Swiss Roll/ Jelly Roll

Oh! You have no idea how excited I am sharing this recipe with you. This comes from a pastry chef himself. So you can be sure that it works – perfectly! While you might have seen numerous recipes giving you 20 different steps to do it, a list of do's and dont's, separating the whites from the yolk,   making simple syrup,  folding 4 different ingredients in a specific order, and still not got it right! But now, the secret of awesome swiss roll is out. Such a fool proof recipe you will be compelled to make it at every given opportunity! Diligently follow measurements and the steps and you won't go wrong ever! (Do read notes at the bottom for tips and tricks!)

Two ingredients that make this super moist and flavorful is the warm mixture of milk + oil, and addition of honey respectively. Your cake will fold very easily and not crack and will have a lovely dewy flavor of honey!

I decided to make two swiss rolls each with a different flavor, since eating just one flavor can a little monotonous at times :). And if you can get two varieties from baking just one cake, why not! Oh, did I give this secret out too!! :)

So one swiss roll was made with strawberries, for which I used home made strawberry jam. While strawberry and cream is a classic combination in itself, but don't under estimate lemon and cream duo, as it is a super vibrant, fresh, zesty and bursting with flavor kind of combination. The tartness of the lemon and the sweetness of cream with the mellow honey flavored cake is a pure joy!!! You just HAVE to give it a try. Buy a bottle of good quality lemon curd, and you will know what I am talking about!! 

I still can't get over this !!!

You need:

For the cake:

Large Eggs – 4 

Egg yolk  of 1 large egg- 1

Sugar – 80 Grams

Honey – 30 grams

Flour – 80 Grams

Milk  - 30 Grams

Oil – 20 Grams

For the strawberry filling:

Whipped Cream – ½ – 1 Cup (depending on how creamy would you like it)

Strawberry Jam – ½ Cup (adjust as per your liking)

For the lemon curd filling:

Whipped cream - ½ – 1 Cup (depending on how creamy would you like it)

Lemon Curd– ½ Cup (adjust as per your liking)

1. First keep the baking pan ready before starting with the cake batter because once the cake mixture is ready you will have to immediately bake it without wasting any time. If you wait for too long, the cake will not rise and will be chewy. To get started apply butter on the baking tray and line the baking tray with a parchment paper. Use a block of butter straight out of fridge and smear it all over the baking tray.  That makes the baking paper stick nicely to the pan. Now place another parchment paper repeat the butter application. Now sprinkle some all purpose flour on the tray and tap it gently as you rotate the tray to uniformly coat the entire baking tray with a thin layer of flour. This will stop the cake from sticking to the tray. and with 2 layers of parchment paper, this becomes fool proof. Makes life easier :)
2. Preheat the oven to  390°F (200°C).
3. Add the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and honey into a bowl and mix well.
4. Now on a double boiler whisk this well till the mixture becomes lukewarm. If you have a candy thermometer the temperature of the mixture should be roughly 102°F (39°C ). If not, check the temperature with your finger, it should be lukewarm and not too hot, else you will have to a bowlful of sweetened scrambled eggs. And trust me they taste awful!! Some experiences are worth sharing :) 
5. Once the mixture is 102 F, take the bowl away from the heat and start mixing with an electric mixer. Note: this 
6. The mixture will turn into a cream. Keep mixing until there are no air bubbles left. This can take up to 10-12 minutes or more. Basically it should not fall off the whisk when you lift this mixture in your whisk. 
7. Add the sieved flour (all at once) and fold in slowly using a flat spatula. Be gentle as the mixture will lose all air bubbles and cake will fall flat if not folded in gently.  Warm the milk and oil in the microwave and add it to the dough. Again fold in gently. The liquid tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl, so mix with a bottom-to-top movement. 
8. Pour the dough onto the baking pan and level it gently. Yes, please be gentle, this cake is a delicate baby. 
9. Here’s one more trick: To make sure that there are no big air bubbles left in the dough, drop the pan on the table once. OK OK.. I meant face up to let the gentle tap of hard surface at the bottom of the pan push all the air out. Ok, to simplify it further, hold the two ends of the tray and place it an inch above the table. Gently drop the tray. That's it!
10. Put the pan into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes at 390°F (200°C) until the surface turns golden brown.
11. While the swiss roll is in the oven, make your tea/ coffee and enjoy it. (This is not a part of the recipe, you silly!)
12. Once done, take it out of the oven and heavily drop it onto the table to let the steam in the dough go out. This steam could turn to water later and make the roll soggy. No we don't want a soggy swiss roll after all that whisking! 
13. Next, put another parchment paper on top of it and turn it around to make sure the cake is not sticking to any part of the tray. Carefully strip the baking paper from the top side. 
14. Now evenly spread the strawberry jam followed by whipped cream for the strawberry swiss roll, and lemon curd followed by whipped cream for the latter one.  
15. Gently roll with both your hands to form swiss rolls. The cake will be moist enough to easily roll without cracking. However, you can also use the following technique. Starting from the side closest to you, start to roll the cake using the parchment paper. Gently peel back the parchment paper as you keep rolling. Once done, keep the seam at the bottom so that it doesn't open up. 

