Sweet Potato Kheer - Sweet Potato Pudding

This was another favourite at my parent's home. It's often made with rice, but sweet potato is a tasty alternative, giving the dish a nice, custardy texture. You can use 1Tbsp of sugar instead of honey. Combines well with Meethi Tikya.

Serves: 6-8 (if eaten decently; otherwise for 1 greedy sugar lover)

Ingredients:
Milk: 1.5litre
Sweet Potatoes: 250g; peeled & cut into small pieces
Honey: 2Tbsp
Sugar: 0.5 Cup
Kewra Essence: 0.5tsp
Saffron Strands: few
Almond: 1Tbsp; peeled & slivered
Pistachio: 0.5Tbsp; peeled &cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Boil milk on low heat for an hour or so
2. Add in chopped sweet potatoes
3. Once sweet potatoes are soft & tender, mash well with a hand blender.
4. Add sugar & cook till liquid texture thickens (usually takes about 15-20 mins).
5. When you get the thick consistency, add honey, kewra essence, almond, pistachios & saffron.
6. Serve chilled

Crème Caramel_Caramel Custard

Crème caramel was my father's favourite, often made at his home. It's also one of my husband's & son's favourite dessert. This particular version was given to me by another beloved friend, Yasmin, whom I met in Nairobi. Delicious, easy and decadent make it a must have in any recipe collection. Bake away and indulge. 

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

Eggs: 6
Evaporated Milk (unsweetened): 1cup
Milk: 1cup
Sugar: 6-8Tbsp
Vanilla Essence: 0.5tsp
Custard Powder: 1tsp
Sugar for Caramel: 1/3cup (one-third cup)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 3
2. Over low flame, melt one-third cup sugar (use 2-3Tbsp water if you want; I don't use any water).
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
4. Pour caramelized sugar into 8-9" cake pan, then mixture from step 3.
5. Cover and bake in a water bath (water should be room temperature) for 35 minutes.
6. Remove cover and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Cool at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
8. Refrigerate overnight.
9. Serve with cream.

Meethi Tikya - Fried Biscuit

A treasured recipe of my grandmother, passed on to my mother & then to me. My sister, Irum first made it in my house in Abu Dhabi because she was craving a bite into these decadent fried biscuits. It can be enjoyed on its own, with masala chai, or with Kheer (or any way your imagination takes you). Meethi Tikya can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Meethi Tikya (also called Meethi Puri) is usually served during the Islamic months of Rajab and Shabaan. But don't let that deter you from making them whenever craving hits.

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

Flour: 2cups
Semolina: 0.5cup
Butter: 3oz
Sugar: 0.25cup + 1Tbsp
Water: 3Tbsp
Cardamoms (crushed): 0.25tsp
Saffron: few strands
Milk: 2Tbsp (if required. See directions below)
Ghee: 0.5kg

Directions:

1. Mix 2cups of flour with 0.5cup of semolina.
2. Cut in 3oz of butter into flour & semolina mixture. Mix with hand or food processor till mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3. Make a syrup with 0.25cup+1Tbsp sugar and 3Tbsp of water. Cook on low heat till sugar dissolves. Remove from flame, & add in 0.25tsp of crushed cardamoms & a few strands of saffron.
4. Add sugar mixture to flour & semolina mixture. Knead into a soft, pliable dough. If required, 2Tbsp of milk can be added (if the mixture doesn't come together, then add in the milk). Keep aside. 5. In a deep wok, warm 0.5kg ghee on low heat, for deep frying.
6. Roll out the dough to 0.25" thickness. Cut small circles with a cookie cutter (you can also use the mouth end of a cup or glass).
7. Deep fry the biscuits in batches till each tikya turns golden brown.. Drain in a colander.

Monthaal

Roshan was my dearest friend Kaniz's mother. Kaniz and I were neighbors in Nairobi and she quickly became like a younger sister. Her mother taught me to make these little tidbits of joy, these tiny droplets of happiness, these all good things rolled into one.
Monthaal is a traditional Gujrati dessert, which is typically prepared for festive occasions; taken to temples as offering, wedding or Diwali celebrations. I prepare it when I'm feeling festive or in the mood to roll happiness in my mouth.
Monthaal can be kept without refrigeration for 3-5 days.

Serves: 10 (unless it's my daughter; then just 1)

Ingredients:

Gram flour: 1cup
Butter: 60grams
Sugar: 1cup
Water: 4-5Tbsp
Milk Powder: 1cup
Saffron: few strands
Butter/Oil/Ghee: to grease

Directions:

1. In a pan, dry roast 1cup of gram flour, on very low heat, till it turns light golden brown

2. Add in 60grams of butter. Combine butter with flour and continue to cook on low heat.

3. In another saucepan, dissolve 1cup of sugar with 4-5Tbsp of water. Continue to cook and stir till sugar melts and reaches 1 thread consistency.

