Topra Pak / Coconut Squares

Ingredients
8oz Butter
1 lb descicated coconut
8 oz whole milk powder (available in Indian grocery stores)
small (170-200ml) can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
few drops pink colouring (optional)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds and pistachio nuts

Method
1. Heat the butter, add the coconut, milk powder and sugar.
2. Mix thoroughly add the cardamom, nutmeg, evaporated milk and colour.
3. Decrease the heat and cook, constantly stirring or else it will stick.
3. As soon as mixture leaves the sides of the pan and butter can be seen, remove from heat/
4. Place and spread the mixture on a 10X10 inch tray, smooth the top using a greased spoon.
5. Garnish with the nuts and leave until completely cooled (4 hours).
6. Cut into square or diamond shapes using a greased knife and remove carefully

Enjoy

Healthy Brownies (beetroot; almonds, gluten free)

1 lb freshly cooked beetroot; diced

6 oz dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solid); broken in pieces

3 eggs

6 oz brown sugar

4 oz ground almonds

3 oz cocoa powder

3 tablespoon rice flour

pinch salt

2 level tspn baking powder

1tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Sliced almonds

Heat the oven at 160 C, 325 F or gas mark 3

1.  Boil the beetroots for 40 minutes, skin and dice. Place in the microwave for 3 minutes

2.  Add the dark chocolate, mix until it melts, liquidize.

3.  Whisk the eggs and sugar.  Add the ground almonds, cocoa powder, rice flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla essence.
4. Fold in the beetroot/chocolate mixture.
5. Place on a greased baking tray (approx 12 x 9 inches), sprinkle the slice almonds
6. Bake for 35 minutes.
7. Cut into 2 inch squares

Badam Pak / Almond Fudge

Ingredients
1 lb butter
1 lb semolina
1 lb Almonds; roughly ground
2 tins condensed milk (405gm each) (I used carnation nestle)
8 oz whole milk powder
8 oz desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon roughly ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 big pinch saffron
handful of Sliced almonds and pistachios nuts for garnishing

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the semolina and cardamom, fry until golden brown. It should a yummy aroma.  Take it off the heat. (important else you will get burnt pak)
2. Add all almonds and condensed milk, saffron and nutmeg and mix well
3. Add the rest  of the ingredients and mix well.  It is quite hard to mix as there is a lot of it.
4 Put back on very low heat and keep stirring until everything gels together, about 8 minutes.
5. Place the mixture on a greased baking tray, flatten and smooth the surface.
6. Decorate with the sliced nuts.

7. Cut the pak into squares, and leave until completely cold, remove each piece gently. Place in an airtight container to store.

Khajur ne Akrot jo Cake / Date and Walnut Cake

The is a healthy cake, containing rolled oats (lower your cholesterol), wholemeal flour (fibre), gur / jaggery (unrefined cane or palm sugar containing minerals and vitamins), dates ( a source of B complexed vitamins, potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron) .walnuts. (omega 3 and minerals such as zinc).




Ingredients
2 cups medium chapatti flour (or 1 cup wholemeal flour, 1 cup plain flour)
2 cups rolled (porridge) oats
2 level tspn baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1 cup gur / jaggery; grated  (or brown sugar)
2 cups milk
2 eggs
5 table spoon vegetable oil



1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients
3. Beat the milk, eggs and oil
4. Mix all together.
5. Pour in a 9 inch greased tin
6 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour

Jugu Cake / Twice Baked Peanut Bars

Jugu or njugu is peanut or groundnuts in Swahili. As a child I remember them as karanga which is also swahili. My best memory of these is when we used to get them fresh. Local farmers would sell them house to house shouting:
'karaaaaaaaaaaaaanga karaaaaaaaaaanga!!' Ma would buy them and we would get them boiled for our tea. So yummy. We used to eat them hot, just pop them in our mouths and pop them so all the juices and the nut is squirted into our mouths. They were sooo sweet and tender.

