Prats Corner

Rustic & Dhaba Style - Peas Masala

2012-02-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

With the mention of the word 'dhaba' my thoughts immediately turn inwards as fond memories re-surface. The road trips along the countryside & highways where the lush green fields were engaged in a happy dance beneath the bright morning sun. The song 'Fields of Gold' by Sting playing in the background only complemented this serene & calming ride.

The chirping of the birds were dominant unlike in the cities. Here by the countryside it is their territory! They flutter about without a care in the world and with the abundance of food available to them and they are as happy as they can be..

As we move further and its nearing lunch time, the sight of small 'dhabas' that dot the highways make their appearance..And we just cant wait to stop by one of them to satisfy our hunger pangs while we take in the breathtaking scenery of the countryside..

After an unintentional & unexpected absence from blogging I so want to get back to cooking, clicking & blogging it!! No, I have not turned into a lazy glutton or fallen off the earth!!A sprained leg has kept me from whisking & baking & sauteeing & mixing! But then the desire to eat tasty & new recipes has not come down :) And so I finally got the time to note down many of the recipes bookmarked from other sites, magazines, blogs. Then handed over these noted-down recipes to dear mom to try it out and then as always we reviewed it, relished it....

One such recipe mom made was this - 'Dhaba Style Peas Masala'. Going through one of my earlier posts - Peas Masala, you will know that I am a recent lover of Peas..After years of mocking at the little green vegetable, I finally made friends with it..So much so that from past few days I have bookmarked quite a few recipes made with peas..

Now I wonder, what fault did I ever find in these innocent little green vegetable??

* Few of the reasons that only strengthened my bond with 'peas' -

*Fresh peas actually do taste good!! All this while I made a mistake of cooking with store bought frozen peas that taste and smell odd after cooking. Buy lots of fresh peas when they are in season, coax them out of their shells and freeze them in freeze-safe boxes.

* Fresh peas have a lovely hint of sweet taste that I did not care to notice for a long time..

* They may not come under the category of an 'exotic vegetable' but they can be used in so many different ways to dish out exotic, gourmet dishes.. Blend it with just a few other handlful ingredients to a dip or spread to go with baguettes or fresh bread. Fresh peas also make lip smacking soup.

* They are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron.

* They are low in calories and rich in dietary fibre, aid in energy production.

* They are rich in antioxidants.

* We don`t use dried peas but I heard they too have similar health benefits as that of the fresh ones.

* And for those not familiar with 'Dhabas' -

Dhabas are quaint, country style mud structure kind of restaurants. The type of seating offered are wooden planks or cots that adds to the rustic ambience.These kind of restaurants are popular in the State of Punjab. Though found in other parts of India, they mainly offer authentic and robust Punjabeidelicacies.

Dhabas were mainly started to cater famished highway truck drivers but soon gained popularity among others as well. On tasting fresh- from -the -tandoor rotis or spicy tikkas one can no doubt understand why these dhabas are so hugely popular! The tantalizing taste is simply hard to replicate at home but one can get close to it with use of proper techniques or even the vessel in which it is cooked!

This recipe I had bookmarked from Sashi`s Tasty Bites came so close to the dhaba version gravies in its aroma and taste. We had this gravy with fresh homemade rotis and my love for peas only strengthened after the meal..

This is a dish the entire family enjoyed and sure to be repeated many a times from now on... :)

GREEN PEAS MASALA – DHABA STYLE

Adapted from : Sashi`s Tasty Bites

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients :

Fresh or Frozen Peas	1 cup
Vegetable oil	5-6 tsp
Cinnamon	1” piece
Onion (chopped)	1 big or 2 medium
Tomato puree (readymade tetrapack)	5 to 6 tbsp
Chana/ chole masala	1 tbsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp or to taste
Sugar	½ tsp
Salt	To taste
Water	½ cup or as req
Coriander leaves	2 tbsp
Ghee/ clarified butter	1 tbsp
Curry leaves ( a must!)	2 strands

*Paste 1 :*
Ginger	1” piece
Garlic	5 to 6 small cloves
Green chillies	1 to 2 or as per taste

*Paste 2 :*
Vegetable oil	½ tsp
Onion	1 small or half of a med or big onion
Whole cashews	5 nos

Method :

1.For paste 2 – Heat the oil and fry the onions till golden brown over a low flame. Keep stirring in between. Remove from heat, cool a bit and then grind along with the cashews. Set aside.

