It is almost time for Diwali, which I could argue is the biggest event celebrated across the country in India by people of varying faiths. With that comes the need to start thinking about the sweets that will be made!

Whilst it is a Hindu festival, Diwali today is celebrated more for the fun, games and incredible food. The festival is celebrated with plenty of parties, family events, dancing and in some communities it is tradition to play games of poker.

What is Diwali?

Diwali, also known as Deepavali or Divali, is the festival of Lights celebrated by many religious communities across South Asia. Usually celebrated over 5 days, Diwali is always associated with the Goddess of Laxmi (the Goddess of Wealth) and her arrival into our homes. The lights and lamps that are lit up are to guide her right into our homes on this day – my dad would get very mad if I switched any of them off!

The festival of lights is also associated with the day that Ram (an incarnation of the God Vishnu, the preserver as part of the Hindu Supreme Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh) returned to his home Ayodhya with wife Sita and brother Lakshman after defeating the evil King Ravan.

In Sikhism, Diwali is celebrated as Bandi Chhor Divas which commemorates the day that Guru Hargobind (The sixth Guru of Sikhs) was released from Gwalior Fort after Emperor Jahangir has imprisoned him for several months. The celebration often includes the recitation of Akhand Paath (a reading of Guru Granth Sahib), Nagar Keertan (processions in the street), and fireworks. Learn more about Sikhism here.

In Jainism, Diwali is the date that Mahavir attained absolute liberation. Whilst Hindu and Sikh celebrations have some fanfare, Jain celebration are based on the principle of Ahinsa (or non violence). As a result fireworks are not a typically display during Diwali celebrations and instead opt to decorate the home and temples with lights and diyas, and the sharing of sweets. Some Jains also fast for 2 days in remembrance of the sacrifice of Mahavir. The Jain new year also commences the day after Diwali. Learn more about Jainism here.

The 5 days of Diwali

Diwali refers to the 5 day period of celebration which goes as follows

Dhanteras

Dhanteras is typically celebrated with the giving of gifts to loved ones. In scriptures it is said to be the day that the God of Ayurveda imparted the wisdom of Ayurvedic practices to the World.

Legend has it that when the Sumudra Manthan was performed, Dhanvantari (God of Ayurveda and an incarnation of Vishnu) emerged with the elixir. Another legend follows that the King Hima predicted his death on the 4th day of his marriage. To combat this, his wife laid out as much gold, silver and other ornaments as possible, and did not let her husband sleep. When the Lord of Death (Yama) arrived he was dazzled by the ornaments and instead sat there listening to the stories the Kinds wife was reciting. He then silently left.

As a result this day is celebrated with the giving of gifts, in particular clothing, gold and ornaments.

Narak Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali

This day celebrates the day that the Demon (Asura) Naraka was killed by the Goddess Mahakali. The day is celebrated the day before Diwali or Lakshmi Puja with lights, songs and dancing.

Lakshmi Puja or Diwali

The main day of Diwali is celebrated with the biggest of shows. There are fireworks, and firecrackers, as well as dancing, music and delicious food served up to guests and worshippers. On this day it is said that Lakshmi enters our house using the lights as a guide, and brings us and our families happiness, wealth and prosperity.

Bali Pratipada

Also known as Bali Padwa (Maharashtra), Bali Padyami (Karnataka), Barlaj (Himachal Pradesh), Raja Bali (Jammu) and Gujrati and Marwari New Year.

On this day, worshippers celebrate the annual return of Mahabali to Earth and the victory of Vamana (the 5th Vishnu incarnation). As with the rest of the days in Diwali, this day is celebrated with food, music and dancing.

Bhai Dooj

Also known as Bhau Beez, this day celebrates the relationship between a brother and sister. The day in particular focuses on the duty of the brother to protect his sister. I never really celebrated this day myself at home as I don’t have any brothers.

How is Diwali Celebrated?

Each family has their own way of celebrating Diwali, and every culture and custom will differ. What I cam sharing here is simply a few things that my own family would do to celebrate. This article from the Times of India shares a few different traditions to celebrate!

Typically Diwali would feature some gifts amongst the family, always featuring some new clothing to wear on the day of Diwali in particular. We would spend the week prior preparing at least 10 different sweets and savoury items including the sweets listed below, and then some more! The home would be decorated, and the 2 weeks prior we would engage in a huge spring clean. Rangoli (drawings on the floor using rice flour and colour) would be drawn at the entrances to the home, and a garland using mango leaves and marigold flowers would be hung up over the door.

On the day of Diwali we would wake up extra early to apply a herbal paste called ubtan which would be mixed with oil and applied like a scrub on our whole bodies. My father would make a mixture called Panchamrut made of milk, honey, ghee, yogurt, and sugar topped with some Tulsi which would be used after the ubtan. Finally we would cleanse using water (and soap of course!). We would always be required to wash our hair that morning as well.

These traditions are incredibly dear to me, and I love the way in which my father observes them all. While in High School and University I felt as if I couldn’t enjoy much of the celebrations of Diwali here in Australia owing to the exam season that would always be around the same time. After graduating however, my role in Diwali has become completely about the sweets!

