Fruit custard is one of the easiest dessert that is a quick recipe, is super delicious and generally sought after by one and all. It is a creamy milk dessert made up of very few ingredients – fruits, milk, sugar and custard powder. You can use any of your favourite fruits in this custard and cherish this flavourful sweet treat. It is a remarkably simple yet luscious dessert which you can make a night before and serve the next day.
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Besan laddu is one such Indian sweet that is made in almost all households in India during festivals and celebrations. Besan is the Hindi word for chickpea/gram flour and Laddu refers in general to all round shaped Indian sweets. Besan laddu is an easy recipe that needs only 3-4 ingredients. Making it in the traditional way could be a bit tedious job, but let me tell you a recipe using which you can make it easily in less than 10 minutes.
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Sheer Khurma or Vermicelli Pudding or Sevaiyon ki Kheer is a luscious royal dessert. It is a traditional Eid dessert. I believe Sheer refers to milk and Kurma means dates. You need full fat milk, fine vermicelli, sugar and dry fruits to make this creamy-rich super delicious dessert; it is a very quick and easy recipe.
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Zebra cake is a vanilla and chocolate cake with stripes like that of a Zebra. It is one of the most beautiful Tea Cake I have made so far. I started baking (eggless) cakes in the lockdown only and since then have made a few cakes with plain/ all-purpose flour. Post the first 3-4 cakes, once confident, I started making cakes with whole wheat flour (aata).
This beautiful Zebra cake is one of the most favourite cake of my family and friends. When I made this cake for the first time I was totally chuffed and gave myself a pat when I looked at my beautiful cake.😍
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Nutella Chocolate Oreo Mousse is a sumptuous dessert which you can make very easily in just a few minutes. I never knew that this so delicious delicacy is so easy to make until my dear friend Krutika introduced me to it. It is egg free, rich, creamy and indeed chocolatey! You only need a few ingredients, whisk them properly and set them in the refrigerator and voila! Your super delicious Nutella Chocolate Oreo Mousse is ready!
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My baking journey started in this year’s lockdown (March 2020). And the full credit for my baking goes to my darling daughters – I took up baking just because of them. My first cake was for my elder angel’s birthday (end of March), as she just wanted a homemade cake for her birthday. Though I was a bit nervous, I took the plunge and baked the birthday cake and by God’s grace it turned out to be yummy and beautiful!
And that’s how I started, and got the courage to continue my baking journey. From then on I have tried many different cakes using multiple ingredients, dabbling in variety, taste, size etc.,
This Eggless Whole Wheat Eggless Banana Chocolate Cake is my hubby’s favourite. I made my first loaf and he loved it so much that he requested me to make it again on his birthday! The birthday cake was also a super hit and vanished in 5 minutes; everyone (adults and children) just loved it!
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Hello everyone!
I know it has been a really long gap, and I am sorry for that. I would also like to say a heartfelt thanks for all your messages during this time. I stopped writing the blog due to health reasons (when I conceived my younger angel); and then both our little angels kept me on my toes. Honestly speaking no complaints – I fully enjoyed being with both of them and cherished every moment of motherhood. Though cooking was still going on full swing. I simply did not get the time to write on the blog. Now as my younger angel has started school, I am here with you guys to continue our joyful journey of cooking delicious food 🙂
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My darling husband is a truly chocolate lover and so is our angel. I made this Eggless Chocolate-Coffee Molten Lava Cup Cake last night to give them a warm surprise after dinner, as they were glued to the telly. They were so happy with it that I had to prepare it again immediately 😉 . The cake has a gooey, chocolatey, molten centre and takes only 5 minutes (hardly) to make from scratch.
Continuing the Makar Sankranti theme, the next in line after the Til Papdi is another lovely and nutritious snack – Peanut Chikki (could be termed as Peanut Brittles). Peanut Chikki is a healthy, and delicious candy made from peanuts and jaggery. Apparently my husband and his friends ate/enjoyed them in Pune/Lonavla during their MBA days 🙂
First things first – this post is dedicated to Tilkuta Chauth / Sakat Chauth, a revered day for fasting, which comes on the fourth day of Krishna Paksha, in the month of Magh (January) according to the Hindu calendar. This vrat (fast) is mainly observed in North/West India and it is believed that fasting on this day removes all the obstacles from life and Lord Ganesha blesses his devotees with health, fortune and good children. For the benefit of all, Til is the Hindi word for Sesame seeds. On this Sakat Chauth day, sweets made up with sesame seeds and jaggery like Til Papdi, Til Laddu or Tilkut (meaning grounded sesame seeds) are offered to God – hence the day is also termed as Tilkuta Chauth.
Yes, you got it right 🙂 This is the continuation of my winter enjoyment theme. I am presenting my ultimate-winter delight -Gajar Ka Halwa (known as Carrot Pudding in English). Gajar ka Halwa has been a part of my family’s new year celebrations since my childhood, and it is the same with my husband’s family. I can safely say that I have successfully managed to follow this tradition post my marriage, as both of us (my husband and me) really relish this super-dessert.
With Christmas being just around the corner, the whole environment has turned real Christmassy. Just observing the whole festive spirit/theme, I simply cannot stop myself to be a bit merrier and feel enjoyed with some good cakes and muffins. So, my dear friends, let’s start rolling in this spirit with freshly baked Eggless Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins !
Winter seems to be on full swing here as temperatures are touching the 0°C mark. Harping on the need to eat sweet rich food with the objective of both enjoying the cold weather and also to feel some warmth, my darling husband asked me to make Coconut Burfi over the weekend. Getting two points in one shot (satisfying his demand, and presenting it to all you guys) 😊, I have prepared Coconut Burfi without khoya in a very easy way. I have made this Burfi with sugar so there is no hassle to make any form of sugar syrup.