2. For paste 1 – Grind together the ingredients mentioned under Paste 1 to a fine paste.

3. Heat 5 to 6 tsp oil in a heavy bottom pan/ kadai and add in the cinnamon, cloves, chopped onion. Fry till onion turns light golden.

4. Add the paste 1 (ginger-garlic-chilli paste) and fry till raw smell goes – about a minute or two.

5. Add in the tomato puree and fry for 2 mins.

6. Add the Paste 2 (brown onion-cashew paste) and fry oil separates.

7. Add the chole masala, chilli powder, salt, sugar. Fry for 1 minute while stirring constantly.

8. Add in the peas, coriander leaves, some water and cook 3 to 4 mins.

9. Lastly add ghee and fresh curry leaves. Remove from heat.

Serve hot with rotis, phulkas, naan or simple pulao or ghee rice.

Notes :

· You may add fresh tomato puree instead of the tetrapack ones. If adding fresh, you will need about 4 medium tomatoes. Soak them in hot water (blanch) for 5 mins or till skin peels off easily. Peel skin, discard the seeds and puree in a mixer.

· If the peas is a little hard, you may boil it separately for 2-3 mins, drain and then add to the gravy.

Celebrate Simplicity : Apricot Yogurt

2012-01-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

"It is the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary " ~ Paulo Coelho

The sight of the cheery orange sun behind the trees as it gets ready to rise and fill your day with warmth and light is sure to brighten up and awaken you..The outside is filled with silence broken by chirping of birds or rustling of the leaves as the wind gently blows. This serene surrounding brings about a rush of positive thoughts into our minds as we get ready for the day ahead.

We step out to be greeted by polluted noisy vehicles and other things that get to us and dampen our spirits. The clouds make their appearance all ready to darken your day.

It takes a strong mind and a continued practice to remain cheerful even amidst chaos to see the good among the bad the ugly. When the mind is distracted the sight of the colors of the season in nature smell of the first rain roses and tulips dancing to the wind the sound of laughter or a warm fireplace in winter all can play a role in lifting up our spirits once again.

It does not take much sometimes to bring a smile on our faces or to create wonderful memories we cherish for long. An afternoon spent with friends or family sharing thoughts or maybe enjoying a freshly baked cake and listening to their delight as they enjoy the moment will be remembered more for years to come.

I have nothing against indulgence.In fact I do enjoy routine peppered with occasional indulgence as reward for something well done maybe and so on..Sometimes it takes some events that make us realize the importance of simple pleasure.Even a day of suffering from a bad cold make us appreciate the routine of just chatting or eating a meal seem like a treat.. Don`t you think

Food too sometimes in its simple and fresh form can be soothing. Freshest and locally available ingredients used in their purest form goes a long way in ensuring a healthy life. It takes just a little bit of creativity to create a simple yet special dish with fresh ingredients.

One such pleasurable dish we had recently was this Apricot Yogurt. It involves just a simple technique you use in making homemade curd everyday. When paired with fresh citrus-y orange juice it makes for such a delightful light indulgence. Serve it as a dessert on a warm Sunday afternoon for a guilt free and healthy dessert.

APRICOT YOGURT

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cook time : 7 mins

Setting Time : 4 to 6 hours

Serves : 4 to 6

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
*For Milk Mixture :*
Milk	3 cups
Cornflour	3 tsp
Sugar	1.5 tbsp

*For the Orange Sauce :*
Orange Juice – freshly squeezed	From 1.5 orange
Dried Apricots	3 to 4
Sugar	1.5 to 2 tbsp
Cinnamon Powder	¼ tsp
Curd	1.5 tbsp

*For Garnish :*
Dried Apricots - chopped
Cinnamon Powder

Method :

1)Soak the apricots req for the sauce and garnish in some warm water for 15 to 20 mins. Drain and chop.

