Pillow Cakes

Hello All! I am back from an extended hibernation mode.

Thank you so much for your patience and continued patronage. I see some likes cropping up on my Facebook page every now and then. I am very grateful for that and it is a reminder for me to share the joy of cooking with the online community.

Well, there really is no specific reason for being away from the blog, I think I was just overwhelmed with the entire parenting experience all over again!

I was just reminiscing to my elder daughter about all the yummy baked goods I used to make for her and ended up showing the blog, while my little one saw all these pictures for the first time, that I had baked cookies and cakes and brownies, she had a forlorn look on her face. At that instant I decided to resume blogging as she is now slightly older and independent and is also very helpful around the kitchen. She was thrilled.

Little tummies need to be filled and "yummy yummy food for the tummy" is always being cooked, but not being photographed and blogged about.

I did not have the luxury of plating up and photographing, simply for lack of time and/or not being able to find my phone. Two kids need digital baby sitters you see and my phone serves me well.

So what better way to get back on the blog than with a tasty and quick breakfast option for lazy Sundays!

I honestly wanted to make better use of the sandwich maker and was looking at recipes I could use it for and came across these easy breakfast/snack options.

The little one does not have a sweet tooth and is a very picky eater. But chocolates, cakes and ice-creams are always welcome on her palette.

So let us go back to the delicious pillow cakes baked in the sandwich maker.

I picked a recipe that called for whole wheat flour. I just omitted the sprinkles and used a piece of dark chocolate for the filling. You can skip this if you please.

Recipe

Ingredients
Whole-wheat flour - 1 cup 
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1
Milk - 1/2 cup or as needed
Oil - 3 tbsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Chocolate pieces - if using

Icing sugar for sprinkling

Butter for greasing the sandwich-maker plates.

Method

1. Mix oil, sugar, vanilla and egg in a bowl until combined.
2. Now add in flour, baking powder and fold gently.
3. Pour milk and fold gently till smooth batter.
4. Heat the sandwich maker and grease with some butter.
5. If making plain cakes pour the cake batter into the moulds to the brim.
6. If using chocolate filling, pour a little batter, place a piece of chocolate and cover with another layer of batter.
7. Cover and let it cook for about 5-6 mins. 
8. Remove form mould, dust with icing sugar and serve. 

The sandwich-maker's ready indication may over cook the cake. Keep a watch on the progress and remove the cakes when they are golden brown. 

Verdict:
When served hot these cakes just vanish, each kid downs about two of these easily. Need I say more?

Samosa

The never-ending drizzles in Bangalore have arrived a wee bit early this year. It starts drizzling early in the morning for the first few days, then it starts raining by midnight. In a few days, the time of day that rains start, keep advancing. Very soon it starts raining by the evening hours after sun-down. It does not pour. It just drizzles with varying intensity. The roads are a mess during this season and the traffic is more chaotic than ever. But on the bright side, on a warm Saturday afternoon when the drizzles start early, it is rewarding to sit down in the balcony and enjoy the rains with a hot cup of tea. A crisp samosa, especially home-made, with the tea is an added bonus.

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:
Potatoes (medium-sized) - 5
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Amti Masala - 1/2 tsp
Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Kalonji or Nigella seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander - 1 tbsp

Note: In place of Amti masala, you could use Garam masala too.



For the crust

Maida - 1 1/2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - as required


Assembly
Oil - for frying



Method
Stuffing
Wash the potatoes and slice them in half. Boil the potatoes until soft. Cook the green peas until soft. Peel the potato halves and mash them coarsely. Allow some 1 inch pieces of potatoes to remain whole. Add the green peas and all the spices, to the mashed potatoes and mix them with finger tips such that they are evenly incorporated. Add the coriander leaves to garnish.
Crust
Sift maida with salt. Add the oil and coarsely incorporate with finger tips. Add water and knead into a smooth dough.
Assembly
Make balls of the dough the size of a lemon. Roll out into a thin circle. Using the back of a knife cut the circle in half. Place palm-ful of the stuffing on one half of the rolled-out dough. Fold the dough to cover the stuffing and seal the edges.








Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and lower the samosas carefully into the oil. Fry until one side is golden brown and then flip over to fry the other side.


Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

Verdict The spices (chilli) is deliberately less keeping in mind the little girl who has to consume the samosas. You could adjust the spices to your taste. You could also roll out the dough into a circle then fold it into a triangle and roll it out. Cut the triangle in half and stuff the potatoes. You will get a layered and crisp crust this way.