Not only do I make the bulk of them, I also get the chance to experiment and try some new, interesting and traditional recipes. To be completely honest with you, nothing gives me greater joy!

My Top 10 Diwali Sweets

1. Malpua

This is my ultimate favourite Indian sweet to make. There is a bit of effort and resting time required but my gosh is it worth the time and energy! Malpua is a sweet, fried pancake particularly popular in Rajasthan. It is made with a batter comprising of four, jaggery and/or sugar, fennel, cardamom and saffron. The pancake is then soaked in sugar syrup laced with rose and cardamom.

Find my recipe right here.

2. Gulab Jamun

Name a more iconic Indian sweet! Sweet fried dumplings all soaking in a delicious rose and cardamom syrup. Honestly, Gulab Jamun to me is everything luxury and brings me all the beautiful memories of family, friends and festivals. If there is a dessert you absolutely must try making at home, it is this one.

The trick to making perfect Gulab Jamun is to master the art of cooking the jamun/dumplings low and slow in the oil. This makes sure that the balls have cooked through completely, don’t burn on the outside and still develop a beautifully browned exterior. By ensuring the dough is cooked right through you will create the perfect sponge for the syrup which is so so important to make this dessert!

My recipe makes roughly 30 small Gulab Jamun balls.

3. Almond & Saffron Barfi

One of the simplest but most widely consumed Indian sweets for you to make, Almond & Saffron Barfi is a real crowd pleaser. Barfi is such a great recipe to make a huge batch of. I often double up the recipe to make a really large amount because it is so easy to distribute barfi among friends and family. To do so, simply cut up the barfi into bite size squares and serve in decorate boxes for your family, friends and Diwali guests.

Barfi is also one of the best Indian sweets to distribute in the office or to your neighbours!

Have a go at my recipe right here

4. Shahi Shakharpare / Champakali

Another Diwali classic, these are delicious sugar coated fried biscuits. Whilst at home we would make a slightly less intricate version of this recipe, featuring a sweet dough, Shahi Shakarpare take this to the absolute next level. There is a bit of technique required to get the perfect leaf shaped folds to your biscuits, but once you get the hang of it these do not take long to make at all.

My recipe will make about 30 biscuits and can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month!

5. Mango & Coconut Barfi

Mango and Coconut is such an iconic South Asian combination. Call me biased, but India genuinely has the most incredible Mangoes in the world – in particular the Alphonso mango from the Konkan region.

I digress.

My mango and coconut barfi is a total family favorite and it features in every single one of my family events. These work perfectly as barfi squares, little pedas (or small flattened ball shapes like coins) or even can be used in molds like I have (the shape I have used below are Modak shapes for Ganpati!).

6. Atte ka Halwa

Also known as Kara Prashad, Atte Ka Halwa is a wholewheat pudding served usually at Sikh temples and religious events. I used to look forward to visiting the Gurudwara especially to be able to get my hands on some of the halwa. It would be dripping in ghee and full of deliciousness. My version of this recipe isn’t quite as rich and loaded with ghee and sugar, but still tastes incredible.

7. Shahi Tukda

This is what I call my signature dessert.

I do so because this is the first Indian sweet that I spent hours and hours of my time developing. The story behind this is from many years ago when a dear family friend refused to share her recipe to make Shahi Tukda. So I decided to make my own version!

I’ve tried this recipe with regular white bread, whole meal bread, brioche, croissants… you name it! I personally believe the best results come with using whole meal bread. This recipe is great to make ahead (the day before is perfect!) and serve up after the bread has had it’s time to soak up all the beautifully flavoured custard.

Find my recipe right here!

8. Beetroot Halwa

Not much beats the stunning flavour and colour of this Beetroot Halwa. Whilst I believe this is the best dessert to be made for Holi (the festival of Color), I couldn’t pass up sharing it for Diwali too! It’s perfect for every season in my opinion.

This recipe was part of my cooking class series earlier this year (2021) and was loved by everyone too! I use a hint of rose to complement the rich earthy beetroot flavour. Trust me it makes a world of difference.

9. Rasgulla

Homemade Rasgulla are 1000% better than what you can find in prepackaged containers. Trust me.

Whenever someone gifted our family a container, I would absolutely dread having to open it. The overly sweet syrup and crust that would form on the dumplings would be far too much for me to handle. The result would be hard rasgullas that would cause anyone tooth pain.

This recipe is great for a small batch of 8 rasgulla and coms together super easily. Similar to Gulab Jamun and Shahi Tukda, I recommend making this at least one day ahead to let the rasgulla dumplings soak up the syrup completely!

10. Milk Barfi

One of the most viewed recipes on the website is my Milk Barfi recipe. Truth be told this is a cheat’s version that can be made super quickly and is great to make when you have guests coming over and you simply don’t have the time!

