The End of My Research. Gulab Jamun: Gluten Free and Baked Not Fried.

        
   It's been quite a while since I've made Gulab Jamun, not because I don't absolutely love this Bengali sweet, but because I'm not exactly crazy about all the frying involved with making them. Lately, I've also been involved with designing  gluten free desserts for the new CocoaPlanet  Tasting Room and Bistro opening here in Sonoma, so I haven't bothered doing many things that involve gluten. I've also been thinking, so many Indian dishes, can be made by substituting baking for frying...why not Gulab Jamun? So I decided to do some research and see if anyone has managed to do the baking thing with them.

   A quick look showed me that, yeah Gulab Jamun have been prepared in the oven instead of a kadhai filled with boiling oil. I perused a few recipes from various people and decided to start experimenting. After a few non-successful attempts where the Gulab Jamun just didn't color up properly....I finally found one that worked. It was my same formula, just different baking times and temps. Anudivya of the site And a Little Bit More had solved the baking not frying part about 5 years ago. I added to that my Gluten Free Gulab Jamun recipe and bingo! Success. Also, this recipe works exactly the same if you are not gluten free...just use regular flour.

Baked Gulab Jamun, Gluten Free or Not

Here's What You Need:
1/4 cup  gluten free flour or all purpose flour  ( I use my own special blend)
1/2 cup of powdered whole milk
a pinch of baking powder
1/4 cup of whipping cream
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
! tsp rose water
2 Tbs chopped pistachios
parchment paper

Here's What To Do:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Mix together the flour and the powdered milk.

Add in the pinch of baking powder.

Add in 1/4 cup of cream.
Stir with a spoon until you have a nice soft dough. If you need to add a bit more whipping cream to get it where you want it...do so.

Break the dough off into pieces. Roll the dough between your palms to form balls. This recipe will make about 7 of them.

Place the balls on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Place them into the preheated oven on a rack placed near the top and bake them for about 8  minutes.

Bake them until the tops of the balls start to turn golden...

...and the bottoms turn a light brown. If it takes a bit longer than 8 minutes don't worry about it. This is a recipe you have to eyeball.

You should be able to pick them up and handle them without them losing their shape. They should also have puffed up from their baking.
Take them out of the oven, and remove the parchment paper.
Put the balls back on the cookie sheet. Turn your oven to broil.
Here's the important part...Watch These Suckers Like A Hawk!!!!! They can easily burn!!!
The idea is to broil them until they turn a nice dark brown.
When they are done, remove them from the oven and set them aside.
Fill a pan or kadhai with 1 cup of water and 3/4 cup sugar.

Mix it together until the sugar is dissolved in the water and then bring the mixture to a boil.
Turn it down to a simmer, and add in 1 tsp of rose water
Add in your baked Gulab Jamuns and let them simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let them soak in the syrup for at least 1/2 hour.

Place a couple of them in a small bowl , spoon the warm syrup over them and scatter some chopped pistachios on top and serve them up!!!

 
   Gulab Jamuns, baked not fried. I made several batches of these yesterday, testing them and it works  the same whether you are using regular flour or gluten free. It's a fast and easy to make dessert and no gluten-free people ever need to skip Gulab Jamun again! Coming up next , I take on some quick snacks for Fall movie watching/couch surfing and Kheema Pav with a difference follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Cooking From Boxes? Nariyal Ladoo, A Fast, Easy, Sweet and Gluten Free Answer.

   
   Exactly one week ago we moved. We bought a new house, and we've been dealing with all that packing up and moving ones' stuff entails. So, I got the idea a few weeks before we moved to pack my kitchen up in a "special place." You see, we're going to be be redoing the kitchen.  My first kitchen my way, and so while all that fiesta is happening, I'm using the kitchen of a friend for my cooking. The "Special Place" turned out to be a bunch of boxes in my friend's garage, and to complicate matters a bit more, all the boxes I packed for some reason say "Glass, Fragile!!!" on them underlined three times in red magic marker. Evidently, I was in such a paranoid frame of mind about things getting broken or lost while packing up for the kitchen move to my "Special Place" that I cannot find a damn thing. I mean that.

   I went into my friends garage to see my "Special Place"....