Jugu cake is a Tanzanian special; twice baked, like biscotti according to Aly Khan of Treat a Week Recipes, a fellow Ismaili blogger with a great site.
This recipe makes two plates for khana and spare.



Ingredients
3 Cups peanuts; grind roughly (reserve 1/2 cup)
5 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used corn oil)
2 eggs
2 cups milk

Method
1. Heat the oven to 175 Centrigrade.
2. Beat the eggs and milk in a large bowl and keep aside
3. Mix all the dry ingredients including the whole peanuts
4. Add the oil and mix with finger tips to make a bread crumbs like mixture
5. Add the egg and milk mixture slowly, mix, this will be quite sticky
6. Pour into a 12 inch by 12 inch tray
7. Bake for 30 minutes
8. Cut into diamond shapes and place on a oven tray
9. Heat the oven to 220 Centigrade
10 Bake again for 15 minutes

Mitha Thepla - Ismaili style

2 cups whole wheat flour (chapatti flour)
½ cup gur / gor / jaggery
1/2 cup milk
2 table spoon oil
1 tspn fennel seeds
½ ground Cardamom
½ tspn ground Nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 table spoon sliced almonds
1 table spoon poppy seeds

Flour Paste
1 tablespoon flour
enough water to make a thick paste (3/4 of tablespoon)


1. Mix the flour, fennel seeds, cardamom and nutmeg.
2. Rub in the oil, so that the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs
3. Melt the gur in the microwave (2 minutes or so) and mix with the milk
5. Add it to the flour and make a soft dough
6. Roll into ¾ inch and cut into circles using a biscuit cutter.
7. Sprinke the poppy seeds, and stick the almond slice in the centre using the flour paste
7. Fry

Kokothende / Kokotende

Kokotende (Kokothende) are originally from Zanzibar, these were smaller in size and were called "KOKWA ZA TENDE" (date'seeds), however Zanzibaris of Indian origin (Wahindi) used to pronounced it "KOKOTENDE". This information is from one of my anonymous readers (thank you)

Koeksisters (cake sisters) are similar Afrikaan version of them (any relationship?), the Anglo-Indian version are called kul kul or gul gul. All three have coconut in them, koeksisters on the outside, kul kuls have coconut milk in them and kokothende have grated or desicated coconut.

Ingredients
cup size = 250mls
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup semolina
1/2 cup desicated coconut
1/2 tspn baking powder
1 tspn roughly ground cardomom seeds
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup warm water
oil for frying

Frosting
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tspn cardomon powder

1. Shift the flour into a large bowl, add the semolina, coconut, baking powder and cardomom; mix well.
2. Add the butter, mix so that it looks like bread crumbs.
3. Add the warm water slowly to make a soft dough. You may in slightly more water.
4. Take a walnut size lump of dough and squeeze with fingers and palm of hand; make a fist (muthia), place on a tray. Makes about 30.
5. Heat the oil and fry the kokothende at medium heat, so that they cook through and are crispy.

Frosting
Place the sugar in a sauce pan with the water, bring to boil until the mixture becomes sticky. (20 minutes.) Dip the kokothende in the syrup and place on a tray.
The frosting will set when cool.

Cardomom Cake - Ismaili Style

This is an all in one cake. Very easy and quick to prepare.

6 oz sugar,
6 oz soft butter
3 Eggs
6 oz self raising flour
2 1/2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn roughly ground cardomom seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds and pistachios
Cup Recipe
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 Tbs  sugar
3 eggs
1 2/3 cup self raising flour
2 1/2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn roughly ground cardomom seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds and pistachios

Method
Pre heat the oven at 180 degree centigrade
Grease and line a 8 inch cake tin
Sieve the baking powder and flour into a bowl
Add the sugar, butter, eggs and cardomom and beat well, pour into the prepared cake tin.
Sprinkle the sliced nuts
Bake in oven for 45 minutes

Ma'amoul

.

