Apple & Orange Wine Recipe

Many of my readers have requested the recipe for Apple wine. Since Christmas is around the corner I hope you can try this at home. I thought combining few oranges along with Apples will enhance the taste of the wine and I was not wrong. This wine can be a little stubborn to clear, due to the high levels of pectin in apples, so you may require extra time and patience to get a clearer end result. I made this wine a year ago, hence it is crystal clear in the picture but please don’t expect that as soon as you make the wine. Please read my earlier post on Tipsfor wine making that will help you a lot if you are novice in the field of wine making.

  

Apple & Orange Wine 

Ingredients:

Apples - 1 kg

Oranges - ½ kg

Sugar - 750 gms

Yeast - ½ tsp

Water - 3 litres

Method:

• Wash, core and chop apples into small pieces including the peel. (You can chop the apples in a food processor).
• Wash the oranges, with a citrus peeler or vegetable peeler thinly peel the orange zest without the white part. Extract juice from the oranges and keep aside.
• Boil sugar and water in a big vessel. Once the mixture boils, turn off the heat. Add chopped apples, orange juice and orange zest to the hot water-sugar mixture.
• When the mixture becomes lukewarm, add yeast and transfer the mixture to a sterilized glass bottle / bharani, cover it and leave for 21 days stirring daily.
• After 21 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/muslin cloth in to a clean dry bottle.
• Keep this again for 21 days untouched. After 21 days strain the wine again, pour it in to clean dry bottles and use. 

Check out Tips for Making Homemade Kerala Wines

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Shahi Falooda / Royal Falooda

Falooda is a popular Indian layered dessert with very different textures and components. The layers consist of rose syrup, vermicelli, tukmaria seeds, jelly, rose milk, fresh fruits and nuts and vanilla ice cream. The recipe and the process looks very elaborate but if you make all the things ahead of time it will be very easy to assemble just before serving. Tukmaria / Sabja seeds / sweet basil seeds are available in Indian stores and it is entirely different from Chia seeds. Tukmaria or sabja seeds are believed to have a lot of health benefits and you can read about it here.... There are a lot of different versions of Falooda recipes and I liked Ria’s version of vermicelli cooked in milk to a kheer than just boiling in water. So here is the recipe for one of the most beautiful looking desserts for you…

Shahi Falooda / Royal Falooda

Ingredients:

For the Vermicelli Payasam / Kheer:

½ cup Semiya / Vermicelli

2 cups milk

⅓ cup Sugar

¼ tsp cardamom powder

For the Rose Milk:

1 ½ cups cold milk

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp Rooh-Afza / Rose Syrup

For the Tukmaria:

1 tbsp Tukmaria / Sabja seeds / Sweet Basil seeds

1 cup water

For Falooda:

1 packet Strawberry / Raspberry jelly / jello

2 tsp Rooh-Afza / Rose Syrup

Fruits of your choice like Straberries, banana, apple etc, chopped

Vanilla Ice Cream

Pistachios / Cashew Nuts / Almonds, to decorate

Mint Leaves to decorate

Method:

For the Vermicelli Payasam / Kheer:

Bring 2 cups milk to a boil, add ⅓ cup sugar and ½ cup Semiya / Vermicelli and cook till the vermicelli is soft and the mixture is thickened, stirring often.  Add cardamom powder, mix well and turn off the heat. Chill until use.

For the Jelly:

Make jelly by following the instructions on the packet. Cool and refrigerate. Once cool, cut into small cubes and set aside.

For the Rose Milk:

Add 2 tbsp Rooh-Afza and 1 tbsp sugar to 1 ½ cups cold milk and chill till needed.

For the Tukmaria:

Soak Tukmaria / sabja seeds / Sweet Basil seeds in 1 cup water for 20 minutes and allow to bloom. Drain the water and set aside.

To Assemble Falooda:

In a tall glass add a tea spoon of Rooh-Afza / Rose Syrup, followed by 2 tsp of tukmaria, a couple of table spoons of vermicelli kheer, chopped fruits and jelly cubes. Pour some rose milk to cover the assembly. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and garnish with sliced nuts and mint leaves and serve immediately.

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Nadan Parippu Curry / Kerala Dal Curry

Parippu curry is a typical Kerala side dish for rice and also one of the main dish of Kerala Sadya or Onam Sadya. I usually make parippu curry with toor dal, but some people make it with Moong dal (cherupayar parippu / split yellow gram). If using moong dal, you have to dry roast it first to enhance the flavour and then cook in a pressure cooker.  If Parippu curry is served with hot rice, pappad and ghee you don’t need any other curry for rice.

