This recipe came about after my sister-in-law asked me to make something a little healthier than cupcakes with her children. These children absolutely love berries, so I had to make something with delicious strawberries which are in season at the moment. To make this shortcake healthier, I also completely omitted refined sugar, and instead used some delicious smokey Maple syrup. Since there isn’t any egg in the recipe, it does take a little longer to bake, but boy is it worth it!

My entire apartment smelt like strawberry and rosemary for a good 3 hours!

If you are after some more baking and sweet recipes, be sure to check out my collection right here.

What you need?

This particular recipe is something I would call a standard recipe in terms of things you should keep in your repoitoire – something similar to the humble brownie or chocolate chip cookie.

Whilst you absolutely can combine all the ingredients well using a spatula or a wooden spoon, but making the investment for a stand mixer is a good idea as you bake more and more. The one I own isn’t anything fancy (no I don’t own a KitchenAid). I use the Breville Scraper & Beater and I absolutely love it. This stand mixer is super compact which is perfect for my apartment and small kitchen.

You are also going to need a square baking tin preferably in the size 8 by 8 by 2 inches / 20 by 20 by 5 centimeters. I use the beautiful rose gold tray by Wiltshire (also available on Amazon), which is readily available, but any good quality baking tray will do. You can find some great options on Amazon as well.

Possibly the most important tool in your kitchen is a scale. This is especially true for baking, or using ingredients that do not fit into a cup. I use this one which I purchased through Amazon. It is super useful for everyday cooks and chefs and comes at a great price too. I love that the battery can be recharged and it is very easy to clean too (*not sponsored!)

As always you will also need a silicone spatula and some baking paper, both of which are readily available at supermarkets and variety stores.

How to make Healthyish Almond & Strawberry Shortcake

Now to make our shortcake.

This recipe is super simple, and so so delicious. It’s the perfect recipe to quickly mix together and bake when you have guests about to pop over unannounced, particularly when the term “in-laws” are involved. I definitely classify this shortcake as one to serve the adults because it is a little bit offbeat and definitely is not very sweet

To start, always measure out your ingredients and have everything at room temperature. Sure, this recipe doesn’t use eggs, but the statement still applies. Unless otherwise mentioned, all the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Start by pre-heating your oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then line your brownie tray. The best way to line your tray is to cut 2 pieces of baking baking slightly thinner that the width of the baking tray. Ideally each strip should be spread across adjacent sides of the tray, as shown below in the photos.

Combine Wet Ingredients

In a bowl or jug (I do this in a spouted mug or measuring jug for easy pouring), coconut cream, a splash of water, vanilla extract, almond extract, olive oil and maple syrup, Whisk these ingredients together and set these aside.

Combine Dry Ingredients

In a mixing bowl combine the almond flour, whole wheat flour and plain flour along with the salt. Add the baking powder and baking soda to one side of the bowl and DO NOT MIX.

Add the Vinegar

Now, gently add the vinegar over the baking powder and baking soda on the side of the bowl. The apple cider vinegar will react with the soda and you should see some foaming and bubbling happening. This is a really important reaction to ensure your shortcake rises and bakes all the way through since there is no egg in the recipe.

Add the Wet Ingredients

To finish the batter, add the wet ingredients to the bowl and use a spatula to fold the ingredients. If you are using a stand mixer, use the slowest setting. Make sure you do not overbeat the batter and stop mixing once the ingredients are just combined. The shortcake will turn tough and chewy otherwise

Bake the Shortcake

Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and arrange the sliced strawberries to cover the top. Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until fragrant, golden brown and a knife comes out clean after inserting into the shortcake.

And that is it!

Do I have to make it vegan?

You absolutely don’t have to make it vegan, but I do suggest sticking to the coconut cream in this recipe. The cream offers a beautiful richness to the shortcake, that is just a touch more luxurious than using full cream cow’s milk.

Can I substitute coconut cream?

Of course you can, but as above, I do recommend sticking to using Coconut Cream. The closest substitutes would be to use coconut milk or creamy oat milk. Almond milk and soy simply don’t have the same level of richness for the recipe. You could experiment and try using a barista blend almond milk similar to this one, but it’s one to test out!

Here is the recipe card

Healthyish Almond & Strawberry Shortcake

The Miniature Life

You wouldn't believe that this shortcake is vegan and free form refined sugar

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Australian, British

Servings 12 people

Equipment

• 1 square baking tray
• 1 Spatula
• 1 Mixing bowl

Ingredients

  

• 120 g almond meal roughly 1 cup
• 57 g plain flour roughly ½ cup
• 57 g whole wheat flour roughly ½ cup
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup light coconut cream
• ¼ cup light extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 120-130 g strawberries, thinly sliced
• rind of 1 small lime, grated
• pinch of salt
• small splash of water

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/356°F and line a square baking tray with baking paper
• Mix a splash of water well into the coconut cream to loosen it up. Set aside
• Combine the flour, almond meal, lime rind, rosemary and pinch of salt in a mixing bowl
• Add the baking powder and baking soda to one side of the mixing bowl but do not combine.
• Add the apple cider vinegar directly over the soda and baking powder. The soda and apple cider vinegar should bubble on contact
• Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, olive oil, coconut cream (from step 2) and maple syrup into the mixing bowl and use the spatula to combine well. Do not overmix!
• Pour the prepared batter into the prepared baking tray and spread evenly
• Arrange the sliced strawberries across the top of the batter in lines
• Bake the shortcake for at least 35 minutes, until the shortcake is beautifully golden brown and the strawberries are visibly baked through

Keyword baking, Cake, shortcake, vegan, vegan baking

I hope you enjoy this delicious sort-of healthy recipe as much as I love making it. This is one of our favourite to make at home, and I love how simple it is to bring together.

