Spiced Rich Fruit Cupcakes

Spiced Rich Fruit Cupcakes are perfect for the season. I often bake them when I am short on time.

The spicy fruit cupcakes are great alternative to the traditional Plum Cake. These cupcakes take up less time to bake and are moist and spongy too.

The dry fruit may be used as per preference or availability. Sometime, I have a variety of them to add to the cupcakes and at other times only two to three. That is not an issue at all. The ginger, cinnamon and all spice make it just right for the season.

The cupcakes may be stored in an airtight box for 7 days in the winter (at room temp). Oh and one more thing…they do taste better the next day!

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Spiced Rich Fruit Cupcakes                        Makes 12 to 13

Ingredients:

Eggs – 3

All purpose flour, Brown Sugar, Butter and mixed dry fruit – same weight as that of the eggs

Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp

Ginger powder – ½ tsp

All spice powder – ½ tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Milk – ¼ cup

Method:

1.    Soak the mixed dry fruit in orange juice or rum a day ahead.

2.    Crack 3 eggs into a bowl and weigh them. Take equal weight of flour, butter and brown sugar.

3.    To the flour, add in the spice powders, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix thoroughly.

4.    Beat the butter and brown sugar till light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing it thoroughly before the next addition.

5.    Add in the flour mix into the wet mix in 2 parts. (Reserve a little about 2 tblsp for later.) Mix gently. Take care not to over beat. Add the milk alternating with the flour.

6.    Now, toss the soaked dry fruit in the reserved flour mix. Add it into the prepared batter and fold in gently.

7.    Line the cupcake moulds with paper cups or liners. Use an ice cream scoop or 2 table spoons to fill in the moulds with batter. Fill only ½ to ¾ of the moulds so that the cupcakes get space to rise.

8.    Bake in a preheated oven at 160 to 180 °C for 15 to 20 mins or till they are done. Check by inserting a skewer or toothpick.

9.    Cool on the wire rack before serving.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Tehri Veggie Rice

Tehri is a Veggie Rice one pot meal. The recipe is really simple and made with readily available ingredients.

Tehri (rice dish with winter vegetables) or Tehari recipe hails from the Northern Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is made with lots of vegetables, aromatic whole spices and Basmati rice.

It is usually served with raita or yogurt and salad. The recipe is easy to make and ideal for a lazy day.

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Tehri Veggie Rice                Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Cauliflower – 6 to 8 florets

Carrots – 1 large (sliced)

Potato – 1 medium (diced)

French beans – 8 to 10 (cut into long pieces)

Sweet peas – ½ cup

Tomato – 1 large (diced)

Onion – 1 large (sliced)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Green chilies – 1 or 2

Fresh coriander leaves – 1 small bunch

Whole Spices

Cinnamon – 1 long stick

Black cardamom – 1

Green cardamom – 3 to 4

Cloves – 2 to 3

Peppercorns – 10 to 12

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Bay leaves – 1 large or 2 small

Powdered Spices

Garam masala pdr – ½ tsp

Coriander pdr – 1 tsp

Cumin pdr – ½ tsp

Red chili pdr – ½ tsp

Chaat masala – 1 tsp

Turmeric pdr – a pinch

Mustard oil – 2 tblsp

Clarified butter /Ghee – 1 to 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.    Wash and drain the Basmati rice. Heat a pan and add in the clarified butter. Add in the washed rice and cook this on low to medium heat stirring continuously till the rice grains look translucent. Take it out and keep aside.

2.    Heat the mustard oil to smoking point. Lower the heat and add in the Whole Spices to temper the oil. Add in the onions and fry till golden.

3.    Add in the tomato and potato and cook for a minute. Add in the carrot and cauliflower and fry for a minute or two.

4.    Lower the heat and add in the dry spices (not the garam masala), ginger garlic paste, mix well and add in a little water. Add the peas. beans and chili. Season with salt. Cook for 2 minutes then remove the cauliflower florets. Add the rice, mix well gently. Cook for a minute before adding in 2 cups of warm water.

5.    Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and cover for 2 to 3 minutes. Now, add in the cauliflower back into the pan along with garam masala powder and mix them in. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 to 7 mins or till the rice soaks up all the water. Turn off the heat.  The rice will be moist at this stage, so just mix it lightly, cover it and keep it aside for 5 mins.

6.    Sprinkle with lots of chopped coriander leaves and fluff up the rice gently.

7.    Serve hot with raita or yogurt on the side.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Gnocchi in Spicy Curry Sauce....eggless recipe!

Gnocchi with spicy curry sauce is just perfect for a cold winter day meal. In this recipe, learn how to make gnocchi without eggs my way.

With the new harvest of potatoes coming in, I could not resist making gnocchi. They turn out perfect every time I use the “new” potatoes.