2)In a saucepan pour in the ingredients of the Milk Mixture and whisk once to ensure there are no lumps. Keep over heat and let heat for about 5 to 7 mins.

Remove and let come to room temp.

3) In another saucepan add in the contents of the Orange Sauce and let heat for 1 minute (not more).

Remove and let come to room temp.

4) In a large bowl pour in the cooled milk, cooled orange sauce, curd. Stir with hand whisk to mix well.

May now transfer to 4 large or 6 small individual serving bowls and let set at room temp for 4 to 6 hours (Took me 6 hours). Once set/ turns into curd, you may keep in the fridge.

Garnish and serve.

Notes :

*Remember not to keep the milk – sauce mixture in the fridge before it sets. It will not turn to curd then!

*Instead of apricots, you may add cubed apples. But skip the soaking process of course.

Sending this to the event " Healthy & Hearty " hosted by Jyoti of Pages

A sweet Start - Orange Marmalade Cake

2012-01-05T03:46:00.000-08:00

Im sure you all had a wonderful time welcoming the new year, a new beginning..Its a step into another year full of hopes as you shake off and leave behind all unwanted memories of the past year. We send our new year wishes to family, friends and even strangers in anticipation of good times and successes the year may bring. Here is another chance to start afresh, a chance transform, make a difference...

WISHING ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I am glad I could make it at least before the first week of 2012 comes to an end!! t was a wonderful holiday season - celebrating dad`s bday, celebrating xmas, getting together with friends and family, good food, laughter..

Moving on straight to the recipe without much of chit chat today, lest I log off once again without publishing this post!!

This was a special cake which mom and I baked for dad`s birthday. It was surprisingly easy to mix. The difficult part was waiting to see how this would turn out..!! It baked as required by the recipe. But of course there was no way to know how it tasted until dad cut the cake. In the end all turned out fine - it was a lovely, soft, moist cake and was very addictive!!

I expected the cake to be very sweet but it wasn`t so. It had the right amount of sweetness with the wonderful scent of orange coming through. Definitely a cake to be repeated many times!!

ORANGE MARMALADE CAKE

Recipe Source : Nita Mehta

Serves 9 to 12

Ingredients :

(1 cup measuring 200 ml was used for this recipe)

ITEM	QUANTITY
All purpose Flour (Plain Flour)	3 cups
Baking Powder	½ tsp
Baking Soda	½ tsp
Salt (if using unsalted butter)	¼ tsp

Castor or powdered Sugar	2.5 cups
Butter – softened	125 gms
Eggs (room temp)	3 nos.
Orange Marmalade	1 cup
Curd/ Yogurt (not greek style)	¼ cup
Water (room temp)	½ cup

Method :

1)Grease a 9” to 10” round baking pan (I used an 8” pan). Preheat oven at 180⁰C/ 350⁰F.

2) Mix the curd with the water to get 3/4^th cup buttermilk. Set aside.

3) Sieve together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.

4) Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (not creamy) woth a electric beater. Unlike other cakes, as the butter amount is less than sugar, it will not turn creamy.

5) Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition for a lighter cake.

6) Add the marmalade and beat once.

7) Add the flour alternately with buttermilk and beat with the beater until well mixed. Here you need to add some flour (maybe ½ to ¾ cup), beat once, add some buttermilk, beat again. Repeat until all the flour and buttermilk is used up.

8) Pour the batter into the greased cake tin. Bake at 180⁰ C/ 350⁰ F for 25 to 30 mins or till done (skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. It took me about 40 mins.

If you find that the top is turning too dark but the cake is not done yet, then cover the top with parchment paper and then continue to bake till done.

Cool the cake in the tin for 5-10 mins, unmould and cool completely on a wire rack.

