Mava Cakes

The funny thing about a city you've grown up in is that while your eyes take in all that is changing in the city, your heart always looks out for all that was. And while change remains the only constant in life, you can't help feel that odd twinge when facades change, people move out and institutions close down. 

And over the past few years, Irani cafes and bakeries, the quintessential Bombay institution, look vulnerable to the relentless march of time that we've all learned, waits for no one. Whilst a few of these family run enterprises bravely continue till date, a large number of them have shut shop, taking with them a time of this city that will never come back. 

Step into any of the surviving Irani cafes and it is to enter a place that has somehow defied time with its trademark black, bent chairs and tables covered with red checkered cloth, rows of glass jars filled with goodies, that no-nonsense instruction board and of course, that heady aroma of fresh baking that calls out to every passerby. But, to enter these places was also a chance to meet the everyday Mumbaikar, who go about their daily grind relentlessly with a spirit that makes the soul of this city.

Like the couple sitting in the corner snatching a few moments alone in a city where privacy comes with the highest premium. Or those two old men whose conversation alternates between reminiscing about the good ole days and discussing the latest neighbourhood gossip. The young man sitting alone while he contemplates on how this city that promises to fulfil all your dreams takes an awfully lot from you before it even allows you a whiff of those dreams. The group of middle aged men stepping in for a mid-work break while they discuss the inevitable travails of life. Or simply the mother stopping by the bakery shelves to pick up some much cherished after-school treats from a place that has not only withstood time but also inflation to a large extent. Much like the maximum city, there's always place for everyone and maybe that's why they have endured for so long in a city whose character is constantly being reshaped by the people who live in it. 

I think we all have an enduring Irani cafe memory. It could be bun-maska and omelette or a plate of berry pulao or one of those biscuits from those glass jars be it the sweet nankhatai or the savoury, flaky khari biscuits or vegetable puffs or mutton samosas or my personal favourite, mava cakes.

Much before fancy bakeries opened shop, there were Irani bakeries and their signature madeira cakes and mava cakes. Mava cakes for the uninitiated are these small, crazy sweet, no frills, dense, buttery cakes that could be found either in a slab form or as I remember them, in these plain white cupcake liners topped off with half a cashew. This is your familiar butter cake desi-fied with mava and cardamom to superlative effect. 

Over Diwali, I had access to some freshly prepared mava (which is a kind of evaporated milk solid and is a key ingredient in many Indian, traditional sweets) and decided to have a go at making them at home. The recipe is thanks to a well connected blogger network. I first saw the recipe on Helen's beautiful blog, Tartelette who incidentally got it from Bina, a dear friend who I've gotten to know through her generous and lovely blog, 'A Bit Wholesomely'. 

The recipe was easy and worked a charm. Although take a tip from me and bake them in cupcake liners because hot out of the oven, they are incredibly soft and can be a bit fiddly to take out. Liners were my original plan till I realised I didn't have any at home.

And this is one cake where you want them to completely cool down before you bite into them. Warm out of the oven, they were very moist and soft and seemed a tad too sweet to my present palate. I wondered if these matched what I remembered of my childhood mava cakes. But, then I let them cool completely and it was everything I wanted from my mava cakes. Cooled down, the mava had given them that characteristic denseness and richness that you expect from these cakes along with that fragrant hit of cardamom that hits all the right spots in the memory bank. Although, when I make these again, I will reduce the sugar a tad bit even if Ma said it was just fine. 

Oh Bombay, you inspire and you disappoint, you demand and you bestow, you anger and  you exhilarate and you do it all in your unique, mad, brutal, chaotic and beautiful way that somehow continues to cast it's spell, despite the ravages of time and man. 

Turkish Coffee Chocolate Creams

Oh Summer, you made it so difficult. I tried this year to handle you better. I really tried. I woke up earlier than the Sun, while the air was cool from the night gone by and I could hear the birds sing. And as the birds retreated deep within the trees to escape the day's heat, I too, fortunately enough stayed indoors. Only to step out in the evening when a breeze would carry the scent of the flowers - mogras, champas, madhumalati,  brave enough to bloom in the heat. I feasted on the season's bounty - watermelons, cantaloupes, mangoes, litchies, licking their juices off my fingers whilst watching the Gulmohar cover itself with fiery red blossoms. I cooled off with elixirs that are native to my land - aam panna, coconut water, bael sharbat, as I waited all Summer for the Amaltas to bloom with its trademark plumes of yellow flowers. 

