Ukdiche Modak - Sweet coconut and jaggery Dumplings



Ukdiche Modak is a treat which is loved even by Ganpati bappa...this is a Traditional dish made from rice flour- Ganpati celebrations at my home are elaborate.. My Mom does not have the bappa at my home but my aunt has it at her home...where we all get together for the big day..we get up as early as we can....few of us rush to the market to get fresh flowers and modak pedha's to distribute as prasad....then come the decorations for the Aras...mandir for the bappa...Moms get busy with the elaborate lunch and Naivedya.. and best of All," Star of the day"--

Traditionally we offer either 11  or 21 modaks to Ganpati Bappa..

I try to live upto my memories and wish that My kids also have such memories associated with festivals and special occasions...After all home is where your heart is.. and in your heart lies so many memories that you can create a home even in a dessert....

Coming back to the rec.,;

Ukad-- Wash (Ambe Mohar) rice..dry and then grind into powder and sieve the powder...the Ukad flour is ready.. (Lazy people like me use rice flour )

In a pot boil 3 cups water.. when it comes to  a rapid boil, reduce the heat to low-medium,  add salt, One tsp ghee and 3 cups of Ukad flour..Stir well to remove any lumps.. and cover with a lid. remove from heat and let sit for 15-20 mins....once cooled..knead the Ukad into a soft dough using warm water and oil as needed.

Filing;

2 cups Grated cocnut, (Use frozen)

1 .5 cups Jaggery-Mashed

1Tsp Elaichi

1 Tbspn Nuts and raising-Optional.

 

 take 2 cups Fresh/Frozen coconut and one and half cupcup Jaggery, sugar.. and cook over medium heat till the coconut gets cooked and the jaggery gets mixed well.add elaichi powder and nuts and raisins.. and let cool

Get the steaming vessel ready. I use the regular Idli cooker with a Chinese steaming plate...or you can use any vegetable steamer....

Make small balls out of the cooked Ukad... grease your palms with oil and water and roll a small flat round of abt 2-3inches.. hold this flat round ball nestled in your palm.. add the filing.. and close the ball into  a dome shaped dumpling pinching the ends together..use oil as needed....the modak is ready for steaming...

Steam for abt 10-12 min and serve hot with good amount of Ghee....

For all my Marathi Speaking readers, here is the video to make ukdiche modak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXInYGZUfHI

Ganpati Bappa Morya.. Pudchya varshi Lavkar Yaa!!!!!

 Sending this to Sensible Vegetarians Cook Eat Delicious Event

Love Ash.

Love Ash.

Date with Choc Walnut Cake-- Eggless

The name says it all...eversince I tried the date cake from Shilpa's blog.. I am Hooked.. and so is everyone at home.. They want the same cake in a different version...So I Crooked the rec a bit here and bit there and added what I felt like on eating that day, and the outcome was this cake... My elder son runs away form the word Health food as he thinks Healthy food is minus all good stuff....so he begs me to let him have JUNK Food like all other COOL Moms do....so this is MY WAY of letting him have his portion of JUNK food in my own healthy way.. with the mercury dropping and the winter setting in, my home will be seeing this cake  a whole lot of times than ever before..as Dates, Walnuts and Fat go well with winter comfort foods....the rec is as;

You will need

18 dates soaked in 3/4th cup Warm milk

Sugar- 1 Cup

Oil- 1/3rd Cup

Vanilla-1tsp

Cinnamon Spice-1 Tsp

Walnuts- 1Tbspn

Whole Wheat Flour-3/4th Cup and 1/4th Cup Maida.. or you can use 1 Cup Maida + 2tbspn unsweetened Cocoa powder.. mix well and keep aside

Bkg Soda-1Tsp..(I used ENO-Fruit Salt)

__ Make  a paste of sugar and the soaked Dates in a grinder....to this paste add the oil, vanilla, Cinnamon powder and mix well... then add the flour  one big spoon at a time.. keep whisking ti;; all the flour and the wet mix gets incorporated....then add nuts and lastly ENO...

In a well greased pan, pour the mix and bake in a pre-heated oven @ 375.. for about 35-40 mins or till the knife comes out clean...

This cake tastes yumm if you can wait for a day or so after baking....have it  a day after.. and I guarantee that you will  get aaddicted to this cake..

