Apricot Quark Cake

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This cake is much loved by my family, I make it with different fruits like mixed fruit, apples or berries. This time I made it with Apricots, but I used the tinned ones for the batter and took the fresh ones for the deco.

The batter for this cake is actually very simple and very soft juicy, I call it the “Old Timer” of the batters: )

 

It is called the Rührteig, translated as Sponge Batter; and is made for many regular or sheet cakes.

Over the years I have found a standard measurement for this batter, we can use any milk product in it but it shouldn’t be too runny.

I have made it with either yoghurt or cream many times and this time I have used both Yoghurt and Quark in it (Cheese Curd)

 

In the sponge mixture we use many eggs but here there are different ingredients

You can prepare this sheet cake a day ahead and then decorate it with icing before you have to serve it. To keep it soft just cover with a cling

I have used a measuring cup, if you don’t have one then take any 150 ml cup. You can buy any yoghurt or cream tub of 150 ml quantity, empty it and use that as your measuring tool :)

So here we go, this is how I made this cake:

For the batter you need:

1 cup Quark/yoghurt

1 cup sugar

1 cup cooking oil

1 cup yogurt

3 cups plain flour

2 eggs

2 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp Vanilla essence

2 pinches of salt

1 lemon zest (peel of Lemon)

 

 

For the Top:

1 big tin of apricot (drain the juice completely)

To brush on the top:

3-4 tbs lemon jam+2 tbs water

 

 

-firstly mix the quark, yogurt, sugar and the vanilla essence evenly

-add the sieved flour and mix all

-now add the baking powder, and the eggs the lemon zest, salt  and first mix all with a spoon

-in the end, pour the Vanilla essence + oil and mix all quickly but only till the batter is creamy and even

-either lay a baking g paper on the tray or brush with oil and dust with flour and then pour this batter out on a 30x40 cm baking sheet,

-now place the halves of the apricot on the top

-bake in a preheated oven on 200°C for around 25-30 minutes

 

-while the cake is being baked, prepare the jelly top

-heat up the lemon jam and water, stir till it forms a slightly thick jelly.

-as the cake is done, take it out and immediately brush this jelly on the top so it sticks well when cold

-the shiny top will dry up in 15-20 minutes

 

-you can serve it as is, or do as I did, I whipped some fresh cream and placed a slice of fresh apricot on each

This tastes very soft, moist and juicy; the apricot pieces sink in the batter, so it is normal if you feel the bottom a bit wet. It is not uncooked; it is the juicy layer which stays on the bottom of the cake.

If you want the pieces to be visible on the top, then place them after the cake has been cooked at least 15 minutes.

Keep the cake in the fridge after you spray cream on it, it stay very well . I still have 3 pieces which I will enjoy with my cuppa tea now :D

  

This was my Sweet Dish after the Dinner with our Family Friends :)

 

*~~Chilli Cheese Nuggets~~*

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 I am so fond of spicy hot stuff and so have a strong liking towards all eatables with chilli : )

I love eating these chilli cheese nuggets, and i often bought them at Burger King.

The fact that I knew how many preservatives were added in there, still din’t matter to me till the day I thought…hmmm…

I must confess that time to time I do eat fast food but it’s like 2-3 times in a year, but I think nothing is impossible to make it at home yourself. It may surely not be like the readymade ones in taste and shape but then so what???

 

Yes there are things we can not make at home at all, alone the  ingredients, the machine work the essence and tools  which are not available, these all things count

Anyway, back to our Chilli Cheezy Nuggets : )

Hand made things give you such a good happy feeling because they are made with love, with the fresh and pure ingredients and with effort for your family.

I love it if the shape is not even and perfect, I often hear when people say, oh look the color is not like we buy, or the shape is a bit out of form or the taste is not like we get in restaurants…I say HELLLLLOOOOO…. Do you see the things they add to enhance THAT taste?? We should appreciate the effort behind  the work anyone does… agree or agree :)

 

Okay I get off the track lol… So I saw these being made in one of our tv programs, he made it in such an easy way,using the normal ingredients we all have at home. The best part was it is so so very tasty that I was also surprised, with so less spices they turned out really FANTASTIC!

My Husband is really choosy in these things and he was like Wow these are far better than the ones you buy : )

I have made a step by step so if anyone out there wants to set hands to make them, you can follow this easy peasy  recipe : )

I have used the really hottest chillies because … read the first lines lol

You can surely add the mild ones or to your taste, we don’t want you to call a fire brigade, do we  :D

So here you go

You will see that the Nuggets are uneven and have Crumbs all over, this is because when you fry them the cheese shoots out and burns in the oil and thus sticks all over.