It is fairly easy to make this recipe. The potatoes must be cooked  till just done and the dough should be handled lightly. Kneading it too much will result in the gnocchi turning tough.

For the spicy curry sauce, I have used Pav Bhaji masala but other store bought or home made Indian spice mix may be used as well.

A fusion dish, the gnocchi in spicy Indian sauce hits all the right notes on a cold winter day.

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Gnocchi in Spicy Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Gnocchi      (Serves 4 to 5)

Freshly harvested Potatoes – 500g

All Purpose Flour – ¾ cup or as required + extra for dusting

Semolina /Suji – 2 tblsp

Salt – ½ tsp or to taste

For the Curry Sauce   (Serves 6 to 8)

Tomato paste – 2 cups

Grated onion – 1 medium

Finely chopped garlic – 4 to 5 cloves

Finely chopped green chilies – 1 or 2 as per your taste

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Kashmiri chili powder – ½ tsp

Pav Bhaji masala – 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup – 2 to 3 tblsp

Coriander +garlic+green chili paste – 1 tblsp

Light Olive/ Vegetable Oil – 2 ½  tblsp
Extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.    Peel the potatoes and wash them thoroughly if using freshly harvested ones. Otherwise, leave the skin on and peel it off after cooking the potatoes. You may boil, stem or bake to cook the potatoes.

2.    Using a grater, grate the cooked potatoes while they are still hot. Season with salt. Mix well.

3.    Add in the semolina and ½ cup of flour and mix well to coat the potato. Use a fork.

4.    Dust the work surface with flour and take out the potato mix. Just gather it gently to form a lump. Dust more flour and knead lightly till smooth. DO NOT over mix or over knead the potato dough or else the gnocchi will turn out to be tough.

5.    Let it rest, covered for 10 mins. Divide the dough into 4 parts and roll out each to long tubes about ¾ th inch in diameter. Cut out the tube into small pillows. Use a fork dipped in flour and press one pillow over it. Gently roll it out to release it. This will make grooves on the gnocchi.

6.    Dust with more flour and keep in the fridge for 20 mins. These may be kept in an airtight container and frozen for upto 2 months.

7.    Heat the light olive oil and add the grated onion (squeeze out the water). Saute till light golden. Add in the garlic and green chili, fry briefly. Add in the dry spices and a little water. Cook till the oil starts separating all over.

8.    Add in the fresh tomato paste and bring to a boil. Pour in the ketchup and the coriander paste. Season with salt and cook on low heat for 3 mins. The sauce will thicken. Now, cover and cook for a further 3 mins.

9.    Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water. They float up once cooked. Have a hot pan by the side. Add in some extra virgin olive oil and the sauce as per the number of servings. Toss in the cooked gnocchi into the sauce and give it a mix while bubbling up.

10. Dish it out immediately and serve garnished with a sprinkling of cheese and coriander leaves.

© Rinki’s Kitchen

Christmas Theme Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

A Christmas theme cake can very well be a chocolate cake with decorative whipped cream frosting. I am sharing some easy yet, cool ideas for a whipped cream Christmas tree theme cake

It’s that time of the year when everyone indulges in baking. So, why not make it a family affair?

Kids enjoy cake decorating very much and with that thought in mind, I have shared some easy whipped cream frosting techniques.

All you need to do is get the basic cake with ganache frosting ready and sliced, the cream whipped up and just get everyone together around the table for a fun session.

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Whipped Cream Christmas (Tree) Theme Cake                 Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

Chocolate cake – 8”

Milk – ½ cup (chilled)

Chocolate ganache – 1 ½  cup

Whipping cream – 1 cup Icing sugar – 2 tblsp

Food gel colours (red and green) – as required

Piping bags – 3

Piping nozzles – petal tip/leaf tip, rose tip and star tip

Method:

1.    Place the cake upside down on a cake board or a plate. Drizzle the cold milk using a teaspoon all over the cake. Let it rest for 5 mins.

2.    Melt the ganache in the microwave. Pour over the cake and spread it out using a knife. Let it drip over the edge. Set it in the fridge for half an hour.

3.    Take the whipped cream absolutely chilled and beat it (using a whisk, hand held electric beater or a stand mixer) for a couple of minutes.

4.    Sift the icing sugar and add it into the cream. Mix on low speed then increase the speed to high and beat it till stiff peaks form.

5.    Divide the cream into 3 parts. Colour one part green and one part red using the gel colours. Add in a few drops at a time and mix. Add more color if required according to your liking. Keep the third part white.