Share your version of this recipe via Instagram @theminiaturelife and leave me a comment below!

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.

The post How to make Healthy Almond Strawberry Shortcake first appeared on The Miniature Life.

One of my absolute favourite ways to cook Eggplant or Aubergine (we call it Eggplant here in the land down under) is with delicious miso paste. Nasu Dengaku is one of those recipes that you will make over and over again and serve it with almost everything. The name literally translates to Eggplant over Fire! Does it get any better than that?

What is Nasu Dengaku?

Nasu Dengaku is halved eggplants which are scored and then brushed with a flavourful paste made with miso, sake (make sure you have cooking sake!), mirin, a pinch of sugar, some garlic and a bit of chilli if you like a bit of heat. It is a lovely sweet and savoury side dish that pairs wonderfully with so many different meals. If you have a grill or BBQ you can absolutely grill the eggplant and develop beautiful smokey flavour. Alternatively, you can roast these in the oven and do what I do with a touch of liquid smoke (this was actually such a good purchase!)

What is Liquid Smoke?

Liquid smoke is a water soluble additive that you can add to your food to add beautiful smokey notes f flavour. You can get liquid smoke flavoured with different woods as well which gives you a really wonderful diverse range of flavour profiles to play with.

The brand I use is Misty Gully which I found at my local organic food store and I absolutely love it.

How to make Nasu Dengaku?

So we start with the eggplant. Cut it half and score using a sharp knife, then sprinkle some salt all over the eggplant flesh. This is a really important step for 2 key reasons. Firstly, this salt will flavour the eggplant and you don’t have to add additional seasoning later. Secondly, this will help draw out all of the water from the eggplant so that you can develop really lovely colour and char on the eggplant flesh. All you have to do is set the salted eggplant aside for at least 10 minutes to 30 minutes with a piece of paper towel over them. This will keep them from going brown and will soak up the moisture.

After resting, press the paper towel into the eggplant gently to soak up all the residual moisture. Now place the eggplant onto a baking tray lined with aluminium foil after massaging some vegetable oil or butter on the skin.

While the eggplant is resting, make the brushing paste and set aside. You need to let the miso paste rest for at least 10 minutes to let the sugar dissolve before using it – otherwise you will end up with some burnt sugar and not in a good way!

So let’s do it!

Nasu Dengaku

The Miniature Life

Roasted eggplants with a delicious miso glaze

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 Large Aubergine/Eggplant
• ½ tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• ½ tbsp. Sesame Oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1½ tbsp. miso paste
• 1 tbsp cooking sake
• ¼ tsp White sesame seeds
• ⅛ tsp white sugar
• sliced red chilli optional
• 5-8 drops of liquid smoke optional

Instructions

 

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and prepare a small baking tray with aluminium foil and a bit of oil brushed over it
• Cut the eggplant lengthways in half, then score the flesh by cutting diagonal lines using a knife. Repeat to create lines perpendicular to the ones already created to create a square pattern
• Sprinkle salt over the eggplant flesh and place a paper towel over the it and set aside for 15 minutes
• In the meantime, combine the miso, garlic, mirin, cooking sake, sugar, sesame oil, and half of the vegetable oil or butter. Set this aside to allow the sugar to dissolve
• Once the eggplant has rested, gently press the paper towel into the flesh to soak up any moisture from the eggplant
• Arrange the eggplant in the baking tray and massage the remaining vegetable oil or butter into the skins of the eggplant
• Using a brush, spread the prepared miso paste over the scored flesh. We will be brushing a few times during the process so don't finish all of it!
• Place the eggplant in the oven, and brush over with the miso paste mixture every 10 minutes. There will still be some paste mixture left
• Remove the eggplant from the oven after it has turned golden brown, soft and really fragrant
• If you are using liquid smoke, add it to the remaining miso mixture then brush this all over the hot eggplant and serve fresh! If you are not sing the liquid smoke, simply brush the remaining miso mixture and serve! Top with the sesame seeds and chilli (if using) before serving

Keyword eggplant, vegetarian

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do, and I hope you make it as much I do at home. Be sure to share your photos with me @theminiaturelife on Instagram (but please DM me with the picture because sometimes I cannot see the tags).

As always, Happy eating!

Minal

The post How to make Nasu Dengaku first appeared on The Miniature Life.

For so many years I really disliked eating falafel purely because I found them far too dry and really difficult to eat.

It was at a Middle Eastern Restaurant a few years ago that I finally ate incredible house-made falafel and that was it. The love story began

What is Falafel

Said to have originated in Egypt, with influences from Indian cuisine, Falafel is a wonderfully Middle Eastern deep fried ball made from fava bean or chickpeas. The original falafel is said to have been made only with Fava beans, and as falafel become common through other regions in the Middle East, chickpeas were introduced.

Can I use canned chickpeas? How do I prevent my falafel from getting dry?

This is a really key problem. The dryness of a falafel is usually caused by 3 reasons. Firstly, the falafel are not fresh, secondly you have used canned chickpeas and thirdly you haven’t rested the falafel mixture.

