So we have the winner for the contest: We did a random chit winner ( the chit was picked by my mother)

Foodaholics Mothers Day winner Chit-picked up by my mother

This is what Rekha had to say for the cake via @twitter

@Rekhakakr- @foodaholics @kishiarora Cake was very decadent a,gooey and …oh so chocolaty … sooo worth of each calorie I consumed #bliss

Foodaholics Cake pic courtesy : Rekha Kakkar

 FACEBOOK FAN PAGE LINK

For the filling:

Ingredients:

1 can pineapple

80 gram sugar

1 clove

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

Sprig of rosemary

½ tsp orange or lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon (1) and orange juice (1)

¼ cup Artic vodka

1 tbsp all purpose flour

 Method:

1. Open the can of pineapple. Discard the water. Grate pineapples till fine. You can use a food processor do grate it.

2. Strain the grated pineapple till dry or put it out on a paper towel

3. Let it simmer in a pan till the juice has dry up. Add sugar and, star anise, cinnamon stick and clove, rosemary, citrus zest, citrus juice and vodka.

4. Stir till the pineapple has thickened and dry.

5. Add flour. Continue to stir for about 10 minutes or until filling is dry.

6. Leave to cool and shape into oblong balls.

YOU MUST first roll the pineapple jam filling into balls, resembling a silkworm cocoon. Set aside on a plate in the refrigerator.

Pineapple Rolls 

Ingredients:

Pastry:

150 grams butter

30 grams icing sugar

1 egg yolks

1/2 tsp Artic vodka (plain)

1 egg yolk + pinch of salt+ splash of milk: beat all this and use for glazing

Sift two times:

200 grams plain flour

30 grams corn flour

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light. Beat in egg yolk until well combined. Add vodka and whisk until fluffy.

2. Fold in sifted dry ingredients (plain flour & corn flour) and mix to form dough. It should be a light crumbly shortbread texture.

3. Roll a tablespoonful of dough into a 5-7cm long tube in your palm, and then gently press down with index finger to flatten the dough into an oblong shape, around 0.5cm thickness and 3-4cm wide. You will get the hang of it after a few trials.

4. Place the rolled-out pineapple jam ball on the edge of the strip and roll the dough to wrap around it to form a small elongated roll. Place the roll on a greased baking tray. Repeat until all dough mixture and jam filling used up.

5. Preheat oven at 180°C. Use a fork and draw lines on top of the tarts. Brush the rolls with egg wash. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks before storing in an airtight jar.

A couple of weeks back @shubhragupta had invited me over for dinner. Even though I was on a strict diet advised by my doc I decided to taste everything she had cooked. Bedmi Poori, latpata aaloo, kheera ka raita, bharva baingan and  “Sitaphal”- aka: Kaddu/Petha/Pumpkin. She had mixed both the variety that’s available easily with the local Sabzi-valas.

Pumpkin type 1: green skin and yellow from inside

Pumpkin Type 2: light beige- orange skin and buttercup yellow inside.

Mother was a bit surprised and complained that she stopped cooking the same as us kids never liked the taste.Anyhow, If  you follow me on my foodaholics FanPage or Twitter you will know that my lunches are very -very important to me. Good food makes or breaks my day.

So I decided to cook the same. Took me 20 mins in all. Quick and delicious. It tastes great with roti that has some ghee on it.

Here is the recipe:

• 500 gms of Pumpkin -Medium Diced- with skin ( I used the green one)
• 1 tbsp Paanch Phoran
• 1 tsp mango powder/amchur
• 1/2 tsp red chilli
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp turmeric/haldi
• 1 tbsp mustard oil
• Pinch of asafetida/ hing
• 1 green chilli, sliced in half

Method:

1. In a small pan add the mustard oil. One the oil is slightly hot add the hing
2. Now add the paanch phoran and wait till you heard the mustard splatter. Stir regularly.
3. Add the green chilly. Saute
4. Add the pumpkin, and then all the masalas leaving mango powder. Stir on a high flame
5. Cover with a lid for 10 mins and then add the Mango powder.
6. Mix well and enjoy with a chapati.

Paanch Phoran:

This is a great spice mix you can use for different chutney’s or sabzi. Try adding the same in a moong daal tadka. Tastes great.

Equal quantities of :

•     Cumin seeds/ Zeera

•     Fennel seeds/ Mota Sauf dana

•     Kalunji/ Onion Seeds/Nigella seeds

•     Fenugreek seeds/ Meethi Seeds

•     Mustard seeds / Moti Rai : black or brown.

PS: Thanks to Shubhra I will be cooking this regularly now!

I was going through some old pictures last night – to be specific : time spent in San Diego. Next I know I was thinking about the Mexican food and the English toffee from old town. God the craving!!!So I decided to make some toffee at midnight. It took me approx 1 hour. Mission Accomplished. 2 in the morning I was nibbling on toffee and some Bailey Bavarian Mousse truffles I made. Here is a step by step recipe of toffee

( all pictures taken using a blackberry)

SALTY PECAN TOFFEE

200 gms pecans

Put them in the oven at 150 c for about 8-10 mins till lightly roasted

 300 gms sugar, 300 gms butter and 100 gms water melt in a sauce pan

Start cooking the mixture on a low flame

While the mix cooks chop the pecans

Stir regularly with a spatula

Once the pecans are chopped put them aside

Add 5- 10 gms fluer de sel to the nuts (optional)

Meanwhile melt the chocolate in microwave/double boiler

Keep on cooking the mix stir , make sure you use a silicone spatula Aim to reach 145 degree C

Keep cooking till amber (145 degree C)

Add vanilla extract 1 tsp

Mix well till all of it combines and you have a homogenous mix

Spread on a silpat with an offset spatula (one of my favorite tool)

Once completely cool spread the melted chocolate

Sprinkle the chopped salted pecans /pat with hand lightly

Cool-break- eat!