Layered Chocolate cake with Whipped Strawberry cream

Family birthdays are super special and we love to celebrate the special day with homemade cakes. Homemade cakes are the most delicious of all cakes, isn't it? You can choose and control which and how much of the ingredients you want to add to make the cake your very own. I love to experiment and play around with different proportions and ratios of the ingredients and observe the effects on the resulting textures (That's the scientist in me talking😁) I also feel, baking and cooking are very therapeutic for my mind and brain that is racing at 100 miles/hour usually 😜. So here is the latest baking therapy from this week. Baked a small chocolate cake in bread load pan and then layered it with fresh strawberry whipped cream. Strawberries and chocolate go so well together and love the stark contrast in the layering pattern of dark brown and pink colors.

• Cake:

1 cup All purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Yogurt (whole milk)
1/3 cup Water
1/3 cup Unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/4 cup Unsalted butter
1 Egg
1 tsp Bru instant coffee powder
3/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 pinch salt

• Strawberry whipped cream:

1. 5 cups heavy whipping cream chilled
1/2 cup Strawberry puree ( Puree cooked with 3-4 sugar and till thick, strained and chilled)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2-3 drops pink food color (optional)
Whip the cream till soft creams form with electric mixer. Add strawberry puree and powdered sugar and whip till firm peaks form. Keep refrigerated till ready to use.

• Chocolate ganache drizzle: (Prepare at the time when needed)

4-5 Lindt dark chocolate squares, 2tsp heavy cream. Microwave for 20-25 sec till melted and smooth enough to drizzle.

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Layer bread loaf pan with parchment paper on the bottom.
2) Beat butter, egg, salt and sugar till light and fluffy. Add yogurt, water and rest of the ingredients. Beat till well mixed. Do not over mix!
3) Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 45-50 mins. Check with toothpick. It should come out clean.
4) Let the cake cool completely. Slice into 3 layers with large sharp knife.

5) Layer with strawberry whipped cream on the bottom layer. Place the cake layer and repeat for all layers.

6) Top the uppermost layer with whipped cream and drizzle with ganache on the sides

7) Decorate with whipped cream and fresh cut strawberries
8) Keep the cake chilled in refrigerator

9) Enjoy with your loved ones😍

Mix Vegetable Kurma and Whole Wheat Tandoori Naan

Now that everyone is staying put indoors, there is no more going to the favorite restaurants and eating out. Kids love Naan and Punjabi style curries (They call is "Órange curry"😆, due to the distinct orangish hue of the tomato based sauces in Punjabi curries) and miss their favorite Indian restaurant. So yesterday, made this elaborate Punjabi affair for dinner. They were overjoyed to have their favorite meal 😋 and we enjoyed cooking together as a family :)

** The Naan's are made with whole wheat dough (No Yeast, No Baking Soda/ Powder) and baked in oven.
Naan Recipe :
http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2011/04/everyday-cooking-whole-wheat-tandoori.html

Mix Vegetable Kurma Recipe:

Vegetables: (Cut in Square chunks)
1.5 cups cauliflower chunks
0.5 cups Onion chunks
0.5 cups Carrot chunks
0.5 cups Red pepper chunks
0.5 cups Green peas

1 cups Paneer cut in squares

Cut everything and keep aside till ready to use.

Masala paste:
2 medium onions chopped
3 medium tomatoes chopped
1/3 cup cashews
2 tbsp Sesame seeds toasted
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
8 Black pepper, 5 Cloves, Small piece of cinnamon
Saute onions,  tomatoes with some oil till golden brown, Add sesame seeds, cashews, ginger-garlic and other spices. Let it cool completely before making into smooth paste in a blender with only little water.

Dry Spices:
3 tsp Everest Shahi Paneer Masala
2 tsp Red chili powder (Add more for Spicier curry)
1 tsp Cumin/ Shah Jeera
1 tsp turmeric
1 Bay leaf

Oil, Salt
Cashews and Cilantro for garnish


1) Saute the onion chunks, cauliflower chunks and other vegetables with some oil, cumin, bay leaf, turmeric, red chili powder and Shahi paneer masala.
2) Add the tomato-onion-cashew masala paste and salt and mix. Sautés for few mins.
3) Add some water to adjust consistency. (Milk cream/ Coconut milk can be added for richer gravy)
4) Add the Paneer and cook for few mins will closed lid.
5) Garnish with cashews and cilantro. Enjoy hot along with Whole wheat Naan, Brown Rice and Salad for a delicious and healthy meal!

