Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Pua (with Bananas and Fennel) for #Holi

01 | 03 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

Its Holi the Indian festival of colors and I’ve got for you a traditional dessert called Pua that has been a staple in our family for many many years. This dish comes from the states of Bihar and West Bengal in India and tastes heavenly! In simplified terms it’s a fried version of a banana pancake without the eggs and baking powder. Mom makes this on Holi every year along with a multitude of other delicacies synonymous with this festival and I love it!

Pua (with Bananas)

The distinctive sweet anise flavor from the fennel combined with the bananas,nuts and coconut, this dessert is a culinary delight of epic proportion.The soft fluffy dumpling like texture is addictive and you just can’t stop at one! It’s not overly sweet like the Malpua which is a different and a more common version of the Pua where the pua is soaked in sugar syrup after its fried.

The process starts with mixing the batter and leaving it to rest for a few minutes before frying. The bananas are added at the last minute since you don’t want it to turn brown.The soft melt-in-your-mouth Pua with bits of nuts,coconut and fennel is just what you want for Holi!!They taste great warm or chilled and loved by kids and adults alike. Enjoy and wishing you all a HAPPY HOLI!

Here are some other Holi delicacies that you can try!

Kathal Shami Kebabs (Jackfruit Kebabs)
Hara Bhara Kebab
Aloo Gobhi
Rasgulla
Ricotta Burfi

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Pua with Banana for #Holi

Ingredients

  • All Purpose Flour- 1 1/2 cups
  • Fennel Seeds-2 tsp
  • Bananas-2(mashed)
  • Whole Milk-1 1/2 cups (plus a little more as required)
  • Sugar-3/4 cup
  • Chopped nuts (cashews or pistachios) -handful
  • Finely Chopped or grated coconut (optional)-2 tbsp
  • Oil to deep fry

Instructions

  1. In a deep mixing bowl mix the flour,fennel,sugar,nuts and coconut (if using) with a whisk until nicely mixed and no lumps remain. If the batter is too thick add a little milk and mix again.Leave it aside for 30 mins.
  2. Add the mashed banana just before frying and mix well.
  3. Heat around 2 cups of oil in a deep frying pan on medium high.You can tell when its ready by dropping a pinch of the batter.If it immediately rises to the top the oil is ready.Be very careful since its hot.
  4. Take a small round ladle and drop about half a ladle of batter at a time.Do not spread.
  5. Flip it gently using a slotted spatula and let it puff up.Cook for about 2-3 minutes on low heat on each side so that it cooks evenly.
  6. Transfer onto a tray lined with paper towel.Also if desired press each pua in between paper towels once they are cooler to touch to drain out excess oil.
  7. Serve warm or chilled.
https://www.sonisfood.com/2018/03/pua-with-bananas-for-holi.html

 

Lemon Ricotta Cake

16 | 02 | 2018
By Soni Sinha

This simple cake with bright lemony flavor is my new favorite. I love Italian desserts and recently made a delicious Italian Love Cake for my girlfriends. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pics since I was in a hurry, but I promise to share the recipe with you very soon. But this cake is something else. An easy dessert that’s so simple and perfectly satisfying and if you love lemon desserts like me, you’ll fall in love with this!

Lemon Ricotta Cake

I bought two tubs of ricotta for my Italian Love Cake and used just one. I scoured the web for ricotta recipes and stumbled upon this one. It sounded pretty simple and lemon and ricotta seemed like just the perfect combination. I had all the ingredients and couldn’t wait to try this! It did not disappoint at all and the flavors are right up my alley.