4. In gram & butter mixture, add 1cup of milk powder; be careful, milk powder doesn't burn (powder milk tends to burn quickly). Stir & mix well.
5. Add in sugar syrup and a few strands of saffron.

6. Set out cooked mixture in a butter/oil/ghee greased platter.

7. With a butter knife, mark out pieces. Allow to cool. Serve with love.

Chocolate Cake

Cake baking was part of my Home Economics curriculum at Karachi's College of Home Economics. We were required to bake & evaluate a basic cake when using different methods: wooden spoon vs. cake mixer & different ovens (gas vs. stone vs. electric). I add in variations to the basic cake recipe to bake coffee & chocolate cakes.
For chocolate cake, Rowntree or Cadbury's Cocoa are my favourites, but other cocoas work just as well. Chocolate, Coffee & Plain cakes have been a regular snack feature for my children, entertainment, school snack, to send over to neighbours. Batter can be used to bake a cake or cupcakes. It can be enjoyed with or without frosting.

Serves: 6-8 (approx. 18 cupcakes)

 

Ingredients:

Butter: 6oz
Sugar: 6oz
Flour: 6oz
Cocoa: 3Tbsp
Eggs: 3Tbsp
Baking Powder: 2tsp leveled
Vanilla Essence: 0.5tsp (or vanilla sugar: 1tsp)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 6.
2. In a cake mixer, cream butter & sugar till batter turns a light color.
3. Sift cocoa, baking powder & flour in a bowl or tray.

4. Beat eggs in another bowl.

5. Add vanilla essence to the creamed butter & sugar batter.
6. Gradually add flour mixture, alternating with eggs.
7. Continue to mix till batter has a soft consistency.

8. Pour into a greased cake pan (8.5").

9. Bake for 40 minutes (poke with skewer & ensure it comes out dry before removing cake from oven).
10. Turn out on a wire rack.

11. Serve warm with ice cream.

Creamy Almond Crunch

A quick & dirty dessert given to me by my daughter, Rabab, perfect for when I don't have too much time but want to serve something yummy. The recipe calls for cake rusks; day old sponge cake can be substituted for cake rusks.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

Almonds: 0.25cup; chopped
Sugar: 0.5cup
Icing Sugar: 0.25cup
Fresh cream: 2cups
Cake Rusks: 10-15 pieces
Coffee: 1tsp; dissolved in 0.25cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Caramelize sugar. When sugar starts to melt, add in chopped almonds.
2. Set on greased tray.
3. When cooled, break into small pieces.
4. In a serving dish, lay out cake rusks & spoon in coffee.
5. Sprinkle half of caramelized almond pieces.
6. Cover with cream.
7. Top with remaining caramelized almond pieces.
8. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Dessert - Semolina or Sooji Halva

I started making this recipe, given to me by a neighbor in Muscat, with desiccated coconuts. One night, as I lay in bed wanting to wet my lips with something sweet in popped an idea to try roasted almonds instead of desiccated coconut. I haven't looked back since.

This is always part of my trolley layout when entertaining, during Eid or other festive occasions. (Sometimes, craving for sweet is a festive enough occasion.)

Same recipe can be used for besan halva without the almonds.

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

Whole almonds: 1 cup, dry roasted and crushed

or 

Dessicated unroasted coconut: 1 cup

Roasting almonds

Semolina: 1 cup

Measuring the sooji

Sugar: 1 cup

Whole milk powder: 1 cup option to use khoya or ricotta cheese

Butter or ghee: 1/2 cup

Saffron strands: a pinch

Ground cardamom: 1/4 tsp

     Direction:

1. Add sugar and 3 tbsp water in a separate pan, use low heat to make the sugar syrup. 
2. Dry roast the semolina in an open pan on medium to low heat until a light golden brown.
3. Add the butter and ghee to the semolina and continue to fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the crushed almonds to the above mixture, stir over low heat to combine.
5. Add the whole milk powder and combine over low heat.
6. Stir in the sugar syrup, cardamom and saffron strands to the semolina.
7. Depending on the consistency of the finished halva, it can be served as a soft consistency or laid out on a pre-greased small pizza pan and cut into small pieces.

Sugar Syrup

Checking the syrup consistency



Sooji over flame

Dry roasted sooji with ghee or butter

Combining the ghee into the sooji

Roasting the sooji

 adding sugar syrup

 setting halva in a flat pan