Similar to the mango & coconut barfi, and the saffron & almond barfi, this one can also be made into barfi squares, pedas (flattened ball shaped like coins) or even can be shaped using a mold. I usually make this barfi about 10 times in the year for all sorts of festivals and happy occasions, and is one of the most requested items by my family and friends.

I hope you find everything you need to prepare for the festive season in my post. I absolutely love seeing all your recipe attempts! Be sure to share your photos with me via Instagram by tagging me @theminiaturelife. Leave me a comment below with any comments or feedback – I love hearing your thoughts.

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

You know me too well.

Dark chocolate. Chai. Rose. These three together come together in this recipe and create possibly the most epic hot cross bun combination ever.

Could we call this a Hot Cross Bun x Chai x Chocolate x Rose collaboration?

What I have created here is an incredibly dense bread bun, with lots of chocolate chip goodness, and the intense flavour of Chai. You can say that the bun is kind of laced with the Chai and rose flavours, hitting you at the end of each bite. The result is a Hot Cross Bun that I love serving up to everyone that doesn’t want something overly sweet but is still ultra rich and decadent.

What is a Hot Cross Bun?

A hot cross bun is a simple bread using laced with spiced and dried fruit, marked with a cross on top. The bread is eaten traditionally on Good Friday marking the end of Lent, but if you live in Australia like me, then you know that these delicious buns make an appearance as early as January. Crazy right?

The bun itself is a beautiful brioche-y bread made with yeast, egg, and butter (nomnom). Traditionally the spices are quite simple, using ground cinnamon and all spice (and sometimes some orange zest too) which are paired with juicy sultanas. You have to remember that this is not cake – hot cross buns are not meant to be light and spongy. They are by design and purpose ultra dense and a little bit heavy.

How do you make a Hot Cross Bun?

There are a few key components to my recipe (mostly the same with a standard Hot Cross Bun recipe!)

Flour – plain flour works well or even bread flour. Bread flour is basically higher in protein and the result is a denser, deeper flavour.

Yeast – You can use instant yeast/rapid rise yeast which is what I prefer to use. Even though I use instant yeast and I could technically use it directly in the dough, I still go through the process of dissolving it in a warm liquid. Alternatively use active/dry yeast which absolutely must be dissolved in warm liquid and a sugar (or sweetener). Finally there is a fresh yeast which can be used too but this comes in block form – I’ve actually never used this kind.

Sugar – this goes without saying because ultimately this is a sweet bread bun, but it actually is incredibly important in ANY bread recipe. The sugar is what reacts with the yeast and allows the dough to beautifully rise. Of course you can substitute sugar with a sweetener or maple syrup even, but be wary that this will alter the flavour quite a lot!

All spice and Cinnamon – the two spices uses in a traditional Hot Cross Bun are crucial here too. It is the lovely all spice that gives the buns that truly distinct flavour. You could substitute all spice with mixed spice if you cannot find it.

Dutch Cocoa Powder – okay I suppose you could use regular cocoa powder, but the Dutch cocoa powder just transforms this recipe. The Dutch Cocoa makes everything even richer than you could otherwise imagine. I highly recommend going the extra mile and investing in some Dutch Cocoa for this recipe.

Dark Chocolate – The first time I made these, I used really rich 80% dark chocolate adding to the richness of the buns. I recommend anything 60-70% for this recipe. If you want something not as intense, and maybe a bit sweeter, I suggest using milk chocolate instead of dark, and NOT altering the sugar quantities – changing those ratios will mean changing up the amount of flour too.

Syrup – The beautiful shiny sheen over the buns comes from a delicious syrup to brush them. You have a couple of options here. I use either Rose Syrup or some Rose Water mixed with Honey to brush the buns HOT out of the oven. The smell of the syrup hitting the hot buns is so delicious. It’ll be hard to resist the buns.

Dark Chocolate & Chai Hot Cross Buns

The Miniature Life

Dark chocolate. Chai. Rose. These three together come together in this recipe and create possibly the most epic hot cross bun combination ever.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Servings 12 large buns

Ingredients

  

• 520 g plain flour
• 65 g butter at room temperature
• 300 ml warm milk
• 100 g white sugar
• 35 g Dutch Cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp ground coffee
• 2¼ tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp ground ginger
• 2½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp all spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• 200 g dark chocolate chopped finely
• 2 tbsp plain flour add water to the flour to make paste to draw the cross
• 2 tbsp rose syrup or honey

I absolutely love this hot cross bun recipe, and I love making these for my family and friends. I don’t think there is anything more special that preparing hot cross buns for Easter for my loved ones.

As always, leave a comment below and tell me how you went with the recipe. Share your photos with me on Instagram @theminiaturelife and be sure to DM me!

The post How to Make Chocolate Chai Hot Cross Buns first appeared on The Miniature Life.

What is Thandai

Click here for my Thandai powder recipe

Thandai is an Indian chilled drink made from milk and a variety of nuts and spices. Thandai literally means ‘chilled’ in Hindi. There are a number of different ways to make Thandai, most commonly featuring some ratio of cardamom, saffron, almond, pepper, fennel, and rose. Typically in India this drink is served during the festivals of Mahashivratri (Celebrating the birthday of Lord Shiva) or Holi (Celebrating the festival of Color) in the Northern regions of India. At home, we would drink Thandai during the summer months in Australia where the dry heat would really hurt!

