Useful facts and figures

USEFUL FACTS AND FIGURES FOR BAKING

Baking is one area of cookery where you really do need to be very accuracy in your measuring of ingredient quantities, tin sizes and oven temperatures. The following charts  should give you all the information you need on cup and spoon measurements and conversions from metric to imperial.

CUP CONVERSIONS

·         1 Cup plain/self-raising flour                   125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup Butter                                         250 g (8 oz)

·         1 Cup Cocoa powder                           125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup Corn flour                                  125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup desiccated coconut                     90   g (3 oz)

·         1 Cup Flaked coconut                          60   g (2 oz)

·         1 Cup Currants                                    150 g (5 oz)

·         1 Cup Custard powder                        125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup chopped glace fruit                     240 g (7 ½ oz)

·         1 Cup grated chocolate                        125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup chopped chocolate                    150 g (5 oz)

·         1 Cup chocolate melts                          150 g (5 oz)

·         1 Cup chocolate bits                             175 g (6 oz)

·         1 Cup Hazelnuts                                   140 g ( 4 ½oz)

·         1 Cup chopped hazelnuts                      120 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup ground hazelnuts                         110 g (3 ½ oz)

·         1 Cup ground Almonds                         185 g (6 oz)

·         1 Cup Mixed peel                                 185 g (6 oz)

·         1 Cup passion fruit pulp                         250 g (8 oz)

·         1 Cup raisins                                         125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup Sultanas                                      125 g (4 oz)

·         1 Cup caster or granulated Sugar           250 g (8 oz)

·         1 Cup Icing sugar                                  25 g (4 oz)

LIQUID CUP MEASURES

¼ Cup 1/3 Cup ½ Cup ¾ Cup 1 Cup

60 ml 80 ml 125 ml 185 ml 250 ml

2 fluid oz 2 ¾ fluid oz 4 fluid oz 6 fluid oz 8 fluid oz

SPOON MEASURES

¼ Teaspoon ½  Teaspoon 1   Teaspoon 1 Table spoon

1.25 ML 2.5 ml 5 ml 20 ml

INTERNATIONAL INGREDIENT NAMES

Baking Tray Bicarbonate Choc bits Chocolate melts Cornflour Cream Custard Dark chocolate Flaked almonds Flaked coconut Golden syrup Greaseproof paper Hazelnuts Icing sugar Madeira cake Mixed peel Plain flour Piping bag Sprinkles Thick cream

Baking sheet Baking soda Chocolate chips       Chocolate buttons Cornstarch Single cream Custard sauce Plain/bittersweet chocolate Sliced almonds Coconut flakes Light corn syrup       Waxed paper       Filberts       Confectioners’ sugar Pound cake       Mixed candied citrus rind       All-purpose flour       Decorating bag Hundreds&thousands       Double/heavy cream

WEIGHT                                                     LENGTH

10 g                    ¼ oz 30 g                    1 oz 60 g                    2 oz 90 g                    3 oz 125 g                 4 oz 150 g                 5 oz 185 g                 6 oz 220 g                 7 oz 250 g                 8 oz 275 g                 9 oz 300 g                 10 oz 330 g                 11 oz 375 g                 12 oz 400 g                 13 oz 425 g                 14 oz 475 g                 15 oz 500 g                 1 lb 600 g                 1 ¼ lb 650 g                 1 lb 5 oz 750 g                 1 ½ lb 1 kg                    2 lb

5 mm                           ¼ inch 1 cm                            ½ inch 2 cm                            ¾ inch 2.5 cm                         1 inch 5 cm                             2 inches 6 cm                             2 ½ inches 8 cm                             3 inches 10 cm                           4 inches 12 cm                           5 inches 15 cm                           6 inches 18 cm                           7 inches 20 cm                           8 inches 23 cm                           9 inches 25 cm                           10 inches 28 cm                            11 inches 30 cm                            12 inches 35 cm                            14 inches 46 cm                            18 inches 50 cm                            20 inches 61 cm                             24 inches 77 cm                             30 inches

Sesame Halva or Halva Thahini

Sesame Halva is a favorite dessert in the Middle East.. In Kuwait it is known as Rehash (this word comes from Arabic Language).It is a traditional sweet among Arabs. I used it as an ingredient to make Coffee sweets of Arabs, from my experience if I made some thing with Rehash, it is guaranteed for sale. Rehash is available in different flavor with Rose water, spices, Dates syrup etc. Served with coffee or tea, it is the perfect ending to any meal.

Nut-butter–based

This type of halva is made by grinding oily seeds, such as sesame, to a paste and then mixing with hot sugar syrup cooked to hard-crack stage. This type is popular in the eastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions, in countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro Bulgaria, Russia, Greece and Cyprus , Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Macedonia, Albania, Syria, Central Asia, Southern India, Caucasus region and Turkey. It is also popular in Algeria and on the central Mediterranean islands of Malta.

Sesame

Sesame halva is popular in the Balkans, Middle East, and other areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The primary ingredients in this confection are sesame seeds or paste (tahini), and sugar, glucose or honey. (called ‘erq al halaweh in Arabic; çöven in Turkish), egg white, or marshmallow root are added in some recipes, to stabilize the oils in the mixture or create a distinctive texture for the resulting confection.
Other ingredients and flavourings such as pistachio nuts, cocoa powder, orange juice, vanilla, or chocolate are often added to the basic tahini and sugar base.
The word halva entered the English language between 1840-50 from the Yiddish halva. The latter term came from Romanian, which in turn came from the Turkish helva, a word which itself ultimately derived from the Arabic Al ḥalwā, meaning sweet confection. The Arabic root حلوى ḥalwā means "sweet".




Here is a recipe for sesame sweet: -

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sesame seeds
  
• ¾ cup tahini
  
• ½ cup sugar
  
• ½ cup honey
  
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
  

Preparation:

In a skillet, heat sesame seeds over medium heat until lightly toasted  or can be toasted in an oven.

Once cooled, add sesame seeds to a food processor  or in a wet grinder one cup at a time and blend. Add tahini, sugar, honey, cinnamon and allspice and pulse until mixture is thick and nearly solid

Line a baking pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and press mixture evenly into pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares and serve.

Some of the Coffee sweets with Sesame sweets.

 <<< Sesame Sweet available in the market

 Coffee sweet with Rahsh filling>>>>>>

<<<

 Arab cookie with Rehash>>>>>>>

 <<<< Arab Cookie with Rehash filling and Garnishing

Back Water and Sea Food from Kerala

Kuttanadu, a beautiful place in Kerala  the God's own country. It is a  land of back water, paddy fields, House boats etc. Once you visit there ,never forget the taste of delecious foods, roaming around on house boats.