Decorate the cake :

Decorating this cake is of course purely optional. But since we made this for a special occasion, we went ahead and had fun in decorating it!

We brushed a thin glaze of orange marmalade over the entire top of the cake. Then sprinkled with cashew praline and sprinkles. The praline gave the cake a nice crunch in every bite!

Jola Rotti with Badane Ennegai

2011-12-30T01:45:00.000-08:00

Jowar Flour Flatbreads with Eggplant in Tamarind Sauce

Plenty of sweets and baked goodies later I realize I have not posted much of our traditional recipes in the last months. These are recipes we so often make at home and yet most of the times slips my mind to click and post them here.

Before the year 2011 comes a to a close, here I am with a specialty from North Karnataka. A typical South Karnataka meal differs a lot from the North Karnataka cuisine. A South Karnataka meal mainly includes seafood owing to its nearness to the sea. Rice is a staple of this region and is served with all traditional curries or raw rice is ground and batter thinned down and made into soft and thin rice crepes called neer dosa. Another special of this region - Shemige is also made from rice.

An everyday North Karnataka meal will include bhakris/ thin flatbread made from either bhajra flour (pearl millet), Wheat flour, Jowar flour. Bhakris are unleavened bread cooked over fire or on an iron pan. When cooked the traditional way on an iron pan, it will lend the bhakris an authentic smoked flavor that is impossible to replicate on modern non-stick pans.

A spicy gravy of locally grown vegetables is served alongside the piping hot flatbreads. A typical farmer from this region would also munch on some raw onions or hot chillies in between! A generous helping of freshly churned homemade butter is usually included, probably to tone down the spice levels from the chillies!

The bhakris may also be served with another special dish from this region called 'Jhunka' which is a spicy mixture made from chana dal flour. A variety of mouthwatering spicy chutneys also often accompanies the flatbreads.

This reminds me of an authentic North Karnataka meal I recently had in Bangalore. The ambience of the restaurant was pleasant and typical of a village with the dishes served in traditional vessels. The bhakris were made fresh right in front of us by a lady from the North region itself. An all you can eat buffet with the waiters more than happy and content to serve you a big helping of the all dishes each time you went near the buffet table! The setting was so serene, the people so welcoming that one would automatically tune off the sound of traffic and be mentally transported amidst a velvety green field in some part of Northern Karnataka!

Even with the vast difference in food and culture within the State, the common ingredient that ties both the North & South Karnataka is their love for simple and healthy food made from simple homegrown and locally available grains or vegetables.

JOLA ROTTI WITH BADANE ENNEGAI – JOWAR FLOUR ROTIS WITH EGGPLANTS IN TAMARIND SAUCE

Cuisine : North Karnataka Special

JOWAR FLOUR ROTIS/ JOLA ROTTI

(Guten free Recipe)

Makes : 12 rotis (approx)

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Jowar Flour (Sorghum Flour)	500 gms ( ½ kg )

Salt	To taste

Red Chilli Powder (optional)	¾ tsp

Warm water A little jowar flour for dusting Few drops water to cook rotis	As required to knead into a dough

Method :

1)In a mixing bowl put the jowar flour, salt, chilli powder. Mix lightly.

2) Gradually add in some warm water a knead into a slightly stiff dough. Cover with a wet cloth ansd set the dough aside for 20 mins.

3) Then knead once again and divide into big lemon sized balls. This quantity should yield about 12 portions approx depending on the size.

4) Place the dough on a floured flat surface such as a marble rolling board, flatten it and roll out/ spread the dough with your palm into a thin flat discs. Dust with flour in between if it sticks.

If you find it difficult to remove and transfer to pan, lightly grease the surface before you roll out the dough.

You may also place the portions on a lightly greased clean plastic mats (specially meant to roll out rottis etc) and dust with some flour and roll out.

5) Carefully transfer onto a hot iron tava/ iron griddle and cook over medium heat.

When the bottom side of the roti turns slightly dry, sprinkle very little water on the upper side and press with a cloth and continue to cook until the water evaporates very slightly.

