Category: Baking

Chicken and Potato Bake

Chicken and Potato Bake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Sometimes you crave comfort food in cold winter evenings and this one hits the spot. It has just two main ingredients and takes hardly any time to get it ready.

Ingredients

Chicken pepperoni 200 g

Potatoes 4 large

Italian seasoning 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Butter 1 tbsp

Mozzarella cheese 1 cup

Salt to taste

Method

Peel and chop three potatoes into large chunks and boil till cooked. Drain and keep aside.

Mash well with the butter, salt and pepper powder.

Start assembling in a ceramic baking dish. Lay a layer of pepperoni and then the mashed potatoes.

Cover with the rest of the pepperoni.

Peel the remaining potato and slice thinly. Lay it on top of the pepperoni.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with the cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and red chilli flakes. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees Celsius oven for 30 minutes till the cheese turns brown. Serve hot.

Cheese Biscuits

Cheese Biscuits

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

These biscuits are easy to make and a wonderful way to use up the extra cheese. I bake a whole batch in the course of a morning.

Ingredients

All purpose flour 2 cups

Salted butter 1/2 cup

Grated cheddar cheese 3 cups

Salt 1 tsp

Dried Oregano 2 tsps

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Method

In a bowl mix the butter and cheese.

Add the flour, salt, oregano and red chilli powder.

Mix well to form a loose dough.

Form into small balls and flatten against the palm of your hand. Arrange on a buttered plate or tray. Press a fork against each biscuit to form the lines.

Bake in a 210 degree C oven for 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and taken out when the biscuits turn golden brown.

Cherry Cake

Cherry Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When I used to read Enid Blyton’s books as a young girl, I loved the food that the children in the stories enjoyed. They seemed to be always having picnics with cake and lashings of ginger beer or midnight feasts or just enjoying scones and buttery toast in the cafe in the village. Her descriptions made my mouth water. So I decided to try to make the cherry cake that the Adventurous Four ate on top of the cliff.

Enid Blyton herself gave the recipe for cherry cake but she was living in a post-World War 2 world with rationing in place. I live in a time of plenty. So my cake is richer and tastier and healthier too as I use butter instead of margarine.

Ingredients

Butter 180 g

All-purpose flour 1 cup

Baking powder 1 tsp

Sugar 3/4 cup

Eggs 3

Milk 4 tbsp

Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp

Dried cherries 1 cup mixed with 1 tbsp flour

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together. Crack the eggs and add to the mixture.

Add the vanilla essence.

Mix the flour and baking powder and add little by little to the mixture.

Add the milk when the mixture appears too thick.

Grease a round cake pan and pour about a third of the cake batter. Add about half the floured cherries.

Mix the rest of the cherries with the batter and pour it into the baking pan.

Bake in a 170 degrees C preheated oven for 40 minutes. Keep checking after 30 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clear, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. Slice and serve.

Pesto Buns

Pesto Buns

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I came up with this recipe when my sister wanted something savoury along with the cinnamon rolls that I had made for breakfast. It came out quite delicious.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 2 3/4 cups

Sugar 1/4 cup

Butter 3 tbsps

Pesto 3/4 cup

Yeast 2 1/4 tsps

Milk 3/4 cup

Salt 1/2 tsp

Egg 1

Basil leaves, few

Olive oil 1 tbsp

Method

Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Melt the butter in the milk in the microwave till the butter is melted and the mixture is warm, not hot. Add the yeast and leave for five minutes. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients.

Add the egg. Turn the mix onto a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes. Make into a ball of dough and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave for an hour till the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down the dough and roll it out into a rectangle. Spread the pesto and sprinkle with basil leaves.

Roll the dough into a cylindrical log. Slice into 1” pieces and place in a buttered tray.

Cover with cling film and let it rise for 60-90 minutes.

Bake in preheated 190 degree C oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Ginger and Date Pudding

Ginger and Date Pudding

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The less sugar you consume, the less you want. Increasingly, I find desserts too sweet at restaurants. So I came up with this version that is delicious without being too sweet as I use dates and jaggery to impart the sweetness.

Served with custard

Ingredients

Flour 1 3/4 cups

Baking powder 1 tsp

Baking soda 1 1/2 tsps

Ginger powder 2 tsps

Sugar 3/4 cup

Jaggery 3 cubes

Dates 6, chopped

Fresh ginger 1” piece, chopped fine

Eggs 2

Yoghurt 3 tbsps

Salted Butter 125 grams, melted

Method

Mix the dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and sugar — in a bowl.

Heat half a cup of water with the jaggery cubes till they melt and become reduced to 2 tablespoons. Add it to the bowl.

Add half a cup of water to the yoghurt and beat well till blended. Add to the bowl.

Add the eggs, chopped dates and ginger. Add the melted butter. Mix well with a flat wooden spoon.

Preheat the oven at 190 degrees C and bake the pudding for 30 minutes till the surface is golden brown.

Test with a toothpick. It should come out with crumbs.

Serve it warm with custard.

Banana and Tutti-frutti Cake

Banana and Tutti-frutti Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Banana Tutti-frutti Cake was a favourite dessert in my family, especially as I used to get really good candied fruit for the tutti-frutti mix in Singapore. This is a healthy version with light vegetable oil instead of butter and no eggs. I used yoghurt and baking soda instead with a little sour cream to keep the cake soft.