Let’s talk about the first problem. Making falafel three days before serving, or freezing the falafel simply leaves the mixture dry, grainy and more or less inedible. Always make them fresh!

The second reason is the use of canned chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are actually cooked beforehand, which means the natural starch is cooked and as a result there is no binding agent left to properly combine the mixture and retain moisture. Similarly, you shouldn’t use boiled chickpeas for this recipe – the outcome will be the same and the falafel will be dry.

You absolutely must use dried chickpeas. The trick is to soak them for at least 8 hours or overnight with some baking soda and then drain the chickpeas really well. This is super critical!

Finally, you need to let your falafel mixture rest for a few hours or even overnight. This will help the starchy bonds to form and the mixture to thicken well making it easier to shape into balls for frying.

So how do I make the BEST falafel?

Like I said, start by soaking the dried chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight with some baking soda. Once soaked, drain out the water and discard any skins. This is again important to give you a lovely smooth mixture that will retain moisture well. The skins simply hinder the binding and add a texture that is a bit unsavoury.

The next step is to combine the chickpeas with some garlic, onion, coriander leaves, parsley, dried mint, ground cumin, ground coriander, a little bit more of the baking soda, and of course some seasoning with salt and pepper. Pulse the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Now it is time to spread the mixture onto a plate and press it firmly down sing the back of a spoon or a butter knife. Cover the plate with clingfilm and set in the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

After resting, you can get ready to make the balls. If you have a falafel scoop or mold, use this to make 18-20 falafel balls using this recipe. You could also use a tablespoon to make the balls as well to shape these into oval or circle shapes. Set these aside while you prepare the oil.

In a saucepan, heat up vegetable oil with at least 4 cm’s of oil in the pot. Heat to oil to 180 degrees Celsius or 150 degrees Fahrenheit, or test the oil with a small piece of the falafel mixture. If the oil bubbles and the piece floats to the surface, the oil is hot enough to fry the falafel. Fry the falafel for 1-2 minutes or until beautifully browned, then use a slotted spoon to remove and set the fried falafels onto paper towels to drain.

Print

The BEST Falafel

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 20 falafels

Ingredients

• 200 g Dried Chickpeas Don't use the canned ones
• 50 g frozen peas
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 tsp dried mint leaves
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• salt and pepper
• Vegetable Oil for Frying
• 1 Fresh kale or spinach leaf

Instructions

• Soak the chickpeas overnight with 1/2 tsp of baking soda. After soaking, drain the chickpeas really well and remove the skins
• Combine drained chickpeas with the garlic, onion, coriander leaves, parsley leaves, dried mint, ground cumin, ground corianer, the peas, and spinach or kale (is you are using them!) and salt and pepper to taste. I used about 1/2 tsp of each. Also add the remaining 1/2 tsp of baking soda and then pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth and well combined
• Spread the mixture onto a plate using a spoon or butter knife and cover with clingfilm. Set this to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight
• After resting, shape the falafel either using a tablespoon or a falafel scoop and set the balls aside while preparing the oil
• Heat the vegetable ol in a saucepan. Make sure there is at least 4 cm of oil in the pan and heat to 180 degrees celcius (350 degrees farenheit). You can test this with a small piece of falafel – if the oil bubbles and the falafel piece floats to the top the oil is ready
• Fry the falafels, roughly 4 or 5 at a time until browned. Make sure you don't crowd the pan! Once the falafels are fried, remove using a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towel
• Serve the falafels hot with some garlic tahini, or labne

I hope you enjoy my falafel recipe as much as I do – my recipe took some time to develop and it’s one I absolutely love. This is a bit of a guilty pleasure at home and we love making big falafel bowls for lunch. Pair these with a fresh slaw and pickled vegetables to make a great wrap for lunch!

Be sure to share your photos with me @theminiaturelife on Instagram (and make sure you DM me the photos otherwise I won’t be able to see it!). Leave a comment below if you enjoyed these.

Personally I love serving the falafel with some homemade Pita bread (stay tuned for the recipe!), some muhamarra (a delicious roasted capsicum dip) and some fresh labne with cabbage, and other slaw. So delicious, fresh and super hearty.

The post How to make the BEST Falafel first appeared on The Miniature Life.

When my friend and I took a trip to the states, we obviously had to visit New York City.

And obviously I had to try a Bagel.

And obviously they were absolutely amazing.

Now, yes we do get bagels in Sydney but not too many bakeries or coffee shops make them in-house and the ones from the supermarket though satisfy the cravings, are no where near as special as the ones I ate in New York.

So since I’ve gotten into bread making (and loving it!), I thought the next logical step would be to make my own bagels. Some really good, home made, seeded bagels.

The recipe I am sharing is a combination of a few different recipes and combined create this epic and delicious version that I am so sure you will make over and over and over again.

The trick is in the rise of the dough, as is with every bread. A little bit of patience and time is all you need.

Do I need to use Bread Flour?
Do I need to use Bread Flour?

Technically, no. You can get away with using regular all purpose or plain flour, however I do suggest adding time to the resting period. With bread flour you can rest the dough for 1 hour and it will work wonderfully, whereas with plain flour I suggest doubling that time frame to let the gluten develop for a longer period.

This time factor comes down to the inherent nature of the bread flour versus plain flour. Bread flour contains more protein and forms those strong gluten bonds faster resulting in a much richer flavour. Though you cannot 100% mimic the use of bread flour, by letting your plain flour dough rest for longer you are giving it a better chance of developing that richer flavour.

