Mamta's Kitchen - A Family Cookbook





Christmas Treats

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On 09/12/2007 02:12pm, JL wrote:

Evening Mamta

Just wondering if you have a recipe for Indian'milk toffee'. It was always made at Christmas time by my Mum. She also used to make what she called her Indian treats.. Kul kuls and Rosacocais.... sorry about the incorrect spelling I am going purely on phonetics.

I have asked my elderly aunt from Kolkata, however she is too scared to touch her daughter's computer.

Thanks for any assistance, the great site and I hope you and your family have a wonderful festive season.

Regards

JL

On 13/12/2007 06:12am, Mamta wrote:

Okay!

Looked in a Goanese cookbook by Gilda Mendonsa

She has a Kul-kul recipe, but made from flour. She also has Rosa de Coque Cokkies. If you mean these let me know. I will post her recipes here. I have never made them myself

Mamta

On 14/12/2007 09:12pm, JL wrote:

On 14/12/2007 09:12pm, JL wrote:

Hello

Thanks for finding looking through your recipe book. I would appreciate it if you would make them available.

It has been years since I have tried these treats, and to do so again will evoke a lot of wonderful memories.

It is a terrible shame that when we are young we take for granted the effort our parents (especially mum in the kitchen) took to make Christmas fare that little bit more special with 'traditional' foods.

Regards

JL

On 15/12/2007 05:12pm, Mamta wrote:

Sorry JL

I had to delete the recipe. Copy right problem, even with full credits, which I hadn't thought of! I hope you had noted it down.

Mamta

On 03/08/2010 11:08pm, Lydia wrote:

My pleasure to share my recipes with you.

I have worked on my family Kul Kul recipe and converted it from a deep fry Kul Kul to a baked Kul Kul. Kul Kuls froth while frying -- don't want a fire in my kitchen.

KUL KULS

Sift together;

5 cups cake and pastry flour

1 cup very fine semolina

1 1/4 tsp. (rounded) baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup fine sugar

Work in

4 ozs. butter to resemble coarse meal/bread crumbs

Beat the following 2 ingredients together and add to the flr. mixture

2 egg yolks, 1 whole egg

1/2 tin (400 ml) Coconut Milk

Add enough coconut milk (roughly 3/4 tin) to make a soft dough

Knead well. Rest at least 1 hour for semolina to soften.

Form into Kul Kuls. Here's a great tip. Traditionally, we formed little balls and rolled them on the back of a fork. This took like forever. Break off ping pong size balls of dough. Roll into a cylinder roughly the width of one's index finger working from the center outwards. Cut the cylinder into 1/2 inch segments/discs -- depending on the size of the Kul Kul you want. Place the disc on the back of a fork, with your thumb flatten and elongate it. Roll it into a Kul Kul -- similar to a butter curl.

The recipe makes 2 large trays, but bake each separately.

Line trays with parchment paper. Bake Kuls. Preheat oven to 375F but bake at 350F. Turn/toss Kul Kuls half way. Takes approx. 45 minutes.

5 minutes before before it's done, remove parchment paper. Move Kul Kuls to the side of the tray. Brush the tray with 1 tbs. of butter. Toss Kul Kuls back and forth to lightly coat them with butter. The butter helps to brown the Kul Kuls a little.

Frost Kul Kuls if you so desire -- 1 tray at a time

Use a heavy pan/pressure cooker pan. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Use high heat. Boil till sugar dissolves and syrup is bubbly and frothy. Test 1 Kul Kul -- should set immediately, shouldn't be sticky. When the syrup is ready (the sides of the pan are slightly powdery), switch the stove off, add a tray of the Kul Kuls swiftly but gently toss them to coat. Turn out on a tray. Use two forks to separate the Kul Kuls that have stuck together. Don't use your hands -- sugar syrup is hot.

MILK TOFFEE

Comment: Milk Toffee is not burfi

Use empty condensed milk tin to measure sugar and cream

2 tins sweetened condensed milk

2 tins sugar (you can use 1 1/2 tins but not less -- wont set)

1 tin 18 or 35% cream (the higher the cream content, the richer the toffee)

Almond essence to taste

2 heaped tbs. unsalted butter

8 ozs. to 12 ozs. roughly ground almonds

Dump sugar, condensed milk and cream in a heavy bottom pan. Cook on medium heat till sugar dissolves. Stir constantly. Careful it's inclined to boil over. You can't leave it nor stop stirring for a second.

Reduce heat to medium low. Stir constantly.

If the toffee starts to burn, lower heat.

Careful, the mixture huffs and puffs.

It's done when the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, it huffs and puffs. Takes anywhere from an hour 1 hour to 1 hr. 10 minutes depending on the cream content of the milk and the temperature it's cooked at.

