Nutella Swirl Bread | Eggless Baking

I can hardly believe its June already! It feels like yesterday when I wrote my last post but its been two months since I posted a recipe on Annarasa. I have been cooking and baking a lot of the good stuff and am now back with new super delicious recipes to share. Spring will give way to summer and none too soon in my opinion! The weather has been really strange - abundant sunshine followed by heavy clouds and chilly winds.

Masala Moongphali | Batter Fried Peanuts

Who does not like deep fried peanuts? Add a coating of savory, spicy batter to the recipe and they make for the tastiest snack time treat you can ask for! I love to make these during the holidays, when winter sets in, its snowy, rainy, and cold. This holiday season try these Batter Fried Peanuts alongside your favorite honey roasted almonds or maple roasted pecans. Enjoy them with family and friends when you get together to watch Frosty or play you favorite board game:)

Pineapple Ricotta Basundi | Milk and Ricotta Pudding with Pineapple Bits

In March I announced the first ever giveaway hosted at Annarasa ~ Essence of Food. This food event and giveaway ended on the 20th of April 2013 and I will announce the winners of the giveaway in the coming weeks. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every contributor and participant for taking the time to make this event a wonderful success. Over seventy unique recipes have been shared through this event by bloggers and non-bloggers alike.

Badam ki Kheer | Almond Milk Pudding

Diwali Greetings to all my readers!! I have been wondering for some time what sweet I should make to mark this festival and I realized that it has been some time since I made Kheer!! Badam Kheer or Almond Milk Pudding is one of my favourite Kheer recipes. The Kheer has a deliciously soft grainy texture, is fragrant with cardamom and saffron, and if you pay close attention gives a hint of heady almond towards the end.  Here is the delicious milk pudding recipe.

Methi Matar Malai | Creamy Fenugreek with Peas

Methi Matar Malai is a wonderful and mellow fusion of sweet, bitter, sour, and tart flavours. I adore this dish and though it uses a good quantity of cream, the final result if worth it. Its a perfect dish for a treat, a party, or an add on dish to a complete table! Try it and I assure you there will will no protests at home!!

Firni | Phirni | Creamy Ground Rice Custard - Three Ways

Monday night and I was craving some really creamy dessert!! No, not ice cream or even cream cake. I was looking for something smooth, milky and sweet. Phirni, the fabulously easy milk custard had been on my mind for a while! Thickened with rice paste and sweetened with sugar, this dessert harks back to hot Delhi days when cold desserts were a welcome relief. Prepared in the heat of the day, garnished with nuts fried in ghee, and chilled to perfection in the refrigerator, Phirni always marked the perfect ending to spicy meals!

Palak Tofu | Spinach Tofu

Palak or spinach is a wonderful vegetable. An iron rich super food, it tastes amazing both raw and cooked. Here I combine it with tofu to make a delicious Palak Tofu | Spinach Tofu for yet another Indian Style Tofu Recipe. This recipe is healthy, vegan, nutritious, and will leave you licking your fingers.

Gajar Koshimbir Ver 2.0 | Carrot Yogurt Salad

Today I want to share another go to recipe of mine. Carrots are great for salads and and I always keep a fresh pack handy at home. I buy organic carrots for salads. They are really tender and sweet and juicy and bursting with flavour!! Last week when I made my Hara Masala Makai Pulao | Spicy Green Corn Rice, I made this delicious yogurt based salad to accompany it. Did I mention its the simplest thing in the world to put together, you'll never be left wondering what to add to the table should someone unexpectedly drop by!!

Daring Bakers April 2012: Armenian Nutmeg Cake (Eggless)

This month's Challenge from the Daring Bakers was one of the best yet. Jason who writes at the Daily Candor was our host and he chose two traditional recipes from Armenia. We could do both or just one. Though I chose to do only one for the Challenge: the Armenian Nutmeg Cake, I know I would like to make the Nazook too some day!!

Really Smooth Fruit and Nut Chocolate Caramel Bark

Now who doesn't like chocolate!! Its a love we all share, sometimes secretly and at other times with a passion. Yes, even adults behave like little children at its mere mention! As a child, I loved Amul chocolates, the long lost Double Decker (one of the most delicious chocolates ever, it was rarely available even in my childhood, but I heard so much about it from my parents and their siblings), Five Star Bar, Fruit and Nut Bar, and Cadbury Nutties!! Now my favourite chocolates are those made from dark chocolate, the darker the better!!

