There are several ways to memorialise a milestone birthday. Chef Annuradha Toshniwal, a home chef from Mumbai, turned 70 last month and released a cookbook to celebrate her birthday. Titled 70 Unlocked, the scrapbook-style collection of recipes features dishes that she perfected through the multiple lockdowns. Along with options for mains and snacks, there is a selection of refreshing drinks, cold and warm soups, fresh breads and quick desserts.
There are 111 recipes and Toshniwal has paid attention to the one ingredient most crucial to urban kitchens: time. Most of the dishes—be it the roasted pumpkin with mango soup, Bihari-style eggplants or tamarind rice—will take no longer than 30 minutes to prepare.
She devised a clever time-saving hack for making desserts by using tinned sweetened condensed milk. It thickens sweet treats within minutes, doesn’t call for addition of sugar and gives a nice creamy finish. With Lounge, she shares two easy dessert recipes from her book that contain the magic ingredient—condensed milk.
Baked yogurt
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup yogurt
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup cream
For baking, pick a six-inch mould or four small ones, like ramekin bowls.
Method
1. Take all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Pour the mixture into greased moulds.
3. Bake at 180 degree C for 15-18 minutes. Please keep checking. It should not be overbooked.
2. Cool and serve topped with any fruit.
Kalakand
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 tbsp milk powder
2 tbsp yogurt
400 ml condensed milk (1 tin)
1 tbsp lemon juice
100 gm crumbled paneer or ricotta cheese
Method
In a bowl, put the milk powder, yogurt and condensed milk. Mix well.
Microwave for 1 minute. Give it a gentle stir.
Add 1 tbsp lemon juice. Give it a gentle stir.
Microwave for 1 minute.
Mix in the crumbled paneer or ricotta cheese
Refrigerate for a few hours.
Serve chilled
Toshniwal has self published the book and it can be bought on the Instagram account @70Unlocked.