After seeing the recipes from Hetal and Manali, I really wanted to create something that combined my love of the Thandai flavours and cookies, and so came the idea to combine white chocolate and a home made Thandai blend – because what is better than caramelised white chocolate, butter and spices all together?

And so began my baking attempts to make the perfect, buttery cookie with all the flavour of Thandai and the beautiful flavour of caramelised white chocolate. This recipe has taken many attempts to perfect, and I must admit that I think this is one of the best ones I have ever made. These cookies remind me of a delicious buttery shortbread, rather than a chewy chocolate chip cookie – definitely something I would serve up for tea.

What makes a great cookie?

A great cookie comes together quite simply, and the tricks to making them perfect are totally foolproof and literally apply to every recipe.

1. Ingredients at room temperature

Applicable to all baking endeavors, you must be using butter and eggs at room temperature. The best way to do this quickly is to weight out the required butter and chop it into small cubes. Set these cubes out on a plate to maximise the surface area exposed to the room, and thus will cool quicker. The easiest way to get the egg to room temperature is to crack it into a small bowl and set this aside.

2. Sift your dry ingredients

Okay, a little confession. Sometimes I don’t sift my ingredients – I simply grab a whisk and break up the lumps.

Either method works! By ensuring the flour has no lumps you will have a lovely smooth dough that comes together easily without pockets of flour.

3. Salt

All lovely sweet things need a little pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness. In this cookie recipe it is quite essential to curb the intensity of the white chocolate. Either add it into the cookie dough or save a bit to top each cookie.

4. Use an ice cream scoop

This is truly a gamechanger when it comes to shaping your cookies. I picked up my scoops from Amazon and I absolutely love them. The three sizes make it really easy to make small, medium and large cookies, and I love how uniform they end up looking.

What makes these cookies AH-Mazing?

Honestly, these cookies taste like a little bit of India in every. single. bite.

I don’t think I could have come up with a more iconic flavoured cookie that I would happily serve my grandad, friends and co-workers alike. The Thandai mixture is so wonderfully desi and is so incredibly fragrant. Opening up the box of these just releases the most intense and magical aroma – you immediately know what is coming for you and it is a really lovely thought.

For this recipe you will need about 1/2 a cup of my Thandai powder mixture. Get the recipe right here

Let’s get baking!

Thandai & White Chocolate Cookies

The Miniature Life

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Australian, Indian

Servings 25 cookies

Ingredients

  

• 350 g plain flour
• 200 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 180-200 g white chocolate, chopped white chocolate chips are okay too
• ½ cup thandai powder see my recipe for thandai powder
• 180g g brown sugar roughly 1 cup
• 60 g white sugar roughly ¼ cup
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ tsp baking soda bi-carb soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sea salt flakes to top the cookies

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven at 160 ° Celsius and prepare the middle rack. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside
• Beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar together until smooth, light and creamy in a stand mixer, or hand mixer. You can do this using a whisk by hand but it will take roughly 10 minutes of beating
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth
• In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt to remove lumps
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, along with the thandai powder. Mix everything until just combined
• Add the chocolate into the mixing bowl and fold everything together until the chocolate is just combined
• Scoop the cookie dough onto the baking tray keeping a inch or so between each dough ball. I use an ice cream scoop to get perfect shaped cookies
• Top the cookies with a tiny pinch of salt, and a small piece of white chocolate (optional!)
• Bake the cookies until golden brown. This will take about 10-12 minutes. Rotate them half way through baking to get a really even bake on the cookies

Keyword Cookies

I hope you all enjoy this cookie recipe as much as I do! Share your cookie attempts with me @theminiaturelife on Instagram and be sure to send me a DM so that I can see them! The Miniature Life is now also on TikTok so give me a follow for some fun behind the scenes videos of all of my experiments.

The post How to make White Chocolate Thandai Cookies first appeared on The Miniature Life.

With the Thandai powder I create the most incredible White Chocolate & Thandai cookies. Trust me when I say that this might be the BEST use of the Thandai powder possible.

What is Thandai

Thandai is an Indian chilled drink made from milk and a variety of nuts and spices. Thandai literally means ‘chilled’ in Hindi. There are a number of different ways to make Thandai, most commonly featuring some ratio of cardamom, saffron, almond, pepper, fennel, and rose. Typically in India this drink is served during the festivals of Mahashivratri (Celebrating the birthday of Lord Shiva) or Holi (Celebrating the festival of Color) in the Northern regions of India. At home, we would drink Thandai during the summer months in Australia where the dry heat would really hurt!

How to make Thandai Powder?

A literal combination of nuts and spices, this is one of the simplest and most interesting spice blends possible. All you need to do is combine all the ingredients and grind them together until they form a fine powder.

With this powder you can make my amazing cookies, OR mix it into milk for a classic Thandai drink. I also mix the powder into my oats for a really unique take on breakfast – it’s all round delicious!