The cake is wonderfully moist from the ricotta and is light and airy.I doubled the recipe and it turned out amazing! did not use the apples as mentioned in the recipe and just went with lemon and ricotta. You could dress it up with some berries if you prefer or just keep it simple like I’ve done here. The hubs and the kids went for seconds and needless to say it disappeared in no time!This is one elegant looking cake and I can’t wait to make this for my friends. This is a keeper. Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Lemon Ricotta Cake

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Ingredients
  

  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 11 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • ⅔ cup ricotta
  • zest of one lemon
  • powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  • Grease an 8 inch round pan with butter.
  • In a large bowl using a spatula or hand held mixer mix the softened butter and sugar until creamy.
  • Add eggs and combine well.
  • Add the flour,baking powder and salt.Mix well.
  • Add the ricotta and lemon zest.
  • Mix until nicely incorporated and no lumps are left.
  • Pour into the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until you see the edges turning golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let it cool for a bit before transferring it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Recipe adapted from Mon Petit Four

Nutella Swirled Cheesecake Bars

22 | 12 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Nutella Swirled Cheesecake Bars have been on my to-make list for so long and I finally made them! These bars are just the size you need them to be to satisfy your sweet cravings and can be made a day ahead since they do require some chilling time before being cut into squares. They’re perfectly sweet and the swirls look so festive!

Nutella Swirled Cheesecake Bars

This is a Nutella lover’s dream and tastes phenomenal. The buttery graham cracker crust topped with a delicious cheesecake filling topped with Nutella is the kind of dessert meant for special occasions such as the holidays. I omitted the sugar in the crust in this recipe and it came out perfect. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill so you get to bite into these beauties. I left it to chill overnight in the refrigerator. My kids got to try these after school the next day and their verdict- “the wait was worth it”! 🙂

You know that they’re ready when you see the edges turning slightly golden.The best part-spreading the nutella!Just make sure that its slightly warm, makes it easy to swirl.This is not your average dessert but a decadent indulgent treat for you and your guests.Great for a crowd (makes 16 small bars) and super easy, this is one dessert that any Nutella lover will devour!Enjoy and wishing you all a great holiday season!

Nutella Swirled Cheesecake Bars

Nutella Swirled Cheesecake Bars

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Ingredients
  

For the crust

  • 10 full sheet Graham Crackers or 1 1/2 graham cracker crumbs
  • 6 tbsp melted stick unsalted butter

For the cheesecake

  • 16 oz 2 bars cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup nutella slightly warmed

Instructions
 

  • Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper with overhanging sides

For the base

  • In a food processor, process the graham crackers into fine crumbs.
  • Add the melted butter and pulse to fully incorporate.
  • Pour into the lined baking pan and gently even with hands or base of a measuring cup. Bake for 5 mins.
  • Remove from oven and let it cool.
  • Pour cream cheese mixture on it.

Cheesecake

  • While the base is baking, place the cream cheese and sugar in stand or electric mixer
  • Beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine until the mixture is smooth
  • Pour mixture onto the baked graham cracker crust and smooth into a single layer. Drop large spoonfuls of Nutella on top of filling and swirl gently with a knife.
  • Bake 30-35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles.
  • Remove from the oven and cool completely then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight
  • Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into bars.

 

Rasgulla-Cheese Dumplings in Sugar Syrup for #Diwali

17 | 10 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

I’m not much of a dessert person, but there are certain favorites especially few Bengali sweets that I’ve devoured since childhood and have very fond memories of. Spongy melt-in-your-mouth cheese dumplings called Rasgullas served in earthen clay pots were the highlights of many evenings at home growing-up. Sold at Bengali sweet shops, these delicious dumplings were often served along with another classic Mishti Doi (sweetened yoghurt with jaggery set in a clay pot).I gorged on them and still do whenever I get the chance!With Diwali round the corner, this amazing dessert seems just perfect to be shared on my blog today.

Rasgulla

Rasgullas are spongy sweet cheese dumplings in sugar syrup that are incredibly delicious.The sugar syrup is flavored with rose water and saffron. They’re not overly sweet like most Indian desserts and the excess syrup can be squeezed out if too sweet is not your thing. In India these desserts are easily available at any Bengali sweet shop and you can enjoy them to your heart’s content.Abroad, not so much!You make your own when those cravings become unbearable and even more so in the festive season when you miss all those delicacies.paneerThey’re not that difficult albeit a bit time consuming, since you first make the chena/paneer and then proceed with the next steps.Once you have the chena ready, its only a matter of making the dumplings and the sugar syrup.The most important part in the process is massaging the chena until it releases the fat and your palms become oily.That tells you that its ready to be shaped into balls.