And yet none of it was enough. As the days wore on, the sun got brighter, the heat more intense, the days more listless, the earth drier and fatigue set in with just about everything. Even the wind was tired, you could barely feel its presence. Everyone was preoccupied with only one thought, the first rain of the season. The wait was nothing but torturous and yet, the day arrives when the cast after many false starts, gets its act together. 

Dark clouds take over the sky, a cool breeze picks up pace, streaks of lightning light up the sky followed by rolls of thunder and then, the clouds let go. And you do nothing. You simply let your senses be overwhelmed as the rain hits the parched earth, the trees get washed and the earth is perfumed with the scent of wet mud. Because it is only that fragrance that has the power to drive away the frustration, anxiety and misery that Summer inflicts on us. In the euphoria of the first rains, you could almost be tempted to forgive Summer...almost! 

As I write this, the Monsoon has covered most of India and I retrace my steps back to the kitchen. And before the rains compel me to switch on the oven that's been lying idle all these months, a simple chocolate dessert to get us started. 

It takes the idea of chocolate and cream and infuses it with the flavours of Turkish coffee and cardamom. The mixture is lightened with an egg yolk and cooked like a custard and then set in the cold. Because it is a cream based dessert, a little goes a long way and that is why I set them in demitasse cups. I have mentioned Turkish coffee but for ease, any freshly ground coffee that you enjoy would do.

Depending on how long you steep the coffee and cardamom in the cream, will determine how prominently they reveal themselves in the final product. The cardamom lends a lovely, interesting touch to these little pots de creme that would make a lovely dessert after a heavy meal where you are not in the mood for anything elaborate. Admittedly, the presence of coffee does make these more suited to an adult palate. 

Twas a long Summer and I do hope you are enjoying the rains in your part of the world!

Orange, Fig And Cardamom Cake

Nothing like a new year to start afresh with this blog. Last year was a nondescript year for me and yours truly is more than ready to welcome the new year. As for this blog, it seems that all I managed was nine posts for the whole of 2016. So, this year will be all about getting all those posts floating around in my head onto this little space of mine. 

And getting straight onto the job with a cake that I baked this weekend. For some reason, almost every post in the latter half of the year was chocolate. So, am taking a break from chocolate and turning to my other love, baking with the fruit of the season.

That would be figs and oranges today. I found this cake in Nigel Slater's 'Ripe', his weighty ode to cooking with the fruit in season. This is essentially an almond cake, flavoured with oranges and cardamom that has a layer of fresh figs, running through the middle of the cake. As the cake bakes, the figs cook into a soft, jammy consistency.

Once baked, a lemon and orange syrup is then poured on top of the hot cake. You will be tempted to give it a miss but don't. You will appreciate the citrus syrup when you help yourself to a slice. 

The cake does not score high on looks but cut yourself a slice and you will realise that all the drama is in the taste and texture of this cake.

This is a moist cake that uses not only almond meal but chopped almonds too and that gives it this nutty, grainy texture, very different from your regular cake. This is a cake where you must wait till it completely cools down or else you won't taste all the flavours that this cake promises. On first taste, it's the orange that will hit you but later you will discern the cardamom as well as a hint of lemon from the citrus syrup. The cake looks so moist that I wondered if it was too sweet but turns out that the syrup in fact infuses it with extra citrus notes that balances out any fears on the sugar front. 

Whist figs are a personal favourite, any other fruit such as strawberries or plums should work just as well.  
 

  

As the new year started, articles all over were about how we need to slow down, be mindful and move out of our social media bubbles. I couldn't agree more. So, here's to a new year, where you make the time to discover, connect, embrace and rejoice in life's simpler pleasures. Happy New Year..x!