Continuing my traditional Indian winter specials and in accordance with demand from friends, this post covers another great Laddu that is undoubtedly my hubby’s favourite – Gaund ke Laddu. The logic of consuming these during winters is on the same lines as of Methi ke Laddu – getting the much required warmth and strength during the cold season. However one of the biggest difference/advantage of Gaund ke Laddu is that these could be consumed by all age groups, unlike the Methi ke Laddu which are usually meant for elderly people.
Sweet Potato (Shakarkandi in Hindi) in itself is a very sweet and nutritious vegetable; it is used in many diets, and also consumed in various forms by Indians during fasts. Its winter time folks and this is the time to indulge, eat and rejoice in the festive spirit. Strictly getting into the spirit 🙂 I prepared the Sweet Potato Halwa last night as my dessert. Actually I would like to put the onus on my hubby as he made me to think of Halwa when he asked me to boil some sweet potato for him 🙂
Continuing my Diwali celebrations, this post covers another sweet/dessert that I prepared this week. However this is more of a regular one in my house than limited only for Diwali (courtesy my husband 🙂 ); not to forget that this is a much loved sweet/snack in parts of North/East India during the festival of Holi.
For all my global friends, Gulab Jamun is a India-wide available/famous dessert. In simple English language, it is an evaporated-milk based dumpling soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup. The actual dumpling is termed as Jamun (in Hindi), and Gulab is the Hindi term for rose – hence the name Gulab Jamun.
Let’s admit – how can you deny a good laddu on this lovely occasion of Diwali 🙂 With strong belief in this premise, I prepared these lovely albeit slightly different (by Indian standards) Courgette/Zucchini Coconut laddus as part of my Diwali celebrations.
Yes, this is again a speciality from my desert state of Rajasthan (Western India) 🙂 Mawa Malpua is a high calorie dessert which people mostly enjoy in the festivals like Diwali, and Holi in North/West India. So with this one, I am definitely not wearing my healthy/calorie conscious hat. Malpua comes in many different types as per the different regions of India – Malpua is made up with khoya and served with sweetened thick milk (rabri) in Rajasthan, in Maharastra, Malpua is made with banana or coconut. Malpua is also served to Lord Jagannath during Rathyatra in Orissa (an Eastern state in India).
Now this is what I term as the top of the lot Halwa – Moong daal halwa. This is again one of my favourite and an extremely relishing delicacy from North/West India. This rich dessert is generally present in most Indian celebrations like weddings, and Diwali/Holi. Since it is very warm, rich and on a heavier side, people tend to prepare/relish this rich dessert especially in winter. I however do not mind to have it at any time 🙂
The Indian festive season is on full swing, having just wrapped up Navratri and Diwali being just around the corner. Now this definitely calls for some sweet/dessert recipes as no celebration in India is complete without sweets 🙂
Moving away from milk based sweets (actually my husband’s fixation), this post is on another popular Indian (Western India) sweet dish made from roasted chickpea flour (gram flour/besan) and clarified butter (ghee) – Mohanthal. It is just like a fudge with an authentic touch of cardamom and chopped dry fruits. It is also known as Chickpea Flour Fudge. It looks like Besan Barfi but the making process and the taste are totally different.
For the benefit of everyone, Halwa (kind of equivalent to a Pudding) is a dessert which is very common in almost all Indian households. There are many different types of puddings in India, and each such pudding has its own unique taste.
Most Indian women will make this pudding without any measurements, just from their instincts or as I say “andaz se” (meaning calculated guess). Before marriage I had never made this simple pudding but I used to make one of the most difficult puddings (Moong Daal ka Halwa), because I simply loved that.
As you would now be aware of this well-known fact about my darling husband – that he has real appetite for sweets, especially the milk based ones. I can safely and confidently say that he seems to have sweet teeth only, and none of the spicy ones 🙂
I know London is known for pretty sad weather but winters are not that bad, at least for me. I actually love winters – the chill in the air, the colours of Christmas, and a good chocolate treat! Last year on such lovely night, I felt a strong desire for the good old chocolate cake. But it was quite late and all my neighbouring shops were well past their close-by timings. That is when, to satisfy my craving, I picked up this recipe and made my 1st chocolate brownie in flat 15 minutes – yes, that is all it takes to get a lovely home-made chocolate delicacy.
Any Indian celebration is incomplete without sweets, and that’s a known fact 🙂 . Laddu is an essential part of any celebration in India, especially Boondi Laddu. Even most of the revered temples in India serve Boondi Laddu to the Gods!.
Navratri is around the corner, so let’s get going with some divine dishes. For the benefit of everyone, Navratri is 9 day festival period dedicated to the Indian divine goddess Maa Durga. Most Indian people observe fast, in some form, on some/most of these 9 days. Some people do not even eat any grains during Navratri; so it becomes all the more important for them to get some good carbs to get charged up for the whole day.
For the benefit of everyone, Kheer is a very popular sweet in all over India. It has different names in India itself – in South part of India it is known as Payasam; in Eastern part it is called as Payas, and in rest of India it is famous as Kheer.
For the benefit of everyone, Laddu is mainly a round sweet ball which is very famous sweet/dessert in India. Laddu has been an integral part of any Indian celebrations, whether it was a wedding or big ceremony or as sacred prasad.
I am sure after couple more posts you guys will certainly know that milk based desserts and my darling hubby have a very strong connection:) This post uncovers Kalakand – another one of my hubby’s favourites. In common English parlance Kalakand is a form of a milk cake – soft, and melting in the mouth.
What could be a more better start for my food blog than a Bengali Rasogulla recipe – after all they are the best light, milk based sweet ever invented in my opinion, and the start of any good work in our Indian culture is celebrated by eating / distributing sweets!
cookingwidjoy 