Aale Paak/ Ginger toffies…. and 5 things which the world does not know about me.
So its JFI time!!!!! This is the first time I am submitting an entry for JFI!!! (Where should I go and hide my face!!!???) Either due to work commmitments or my cam problems I could never contribute for this wonderful event started by Indira.
I believe that cooking for food events should be fun and not something which is a compulsion or a punishment. Don’t stress yourself to run behind deadlines for submitting for food events!!! Mine or anyone elses. 
So shall we begin!!!! I didn’t really know what to make for this month’s ingredient since I use ginger as a spice for most of my cooking!!!! (I would be flooding Rosies post if I were to send them all :P ) Then it rang a bell about this recipe which I had noted down a few yrs back in my cookbook. Ginger Toffies!!!!! Traditionally, also know as Aale Paak. If I am not wrong its a typical maharashtrian food item. (Where are my maharashtrian friends??? Am I correct???) This also goes as of my contribution to FAHC.
This is typically eaten in extremely cold weather to give warmth to your body. I guess you would be wondering why did I make it then, when I almost always shout about the warm Singapore weather!!!! I made this to send it with my hubby who is now nicely enjoying the warmth of it in 0* temperature at London!!!!! GGRRRRR……..
The recipe which I had calls for this proportion of ingretients:
200 gms fresh gingerroot,
300 gms sugar,
1/2 cup whole milk (or, 1/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup cream)
But if I were to use this, then I would have made them in wholesale!!!!! So I took help of this site and used a bit of my own imagination to adjust the quantity. The result was just perfect!!! Just the right amount of sugar and just enough ginger.
The quantity I used for making about 25-30 toffies is:
I used only how much you see in the pic.
Wash the gingerroot. Scrape and slice it into small pieces. Cut through the fibers of ginger so that you dont get them while you eat the toffies
Grind the pieces into a fine paste with some milk for smoother grinding. Gingerroots should be ground to a very fine paste, else you will end up getting thick fibers of ginger in your mouth when you eat pastries.
Take a microwave proof vessel. Combine the ground paste, sugar and remaining milk into it and microwave over medium to high power. In every 2 minutes (microwave setting may vary), remove and stir the mixture with a spoon. Meanwhile grease a tray or deep plate with 1 tsp of ghee.
The mix.
After 2 mins
After 4 mins
After 6 mins. It was almost done at this stage, but I wanted the brownish colour so I continued for 1 more min.
After 7 mins.
When the mixture slightly thickens, drop a small amount of mixture in a plate. Check with the thumb and index finger if it can turn into a hard ball. Do not heat more.
Remove from the microwave and immediately pour the hot mixture into greased tray or plates. Spread evenly with the back of a spatula or flat bottomed bowl. To make the spreading easier, grease the spatula with a little bit of ghee.
Once cool, cut into square pieces of desired size, which was my original intention!!!! But once I finished spreading I thought, why not roll them into toffies. So I greased my hands and began rolling them. Now you have to be real quick if you plan to do what I did!!!!
A word of caution: The mix is burning hot!!! You have to be quick in rolling otherwise its hardens very fast!!! I finished rolling all the 30 toffies in about 8-10 mins time with no fan on and all the windows in the kitchen closed!!!!!
You can also make this over the stove if you don’t want to use microwave. But it will take a slightly longer time than it did for me in the M/W.
I rolled them in aluminum foil and off it went with my hubby to London.
The pic is kinda blurr!!! But you get the message, right??
I am tagged by Sra to reveal 5 things about me which the world does not know about me!!!! So here I open my Pandora’s box!!!! (Wanna know what she thinks I look like???)
I am allergic to soy/soya/tofu!!! Yeah!!! can you beat that!!! The most healthiest of all foods and I am allergic to it!!! I will run into rashes and itchiness and my face will become as red as a strawberry!!!!!
When I was in school, I was a national award winner for one of my paintings
!!! I still remember I had done a painting of ‘Snow white and the Dwarfs’
Till celphones came into our lives, I could remember phone numbers like I am some memory bank!!!! Even the other way round!! Give me a number and I could say who does it belong to !!
Until I got my current job as a lecturer for bio-med, I was working as a teacher in a small learning centre earning 5$ an hour!!!!!