Chocolate And Cardamom Scented Swirl Buns

There's something about the Olympics that grips me every time. I don't have an athletic bone in my body and I have hardly played any sport. And it's not just about watching sports being played at the highest level that has me fixated on the Sports channels. It is about watching these athletes pursue a goal, in exclusion of everything else in life, with a single minded focus and dedication. That years of preparation and training, against all odds, to compete at the highest level comes down to a result that is determined within minutes or in some cases, seconds. While the exuberance of watching the champion succeed is special, it is even more inspiring to watch other athletes who face disappointment but pick themselves up to fight another day. Add to that, the personal stories of these athletes and the challenging circumstances they overcome to pursue their dreams and you are left with nothing but the highest respect and admiration. 

It's been a real bummer that because of the time difference with Rio, we haven't been able to catch all the events as they happen. The events I look out for are gymnastics, athletics, synchronised swimming, archery and shooting. What about you??

As for these swirl buns, they are a product of a rainy afternoon when staying in was the only option. And afterall, is there anything more appropriate than a calorie loaded chocolate bun while watching these athletes perform with their beautifully toned bodies and washboard abs?!

I have been seeing these buns by Donal Skehan all over social media and had to give them a try. It helps that he has put up a video that explains the whole process in simple steps. It is a dough that is enriched with milk and butter that is then filled with a layer of dark chocolate and then twirled into these buns. The dough is flavoured with cardamom, in the tradition of Scandinavian breads, which pairs beautifully with the chocolate. The swirls and twirls all look a bit complex but see the video, it's actually quite simple!

What comes out of the oven are these beautiful, soft cardamom-scented buns with that swirl of dark chocolate. And despite all the issues that we have with metabolism, I insist that you should make them. And oh yes, do eat them warm, straight out of the oven!!

What could I have done better? I could have shaped the buns smaller and more compact and since, I didn't have any eggs at home, I gave the buns, a cream wash rather than an egg wash which would have resulted in a more richer golden brown colour on them. Pointers for the next time, for I'll be definitely making these again.

As for the Olympics, I think we all stayed awake at Midnight to watch Dipa Karmakar make history and show us the champion she is. Happy Independence Day everyone..I hope you've enjoyed the long weekend..x!

Mohanthaal - Traditional Indian Gram Flour And Cardamom Fudge

Every year, come Diwali and you will see me scouring my mother's cookbooks looking for a traditional Indian sweet recipe to try my hand at. And of course, when I say every year I mean every year since I started writing this food blog. For every other time, I believe in the convenience and practicality of store-bought. 

Turns out that I have apparently tried all the easy stuff there is to make. So, this year, it was time to get a bit ambitious. So, with great enthusiasm, encouraged by Mama of course, I zeroed in on making Mohanthaal, a traditional besan (gram flour) and cardamom sweet from Gujarat that is then topped off with slivered pistachios and almonds.

But honestly, when the time arrived to make it, the only person enthusiastic about making it was Mama. Thankfully, she insisted and persisted and made this absolutely delectable Mohanthaal that I can share with you. All that yours truly did was to measure out the ingredients, read aloud the directions from the recipe book and cut the squares of the finished product, which as you can see are all crooked and uneven!

However, if you have the enthusiasm, it all seemed quite easy or at least that's how Mama made it look. And not too time-consuming either. And the end product was nothing short of professional and even better than the shop bought stuff and no, I am not being biased!

Each little cube of this Mohanthaal is packed with all that is right about Indian festive sweets. It is rich, indulgent, flavoured with cardamom, topped off with nuts and meant to be shared with as many people as you can this festive season!

This Diwali, amidst all your shopping, I hope you bought some traditional diyas to light up your homes.The potters who create them are a traditional, cottage industry that will face an unfortunate decline without all our collective support and patronage.

Wishing all you beautiful people and your families a very happy and blessed Diwali, from our home to yours!!  

