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Mushroom and Spinach ravioli

with sundreid tomatoes and parmesan

Ravioli is a traditional italian food made on a day to day basis usually served with a broth or a sauce. Ravioli are commonly square, though other forms are also used, including circular and semi-circular. They are usually described as thin layers af pasta stuffed with a filling.

The filling can range from pesto, cheese, meat to any vegetabele, Mushroom is a classic filling being really delicious and flavorful.

Ingredients

Filling and topping

  • Mushrooms(finely chopped) – 500gms
  • Onion(finely chopped) – 2no
  • garlic(finely chopped) – 10gms/2 cloves
  • white wine – 60ml
  • parmesan cheese grated – 75gms
  • cheddar cheese grated – 50gms
  • milk – 150ml
  • salt – to taste
  • oregano – 10gms
  • spinach chopped – 100gms
  • sundried tomato chopped – 40gms
  • olive oil – 5ml

Pasta

  • Flour – 240gms
  • egg yolk – 3no
  • water and oil – to bind
  • salt – to taste

Method

  • In a mixer add all the flour, egg yolks and salt.
  • slowly add the oil and water till the dough comes together.
  • Wrap the prepared dough in cling wrap and let it chill in the fridge for atleast 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile prepare the filling. In a pan add olive oil, half of the chopped garlic and bith the onions, aloow to cook till translucent.
  • Add the chopped mushrooms and cook till the water realesed by the mushroom dries up.
  • Add half of the chopped spinach and allow to cook.
  • Add the while wine and deglaze the pan, once the wine is evaporated add milk and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Add 50gms parmesan and all the cheddar.
  • Season with salt and oregano and allow to cool.
  • Once your pasta dough is cooled roll it out into thin sheets(you can you a pasta roller if you own it).
  • cut about 36 cirlces from the dough.
  • Place a spoonful of filling in half of the cut circles.
  • Cover the circles with the mushroom filling with the other circles and seal the edges tightly.
  • Boil the ravioli in the water and cook till the ravioli floats to the top. Strain and allow to cool.
  • In a seperate pan heat olice oil. Add the remaining spinach and sundreied tomatoes. add in the cooked ravioli and toss.
  • Sprinkle with parmesan and serve hot.
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Lemon and Mango Meringue Pie

A lemon meringue pie is a classic dessert for the summers. specially for those who love tartness in their desserts. mango adds a tropical flavor as well as a level of sweetness.

the toasty meringue adds a smoky flavor also has a recall value as the meringue is usually toasted in front of the guest.

Ingredients

The Pastry

  • flour – 100gms
  • butter – 50gms
  • water – 2tbsp

Filling

  • egg yolks – 3no
  • lemon juice – 1/4 cup
  • mango puree – 3tbsp
  • sugar – 1/4 cup
  • corn flour – 2tbsp
  • butter – 2tbsp

Meringue

  • Egg whites -3no
  • sugar – 2.5tbsp

Method

  1. In a small bowl mix together flour, butter and water until a smooth dough.
  2. wrap the dough in cling film and chill for an hour.
  3. in a saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, sugar , egg yolks, mango puree and corn flour together
  4. Heat the mixture over low heat until thick. it should coat the back of your spoon and if you run your finger through the back of the spoon the line should stay
  5. Mix in the butter in the lemon mixture and allow to cool.
  6. Roll out the down into 1/4 inch thick sheet
  7. Line the pie pan with oil and put in the pie dough.
  8. Bake in an 180°C for an hour
  9. Once the pie crust is baked allow it to cool for about 30 minutes
  10. While the pie crust is cooling whisk together egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form
  11. Pour in the lemon mango filling in the pie crust.
  12. Pipe on the meringue and torch with a blow torch.

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Apple Crumble Pie

Apple pie knows no seasons and that is exactly why I don’t wait around for Fall every year to enjoy it. I wanted to share something a little different that still embodies everything I love about traditional apple pie. Today’s apple crumble pie:

Has a buttery, flaky crust.

Has a rich apple filling that’s juicy, compact, sweet, and cinnamon-spiced.

Is topped with a brown-sugary, buttery, toasty walnut crumble.