When I came to Singapore after my marriage I could not work over here because of my visa status and the fact that Singapore does not recognise Indian Medical/Dental degrees. So to pass my time and to get out of the boredome of sitting at home I took up a course for Montessori teaching, which I quit in about 3-4 months time!!!! I realized that I was not meant for it. I probably took it out of desperation for the sake of doing something and to ward off my boredome!!!! But I realised very soon (after spending a few hundred dollars) that this is not what I want to do. This is my advice to everyone out there (especially to the newly married who have relocated to some foreign land)……. If for some reason you are not able to work, don’t just take a plunge!!!(like I did) Things will smoothen with time. Till then make the most of what you have. This time will never come back again.
Necessity is the mother of invention!!!Boredome is the mother of creativity!!! And I discovered this with my paintings!!!Now who shall I tag????
I am waiting to hear some of your secrets!!!!!!! (Do it only if you guys want to.
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29 Responses to “Aale Paak/ Ginger toffies…. and 5 things which the world does not know about me.”
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Coffee
Hi and welcome to The Cafe!
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to browse through the recipes. Your comments and feedback are more than welcome.
Do come back for some more coffee…..
~ COFFEE!!
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Toffee from Coffee ! its wonderful . nice entry for JFI-ginger. I think Rosie will be glad to see this ,as initially she was hesitant with her selection
.
.
I love this idea. this also will do good in cold ,u know ? As something bit similar and bit different than this is what i just saw on Kajal’s blog.
thanks for sharing the recipe for toffee. I will try making it sometime .
Love reading your Meme too !
-Pooja
Thanks pooja.
I went over to her blog, but like so many others she has also switched off anonymous comments, so being on wordpress I cannot comment on hers!!!! 
If you happen to read this, do let her know. 
Coffee..that’s nice entry for JFI and very interesting meme..i liked the fifth one especially because, four years ago i wen thru the same.As you discovered paintings i discovered knitting&crochetting….
Hey!!!! I also do (used to) a lot of crochet!!!! I have made table cloths and umteen number of bags!!!! We friends had taken a stalll in our college event and had sold over 100 bags!!!!!
Well said about not taking plunge in foreign land. When I came to US on dependent Visa, all my friends told me to work atleast in wallmart. But I didn’t want to do it. I am happy that, last 1 year I spent in taking complete rest and developing my site. I never would have done it with my work. I also keep trying to tell my friends this ‘piece of advice’.
Toffies look great :). Nice entry for the event.
Yup!!!! I had made the mistake
I hope someone can take this advice and not make the same again. 
Hi coffee! Nice to read your meme! I am seeing your paintings - looks like you are partial to purples and yellows! Very nice ones, i especially liked the still life and the charcoal
Thanks Sra
Yeah, I do have a preference for yellows!!!! And more so for flowers!!! I somehow always end up painting flowers!!!!! PHEW!! You will see one more coming up next weekend also on the shades of yellow orange and red 
But I hope to do something other than the flowers!!!! 
Very cute candies R! Lucky husband,eh?! Spicy candies on a cold UK!!Great entry.
Thanks Asha
Yeah…. spicy candies in cold weather!!!! And me 
No candies in this horrible weather 
just loved ur painting rooma. u know i totally agree with u on taking things as it comes. look at me, after 7 months of struggle im doing what i love the most and enjoying my work:) but sometimes i do wish i was sitting at home just sleeping and eating;)
thanks for tagging me and i will post it soon:)
tc girl
cheers
I would love reading your secrets too Sia.
Coffee, Cute ginger toffies, have them with a cup of coffee
Enjoyed reading ur Meme. Agree totally, “boredome is the mother of creativity” !! ‘Purple droop’..wht do i say…”beautiful !”
Hey, Thanks for blogrolling me. I was so happy to see my title in ur list :)) As u said, now its quite addictive, I’m already a ‘mouse potato’ :))
Shn
I am hopeing to see more coming out of your kitchen.
Hey Coffee,
Loved reading your meme. Congrats for the National Award for painting and really happy to know that you are doing waht you want to do
Lovely toffies…
YES!!!!
Lovely recipe of ginger toffee. Winters are receding here.Next year I’ll make it for sure.
Sure Archana.
Hi Coffee,
Thanks for visitng and dropping comment in my bolg,,,,i likes your wonderful collection of receipes. painting(excellent,elegant).
This is perfect entry for JFI-Ginger,it iwasinteresting to know about you more.
Hey i felt really releaxed,actually i was working before married.After married i was occupied,do was at home. Once i came here i felt like continue to work,luckily i was in working status Visa too,got my EAD(work permit).