Add the almond essence 10 minutes before removing. And the almonds last.

Spread out in a large buttered tray.

Test: Drop a little mixture in a bowl of cold water if it sets to a firm ball, it is set. The more almonds you add the softer the toffee; also it offsets the sweetness. Can't cut down the sugar -- wont set.

Everyone loves my Milk Toffee. I hope you are successful in making it. ENJOY

On 07/08/2010 10:08am, JL wrote:

G'day Lydia

Thanks for the recipes. I am going to give them a try. My original post was back in 2007 and am so pleased for any variations.

cheers

June

On 07/08/2010 01:08pm, Lydia wrote:

Welcome June. Do try them because everyone loves my Kul Kuls and Milk Toffee. I am Anglo Indian but have been living in Canada for the past 43 years. Unfortunately, I do not make Rosacoques!! If I can get a good recipe from one of my friends I'll post it.

On 08/08/2010 02:08pm, JL wrote:

g'dau Lydia

Just one last question please. You mention using 'cake and pastry flour'. Over here in Ausralia we get Self Raising Flour (with the baking powder added)and Plain Flour (one needs to add the baking powder). Which one is preferable to use?

Thanks

June

On 08/08/2010 06:08pm, Lydia wrote:

Hi June,

Cake and pastry flour is not the same as self raising flour. Use all purpose flour in this case. Cake and pastry flour is a finer flour and recommended for cakes and pastries but can be substituted for all purpose. The difference is minimal -- only a professional would know the difference.

Lydia

On 16/12/2010 03:12pm, judy wrote:

Lydia, when do you add the butter? along with the almonds? - thanks :)

On 16/12/2010 05:12pm, Mamta wrote:

Hello you two

Being Anglo-Indian sweets, i had never heard of them until this discussion.

If you reipe comes out well, and if you want me to add it to my main recipe list, please let me know. some pictures are always welocme.

Did you ever get around to making Rosa de coque?

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/10-traditional-christmas-sweet-recipes/80326-19.html

Mamta

On 30/12/2010 06:12pm, Lydia wrote:

Sorry, have been busy just noticed the query. The butter is added to the MIlk Toffee 10 minutes before removing. If you add it too early, the toffee mixture fries and results in a very dark toffee.

Mamta, no objections. If you like the way the Milk Toffee and Kul Kuls turned out please add it to your Christmas List.

On 31/12/2010 11:12am, Mamta wrote:

Hello Lydia

Thanks for the pictures. What are the top 3 fruit pictures?

It is funny, I was reading this recipe yesterday again and had printed it out! I don't quite follow the bit about putting it at the back of the fork and elongating it. I have looked at many other recipes on the internet, they all describe it very similarly and I don't think I will understand until I make them myself.

If you make milk tofee, please take pictures of steps.

By the way, Kul-Kul seem like a version of the well known north India sweet Shakkarpare.

Mamta

On 02/01/2011 05:01am, JL wrote:

G'day and a very happy 2011 to all:)

The part of putting a small bit of the dough onto the back of a lightly greased fork was the best part for us as kids as we could participate in the making. We ended up with plates and plates of the fabulous kul kuls with the indents of the fork tines. Mum would then deep fry them. In my mind back then, the pattern of the fork tine indents allowed for more sugar syrup to stick to the kul kuls.... Yum yum!

Cheers

June

On 03/01/2011 10:01pm, Lydia wrote:

C:UsersLydiaPictures2010-12-30IMGP0176.JPG

Hope this download works. It's a picture of my Kul Kuls.

On 03/01/2011 10:01pm, AskCy wrote:

Lydia sorry that link is a link to the photo on your computer so won't work for us.

try uploading the photo to http://www.postimage.org/ and posting the link from that..

Steve

On 04/01/2011 06:01am, Mamta wrote:

Here are Lydias Kulkuls; http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamta1/5323045618/

I hope I am able to make them soon, so I can take a few pictures of the process.

Mamta

On 04/01/2011 07:01pm, Lydia wrote:

Thank you so much for posting photograph of my Kul Kuls and the tip how to post pictures. Appreciate the info.

On 04/01/2011 08:01pm, Rajneesh wrote:

Looks very much like those lovely shakkarparas from India.

On 26/01/2011 03:01pm, Mamta wrote:

Lydia's Kul Kul recipe is now on site for anyone who is interested.

On 23/12/2011 09:12pm, Lydia wrote:

Kul Kuls similar to Shakkarparas!!! Like comparing apples and oranges -- they are totally different. The only similarity I see is the sugar coating. Shakkarparas are basically flour, clarified butter, sugar and salt. The ingredients for Kul Kuls is flour, semolina, baking powder, sugar, eggs, coconut milk etc. etc. and the shape too is so different.