The baking pan I use has a size of 30x33 cm. If your baking pan has a different size, you need to scale the amounts of all ingredients accordingly.

For example, if you use a 40x40 cm baking pan, you will need to multiply all the amounts with: (40*40):(30*33) =1.6

If you plan to make two different rolls, each with a different flavor,  cut the cake lengthwise into two long rectangles. Please, please, PLEASE don't cut into two squarish cakes even by mistake as you won't be able to roll it then. So to make it simple, imagine how the roll would look once its ready. And NOW, if you were to cut  this swiss roll into 2 halves how would you cut. Just slice the cake along that very same line!!! Please don't tell me you still did it!! :)

Cabbage Kabab (Super Healthy, Super Tasty!)

Super healthy and super tasty kababs for vegetarians. Don't let the cabbage discourage you! The cabbage and potato mixture make these kababs super moist, succulent. Since I  steam-cook the cabbage almost three-fouth, before adding other ingredients, it has a creamy texture and there is no way anyone will guess whats inside!!  It's a must try!

By the way it's my mom's recipe with a slight twist! While she cuts her cabbage a little coarser to have a distinct taste of crispy cabbage, I like mine very very fine (almost minced) to lend a creamier texture and taste. She makes them like patties/ cutlet shapes (to keep them crispier uniformly) and avoids cornflour, while I make mine round so that I get a succulent centre and crispy exterior. Feel free to try my mom's version too as a variety, just chop the cabbage a little coarse and shape them like patties and skip the corn flour. It tastes good too!!

You need:

Very finely grated cabbage - 1 Cup

Boiled potato - 1 medium size (grated fined)

Onion - 1 medium (chopped very very fine)

Roasted cumin powder - 1 tsp 

Green chilies - 2-3 nos. (fine chopped, adjust to taste)

Fresh coriander leaves/Cilantro - 1/2 cup (chopped fine)

Fresh mint leaves - 5-6 nos. (fine chopped)

Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)

Corn flour - 1/2  Tbsp

Gram flour - 1/2 Tbsp

Aamchoor/ Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 Tbsp (or enough to pan fry)

1. Add a tsp of water to the cabbage and pop it in the microwave oven for 2-3 min. (squeeze out if any excess water remains). You can alternatively cook it in a non-stick pan without adding any water till its cooked three-fourth. The objective is to cook it before making the kabab so that it remains soft, moist and creamy. 
2. Mix all the ingredients other than oil and mix really well so that the kabab mix is homogenous.
3. Cover with a cling wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 15-20 min. This makes the mixture firm enough to not crumble while cooking. 
4. After 15-20 minutes if you feel the mixture is not firm enough to stay intact while cooking add a little more gram flour to the mixture. Add just enough to hold it as adding more flour would make it less succulent and soft. 
5. Form balls and cook on a non-stick pan with just enough oil to coat the kababs and fry till golden brown in color. The heat should be medium high in the beginning and then low so that exterior gets a little crispy from outside and still stays soft from inside.
6. Transfer to a plate and serve with mint chutney!

