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More for the year-end festive table
As the year comes to a close, it is the season for all things festive and celebratory, so let’s make sure your meals also reflect the joy of getting together with friends and family. Diwali has just passed us by and there’s so much more to come! The nip in the air signals the onset of winter and the start of what is arguably the best time of the year. Here are some curated recipes for you to try.
Cardamom Malpua
Courtesy Thayanithy Tamilarasu, Executive Chef, Signature Club Resort, Bengaluru
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour 120 grams
- Milk 250 ml
- Ripe banana 1 (mashed)
- Sugar 300 grams
- Water 360 ml
- Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped dry nuts 50 grams
- Raisins 25 grams
- Ghee for frying
- Cardamom Powder ¼ tsp
- Whole Cardamom 3 nos.
Method
- In a bowl, add flour and pour milk little by little to make a smooth batter of pouring consistency.
- Add the mashed banana to the batter and mix well; make sure to avoid any lumps.
- Add cardamom powder, half the finely chopped nuts, and all the finely chopped raisins, and mix well.
- Set aside until the sugar syrup is ready.
- To make the sugar syrup, add sugar, water, lemon juice, and whole cardamom to a pot. Bring it to a boil on medium heat until the mixture reaches a one-string consistency.
- For making the malpua, take a flat-bottomed pan and add ghee for shallow frying. Using a ladle, pour 2-3 tablespoons of the batter into the hot ghee. Leave the batter to spread into a thin disc.
- Fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Remove from heat and immerse in sugar syrup. (If the sugar syrup thickens, add 2 tablespoons of water and heat it before immersing the malpuas.
- Repeat to make 14 malpuas.
- Serve hot or cold, garnished with the remaining chopped nuts.
Sago Vada
Courtesy Michelin-starred Chef Rohit Ghai, Aangan, Shangri-La Muscat, Oman
Ingredients
- Sago 350 grams
- Potato 150 grams
- Coriander 20 grams
- Green chili, 10 grams
- Beetroot 250 grams
- Ginger 10 grams
- Cumin 10 grams
- Roasted peanut 75 grams
- Salt to taste
Method
- Soaked sago in fresh water for 15 minutes.
- Mix soaked sago with mashed potatoes, fresh coriander leaves, chopped green chilli, roasted cumin, roasted peanuts, and salt.
- Make round patties of the mix.
- Fry until golden and crispy.
- For beetroot ginger chutney, cut the beetroot into cubes. Sauté it with cumin and chopped ginger. Add salt to taste. Make a smooth chutney after the mix cools down.
Courtesy Mahesh Nasare, Pastry Chef, The Westin Mumbai Garden City
Ingredients
For the Mawa Cake Batter
- Mawa 200 grams
- Castor Sugar 100 grams
- Butter Unsalted Melted 160 grams
- Condensed Milk 200 grams
- Refined Flour 200 grams
- Baking Powder 5 grams
- Baking Soda 2.5 grams
- Cardamom Powder 5 grams
- Milk 140 ml
For the Pistachio Ganache
- White Chocolate Callebaut 1000 grams
- Cream 500 grams
- Roast Pistachio Paste 100 grams
- Butter Unsalted 50 grams
For the Pistachio Rocher Glaze
- White Chocolate 1000 grams
- Cocoa Butter 160 grams
- Pistachio Paste Callebaut 100 grams
- Pistachio Slice 200 grams
Method
- To make the mawa cake, preheat oven to 180°C/356°F. Line the pastry frame or deep tray with butter paper. Cream mawa and sugar until mawa is smooth and lump-free. Pour in the warm, melted butter and mix well. Add milkmaid and all the dry ingredients. Pour the milk and mix to combine. Place the batter in the lined pastry tray with a 2cm thickness. Rest for 30 minutes. Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C/356°F. Soak with milk after baking.
- Make ganache with cream and chocolate; add pistachio paste and mix well. Fold soft butter at 40°C/104°F. Emulsify. Table top the ganache to temper and pipe with the desired nozzle.
- For the Pistachio Rocher Glaze, melt the white chocolate and cocoa butter. Fold the pistachio paste and add a pistachio slice. Combine well and temper the mixer to 30°C/86°F.. Pour on the mawa cake.
- To assemble, cut a rectangle of 14cm x 3.5cm and 2.5 cm in height from the mawa cake. Pipe the pistachio ganache with a petal piping tip nozzle. Place some whole, roasted pistachios on the piped ganache. Freeze. Place the cake on the grill with the tray underlined, and pour the tempered glaze on top of the frozen mawa cake. Sprinkle some sliced pistachios when the glaze is still wet. Remove the cake from the grill before it sets and place it on the butter paper to set. Store at 18–21 °C (65-70°F).
Author: Bindu Gopal Rao