Is the perfect spot for vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

The pastry

  • Flour -100gms
  • Butter- 50gms
  • Water- 2tbsp

Filling

  • Apples – 04no
  • Cinnamon – 1tsp
  • Lemon Juice – 1tbsp
  • Breakfast Sugar – 1tbsp

Crumble

  • Butter(melted) – 75gms
  • Flour – 95gms
  • Brown Sugar- 95gms
  • Walnuts(chopped) – 95gms
  • Cinnamon – 1tsp

Method

  1. In a small bowl mix together flour, butter and water until a smooth dough.
  2. wrap the dough in cling film and chill for an hour.
  3. Meanwhile, Mix together thinly sliced apples, cinnamon, sugar and lemon together.
  4. roll out the down into 1/4 inch thick sheet
  5. Line the pie pan with oil and put in the pie dough
  6. Fill the apple pie filling in the pie.
  7. In a bowl mix together butter, flour, brown sugar walnut and cinnamon.
  8. Mix together until a homogenous mixture forms
  9. Top te filled pie with the crumble.
  10. Bake in an 180°C for an hour
  11. Slice and serve with Vanilla ice-cream and caramel sauce.
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Lemon Curd Pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It has a crisp crust and soft, light inside, usually topped with fruit and whipped cream, Mine being topped with lemon curd, meringue shards, crumb and whipped cream.

This a recipe inspired by the chef Nigella Lawson but given a few touches

Ingredients

  • Pavalova
  1. 4 egg whites
  2. 240gms castor sugar
  3. 1tsp vinegar
  4. 2 tsp vanilla
  5. 1 zest of lemon
  • Meringue Shards
  1. 2 egg whites
  2. 90gms sugar
  • Lemon Curd
  1. 4 egg yolks
  2. 134gms sugar
  3. 1 Tablespoon lemon zest 
  4. 80ml(1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice
  5. 1/8 teaspoon salt
  6. 86g(6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • Lemon Crumb
  1. 90gms flour
  2. 40gms sugar
  3. 05gms lemon juice
  4. 30gms cold butter cubed
  • Extra Ingredients
  1. Whipped Cream
  2. Mint
  3. Blueberries/Raspberries

Method

Heat your oven to 180 degree Celsius

  1. Pavlova:- In a bowl add 4 egg whites, lemon zest and vinegar together beat until soft peaks, slowly add in the sugar beating till a hard peak. using a spoon dollop the meringue mixture onto a lined baking tray leaving a small dip in the center for the filling.
  2. Meringue Shards:- In a bowl add 2 egg whites and beat until soft peaks add in the sugar slowly until hard peak smooth onto a lined baking tray in a thin layer.
  3. Bake the pavlova and meringue shards at 90 degree reducing the oven temperature after closing the door of the oven. Bake the meringue shards for 45 minutes and meringues for 90 minutes until the outside is crispy.
  4. Lemon Curd:- Oven a double boiler heat together the egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest and juice until a thick custard like consistency, slowly add in the butter until melted. Remove off heat and cover with food safe plastic, touching the custard so a skin doesn’t form. Allow to cool.
  5. Lemon Crumb:- In a small bowl mix together flour, sugar, lemon juice and butter and mix with hands until a breadcrumb like texture forms. Bake in the oven at 180 till a golden brown color approx. 15-20 minutes.

Assembly

  • Place the crumb in the center of the plate
  • Place the baked and cooled pavlova on top of the crumb
  • Add about 3-4 tbsps. of lemon curd in the center dip
  • Top with blueberries whipped cream, meringue shards and fresh mint.
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Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna is a American-Italian dish that is a layered pasta dish usually made with beef, vegetable and cheese and seasonings and spices such as garlic, oregano and basil. The dish can be topped with parmesan or mozzarella. The cooked pasta is assembled with the other ingredients and then baked in an oven.

Traditionally a beef ragu is made but as being an Indian beef is not used as much so I make a chicken mince and instead of using a béchamel sauce i prefer using pre-made pizza sauce and mozzarella. you can use pre-made lasagna sheets but i like making fresh pasta and i’ll be putting up the recipe for the same

Ingredients

Pasta

  1. Flour – 240gms
  2. Eggs – 03no
  3. Salt – to taste

Chicken Mixture

  1. Chicken Mince – 500gms
  2. Onion(finely chopped) – 2no
  3. Garlic(finely chopped) – 5 cloves
  4. Tomato Puree – 200ml
  5. All purpose seasoning – to taste
  6. Salt – to taste
  7. Smoked Paprika – 05 gms
  8. Oil – 15 ml/1 tbsp

Extra’s needed

  1. Mozzarella cheese grated – 500gms
  2. Pizza/Pasta Sauce – 200gms
  3. Oregano – to taste
  4. Chili Flakes – to taste

