Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Waking up to the smell of warm toast is just heavenly. But the happiness stops there as one fails to think beyond shop-bought jams, marmite, marmalades, peanut butter, margarine or mayonnaise. Do you know that basic ingredients at home can be blended together to make some mouth-watering spreads?
Bring home the goodness of fruits and nuts to kick-start your mornings in a healthy and delicious way. Enjoy every bite of the golden warm bread with some sweet spreads. You can also add some zest and zing to your boring sandwiches with the palate-tingling savoury spreads. These sweet and savoury spreads can coat a cracker and your favourite fruit buns as well.
Recipes for Sweet Bread Spreads
Mixed berries jam
Cook time: 25 mins
Serve: 4
Type: Spread
Ingredients:
- A pack of mixed berries: 200g
- Sugar: 50 g
- Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
- Star anise: 2-3
- Salt: a pinch
Method:
- Put mixed berries, sugar, cinnamon, star anise and salt in a saucepan.
- Add ½ cup of water.
- Bring it to a boil. Lower the flame and mash up the berries well.
- Let the mixture simmer for 20 mins. By this time the berries would have become soft, mushy and like a paste.
- Switch off the flame. Use only after it has completely cooled off.
Tip: Jams need a lot of patience and time. If there is water even after 20 mins of simmering, do let it simmer for some more time. Jams are made best when fruits simmer in slow flame and get dried off.
Mango and Coconut Spread
Cook time: 3 mins
Serve: 4 per
Type: Quick fix spread
Ingredients:
- Mango Srikhand: ½ cup
- Coconut: ¼ cup scrapped
- Ginger: ¼ tsp grated
- Mint: 4 leaves
Method:
- Hang the srikhand in a muslin cloth to drain off any liquid.
- Grind coconut, ginger and mint into a smooth paste.
- In a bowl mix srikhand and coconut paste.
- Check for sweetness. You can add some powdered sugar if you prefer.
- This is a quick substitute for jams/ sweet spreads.
Chocolate and Walnut Spread
Cook time: 10 mins
Serve: 4 per
Type: Spread
Ingredients:
- Chocolate chips (dark): 1 cup
- Walnuts: ½ cup
- Butter: 1 tbsp.
- Powdered sugar: ½ cup
Method:
- In a double boiler melt chocolate, sugar and butter.
- Once melted remove from heat and add roughly chopped walnuts.
- Cool the chocolatey delight and enjoy the rich spread.
- This spread can be made with Amul dark chocolate too.
Moroccan Amlou with White Chocolate
Cook time: 10 mins
Quantity: 150 g
Type: Spread
Ingredients:
- Pistachio: 1 cup
- White chocolate: 2 cups
- Butter: 3 tbsp.
- Salt: a pinch
- Nutmeg powder: a pinch
Method:
- To make this Moroccan nutty butter, lightly roast pistachios.
- Grind the pistachios to a fine powder.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
- Mix in butter, salt, nutmeg powder and pistachios in the melted chocolate.
- This is a perfect alternative for those who suffer from peanut allergy. It is also for those who are looking out for luscious and finger-licking happiness.
Recipes for Savoury Bread Spreads
Desi Hummus
Cook time: 2 mins
Serve: 4
Type: Quick fix spread
Ingredients:
- Paneer Makhni sauce: 4 tbsp.
- Hummus: ¼ cup
- Hung Curd: 1 tbsp.
Method:
- In a bowl mix in the hummus and Makhni sauce.
- Add hung curd and mix well.
- Your quick fix desi hummus is ready to be spread on toasts or sandwiches.
- This hummus is a flavourful option to people who are looking out for some savoury spreads.
(Tip: If you find your spread too solid, add a bit of milk to make it spreadable.)
Coriander and Cheese Spread
Cook time: 10 mins
Serve: 4
Type: Spread
Ingredients:
- Coriander leaves: a bunch
- Green chillies: 2 nos.
- Processed cheese: 1 cup grated
- Lemon juice: 2 tbsp.
- Cold milk: ¼ cup
Method:
- Take coriander leaves and green chillies and grind them into a smooth paste.
- Add the grated cheese into the mixer jar and grind again.
- While the mixer is still on, slowly add milk and lemon juice till all comes together.
- Enjoy this spread on buns or burgers.
(Tip: You can adjust the quantity of milk.)
Eggless Avocado Mayonnaise
Cook time: 10 mins
Serve: 4
Type: Spread
Ingredients:
- Avocado: 1 no.
- Cream: ¼ cup (chilled)
- Olive oil: ¾ cup
- Lemon juice: 1tsp.
- Dijon Mustard powder: 2 tsps. (You can even use paste)
- Salt and pepper: To taste
Method:
- Scoop out the flesh of the avocado.
- Take a tall jar and blend in the avocado flesh, mustard powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Once the avocadoes turns into a smooth paste, blend in cream.
- Keep blending while pouring a steady stream of olive oil. Stop blending once all the oil is incorporated. This might take a minute or two.
- Your eggless avocado mayo is now ready to be served.
(Tip: You can even use full cream milk instead of cream.)
Savoury Pineapple and Orange Marmalade
Cook time: 20 mins
Serve: 150-200g
Type: Spread
Ingredients:
- Orange juice: 1 cup
- Water: ¼ cup
- Orange peel juliennes: ½ cup
- Pineapple: 250 g
- Clove: 1 no.
- Cinnamon: 1 inch
- Ginger juice: ½ tsp
- Yellow Chilli powder: ½ -1 tsp. (according to your taste)
- Sugar: ½ tbsp.
- Salt: to taste
Method:
- Finely chop pineapple and ensure orange peel juliennes are without any pith.
- Put pineapple, orange peel, water and orange juice in a pan.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Now add clove, cinnamon, chilli powder, salt, sugar and ginger juice.
- Let it simmer till it becomes sticky and jammy.
- Cool and use the marmalade on burger buns or mini sandwiches. They go well with biscuits and crackers too.
These sweet and savoury spreads take your morning brekkie and evening high tea a notch up. You can store most of these spreads for a duration of a few weeks in a clean and dry jar. Refrigeration is important as no preservatives are added. A couple of quick-fix spreads mentioned do come in handy when you are racing against time.
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