My favorite curries to go with the Homemade Naan's:

Chicken or Paneer Chettinad:
https://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2011/03/everyday-cooking-chicken-chettinad.html?m=0


Zucchini Non-fried Kofta Curry:
https://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2013/08/zucchini-non-fried-kofta-curry.html?m=0

Schezwan Cut Dosa

The world is going through one of the worst crisis of our times. The COVID-19 has taken toll in everyones lives in one way or the another. Everyone is at home trying to stay safe and keeping their loved ones safe. However, one positive way to look at it is- We all now have ample family time to do that craft with the family that we wanted to do, to play games with the kids, to create that art project, to pursue that hobby that we look forward to, to develop a new skill that otherwise got pushed to the back in our busy lifestyles.

For me, amongst the most satisfying and gratifying thing is that, I am able to help the community through the COVID-19 efforts through my work place and through some personal efforts along with my husband to show a small gesture of gratitude to the healthcare workers, who are the real heroes and fighting on the frontlines. Another bright side is that I am able to pick up on my cooking and blogging hobby again which had become a rare opportunity amidst the busy lifestyle! So expect new stream of posts over the next few days:)

In the current situation....Trying to eat healthy, conserve groceries and still keep the food interesting and delicious is surely a challenge on its own 😟
Repurposing yesterday’s ‘Kobi chi bhaji’ can’t get better than this!😁Mommy happy... little ones happy 😛Try it... you will love it!!! 😋

Yellow moong-Brown rice Dosa layered with schezwan sauce and then stuffed with filling of Sautéed cabbage-carrots and peas😋😋

• Recipe-
2 cups yellow moong dal
1/2 cup brown rice
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp green chili
1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
Leftover cabbage bhaji ( I added carrots and peas too) Or You can make Chinese style stirred veggies
Schezwan sauce 

1) Soak dal and rice together for 6-8 hrs. Grind into fine paste along with rest of the ingredients.
2) Heat non-stick pan. Apply some oil. Make dosa. Add few drops of oil on the sides. Spread schezwan sauce and add leftover sautéed Cabbage chi bhaji. 

3) Roll the Dosa when golden brown.
4) Serve hot and cut before serving. 

Enjoy!!! 😋😋😋

Almond Nankatai

The world is going through one of the worst crisis of our times. The COVID-19 has taken toll in everyones lives in one way or the another. Everyone is at home trying to stay safe and keeping their loved ones safe. However, one positive way to look at it is- We all now have ample family time to do that craft with the family that we wanted to do, to play games with the kids, to create that art project, to pursue that hobby that we look forward to, to develop a new skill that otherwise got pushed to the back in our busy lifestyles.

For me, amongst the most satisfying and gratifying thing is that, I am able to help the community through the COVID-19 efforts through my work place and through some personal efforts along with my husband to show a small gesture of gratitude to the healthcare workers, who are the real heroes and fighting on the frontlines. Another bright side is that I am able to pick up on my cooking and blogging hobby again which had become a rare opportunity amidst the busy lifestyle! So expect new stream of posts over the next few days:)

I baked these Almond Nankatai yesterday. These delicious nankatai cookies have a distinctive almond flavor and are packed with protein due to the almonds (There is more almond powder in the recipe than the flour!) 😋

• Recipe: (Makes about 25-30 cookies) 

1 and 1/4 cup Almond powder
1 cup Powdered sugar
3/4 cup All purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup milk (may need little less)
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 tsp Baking powder 

Preheat oven to 250F. Apply little butter to baking sheets. 

1) Mix / fold the butter till smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix well by folding.
2) Add vanilla essence, powdered almonds, Flour, Baking powder and mix. Add milk little by little to the batter. Batter will be slightly sticky but not too loose. (Don’t use all milk if not needed! )
3) Place small dollops of batter on baking sheet. Flatten with buttered hands. Put some almond slices on top.
4) Bake at 250F for 30-45 mins till golden brown.
Don’t let the cookies burn! They remain light on top and golden brown on the bottom.