   What could possibly have gone wrong here?  Are "glass" and "fragile" the only two words I know??? Are upward trending arrows the only thing I knew how to draw. This is by far one of the dumbest things I've ever done. I mark it down to the stress of moving but, life goes on and I'm determined to cook. So, after opening my 4th box this morning and finding not the measuring spoons I wanted but instead, coming up with steak knife. Yes, not knives mind you, but steak knife in the singular, I decided to work with what I've got and what I can find now. I have decided to  Cook From Boxes. I am going to be cooking recipes that are easy, fast, and simple. So simple, in fact that you can cook them from what you find in a box. Hey, any box, take your pick. I got a million of them. Literally. I'm not kidding. I have a freaking gigantic pile of kitchen boxes, apparently stuffed with nothing but fragile glass.

   Since, I stumbled across a bucket of shredded coconut, my kadhai (was I relieved to find that), condensed milk and a bag of cashews, I decided to kick off my new temporary cooking style with a classic ladoo recipe, Nariyal Ladoo. Ladoo are usually served for festivals, celebrations such as Diwali, or Holi. Actually, I had intended to make them for Holi, but you know, moving. So, since  yesterday was Easter Sunday it seemed to be the perfect time to enjoy a sweet treat. Also, the stuff was the box I opened so there was that....

   These Nariyal Ladoo, take only about 30 minutes, from making to enjoying.

Nariyal Ladoo

Here's What You Need:
1 and 1/2 cups of unsweetened dried grated coconut
1 cup of sweetened condensed milk.
2 Tbs of Khoya (this is a type of cooked down milk. I used ricotta cheese because I had some and once again... moving)
10 to 15 cashews or almonds in pieces (whatever you're packing)
1 Tbs of unsalted butter or ghee

Here's What To Do:
In a skillet or kadhai lightly toast the grated coconut on a low flame.

When the coconut is lightly golden, add in the cup of sweetened condensed milk.

Mix everything together well.
When it's fully blended, add in the 2 Tbs of ricotta.

Blend it in well.
Turn the heat up slightly, while continuing to stir.

Cook everything down well. Keep stirring.You don't want this to burn. When it starts to thicken and pull away from the pan. she's done. What's going on here is you are cooking the moisture out of the milk and coconut. You are basically making a milk fudge.
When the mixture is thick, take it off the heat and set it aside to cool. You are going to be sticking your mitts in there and rolling balls of coconut. You don't want to get burned!

While the coconut fudge is cooling, it's time to prepare the stuffing.
In a skillet or pan melt 1 Tbs of unsalted butter, or ghee.

When the butter foams up and starts to clarify, toss in the cashew or almond pieces.

Toast them to a golden color.

After the nuts are roasted, drain them on a paper towel and let them cool.
When the coconut mixture has cooled enough to handle, scoop spoonfuls of it into your hand and roll them into small balls.

Poke a small hole in each ball and  stuff in a few pieces of nut filling.

Seal the balls up and roll them on a platter of more dried unsweetened grated coconut...

...and enjoy!

Had I found my sultana raisins or chopped dried apricots or dates, I'd have added them too.

   I love these delightfully creamy little gluten free coconut balls with the surprise inside, they're sort of like my collection of boxes. Coming up next, whatever I find in the next box and can make happen fast and easily! My life has become a cooking game show. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Sweet, Delicious Apple Halwa. Gluten Free.

 
   It's been awhile since my last post. First, I spent a week making soup for Alan who was recovering from a messy cold, and then I had more dental surgery. It seems I had a screw loose. No big news to most who know me. However, it was a screw holding one of my dental implants in my head. Seems I've been grinding my teeth at night (gee, wonder why?) and managed to partially unscrew my post. Soooooo a bit of clean-up work by the maxiliofacial surgeon and one night guard later, I'm back cooking and eating again, with the warning to keep it on the soft side for a week or so.

   So, what's it like when you're ordered, ordered I say, to feast on ice cream and milk shakes for a week? Yeah, I could also have oatmeal, cottage cheese, dal and yogurt but we're talking about the fun stuff. After a day or so it gets boring. I was looking for a way to change it up and I started thinking about halwa, or halva. You say halwa, I say halva. Either way it's easy, tasty and doesn't have to be dripping in ghee and sweetened condensed milk to taste good and naturally sweet.
  
   I've looked at a lot of halwa recipes over the years. Most rely on lots of sugar or sweetened condensed milk. There had to be another way. There had to be because I wanted to make this stuff and I didn't have a can of sweetened condensed milk in the house and couldn't stomach pouring a cup and a half of sugar into lovely organic apples. I could always have jerry-rigged a substitute for the milk, but what would happen if I used coconut milk? I always have coconut milk. I used butter in making this recipe, but  it's easily turned vegan if one uses coconut or another vegetable oil to cook the apples. As to the sweetener, one thing I found was that if you have good quality apples one needs less sugar.

