Middle Eastern Sweet Coconut cake

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

6 eggs at room temperature

2 cups corn oil or canola

1 cup milk

2.5 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp cardamom pdr

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups flour

3 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut..can use fresh or dried

1/3 cup roasted pistachios crushed coarsely as garnish.

For the Syrup

2 cups water

2 cups sugar powdered

2 tsp rose water or 1 tsp rose essence

Prepare the syrup ahead.

First dissolve the sugar and water.

Then bring it to a rolling boil for 10 minutes.

Take off the heat.

Add the essence and let it cool till your ready to add to the cake.

Now for the cake.

Preheat your oven to 350 deg F.

Blend together with a wire whisk the eggs, sugar, milk, oil, lemon juice, cardamom pdr.

Combine your flour and baking powder together in a bowl.

Add this gradually to the wet mixture and incorporate well.

Now add the coconut and stir well into the cake batter.

Grease a 13" by 9" baking tray or an oblong baking tray. I used a deeper oval digs that yielded a thicker cake by size and I had to bake it a further 4o minutes so the center got done evenly.

Add the cake batter to the pan.

Spread evenly with a spatula.

Tap the edge of the pan so the batter sits well in the cake pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once it bakes remove from the oven.

Use a fork to score little holes all over the cake.

Now with a ladle slowly pour the syrup on to the hot cake.

Make sure you evenly distribute the syrup throughout the cake and that it's absorbed all over.

Cool and serve topped with crushed pistachios.

This cake can be eaten with whipped cream on top or just plain with a drizzle of honey!

Mumbai style Potato Fritters

4 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and coarsely mashed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric pdr

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

1 green chili deseeded and chopped fine ( optional , you can skip it)

3 tbsp chopped onion

3 cilantro sprigs chopped

1 1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour/ Besan

1/4 tsp cumin pdr 

1/2 tsp salt for the batter

A little over 1 cup of water

Oil to deep fry

In a wide plate with your hands mix together the potatoes, salt, turmeric, ginger, garlic, onions, chili, cilantro until you have a sort of homogenous mixture.

Wash hands.

Then with slightly dampened hands divide the mix into equal parts of 25 portions.

Form each of these portions into smooth balls.

Set aside.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cumin pdr, salt and if you like more heat you can add 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper powder to this batter.

Gradually add the water into the flour mix and blend till you get a batter that's only slightly thinner than pancake batter.

Now in a deep frying skillet or a small wok heat around 3 cups of oil.

Your oil is ready when you drop in a tiny dash of the batter and it puffs up and rises to the top.

Don't have the oil on super high heat. A mellow medium high will do for deep frying.

Now carefully one at a time dip the potato ball into the batter, coat and drop into the hot oil.

Wait for the batter to set on the first ball that's in the oil before dredging the second ball into the batter and dropping it into the oil.

I reccomend frying only two at a time so you can get an even result.

Use a slotted spoon to fry them.

Let the two balls fry for a few seconds before turning them over in the oil.

Your Vadas are ready when the intensity of the oil bubbles subside and the outer covering of the Vadas are firm to touch when you tap the slotted spoon over it.

And you have a nice golden exterior.

Remove them into a plate covered with draining paper towels.

Repeat the process with the remaining balls, frying them two at a time.

Serve them as warm as you can, sandwiched between two halves of an English muffin that's been smothered with the sweet tamarind sauce and sprinkled with the Chili Garlic Dry Chutney....

Mini Falafels

1 cup garbanzo beans that have been soaked overnight drained

1 tbsp garbanzo bean flour

3 tbsp water

1 sprig mint chopped

1 sprig parsley chopped

1 pod garlic

2 tbsp onion chopped

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tsp salt

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Oil for shallow frying or pan frying.

Grind the beans, flour, water, onion, garlic, parsley, mint,lime juice and salt.

Try not to add anymore water or your batter will get really loose and will not adhere.

Also you need a coarse not fine batter at the end.

So if needed use a spatula to scrape the sides of the blender jar to incorporate the beans better.

Keep the batter aside in a bowl.

Pour around 1/4 cup oil to a cast iron skillet.

Heat to medium high.

Divide your bean batter into 24 portions.

Using slight damp hands form tiny burger shapes with the batter .

Fry 5 of them at a time .

Make sure they are flat in the oil and turn them as soon as they brown and crisp on one side.

Cook on two sides and drain on paper towels.

Continue the same with the rest.

Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce.

Thai flavoured Rice Pudding

1/2 cup rice , jasmine or basmati

1 cup coconut water

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 can coconut milk

1/2 tsp cardamom pdr

2 tbsp almonds toasted slightly or 2 tbsp roasted sweetened shredded coconut.

Any fruit to serve on side...

In a saucepan heat the oil for a few seconds on medium heat.

Pour the rice in and sauté, coating the grains.

Now add the coconut water and let it come to a boil

Turn the heat to low, cover and cook the rice for 20 mins or until the rice absorbs all the liquid and plumps up.

Keep aside.

In another skillet heat the coconut milk on a gentle medium heat.

Add another three tbsp water.

Whisk in the sugar.

Add 1/2 the cardamom

Let it heat till the mixture gets slightly thick and sweet like a sauce.

Keep stirring it.

Once done pour it on the cooked rice and combine it well.

Add the remaining cardamom, mix.

Then serve warm garnished with the almonds or the coconut or both.

You can serve any tart fruit like berries or peaches cut up over this smooth pudding.

Escalibada De Verdura

Escalibada De Verdura ( roasted veggies served with toasted baguette)

1 large eggplant

1 large red bell pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

10 slices baguette 

1 sprig parsley

On a gas range top place the eggplant.

Turn it on and roast the vegetable thoroughly.

Using tongs carefully turn the eggplant and make sure it scorches almost burns off the skin on all sides.

Once done put the vegetable in a big bowl and cover with a plate.

Repeat the same with the red pepper.

You have to literally make the skin black or blistered.

Once this is done too put it in the same bowl as the eggplant.

Cover and let the steam loosen the skin.

If you don't have a gas range you can do the same thing on the broiler in the oven.

Make sure u change the sides of the veggies while cooking.

You can put both veggies in the same baking tray.

In case you are barbecuing you can roast these on the grill too.

Once the veggies cool, use your hands to remove the skin to reveal the soft vegetable.

If needed you can moisten ur hands with water to remove the skin easily.

For the eggplant you will need to cut off the end that has the stem on it.

For the pepper you have to remove the stem top and the seeds inside.

Using you hands mash up the eggplant.

And then cut the pepper into strips.

Place both these decoratively on a plate.

Garnish with parsley and drizzle two tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

On a griddle use the leftover oil and toast the baguette slices on both sides.

Serve these with the veggies , build a sort of pizza.

And then dig in.

Tortilla Espanola

5 eggs

1 big potato boiled, peeled and diced.

1 red onion chopped

Two pods garlic diced

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp thyme

Salt to taste

4 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp butter for greasing the pan.

Whisk together the eggs and milk.

In a small pan put the butter and heat on medium flame.

Add the garlic and onion and sauté till the onions are translucent.

Swirl the pan so the onions from a layer on the pan.

Add the potatoes on the onions in a single layer.

Sprinkle the paprika and the thyme and the salt.

Pour the eggs over the potatoes like u would for an omlette.

Use a spatula to scrape the edges to let the eggs set.

You can shake the pan a bit to help the setting further.

On a low flame let the eggs cook on the bottom.

Now use the spatula and cut the omlette into four quarters.

And then flip one quarter at a time and cook the other side of the eggs.

Once done remove to a plate.

Let it cool just a bit.

Then cut up into wedges and serve immediatly.

Almond Raisins and Olive Oil Cake

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking pdr

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive a Oil

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup raisins.

1 tbsp Orange Juice freshly squeezed.

1/2 tsp orange zest

Powdered sugar for dusting on top.

Preheat your oven to 350 deg F.

Spray an 8 inch round cake pan, or as I did use an oval pan the same size.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking pdr and salt.

Take your stand mixer bowl or another mixing bowl and whisk together the sugar, eggs, zest until the mixture gets nice, fluffy and pale yellow.

Follow with slowly adding the olive oil whilst still whisking.

Fold this egg mixture into the flour mixture carefully with a spatula, putting away the whisk.

Then add the raisins, chocolate and the almonds.

Mix the batter well until combine.

Pour carefully into the prepped cake pan.

Spread it with your spatula.

Tap sides carefully to ensure the batter settles well.

Bake this for 35 minutes. Check if it's ready by inserting a toothpick in the center.

If it doesn't come out clean bake for another 5 mins.

Then remove from oven and cool it for 25 mins before sprinkling with powdered sugar on top.

Serve sliced into wedges with tea or as a dessert.