Saffron And Anise Poached Apricots With Cardamom Scented Yoghurt

As I mulled over on how to finish off the last few fresh apricots in the bowl, I headed over to social media for a spot of inspiration. And the timeline was filled with stories on Ramazan and a lot of them had to do with food. They were bloggers sharing ideas for 'iftar' dinners at home and articles by food lovers on the cities' most revered and popular eating joints, each an institution in their own right. Photo features on the tiny lanes of the traditional Muslim neighbourhoods, all lit up and buzzing with food stalls, crammed against each other, that come up every evening of Ramazan to  cater to the faithful, after a long day of fasting.

 

This is rich, decadent food in all its glory, that pulls no punches. And amidst all that food, mostly meat dishes, there is of course, always a mention of something sweet. Most of it were familiar sweets like phirni, malpuas, jalebis, sheer khurma, falooda but there were a few unfamiliar ones, like sandaal and 'khubani ka meetha'.

 



'Khubani ka meetha' caught my eye because 'khubani' is the Persian word for apricots. Popular in Hyderabad, it is a dessert made with dried apricots that are cooked with a sugar syrup to make a sort of a compote that is served with cream. However, the photographs are not too kind to it. The compote looks like some sort of brown sludge which I'll admit does not look very appetising.

 

But, I liked the idea of cooking apricots in a sugar syrup. Only instead of the dried ones, I used the fresh apricots that I had. And instead of cooking them into a compote, I decided to maintain their integrity by gently poaching them with some saffron and star anise.

 

Star anise because I like the way the spice flavours fruits and saffron because it imbues everything with that beautiful colour. I paired the apricots with some lightly sweetened and cardamom scented yoghurt. But, feel free to use whipped cream or even, some vanilla ice-cream if that is more to your liking.

 

Poaching fruit is a beautiful way to use up the fruit for a simple dessert. The cardamom in the yoghurt is very subtle because the star of the show are the apricots. That reduced saffron syrup just ties it all together beautifully with the help of those chopped pistachios on top.

 

It is fruity, lightly scented and delicately flavoured and does the job beautifully for a dessert on a week night. Try it before the apricots simply vanish from the market!

 

Cardamom Crumb Cake

It is universal. That need for a 'pick-me-up' that strikes every day, around late afternoon-early evening. The English have made a ceremony around afternoon tea.  And they say for the Swedes, the concept of 'fika' is a social institution. It means taking a break from work, most often coffee, with one's colleagues, friends or family. And I don't need to explain how sacred 'chai-time' is for most Indians. Although I do feel sometimes, we take more chai breaks than are necessary!

 

No matter where in the world you are, no matter what you are doing, it was always nice to take a few minutes off mid-afternoon for a cuppa. And you know what goes best with it.. cake, of course!! Not everyday though. Metabolism is not what it used to be. But yes, every once in a while you can't beat the charm of a good, homemade, no-frills cake! 

 

And that's exactly what I thought when I came across this neat recipe by Dorie Greenspan. What drew me initially to the recipe was the mention of cardamom. Cardamom is one of my favourite spices. We use it extensively in Indian cooking but I haven't used it that much in my baking.

 

On a closer look, this cake is also flavoured with orange and coffee. While I am partial to all three flavours, I did wonder if they would come together or would one of them, say cardamom, dominate and obscure the others.
 

 

Well, no worries on that count. Warm out of the oven, this incredibly moist cake does justice to all three flavours. You will be able to taste all three with none overpowering the others.

 

The winning component of this cake, is of course, the crumb on top. It not only gives the cake character but also helps accentuate all three flavours that are present, which complement each other beautifully.

 

Another interesting facet of this recipe is that you have to rub the orange zest into the sugar so as to infuse that vibrant, citrusy note into the sugar. And it is that citrus scent and flavour that lingers on in your mouth, long after you've had your piece of cake!

On a separate note, I used demerara sugar instead of regular white sugar, keeping my New year's decision in mind to use a healthier alternative for my everyday, home baking. but, feel free to use regular, white sugar.  

As you can see from the photographs, this cake is not much of a looker. But, it more than makes up in the taste department. This is a very flavourful cake that I can't see how you can not enjoy! And it will taste even better the next day!

 

Cakes like this one are the reason why I bake. Something to share with family and friends over a cup of tea!