The balls are then dropped into the sugar syrup to soak up all the delicious flavors from the saffron and the rose water.These can be made a day ahead, so they’re perfect for a crowd.Serve them chilled garnished with some saffron strands and see them disappear!

‘Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali and may it illuminate your life with good health and all the joys of the world‘

You can also try other festive recipes below:
Aloo Gobi
Gobhi Mussallam (Whole Roasted Cauliflower)
Ricotta Cardamom Fudge
Easy Cardamom Coconut Balls 

Rasgulla-Cheese Dumplings in Sugar Syrup for #Diwali

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 ltr whole milk
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice mixed with a little water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ tsp rose water
  • few saffron strands

Instructions
 

Making the paneer/chena

  • Heat the milk in a deep bottomed pot on medium heat stirring every few mins so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
  • Line a strainer with a cheese/muslin cloth.
  • Once the milk comes to a boiling point add 2 tbsp of lemon juice.The milk should start to curdle.If it doesn't, add a little bit more lemon juice.Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 mins.
  • Pour the milk through the cheese/muslin cloth.
  • Now gather the muslin cloth from the sides and rinse the chena under running water.This helps get rid of the taste of lemon.
  • Tie the ends of the muslin cloth and squeeze the excess water out and hang it for about 30 mins until all the liquid has drained out.

To make the balls

  • The chena shouldn't have too much moisture or be too dry.
  • Now transfer the chena on to a tray and start massaging (this is the most important step to get soft spongy dumplings) with your palms for about 10 mins until your palms start to become moist with the fat from the chena.
  • Alternatively you can blend the chena in your food processor for just one minute and continue massaging by hand for abt 6-7 mins until it releases oil.
  • Once it reaches that point start making small balls making sure there are no cracks in them.Keep the sizes small since they puff up while boiling.
  • Heat the sugar water solution in a large pot with enough space for the balls to double up and add rose water and saffron.Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
  • Drop the balls gently into the syrup while its still boiling and cover it with a lid.Lower the heat to your lowest setting and cook for about 15 mins until they're all puffed up (they double in size).
  • Let it cool and transfer the rasgullas into the fridge to chill.
  • Serve chilled garnished with a few saffron strands.

Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)

08 | 09 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Cooler temperatures these past couple of days signal that my favorite season is approaching. As much as I love summer, my favorite season is autumn with nature painting its own mural with lovely hues of orange, gold, crimson and scarlet. The cool crisp air, warm aromatic spices, apples, pumpkins, the Hindu festivals of Dusshera and Diwali followed by the holidays are the joys of fall! The kitchen is a busy place all autumn and for a foodie like me nothing is more enjoyable than this.

Arroz Con Leche

This calls for a recipe like Arroz Con Leche (a Mexican Rice Pudding that’s become a firm family favorite of late) that’s perfect for this weather with its generous use of cinnamon and a rich creamy consistency. Rice Pudding is so ubiquitous around the world that there are a million ways to make it using fruits, nuts, coconut, cardamom, cinnamon etc.. Arroz Con Leche is one such variation where cinnamon is added to the milk and rice mixture giving it a pleasant aroma. Again, there are many ways of making this comforting dessert but this is an easier method using sweetened condensed milk and we love it!

It can be served warm or chilled and it’s the perfect dessert for a crowd that can be made a day ahead. The use of condensed milk reduces the cooking time by half and gives it that irresistible creamy consistency that’s to die for.A generous dusting of powdered cinnamon is all it needs before serving.Enjoy!

Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • One 4-inch cinnamon stick
  • One 14-ounce can condensed milk
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 Ground cinnamon for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the rice until water runs clear (two or three times)
  • Put the water,rice and cinnamon stick into a a pot and bring to a boil.Once its starts boiling reduce the hear to low, cover and cook for about 15 mins or until the rice is fully cooked.
  • Add the sweetened condensed and milk whole and continue to cook until the mixture boils.Reduce the heat and continue to cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy.About 20 mins..
  • Let it cool for a few mins.At this point you can either serve this warm with a dusting of ground cinnamon or cool it and chill in the fridge.Dust with ground cinnamon just before serving.