Top Tips for the BEST Bagels

Okay, so this is the really important part. Follow my simple tips to get you the best possible Bagels that will turn out amazing EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

1. Smooth, moist dough.

To get that chewy texture of bagels and to get that beautiful smooth finish over them, your dough needs to be slightly tacky and not dry. The tackiness is perfectly okay – similar to when kneading bread as it proves, dip your fingers in water before working the bagel dough. If the dough is too dry, it’ll crack while baking and you won’t get that iconic smooth, glossy finish.

2. The resting

As with every bread recipe, letting the dough rest and rise is really important. Ideally the longer the dough rests, the better the flavour. For my version I suggest a minimum of 1 hour and up 5 hours of resting.

3. the Bagel Hole
3. The bagel hole

Perhaps the most iconic component of the bagel is the hole through the center. The best way to cleanly make the bagel shape is to roll the dough into a ball, dip your finger in flour and then use it to press a hole through the middle of the ball. Then use your hands to work the dough to make the hole bigger until it is roughly 1/3 the diameter of the entire diameter of the ball (I actually tested various diameters to perfect this, but the thirds rule is the best way to do it). Now look, it definitely isn’t the end of the world if the hold closes up on itself – these things happen and you still have delicious bread to devour.

4. Boiling the bagels

To get the iconic shiny, glossy finish for your bagels, you need to boil them. In my recipe, I flavour the boiling water with a pinch of sea salt and some maple syrup – I find it laces the bagel with delicious smokey favour which is something I remember about all the bagels I ate in New York. If you want to skip this, that is perfectly fine, or you can flavour the water with onion powder, or garlic powder, or even some herbs. Another important part of the boiling process is to ensure the pot is not overcrowded. Ideally the bagels should not touch each other while boiling so that they can move freely.

When boiling, let the bagels be without mixing the pot at all until they float to the top. Wait 30 seconds before flipping over and boil for another 30 seconds. If you want a super chewy bagel (which would be more New York style), then let the bagel boil for a bit longer. I typically give the bagels 1 minute .

5. The toppings

When the bagels are done boiling, use a slotted spoon to remove and either dip into the topping of choice or place on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) and sprinkle your toppings. You can pick up some everything bagel seasoning from the super market, or make your own combining sesame seeds, poppy seeds, black sesame seeds, minced dried garlic, minced dried onion and flakey sea salt. Mix and match with this recipe – some people like all the ingredients to be in 1 :1 ratio, others like more sesame or more poppy. See what works for you! When I make the seasoning at home, I tend to ease on the salt!

My mother-in-law doesn’t eat garlic, so typically my bagels get a generous topping (instead) of a combination of sesame seeds, black sesame seeds and black onion seeds.

6. Bake in the oven

Again, it is super important to get the baking aspect right. Make sure each bagel is set a few centimeters away from each other because they do expand in the oven. If you have an older oven, make sure you rotate the baking tray half way through baking until the bagels are beautifully golden brown and those seeds are just browning. Now these don’t need additional moisture in the oven like regular bread and you don’t need to bake these in a Dutch oven – you just need to pop them into the oven to actually dry out a little after the boiling.

7. Serving the bagels

Yes, this is a HUGE part of making the perfect Bagel. Though a schmear is traditional, there are plenty of options to try out. Some of my favourite toppings include

• cream cheese

• cream cheese with honey

• cream cheese with Lox or smoked salmon and capers

• avocado

• egg & cheese

• salted butter

Let’s Make the BEST Bagels!
Let’s make the BEST Bagels!

Follow my easy recipe below and be sure to let me know how it goes! I am so keen to see your attempts.

How to make the BEST Bagels

The Miniature Life

Delicious, chewy and unbelievably good Bagels right in the comfort of your home

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 5 Bagels

Equipment

• Oven

Ingredients

  

• 400 g Plain flour or bread flour
• 6 g Instant yeast
• 5 g Salt
• 20 g White sugar
• 300 mL Warm water @ 35 ° C
• Bagel toppings (such as everything bagel seasoning, poppy seeds, onion seeds, sesame seeds, dried onion powder or dried garlic powder)
• ½ tsp Olive oil to coat the bowl
• Boiling water to fill a pot
• Flavouring for the water (I like to use some maple syrup and a pinch of salt but you can use some garlic, onion powder, or dried herbs)

Instructions

 