Then flip and cook the other side till done. Keep pressing with a cloth so that the rotis puff up in some places. When cooked, brown spots appear on both sides.

Serve hot with Badane Ennegai, a dallop of freshly churned home made butter and some fresh green chillies!

BADANE ENNEGAI/ BAINGAN OR EGGPLANTS IN TAMARIND SAUCE

(Vegan & Gluten Free)

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
FOR THE MASALA PASTE : Peanuts/ Groundnuts (roasted & peeled) White Sesame seeds (lightly toasted) Dry Red Chillies Garlic cloves (peeled) Haldi/ Turmeric powder Coconut, fresh grated Coriander leaves/ Cilantro Onion Water OTHER INGREDIENTS : Small, purple eggplants Onions, chopped Tomatoes, chopped Vegetable oil Jeera/ Cumin Seeds Rai/ Mustard Seeds Curry leaves Chilli powder Salt	1 to 1.5 tbsp 1 tbsp 2-3 or to taste 5-6 small to medium ones ¼ tsp ¼ cup A little less than ¼ cup 1 medium size A little 5-6 nos. 2 medium size 2 medium size 5-6 tbsp 1 tsp ½ tsp 1 sprig 1.5 tsp or to taste To taste
Tamarind paste (concentrate) Jaggery/ Gur	1 tsp ½ tsp

Method :

1)Wash the brinjal/ eggplants thoroughly and wipe. Make 4 slits at the bottom but NOT all the way through. Leave the stems intact. Drop them in some salted water till the paste is ready to prevent discolouration.

2) Grind together all the ingredients under ‘Masala Paste’ into a smooth paste adding some water to help grinding process.

3) Transfer the paste into a bowl, add 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped tomato, salt. Mix. Stuff a little of the mixture into each of the slit eggplants. Keep the stuffed eggplants in the paste itself and set aside.

4) Meanwhile heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the mustard seeds, cumin and let splutter. Add the curry leaves, remaining 1 chopped onion and let the onions turn light golden.

5) Add the remaining 1 tomato chopped, chilli powder. Let tomatoes soften and cook.

6) Add the stuffed brinjals, remaining paste in to bowl, a little water to cook and cover and cook for about 15 mins. Stir in between. The oil will float on top by the end of 15 mins.

7) Add the tamarind paste, jaggery. Stir gently so as not to break the eggplants. Cook for few more minutes till the eggplants are cooked and have absorbed the flavour of the gravy and the oil separates.

When cooked, eggplants will be fork tender i.e should be able to pierce with a fork without any resistance.

Serve hot with Jowar Flour rotis or chapathis or with hot steamed rice.

NOTES :

1)Adjust the spice level and tamarind in the gravy as per your taste.

2) Do not add too much jiggery. Here it is added just the balance out the sourness of the gravy abd NOT to give it a sweeter taste.

For a Spiced up Christmas : Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

I simply love this season!! The weather is cool and pleasant, music everywhere..and most important - lots of exciting offers at the malls!! Now does that explain my irregular logging in to my blog? If you think its a 'yes' , sorry to say you are wrong!

This time around my desire to bake have doubled since last Christmas. And hence I am constantly hunting for sweet & baked stuffs to celebrate Xmas with..

This recipe was however NOT on my list..!

One night my little sis and I were watching our fav - Masterchef Australia when the contestants had to make a gingerbread house. My sis calls out to me and says - we will make this for Christmas. And I smile and brush it aside thinking this was another one of those spontaneous 'wishes' which would fizzle out the next day.

This time I was wrong...

A day or two later, sis gave a gentle (but firm) reminder of our quest to make gingerbread house. I just stare back, thoughts like 'You got to be kidding..right??' and 'Are you insane?' and some more similar ones running through my mind.

And then later I think - Please let her forget about it..!!! But Santa did not hear my wish!

For few days I kept thinking on how to escape this one. But that little girl`s sweet face and her wish for two of us to bake something together for Christmas kept floating in my mind.

I decided to meet her halfway. She agreed. One battle one! Next is to actually bake the promised Gingerbread Men.

