Fried Apple Pie

Apple pie is lovely all year round, but specially during winters, warm apple pies for breakfast or for that evening snack with a cup of coffee is my absolute favorite. Have you ever been for Apple picking in Fall? Its a pretty fun thing to do with your family and a popular one too, in many European countries and in United States.

Usually the farm for apple picking has a few activities for kids too, petting zoo and painting crafts being few among them. Another good part that I enjoy about Apple picking is that since its Fall, they always have little Pumpkin patches as well, which of course for people like me solves another purpose of picking a nice pumpkin for Fall decoration. So, basically its like killing 2 birds with one stone. A lot these places also have pumpkin carving which i believe is great for kids and adults, a pumpkin and a little fee is all you need to learn the basic carving skills.

Getting back to the story of the wonderful apples. So, all these farms also have a bakery that sells wonderful banana breads, pumpkin pies, cakes and Apple pie. So, once at one of our favorite farms, I came across a fried apple pie. I had to read the name again since I believed all the “pies” are always baked and have apples cooked like a thick puree. This was something new and we just felt that it looked tempting enough for at least a try. So, we got ourselves some pie and you know how they say that people meant to be together do meet up at some point of life, that’s exactly how I felt after my first bite.

For years we went to that farm during apple picking season and  always got some apple pie, till they stopped making them for reasons unknown. Well, I had to crack down the recipe and try making it myself. Food should not be bound by a traditional recipe. A bit of change always brings out great flavor and a new recipe.

This Apple pie, since it isn’t just plain Apple puree, but apples cooked in butter, its like no other apple pie you have ever tried. Its crunchy yet soft, perfect sweetness with a hint of cinnamon…and you hardly chew it, it spreads so much flavor in your mouth while it melts with the first bite.

Try the recipe and do let me know if you liked it. Its always nice to do something that gives you flavor, yet a new trend.

Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese icing

These cinnamon rolls aren’t just easy to make but, are also super fluffy and light, better than any store bought roll…Trust me. These would melt in your mouth and melt you heart too…

Honestly, yeast and I aren’t very good friends. It actually used to scare me to use yeast and I have had so many failures with yeast, that I have lost count. But then, I couldn’t give up my love for baking breads and decided to get to know “Yeast” better and learn to work cordially. We’ve been best friends since then….LOLzzz. I know my stories are sometimes too long and some of you might just want to jump to the actual dish than to play around and read the stories. But you know what, this is what would connect us. Every food has a story and mostly, its worth remembering and sharing, even if the dish is a disaster.

So, this is the story to this wonderful dish: I realized that would see cinnamon rolls EVERYWHERE. We go to the mall and Mr. Parveez would buy them. I see my boys head over heels in love with them. I see my little one craving for more….and sometimes all these are signs that you have to be on a mission and make your own. So, I start my search to get an authentic recipe  and found some wonderful recipes, all very different from the other. I decided to pick and choose and make my own. First Batch, a BIG disaster  and I made changes. Second Batch, a few more changes…a few more after the third. Fourth batch, the cinnamon rolls were perfect but the icing messed it up and finally, fifth batch, they came out perfect. This recipe is fool proof and something that you will save and love and pass on.

 

With regular cinnamon roll recipes, there’s so a lot of waiting time for the yeast to rise and to be sure that the dough would turn out perfect. Honestly, as much as I enjoy cooking, I do not have the time and energy to wait that long. I love making things that can be served in less amount of time. Something, that’s clean, cooked with love and effort without wasting too much time. But, that doesn’t mean I would try a recipe where cinnamon rolls are made within an hour. I like to give my food flavors time to mingle too.

I’ve managed to meet these soft cinnamon rolls in a little prep time with a faster procedure and made sure that they stay soft, fluffy and wonderful.

P.S. Don’t let the yeast scare you. It takes time to open, but once you know it well, you will love it just like me.

Kofte Ki Biryani

Mr. Parveez, my better half is from Bangalore and only after I got marrried, I realized how many varieties of Non vegetarian food Muslims cook. I understand most of you find my stories a little funny to understand and its kind of hard to relate to. Its tough

I hail from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, where muslims probably make only 10% of the total population and most of them do not cook a lot of variety. While growing up, my mom was kind of the only woman I knew who made Biryani and we would see tons of people every Eid to have the special dish. Not just Biryani, but my mom’s Roast Chicken, Keeme ke samose, Tikka Boti and Kebabs were very exclusive and super delicious. I grew up believing that her food was a huge variety and at least it was not the same mutton curry, chicken curry and pulao, something standard at all our relatives.

Our visits to Delhi and Mumbai had us trying different cuisines at restaurants, but in my mind I always thought that it wasn’t something so commonly made at homes. When I got married, my outlook towards Muslim home food changed. This is when I realized that kebabs and curries could be made in so many different varieties and it was kind of important for every Muslim family to make a better variety than others for their gathering. It would amaze you if you were to go for parties to Muslim families, because its a competition to be better than the other.

This was my introduction to my Mughal Family and Mughlai cuisine. They say marriages are made in heaven and the Almighty know the right soul mate for you. In my case, he knew I need to be married in a family that loved food and wanted someone who shared the same passion as them, and I feel blessed.

So, Bangalore is where I discovered this Biryani. Its one of the Mughlai recipes that is pretty popular in Muslim families. But, as much as its popularity is all around Bangalore, not everyone can make it properly. This is my version of Kofta Biryani. I steam the the koftas before i cook them with the gravy and the water that is left behind after steaming koftas can be used to cook rice.

This Biryani is great, but won’t recommend it for beginners.