Here is the recipe for my amazing Thandai mix!

Thandai Powder

The Miniature Life

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Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 minutes mins

Course Spice Blend

Cuisine Indian

Equipment

• Oven
• Cookie scoops
• Stand mixer or handheld beater
• Baking trays

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup cashews
• 1 tbsp. cardamom pods roughly 25-30 pods
• 1 tbsp. whole fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp. white poppy seeds
• ½ tsp saffron strands
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp whole black pepper
• pinch of salt

Instructions

 

• Combine all the ingredients in a spice grinder, coffee grinder (cleaned!) or a nutri-bullet (not sponsored!)
• Grind all the ingredients until it becomes a soft fine powder
• Store in a air-tight container and leave in a cool dry space for up to 2 months. If you want it to last longer, freeze the powder

Keyword Cookies

I love this easy recipe and I love how simply it comes together. Share your photos of Thandai with me @theminiaturelife on Instagram!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post How to make Thandai Powder first appeared on The Miniature Life.

What is Halwa?

Halwa is a beautiful South Asian dessert made across the entire subcontinent in various ways. Possibly the most well known varieties are Sooji ka Halwa (Semolina Halwa) or Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa). You can find my Gajar ka Halwa recipe right here. The ingredients for Halwa are incredibly simple using sugar (or in some cases jaggery), cardamom, milk or water. Some recipes will use rose (like in this recipe) or even saffron to add flavour. Growing up, my household would always have a big pot of

What makes this recipe so easy?

It’s a one pot wonder with very little preparation required. The effort is all in the grating of the beetroot, and in mixing the pot. Now this is where the hard work comes in – you have to continuously stir the pot to prevent any burning of the milk or the beetroot. This is super critical to the entire recipe and this bit of extra effort will ensure you get a really smooth and creamy result.

So what do I need to do?

1. Cook the beetroot in ghee, until soft

The beetroot will take some time to cook, roughly 10 minutes, but make sure you stir the pot throughout to prevent any burning of beetroot. I find the whole recipe comes together easiest in a non-stick cooking pot and gives you lovely creamy halwa without a fail.

2. Cook the milk low and slow

You have to be super patient with the recipe and allow the milk to reduce while boiling. While doing this its imperative to continually stir the pot. It will roughly take anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes to reduce depending on the liquid content of the beetroot and the overall fat content in the milk.

3. the “Swipe” Test

This is where you drag your spoon through the pot. If the milk and beetroot mixture fills the open space easily and quickly then the milk is not done reducing. Once the milk and beetroot mixture stays where it is and doesn’t fill the space you are good to go!

4. Add the cardamom at the end

Adding cardamom early will cause it to go a little bit bitter since it should not over cook. By adding the cardamom at the end will brighten everything wonderfully.

5. Always cook over a low-medium flame

This will give you the space to slowly cook everything down without burning. Though this adds time to the recipe, it’s ensure you get an even cook and a beautiful texture at the end

6. Jaggery

For the best results in this recipe, get your hands on some jaggery – the result is absolutely beautiful. There is a lovely earthy quality to the halwa as a result. You could alternatively use brown sugar for the molasses flavour!

7. Rose water

This is the pop of flavour in the halwa that I truly believe makes the beetroot sing. Add it and see for yourself.

Let’s get to the recipe!

Have a go at this beautiful recipe and share your thoughts below! As always, share your attempts with me on Instagram @theminiaturelife. This is for sure on of my favourite little creations.

Beetroot Halwa

The Miniature Life

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Equipment

• Kadhai or Pot
• Grater

Ingredients

  

• 2½ cups grated fresh beetroot
• 2 cups full cream milk
• 3 tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
• ¼ to ⅓ cup jaggery depending on your preferred sweetness, and how sweet the beetroot is. Jaggery is available at South Asian grocers. Alternatively substitute with brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp rose water
• pinch of salt
• chopped toasted almonds and pistachio to garnish

Instructions

 

• Over a medium-low heat, melt the ghee in a kadhai or a non-stick pot
• Add the grated beetroot and stir continuously using a wooden spoon. Cook the beetroot for roughly 10-15 minutes until the water content seems to have evaporated and the beetroot starts to look a bit like a mash. It's okay if the beetroot is still a bit hard at this point.
• Add ¼cup of the jaggery (or brown sugar). Start with less sweetness, and build it up as the halwa cooks. Mix the jaggery through until it just dissolves and combines with the beetroot.
• Pour in all the milk and add the rose water too, and mix the ingredients together. This is whether the real work begins. Continue to mix the pot without stopping until the mixture reduced down. This can take anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes depending on the water content of the beetroots. The mixture is properly reduced when you complete a successful 'swipe test'. Drag your spoon across the bottom of the pan to create a line through the halwa. If the mixture returns and fills this gap quickly, the mixture needs to reduce further. If the mixture doesn't fill the space quickly and looks nice a pudding-like, the halwa consistency is perfect to continue.
• Taste the sweetness of the halwa here. If it needs more sweetness add the remaining jaggery (or brown sugar). Let the jaggery or sugar melt and dissolve completely into the mixture and stir the whole time
• Sprinkle over the ground cardamom and stir the pot one last time until the cardamom is completely mixed through. Turn the heat off the pot and set aside to cool slightly before serving.
• To garnish, scoop some halwa into a dessert bowl and top with the chopped almonds and pistachios.