Till I bake again;

Love Ash.

Collection-- HOW to Videos- Basics of Cake decorating

As Promised I am back with my collection of " How To decorate a cake from the first step" video's.. These You Tube uploads helped me in my initial days of Cake decorating.. they are very helpful if you follow them without any cuts....once you have mastered the basics...you can develop your own style and way of decorating...



How To prepare the bag?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YjqDBi-n8g&feature=player_embedded

How to choose the right icing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbsSrRGLNis&feature=related

How to tort, fill and ice the cake?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNix3qZ3qnk&feature=related

How to ice the cake?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G47XxjZfnLc&feature=related


Hopefully, I am able to encourage you all to take up a hobby and a form of art which is rewarding in more ways than one.

With loads of Love,
Ash.

Orange Lemon Cake

MY search for eggless cake is on....till I find a 100% fool proof rec....This Rec was good and bad in many ways.. the rec was fairly simple.. it passed the effort test, taste test but the look test was not at all satisfactory.. the cake sank after i removed it from the oven and was dry and not moist as you would expect a cake to be...anyways. will post this rec here.. but am still searching for  a100% foolproof eggless cake rec which has no CONDENSED MILK or SODA and which can NEVER EVER go wrong...

You will need--

For the cake

1 can of Evaporated milk

3/4th cup sugar

1 stick butter

2 and 1/4th cup All purpose flour

1tspn ENO Fruit Salt

1 cup Lemonade

1Tbspn Orange zest

 For the filling;

2 tbspn Pineapple Jam

 Juice from 1 Orange

Icing

The link to the whipped cream icing is;

http://indulge-ashscorner.blogspot.com/2009/06/whipped-cream-icing-cake.html

Cream butter and sugar and add milk and beat for 3 min on medium.. Sieve the flour with eno and fold into the milk mixture.. Add the lemonade and orange zest and bake in a greased pan at 350 degrees for 40  mins.

once cooled assemble the cake.. I baked 2 small oval cakes.. i placed one cake on the dish. then poured half of the Orange juice over it.. then covered the top of the cake with the pineapple jam.. Covered this with the other cake.. and frosted the entire cake with whipped cream icing....for the decoration I used buttercream icing as I had to travel with the cake for my Friend's Birthday....She was very Happy with my efforts and the lemon and orange did give this cake a unique taste....but the hit pair for this cake would be chocolate syrup or ganache too...my next attempt at this would be with ganache for another friends Birthday soonnnnnnn

Till I bake again;
Love Ash.

Nankhatayi

Nankhatayi means 6 ingredient fix.. I had read some time back that Nankhatyi was  a Persian Delicacy and not an Indian origin...when Perisans settled in Surat, Gujarat of India, they made these biscuits local and a part of Indian food ever since.

Indian homes seldom have ovens at home.. I still remember there was this bakery called Persian Bakery where my mom lives.. it is still there and has catered the same items to it's loyal customer over more than 40 yrs now....they would bake the cookies and cakes at nominal charges.. I was always in awe of other moms ( and even a little jealous of their kids) who would make and prep the cookies at home and carry it to this bakery and get home boxes of goodies..those were such times.. now everything has changed,, globalization and modern means have reached even remote places and Indian food has gone changes and even adopted grilling and baking as means for cooking food...

Coming back to my version of Nankhatyi...i.e 6 item fix biscuits is

Shortening-1/2 cup

Sugar- 2/3rd cup

Whole Wheat Flour- 2/3rd cup

Elaichi or Cardamom Powder--1 Tspn

Milk-2 Tbspn

Sooji-1/2 cup

Eno or Baking powder- 1 Tspn

Nuts/ Saffron strands--Optional

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.. then cream shortening and sugar till it is light and fluffy.. add milk and cream with Hand again..( I like the effect the shortening leaves after I wash my hands).....Add ENO or bkg powder to the flour and sooji mix.. then add the flour to the creamed mix.. add elaichi and knead into soft dough... You can add saffron strands or nuts or both and roll about 18-20 small balls...of about one tsbspn dough each.. Line the baking tray with parchment paper and bake for 12-14 mins till they turn slightly brown.

cool and store in a airtight container and enjoy anytime...

Till I bake again,

Love Ash.