatoes are mushy and the masala comes together. It will start to ooze oil. Add the tamaring paste and cooked beans.

Add a little water if too dry. Add salt to taste and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes and turn off heat.

To assemble the chaat
In a plate place two samosas. Crush their center so the other ingredients can be added.

Add a spoonful of chole masala on the top. Sprinkle some whisked yogurt, tamarind chutney and pudina chutney.

Enjoy!

Baked Samosa

Samosas are a popular Indian snack and one of the well known items on menu cards in restaurants that serve Indian food. The spicy, tangy filling in the samosa is what makes the dish. However, it is traditionally deep fried. If you have ever visited my blog before you would know I don't deep fry anything. But we all love samosas in my house and so I make baked samosas. They taste just as heavenly with all the usual fix-ins.

This recipe is a Maharastrian recipe with no onion or garlic. I add chole masala to add a new flavor to the spice mix. The mix of spices are chosen to add a tangy, hot and sweet taste to the samosas. The chutneys highlight these tastes.

For the shell I used whole wheat flour, all purpose flour and semolina (rava) in a 1:1:1 ratio. For my Indian readers, if you do not have access to all purpose flour please do not use maida. Instead use regular chapati flour.

You will need
For the filling
1 large russet potato
1 cup peas (I used frozen)
1 large carrot
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 green chili pepper, minced (or more according to taste)
1 tsp. amchur powder (mango peel powder)
1 tsp. chole masala
1 tsp. cumin coriander powder
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

For the shell
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour (you can use whole wheat flour)
1 cup semolina (rava)
3 tbsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water (adjust as needed)

To make the filling
Boil the russet potato in the microwave or pressure cooker. Peel and dice. Wash, peel the carrots and dice. In a microwave safe dish cook the diced carrot and peas until tender but not mushy.

Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle lower the heat and add the turmeric powder, green chili pepper, amchur powder, chole masala, cumin coriander powder and minced ginger. Saute for a few seconds. Now add the potatoes, carrots and peas. Mix the spices well with the vegetables and allow to cook until the vegetables are tender and everything comes together. Keep aside to cool.

To make the shell
In a mixing bowl combine the flours, semolina and salt. Heat the oil in a small pan and add it to the flour. Mix well together. Add the water and mix together. Use more water if needed. Form a soft dough and knead well for a couple of minutes. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.

To make the samosa
Preheat oven to 400 F. Knead the rested dough and break off a small portion the size of a lime. Keep the rest covered. Knead the portion of dough in your palm and place it on a work surface. Roll it into a 6 in disc. Using a knife or a dough cutter cut it into two equal halves.

Pick up one half and form a cone.

Fill the cup with the filling.

Moisten your finger with water and run it over the edge of the cone. Seal the edges.

Place the finished samosa on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Continue making samosas until the baking sheet is full. Warm a few tablespoons of milk in a bowl. Wash over the surface of the samosas. Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are beginning to change color.

Enjoy with tamarind chutney and mint chutney.

Eggless 100% Whole Wheat Laadi Pav / Dinner Rolls

I have posted dinner rolls with 50% whole wheat in this space. These rolls are made with 100% whole wheat flour. I used King Arthur organic white whole wheat flour. It is an organic high protein flour and produces very tasty dinner rolls. My daughter is very willing to munch on a hot roll without anything added to it.

I make these rolls often as we have Pav bhaji almost every weekend. Homemade and made 100 % whole wheat these rolls are very healthy. Whole wheat rolls are usually dense but I wanted them to be really soft. So I substituted eggs with yogurt and pinch of baking soda. The crumb was tight but the rolls were really soft.

You will need for 15 pav
5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1 pinch baking soda
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp milk for brushing the rolls

Sift the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and yeast. Whisk the yogurt with baking soda in a separate bowl.

When it starts to bubble add to the flour and mix well. Heat the milk and water in a microwave and add it to the flour along with the oil. Mix together to form a dough. Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place the ball of dough in the bowl, cover and allow to rise for 1-2 hours until it doubles in volumes. On a hot day this process might go faster.

Flour your hands and your working surface and transfer the dough on to it. Do not punch it. Be gentle as you work the dough into a rectangle. Using a pastry cutter cut equal portions of the dough. I got 15 rolls of ~76 gm each.

Shape the roll to get the smooth top. Fold in all the sides of the cut portion of dough.

Squeeze together.

Turn over. The under side now on the top should be smooth. Cup your palm around the ball of dough and rotate your arm such that the bottom of the balls rotates on the work surface. This seals in the bottom of the pav and creates tension on the top surface.

Place the rolls a half inch apart on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Cover loosely. Allow the rolls to rise for 20-30 minutes.

In the last 10 minutes preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the tops of the rolls with a little warm milk.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack for a couple minutes.

Enjoy!

 

Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is classic street food from Mumbai. Mixed vegetables cooked in butter served with fresh butter roasted rolls. Pav bhaji is now available in restaurant menus. It is also very popular on the party or potluck menu. I make pav bhaji almost every weekend to finish all the weekly leftover vegetables before I go grocery shopping again.

Pav bhaji is very loved in my house. I bake the pav or buns fresh for the day and everyone loves the spicy bhaji with the hot pav. I usually cook the bhaji in oil and use butter very sparingly if at all. You could however, use butter instead of the oil. Since the pav is hot and fresh I do not roast it on the pan in butter. However, if you are using store bought pav or day old pav you might want to brown them in butter on a hot griddle.

You will need
For the bhaji
1 large russet potato
3 carrots
2 large handfuls of green beans
1 onion
3 tomatoes
1 tbsp. olive oil (vegetable oil)
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp. pav bhaji masala
1 tsp. sugar
1 green chili pepper, minced
salt to taste
1 lemon

For the Pav Bhaji
Laadi pav
Bhaji from recipe above
garnish with raw onion and lemon juice

To make the bhaji
Wash, peel the carrot and cut into big chunks. Wash the green beans and cut the ends to remove the side strings. Cut in big pieces. Wash and clean the potato, Boil the vegetables in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes. You could also cook them in a steamer like I do.

Meanwhile dice the onion and tomatoes separately. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute on medium low heat until they are translucent and change color. Add the ginger garlic paste, pav bhaji masala, sugar and green chili pepper. Saute for another minute. Then add the tomatoes along with a cup of water. Cook the masala on medium heat until mushy and falling apart. Using a masher mash the masala. Do not grind in a blender. Continue to cook on low heat.

Peel the cooked potato and mash it. Mash the carrots and green beans.

Add the vegetables to the pan with the tomato masala.

Combine well so that the vegetables and masala are mixed together. Add salt to taste and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the top and mix together.

The bhaji is ready.

To put it together
Cut the pav in half and toast them on a heated pan. Heat the bhaji and garnish with lemon wedges and onion slices.

Alternately, if using oven fresh pav serve hot pav with hot bhaji.

Enjoy!