• Using a fork, whisk together the east, warm water and sugar. Set this aside for at least 10 minutes to bloom
• Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and add the yeast mixture. Use the dough hook on a stand mixer and knead for 5 minutes or knead by hand for 10 minutes. If required (depending on the weather and temperature) add some more warm water or add some flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough is ready when it forms a ball and is slightly tacky to touch
• Pour a small amount of olive oil on your palms and then coat the dough ball, and bowl with the oil. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for at least 1 hour (for bread flour) and 2 hours (for plain flour). You can rest the dough in the fridge, but you need to let it rest at room temperature for at least an 1 hour before using it
• Once the dough has finished proofing set the boiling water in a pot and add your flavourings. Cover the pot with a lid until you are ready to use it
• Pre heat the oven to 180 °C and prepare a baking tray with baking paper
• Punch out all the air from the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 5-8 balls
• Take one dough ball and roll over the counter until the dough ball is completely smooth and mostly crease-free. To make the hole in the bagel, dip your finger into some flour and then press the finger into te center of the dough ball to create an indent. Now use your hands to work the dough to make this hole larger until it is 1/3 of the diameter of the entire bagel. Continue with the rest of the dough balls
• Let the bagel rest for 5 minutes before placing onto a slotted spoon and gently lowering this into the boiling water
• Continue to do this with the bagels if you have space in the pot. Don't overcrowd the boiling pot. Boil the bagels until they float and rise to the surface before flipping it over and letting the other side boil for at least 30 seconds (up to a minute for a chewier bagel)
• Once done boiling, remove the bagel and set onto the prepared baking tray. Sprinkle over your bagel toppings then bake the bagels for at least 20 minutes in the oven or until the bagels are a rich golden brown
• Remove the bagels from the oven, and let these rest for at least 10 minutes before eating (this is the hardest part!). Serve with your favourite toppings like cream cheese, smoked salmon, or even something sweet like jam

Keyword Bagel, Breakfast, Brunch

The post How to make the BEST NY style Bagels first appeared on The Miniature Life.

Sometimes you come across food that just simply sends you to a whole different place. Sometimes it is just the most humble ingredients that create the most incredible dishes.

This is just one of those things.

Honestly, potatoes are incredible. In chip form, in a roast, in a hash-brown or even mash. The vegetable is the perfect vessel to soak up all sorts of flavours and it’s definitely one of my favourite things to cook with.

That is where this recipe comes in. The combination of waxy, starchy potatoes, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary, fresh lemon juice, and the key ingredient, stock, created the most unbelievably delicious melting potatoes. I don’t think I will ever make potatoes again in any other way.

What makes these the best potatoes?

The flavours are so strong in the potatoes, and the result is absolutely stunning. The potatoes soak up all the flavourful and delicious stock and become full of beautiful herby flavour. I combine some fresh olive oil, fresh thyme sprigs, fresh rosemary sprigs, a couple of cloves of garlic, lemon juice, and a couple of knobs of butter. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, and I can’t go past chilli flakes. Everything is then submerged in some stock – you can use any stock you like but I think vegetable stock, mushroom stock or chicken stock work the very best.

Once adding the potatoes, all you need to do is set these in the oven for a good 20 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown. Flip the potatoes around and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until this side turns golden too.

You could serve these potatoes just as is. They are unbelievably flavourful just this way.

But if you wanted just a hint of crispy on your potatoes, remove them from this tray and onto a fresh one with a touch of olive oil and place these in the grill for around 10 minutes to form a delicious crispy layer.

So these are crispy potatoes?

Look, after soaking up ALL of that delicious liquid, these potatoes really don’t have a chance to become crispy.

The result is luscious potatoes with just the slightest crunch on the outside. The name should really tell you everything you need to know though – these are MELTING potatoes and are meant to just melt away in the mouth.

You can enhance the beautiful crispy layer by adding a little bit of parmesan cheese on top to create a delicious salty topping. Whenever I am serving these at a dinner party and not necessarily as a side, I love to dress them up with parmesan, more chilli flakes, fresh parsley and even sometimes a little drizzle of yoghurt just to serve.

What about the sauce?

You can serve all the resulting liquids in the pan as a sauce – it will be a little bit sweet and little bit tangy with the beautifully reduced lemon juice. Honestly I save this sauce and even dip some toasted bread in it – it is just THAT delicious. Now it is butter based, which means that unless you are serving the sauce fresh it will thicken up harden. All you need to do is heat the sauce in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and you are good to go. Sometimes I’ll add in a bit of extra chilli to compliment the bright and tart lemon flavour, but that is totally optional.

You could alternatively make a simple gravy out of the tray liquids. Simply heat the liquids over a stove and add in some flour and corn starch or arrowroot flour to thicken the sauce. Make sure you cook off the flour before serving. This amazing gravy can be poured over some roasted vegetables, these potatoes of course, a nice cut of meat or just about anything. I love how glossy and absolutely luxurious the stock turns out, flavoured by the beautiful aromatics. Because there isn’t any meat in the roasting liquid, this is a really clean and brightly flavoured gravy.

Preparing the potatoes?

Start by preparing your potatoes. You could go the extra mile and peel them, and cut them into square shaped slices, but I think they taste just as wonderful skin on, and nobody has ever hated anything rustic looking. In terms of the variety to use, to be very honest, any potatoes would work really well – even the big dusty ones. I think little waxy baby potatoes work the very best, but the stock and butter will make anything ultra decadent.

The recipe

Here is the recipe! It’s one of the easiest recipes I have curated and it is absolutely delicious too. This is an absolute staple for our dinner parties because it is just so simple and is completely fool proof – I mean the fact that the potatoes are cooked in stock makes them burn proof!