Hunted for an easy recipe, found one. But was not successful in finding the exact cookie cutter. And so decided to do some different shaped cutters. Worked out perfectly.

Sis and I set about making the dough, rolling out and then cutting and baking. As they baked, the gingery smell that filled the house was so Christmas-y and comforting. Tasted good even - a blend of spices and hint of sweetness. This has to be one Christmas Special we will be making each year from now on..Glad I got a chance to bake these.. ;)

Sis is happy and so am I..And so are mom and dad who loved these cookies. Sigh...what a wonderful start to Christmas....

Time for some tutorials :

What is Gingerbread ?

(Source : Wikipedia)

Gingerbread dates back to the 15^th century. It is a soft, moist loaf cake with ginger as the dominant flavour. Another common ingredient is honey or molasses (treacle) for sweetness instead of just sugar.

There are different variants to Gingerbread – Gingerbread houses, Gingerbread men, Gingerbread snaps, Lebkuchen ( a German gingergread) to name a few. Another is Licitar, a Croatian Gingerbread in the shape of a heart.

Gingerbread houses are made from harder German style Gingerbread. These Gingerbread houses are decorated with candies, icing etc.

Gingerbread men are cookies made form Gingerbread cut in shape of roughly cut out little humans. The face maybe decorated as per choice – icing to mark the lips, chocolate chip for the eyes or raisins for buttons etc. No hard and fast rules here.

Now the recipe :

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Makes : 65 cookies (small to medium size).

The number depends on the size of your cookies.

Prep Time : 20 mins

Chilling Time : 1 hour

Bake Time : 12 to 15 mins

FOR THE BASIC GINGERBREAD COOKIES :

ITEM	QUANTITY
All-Purpose Flour (Plain Flour) Baking Soda Spices : Ground ginger - powder Fennel Seeds - optional Cinnamon powder Clove powder - optional (I did not add this) Brown Sugar Butter (chilled ) Golden Syrup or Honey Egg	350 gms 1 tsp 2 tsp ¼ to ½ tsp ½ tsp ¼ tsp 150 gms 100 gms 4 tbsp 1 no.

Preparing the dough :

1)If adding, pound the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder or grind in a coffee grinder.

2) Into a bowl break in the egg, add honey or golden syrup and whisk/ mix with a hand whisk.

3) Sift together the flour and baking soda into a bowl. Add in the spice powders. I did not add the clove powder. Mix well with a spoon.

4) Cut the chilled butter into cubes and add all of it into the the flour mixture. Mix/ rub in with your fingertips till the mixture resembles almost fine breadcrumbs.

5) Stir in the sugar. Mix well.

6) Add the beaten egg mixture and stir into the flour mixture. Knead with floured hands (to prevent sticking) to form a smooth dough.

The liquid from the egg mixture is sufficient to knead into a dough. I did not need any additional liquid. But in case you do need, add a tbsp or two of milk and knead.

7) Wrap dough in cling film and refrigerate until firm. This also lets the flavour from the spices blend well into the dough. Refrigerate for minimum 1 hour or even overnight.

To Bake :

8) Take the dough out 15 to 20 mins in advance. Line baking tray with parchment paper.

9) Preheat the oven at 175⁰ C (I kept close to 180⁰ C).

10) Shape the dough into balls, roll out on a lightly floured surface into ½ cm thickness. Cut into desired shape with cookie cutters and arrange on the prepared baking tray.

11) Bake for 10 to 12 mins (or upto 15 mins) till they turn golden and crisp.

Note : The cookies may turn golden and the bottom will be crisp but the top may seem slightly soft to touch. They will turn crisp on cooling. Let cool completely and store in airtight container or pipe the icing over it.

To Decorate (optional) :

Choco chip

Sultanas

Use the above two for eyes or buttons etc if making gingerbread men. Simply press lightly over the cut out cookies ready to be baked & bake!

Once baked and ready, mark the mouth or outlines of the figure with icing.