6.    Fill the cream in 3 icing bags and fit them with a petal nozzle, a leaf nozzle / rose tip and a star tip.

7.    Take out the cake and cut it into 8 wedges.

8.    Using each icing bag, pipe out leaves /petals or stars to fill the top of each wedge. Draw a zigzag with the rose tip to cover the top  of the others.

9.    You may pipe stars on the side of the cake in contrasting colours for a bit of fun.

10. Serve as individual portions

 © Rinki’s Kitchen 

Chocolate Cake (batter in a mixie)

You don’t need fancy equipments to make a cake batter...I say this from experience.

This chocolate cake batter can very well be made in a mixer grinder.

Since the batter is being made in the mixie, I am careful to run it only very briefly. I would not want to work the flour for a long time. That is the only important point I remember.

The recipe is a simple one and has been with me since my high school days! It is from my good friend Kamlakshi. I used to make it quite often then. As, life moved on, this recipe was misplaced and forgotten. When I remembered about it, I reached out to my friend.  She gladly sent it to me from a far away continent. So, it had to go on my blog.

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Chocolate Cake (batter in a mixer grinder)       Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

The Dry Ingredients

 All purpose flour – 1 ¾ cup

Cocoa powder – 4 tblsp

Baking soda – 1 ½ tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Castor sugar – 1 ½ cups

The Wet Ingredients

Vegetable oil – ½ cup

Yogurt – 1 cup

Vanilla essence – 1 ½ tsp

Eggs – 2 large

Method:

1.    Take the flour in a large bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and baking soda. Add the salt and whisk to combine everything for a minute.

2.    Prepare an 8 “ round baking tin by brushing it with oil and lining the base with butter paper. Dust it with flour and keep aside.

3.    Take a mixer jar, add in the sugar, eggs and oil. Run it till you get a smooth batter. Add in the vanilla essence and mix it in.

4.    Add 1/3 of the dry mix and ½ of the yogurt. Whiz briefly. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and the lid of the jar. Fold in any dry flour you see.

5.    Add the second part of the flour and the rest of the yogurt. Mix briefly.

6.    Add in the last part of the flour and mix it. Combine any dry flour left in the jar by folding with the spatula.

7.    Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 7 mins then, lower the temperature to 160 °C and bake till done.

8.    Cool completely. Run a knife to loosen the edges. Demould and remove the butter paper before serving.

© Rinki’s Kitchen 

Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza

You can’t beat the taste of a freshly made pizza at home can you? So, instant thin crust pizza is my  answer to occasional cravings.

This recipe gets done in just under 35 mins. I call it instant because the dough is made without yeast and that really cuts down the “rise” time. Also, to reduce the prep time, the sauce used is pre made. I have actually used a good quality store bought sauce.

The choice of toppings for the thin crust whole wheat pizza is pretty much according to personal preference and available ingredients. Capsicum, onion, mushroom, corn, sausage…anything will do. So, no need to fuss about it.

I often make the basic version with just the sauce, some cheese and fresh basil. That’s the best. As they say … Less is more.

Here's the video recipe:

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Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza               24 slices

Ingredients

For the dough

Whole Wheat flour – 2 cups + ½ cup

Yogurt – ½ cup

Oil – 1 tblsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Baking soda – 1 tsp

Water – about 1 cup or as required

Salt – ½ tsp

Semolina – to roll out the bases

For the topping

Pizza sauce – 1 cup or as required (1 ½ tblsp per pizza)

Mozzarella cheese – as required

Sliced capsicum and bell peppers – ½ each

Sliced onion – 1 medium

Sliced button mushrooms – 4 to 5

Fried cottage cheese cubes – 10 to 12 pieces

Fresh basil leaves – a handful

Olives – 5 to 6 (sliced)

Extra virgin olive oil – ½ cup

Oregano seasoning – to taste

Red chili flakes – to taste

Method:

1.    Take the wheat flour in a large bowl. Add in all the other ingredients except water for the dough and mix well. Start by adding ½ cup of water and mixing it in. Gradually add a little water at a time mixing in between, till the dough comes together in a lump.

2.    Get it out on a clean work surface and knead it using some flour till it becomes smooth. Apply oil to the palms and stretch and fold the dough into a ball. Cover and keep it aside to rest for 15 to 20 mins.

3.    Once the dough has been rested, knead lightly and divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll out each portion using a rolling pin and semolina  into a longish rectangular shape.

4.    Line a baking tray with parchment or silicon mat. Place the rolled out pizza bases on the tray.

5.    Spread out 1 ½ tblsp of sauce on each. Sprinkle with mozzarella and add the toppings according to your taste. Sprinkle some oregano seasoning and chili flakes on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Tear some basil leaves and add them on top.

6.    Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for 15 mins or till the bases are cooked and crispy and the cheese has melted.

7.    Drizzle more olive oil on top and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.

© Rinki’s Kitchen