Nadan Parippu Curry / Kerala Dal Curry

Ingredients:

Toor Dal / Thuvara Parippu - 1 cup

A pinch of turmeric powder

Grind Together:

Grated Coconut - ½ cup

Cumin seeds / Jeerakom - ½ tsp

Shallots / Chumannulli - 2

Garlic – 1 clove

Green Chillies - 3-4

For Tempering:

Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Ghee -2 tsp

Mustard Seeds / Kaduku - ½ tsp

Shallots / Chumannulli - 2, sliced

Curry Leaves - 2 strands

Red Chillies - 2, torn into 2 pieces

Method:

• Grind coconut with the rest of the ingredients adding 3 to 4 table spoons water to a smooth paste and keep aside.
• Pressure cook washed toor dal with 3 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder for 8 whistles on medium flame.  Once done, mash well to a smooth paste with the back of a spoon.
• Add ground paste, salt and enough water to the mashed dal. Let it cook on low flame for 5-8 mins. Remove from heat.
• Heat oil and ghee in another pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add small onion, curry leaves and red chillies. Fry till small onion becomes golden brown. Remove from fire and pour everything over cooked dal. Mix well.
• Serve with rice and pappad and a drizzle of some ghee.

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Kerala Style Ladoo / Laddu Recipe

Here at home all three of us love Ladoo. The only difference is my son and I love the soft and dry Kerala style ladoo and my hubby is a fan of the soft and soggy Motichoor ladoo from North India :) :).... Whenever we try store bought ladoos, we find something or the other that does not appeal to our taste buds. Finally I started making Ladoos at home and I find it far better than the colour loaded, oil tasting Ladoos that we get from the store. Now I have completely stopped buying Ladoos and have started making it at home whenever the craving starts. It’s simple, so do try theses Ladoos and share it with your friends and family this Diwali....

 Wishing You All A Very Happy, Prosperous and Safe Diwali!!!

Kerala Style Ladoo / Laddu Recipe

(Around 35-40 small ladoos)
Ingredients:

For the boondi batter:

Bengal Gram flour/ Kadala Mavu / Besan - 2 cups

Water – around 1 ½ to 2 cups

For the sugar syrup:

Sugar - 2 ½ cups

Water - 1 ¼ cups

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Cloves -6 nos

Cashew nuts – 3 tbsp, chopped

Raisins – 2 tbsp

Ghee -2 tbsp

Kalkandom / Sugar Candy - 1 tbsp, broken into small pieces

Yellow food colour – as needed (optional)

Pacha karpooram / Edible Camphor – a small pinch (optional)

Oil for deep frying the boondis

Method:

• For making Sugar Syrup: Melt sugar and water in a pan and keep stirring on medium fire till it reaches one thread consistency. Remove from fire and add cardamom powder, food colour and camphor mixed in a little water. Keep the syrup warm.
• For making the Boondis: Mix gram flour with enough water to make a smooth pancake like batter.
• Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
• Pour the batter through a dry perforated ladle or boondi plate and let the boondi fall into the boiling oil by gently spreading the batter with a spoon.
• Drain the boondis before it gets browned and drop into the warm sugar syrup. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
• Fry the cashew nuts, raisins and cloves in ghee and spread these with the ghee over the boondi.
• Mix all the ingredients together pressing the boondis with the back of a spoon to absorb all the sugar syrup.
• Add Kalkandom/ sugar candy and mix well.
• To make ladoos, gently squeeze some of the warm boondi mixture between both palms and shape into Ladoos.
• Ladoo will become firm when it cools down to room temperature. 

Notes:

• Sugar syrup should be one thread consistency.
• Gram flour batter should neither too thick nor too thin.
• Wash perforated ladle or boondi plate and wipe it clean and dry before pouring the next batch of batter.

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Triple Chocolate Brownies / Best-ever Chocolate Brownies

This would probably rate as the best brownies I have ever baked. All the delicious goodness of dark, white and milk chocolate are combined in one dish. This gooey brownie undoubtedly will become a chocolate lover’s delight! Be careful with the baking time, if you over cook the brownie it will take on a cake like crumbly texture whereas it should be gooey. If you wish you can add half cup of chopped cashew nuts along with the chopped chocolates. I served the warm brownies with coffee ice cream and it was heavenly, of course very fattening too! But once in a while an indulgence like this is ok ;)

Triple Chocolate Brownies / Best-ever Chocolate Brownies

(Recipe from here) 

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter - 185 gm, cut into small cubes

Dark chocolate - 185 gm, chopped

All-purpose flour / Maida - 85 gm / ¾ cup

Cocoa powder - 40 gm / ⅓ cup  

White chocolate - 50 gm, roughly chopped  

Milk chocolate - 50 gm, roughly chopped  

Eggs - 3 large

Golden caster sugar / brown sugar - 275 gm / 1 ⅓ cup

Method:

• Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a large heavy based pan over a low flame. Alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High.
• Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
• Pre heat oven to 180˚ C. Line the base of a shallow 20cm square tin with non-stick baking parchment paper.
• Sieve flour and cocoa powder together to get rid of any lumps and keep aside.
• Break eggs into a large mixing bowl and add in golden caster sugar. Whisk the eggs and sugar on medium speed until they look thick and creamy or the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume.
• Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula, without knocking out the air.
• Gently fold in flour-cocoa mix and stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re just combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top with the spatula.
• Put in the pre heated oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
• Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold. Cut the brownies into triangles.
• Serve as it is or slightly warm the brownies and serve with a dollop of vanilla or coffee ice cream.