Ma’amoul biscuits / cookies have a shortbread–like crust with a date or nutty filling. The first time I had Ma’amoul pastries was from one of my middle-eastern students, delicious, they literally melt in your mouth.

I never dreamt of making them, until I saw them on Indira’s blog; Mahanandi . She has a beautiful step by step recipe, using a special wooden mold, I could not find any so I have just used a fork to make the designs. But I am going to Dubai in December and I am going to hunt one down!! So be prepared for a deluge of ma’amoul cookies.

Ingredients:
Pastry

1/2 cup semolina
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup melted butter (coolish)
2 tbspn water
1 tblspn orange flower water

For the filling:
250 gm pack of pitted date paste (block); finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup water
2 tspn orange flower water
1 egg; beate

Method

1. Place the semolina and flour in a bowl, mix with a fork, add the butter, water and orange flower water, mix with the fork until you get soft dough. Cover and leave for 1 hour
2. Meanwhile place the dates in a bowl with the water, and microwave for 2 minutes
3. Stir; add the nuts, mix and place in the microwave for a further 2 minutes.
4. Stir and let it cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Centigrade or 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Take a lime-size lump of the pastry, pat it down or roll it out, place a heaped teaspn of filling in the centre, close it, by pinching all the sides, flatten it into a patty like shape and place in on a greased oven tray pinched side down.
7. Use a fork to press some designs on the pastry.
8. Brush each patty with the beaten egg. (I forgot to do it –LOL)
9. Bake for 25 minutes.

These keep for 2 months in an air tight container.

Easy Gifts for Foodies

If you have a good recipe of muffins, brownies or cookies. You can make great gifts in a jar, by layering the ingredients.

1. Weigh out or measure the ingredients
2. Carefully layer in a 16oz jar.
3. Print out a Label with the instructions and stick on jar
4. Cover the lid with so pretty fabric andrubberband or ribbon

Saturday Aftenoon Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my entry for Trupti of The Spice Who Loved me's Event
Family and Friend is the Kitchen!



The recipe was from here
The chef was Lisa, and the assistants were my nephews; Pyarali, (almost 3) and Sean (18 months).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well. In medium bowl, combine vegetable oil, milk, and egg and beat until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Add chocolate chips and stir. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full of batter.

In small bowl, combine brown sugar and the sunflower seeds. Sprinkle this mixture over the muffins. Bake at 375 degrees F or 180 degrees C for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and firm. Remove to wire rack to cool. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins

Gundh / Goondh Pak

This is a Khoja version of Gundh Pak, it is a very nutritious. It is often especially made for nursing mothers, in which case it is made with dried ginger, dill seeds and Kantlo spices as well. This recipe is Firoz's recipe


1 lb ghee
4 oz gundh
1 lb whole meal flour (Chapati flour)
1 lb gur / jaggary
1 small tin (200ml)  evaporated milk
8oz milk powder
8 oz sliced almonds
1 tspn cardomom
1/2 tspn freshly grated nutmeg
4 oz descicated coconut




for decoration
1 tablespn sliced pistachious
1 tablspn sliced almonds

Method
1, Heat the ghee and fry the gundh pieces until the pop, remove and set aside.
2. Fry the flour in the same ghee, until its browns and has a sweet aroma, add the gur or jaggary, stir until it melts.
3. Remove from heat and add the milk powder and the evoporated milk, coconut, almonds, nutmeg and cardomom.
4. Stir well and add the fried gundh
5. Place the mixture on a greased baking tray, flatten and smooth the surface.
6. Decorate with the sliced nuts.
7. Cut the pak into squares, and remove gently. Place in an airtight container to store.

Almond and apple sponge

4oz self raising flour
2oz ground almond
6oz butter or stock margerine
4oz sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon grond all spice
2 dessert apples grated
1 tbspn of almond flakes
2 tablespoon apple juice

Preheat the oven to 180C
Line cake tin with greaseproof paper
I use a 30cms diameter...this makes it more crispy.