** Oven and baking sheets can vary. So baking time may have to be adjusted slightly accordingly. 

5) Remove when golden brown and let them cool completely before storing in airtight container. Enjoy with the little ones/ loved ones :)

*****More Nankatai Recipes: 

http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/search/label/Nankatai…

The Sizzling Pan is 10 Years Old!!!

TheSizzlingPan is celebrating 10 years!!!

TheSizzlingPan has been an integral part of my life for the past 10 years! I have loved sharing my kitchen…my recipes…my passion for food through this channel. I am proud of this journey, the delectable meals and recipes created, the delicious food my family and friends enjoyed and the friendships I made along the way.  As we celebrate 10 years of this special connection, here is the story of TheSizzlingPan…

My ‘foodie’ genes

I was raised in a typical foodie family. My mom loved cooking and experimenting on new recipes. She cooked typical CKP style dishes with fish, coconut etc. but also made unique recipes of her own. My dad would encourage her by giving her small prizes when she perfected the recipe… and me and my little sister got the share of our prizes for helping our mom. My mom even took her passion to the next level and started and ran a food business for 15+ years. Her passion became her profession. This is where my interest in food was kindled. As I went to high school/ college I started looking at cook books and cooking and baking on my own. Black Forest Cake baked by me became a birthday staple for everyone in the family Jand homemade mango ice-cream made our summers super delicious!

Making homemade Mango Ice cream back home in Pune 

MyKitchen’sAroma aka TheSizzlingPan

When I came to the US, my interest in food got stronger by watching a lot of international cooking shows. Racheal Ray, Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis, Iron Chef were some of my favorite ones to watch after I came back in the evening from work. I worked in a University, so there was a lot of exposure to different cultures and cuisines. I started experimenting with fusion recipes and new ingredients available in the grocery stores here. When I was on a ‘mommying’ sabbatical when my son was born, though I loved being a full-time mom, I missed the social connection in the work environment. I missed chatting with people with similar interests. Being a scientist…I missed experimenting and doing research. That’s when I thought about starting a food blog with encouragement from my husband and some friends…which would allow me to experiment on new recipes and connect with like- minded people through this channel. MyKitchensAroma was born on September 14, 2009 ! 

Lot of the earlier recipes were 'For little tummies' to sneak veggies in my little ones diet. These "Zucchini Fritters" were amongst the early recipes on the blog.

I loved the time …the ‘me’ time I got to document my recipes and connecting with friends and followers of the blog. I loved making delicious recipes are serving food that looked good in eye pleasing presentations. Very soon the scientist in me was intrigued by the ‘science’ of food. I decided to do a certification in food science to learn – the food chemistry...to learn what reactions take place in the food, which ingredients go well together, nutrition, preservation, food technology etc. I was also enthralled to share the science of food with the future chefs and scientists. I arranged workshops to teach kids that food can be magical and a super fun science learning experience. 

To be honest, at one point, I thought about making ‘Food’ my profession…just like my mom. But my other passion…the Love for Science and Research excites me too! I love being a scientist and enjoy my profession. If I took food/cooking business as my profession, I would have to give up my career and profession as a scientist altogether. If I maintained food and cooking as my hobby, I could still be a full-time science researcher while cooking, trying new recipes and blogging in my free time. So that is what I did! This way I can have best of both the worlds J I would feel immensely grateful for my career, if through my contribution to Cancer research, someday an effective cancer therapy is developed. This would be a dream come true J

 Few years ago…MyKitchensAroma had a makeover and a name change …. “TheSizzlingPan” was the new name. Through TheSizzlingPan, I have experimented with bringing in new sections like ‘Food Around The World’, recipes from Guest kitchen’s and the newest-TheSlimmingPan to share healthy and nutritious recipes and my fitness journey.

The new hand drawn logo of the blog

There have been ups and downs, times where I couldn’t share anything for months together due to life’s other commitments and priorities, while at other times I was beaming with ideas and experimenting with super excitement in my kitchen! 

All in all,The Pan has always been Sizzling and making delicious food!J

My family enjoying a home baked chocolate cake :) Those smiles are precious!

