Three Cups of Tea

How was your weekend ? I wish I could say mine was as tranquil as above.

The weekend was gorgeous after a long line of cold, snowy and rainy weekends. So I went to the park with a book and tea, thinking I could plonk LS in a swing, let BS fend for herself and sit down and read this wonderful book under the shiny blue sky.

I didn't realize that everyone else in the state(?) had the exact same brilliant plan.

The park was spilling over with kids of all ages and sizes, Moms & Dads of all ages and sizes, Grandparents of all ages...ok you get the drift. So though I could drink my cups of tea, I couldn't read a single page of the book.

So I am still going on at the pace of reading only a couple of pages at night every day though I am itching to know how Greg Mortenson managed to open all 50 schools in Baltistan

Currently Reading: Three Cups of Tea

Spicy Egg Muffins -- chasing Monday Blues with Egg White

Forbes published its billionaires list last week. Of the 1011 in the list, 89 are women and a very few of them are self made billionaires. Why do you think there are so few rich women as compared to men ? Do women think it is not worthwhile to amass so much money and there are better things to do in life (that I agree to) ? Is it because they get paid less than the men ? Or is it because the Forbes list is stupid ? What do you think ?

While you ponder over that, lets make some hearty, heart healthy egg muffins to cheer up a dull Monday.

I have loved Kalyn's Egg Muffins from the day I have seen them. Strangely I did not make them until early last week and then once I started I could not stop, for the next 3 days I kept making them. They are super easy and super delicious. I used only Egg White and kicked up the spiciness by several notches.

Due to health reasons, we had hugely reduced our egg intake and did not eat more than 1 or 2 a week. D did not like Egg whites enough unless he made a Frittata. So when ever we are on the low carb diet week, breakfast is a challenge or was, because now I have found these egg muffins which I make with only Egg Whites and still they turn out to be incredibly delicious.

And did I say they were super easy. I did ? Ok then go ahead and follow these steps to make them


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Original Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen

Makes about 12 Muffins

Pour out 2 cups of Egg White in a bowl and spice it up with
Red Chilli Powder,
Black Pepper Powder,
a Little Garam Masala
and salt. Give a good stir or two to blend in the spices. I used egg whites out of a carton.
If using whole eggs, beat eggs lightly. You will need about one egg per muffin

Preheat oven to 375F

Grease the silicone cups lightly with oil or non-stick spray. Kalyn says if using regular muffin pan, use two paper liners in each slot and grease inside of the liner.

Layer the bottom of the muffin cups with shredded cheese. I used a pack of shredded Taco cheese. Top it with chopped green scallion(this is important). I have also used some carrots but you can use other veggies like red pepper or mushroom. If you like meat add some sausage. To spice it up I add chopped green chili


Sprinkle some more cheese on top so that almost 1/2 the muffin cup is full. Kalyn says 3/4th full but I went with 1/2

Pour the spiced up egg white so that the muffin cups are now almost 3/4 full and stir gently with a fork . If you have not added green chili add a drop of hot Tabasco in each cup.

Bake them for 20-30 minutes or until the muffins rise like a mushroom cloud. Put in a knife or fork to see if it comes out clean. If yes you are done.

Since I used only egg whites, my muffins went "phichik" and sunk once cooled. At least I think it was the only Egg white formula that did it, Kalyn's muffins did not sink and I think if you are using whole eggs, don't beat all that much and they will not sink. That didn't really matter, they were very very good to eat.

These muffins stay well when frozen. I have refrigerated them for 2 days but have not frozen them yet. But you can put them in Ziploc bags and freeze them too. Warm them up in the Microwave and they are as good as new

Sweet Malpua -- sugar uninterrupted

Sweet, soft, layers off goodness. That is what Malpuas are.

I finally gave in and made Malpua this past weekend. How could I let a festival pass by without the food ? And how could just a condensed Milk Cake compensate for "syrup dribbling down your elbows" sweets. Don't you get a kick of licking sugary syrup dribbling down your elbows ? You don't ? Ok I understand, it does get messy and tricky and you need to know the right technique to let it dribble only on the inside and not on the hairy side.

I remember the time I got Rasgullas to work and my inept German boss trying to blend in with the Indian culture (this was way back in India), picked up a rasgulla with his fingers and while trying to pop it in, dribbled syrup all over himself. I left the job soon after.

So anyway, I had this intense feeling of guilt and all because I didn't eat sugary sweets after being doused in color. And that's when I don't even like being doused in color. A large part of my bygone Holi days were spent miserably hiding under the bed and so I really don't want to do that again, the whole color thing that is.

But Malpuas are good, they make you happy, the very thought of eating them makes you happy.So I made some Malpuas, the main excuse being I wanted to carry some for a friend we were visiting after a long time. But you all know that wasn't the real reason, right ?

Malpuas make the world seem perfect though reality might be far from it. So it is really important that you make it. Make it for Ugadi next week or for the Marathi, Kasmiri New Year, come on I insist.

This would be a very typical way a Bong celebrates Holi. Less play, more eat.

There are these delta variations in which you can make Malpuas. I myself had made Pineapple Malpuas long back which was quiet a new twist. But trust me, the original Malpuas with no such fancy addition taste the best. The way my Mom makes it she lets the Malpuas soak in the syrup till they are soft and pillowy. Me, I either brush syrup on them or do a quick dip, because I like the crispiness better. Then again there are the dry kinds called Puas which are not dunked in syrup at all.
This time I added evaporated milk and condensed milk to the batter, but you can just use plain old whole milk and I am quiet certain it will turn out just as good.

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Original Malpuas

Serving Size: This measure makes about 10-12 malpuas
Time taken: Prep time: 15-20 mins minimum; Cook time: 20 mins;
Level of Difficulty: Medium


Make the sugar syrup:

Boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water till you get a syrup of one single string consistency. You can flavor the syrup with strands of saffron or with drops of rose water

Make the Malpua:

Make a batter with

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida,
1/4 cup Semolina/Sooji/Rawa
1 cup of evaporated Milk(almost)
5 tbsp of Condensed Milk
2 tbsp of Sugar
1 tsp of Fennel seeds/saunf/Mouri
Note: Instead of Condensed Milk & Evaporated Milk you can use Whole Milk but then adjust sugar for sweetness

Throw in some golden raisins in the batter and mix.

Let the batter sit for 2-3 hours for best results. At least 20 mins if you are in a rush.

Heat Oil for deep frying in a Kadhai. Note: Shallow frying might work but I have never tried

Give the batter a good mix and pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter in the hot oil to form a circular disc. When the edges turn golden brown, flip and fry till both sides are golden.

Remove with a slotted spoon. Either dunk in sugar syrup or brush both sides generously with the syrup. Note: If you intend to dunk in sugar syrup till malpuas are soaked with the syrup, lessen the sweetness in the batter. I prefer a  quick dunk in the syrup(this is easier). That makes it not very soft but sweet and lightly crisp.

Garnish with slivers of almonds and serve hot. They stay ok for a couple of days when refrigerated but remember to warm before serving.

Get this recipe in my Book coming out soon. Check this blog for further updates. 

Yes, I am on Twitter. I really don't know what worldly wisdom I can impart in 140 characters but follow me will you ? "Followers" makes me think I am like the Osho or something and does boost up my otherwise low self esteem. So humor me.