For the Icing (optional) :

¾ cup icing sugar

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1 drop colour of your choice (optional)

Mix all the above 3 ingredients in a bowl with a hand whisk. Pour into icing syringe and decorate the cookies.

Snow Effect :

If desired, may dust the cookies with icing sugar before serving to give the effect of snow.

My Notes :

1)Do not bake at temp higher than the above mentioned. The bottom tends to burn quickly as it has golden syrup while the top remains uncooked. You will need to see the first batch I baked to know what I mean!!

If in doubt you can even bake at 160⁰ C for 13 to 15 mins.

2) We are not big fans of icing or icing with food colors. Just decorated a few for trial. These cookies taste good even otherwise..

Sending this to following events :

'ONLY' - Cookies and Cakes hosted by Pari of Foodelicious

Lets Bake & be Merry by Radhika of Tickling Palattes

'Yummy Dessert' by Pranati

'Bake Fest 2' by Sangee of Spicy Treats

'Jingle all the Way' by Kavi of Edible Entertainment

'Serve it - Baked' by Krithi & Denny

Xmas Special Cinnamon Crispies

2011-12-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Even after being back amongst the comforts of our own home after a short vacation, it still feels we are on a holiday! And why not??!! With the city gearing up for the much awaited Christmas, cakes and sweet treats being made in all homes, Christmas carols in the air and starry lights to brighten all homes....sigh..its the favorite time of year again!

Once back home, it was a wonderful treat to see all the Christmas goodies being so lovingly made by all my dear foodie friends..And then a 'ringing' somewhere to let me know that I need to start too! Just a week to go and I realize I have loads to do if I am actually going to bake at least half of the items from the list made by sis and I..

I needed a recipe to get myself warmed up for all the preparations coming up next week and these Cinnamon flavored treats were simply perfect..As the aroma of sweet cinnamon filling the entire home as they baked, I could not help but dream of snow and jingles and Santa!

Cinnamon Crispies are baked treats with a cinnamon and sugar filling. And with a blend of regular and brown sugar, no wonder these can be quite a treat..Baked a batch of these last evening and they tasted yummm..The outsides are bit crispy & crusty and the center slightly soft which reminded me of a muffin or maybe a bread even.. But not that soft of course. Maybe flattening then a little more will make the centers even more crispier, if you prefer it that way.

Some traditional recipes I came across even require yeast to make these. The one I tried out makes use of baking powder and baking soda. Very little sugar is added and these have just a hint of sweetness.

These make wonderful breakfast treats or for brunch or with afternoon tea or late evening snack or a mid night snack!! Yes, basically good for anytime of the day but even more heavenly with a cup of hot tea or coffee..

I wanted the outsides a still more crispier and baked the second batch today morning. Go through my notes to see how I baked them to get a crispier outside.

And now onto the recipe...

CINNAMON CRISPIES

Prep Time : 10 mins

Bake Time : 15 mins

Yields : 12 to 15 (depending on the size)

INGREDIENTS

All Purpose Flour/ Maida – 1 cup

Baking Powder – ½ tsp

Baking Soda – ½ tsp

Powdered or Castor Sugar – 2 tbsp

Brown Sugar – 1 tbsp

Cinnamon Powder – ½ tsp

Vanilla Custard Powder – 1 tsp (for crispness)

Butter (cold/ slightly soft) – 2-3 tbsp

Chilled water or milk ( to knead into a dough ) – ¼ cup (add or less)

For the Topping

A pinch of Brown Sugar over each piece

Method :

*In a mixing bowl put the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spatula.

*Add in the castor/ powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon powder, custard powder. Mix again.

*Add the butter (I added only 2 tbsp) and mix with the wooden spatula till the flour is slightly crumbly.

*Now add the chilled milk OR water (I added water) and mix with hands to form a semi-soft dough (not too stiff and neither too soft). Add the milk/ water a spoonful at a time as required. Do NOT over knead the dough but knead gently to a dough of required texture.

You may refrigerate the dough for 15 to 30 mins if butter melts and the dough is a bit difficult to handle. Refrigerating will firm the dough.