Keyword Indian Food

Wishing you all a wonderful Holi celebration! I hope you liked this recipe too.

The post How to make Beetroot Halwa first appeared on The Miniature Life.

Every year I love making a big batch of gingerbread to celebrate the holiday season and a lot of trial and error has led to one epic gingerbread recipe. Most years I commit to making a gingerbread house too. In 2020 considering the COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney, we made the decision not to make one and instead share some cookies with the neighbours. In 2021, our family from Canada was celebrating with us and we build a gingerbread house together! It was such a wonderful activity and a memory we are going to cherish for a very long time.

My secret ingredient

Most people have their favourite gingerbread recipe, and one that they think is absolutely the best.

I say exactly the same thing about my recipe.

This gingerbread is particularly special for my secret ingredient – really good quality instant coffee. I know there will be plenty of coffee lovers yelling right now claiming that good quality instant coffee doesn’t exist. Trust me, buy the fancy brand and see the difference it makes in this recipe. The coffee lends a wonderful richness to the recipe and compliments the spice blend too. It’s a match made in heaven.

Can I use Golden Syrup?

The most important ingredient in the gingerbread recipe, is definitely the treacle/molasses. Many recipes use golden syrup, but just trust me the result with a deep smokey treacle is miles better. You can find both at your local major supermarket and also at artisanal grocers. The treacle/molasses also makes the dough incredibly sticky! Don’t be afraid by this – it’ll yield a beautifully textured cookie with a little bit of crunch and plenty of chewiness once broken through.

How to make the BEST Gingerbread Cookies

Okay the process here is quite simple.

Firstly, make sure your egg and butter is at room temperature. Super important for this recipe, particular because temperature is a big factor to getting perfect gingerbread. Ultimately nailing the texture of the batter/dough is extremely important so room temperature is the only way to go.

Normally I think you can get away with slightly cooled eggs or butter in a basic cookie or cake recipe – a lot of these recipes are quite forgiving and flexible. The worst thing that can happen is a slightly different looking result. In this recipe, the temperature is FAR more important. This gingerbread recipe needs to be followed right and carefully.

Combine dry ingredients

Start by combining the flour, baking soda and spices together in a bowl. Give this mixture a good whisk to break up all the lumps or alternatively sift all of the ingredients into the bowl – you want to make sure you don’t have big lumps of flour or the spices. This is quite important especially when using cinnamon as this tends to form lumps that do not mix well with moisture.

Start beating the butter

Beat the butter well in a stand mixer for 2 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy. This helps to aerate the batter overall and will help incorporate the sugar smoothly. A super important step! Grab a timer and beat away.

Add the sugar and treacle

Beat the sugar and treacle into the butter. Again, this needs to be done for a couple of minutes. This steps helps to dissolve the sugar and break down the thick and sticky treacle to make a homogenous mixture. By beating the ingredients well you also add plenty of volume to create really delicate cookies.

Add the egg and vanilla

Finally it’s time to beat in the egg and vanilla. At this point there won’t be additional aeration of the wet ingredients, but instead we are adding richness. The egg in this recipe gives us a beautifully rich and creamier cookie. This will need another 2 minutes to

Add the dry ingredients

This is where we move to the folding setting on the stand mixer. Remember to only add the dry ingredients one scoop at a time (roughly 1/4 cup) and fold until just combined, then add the next scoop. Continue this right until the flour is fully combined. Make sure you do not mix the dough further than that otherwise the cookies will become tough.

Chilling the dough

The dough will be really sticky, so ensure you flour your hands periodically to help you work the dough. Start by halving the dough and creating 2 discs. Wrap these in cling film and set these in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.

Yes you read that correctly.

4 whole hours.

We want the dough to be chilled all the way through before using it. You can also leave it overnight.

Shaping the cookies

Once you are ready to start rolling and shaping, remove the discs from the fridge. Flour your workbench and your hands and start gently kneading the dough until it’s pliable enough to roll with a rolling pin. Make sure you add more flour to the dough if it gets sticky. The humidity and dryness of your kitchen will make a huge difference to how much flour you will actually need.

Roll the dough out to be about half a centimeter thick and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. The set I use is particularly old which I had purchased from an Australian discount variety store, Kmart. You can find some great quality shapes at Amazon or even Target as well.

Once the cookies are shaped, lay them out on a lined baking tray and set the tray itself in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. In the meantime pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Baking the cookies

Once the oven is ready and the cookies have chilled for at least 20 minutes, pop the baking tray into the oven on the middle rack. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until beautifully browned. For a crispy and crunchy cookie, bake for 12 minutes. For a chewier cookie, bake for 8-9 minutes.

