Matzo Icebox No Bake Cake for Boy Scout

I am not a Jewish but love Matzo and different other dishes from Jewish cuisine, Stay tune for one more Passover recipe in vegetarian format.

So If you don't know, Matzo is an unleavened flatbread that is a part of Jewish cuisine and they use it in Passover and other festivals. Somehow I just like it because it doesn't have any taste, what ever you put it on it takes its taste, we made, Matzo pizza, PB & J sandwiches, Nachos and what not.

So We had a project , where my son who is in boy scout , we have to make a cake to keep the boy scout theme in mind. I was very busy that week and didn't had time to take bake but had 3 packets of Matzo in the house so think to make something out of it and this idea came up  and then I googled it for boy scout theme and did the decoration.

So made the cake with matzo, chocolate and whipped cream layer, marshmallow for scout, pretzel as wood log and orange chocolate for fire and our cake is done. We didn't won the prize but this was our first cake bake event and the time we had it we nailed it so for the prize winning cake maybe next year.

Ingredients : 

8 Sheets of Matzo - I used this one

1 16 oz. whipping topping container
2 Blocks of cooking chocolate
4 Pretzels
1/4 cup orange chocolate melts
Marshmallows as needed

Method:

Melt the chocolate blocks in over proof bowl or by double boiler theme. I used it microwave.
Mix that with whipping cream and set aside.
Take the dish in which you are going to put the cake, add the glue (mix of chocolate and whipped cream), and put one matzo sheet. Apply more glue on whole square of matzo and keep on repeating till you done with Matzo.

Cover the all four sides of matzo with chocolate mix.

Once done, put it in fridge for 30 minutes.

After that, on one corner , put pretzel in a log shape, melt orange candies and spread it on parchment paper and chopped it in any shape and make make it a fire on pretzel.

Cover the rest of the space with marshmallow and your cake is ready.

Gulabjamun Mix Cake with Egg

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it.

So on this festival , why not make some easy and different cake for the loved ones. This cake is so easy, open up your Gits Gulab Jamun mix, add the  other necessary ingredients in it and bake it and you will have yummy cake ready. I put sliced almonds on top but you can do good icing and take it to the whole new level. 

I made it twice, once without egg and one with egg, without egg was very dry and was not happy with the outcome so next time made it with egg and it was soft and really good tasting . So I am going to share recipe with egg only. 

Ingredients : 

1 Packet Gulab Jamun Mix 1/4 cup  Whole wheat flour 1/4 cup  All purpose flour3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup Milk 
2 tbsp.   canola oil 1 tbsp. Butter - 
1/2 tsp Baking powder 
 1/4 tsp Baking soda
1 Egg - whisked and ready  1 tsp Cardamom powder
 8 to 10  Saffron strands
Almonds to sprinkle over top. 

Method:

 In a bowl, Sift whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl till you get all mix up.

Preheat the oven at 350 F / 180 C. 

 Now add the Gulabjamun mix to the sifted flour mixture and mix well and sift. 

Heat 3/4 cup milk, when it is heated up, add sugar powder, cardamom powder and saffron strands. Mix it till sugar dissolves completely. 

Now add oil, butter and mix evenly with wire whisk.

Add egg in liquid batter, make sure your milk is not to hot otherwise egg will scramble. 

Finally add flour mixture to this liquid mixture and fold gently. There should be no lumps.

 Pour the batter in a greased tin , decorate it with almonds and bake in a preheated oven at  350 F  / 180°c for 30 minutes approx.

You can make it without the egg also , just skip the egg and follow the rest of the recipe. But results are not that good.

Sev Dungli Nu Shak ( Crunchy Indian Noodles and Onion's Dry dish)

Everyone is making sev tamato curry , or gathia 's gravy dish. I never had those two and never going to make it cause I love my sev and lots of onion subji. when you are out of vegetables or bored with vegetables what to cook? I don't know about you , but I always have sev in my pantry, to eat as it is or top if off with poha and anything which needs crunchy elements. So When I am in press of time , this recipe comes very handy , it cooks fast and with lentil on side , perfect diner or lunch is ready.

Ingredients : 

2 cups of Sev
2 big onions sliced
As per taste salt
1 tbsp. Red chili powder
1 tbsp. Cumin coriander powder
1 tsp. Turmeric powder
1 tsp. Garam masala powder
2 tbsp. Oil
1 tbsp. Ginger garlic paste

Method:

Sliced the onions in long match sticks.
Heat a flat pan and add oil in it.

When oil is hot, add onions and cook till its little pink.

Add all the powder masala and ginger garlic paste and add little water so masala dont get burned.

Add sev and turn off the gas.

Mix it nicely and have it with roti and dal.

Diner is done.

Instead of Sev , you can use dried prawns and make it same way too.

Sauteed Shishito Peppers

There is no recipe for this. I was looking for this peppers since so long, I lost my hope that I will find anywhere this delicious peppers. But no I was wrong. I found it in one of my favorite store Trader Joe's vegetable section. This goes perfectly with the drinks. Instead of munching snacks, you can bite in to this pepper and have sip of beer or any other alcoholic drink and you will love it. 

As per wiki - The pepper is small and finger-long, slender, and thin-walled. Although it turns from green to red upon ripening, it is usually harvested while green. The name refers to the fact that the tip of the chili pepper  looks like the head of a lion , and in Japanese it is often abbreviated as shishitō. 

Ingredients : 

15-20 Peppers

1/2 Tsp. Olive oil

As per taste coarse sea salt

Lime juice

Method: 

Heat a pan, add olive oil and add the peppers.

Cook them over medium heat, tossing and turning frequently till they blister. 

Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until its charred from various places. 

When its done, sprinkle sea salt and lime juice and put it in a dish and serve hot.

You can hold it from the stem and eat the whole peppers. It won't bite you.

Quick 10 minute Onion Pickle

If you like to eat onion but because of its strong taste, you skip it to add it in salads, burgers or in any toppings. Now don't. You can still enjoy nice mellow flavor of onions and its ready in 10 minutes. While you are preparing your mail dish , start making this pickle and by the time you are done with cooking your onion pickle is ready. This recipe is so versatile you can make with any vegetables, perfect for Jalapenos, cauliflower, carrot, ginger is a few. You can any flavor in this vinegar mixture, fresh herbs, ginger slices, whole garlic, whole spices and make it more interesting.

Best it goes with red onion and give nice bright color but if you don't have it you can use white or yellow onion too. Use regular white vinegar or rice vinegar, that will give you more flavor. You have to add sugar to balance sourness of vinegar. But honey or any other sugar substitute works fine too. Store in glass jar, canning jars are better. Metal will react with vinegar and spoil your pickle and plastic will absorb the pickling flavor. You can just put this in fridge and enjoy till it last.

So lets make it.

Ingredients : 

1 Medium red onion - slice it round or long thin matchsticks , its up to you
1/2 tsp sugar and salt
3/4 cup rice or white wine vinegar

Flavoring : fresh herbs, whole garlic, sliced ginger, whole spices.

Method:

Boiled 2 -3 cups of water in pan.
Sliced your onions and keep it aside.
Mix your sugar, salt and vinegar and flavoring in the jar you are going to store it. Mix it nicely so everything dissolved.
take colander and put your onions in it and pour boiled water on onions.Let it drain and then add onions in the jar and stir in nicely to it coat with mixture.
Onions will be in ready in 10 minutes but will get more flavors after few hours.
Use fresh spoon or fork every time you take out some onions.