Melting Potatoes

The Miniature Life

Delicious, buttery potatoes cooked in a flavourful stock

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Australian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• baking tray
• Oven

Ingredients

  

• 500 g waxy baby potatoes
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. thyme leaves roughly 3-4 sprigs
• 1 tbsp. rosemary leaves roughly 2 sprigs
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper
• ½ tsp chilli flakes optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and prepare the middle rack
• Slice the potatoes into thin slices roughly ½ cm in thickness
• Peel and roughly smash the garlic – no need to chop them!
• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze all the juice into a roasting pan
• Place the herbs, garlic, remaining lemon rind, and all the potatoes in the tray and arrange such that the potatoes from a single layer
• Pour the stock and water into the tray and season with salt and pepper, and the chilli flakes
• Place the tray in the oven and let the potatoes roast till golden brown on the top. This should take about 20 minutes
• Remove the tray from the oven and use tongs to turn all the potato slices over and return the tray to the oven. Top with more water if required
• Bake the potatoes till golden brown. They should break apart really easily. Remove these and set aside for a couple of minutes
• Line a baking tray with some foil and drizzle some olive oil. Arrange the cooked potatoes in a single layer across the tray and save the roasting liquid. It's optional, but you can top these with some parmesan cheese and some parsley before putting this tray in the oven. This will let the potatoes crisp up just a little on the outside, while retaining their beautiful moisture on the inside
• Serve these hot! Pour out the roasting liquid into a small sauce bowl and use this as a simple dipping sauce for the potatoes

Keyword Potatoes, Side

If you do attempt this awesome recipe, be sure to tag me @theminiaturelife on Instagram and be sure to leave me a DM so that I can see, and leave a comment below too.

Super excited for the next few weeks to come, with plenty of recipes coming your way – hot cross buns anyone?

The post How to make the Best Melting Potatoes first appeared on The Miniature Life.

This is the sort of paneer recipe that you will make when you want to make something totally different and unexpected, and a bonus is that the result is not overly spicy. My Saunfwala Paneer, which literally translates to fennel paneer, is an interesting blend of spices, a few sweet elements and something a little creamy to bring a really flavourful entree. My little secret ingredient is Kasturi Methi, or dried fenugreek leaves. Just a hint of this and the recipe just brightens up even more (and that’s not just for this delicious paneer recipe, but for most Indian curries).

So let’s talk about the paneer first.

What is paneer?

Paneer is an Indian-style cottage cheese made from Cow or Buffalo milk and is acid-set. This means that this cheese is not aged and does not use ingredients like rennet to make the cheese. Rather, the paneer is usually made with a fruit or vegetable acid to cause milk to curdle, which is then pressed and drained of moisture.

The origins of paneer itself is a little bit unknown with literature showing some type of paneer-like cheese existing in Vedic scriptures and ancient Indian ayurvedic texts, while also appearing in Persian and Portuguese texts.

Where can I buy paneer?

Nowadays paneer is relatively easy to obtain in local grocery stores and supermarkets. For the best price and range I recommend seeking a local Indian/South Asian grocer! My top tip with paneer is to buy it as fresh as possible, so when you do shop for it try and find the one with the earliest production date. In some stores you can find fresh paneer, as well as frozen depending on where you live and demands of the area. If you can only find frozen paneer, that’s okay too – just remember to thaw the paneer completely and drain the excess water before using it.

How to cook Paneer

This is really critical – especially when using store purchased paneer.

During the packaging process there is always some preservative used to coat the paneer. It is a little bit sticky and I always find package paneer to be a little chewy and tough.

The same goes for frozen paneer.

My top , ultra-important tip with using pre-made paneer is to soak the paneer after cutting in salted warm water for at least 10 minutes. The salt helps to clean the paneer and rid it off the sticky preservatives, while the warm water softens the paneer and actually prevents that chewy and tough consistency after cooking. If you are using frozen paneer, you have to do this step AFTER the paneer is completely thawed and is at room temperature!

Trust me when I say that this method is an absolute game changer when making any paneer recipe.

The ingredients

The spice mix to marinate the paneer is incredibly unique. The fennel is the stand out ingredient of course and there is plenty of it. But to build up the flavours we also combine some yogurt, saffron, cardamom, chilli, and chickpea flour. Interestingly, most of these ingredients also make up the base for my Malpua recipe (click here to check it out!) – but this is not a sweet recipe, I should be clear about that.

The fennel flavour is brightened with sweet and delicate saffron and cardamom, which are made very intense with tangy and creamy yogurt. You could use cream in this recipe if you wanted to intensify the richness, but personally I find that yogurt is just the perfect addition and doesn’t overtake that natural richness of paneer. These sweet ingredients are balanced out with a few spices – the benefit of this recipe is that it really isn’t spicy, so you can adjust the amount of chilli as you see fit.

The key binding ingredient of the marinade for the paneer is Chickpea flour (or Besan!) and there is one really important step to make this recipe go from good to really great. Cook the chickpea flour in a small non-stick fry pan without any oil until the raw flour smells is gone and the colour just starts to turn. What this does is develop a really rich depth of flavour that is almost a bit caramel-like and it balances the whole dish beautifully. Cooking the chickpea flour off early also prevents the chance of a raw tasting coating after the paneer cooks – this can happen if the heat of your pan is too high while cooking the paneer so the entire coating doesn’t get cooked through.

Okay now you know the basics of what is going on. Trust me when I say this recipe couldn’t be more simple.

Just combine your ingredients for the marinade and set aside. Squeeze out the salt water from the paneer and add the paneer pieces to the bowl with the marinade. Toss everything through and let this sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour. When you are ready to cook simply remove the bowl and set it outside to reach room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes – this will ensure even cooking of the paneer and prevent any pieces from flash cooking with a cooler centre.

