Sunday, July 19, 2015

Mini Oatmeal berry muffins and pancakes for toddlers

My grandson is a fussy eater. I made these for his morning breakfast and served them with yoghurt, fruits and  peanut butter. It brought a big smile on his face when I placed the plate before him. He sang as he ate and enjoyed every bite, wiping the plate clean. 

Here's the Recipe:


Oatmeal - 1 cup
White flour - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt- a small pinch
Butter melted - 2 tbs
Egg - 1
Milk - 1/2 cup
Strawberries - 4 or 5
Blueberries - a handful
Pears/Apples - grated
Honey - 1- 2 tsp
Cinnamon for flavouring (optional) - can be used with grated apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Grind the oats in a dry grinder. Then mix together all dry ingredients. 
3. Whisk the egg, add the milk followed by the cooled melted butter and honey. 
4. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well to get a smooth thick batter.
5. Pour into mini muffin tins, top with berries and bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 mins till a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
6. You can use the same batter to make mini pancakes and use different toppings such as grated apples or pears, berries etc. Use clarified butter to cook the mini pancakes in the non stick pan.
7. Turn over and cook gently on low heat till they are done. Remove from pan, cool and serve them to your little toddler with peanut butter or yoghurt. 

Chicken Dijon

This is a quick chicken dish for those who are pressed for time and want something quick and easy to make and at the same time is good to eat.

Here's the recipe:

Chicken breast - 1 lb
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Djon mustard - 2tsp
Mayonnaise- 4 tbs
Olive oil- 2 tbs + 1 tsp

1. Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces.
2. Rub garlic paste, salt and pepper.
3. Add 2 tbs olive oil to a sauce pan. Stir fry on medium heat till they are well cooked  and are golden and crispy. 
4. Remove from pan into a serving bowl.
5. Combine dijon, mayonnaise and olive oil and add it to the chicken. Mix well and enjoy.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Shahi Egg Sweet (Ande ki Mithai)

Ande ki Mithai is a popular egg sweet of the muslim community in Chennai. It is considered a delicacy which is reserved to be served on special occasions, holidays and important events. Though it is made with eggs it does not taste eggy at all. Its soft and silky texture and juicy sweetness just melts in your mouth. It is a must to have it as dessert after eating biryani. It is just divine!

It is so easy to make as you just blend together all the ingredients. But care should be taken to make it using the right proportions and the right technique. If the eggs are not whisked well before adding them to the khoya then you are sure to end up with a lumpy texture.

As a kid I grew up seeing my mom bake this sweet on charcoal in a huge copper baking pan. Those were the days of no blenders or mixies, so she would do everything by hand right from whipping up the eggs to making soft and smooth khoya from scratch. Then she would blend everything together by hand in a big mixing bowl. No doubt it took longer to make this sweet back then, but the end result was excellent. You got to be careful not to cook the mixture in the blender by blending it for too long. It is better to pulse to mix everything together than to blend continuously for a long time.

Following is the tried and tested recipe:


Eggs- 4 extra large
Ghee- 125 gm
Sugar - 250 gm
Khoya - 250 gm
Semolina - 1 tbs
Milk - 3 -4 tbs
Almonds for paste - 25 
Almonds for garnish - 12
Saffron - a pinch
Rose essence - 2 -3 drops

1. Whisk the eggs together in a mixing bowl. Soak the semolina in 2 tbs milk. Add a few drops of hot water to the saffron strands and let them soak as well.

2. Pulse the khoya in a blender till there are no lumps.  Add the sugar and pulse again. Grind the almonds separately by adding 1- 2 tbs milk to make it into a smooth paste.

3. Now add the whisked eggs, almond paste  and ghee to the khoya mixture in the blender. Blend well by running the motor for not more than 15 secs each time. Do not make it runny.

4. Now add the soaked semolina, saffron and rose essence. Mix well to combine.

5. Meanwhile keep the almonds for garnish ready by soaking them in water, peeling them then slicing them into thin slivers. Keep aside.

6.Smear the baking dish with a little ghee and pour in the egg mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 25 - 30 mins until it is golden brown on top. When you are half way through the baking, sprinkle the slivered almonds on top.

7. Remove when done. When it cools down cut into diamond shaped pieces, decorate with silver foil and enjoy. You may also chill it in the refrigerator and eat it cold. It stays fresh in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days.