Pass5months i was sending resumes to all post through many site,finally was feeling very fedup…After reading yours, i felt comforting….
I’m adding you my blogroll…
Glad that I could be of help Usha.
Hi Coffee! kem che? thodi toffees anhiyan moklidey, we’re getting 2 damn winter storms…..I need it ( the toffees,not the storms).
Nice reading some more about you….you gave some good advice there…
Take care…off I go to clean some more snow, wanna come and help?
How about some exchange offer????!!!!! I will send the toffies and you send me some snow???!!!!! What say
Wow, ginger toffees, never had them before. Would love to have some now in the snowy winter. Enjoyed reading about you.. And your paintings are just awesome especially the Flower girl sketch. Keep it up..
Thanks Pavani.
Coffee, Wow I loved the ginger toffee. Never heard of it before but the pictures look so tempting and i am sure I am gonna just love it as I love ginger.
Also loved reading your meme and your small little advice there. I was so much like that when I got married and I couldn’t work or do anything. Then I made up my mind to take things as they came and thank god to that.
-
Seema
Thanks Seema.
hi coffee
ginger toffees are looking delicious..u have a great art..good advise..
Wow !! looks great !! two toffee entries for JFI
YUP!!!
Its coffee no its toffee…remember that?
I am totally amazed by your talent Rooma… you should consider putting some of your painting up for sale through your blog. Check the blog Paris Breakfasts…she does that.
I am sure so many foodies would love to hand the orange still life in their kitchen.
HUH!!!!! You are speaking out my thoughts !!!!
I plan to do that someday (don’t know when is that someday) Thanks for the encouragement Ashwini!!!! I can take it all!!! 
Hi Coffee,
Enjoyed reading ur meme… and ur paintings too. i loved the purple drop painting.. ginger toffees are wonderful. thanks for the recipe
Hi coffee…enjoyed reading ur meme..never knew u paint sooo well…i loved the flower girl painting! getting to know the details about a person makes us feel closer to them, right?
Hi Coffee,
Healthy home made toffee!!! Enjoyed reading your Meme. Thanks for sharing.
Hi coffee! Thanks for visiting. You have a great blog–will be back soon!
g
Just came hopping in from Krithika’s ginger toffee post and now you! Ginger toffees look fabulous. Nice pics too. Nice reading the meme. One thing I have in common with you. I have a knack with numbers as well. Thanks for tagging me. Will try to participate soon.
Great!!!!
Will wait to read ur secrets.
Ginger Toffee looks great. I buy the ginger people candy regularly.. now i’ll try making it at home. Liked your Meme too..
Sure!!! And thanks.
Hi Coffee,
Loved your ginger toffees! Now it is cold in ‘Sunny California’ and hence the perfect treat to try in the weekends. How do you manage to take such awesome photos of each step? I could never do that…I am always tensed that something will char or over-heat when I do that!.BTW, Your painting looks awesome!
Hehehe…. I go super slow whem i am taking pics for a particular dish.
After I started blogging…. I realised how much I loved taking pics 
What better way to satisfy my newly discovered love of photography!!! 
Coffee! Okay, I am completely awestruck looking at your paintings! They are absolutely beautiful, you are truly gifted! Hope to see some more of your work.
The ginger toffies look very tempting! I’ll probably be making them this w/e! We need all the warmth we can get in this cold! Thanks for sharing
- Roopa
Thanks!!!!
I can take all the encouragement. 
Coffee — WOW! You are a true artist in and out of the kitchen — what a talent! “Purple Droop” is nothing short of spectacular — just as delicious as the ginger toffees!
Linda
Thanks Linda.
What a great recipe, cute wrappers as well. I keep trying to sending goodies to my brother who is pretty far away, I need to try this.
Sure
. Do let me know how you like it. 
Hi rooma,
I just came know about your site.U have got lots of good recipes and Iam just impressed with ur paintings dear.They are real beautiful.With out learning any where, just bu doing ur self with the help of books and websites…great work man.Keep it up!!….Shall visit ur site frequently
[…] its bragging time for me!!!!!! I have been asked to reveal 7 things about me yet again. Out of 7 things only 6 are true and one is incorrect. Can you guess which one is […]
Hi..ur ginger toffees are really tempting..will surely try themm
thanks for ur recipe…
http://www.divya-dilse.blogspot.com