Method

  1. Make the pasta by placing the flour in a bowl and add eggs and salt. Knead into a dough until nice and smooth, add water if dry, until it comes together. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.
  2. In a large pan heat oil and add finely chopped onion till transparent and soft, add garlic and fry till fragrant. Add in the chicken mince and fry for a few minutes. till lightly browned.
  3. Add in the tomato puree and add a cup of water.
  4. Reduce until saucy add the seasoning and salt.
  5. Heat the oven to 200 degree F
  6. Roll out the pasta dough until thin.
  7. Boil the pasta till al-dente
  8. In a oven proof 9×9 greased dish add a spoon on the pasta sauce and add boiled lasagna sheet to cover the bottom. Add pasta sauce liberally and cover the pasta. Top with a layer of prepared chicken mince and cover with grated mozzarella.
  9. Repeat until you get three layers of each with the final layer being mozzarella cheese.
  10. Add Oregano and chili flaker
  11. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
  12. Cut into portions and serve.
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Chocolate Macrons

The classic Chocolate Macarons

A Chocolate Macarons is a delicate meringue-based cookie sandwich made primarily from egg whites, almond flour, and sugar. The outside is crisp but inside they’re more moist and chewy.

It has the goodness of almond, protein of egg whites and flavor of chocolate.

They are usually filled with ganache but they can be filled from anything to buttercream, mousse, meringue or your favourite filling.

Method

Ingredients

  • 50 grams (50 g) almond flour
  • 114 grams (114 g) powdered sugar
  • 7 grams (7 g) cocoa powder
  • 57 grams (57 g) egg whites aged overnight in the fridge and brought to room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon (1/8 tsp) cream of tartar
  • 28 grams (28 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt

Chocolate Ganache

  • 2 ounces heavy cream
  • 2.5 ounces chocolate semisweet, milk or dark
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Method

For The Chocolate Macarons

  • Preheat oven to 320ºF and line a 1/2 baking sheet with the macaron template and parchment paper
  • Sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and almond flour, twice if not blended.
  • Pulse the mixture in a food processor 8-10 times to make the almond flour mixture even finer and texture and to blend the ingredients together.
  • Whip the egg whites on low to frothy consistency and slowly add the sugar in thirds.
  • Once the egg whites turn white and you can see some lines forming in the surface from the whisk, add cream of tartar, whipping on medium until soft glossy peaks form.
  • Add the vanilla to the meringue during the soft peak stage. 
  • Then continue whipping on medium-high until you get stiff peaks that start gathering and bunching on the inside of the whisk.
  • Add 1/3 of your almond mixture to the meringue. Fold your spatula under the batter and around the edges and then cut through the center until the almond flour is mixed in. Continue with the rest of the almond flour and folding until homogenous. (see video)
  • Gently press the spatula on top of the batter while you turn the bowl to take out some fo the air from the meringue.
  • Continue folding around the outside edge until the batter forms a ribbon and moves like lava.
  • Your meringue is ready when it forms a ribbon off the spatula and the batter that settles almost dissolves all the way back into the rest of the batter but still leave a bit of a line. 
  • Place parchment paper onto your sheet pan. Pipe small rounds about 1″ in diameter. Use a template if needed
  • Drop the pan onto the table 5-6 times from about 5″ above the table to release bubbles. Use a toothpick to remove big pockets of air trapped under the surface. Use a very small amount of water on your fingertip to smooth any rough spots.
  • Allow to dry, uncovered until a crust forms on the surface.
  • About 30 minutes – 2 hours or until a dry film develops over the surface of the cookie. For humid areas put a space heater nearby to help dry the cookies faster.
  • Bake at 320ºF for about 14-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • If not quite brown baked, bake for an additional 1 minute. Cooled cookies should pull away from the parchment paper without sticking. If they do stick, they were not baked enough.
  • Let cool fully before removing from the parchment and filling with ganache.

For the ganache

  • Place all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and microwave for one minute. Let sit for 5 minutes then whisk until smooth.
  • Heat for another 15 seconds if not fully melted. Place into the fridge for 20 minutes then whisk until smooth. It should be the texture of peanut butter.
coco

This is a classic homemade chocolate macaron with a buttercream frosting in the center

Chocolate Macarons

http://www.indibaker.in/desserts/chocolate_cake/

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Chocolate Cake

This was my first ever recipe …..it turned out into a disaster that first time …..but with practice and many more trials it is one of my best liked cakes. today Each ingredient is important and plays a special role in making the the recipe.

Flour

Flour provides the structure in baked goods. Wheat flour contains proteins that interact with each other when mixed with water, forming gluten. It is this elastic gluten framework which stretches to contain the expanding leavening gases during rising. The protein content of a flour affects the strength of a dough.