I hope someone has tried my recipe and would love feedback. Just made two batches and they turned out excellent. One comment, don't substitute cake and pastry flour with all purpose flour. Ran short of some the other day and substituted -- the results weren't comparable. Also, amount of butter may have to be adjusted depending on the coconut milk, how thick or how rich it is.

On 24/12/2011 06:12am, Askcy wrote:

I think the degree of "similar" might be the point...

A jam dougnut is nothing like a waffle, but a if you compare a jam doughnut with a waffle covered in maple syrup they are similar to each other when compared against a roast dinner and stir fried chicken....

Steve

On 24/12/2011 08:12am, Mamta wrote:

Lydia, can you please describe what exactly cake and pastry flour is, because it is not sold as such in many countries. Is this correct; "Cake pastry flour will be same plain flour in UK, maida in India, with lower gluten content than the bread flour". If yes, I can add it as a note.

On 27/12/2011 05:12pm, Lydia wrote:

Mamta, I'm a home baker, not a professional baker and would dare to answer that. In some cases, all purpose flour can be substituted with Cake & Pastry flour without a significant difference, just like all purpose sometimes can be used instead of bread flour in some bread recipes with success. As mentioned, I ran out of Cake and Pastry flour and so used half all purpose and half cake and pastry flour. The Kul Kuls made with Cake and Pastry Flour were lighter. I have been researching baked donuts. Found that they use a lot more baking powder in the baked version. So I increased the amount of baking powder from 1 1/4 tsps. in my recipe to 1 tbs. and I am happy to report that there was a difference, the Kul Kuls were a little lighter so I have adjusted my recipe.

Will research your query and see if I can come up with an answer.

On 27/12/2011 06:12pm, Lydia wrote:

Hi Mamta,

Just looked up a very reliable source of which I am a member, here's what they say:

With just 6 to 8% protein, cake flour imparts a more tender delicate texture to baked goods. They also say that all purpose flour is more absorbent and cake flour less absorbent. In the absence of cake and pastry flour, here's their suggestion:

2 tbs. cornstarch plus 7/8 cup all purpose flour = 1 cup cake flour

Note, this is an American site. Our dry measuring cups here are 8 oz. cups.

I hope this helps.

Here, in Canada, we get all purpose flour -- bleached and unbleached, cake and pastry flour, self raising flour and perhaps others that I am not familiar with.

On 28/12/2011 05:12am, Mamta wrote:

Thank you for that Lydia. I have changed the baking powder amount in your recipe.

I have also updated how to make cake flour to this: *Cake flour: place 2 level tablespoons of corn-starch/flour in a measuring cup (an 8 oz. cup) and fill it up to level with plain flour/all-purpose flour (maida). Mix well.

Hope this is now okay?

On 03/01/2012 07:01pm, Lydia wrote:

One more suggestion. If you don't frost the Kul Kuls, you could increase the sugar in the recipe to 1/2 from 1/4 cup. One of my books on cookies says that sugar in a cookie recipe enhances the color and renders a crispier cookie. Worth a try.

On 03/01/2012 07:01pm, Bibica wrote:

This is a very popular Goan recipe. Loads of recipes available on the internet. Most of them are very similar. It is sort of a very rich pancake batter made with coconut milk, flour, egg yolks etc. and baked under the broiler layer by layer. Amazing results but very time consuming. Just a thought, how about making all the pancakes in a 6 or 8 inch pancake pan, but leaving the top of each pancake slightly undone and wet. Then each pancake/layer can be assembled as per tradition -- i.e. each pancake/layer to be brushed generously with butter and assembled layer upon layer in an 8 inch round pan and baked for whatever time is needed to brown the layered dessert. I can't see why it wont work. Some of us should experiment and send in our feedback. No need to do a whole bunch of layers at the outset. I've heard of people bragging my Bibica has 40 layers or ... layers. Wow, that takes patience.

On 03/01/2012 08:01pm, Lydia wrote:

Former post should have read User Name: Lydia not Bibica -- that was the subject.

On 05/01/2012 08:01pm, Lydia wrote:

I experimented on the recipe doing the way I suggested. Does not work. The batter is very sugary and the pancake very fragile, breaks when flipping. Other alternative is to change ingredients. For the moment, time to lay it to rest unless someone has a better idea. My girlfriend tells me that when she makes it, it takes all day. Too time-consuming and too troublesome.

On 05/01/2012 08:01pm, Mamta wrote:

If it is too time consuming, I won't even think about trying it then Lydia LOL! Thanks for the feedback.

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