Passion... the word which drives people to come out the best in them and sometimes a passion for something becomes your calling to achieve what you have always dreamt of and that is what precisely Dr Neha Mathur found. From being a successful dentist who used to make people’s smile bright and nice, she quit her flourishing career and did what she loved the most- Cooking... and making it easy for every person to follow.
Neha's love for food has stayed long with her and made her leave dentistry and open WhiskAffair a Technology platform which aims to engage the food community and help people cook.
WhiskAffair freely accessible to all, brings the best of tried and tested recipes and helps people discover food and keep cooking. At WhiskAffair, there is everything that a food lover wants and one can whip up any Indian or International cuisine within minutes and be an awesome chef at home.
Neha, an entrepreneur at heart believes in the old adage of “pleasure in job brings perfection in work” and that is why she says her love for food and cooking makes her feel complete and satisfied.
She shares recipes for the readers of Free Press Journal.
THANDAI CAKE
Thandai is one of the most popular beverages to make for Holi. While everyone is making this cool beverage during Holi, how about you try Neha Mathur’s Thandai Cake this time. It is a delicious spin on the traditional Thandai and is packed with beautiful Thandai flavors, that will surely turn the heads around.
This eggless Thandai flavored cake will win your hearts with its soft and moist texture and incredible taste. The super-soft Thandai Cake has a creamy frosting, that takes the taste to another level. The addition of rose water, saffron, cardamom powder along with the thandai powder, makes it an apt and unique dessert choice to serve after your special festive meals.
Recipe: Thandai Cake
Ingredients-
For the cake-
· All-Purpose Flour - 2 cups
· Thandai Powder - 4 tbsp
· Baking Powder - 2 tsp
· Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
· Yogurt - 1/2 cup
· Melted Butter - 1/2 cup
· Granulated Sugar - 1 cup
· Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
· Rose Water - 1/4 tsp
· Buttermilk - 1 cup (mix 1 cup milk with 3-4 drops of lime juice and keep aside for 5 minutes to make homemade buttermilk)
For the frosting-
· Cream Cheese - 8 oz
· Whipped Cream - 1 cup
· Confectioner’s Sugar - 1/2 cup
· Rose Water - 1/2 tsp
· Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp
· Saffron - 1 pinch (Soaked in 1 tbsp milk)
Method
· Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
· Line a 9 inch round baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.
· Mix all-purpose flour, thandai powder, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl and keep aside.
· Add yogurt, melted butter, granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl, and whisk for 3-4 minutes on medium speed using a handheld mixer.
· Add vanilla extract, rose water, and buttermilk and mix well.
· Add the flour mixture and fold until just combined.
· Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
· Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
· Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
· Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool completely.
For the frosting
· Whisk cream cheese, and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy.
· Add the whipped cream and whisk until combined.
· Add the rose water, cardamom powder, and saffron soaked in milk and whisk well.
· Top the frosting over the cooled cake and garnish with slivered dry fruits and dried rose petals.
BREAD RABDI
Each and every bite of this lip-smacking and indulgent Bread Rabdi will make you fall in love with it. An instant version of your regular rabdi, that will become your favourite once you try it.
Bread is ground along with nuts to make a coarse powder, added to the milk, and then cooked until it becomes thick and creamy. It is a great way to reduce the time and effort, that we spend stirring the rabdi for a long time. Pair Bread Rabdi with traditional Indian favourites such as Malpua, Imarti, Jalebi, Gulab Jamun or serve it on its own to enjoy a rich dessert.
RECIPE: Bread Rabdi
Ingredients-
· White Bread Slices - 4
· Whole Cashew Nuts - 10-12
· Whole Almonds - 10-12
· Unsalted Whole Pistachios - 10-12
· Saffron Strands - a pinch
· Whole Milk - 1 liter
· Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp
· Rose Water - 1/4 tsp
· Sugar - 1/4 cup
Method
· Tear the bread slices in small pieces and add them to the middle jar of a grinder along with almonds, cashew nuts, and pistachios and make a coarse powder.
· Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan.
· Add saffron strands and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
· Keep stirring at regular intervals to avoid the milk from burning at the bottom.
· Add the bread mixture to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes.
· Add cardamom powder, rose water, and sugar and cook for 3-4 minutes.
· Remove the pan from heat and chill the rabdi for a few hours.
· Garnish with almond and pistachio slivers and serve chilled.
THANDAI MOUSSE
Here is an eggless mousse for you with a desi twist! This Thandai Mousse has traditional flavours from thandai powder, creamy texture from whipped cream and white chocolate, and a gorgeous yellow tinge from saffron.
It is easy, light, and is a great addition to your dessert table this Holi. Just fold in the whipped cream into thandai flavoured chocolate, cream, and butter mixture, and you have your easy peasy and yummy Thandai Mousse ready in minutes.
You can prepare it ahead of time and store it in the fridge, and therefore this Thandai Mousse makes for a perfect dessert to serve for house parties and get-togethers.
RECIPE: Thandai Mousse
Ingredients-
· White Chocolate - 1 cup
· Heavy Cream - 1/2 cup
· Thandai Masala Powder - 2 tbsp
· Whipped Cream - 1 and 1/2 cup
· Saffron - .05 g (soaked in 1 tbsp water)
· Dried rose petals for garnishing
Method
· Chop the white chocolate and transfer it into a large mixing bowl.
· Add heavy cream, butter, and thandai masala powder in a pan and cook until the butter is melted and the mixture just comes to a boil.
· Keep stirring throughout.
· Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk well until the chocolate is melted and a smooth creamy mixture is ready.
· Now let this mixture cool completely.
· Once cooled, fold in the whipped cream.
· Pour the mixture into individual serving glasses or bowls and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
· Garnish with saffron water and dried rose petals.
· Serve chilled.
Neha Mathur is the founder of WhiskAffair.
