Homemade Play Dough

Ingredients:

• Maida- 1/4 cup (All Purpose Flour)
• Corn flour- 1/4
• Warm water- 1/4 cup or less
• Food color of choice- a few drops
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Vinegar/ Lime juice- 1 tsp
• Flavored essence- any (3-5 drops)

Method:

1. Add maida and corn flour to a bowl. 
2. Add oil, lime juice or vinegar to it. 
3. Mix well. 
4. To warm water, add food color. 
5. Or, you can add the food color directly to the flour mix after adding water. 
6. Do not add water all at a time. 
7. Despite the original recipe suggesting the use of 1 cup water for 1 cup mix of both flours, it required far less. 
8. Add flavored essence of your choice if using vinegar. 
9. I missed this step. Now, my play dough has a pungent vinegar smell.
10. Mix it into a paste. 
11. Preferably use hands to bring it together into a dough.
12. You can see the elasticity of the dough as you mix. 
13. If it is too dry, add little more water. 
14. If it is too sticky sprinkle some flour and lightly knead it.
15. Made it into a thick disc and dry on a plate away from direct sunlight or wind.
16. Turn the disc carefully after 5-7 minutes. 
17. It usually doesn't stick. But, as a precaution, you can brush some oil to the plate before placing the disc for drying.
18. The top layer of the dough will look a bit cracked. 
19. Simply roll it into a ball between your palms. 
20. Or give it to your children. The more we knead it, the smoother and elastic it gets.
21. Store in an airtight box.
22. I am not yet sure how long it will last. I'm assuming a few months (4-7). 

Extra Info:

• I did not take stepwise pictures the first time. Will upload once I try with other colors as well. 
• Our stock of corn flour was over, so my play dough is limited to two colors.
• I mixed and kneaded the pink dough with the blue dough to get a lavender shaded play dough. 
• Half the quantities or double them depending on the amount of play dough you require. 

Eggless Fruit Cake (Without Oven)

Ingredients:

• All Purpose flour/ Maida- 1 1/4 cup
• Sugar- 1/2 cup (I used normal white sugar. Can be substituted with brown sugar or demerara sugar)
• Hot milk- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
• Dates Syrup- 1/4 cup
• Caramel sauce- 2 tbsp (can add another tbsp of extra sweetness)
• Whisked Yogurt- 1/2 cup
• Butter softened- 85 gms
• Baking Powder-1/2 tsp
• Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
• Soaked Nuts- 1/2 cup
• Vanilla Essence- 1/2 tsp 
• Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg powder- 1/8 tsp
• (For the recipe of Soaking Nuts. I used Whiskey instead of Rum this year.) 
• The liquid of soaked nuts- 2 tbsp 

For Baking on the stove:

• Salt- 1/2 kg
• Nonstick thick bottom pan (with handles)
• A plate that fits in the pan
• A glass lid to cover the pan

Method:

1. Sift the maida, baking powder, baking soda into a bowl. Mix once gently.
2. In another bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until smooth. 
3. Add the dates syrup and caramel sauce. Mix well. 
4. Place a thick bottomed nonstick pan on the stove. 
5. Add a layer of salt and place a plate on it. Refer to the image.
6. Put the heat in simmer and close the lid.
7. Add hot milk to the butter+sugar bowl. The mixture will start to look curdled. It's okay. 
8. Add whisked yogurt, vanilla essence, 2 tbsp (or more) of the soaking liquid and mix well. 
9. Add the spice powders and mix once. 
10. Now add the sifted flour in two batches. Gently fold. Do not over mix. 
11. If the batter appears too thick, add another tbsp of warm milk. Make sure the batter is not runny. 
12. Add the soaked nuts and fold. 
13. Transfer to a greased and dusted pan. 
14. Make sure there is some space as the cake will rise. Mine also dripped from the edges. Use a slightly bigger dish and make sure it fits in the nonstick pan. 
15. Place it on the plate and cover with lid. 
16. Keep the heat in simmer or between simmer and medium. 
17. Cook for 35-45 minutes. 
18. Check in between using a toothpick. Insert the toothpick into the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. 
19. Let it cool and then invert it onto a plate. 
20. Cut slices and serve. 
21. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. 

Notes:

• Using Date syrup and caramel sauce gave me a good color. 
• Brown sugar should work the same way.  

Gajar Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:

• Gajar finely grated- 1 cup
• Coconut (finely grated/grinded) 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup 
• (Remove the brown part of the coconut flesh)
• Sugar- 3/4 - 1 cup
• Ghee/ Clarified butter- 1 tbsp
• Cardamom powder- 1 tsp 
• Cashew nuts/ Almonds- a handful for decoration
• Milk Powder- 2 tbsp (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and peel the skin of gajar or pink carrots. Finely grate or grind. 
2. Remove the brown skin of the coconut flesh, chop only the white part and grind it.
3. Take a nonstick pan and add 1 tbsp of ghee.
4. Add the grated gajar and saute. 
5. Keep the heat in simmer or medium. 
6. Stir occasionally and cook the gajar for 10 minutes.
7. Add grated coconut and mix. 
8. Cook for another 5 minutes. 
9. Add milk powder (optional). It tends to form lumps. So, mix it thoroughly. 
10. Add sugar and mix.
11. The sugar will melt and the mixture will cook in the liquid. 
12. Keep the heat on medium and stir occasionally. 
13. The mixture should come together and form a ball. 
14. Then it is ready to be transferred to a plate. 
15. Apply ghee on a plate and add this mixture. Spread it evenly using a spatula. 
16. Lightly press the cashews or almonds onto the surface of the burfi. 
17. Let it cool. Cut into desired shapes. Apply a bit of ghee to the knife to prevent it from sticking to the burfi. 
18. Separate the pieces, serve. 
19. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

Gajar Halwa (Pink Carrot Halwa)

Ingredients:

• Gajar- 1/2 kg
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Milk- 1/4 cup
• Water- 1/4 cup
• Ghee- 3 tbsp (clarified butter)
• Chopped nuts- Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, Melon seeds, Chironji (the bigger ones roughly chopped)
• Cardamom powder- 3/4 tsp

Method:

1. Wash, peel and finely grate the gajar. 
2. Add 1 1/2 tbsp ghee to a thick bottom pan and add the grated gajar. 
3. Cover with lid and cook for 5-8 minutes in simmer. 
4. Mix regularly to avoid burning. 
5. Add milk first and cook for 3 minutes. 
6. Then add water (or double the quantity of milk). 
7. Increase the heat to medium. 
8. Keep the lid on and cook until the gajar is tender. It will take about 10-12 minutes. 
9. Add cardamom powder and mix well. Keep stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan. 
10. Once the gajar gets tender, add sugar and mix well. 
11. Remove the lid and let it cook until the sugar dissolves. 
12. Add the chopped nuts (or fry them in ghee and add) to the cooking halwa. Keep some aside for garnish.
13. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of ghee and mix well. 
14. The halwa will become thicker and comes together. 
15. It will take about 10-12 minutes. 
16. Take into a serving bowl and top with more nuts. 
17. Serve hot or cold. 
18. The halwa stays good for 3 days in the refrigerator.