Be careful while frying as we do get some shots on our Hands :)

 

   (Click on the Pictures to read the text written on the sides)
 

You can buy any cheese you like , there are different colors in Chester and Cheddar, one is light cream and the other is pale or dark yellow,which I use here.

 

 

It is good if you keep a check on the melting cheese and whish is slightly so there are no lumps in it.

 

 

 

 

This stage is to be loved,it is so spicy and yummy, I ate a lot while cutting lol

The best part was eating the cubes with grapes..Olala....

 

 

 

 

The final product is ready to be gobbled :)

 

 

I must tell you here, that the i just coated them thrice, the film i saw he coated them 5 times, so the Shell was very thick and firm. I did nto do it deliberately because the thicker the Crumbs the more oil it absorbs! so here too,it is upto your choice

 

 

 See the cheese  inside?  It was really soft melted yet it din't leak out.

 

 

 

 

And now i am off ot eat the rest 3 pieces from last night :) You all enjoy making it and do share your feed back, i'd love to know how you liked it.

**Tomatoe Chutney Sour and Spicy**

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Chutneys are a must in the Pakistani Cuisine and of course in all other South Asian Cuisine

too .We all make it the different ways according to our taste buds, with or without hot spices.

 

 

Whenever I was invited at my Afghani neighbors’ she always had this delicious chutney with all her dishes, especially with all sorts of rice and soups

It is a different taste, although same things. As she moved out I really missed eating that.  I tried to figure out what it could be

 

 Lately shopping at an Afghan store I asked the lady there, what specific ingredient is used in the normal chutney and it was just such a handy ingredient she told me.

I make it very often and it tastes so heavenly with all our meals, rice or shorba or curries : )

 

 

I make it very often and it tastes so heavenly with all our meals, rice or shorba or curries : )

It is the Sambal Oelek which is included in it that gives it the kick!

Sambal Oelek is a chili paste used very often in the Indonesian/Thai Cuisine

We can make it very easily at home too, so I first made that, takes around 20 minutes and you have your fresh paste there.

I will upload it soon :)

 I made it a bit thin and not that firm paste as I used more oil in it.You can dry all the water up and make it like a hard paste too, it is your choice.

You can make this tomato chutney and keep in the fridge more than 4-5 days, if it is not finishes by then  :)

 

 

This is how I made it,you Need :

½ bunch of fresh coriander

3-4 garlic pods

5-6 green chilies

2-3 medium tomatoes

2-tsp vinegar

Red chili flakes to your taste,

3-4 tsp of Sambal Oelek (or more to taste) 

I used no salt as Sambal Oelek is enough hot and salty

A half full hand of peppermint leaves not more, as it will change the color too dark, but we need that taste of peppermint : ) 

Though the Sambal Oelek already has lemon,garlic and chili in it, but I still add more garlic to it and more green chilies to give it a more intensive taste.

 

-wash and chop all these ingredients and put all in the blending jar

-place the tomatoes in the first bottom layer so they grind fast and you don’t need to add any water to it as this will make it runny and give a thin taste

-I sprinkled some lemon juice on the top too : )

-don’t blend till very fine as it tastes good when it is coarse and thick.

-Pour this chutney in a glass jar or any bottle and refrigerate.

INDEX CARDS

I thought to gather all the recipes i have uploaded in a form of their Pictures.

When you come accross my site you will know what all is hidden behind the scenes :)

Hope you enjoy surfing and finding out some of your favorite

dishes ,you'd like to try out.

 

And if you cannot find some recipes in here, simply click on the link given below :)

 

 

 

**Fry Chicken** Juicy and Soft

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I think chicken is the most cooked item in every home, with various styles and spices.

Sometimes baked, grilled, roasted or it lands in a Wok for a yummy curry or Karahi : )

Different people, different tastes… Some like it very spicy and use all the spices they have to give it an extra hot touch. Though I love hot stuff and am the biggest Chili fan on this earth, yet there are some dishes were also I keep my hands off from all the masalaas : )

After taking a pause from cooking for quite a while now due to my arm, I was cooking light stuff where I didn’t have to sway my arm a lot. I made a lot of baking stuff where I just mixed in spices and just pushed them in the oven lol

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This week It was the turn of the chicken. I usually bake it or make Karahi, I also fry drum sticks but this time I fried the chicken, and with using just 3 spices and the result that you get is really enormously great!