Ingredients

Candied fruit 1/2 cup

Flour 1 1/2 cup + 2 tbsps

Milk 1 1/4 cup

Vinegar 1 1/2 tbsp

Baking soda 1/2 tsp

Baking powder 2 tbsps

Sugar 3/4 cup

Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Vegetable oil 1/2 cup

Yoghurt 1/2 cup, whipped

Bananas 2, mashed

Sour cream 1/4 cup

Method

Add the 2 tablespoons of flour to the tutti-frutti in a bowl and mix well to cover all the candied fruit with flour. This will prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom.

Pour the milk into a bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar and oil. Mix well.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the milk. Mix well but do not overdo it.

Add the sugar, vanilla essence, mashed bananas and sour cream. Mix well. Add the yoghurt and tutti-frutti mix. Mix well with a gentle hand.

Pour into a greased cake pan and bake in preheated oven at 170 degrees C for 40-45 minutes.

Cool on a rack before slicing.

Banana and Chocolate Pie

Banana and Chocolate Pie

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I had pastry left over from the lemon tart I made and decided to make a banana and chocolate pie. It is a light dessert that goes well after a soup and meat dinner.

Ingredients

Pastry pie crust

Banana 1

Chocolate chips 1/4 cup

Fine sugar 1 tbsp

Honey 3 tbsps

Method

Make the pie crust according to the recipe given here.

Lightly dust the countertop and roll out the pastry dough to form a 1/4” thick disc. Cut out a round the size of round baking tray and use the dough you cut out to border the disc.

Bake in a 180 degree C oven for about 20 minutes till the crust is flaky and light brown.

Slice the banana and line the middle of the baked crust.

Sprinkle the sugar and the chocolate chips on top.

Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 15 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and pour the honey over the baked pie. Let the pie cool and slice into wedges.

Country bread

Country bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 3 Comments

This rustic country loaf is healthy, tasty and easy to make. The mix of bread flour and whole wheat flour makes this a bread for all occasions. It goes well with soups and also makes great sandwiches.

Ingredients

Bread flour 3 cups

Whole wheat flour 1 1/3 cup

Olive oil 1/3 cup plus for greasing

Italian herbs 2 tbsps

Yeast 3 tsp

Salt 1 tsp

Sugar 2 tbsps

Method

Mix all the ingredients and make a dough in the bread machine or stand mixer.

Roll the dough on to a floured surface and knead for about five minutes.

Shape into a ball and let rest covered in a greased bowl for two hours. I leave it overnight in winter.

Punch down the dough and give it a second rising.

Keep a tray of water in the oven and bake in a 210 degree C convection oven for 40 minutes. Spritz with water a few times during the first 15 minutes.

Cool on a rack, slice and serve.

Eggless fudge brownie

Eggless fudge brownie

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This fudgy brownie is light, but does not compromise on taste. The yoghurt and sugar give the fudgy texture to the brownie.

Ingredients

Dark chocolate 125 g

Cocoa 1/2 cup

Drinking chocolate 1/2 cup

Butter 85 g

Sugar 1 cup

Hot water 1/4 cup

All-purpose flour 3/4 cup

Baking powder 1/2 tsp

Corn flour 2 tbsps

Salt 1/2 tsp

Yoghurt 1/4 cup

Method

Melt the butter, chocolate, cocoa and drinking chocolate in a microwave at 30-second intervals till it becomes a smooth thick sauce.

Add the sugar to the hot water in a bowl and whisk for four minutes.

Add the chocolate sauce and whisk well.

Add the all-purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt and mix with a folding action. Do not over mix.

Add the yoghurt and mix it in.

Put into a greased tray and bake in a 170 degree C oven for 25 minutes.

Cool overnight in the refrigerator and slice into squares.

Lemon tart

Lemon tart

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is a dessert that goes well with a heavy meal of meat or chicken. It is light and tartness of the lemon custard is really good after a curry or steak. Use fresh lemons and the custard can be made earlier. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Ingredients

Pastry pie crust

Zest of two lemons

Sugar 3/4 cup

Corn flour 2 tbsps

Water 2 tbsps

Butter 120 g

Lemon juice 3/4 cup

Condensed milk 1/2 cup

Method

Make the pastry pie crust according to the recipe given here. Divide the dough into two halves and use just one half. The rest can be frozen for use later.

Line a greased pie dish with the rolled pie crust and pierce the bottom with a fork. Line the crust with aluminium foil and add dry rice to weigh down the crust. Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and rice and bake for another five minutes.

Add a teaspoon of sugar to the zest in a pestle and grind to a paste.

Dissolve the corn flour in the water and keep it aside.

In a saucepan bring the butter, lemon juice, sugar and the zest paste to a boil. Continue to boil for four minutes, stirring all through.

Add the corn flour and simmer for three minutes, stirring continuously. It will thicken.

Take it off the heat and add the condensed milk. Stir well. Cool for 15 minutes.

Pour the lemon curd into the baked pie crust and refrigerate for two hours.

Slice and serve.