  I did a simple taste test. I bought organic fuji apples, which looked like the runty cousins of the gigantic, shiny, brightly colored big fuji apples that are not organically grown. I took a slice of each, the flavor difference was a no-brainer. The little apples, actually tasted like apples and were no match for the bigger more flavorless fruit. I'm not even getting into issues of pesticides, GMO, etc. I'm simply talking flavor. More flavor means one needs less sugar for cooking. What I got was a halwa that tasted of the fruit, with no dairy, no gluten and very very little added sugar.
   
 

Apple Halwa

Here's What You Need:

6 apples, peeled, cored and diced.
2 Tbs of unsalted butter, ghee, coconut or other vegetable oil to turn the recipe vegan
2 Tbs water, or more if needed
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 to 2 Tbs of sugar, I used I Tbs of jaggery
1/4 cup of sultans (golden raisins)
1/4 cup of halved cashews
1 Tbs oil for toasting cashews and raisins
3 Tbs of finely chopped pistachios
1 tsp of ground cardamom
A pinch of cinnamon or to taste

Here's What To Do:

Core, peel and chop the apples.

In a kadhai or skillet, heat the ghee, butter or oil until it's hot.
Add in the apples and cook them at a medium high heat for about 10 minutes or so until they start to brown and soften. I needed to cook mine longer.

When the apples have softened, add in 2 Tbs of water.
Turn the heat down to medium low and let the apples cook down for about 15 minutes or so.
Stir them every so often so that they don't stick or burn. The sweeter the apples the more chance of them sticking, so stay on it. This will also give you an indicator of how much sweetener (if any) you need to add.

As the apples cook down, mash them with the back of your spoon. If that doesn't work feel free to break out your potato masher. I did. Cook them down for another 10 to 15 minutes. It may take more or less time depending on the apples. The texture you're looking for here is soft, and yet slightly chunky, like a good homemade apple sauce. Not a puree.
To ease the cooking progress I actually put a lid on the pan for the last few minutes of cooking, making sure to check and stir every few minutes to avoid burning. If you need to add a bit more water feel free to do so.
While this is going on, in a small pan or skillet heat 1 Tbs of oil or ghee.
When the oil is hot add in the cashews and raisins.

Roast them in the pan until the raisins are plump and the cashews lightly toasted.
Set them aside.
When the apples have cooked down properly add in the sweetener.  I used jaggery.

MIx the sweetener in well, until tit's dissolved.
Add in 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Turn the heat up a bit and make sure the coconut milk is well blended.
Stir the apple mixture until all the coconut milk is absorbed.
When you have a nice thick, chunky apple mixture add in the raisins and cashews.

 

Stir in the cardamom and cinnamon.

The halwa  can be served either warm or cool.
I served it at room temperature topped with a bit of unsweetened Greek yogurt, and a sprinkling of finely chopped pistachios. A perfectly lovely guilt free dessert, that relies on the quality of the apples and not a lot of extra sweeteners.
 
   Coming up next, my birthday is on Tuesday and I'll be dishing up some buffet ready Indian street food for a party on Saturday, with some special treats for my gluten free, vegtarian, and vegan friends. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Finger Foods For Awards Night

   This is it. Our big weekend. Others pig out over the Superbowl, but around our house it's always been the Academy Awards, and yes the Golden Globes too, but Golden Globes night does not involve the wearing of a plastic tiara.

   Usually I'm looking for easy, quick foods to fling at my guests so as not to miss any of the Red Carpet action. This year I've decided to serve a variety of things buffet style. Since I'll be having 2 gluten-free guests, one vegetarian/pescatarian, and 10 omnivores I'll be serving Indian salads and side dishes along with hot Momo and steamed Spring Rolls with a variety of fillings.

   I've been practicing my rolling, steaming and filing techniques, and one of the stuffings I'll be serving this weekend is lamb. I gave the lamb a test run this weekend when our guests from LA were visiting and it was a hit. They're simple to mix and make. One pound of ground lamb, some nuts and spices and you're in business. Once you get going you can't stop steaming and eating them. At least that's what happened here.