Daring Bakers October 2011: A Savoury Take on the Povitica

This Daring Bakers Challenge was interesting albeit after the festive season in October, I could barely stand to see more sugar!! So I decided to tweak this challenge a little to suit our tastes as well as make it savoury!! The filling for this savoury version of the Povitica is a delicious Spicy Walnut Paste, made with walnuts, parsley, green chilies,pomegranate molasses and garlic!! I have also not used egg in the bread or the filling.I could have replaced the egg with some oil for the filling and that's the reason why the whirls are missing on the inside of the bread! These changes aside, I have followed the bread recipe as is.

Delicious Apple Pecan Crumble

Its apple season here, and we getting a wonderful variety of local apples at the many orchards that dot the countryside. While some orchards have a pick your own policy, some do all the hard work for you and you can just walk into the barn and get a 5lb bag of you favourite fruit or even a bushel if you fancy!! 

Shahi Tukre | Double ka Meetha aur Kesariya Rabri (Crispy Bread Pudding in a Pistachio Saffron Sauce)

Its been days since I made a good desi meetha or Indian Sweet!! The festival season has begun in India and I have been wanting to begin my Festive Fayre series again!! And what better sweet than the one called Shahi Tukra | Shahi Tukre | Double ka Meetha or quite simply Royal Morsels in English.

Daring Bakers June 2011: Walnut & Honey Baklava

Not an easy but an eminently rewarding challenge is how I'd describe the Challenge set us by Erica for June 2011. I have made Baklava before but this was my first time with making the Phyllo at home. Mine turned out really well except the top layer became flaky from staying in the oven a little too long!! Tastes superb!! Loved this recipe - a definite keeper!!

Banana Walnut Cake (Eggless)

Back to some baking!! The banana-walnut combination is what I always describe as sterling for cakes. The sweetness of the banana is set off perfectly by the oily nuttiness of the walnut. Needless to say, Banana-Walnut Cake ranks as one of the favourites in our home. I developed this recipe for an eggless cake many years ago when I wanted to stop adding eggs to my bakes. Though I still bake with egg whites, I like to avoid them wherever I can. This cake comes out so soft, spongy, and moist, you will never know that it was made without eggs!!

Sooji Halwa / Rava Halwa / Sheera | Semolina Pudding

Sooji Halwa is a delicious, melt in the mouth sweet prepared across the country. It is often made on religious occasions, as a Prasad (offering to God). Its also a great quick fix dessert and can be made in a cinch with just a few ingredients from the pantry.

Daring Bakers February 2011: Saffron Panna Cotta with a Pistachio Encrusted Mango Gelee

For the February 2011 Daring Baker's Challenge I made a Saffron Panna Cotta with a Pistachio Encrusted Mango Gelee. I made the Panna Cotta with a combination of single cream and full fat milk to which I added some agave nectar, pinch of sugar, salt, and saffron. Set it with agar agar. For the mango gelee, I used mango syrup, diluted with water, a squeeze of lemon, and agar agar. Pistachios were left raw, crushed coarsely, and encrusted in between the panna cotta and the gelee.

Thanks to Mallory for this wonderful Challenge!!

Post Script: The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

Click here for the complete Daring Baker's February 2011 Challenge.

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Tamatar Moongphali Pachidi | Tomato Peanut Chutney: Version 1.0

Few days back I made rava idli at home. It was a real treat. My desi mixer-grinder stopped working a few months back and I have not been able to make any of our favourites including idli, dosa, uttapa, chutney since. Having sworn off buying another blender until I find something that is truly heavy duty and will fulfill the needs of a desi kitchen, I am stuck with pursuing recipes that require at the most a dry grinder!! Finding one to do replace the conked machine is no easy task. Any one with any suggestion, do leave a note in the comments section - I will truly appreciate any input in this matter :)

Daring Cooks: Spicy Bean, Walnut, and Sun Dried Tomato Pate with Honey Wheat Bread

Pate and bread!! Perfect combination that always reminds me of Michaelmas in London. Brightly lit streets, exotic foods in creatively decorated containers, and loads of colour and warmth all around. Pate is in-season and and so are herbed crackers that go with it. Then again pates remind me of summer in England - they make a wonderful addition to any picnic basket - whether you plan to watch the boat races or head off to the Wimbledon Greens for a day out!!

Fresh Apple, Pecan, and Cinnamon Cake

Its been some time since I baked a cake. So when I caught a break on Tuesday evening, I decided to pull out the flour, sugar, and eggs and have a go at it!! I baked a fresh fruit and nut cake with apples, pecans, and cinnamon. This cake is soft and spongy, but it also have a great crumbly texture. Its great with a hot cuppa but you can serve it as dessert with a dollop of fresh cream!