Sugar

It has many functions in food other than providing sweetness. In small amounts,
added sugar helps yeast begin producing gas for raising yeast dough. Sugar in large amounts slows yeast fermentation; in a very sweet dough the rising time is longer. Sugar tenderizes dough and batter products and may help the baked product to brown. Moisture is retained better in sweetened breads than in unsweetened breads. It is the sugar in cookie dough that causes spreading to occur during baking.

Baking Powder

It contains baking soda and cream of tartar, the right amount of acid to react with it. Batters made with double acting baking powder rise twice; once when dry and moist ingredients are mixed together, and again when the product is baked.

Fat

Oil is used in some muffins, breads and cake recipes. Oil pastry is mealy rather than flaky. Substitutes used by many are butter or margarine. If oil is used in place of a solid fat for cake recipes, the texture will be heavier unless the sugar and egg quantities are increased.

Eggs

Eggs serve many functions in baked goods. They add flavor and color, contribute to structure, incorporate air when beaten, provide liquid, fat, and protein, and emulsify fat with liquid ingredients. Reducing or omitting egg yolks can result in less tenderness. Reducing or omitting egg whites can result in less volume. Cakes made without the emulsifying action from the egg yolk may not have a uniform flavor and texture.

Milk

Milk contributes water and valuable nutrients to baked goods. It helps browning to occur and adds flavor. When making yeast dough, milk should be scalded and cooled before adding to other ingredients. This is done to improve the quality of the dough and the volume of the bread.

Cocoa Powder

It provides the flavor and the color to the cake.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients

  1. Flour – 1 cup
  2. Baking Powder – 1tsp
  3. Cocoa Powder – 2 tbsp
  4. Castor sugar – 3/4 cup
  5. Vegetable oil – 3/4 cup
  6. Milk – 1/4 cup
  7. Eggs – 02 no

Method

  1. Sift together flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together into a bowl.
  2. Whip together sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
  3. Fold in the dry ingredients into the sugar-oil mixture slowly
  4. Add in eggs one by one until all incorporated and smooth.
  5. Add in the milk and mix till a smooth batter is formed.
  6. Pour into a lined 6 inch baking pan.
  7. Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes.
  8. Check using a toothpick, bake for a few more minutes if not clean.
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Indi Baker and more…

Hey there! I’m Subah the Baker and the writer behind this blog. So good to see you all here.

About me

I was born in Meerut, a town in Western U.P in India, famous for the mutiny of 1857 and for its scissors, sports goods and Gazak ( a special crispy dry sweet made of sesame seeds or peanuts and jaggery). I completed my schooling in Noida in the national capital region of Delhi. My dad is a senior sales professional in the collaboration space and mom is a professor at a top business school….a sweet younger brother completes our family. God has been very kind…blessed to have a loving family who love and support me through and through!!!

Indi Baker

I started this blog in 2020 to keep my recipes all in one place rather than in sheets or in different folders. The passion for cooking has always been in the family…..foodies and happiest relishing the flavors of food with people around..specially got this from my dad. I am a trained hospitality professional by education but it all started with a passion for food and cooking as early as when I was 12. Mom tells me I could watch ‘khanna khazana’ for hours as a kid….so in part I owe it to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The inspiration continued and moved to following Chef Vikas Khanna…and Master Chef Australia.

I baked my first cake at 14 which didn’t turn out to be so perfect… a failure that pushed me to get a perfect cake. Soon I turned out my first perfect chocolate cake which was a success and was really liked by family and that is how the journey of my baking started.

I worked very happily in the hotel industry for two years and then came 2020..bringing with it the CoVID 19 hitting lives and economies all over the world, the hotel and restaurant industry has been impacted even more severely. What it also did was allowed all of us to slow down and think through… the lock down forced people to manage with what they could cook at home. I observed many of friends craving for bakes and cakes…and that’s how the Indi Baker was born…commenced operations as a neighborhood baker.. homemade safe and hygienic made with love. 💕💕💕💕

Cheffy Subah

I am a professional chef, have completed my graduation in hotel management in 2018 and have experience of working in continental restaurants and bakery over the last two years. I love the smiles when people enjoy something that I baked…and the twinkle in their eyes on looking at a nicely plated dish!! …or when they come back to me for the recipe. From serving specialty desserts at our forever house parties ….to an on-demand baker….to Indi baker..that is who I am.

Thinking, reading and watching food pictures, recipes, chefs, food shows, is what I do when I am not in the kitchen…😋😋