Here is the recipe card to follow:

Saunfwala Paneer

The Miniature Life

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Equipment

• Fry pan
• bowl

Ingredients

  

• 400-500 g paneer available at South Asian grocers and most supermarkets
• ½ cup full fat Greek yogurt
• 1½ tsp whole fennel seeds
• ½ inch stick of fresh ginger, minced
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, minced add more or less depending on your taste
• ½ tsp ghee or butter
• 2 tbsp. chickpea flour
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ to ½ tsp chopped chilli
• ¼ tsp dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) Available at South Asian grocers alternatively substitute with mint if you cannot source it.
• a pinch of saffron
• 2 tsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• ¼ to ½ cup warm water to soak the paneer
• 1 tbsp. lime juice to garnish
• a sprinkle of chaat masala Optional. Available at South Asian grocers

Instructions

 

• Start by chopping the paneer into bite sized pieces and place all of these into a bowl with warm water and salt. Let this soak for at least 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, in a small non-stick fry pan, cook the chickpea flour. Use a spatula to fold the flour through the pan and cook until the raw smell of the flour is gone and the color of the flour just starts to turn. It should sell nice and toasted. At this point remove immediately from the heat and transfer into a larger bowl to make the marinade
• Grab a mortar and pestle and grind the fennel seeds till you get a coarse powder. I like doing this by hand to release the natural oils and maintain some of the seeds as whole
• Add the fennel to the chickpea flour along with the ginger, garlic, ghee, turmeric, lime juice, cardamom, chilli, fenugreek leaves, saffron, chopped coriander and yogurt. Mix this up really well until smooth. Add some more yogurt if you think there isn't enough marinade
• Season the marinade with salt and pepper
• Squeeze out the water from the paneer and add them straight to the marinade. Coat the paneer well with the mixture and then set aside in the fridge for at least an hour
• Remove the paneer from the fridge roughly 10 minutes before cooking to help the paneer return to room temperature
• Heat up a griddle pan, or non-stick fry pan and brush with vegetable oil, butter or ghee. If you use butter, be sure to add some vegetable oil to prevent the butter from burning
• Add the paneer pieces to the pan being careful to space them out evenly. Cook on each side until golden brown and sizzling
• Once cooked, set these on a serving plate and garnish with chaat masala, lime and some more coriander

Keyword dinner, Indian Food

I hope you all feel inspired by my super simple but flavourful paneer recipe. It’s one of my hubby’s favourite entrees and it’s definitely up there in top creations by me.

Share your recipes and you turns with me on Instagram @theminiaturelife and be sure to DM me also.

Happy Cooking!

The post How to make Saunfwala Paneer first appeared on The Miniature Life.

Easy and simple recipes always bring a smile to my face. Something delicious that can be made in less than 30 minutes? That takes away so much pressure from a weeknight meal! I spend a lot of time trying to create content that is easy, straightforward and most importantly doesn’t take forever to cook. This is just one of those recipes.

The beauty in this recipe is in the simplicity in the ingredients, and the hacks to bring it together. I use a nutri-bullet to make my base! Does it get any simpler?

Pudina Aloo literally means Mint Potatoes. Made with fresh mint (of course), coriander, ginger, and some simple spices, this is a very light potato dish to make that works perfectly as a side, an entrée and even as a main. In my recipe I used a small green chilli, but if you really cannot stand spice, then omit completely – just note that there is no chilli powder or flakes used ! To make my Pudina Aloo I recommend using baby potatoes or chat potatoes to get you the perfect bite size chunks for your dinner. If you are using large potatoes, be sure to cut them into small bite sized chunks to make this an easy eat.

The special spice in the recipe is definitely the garam masala. Thankfully, this is available in most local grocers and all Indian food markets. You can also find it at Amazon! This masala is a beautiful blend of cumin, coriander, green cardamom and usually black cardamom, cinnamon, clove, bay leaf, pepper corn, mace, and fennel. Sometimes you will also see nutmeg. Would you guys like to see some more whole spice recipes? Let me know in the comments.

Watch me make this awesome recipe right here:

As always, here is your recipe card!

The post How to make Pudina Aloo first appeared on The Miniature Life.

No, I didn’t think so!

As the Southern Hemisphere moves into spring-time, the Northern Hemisphere has started to cool down. With the glorious season of fall looming, I wanted to share one of my favourite recipes featuring delicious fresh pumpkin / squash. This is the kind of recipe that comes together in no time at all, and is packed full of goodness. I call this recipe my clean-out-the-fridge soup because it is super adaptable and you can add so many different vegetables in it.

What does an adaptable soup mean?

The basic base recipe here features pumpkin, cred capsicum, onion, garlic, ginger, and carrots. In the version I am sharing today I have added sweet potato, and you can absolutely add in ingredients like fennel (which I absolutely LOVE!), celery, tomatoes, and cauliflower – just to name a few adaptations. My recipe is designed for a quick dinner, so I cook all the vegetables down in a large pot however if you have the time, you can absolutely roast the vegetables before hand (barring the ginger and celery if you are using) and use these in the soup. You will have a delicious and caramelised flavour throughout the soup by roasting everything beforehand – this method is also a great make-ahead way of preparing this soup for a dinner party!

Why make it in a pot?

I have to be honest with you – as much as I love roasted soups, sometimes I just don’t have the time to prepare the vegetables for the oven, and then make the soup. You can develop almost the same flavour profile as the oven roasted vegetables, by strategically cooking the ingredients in the pot, mainly to enable the vegetables to develop strong color.

How to make your soup go from great to amazing?