* To make roasted cumin owder - slow roast on a pan and crush in a mortar pestle or spice blender)

Pyaz ki Khatti-Meethi Tarkari (baby-onions in sweet-tangy sauce)

Nice sweet tangy onion subzi thats quite refreshing. It's a simple, no-fuss dish that goes very well with any kind of dal and phulkas (puffed indian bread). Perfect on a day when you want to eat something light and easy!

You need:

White pearl baby onions - 12-14 cps. (Substitute with roughly chopped onions)

Green Chili - 2 (slit)

Mustard Oil - 1 tsp

Onion Seeds/ Kaluanji/ Nigella Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Ginger Pate - 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp

Jaggery - 2 Tbsp 

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp (adjust to taste)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

1. Heat mustard oil in pan till it starts fuming. If you are cooking in mustard oil, always make sure the oil is heated till it fumes and only then start adding other ingredients. This takes away the bitterness from the oil and lends only the mustard flavor to your dish.
2. Add kalaunji and green chili. 
3. Once kalaunji splutters add turmeric, ginger, garlic paste and fry for 15-20 sec. 
4. Add the tamarind pulp, red chili powder, salt and jaggery.
5. Add a cup of water and mix all the ingredients well. 
6. Now add the onions and cook till the onions lose their pungent taste and become sweet and soft.
7. Serve with phulkas and dal. 

*If you don't have baby-onions at hand, replace with red onions (quartered and layers separated)

Flavored Water

Ok! This is not a recipe really!

It's summer again! Time to drink loads of water, beat the heat with with fruit-smoothies, a lot of of ice-cream and whether you like it or not, a lot of sugary dehydrating soda too. 

I am one among many who somehow cannot manage to drink the daily recommended quota of water to detoxify and to keep the body hydrated. :(. So here's something that makes me drink more water than I usually do! 

It's amazing how plain simple water when stirred with natural fruits/vegetables can become so refreshing!  I wasn't so hopeful; when I first saw an article in one of the health magazines, but the picture looked so enticing that I decided to give it a try. And ever since, my refrigerator always has a carafe of flavored water!! It has a nice zesty-minty flavor which is very very mild and yet so refreshing. And the ginger adds to a subtle crispiness to the water. That's like a lot of description for pure simple water.. but the end result is so thirst quenching and hydrating, I can't help it! ;)

If you are traveling, going for a picnic, trekking, even going to office or sending kids to school, fill individual bottle for water with these natural flavoring ingredients and sip away to glory!Another benefit - you will end up spending a lot less on bottled water or soda!! Save money, Save plastic!! (And for those who like the idea of glowing skin, this gives a nice doze of anti-oxidants too! :)). Next I plan to use orange, peach and mint!

How to make it: In a pitcher or carafe add water, a few slices of pineapple, sliced ginger and a few mint leaves. Stir them well and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. You can also store it at room temperature if you wish to. After 3-4 hours, if you feel you need a little more flavor from any of the ingredients, just muddle it 1-2 times!

Mushroom - Spinach Sandwich

Ok, I confess! I am not a big sandwich fan. If you are like me who considers it a health food and avoids too much cheese, deep fired patties and too much mayonnaise between your bread, you will know what I mean when I say, sandwiches are blah! But I have always managed to make some varieties at home which make me repeatedly say 'ok, this is the last bite I am going to eat as I am full' and still eat some more. One of them being the Mushroom-Spinach sandwich. The nutty taste of mushroom with hearty spinach goes so well together. Mushroom gives a nice bite to it, while the spinach cooked in garlic and spring onions makes it creamy. The colored peppers give a burst of colors that will make even kids ask for more and more! This nutrient packed sandwich is for everyone! Feel free to add fresh corn kernels, or any other veggie of your choice!