After they have finished baking, remove from the oven and set aside. Cool them on a cooling rack to get a little crispy on the base.

Decorate the cookies

Now for the fun part! You can use royal icing for more intricate designs, but some good melted white chocolate also works a charm! Experiment with different icing options and see what works best for you

Here’s the recipe

Gingerbread Cookies

The Miniature Life

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, German

Servings 40 cookies

Equipment

• Oven
• baking tray
• Stand Mixer
• Spatula
• Baking paper

Ingredients

  

• 430 g plain flour 3½ cups
• 145 g unsalted butter ⅔ cup; at room temperature
• 150 g packed brown sugar ¾ cup
• ⅔ cup treacle or molasses
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground all spice
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1½ tsp strong instant coffee
• plain flour for kneading

Instructions

 

• In a bowl whisk together the flour, soda, ground all spice, ginger, cinnamon, clove, coffee and salt until there are no lumps
• In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter for roughly a minute until creamy and fluffy using a stand mixer
• Add the treacle and brown sugar and beat for roughly 2 minutes until rich and creamy
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat again for 2 minutes. The mixture should start to become a little lighter and a bit bouncy
• Slowly mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, just using one scoop at a time
• Once the flour has been mixed completely in, use your hands to gently knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes adding in some flour if the dough is sticking too much. The treacle does make this dough pretty sticky so don't add too much flour – it's okay to have a lot of moisture!
• Split the dough into 2 discs and cover each with cling film. Refrigerate these for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours
• Pre heat the oven to 180° Celsius (conventional) or 160° Celsius (fan forced) and line some baking trays with baking paper
• Knead the dough lightly and use some of the self raising flour to prepare the dough for rolling. Sprinkle some of the self raising flour over the surface and roll out the disc to at least a thickness of ¼ of an inch, or ¾ of a cm. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes
• Place the cut out shapes on the baking paper and place in the oven. Bake these for 9-12 minutes, rotating the trays half way through baking. Depending on the humidity of the day, your oven, and the thickness of the dough the baking time will vary so pay attention to them and check the cookies at the 9 minute mark. If you prefer a crispy gingerbread cookie, bake them for at least 11 minutes
• Serve these cookies after resting them for at least 10 minutes. Some serving ideas include with some hot chocolate or coffee laced with some baileys or Frangelico. Alternatively use the cookies as an additional to a trifle recipe or even cheesecake!
• If decorating the cookies, you can use some royal icing in a piping bag to decorate them along with some decorative gems. I like drizzling over white chocolate and adding some gems to the trees and adding some eyes with buttons for the gingerbread men

Keyword Christmas, Gingerbread

The post The Best Gingerbread Cookies first appeared on The Miniature Life.

There are two key components to this recipe. The sesame seeds and the white poppy seeds.

By toasting the sesame seeds, you release some of the beautifully scented oil and the flavour develops to be even more intense and nutty. This compliments the dates so well and ensures a really rounded result in the ladoo.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is the white poppy seeds. A lot of recipes won’t include the humble white poppy, but it is such a game changer in Indian sweets. Trust me you won’t ever go back after trying this recipe.

I might be sharing these for Diwali, but these are amazing any time of the year. I love these as a little energy pick me up, and we always keep some Medjool dates on hand to whip these up. To make these into a workout snack, I recommend adding a few more medjool dates, and some protein powder – I think chocolate works best in this recipe!

You could also serve these as a tea time snack.

Okay let’s be honest. These just work at every moment of every day.

Here is the recipe card! If you enjoy the recipe, be sure to tag me @theminiaturelife on Instagram and leave me a comment below.

Date & Sesame Ladoo

The Miniature Life

Delicately flavoured with cardamom, these date and sesame balls are the perfect healthy alternative to rich Indian sweets

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Servings 20

Ingredients

  

• 300 g Medjool dates
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 3/4 cup white sesame seeds reserve some extra when rolling
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 3-4 pods cardamom
• optional 1/4 cup of roughly chopped nuts

Instructions

 

• In a pan, toast the sesame seeds until they turn lightly golden brown and are fragrant. Set these aside to cool completely
• In a small food processor or grinder, blend the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and cardamom until it forms a fine powder
• In a pan, heat the ghee (or coconut oil) over a low to medium heat
• Add the dates into the pan and use a wooden spoon to break the dates apart. Continue to mix until they form a smooth paste
• Turn the heat off, and add the prepared powder to the dates. Use the wooden spoon to mix through well
• Set the mixture aside to cool. It's okay if the mixture isn't smooth. If you are using chopped nuts, add these in now and mix through
• After 5 minutes of resting, the mixture should be cool enough to touch. Knead the mixture gently until it forms a smooth cohesive mixture
• Roll the dough into small ball, roughly 1 tbsp to 1.5 tbsp in size
• Roll some of the balls in the extra sesame seeds, then set this aside on a plate to set completely
• Serve fresh, and store them in an airtight container in a cool place

Keyword indian, sesame, sweets

The post How to make Date Sesame Ladoo first appeared on The Miniature Life.

