Dulce de Leche Chocoflan

Posted on February 22, 2022 by delhigrl

A combination flan and chocolate cake and the layers flip during baking – no wonder this cake is called “il pastel impossible”. This cake has been on my to-do list for a while and it was quite delightful. The flan was creamy and milky and the cake was dark and dense but not dry. This recipe was from the NYT and is by Esteban Castillo.

This cake needs some prep work. First buy a can each of Dulce de leche and one can of evaporated milk. If you can’t find Dulce de leche – you can make it from condensed milk as I did (link here). Also this cake takes 1.5-2 hours to cook and 2-3 hours to chill before it can be unmolded – so plan accordingly or else your family will be disappointed during dinner and have the cake for breakfast the next day (like mine did).

Flan: in a blender – 1 can (13 oz) dulce de leche. 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, 4 oz cream cheese, 1.5 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt and 5 large eggs- Blend for about a minute

Cake: measure the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (160g all purpose flour, 200 g granulated sugar, 50 gm unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon , 1/2 tsp kosher salt.)

Add 6 tbsp of softened room temp butter and mix for about 4-5 min using the paddle attachment till the mixture appears as wet sand

Add the wet ingredients (1/2 cup brewed coffee , 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla) and beat on slow till combined. Then beat mixture on high for 2 minutes till the color lightens and the cake batter becomes fluffy.

Now the fun part – liberally spray a 10 cup Bundt pan with bakers spray – add the cake mixture and flatten it. Then very gently add the flan mixture on top. Cover with greased aluminum foil and place it in a large roasting pan. Add tap water to the roasting pan – about 2 inches or so. Bake at 350 for 1.5- 2 hours till a skewer comes out almost clean. This is where the instructions become a little iffy – my skewer came out almost clean at 90 minutes but my flan was a lighter color. But it tasted good

Cool on counter top for 30 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours till the flan sets. Next – loosen the edges a little bit using a thin flat palette knife and invert on a plate and hope for the best. Mine came out after 2-3 minutes of worrying.

Enjoy the flan-cake with some coffee

Dulce de Leche

Posted on February 19, 2022 by delhigrl

Dulce de Leche is a taste extremely familiar to Indians who grew up on a plethora of milk deserts. I needed it for a chocoflan recipe and didn’t find any at my local grocery store. I do live in Atlanta and the nearest mercado is just a few miles away but it’s easy to make dulce de leche at home if you have several hours.

To a pressure cooker – add a can of condensed milk (remove the labels or the glue makes a mess). Cover with at least 2 inches of water over the can. Cook on high pressure for 30 min. Let it cool all the way down without jostling the cooker. Open can and the pale white condensed milk has transformed into a dense complex caramelized jelly. Caveat – the internet warns of exploding cans but honestly if the water covers the can and you don’t open the can till it’s cool- the risk seems minimal. But you’ve been warned !

For the Indians – the closest approximation I have is Dharwad cha pedha. That slightly burnt milk taste – it tastes like home.

Strawberry jello cake

Posted on February 8, 2022 by delhigrl

Many years ago, when the food network had actual recipes – I saw this recipe on Trisha Yearwood’s show. It was so intriguing – the dry jello mix gets added to a box cake mix and it has real strawberries in it – so it’s practically a salad. This recipe has been a family staple ever since, it’s the only recipe I use boxed cake mix in but nothing else seems to work as well.

Step 1- buy a white box cake mix, 3 oz strawberry jello packet and some frozen strawberries in syrup (not the regular frozen kind) -defrost the strawberries

Step 2: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a wooden spoon – beat together the cake mix, jello , 2/3 cup of oil, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of the strawberries

Step 3: Divide batter into 24 cupcakes and bake at 350 for 20 min

Step 4: Make frosting- In a blender – make an emulsion of 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup of the frozen strawberries and 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar. This takes a while – at least 3-5 minutes.

Cool cakes, frost and eat many of them. They are tart and spongy and irresistible

Vietnamese caramel tofu

Posted on November 15, 2021 by delhigrl

Many of you know of my love for Mark Bittman’s recipes. This one is nearly perfect and tastes so complex for such little effort. It’s the mix of the savory with the burnt caramel that makes it so good. The recipe is for tofu in a caramel glaze. Here is my version.

This is a recipe that works better with pressed tofu. Put a heavy weight on your tofu for 10-15 min. Today I had frozen tofu – just unfreeze and squeeze the water out like a sponge – the tofu has an entirely different texture, it’s quite delicious.

Chop up 1 lb of tofu into bite size pieces.

Measure out 1/4 cup soy sauce and chop up 1 large onion into slices (about one cup)

Caramelize 1/2 cup of sugar. I always start with a little water and a non stick pan and I swirl the caramel around. In this recipe – it’s important to go towards the slightly burnt end of the caramel- so wait till you can just start to smell the caramel. Immediately add the soy sauce (protect your hand from splatters- the caramel will cause severe burns) and the onion. Cook for 10 min on low. I added a little extra water here.

Add the tofu and 1 tbsp of black pepper (it’s practically the only spice here- you need a lot) and cover and cook for another 5-10 min

Finish with 1 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar and some scallions. Taste – add more salt and more vinegar if needed (I always need both)

Serve with rice and maybe sriracha and more vinegar on the side.

Pista Srikhand

Posted on November 4, 2021 by delhigrl

Srikhand is every Maharashtrian’s favorite food. It’s tangy and sweet and irresistible. The trick to any good srikhand is good chakka (hung yogurt). Traditional srikhand starts with hanging yogurt in a muslin cloth for a day to remove the excess water. My shortcut is to use labneh – which is sour and thick and makes the best srikhand you will ever taste. Trust me- this one is better than what grandma made.

Start with labneh- I have friends over for Diwali so I used 2 lbs . This is the brand I used from the international market.

Add 1 cup of sugar to the labneh in the bowl of your stand mixer. Now for the saffron- for maximum flavor and color, I grind my saffron with cardamom (about a pinch of saffron and 1 tsp of cardamom seeds from pods). Add to 2 tbsp of cream, heat in the microwave for 30 sec and let it steep. After 15 min- add to the labneh and sugar mixture

Mix using paddle on low speed till sugar is dissolved or use a wooden spoon. Taste- is it too sour ? Add 1/4 cup more sugar if it is.

Roast about half a cup or so of pistachios. I use the microwave for about a minute. Chop! Fold half into the srikhand and use half to decorate the top.

Chill for an hour or so and enjoy !

Indian Seitan Fajitas

Posted on October 24, 2021 by delhigrl

This recipe is inspired by many recipes from Nik Sharma – who uses Indian tadkas in all kinds of foods with delicious results. The essentials here are curry leaves (freely available at your friendly neighborhood Indian store), mustard seeds (small brown ones) and asafetida (one bottle will last you years)

First step is to make the tempering (tadka). To 1-2 tbsp of oil, add a tsp of mustard seeds. Wait till they sputter, add the tiniest sprinkling of asafetida (1/8 tsp), 1/2 tsp of turmeric , 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes and 8-10 curry leaves (chopped). After 30 sec, add the seitan, onions and jalapenos and cook on high heat till they get charred. This takes about 3-5 min.

Serve with lime crema (1/2 cup yogurt, 1 grated garlic clove, 1/4 cup Mayo, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, salt), guacomale, any greens (I did simply dressed arugula ) and warmed tortillas.

Sunday brunch perfection !

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Posted on September 20, 2021 by delhigrl

There are many many recipes for this dish. I don’t claim mine is authentic – it is tasty though.

The 2 constants in this dish – fry the baby potatoes and use yogurt in the gravy. The yogurt makes the curry lighter than the cream or cashew based curries.

Step 1: Peel the potatoes and fry the potatoes in about 2 tbsp of oil till golden brown (10-15 min). This cooks the potatoes too

Step 2 : make gravy: in a saucepan , add 2 tbsp of butter or ghee, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2-3 cloves, 2-3 cardamom pods, 8-10 whole pepper pods. Add 1/2 a large onion – finely chopped (about half a cup) and brown the onion on slow heat. When the onion is browned, add 1tsp of chopped/grated ginger and 1 tsp of chopped garlic and 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Cook on medium heat till the oil separates

Step 3: add 2 cups of yogurt whisked smooth, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 1 tsp of dried ginger, 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 tsp of degi Mirch (or another mild red pepper) and cook on low heat till simmering. Stir frequently

Step 4: add 1 tsp of garam masala and the fried potatoes – cook for another 5-10 min on low heat.

Enjoy with rice or roti or naan

Steamed eggs with mushrooms

Posted on September 18, 2021 by delhigrl

It’s been a while- things have happened but I’m cooking again

This is such an easy brunch recipe for a crowd . Get ramekins- spray with some cooking oil (just so the eggs separate)

In a sauce pan- sauté mushrooms of your choice (chopped into chunks). I used criminis but shitakes are great too. Add garlic, salt and pepper and some red pepper flakes (gochugaru is fantastic in this) and butter and cook on high heat till the mushrooms get some color.

In the ramekins, add some mushrooms, butter, about 2 tbsps of cream, about 2 tbsp or so of your favorite cheese (I like Gouda with eggs)salt, pepper and one egg

When your guests arrive – steam eggs for 10 min. Serve with good bread and copious amounts of butter.

Orange Almond Cake

Posted on September 27, 2020 by delhigrl

I’m naturally attracted to any recipe that starts with boiling 2 oranges for 2 hours and then blitzting them skin, pith and all. My catnip is everyday ingredients used in unusual ways. This Claudia Rogen cake is a famous cake- it routinely makes the lists of world’s best cakes and I think that is partly due to the ingredients and partly due to the texture of the final cake. This cake has a very delicate but dense sponge- the almond flour becomes drier and more “orangey” the next day. I generally serve it with whipped cream mixed with a tbsp of orange zest.

Start by boiling 2 clean oranges for 2 hours or as I did pressure cook the 2 oranges for 40 minutes. The pectin becomes all gelatinous then- think marmalade. Cool oranges- cut down the center- remove seeds and blitz to a fine puree.

Next- heat oven to 375F. Prep a 9 inch pan- the recipe suggests a round pan with a springiform bottom, I used a 9×9 inch square pan and lots of parchment. This is a delicate cake- prepping the pan is essential. In a large bowl- whisk 6 large eggs with 250g sugar till the sugar is all dissolved (I used my stand mixer and it took about 4 minutes on medium). Add 250 g of almond flour and 1 tsp of baking powder. Mix well till mixture is homogenous. Add orange puree and pour the mixture (it will be fairly liquid) into the prepared pan. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes and start testing till a skewer comes out clean. It took 55 minutes in my oven. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove and cool on rack.

Serve with berries, cream, candied oranges – think of it as a pudding rather than a cake. It makes for an unusual end to a dinner party and it is delicious.

Delhi Girl Meets Food

Vegetarian recipes in an Indian kitchen in Nebraska