Orange Sandwich cake

I don't know what is it about Orange cakes, I  can never get enough of it. Store-bought, homemade, mom or mom-in-law made, neighbour made, someone made, even enemy made (not that I have enemies) I just heart orange cakes in any form- eggless or with egg or butterless or even flourless... phew!!! This is another orange cake that my Mommy-in-law made that we just finished in like a few minutes. This is Mrs B.F Varghese's recipe that she followed and I shamelessly took photos of and proudly uploading.

For the Cake:

Butter: 1/2 kg

Sugar: 1/2 kg powdered

Eggs: 1/2 kg

Flour: 1/2 kg

Baking Powder: 4 tsp

Rind of 2 limes

Boiling Water: 4 1/2 dsp

Grease and flour a baking tin. Grate the Lemon rind. Sift the flour with the baking powder. Cream the butter, sugar and the lemon rind until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time to the mixture gradually beating all the time. Fold in the sifted flour, add hot water and bake at 180C . Allow to cool completely.

For the Filling:
corn flour: 8 dsp
Orange Juice: 3 cups
Rind of 2 oranges
Sugar: 1/2 kg
Lime Juice: 4 dsp
Butter: 4 dsp

Grate the orange rind. Add the sugar, orange juice, lime juice and cornflour and place on fire. Keep stirring, cook until thick.

then add butter and remove from fire and allow it to cool.

Cut cake into two like in the picture below.

 Spread with Custard properly.

  Sandwich together.

Slice and Enjoy.

Cheese Chilli/ Paneer Chilli

Coming from my sister Sophy's kitchen with love.

Paneer: 250 gms
Capsicum: 1 (half of it chopped, half cubed)
Onion: 1 finely chopped
Onion: 1 cubed
Ginger: 1 inch piece minced
Garlic:  8 pods minced
Green Chillies:4
Crushed Pepper Powder: 1 tsp
Tomato Sauce: 3 tsp
Chilly Sauce: 1 tsp
Soya Sauce: 1 tsp

For the Batter:
Maida: 1/4 cup
Corn Flour: 1/4 cups
Red colour: a pinch
Ginger Garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder; 1/2 tsp
Slat: as needed

Make the batter first. dip the cubed paneer pieces in it, deep fry and keep aside.
In the same oil, add the minced ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute till slightly brown.
Add the finely chopped onions and finely chopped capsicum.
When that is brown, add the cubed onion and capsicum and saute for 1 minute.
Add all the sauces, pepper powder and salt. Add a little red colour too.
Add the fried paneer to it and mix it well.
Serve warm.

Hawashi / Egyptian Meat Sandwich

Hawashi - I still remember the first time I bit into it. I was just 3 days old in Cairo and whatever I tasted till then was so bland (when compared to Our Indian non veg food, ofcourse :) so when my hubby told me this is something you have to try, i wasn't so sure. (He had already been to Cairo a couple of times back then) . Well, it was different and tasted good and this was the only local dish I could have without having to think twice. From then on, whenever we ordered in Egyptian food, Hawashi was sure to be included.

And since ordering in Egyptian food was sooooooooooooooooo cheap, I never bothered to make it when I was there. But I did get the recipe from one of my friends who was my neighbour too, Nancy Nazir. So the recipe I followed here is basically what she told me but ofcourse, I tweaked a whole lot of ingredients to make it more spicy... but still not as spicy as our desi food. so u can call this Indianized Egyptian Hawashi (the Indian part being 10 percent ;) )

This is made with minced meat stuffed inside Pita Bread  and grilled/baked.  Make Pita Bread by following the recipe Ive posted earlier and then continue to make the Hawashi

Pita Bread : 6

For the filling:

Beef: 500 gms minced (raw ofcourse... just for the few who might be wodering if it is cooked..NO NO, USE RAW MINCED BEEF)
Onion: 1 diced fine
Ginger: 1 inch grated
Garlic: 4 cloves minced
Green Chillies: 10 thinly sliced (My Egyptian friends will have their eyes popped out if they see this, they use just half a green chilly, and even my addition of 10 is not enuf for hubby dear)
Tomato: 1 grated
Salt and Pepper: as needed
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 tsp
Cumin Powder: 3/4 tsp
Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves or Parsley: 2 tbsp

Preheat Oven 180 C
Cut your pita breads into two halves, so that you can fill the beef in the pockets.
Mix all the ingredients and fill in the pockets all the way till the edges.
Spread butter on both sides of the bread and bake it till it is browned well and inside is cooked.
Turn it once and again bake for a few more minutes.
Have it immediately with salad.

Pita Bread

All Purpose Flour: 3 cups
Warm Water: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 tsp
Yeast: 2 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in water. Keep it aside for 5 minutes till it froths.
Take a mixing bowl and pour the yeast water, salt and half of the flour to it.
Knead well, add more flour as you go... I know, it is very sticky indeed!!!!
Take another bowl and grease it with oil. Keep the dough inside and turn it once or twice so that it is coated well with oil.
Cover with a cling wrap

and let it rise till its double (2 hours or less)

Take the dough again and knead it (I know its such a mess at this stage with it being very very sticky but these are certain moments in cooking that has taught me what  patience means!!!)
Divide it into 8 portions and with a rolling pin, roll out into thick discs. Sprinkle flour as you roll or it will be such a sticky mess that you might shut down the kitchen for a month!!!!
Preheat oven 180C. Keep the cookie tray in the last rack
After 5 minutes, place 2-3 discs and within a minute it will balloon up, turn it over once and in 30 secs, you can take it out
Have it warm with kebabs and salad or with any curry of your choice.

Apple Crumble Pie

This is one of the easiest desserts you can ever make. But make sure to have it warm...it makes such a world of difference.... again, Never eat it cold... :). And it is somewhat like the Apple Pie Ive posted earlier but definitely easier.......

For the base:
Apples: 400-500 gms
Sugar or Caramelized sugar that u get in supermarkets here in India: 50 gms
Flour: 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Powder: 1 tsp

Peel, core and slice the apples small. Mix in with all the other ingredients.
Slightly grease a baking tray and layer the apple mix at the bottom. Keep aside.

For the Crumble top:
All Purpose Flour: 200 gms
Butter: 125 gm
Sugar: 150 gm (totally upto u, make it less if u dont want it too sugary. I taste the mix as I go)

Rub all the ingredients till you get a mix that resembles bread crumbs.
Press it on top of the apple layer.
Preheat oven 180C.
Keep the prepared dish and bake for 50 minutes or till done. I promise u, ur kitchen will smell like heaven at this point.
Once out, just allow it to cool for sometime and then have it warm.