 

Do you have a treasured tea-time ritual?? Tell me! Have a lovely week ahead!!

 

Aam Panna - Raw Mango Cooler

I don't think it's only me but across urban India, I see a lot of us wanting to rediscover traditional foods and ingredients. It's as if there is a realisation that in an increasingly synthetic world, we need to reconnect with our roots and in most cases, that starts with our food. Fed up with an incredible amount of noise with regards to fad and celebrity diets, we've turned to the wisdom of our grandmothers. 

 

Turns out this traditional advice, largely based on Ayurveda, is completely in tune with the seasonal calendar for local produce. It stresses balance and moderation and tells us that the answers we seek today were known all along. We just never knew where to look! That the produce of every season is specifically designed to cope with the demands of that season. And just as the produce at the local markets change, so must the cooking techniques and ingredients that accompany it.

 

 

I was reminded of this last week when Summer announced its presence unequivocally. I usually rely on a daily dose of coconut water to get through the worst part of the day but when the going gets tough, I know that I need to raise the ante.

 

Last year, I introduced you to chaas and bael ka sharbat, this year it is aam panna. Panna is raw mango pulp that has been sweetened and flavoured and then topped off with chilled water and mint leaves.

 

 

Till date, the panna that I have been served, has been flavoured with cumin powder and black salt. But, this recipe by Tarla Dalal, uses cardamom and saffron and I think I am more partial to this version.

 

Ayurveda recommends both saffron and cardamom as spices to cool the body during Summer. As does the mint leaf garnish.

 

Ahem, please do notice how I have flavoured and frozen the ice cubes with mint leaves to top off the drinks. Oh, don't roll your eyes... I can do pretty and creative things too!

 

 

I speak from experience when I say that the drink has an instantaneous cooling effect on the body. But, what I enjoyed the most was the saffron. It lent a subtle, sophisticated edge to the drink.

 

For your next Sunday brunch, I'd definitely recommend it on the drinks menu! It will match up to the Sangria more than beautifully!!

 

 

Cin Cin my lovelies! Here's to a kind Summer!!

Shrikhand - Sweet Saffron and Cardamom Yoghurt

The different flowers of my mother's garden, each have their own story to tell. At the height of summer, the mogra, jasmine, 'raat ki rani' and frangipane flowers are in full bloom. Their sweet scent infusing the Summer evenings, providing that much needed succour. You know the monsoon is receding when the flowers of the 'harsingar' trees carpet the ground every morning. And in good time, as they are extensively used during the festive season of Navratri that coincides around the same time. The roses make the first of their bi-annual appearance to signal the onset of Winter. The red hibiscus flowers through the year, used for her daily puja.

 

And then there's Holi!! This is when all the seasonal flowers she has planted at the onset of Winter are now in full bloom, all in their myriad of colours. Some like the calendula, the phlox and the hollyhock are exotic to the Indian soil. And then there are  the marigolds, the roses and the hibiscus, native to India. Dried and then ground into a fine dust, these flowers provide the perfect palette of natural colours to play Holi with!!

 

 

It points to a symbiotic relationship between our festivals and nature and how over time, we have lost touch with it. It is time we look more closely to rediscover this connect with nature. So, I hope you used natural, herbal colours, devoid of chemicals, when you played Holi today!! It is a small step to a more sustainable planet!

 

 

And what's Holi without something sweet. I kept it simple today and made some Shrikhand. For those not familiar with it, it is similar to the Middle eastern labneh.

 

Incredibly easy to make. Once you have let the yoghurt drain through the night, it takes barely a few minutes to put together. I will insist that you use full fat yoghurt. It helps immensely with the final result. I have flavoured these with classic Indian flavours, saffron and cardamom.

 

 

I have always bought Shrikhand shop bought. But all that changed with the one time I made Shrikhand at home. It was fresher, creamier, lighter and best of all, did not leave a cloyingly sweet aftertaste. I urge you to make it at home once. Pretty sure you will be converted like me!

 

 

Holi is all about colours and may your days be filled with the most beautiful that life has to offer! Happy Holi!!