Festive Season Approaching

Diwali has come and gone, School holidays, and Annual leave for most people knocking on our doors and Christmas almost on our doorstep, not sure when 2012 started and how we are almost at the end of 2012. We are all (adults and kids); looking forward to a well deserved break, whether we are staying at home or going away advance preparation and organization is what is going to ensure a well deserved break

For those staying at home or holidaying at self catering or holiday homes a lot more of menu planning and advance preparation is necessary, not to mention the tins and tins of snacks that is required by “all the time hungry mouths to feed”, and a peanut butter or cheese sandwich is generally not festive enough, something different, more indulgent and in keeping with the festive season is required. Mums to make sure you also have a wonderful summer break, ensure that you prepare almost everything in advance so that you can enjoy the sun, sea or bush or any other destination that you are visiting.

In the next couple of days/weeks I am going to attempt to share recipes of healthy and indulgent goodies that can be made in advance and to make it all the more fun get a few friends together and have a “cooking/baking party” (each of them brings their ingredients and utensils), or you can involve the whole family (it can be an exercise “in preparation for the holiday”). The recipe I am sharing with you today is a “not so healthy” indulgent treat, we generally make it during Diwali, however over the years I have shared this recipe with a number of friends and they have always made it for the “December Break”. We call it “Gullab Jamboo” and it is simply and Indian version of a doughnut, and this recipe would make about 75 “Gullab Jamboos”

  Goolab Jamboo

397g condense milk

125ml fresh milk

10ml cardamom

50ml ghee (or melted butter)

40ml chick-pea flour

500ml cake flour

10ml baking powder

750ml oil for deep frying

Syrup

375ml sugar

250ml water

10ml rose water

25ml ghee (or melted butter)

5ml cardamom

Method

1. Mix condense, milk, cardamom, ghee and chick-pea flour into a paste
2. Place ingredients for the syrup into a large heavy based pot and bring to a boil, and lower heat and allow syrup to simmer
3. Sift flour 400ml of the cake flour (retain the balance of the 100ml flour and use if you find the dough to sticky.) and baking powder into a dish and gradually add sifted flour mixture to the condense milk mixture to make a soft dough
4. Grease hands well and shape dough into little croquet shapes, and deep fry on medium heat till cooked
5. Remove from oil and immediately place in simmering syrup and allow to soak
6. Remove from syrup and roll in coconut if desired, and allow to cool before serving or storing

 

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