I bring this together when I’m aching for something tangy, and a little bit spicy but don’t have the energy to cook anything extravagant. You will find me whipping these up especially when we have last minute guests over and not many snacks in the home. I love the spicy and tangy combination of this meal, and it’s a family favourite at home too.

Try your best to find the smallest potatoes that you can – I mean the tiniest potatoes. The smaller the potato, the more bite sized your meal and the less you have to break apart the smashed chunks. This meal is best served with bite sized pieces so you can serve it as a starter. I typically buy chat potatoes or baby white potatoes for the recipe.

This recipe also calls for garam masala. You will notice that we talk about garam masala a fair bit in our recipes. It’s a staple masala blend featuring coriander, cumin, pepper, and mace. You could make your own blend at home, but considering I tend not to stock mace much at home, a pre-made spice blend is the best way forward. Leave a comment below if you want the recipe for garam masala, but you can easily find the blend in your supermarkets in the Asian/Indian food aisle.

Serve these spicy potatoes up with yogurt, chat masala (totally optional), lime and coriander. Alternatively you can also add some fresh pomegranate, tamarind chutney, and/or mint chutney drizzled through the yogurt for extra tang. If I am serving it up as a starter, sometimes I add some crunchy bits like crunchy sev (again, located in the Asian/Indian food aisle of your supermarket), or some salted chips or crunchy noodles. Honestly you could top this with whatever toppings you wanted!

Click the video link below to check out how I make this delicious recipe!

Bombay Potatoes

The Miniature Life

Tangy, spicy baby potatoes that make the perfect afternoon snack

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Fry pan

Ingredients

  

Bombay Potatoes

• 500-600 g baby potatoes, boiled with the skin on
• 1 tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves cilantro
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp raw mango powder available at South Asian grocers
• 1 tsp chilli powder paprika if you want something mild
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp garam masala available at supermarkets or South Asian grocers
• ½ tsp. grated ginger
• ¼ tsp. chopped green chilli
• Juice of ½ a small lime
• salt and pepper
• ½ tsp chaat masala available at South Asian grocers

Garnishes

• 3 tbsp. Greek yogurt
• ½ lime cut into slices
• some slices of red chilli

Instructions

 

• Use your palms to gently smash the boiled and cooled potatoes. Smash them lightly until the shape is broken, but still holds well
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a fry pan
• Add the chopped chilli and a pinch of the cumin and quickly stir through the oil using a wooden spoon
• Add the smashed potatoes to the pan and let them sit without stirring for a minute or so, until the skin crisps nicely. Flip the potatoes and continue to cook. Break the potatoes up gently, without mashing them up
• Add the ginger, half of the coriander leaves, and all the spices to the pan and stir through the potatoes
• Add the lime juice and continue to mix until the raw smell of the ginger and spices is gone
• Serve in a hollow dish and top with spoons of the yogurt, chilli, the remaining coriander. Sprinkle over the chaat masala if you are using it. Serve fresh!

Keyword Snack

The post How to make Bombay Potatoes first appeared on The Miniature Life.

But first things first.

Macaroon or Macaron?

Definition: Macaroon

A cookie typically made with coarse coconut or coarse almonds, and served with chocolate or jam drops.

Definition: Macaron

A sandwich cookie made with finely ground almonds or other nuts. These usually have a sweet feeling.

This recipe brings together chocolate, coconut (YUM!) and Easter! We start with a simple coconut macaroon recipe, and fill it with a tasty home-made dulce de leche caramel using condensed milk. I had some condensed milk left over, and I find making caramel out of it the BEST way to use it.

For this recipe you will need a mini muffin tray to get tiny little nests. This makes the perfect sized bites, but you could absolutely use a regular muffin tray to make large sized nests.

Click the video below to watch me make this delicious bite sized treat.

Print

Easter Egg Nests

Coconut macaroon nests filled with dulce le leche and chocolate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Author The Miniature Life

Equipment

• baking tray
• Mini muffin tray
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

For the Coconut Macaroon

• 56 g shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 1 egg white
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

For the Filling

• ⅓ cup condensed milk
• 20 g chocolate
• 10 chocolate Easter eggs

Instructions

• Pre heat the oven to 100°C/212°F
• Mix together the egg white, coconut, white sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl
• Grease a mini muffin tray with butter
• Spoon the coconut mixture into the muffin tray and use your fingers to push the mixture to create nest shaped in the tray
• Bake the nests in the oven for roughly 12-15 minutes, until the nests are golden brown and crispy
• In the meantime, pour the condensed milk into a saucepan and heat over a low flame
• Stir the condensed milk continuously to avoid any burning, until the milk turns golden brown and thickens
• Remove the nests from the tray and set onto a wire rack to cool. You can use a butter knife to help lift the nests
• Melt the chocolate over a Baine Marie or in the microwave
• Fill the coconut macaroon nests with the prepared caramel and chocolate. Finally top the nest with a chocolate egg and serve!

The post How to make Easter egg nests first appeared on The Miniature Life.