Mix all[ except grated apples] ingredients in a food processor and beat for about 20 seconds.
Add grated apples.
Put into a tin sprinkle flakey almonds.
Bake until you press the top lightlywith your fingers it springs back [30min]
Cool a little in the tin and then turn into a rack to cool.

Flat Apple Cake

Ingredients
2 Eggs
1 1/3 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of anise liqueur OR vanilla extract OR lemon juice. If using lemon, you can also grate the lemon and add this to the mixture.

Topping
Few apples cut lenghtwise and sprinkled with cinnamon
Few raisins (optional)
Few crushed walnuts (optional)
OR be creative and add anything you like such as pears, cranberries, blueberries, dried fruit etc..

Method

Beat the eggs and sugar (if you find the cake too sweet, you can decrease the amount of sugar)

Add the oil and milk

Add the flour and baking powder

Add the liqueur (or vanilla extract or lemon juice)

Use a pizza tray. Line the tray with parchment paper and then spread the mixture on to the tray.

Sprinkle with crushed walnuts and raisins. Using a spatula, push the walnuts and raisins into the mixture.

In a bowl, cut a few apples lengthwise and sprinkle with cinnamon

Place the apples on the mixture (see picture)

Bake at 350F or 180C for 30 minutes. Ensure bottom of cake is brown before removing from oven. May require up to 40 minutes.

Cut into squares and enjoy.

Til Sankri / Sesame Brittle

Ingredients
12 oz gur or soft brown suger
12 oz toasted sesame seeds (baked in a medium hot oven for 15 mins)
2 tablespoon oil
1 14 inch square tray (lightly oiled)

Method
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the gur or brown suger, keep stiring until brown, add the sesame seeds, mix as quickly as posible



Place on the tray, flatten using a rolling pin, cutin 25 pieces while it is still warm.
Enjoy

Cookies with Dates and Almonds

Ingredients
4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of toasted almonds chopped to small pieces
375 grams of dates without the pits cut into very small pieces
1 cup of shortening (butter or a substitute will work, I used Crisco shortening)
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
¾ of hot water (tap water is fine)
Little milk

Method…
In a large bowl
Mix the flour, baking soda and baking power.
Add the dates and with your hands, use the flour mixture to separate the dates. I used a mixer and the dates did not separate well. I recommend you use your hands.
Add the chopped almonds
Add the shortening and mix well. You can use a mixer at this point.

In another bowl…
Beat the 3 eggs
Add the sugar
Add the vanilla extract
Add the hot water

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add a little milk. Place the dough in small bite size portions on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F or 180 C for 15 minutes or until nice golden brown. Let cool and enjoy. If you store the cookies in a container they will remain soft. If you don’t they will become hard and crunchy. Either way, they are tasty.

Nankathai

Ingredients
4 oz semolina
8 oz plain flour
6 oz sugar
6 oz butter
1 egg (optional) (or 1 tbspn milk)
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn ground cardomom
1/4 tspn nutmeg
pinch of yellow food colouring (optional)

Heat the oven to 180 degree centigrade or 350 F
1. Beat the sugar and butter until creamy and pale in colour
2. Add the egg (or milk), mix
3. Add flour, baking powder, cardomom, and nutmeg mix
4 Knead the dough, form into walnut size balls, place pm a greased baking tray
5. mix the food colouring with a little water, using a cocktail stick, make a spot of colour in the centre of each ball
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes

Peanut Brittle / chikki

Ingredients
2lb roasted, skinned peanuts
1lb 3 oz grated gur or soft brown sugar
2 tablespoon oil

Grease a baking sheet.
Put the gur/sugar in a large pan, add oil and heat,


Keep stirring until the colour changes to golden brown

Add the peanuts, mix well. Place the mixture on the baking sheet, flatten the mixture using a rolling pin. When flat, cut using a sharp knife into 25 pieces



Cut into 25 pieces.