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Ethakka Wine Recipe / Ripe Plantain Wine Recipe

It’s been a long time since I have posted a new wine recipe. Today’s wine is with Kerala Ethakka / plantain and it is a sweet wine. I have used one orange and two grapefruits in this recipe. If you cannot find grapefruit, you can substitute it with oranges. Please make sure to go through my earlier post “Tips on making Kerala Homemade Wine” before you attempt making wine at home, which will help clear lot of doubts and save your time and my time spent on clarifications!

Ethakka Wine / Ripe Plantain Wine

Ingredients:

Ripe Ethakka / Plantain - 3
Orange -1
Grapefruit -2
Raisins - ¾ cup
Water – 6 cups
Yeast – ¾
Sugar – 500 gms

Method:

• Cut Ethakka / Plantain in small pieces. Put ethakka pieces in a large pan and 6 cups water and bring this to the boil and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Strain and pour the mixture into a clean large pan, while the mixture is hot making sure not to squeeze the ethakka / plantain pieces. Discard the ethakka pieces.
• Wash orange and grapefruit and wipe it with a kitchen tissue or clean cloth. Take out the zest from one grapefruit and orange with a citrus peeler or vegetable peeler. Add orange & grapefruit zest along with orange and grapefruit segments making sure not to add white pith or seeds, raisins and sugar to the hot boiled ethakka / plantain water.
• In a small bowl, mix ½ cup lukewarm water, ¾ tsp yeast and ¾ tsp sugar and keep aside for 10 minutes. When the mixture becomes frothy add it to the cooled mixture and mix everything well.
• Transfer the mixture to a sterilized glass bottle / bharani, cover it and leave for 21 days stirring daily. After 21 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/muslin cloth in to a clean dry bottle. Keep this again for 14 days untouched. After14 days strain the wine again, pour it in to clean dry bottles and use.

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Wine Barrel Cake

I made this cake a couple of months back for my husband’s birthday and somehow forgot to post it over here....

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BMW Theme Cake

Hi everybody, It’s been a long time since I updated this space. I am finding it hard to resume blogging regularly after my summer vacation solely due to laziness ;) ;) ....  Trying my level best to restart blogging with this BMW themed cake I made for my son on his birthday.... Promise to be back with a new recipe post soon....

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Brazilian Coffee Cookies Recipe

I have been trying a variety of cookies recently. We really loved this coffee flavoured cookies. While baking these cookies our flat is filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee…. If you are a coffee lover I am sure you will love these cookies…

Brazilian Coffee Cookies Recipe

(Recipe from here)

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups

Salt - ½ tsp

Baking soda - ¼ tsp

Baking powder- ¼ tsp

Butter- ⅓ cup (75 gms)

Brown Sugar - ½ cup

White sugar - ½ cup

Egg - 1

Vanilla essence – 1 ½ tsp

Milk - 1 tbsp

Hot water - 1 tbsp

Instant coffee powder - 2 ½ tbsps

Method:

• Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.
• Add hot water to the coffee powder and keep aside.
• In a bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the milk, vanilla essence and egg until light and creamy. Add the coffee mixture and mix.
• Mix in the sieved ingredients until just blended. Cover with plastic foil and place in refrigerator for 10-15 miniuts.
• Prepare small lemon sized balls and place on baking sheet that has been lined with butter paper. Place each ball about 2 inches apart as they spread. Lightly flatten the balls with a fork. Sprinkle some sugar on top of each ball.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200˚C for about 10-12 mts till the edges are slightly toasted or till done. Once baked, the cookie will feel soft on touch but once cool it will harden.
• Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in airtight container.

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Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

Palak Paneer is a popular paneer dish served in road side dhabas and in restaurants. Lightly fried paneer is cooked in a pureed spinach-tomato gravy. Goes well with boiled rice, chapathi or Nan.

Palak Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy

(Recipe adapted from NitaMehta's Paneer All the way)

Ingredients: 

Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms, cut in to 1" cubes

Palak (Spinach) - 1/2kg (1 bunch)

Onions - 2

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic  - 5 cloves

Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped

Green chillies - 2, chopped

Red chilly powder -1 tsp

Cardamom powder - ¼  tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and chop palak. Cook with 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes on low flame after the first boil. Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
• Grind onions, garlic and ginger together.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan and slightly fry cubed paneer. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat rest of ghee in the same pan. Add onion paste and cook till onions turns golden and ghee separates.
• Add chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook for 5-6 minutes on slow fire, till ghee separates.
• Add ground palak, add a little water if too thick.
• Cook for 6-8 minutes on slow fire. Add salt.
• Add cardamom powder and fried paneer. Mix well and remove from fire.
• At the time of serving, heat 1 tbsp ghee,add 1 tsp red chilly powder. Remove from fire and pour this over the heated palak paneer.
• Mix well and serve at once with Rice,Chapathi, Paratha or Nan

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