It has been a fun 10-year journey of cooking, baking, drizzling and icing. And thank you all for being a part of this with me. I have enjoyed connecting and sharing my kitchen with each and everyone of you J

Thank you for visiting TheSizzlingPan!

Deepti Thete

My first Instant Pot Recipe!!! Instant Pot Chole

Instant Pot Chole

I know I know.... I am jumping onto the “Instant Pot” bandwagon super duper late.😬

But thanks to a very thoughtful gift from a dear friend... I am finally onboard!!! And so excited!!! 😁😁

Okay ... So today was The Day!!! 😀 Made Chole in my new IP! 

And they turned out Peeeerfeccttt!!! 

So tender and flavorful😋😋. I was skeptical whether they will come out perfect in 15 mins pressure cook time plus natural steam release that I set on the IP (since most recipes called for 35 min pressure cook time), but they cooked so well without under cooking or being mushy 👌 They could have had slightly less water, but we didn’t mind the soupy chole. Dinner was a hit! 👌

Recipe-
2 cups soaked Chole
2 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
Badshah Chole masala
Red chili powder
Turmeric
Cumin, Bay leaf
Salt
Oil 

- Sauté the onion, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, cumin, bay leaf for 6-8 mins in sauté function on some oil.

- Add chole masala, red chili powder, turmeric, salt . Sauté for 2-3 more mins

- Add soaked chole and water. 

- Pressure cook on high pressure for 15 mins. Let the pressure release naturally. 

- Tadah... by the time you make rotis... Chole are cooked and ready!

Samosa Pinwheels

One of my favorite party appetizers are these beautiful looking and amazingly tasty 'Samosa Pinwheels'. What's not to like??? Nothing can go wrong with ...Spicy stuffing made with mashed potatoes and warm spices rolled up into puff pastry sheets and then baked to crispy perfection! YUMMMMM..OOO! Baked a large batch for a party at work tomorrow.

The trick however, is getting this beautiful pinwheels pattern. I have had these pinwheels before and not all were able to exhibit this beautiful pattern. So here goes the step by step recipe-

 ** The trick in using 'lump free' filling, spreading it in an even layer and rolling into a tight roll before slicing.

Recipe:
4 Potatoes boiled and washed well (no lumps)
1/2 onion finely chopped
2tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp chopped curry leaves
1 tsp garam masala powder
1tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Kasoori methi leaves
Salt
4tsp Oil

1 Puff pastry sheet (Thawed as per package instructions)

Method:
1) Heat the oil in pan. Add mustard seed, cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped onion. Sauté for 2-3 mins.
2) Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala powder, mashed potatoes, salt and kasoori methi. Sauté the filling for few mins. The filling should have no lumps. Let the filling cool for 1hr.

** Pre Heat the oven to 400F

3)  Roll out the thawed puff pastry sheet. Spread the potato filling evenly on to the sheet, about 1.5cm in thickness. Start rolling the sheet tightly from one end, into a roll.

4) Slice the roll in the center. Wrap the rolls into wax paper and chill in refrigerator for 20mins.

5) After 20 mins, slice the roll. Place the pinwheels on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

6) Bake the pinwheels at 400F for 15-20 mins till golden brown. I like to turn them half way through the baking on the other side to bake evenly on both sides.

7) Serve hot along with your favorite sauce. Enjoy these delicious beauties!

And...You know my favorite! I will of course serve these with "Maggie Hot and Sweet" Sauce :))

Tilgul Ladoos- Quick and Easy

Tilgul Ghya Goad Bola!!!

Made these quick and easy Tilgul ladoos yesterday. No sugar syrup and no cooking!

Recipe- Makes 20 small ladoos 

1/2 cup Roasted peanuts (I used store bought)
1/3 cup Roasted sesame seeds 
1/3 cup dry coconut powder 
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
4 tsp jaggery powder
3 tsp fine sugar
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

In a blender, blend together peanuts and half of toasted sesame seeds till they are powdered and everything starts to slightly stick and come together. Don’t overgrind! 
Add rest of the toasted sesame seeds and the other ingredients and knead with light hands. Roll into small ladoos. Done! 

Other traditional Tilgul recipes:

http://my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/search/label/Tilgul?m=0