Fancy a Parle G cake that tastes of nostalgia?
Use Parle G biscuits to make cakes, panna cotta and tarts—the secret is keeping in mind the flavours it pairs well with
For those growing up in the 1980s and 90s, the evening tea ritual would most often include masala chai and Parle G biscuits. The simple glucose biscuit might have been sidelined as more attractive cookie options with chocolate and dry fruits jostled for attention and health-conscious diets became the norm, but during the lockdown, Parle G registered record sales—the highest since it was introduced to the market in 1939.
One cannot rule out the possibility that food rituals of the past made a comeback during the lockdown thanks to nostalgia, and also because of a lack of availability of options, at least in the initial days when supply chains were disrupted. That aside, it has been interesting to see people using old favourites in new and fun ways.
Delhi-based baker and blogger Shivesh Bhatia shared an unbelievably easy recipe of an eggless Parle G cake on his YouTube and Instagram pages. It has just five ingredients and is baked in a pressure cooker (recipe below). On both these platforms, it has so far got nearly 2 lakh views.
Eggless Parle-G Cake by Shivesh Bhatia
Ingredients
300 grams biscuits
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk (can be substituted with almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1⁄4 cup walnuts (optional)
Method
Preheat the cooker for 10 minutes without the whistle on a medium flame.
Roughly break the biscuits and add it to the food processor along with the sugar. Blitz until it's a fine homogenized mixture.
Transfer it to a glass bowl, add in the baking powder and mix well.
To the bowl, add milk and vanilla. Mix until everything is well combined and the batter looks nice and smooth.
Add walnuts and fold in gently.
Generously grease a 4-inch baking pan with oil or butter. Line it with parchment paper or dust it with flour.
Transfer the batter in the pan and carefully place this pan in the cooker on top of the wire rack. Close the cooker and cook the cake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Once done, carefully remove the cake and let it cool completely before unmoulding.
If you prefer an oven or microwave, Bhatia recommends baking it at 180°C for 25-35 minutes in the former, and at 180°C in convection mode for about 25 minutes in the latter.
“If you want to use Parle G as an ingredient, start by thinking about the flavours that pair best with it,” says Vinesh Johny, co-founder and executive chef at Lavonne Cafe in Bengaluru.
The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, masala chai—so think of the flavours that go into one. It is not difficult to imagine a panna cotta version of this, because the Italian dessert is like a blank canvas for playing around with flavours and milk is the essential ingredient.
“All you have to do is infuse the milk with tea and use it to make the panna cotta,” says Johny. Alternately, boil the milk with bay leaves and cardamom to add a hint of masala flavours. Then use it to make panna cotta and garnish with Parle G crumbs and a sprinkling of cardamom powder. To turn it into a tart, line a tart mould with Parle G crust, fill in the panna cotta, and refrigerate. Once cooled, garnish with almond or pista slivers, a pinch of cardamom powder and serve.
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First Published:11 Jun 2020, 09:00 AM IST
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