Lamb Momo

Here's What You Need:

1lb of ground lamb
1/4 cup of chopped pistachios
8 finely chopped dried apricots
1 small onion finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
3 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro
3Tbs of finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 tsp or  to taste Kashmiri chili powder or a mixture of cayenne and paprkia.
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of salt or to taste
1 package of wonton wrappers

Here's What to Do: 

Mix all of the above listed ingredients together.
Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour.
Put 1 Tbs of the mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper.
Put the Momo into a steamer.
Place the steamer over boiling water
Cover it and let steam for about 12 minutes.

Serve with chutney or raita or sauce of your choice.
I served these with Mango Curd, a mint raita, and Quick Tomato Chutney. This Tamarind dipping sauce works great too. Serve 'em up and stand back.

Other great finger foods for Awards night are Indian Potato Fritters

Here's a recipe for Steamed Bao with an Indian Filling

As to desserts, I'll be working on a very special gluten free treat involving chocolate, but there are always Baked Spiced Mini-Donuts
 

...or a lovely Gluten Free Chocolate Mandarin Orange Cake

   The great thing about all these dishes is that they can all be made ahead of time, and for the things that need to be served hot, the makings can be prepped early to await steaming. It couldn't be simpler than that.

   Coming up next, that gluten free chocolate dessert, follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Perfect Party Poppers. Date Pistachio Truffles

   This is the time of year to roll out the sweet stuff. Even if you never indulge at other times of the year, holidays seem to give natural immunity. I can eat this, it's so small. With various family parties work gatherings and religious celebrations, it seems The World and his Uncle are shoving food at us 24/7. And if the food shoving and eating weren't enough, there are the demands to "just bring something for pot luck". That pot luck table seems to be the final resting place for all those tins of Swedish Butter Cookies one sees at the Dollar Store this time of year. The road to hell is paved with Dollar Store Swedish Butter Cookie tins. So what to do when one wants to try bringing a homemade treat that doesn't take a day and a half worth of prep? These little bites may just be the answer.

   The little truffles  you see above are a twist on Kajur Pak, aka, Date Burfi, aka Date Fudge. I've made various versions of burfi over the years, but strangely  enough I've never made simple American style fudge. Life is strange that way, go figure. When I saw these Date Truffles on my friend Perna's site Indian Simmer I knew I was going to have to make them. Of course, I wanted to try adding my own twist, which I did. I added some grated orange zest to the mixture and then since I prefer things less sweet than spicy, I used unsweetened dark cocoa powder along with some ground spices as a coating. They were delicious and the easiest thing ever to make, perfect to bring as a holiday party gift or just to keep around for movie nights with family and friends.

Date Pistachio Orange Truffles

Here's What You Need:

1 lb of pitted dates coarsely chopped
1 Tbs of melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup of raw pistachios
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 and 1/2 Tbs of unsweetened good quality cocoa powder (I used Valhrona which seems to always be available at Whole Foods)
A pinch of ginger powder
2 pinches of cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves
2 pinches of ground cardamom
3 Tbs of powdered sugar

Here's What To Do:

Chop the dates coarsely.

In a small pan melt the butter.
When the butter has melted, add in the dates and the orange zest.

Stir things around on a medium heat until they start to get pulpy. This doesn't take too long.

Let the mixture cool a bit, then scoop out the date and orange mixture and put it in a food processor or blender. Save what's left of the  butter in the pan.

Add the pistachios to the butter that's left in the pan, stir them around until they're coated and slightly toasty.

Add them to the mixture in the food processor.

Blend everything together until you have a thick paste.

Roll the paste into small, truffle-sized balls and set them aside.

In a bowl mix together the dark, unsweetened cocoa powder and the sugar until you have a blend that tastes right to you. I like things with a bit of bite you might like yours sweeter. The measurements I've given are what worked for me. This is the creative part.

Add in the spices. As with the cocoa use your judgement.

Pour the cocoa sugar spice mixture  into a bag.

Drop in the truffles.

Shake them around for a bit then take them out and place them on a baking rack.

Serve them up!

They're great with coffee or tea. Moist and delicious. If you're storing them, keep them in an airtight container until serving them. I use a cake dome. I'm planning on making these again and experimenting with what they're rolled in. I'm thinking mandarin orange ganache made with some of this stuff from CocoaPlanet.

   On the home front we've been dealing with parental illness issues, so it's great at times like this to be able to stick something sweet in your pie hole. Comfort food, you know? Coming up next, it's a gluten free Good Cookie For Kids Cancer courtesy of the good people at OXO. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori