chana magaj

Mela’s Diwali Episode…..

October 19, 2014Uncategorizedamc competitions, amc cookware, baking, chana magaj, competitions, diwali recipes, durban recipes, Eggless Cakes, kitchenaid competitions, Mela SABC 2, paella pan, SABC, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum View all 3 comments

Behind the scenes….Yudhika Sujanani on Mela SABC 2

Eggless baking can be quite stressful…some of my attempts have led to my worst cooking disasters…so embarrassing that I could not bear to share the pics…red velvet cakes that look like melted plastic, cakes that look like biscuits and horrid tasting ‘bicarby’ ones too.

This recipe is one of my best…..quick, easy and simple to prepare…it will have you baking like a star!

I added this recipe to my Diwali episode on Mela….play around with it….spice it up with cinnamon or nutmeg…or add a little leftover burfee crumbs to zhoosh it up!

Just a thought….I do get quite a few questions about my big red dot….well, I just got tired of those fancy ones and thought I would go back to the dots or ‘botus’ that my gran used to wear…I love them and yes, they are traditional and some say ‘old fashioned’! Some say it is a brave choice of dot…well, I like them and will keep wearing them!

Mela lights up my Sunday….don’t forget to tune in next week and in the meanwhile enter the KitchenAid competition here….https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/blog-party-kitchenaid-giveaway/ to win a KitchenAid stand mixer worth R6990 and then click here if you love love love AMC cookware as much as I do to win a 24cm Gourmet roaster worth over R3000, https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/amc-giveaway/…..

While we were working on the chana magaj shoot, our pan with the cooked chickpea flour vanished…turns out the lovely Mark Corlett left the pan in the prep kitchen and the cleaner ‘chucked’ out the mixture…so it was back to square one for us on the prep….it was quite a giggle! There are always fun times with the Mela team….if you missed the Diwali episode, click here….https://yudhikayumyum.com/sabc-2s-mela-videos/mela-diwali-chana-magaj-and-eggless-cake/ – as you can see from my little clips…I love AMC cookware and for a recipe like magaj a good pot is a must!

For the Chana Magaj recipe, click here… https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/11/01/pecan-chana-magaj/

Eggless Coconut Cake

Ingredients

125g butter, at room temperature…please!

125g sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

125ml desiccated coconut

60ml Double Thick Greek Yoghurt

250ml full cream milk, at room temperature

375ml cake flour

10ml baking powder

5ml bicarbonate of soda

5ml vanilla paste

For the Lemon Frosting:

125g butter – at room temperature

375ml icing Sugar

45ml fresh cream

30ml fresh lemon juice

Strawberry jam, to sandwich cakes

Strawberries, to garnish

Some KitchenAid love....with Yudhika Sujanani

Here’s how:

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.

Grease and line a 2 x tins with paper cases. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Scrape down the bowl often and then add the lemon zest.

Add the coconut and beat for a few seconds.

Combine the yoghurt, full cream milk and vanilla paste in a jug.

Sift the dry ingredients and add them to the creamed butter.

Pour in half the milk and yoghurt and beat on low, gradually adding the remaining liquid.

Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue beating until the ingredients are well combined.

Divide the batter into the 2 prepared tins.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when the cakes are tested.

Leave to cool slightly before placing the cakes on a wire rack.

Prepare the frosting:

Cream the butter and add the icing sugar gradually.

When the butter is very light in colour, add the fresh cream.

Continue beating for a few seconds, then add the fresh lemon juice.

Beat until the frosting is fluffy.

Sandwich the cakes with jam and then frost the top and sides using a palette knife.

Garnish with strawberries and coconut shaving

The big Diwali Bake off…..

October 17, 2014Uncategorizedbaking, best diwali recipes, burfee, chana magaj, competitions, cooking, decadent diwali bakes, diwali bake off, diwali list, eggless biscuits, fresh cream burfee, KitchenAid, mela sabc2, Post newspaper, soji, Sugar 'n Spice, Sweetmeats, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum View all 12 comments

Yudhika Diwali 2014…made beautiful by Lyn Kennedy and Photographed by Vanessa Lewis

While the controversy over the date Diwali will be celebrated rages and the confusion grows, it is time to start planning the feast!

It’s a time of year for family, friends and feasting but also a time to pull out all the stops….I have been asked about recipes flat out and it is phenomenal that with the world changing so much, there are still people out there hosting traditional Diwali parties!

So today, I have decided to put together a quick reference list….so scroll down the list to find your favourite recipes….Praise God for my AMC cookware and KitchenAid mixer…my pots and pans have been working overtime just trying to keep up with the recipe requests!!!

Diwali would not be complete without a slice of Pecan Chana Magaj: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/11/01/pecan-chana-magaj/ – you could also use flaked almonds on the top if you prefer…the great thing is that this one can be made in advance and it stores beautifully in the refrigerator! Always serve this at room temperature!

I have to constantly think up new burfee ideas and here are some of them! I love coconut and it adds an extra special flavour to this Coconut Burfee: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2014/07/24/the-eid-burfee-challenge/ . For something a little more subtle and exotic, try this recipe…Rose and Pistachio Burfee: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/10/29/rose-and-pistachio-burfee/ – Just remember to go easy on the food colouring – it should be very lightly coloured! Now, for a bit of a higher grade burfee recipe try this one…..Fresh Cream Burfee: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/07/29/sugar-n-spice-recipes-fresh-cream-almond-burfee-by-yudhika/ – this is a very very soft burfee…take care when simmering the liquid to prevent scorching but it should resemble thick custard when added to the milk powder….or the burfee will be too soft….if the burfee does turn out too soft, try popping them into the freezer as this dries out the excess moisture. Watch the how to video from my stint on Sugar ‘n Spice here….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWFDoAJuQXI

For me…this is my best flop proof burfee….it doesn’t have a long list of ingredients but it works beautifully every time….I refer to it as the Idiot Proof Burfee….because it is so so quick and easy! https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/10/31/idiot-proof-burfee/ but if it is something a little out of the ordinary that you are looking for try this one….it is an adaptation of the Idiot Burfee but I love the hint of citrus and the colour of course…..Orange Cardamom and Pistachio Burfee: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2014/10/13/burfee/

I love Gulab jamuns and I always get my kids to set up an assembly line to prepare these…it’s a great way to get kids to work with you in the kitchen…they also help with the sampling….Gulab Jamun: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2012/11/08/troubled-by-diwali-gluttony/ or you could try this Indian Gulab Jamun recipe….please use Nespray for this one…Klim just doesn’t work…click here to watch the video from Sugar n Spice…there is a little trick in making these, so dont forget to watch this….https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/10/31/gulab-jamun-sugar-n-spice/

Biscuits are popular around Diwali and a biscuit with a nut is a memorable biscuit….try this….Eggless pecan biscuits: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/10/29/eggless-faker-pecan-shortbread/ or the Naan Khatay – I don’t feel territorial about these….whether they originated from India or Pakistan…they are delicious…what bothers me the most is that I got a few hidings for stealing the nuts of the top! It always embarrasses my mom terribly when I remind her about this! Watch the video from Season Two of Sugar n Spice….it’s around the second half of the clip…https://yudhikayumyum.com/new-videos/sugar-n-spice-season-2-videos/

Home made hot jalebis are an absolute treat….give this instant jalebi a bash….Jalebi: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2012/11/08/jackie-jalebi-out-on-parole-for-diwali and here is a quick and easy Laddoo recipe: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2012/11/12/laddoooooommmmaaaa-scoring-a-diwali-goal/

For a higher grade day when you have lots of energy…try this Banana Puri: https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/10/23/banana-less-banana-puri/ – this takes time…rest the dough..its the secret to making great banana puri! I still wonder why they call it banana puri!

For the classic buttery Soji, click here for the recipe, https://yudhikayumyum.com/2013/10/30/soji-i-remember-i-remember/ …this will take you back decades….it’s rich, buttery and delicious…this is not for the calorie counters and faint hearted…and yes the recipe is correct….it is 400g butter and 375g semolina…not like someone suggested that its 500g semolina! Stick to the recipe…..this makes about 1,6kg soji…you could halve the recipe if you like!

Now, there are many great giveaways on this blog and also in the Post Newspaper….you have to enter it to win it…so get entering….check out the AMC competition details in the Post or you could click here to find out how you can win a KitchenAid….https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/blog-party-kitchenaid-giveaway/ – you must be a follower on the blog and on twitter to win and don’t forget to leave your comment about the Mela food segment, you can watch here…https://yudhikayumyum.com/sabc-2s-mela-videos/ – this is a fab prize and a must have for any ardent baker! Worth R6990, it is a Rolls Royce Kitchen Stand Mixer!

For the AMC competition….I don’t have to tell you again how important it is to have great cookware….and for me, AMC is the best….you can win a 24cm Gourmet Roaster worth R3350 by entering on this link…..https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/amc-giveaway/ ….this is one of the units that I use the most….and it has gourmet handles that means you can pop the pot into the oven…on this Sundays episode of Mela, I will be preparing a breyani that is oven baked in an AMC pot….don’t forget to tune in! AMC aren’t kidding when they say, ‘AMC for life’!

Phew….this has felt like a marathon post….I think I may need to put together a list of recipes for the Diwali Cook Off….I need a coffee and cake right now….maybe you should check back later for the list!

Pecan Chana Magaj….

November 1, 2013Uncategorizedamc cookware, angela day, cardamom, chana magaj, chickpea fudge, Curry Me Home, diwali baking, diwali recipes, kenwood, My Spar, quick and easy, Saffron TV, Sugar 'n Spice, traditional sweetmeats, vegetarian, yudhika, Yudhika recipes, yudhika sujanani, yudhika sujanani l'etangyudhikayumyum View all 15 comments

Yudhika Sujanani’s Chana Magaj…

The food world is changing at an alarming rate…new trends are constantly being introduced and with so much emphasis being placed on ‘painting a picture’ on a plate, we lose the plot. I have a different approach to food and opt to keep it traditional especially with recipes like this Chana Magaj…’Why change it?’ It’s delicious, flop proof and a hit with my friends and family!

I remember paying an absolute bomb for a tray of ‘Chana Magaj’ many moons ago…much to my horror, when I sliced it, it simply crumbled. I was completely dismayed and cross (I will use a more acceptable word). I looked at the crumbled mess and tried to massage it back into a block! I eventually melted a large chunk of butter and mixed it into the chana crumble….it worked like a charm. The moral of the story is don’t scrimp on the butter!!!!

The ‘Devil is in the Detail’…As with most traditional recipes, patience is the secret ingredient. Put on some music and pour yourself a glass of wine while you are stirring the chickpea flour….taking your time makes all the difference. Use a 30cm AMC pot for cooking the chickpea flour…I know I do go on about it but ‘like seriously’…you can’t use a flimsy thin based pot for this! I get my daughters, Hetal and Tanvi, to take turns with cooking the chickpea flour. Every now and then, they bill me for their work and they do a fabulous job!

Chana Magaj keeps for ages in the refrigerator…so keep a few blocks away for ’emergencies’. I confess, I have lots of ’emergencies’ especially when I know these treats are resting in my refrigerator.

Pecan Chana Magaj

Ingredients:

500g chickpea flour
100ml milk, boiled
500g butter ghee
5ml ground cardamom
375g icing Sugar, sifted
100g Klim
100g pecan nuts

Place the chickpea flour and hot milk in a mixing bowl.
Rub the milk into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Leave the mixture to dry for an hour and then break down the large lumps using your fingertips.
Melt the butter ghee in an AMC pot on a low heat and then add the chickpea flour.
Continue stirring until the chickpea flour turns deep golden brown in colour – about an hour.
Leave aside to cool.
Grease a 25 x 25cm baking tray and line with plastic wrap.
Fold the wrap over the sides of the tray.
Stir in the ground cardamom, sifted icing sugar and full cream milk powder into the cooked mixture.
Work the icing sugar and milk powder into the chickpea flour using your fingertips.
Press the mixture into the baking tray – if the mixture is too dry, add a little melted butter.
Garnish with pecan nuts and leave aside to set.
Slice into blocks and lift the plastic wrap to loosen from the tray.