Honestly, I believe the trick in serving a phenomenal soup is in the garnishes and topping. A plain bowl of this soup is made 1000 times better with a slice of toasted bread with some melted cheese. I would opt for a little blend of cheese and parmesan to add some delicious saltiness to the rich soup. Additionally, add toppings such as fried onions (works on everything!), chopped almonds, chopped pistachios, scallions, chives, a drizzle of cream, chilli flakes, slices of chilli, chilli oil, parsley, coriander, lemon zest or even some orange. Try these combinations

• chilli oil, fried onions, cream drizzle and scallions

• fresh chilli slices, cream drizzle, toasted peanuts

• lemon zest swirls, parsley, freshly cracked pepper

• chopped pistachios, orange zest swirls, dukkah, freshly cracked pepper

• chopped almonds, fresh coriander leaves, drizzle of cream and fried onions

  Not only will you enhance the aesthetic of your soup, but you will really elevate the flavour and texture profile of the soup. There will be hints of crunch, hints of freshness and a really delicious combination to end each bite.

Watch me make this delicious soup right here

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

The Miniature Life

Delicious and warming pumpkin soup is the perfect cure to winter blues

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Australian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Pot
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients

  

• 500-600 g cubed pumpkin
• 2 small onions, chopped fine
• 150 g red capsicum chopped fine
• 100 g sweet potato, cubed
• 2 cups vegetable stock chicken stock or mushroom stock also work
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped fine
• 3 tbsp. chopped spring onions
• 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary or ½ tbsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a large sauce pot
• Add the onions and let these sweat with a pinch of salt
• Once onions turn translucent, add the pumpkin and sweet potato
• After 2 minutes of cooking, push the potato and pumpkin aside and let the oil seep through. Add the chopped garlic and let this fry for 30 seconds
• Mix the garlic through, and let everything cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Mix continuously to prevent burning.
• Add the capsicum, rosemary, half of the spring onions, and ⅓ of the chili (depending on your taste)
• Mix the ingredients, and let this cook for 5-10 minutes
• Add the vegetable stock followed by the bay leaf and bring to the boil. Add additional water if you feel necessary
• Cover the pot with a lid and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is completely cooked through and breaks easily
• Remove the bay leaf and discard
• Add some cool water (roughly ½ a cup) and then blend the soup using a stick blender or transfer to a blender until you get your desired texture
• Bring the soup back to a boil for about 5 minutes
• Serve the soup with your choice of garnishes

As always, let me know how you go with this recipe. It’s one of my favourites, and one that the entire family enjoys. Share your photos with me on Instagram @theminiaturelife – remember to always send me a screenshot if you do tag me!

The post How to make Spiced Pumpkin Soup first appeared on The Miniature Life.

Chutney refers to a family of condiments originating from the Indian subcontinent. These chutneys can be spicy, sweet, tangy, and have varying textures too. A relish is a form of chutney, and so is a yogurt based ‘dip’. Different chutneys are more commonly used in South Asian cooking, and is particularly prevalent in the street foods.

My recipe today is a thicker chutney, owing to the peanuts added to the recipe. If you want a thinner texture or you cannot have peanuts, then completely omit these. You can increase the amount of yogurt instead to maintain some of the thickness of the chutney – it’s totally up to you!

I also love that these chutneys come together in a blender ! You could use a Nutri-bullet (*not a sponsored video!) like I have in the video, or a food processor or a blender. Either way, you will get an awesome chutney. My top tips to get the perfect chutney —

1. drain out as much water as possible after washing your mint and coriander. You can do this by keeping the leaves in a strainer for some time. Too much water will thin out the chutney too much – you can always add more later
2. sprinkle some chili on top. You could use ground chili or fresh to serve the chutney, but that zing of chili really brightens the chutney. If you don’t like heat you can omit the green chili from the recipe, and sprinkle some paprika on top to finish it off.

Watch me make this chutney right here:

As always, here is the recipe card. It is such a simple one! You will never go back to store bought chutneys again.

The post How to make Mint and Coriander chutney first appeared on The Miniature Life.

This recipe will certainly change your outlook on potato salads!

What makes this salad AMAZING? The simple yet flavourful dressing. This is a super versatile dressing that can be used for so many different salads and combinations. The basic combination of lime, lime zest, wholegrain mustard and olive oil makes for a powerful mixture that you can use over and over again.

Watch me make this easy salad here:

Healthy Potato Salad

The Miniature Life

A healthy kale and potato salad with a fresh dill and mustard dressing

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Australian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Large salad bowl

Ingredients

  

• 500 g baby or chat potatoes, boiled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 bunch of fresh kale, shredded and chopped
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• zest of 1 lime, grated
• salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• In a salad bowl, mix together the oil, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, sliced shallot, lime zest and lime juice
• Add all the kale to the bowl and mix using tongs. Ensure each leaf is covered in the dressing
• Add the chopped dill and mix through
• Toss through the potatoes, ensuring each piece is well coated with the dressing
• Set the salad aside for at least 20 minutes for the kale leaves to soften down well
• Serve alongside your favourite meat, pasta or even serve it for a picnic!

Keyword salad

Want to see more salad recipes? Leave a comment below!

Want to see something else? Let me know!

I’m excited to bring you all recipes that you want to see and that you want to make. Share your foodie adventures with me on Instagram for me to see!

The post How to make Healthy Potato Salad first appeared on The Miniature Life.