I do think that at tmes we all use so much coating of flour/chickpea flour, that we don’t get the real taste of the meat. It is important that we get to taste the actual taste of the dish too, and not just the spices : )

It is the fastest and the tastiest way if you have marinated the meat ahead which is also very easy and quick. I know it’s nothing new as everyone fries chicken very often, but do try out with really less spices and you’ll surely love it. I loved the fried yet a bit roasted light color on it  :)

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This is what I did:

I bought 7 fresh Chicken legs; makes around 1 kilo and some extra grams

 I usually marinate the meat when it is fresh and then freeze it for the next time. This way the meat also absorbs the spices very well and I just need to take them out of the freezer whenever I need to, and place it in the fridge so they can be used next day.

So the spices I used are:

1 ½ tsp salt (more to taste)

2 ½ tsp red chili flakes

6-7 grated fresh garlic

½ cup oil

 
 

*take off the skin, wash the meat and then dry them with a kitchen towel

* cut in deep slanting cuts with a big knife on both sides

*don’t cut all over as the meat will open up while frying and loose its lovely shape

*now mix in the salt /red chili / grated garlic in the ½ cup of oil

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* rub this marination very well in the cuts of the meat and all over, till the whole is covered with the spices and oil

*if you want to make it the next day, just cover and keep in fridge but if you want to save it for any other time then freeze it. They stay Super and are always ready if you have unexpected guests.

*you can also bake them, but I prefer to fry as the meat stays remarkably soft and juicy.

*I just fry in the Wok with really less oil, means; not the deep fry amount, just enough that one side dips in the oil and then I keep turning and twisting, of course I let one side cook slightly then turn over to avoid getting it dark.

*just keep the flame on medium and allow the meat to cook till deep, if your flame is high, the meat will get a nice gold color from outside but it will remain uncooked inside, so you see haste is waste so always have patience while cooking or frying anything : )

*I mentioned this because some of my friends face problems while frying things such as Kababs, I get the feedback that the recipe was good BUT the kababs were raw from inside, so the tip is to enjoy and love making anything with time and patience :)

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*So back to our chick fry ; it will take nearly 6-8 minutes till the meat is cooked, so don’t leave it unattended, just play around, check if you feel one side is turning a bit gold, turn it over, so this way you will get an even nice cooked look.

* you see the legs are really very juicy and soft, a trick what I do is, I cover a lid when the legs are half done, this way the steam which builds inside the wok/pan/pot makes  the meat tender and cooks till inside!

*your fries are ready in actually 16-18 minutes with a fantastic yummy result : )

I served with Turkish naan and baguettes and made potato chips with it. Just cut them thick and soak in chilled salty water for half an hour, drain the water, dry with the kitchen cloth and dust plain flour over them, toss and turn once and then deep fry in hot oil.

Don’t sprinkle salt on them, they stay crunchy. Each to its choice, I keep the salt with them and let everyone sprinkle as they like it : )

I’d prefer chapatti  but I saved my arms energy ;)

I love it with khushka (plain white rice) just pour some oil on the rice, the one in which you fried the chicken, it is yummmz!

~~FOTO FUN ~~

I thought if not Cooking, then at least some fun time :)

We had a lovely sunny day today, now we are sure that the Winter has finally  said Goodbye (hopefully)

I was observing my plants how they started blooming after the Winter sleep.

It is amazing to see how nature works. I thought to  play around with my Camera :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to buy more balcony plants, at the moment it's lovely to see some color from last year through the window :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi :)

Hello my dear friends and followers,

Long time no see, isn’t it :)

I have been inactive since quite a time now and believe me I am missing this terribly….

I am missing you all, am missing the excitement of cooking, am missing the new dishes I had planned to try out, am missing the happiness of good food :/

 I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart; who have been visiting me and have been surfing through my blog day in and day out, despite nothing new being uploaded. I am really thankful for your love and trust!

The reason of my pause was and will remain a while, is my injured right arm. I am advised to rest it at least 6 months, though I do cook, but usually the easiest and fastest things and with the help of my lovely family :)

 

I hope to be on the “dance floor” soon but I am always here to reply to your questions so please feel free to mail me any time, like many of you keep doing.

Sending good wishes and lots of love your way for you and your families. Stay blessed and happy and keep me in your thoughts

 

 

I am found sitting here now a days :)

Thanks a Billion to my dearest Friend Sussane who bought and painted this lovely gift for me, not forgetting the crowns on each end with the signature

"To whom it belongs" :)

I simply love it!