While any bread is good to make this sandwich, there is nothing like fresh Ciabatta. However, I prefer to make my own flat bread for this one and feel it's worth the effort!. And, why exactly do I prefer making my own bread? Well,  I don't like sandwich made with store-bought toasted bread, as it gets too crispy and you spend more time chewing the bread than enjoy what's inside. The un-toasted bread feels too bland and soft. And then there is nothing like a nice soft bread that is slightly crispy from outside and still fluffy, spongy inside!

Infact, I use the same dough in a loaf pan to make white bread! Eating fresh from the oven, home made bread is such a joy. Slather home made jam, or cream cheese or plain butter or just have it plain!

But don't worry, if you don't want to make your own bread, use any fresh bread from your favorite deli and this sandwich will still taste awesome!

You need:

For the filling:
Button Mushrooms - 1/2 Cup (cleaned and sliced)
Baby Spinach - 1 Cup
Onion - 1/2 Medium size (thinly sliced)
Capsicum/ Colored Peppers - 1/2 (sliced)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Freshly crushed pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cheddar cheese - 2 slices (use any kind you prefer, I used the non-fat variety)
Sweet corn kernels - 1/4 cup (optional)

For the bread:

All purpose flour/ Maida – 2 ¾ cup

Rice flour – ¼ cup

Boiled potato – ½ cup (reserve water used to boil the potatoes to replace water for kneading the dough )

Salt – 1.5 tsp

Oil – 2 Tbsp

Warm buttermilk – ½ cup (replace with a mixture of 1/4 cup yogurt with 1/4 cup water)

Honey – 3 Tbsp

Yeast – 1.5 tsp

Water – ½ cup (adjust the water you get from boiling the potatoes to make 1/2 cup)

Sugar - ½ tsp

Making the Bread:

1. Mix sugar and active dry yeast in luke warm water (105-110 F) and keep it aside for 7-10 min. By the end of 7-10 min, the mixture should be frothy and this indicates that the yeast is active. Make sure the water is not too hot as yeast dies when subjected to high heat.
2. Combine all other ingredients, knead till smooth and springy, 5-10 minutes by hand or food procesor.The dough should be sticky, soft and spongy, but if it is way too sticky to handle, add a little flour to knead. But remember the dough is supposed to be sticky and soft, so ad flour only if you feel the dough is unmanageable without adding any extra flour. (The quantity of flour and water I have given should ideally be what you need) This should take upto 10 min as it needs to form gluten to make a nice fluffy bread.
3. Cover with bowl with a cling wrap and let rise till doubled, approx 1.5 hours.
4. Gently deflate dough, shape into balls and flatten them with your fingers to make 1/2 inch high rectangles of 8x4 inch dimensions.
5. Place into greased pans and leave until nicely risen but not over-proofed, approx. 35-45 minutes.
6. Pre-heat the oven at 375 F (pre-heating takes 10-15 min) and bake for 20 min or until the downward facing side is golden brown.
7. Turn sides and bake for another 10 min. 

Making the filling:

1. In oil add chopped garlic and for 1-2 minutes will the oil is infused with garlic flavor.
2. Add the onions and fry till translucent. 
3. Add the mushrooms, spinach and capsicum/colored peppers and saute for 3-4 min. Add sweet corn kernels at this stage if you are using them too.
4. Add salt pepper switch off.

To assemble the sandwich:

1. Add the filling to one half a side of the freshly baked bread. Then add the cheese on top of the filling and fold the second side over.
2. On a pan toast both sides gently so that the cheese melts slightly or just pop in microwave oven for 15 sec to melt the cheese.
3. Serve hot!