*Preheat the oven at 200⁰ C for 10 mins. Grease a baking tray or muffin tray (see notes) lightly.

*Shape into small balls and flatten slightly. Arrange on the prepared baking tray.

*Sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar over each piece. Bake in the preheated oven at 200⁰ C for 10 to 15 mins (see notes below). They are done when the bottom is crisp and brown and tops are lightly browned in some places.

*Cool and store in airtight container. These stay good for 15 days.

My Notes :

1)The first time I made these, I got 10 crispies. The second time around about 16 for the same measurements!

2) Mine took 15 mins to get baked. The first 13 mins I baked with the tray on the middle rack and for the last 2 mins kept the tray on the top rack so that the tops turn bit more crispier.

3)If you make a batter like dough, you can pipe the mixture onto the baking tray with a piping bag and a star nozzle attached. You may pipe as rosettes or even like fingers..Or maybe even drop spoonfuls of the wet dough onto baking tray and bake.

4)If you make a hard dough, roll it out and cut into desired shapes with a cookies cutter and bake.

5) These crispies are baked in a muffin tray sometimes so that they do not flatten out completely when baking. Baking in a baking tray will yield more crispier ones.

Bright & Sunny - Carrot Jam

2011-12-02T02:07:00.000-08:00

Each time I post I plan to be regular from then on in sharing my food experiments but somehow end up like always..make my appearance once in a while. Its not that I do not trey out new dishes but where I fail is in taking photographs of them as proofs and sharing with you all!!

After a whole lot of slicing, mixing and all the balancing act in the kitchen I end up too stressed to take a pic! And now here I am, later than planned but yet earlier to my standards. That is because this is one recipe I just had to share it with you all real soon and so I just had to shake off all the excuses and click away!

(Update : On a short break & will be back soon. Do keep visiting as always & I shall get back on your queries once Im back ;) )

Made this twice in a gap of two days. The first time round was an experiment batch and so made in miniscule quantities. I was apprehensive on how it would turn out. Did not want to waste a good batch of bright, cheery, plump & fresh carrots. And the same day my uncle and aunt came over for dinner and they loved it! It was a mega hit with mom, dad and sis and with me too... I do not have much of a sweet tooth and usually prefer 'spice' in everything, including jams!

All my plans to add bit of chillies in this jam was dropped as they were addictive as it is - a bit sweet & a bit tangy from the lime.

The second batch was made just some two days later and this time in generous quantities. And so everyone at home is happy and contented..

This sunny shade jam is a multi purpose one - serve it with some toasted bread slices for breakfast, with crisp & hot pakoras in the evening or with methi theplas for lunch or maybe just enjoy them as is anytime of the day!

No fancy ingredients or complicated procedures needed. Just a handful of few everyday ingredients and a bit of love go in to making this a hit with your loved ones.... ;)

CARROT JAM

Makes about ½ cup (approx) - see the pic? Thats about how much it yielded..

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Carrots	125 gms
Sugar	½ cup
Fresh Lime juice	Of 1 lime
Lime Zest	Of 1 lime
Almond flakes	1.5 tsp
Water	¼ cup or less

Measurements I followed :

I added less than half a cup sugar for the above quantity of carrots.
For 125 gms carrots req above, I used 3 small to medium sized carrots.
1 medium carrot = 60 gms

Method :

1.Peel and dice the carrots. Put the diced carrots in a microwave safe bowl, add water. Cover the bowl with a microwave safe lid and cook/ micro for 10 mins (80% power). Check after the initial 5 mins and stir once.

When cooked after 10 mins, the carrots will be soft & cooked and almost no water remains. Drain if there is any water left and let the carrots cool a bit.

2. Transfer the carrots to a mixer along with sugar (as per taste), lime juice and grind to a smooth paste. Do NOT add water when you grind.

3. Put the paste back in the microwave safe bowl, add the lime zest, almond flakes. Microwave for 1 min.

4. Cool and store in clean, dry airtight container in the refrigerator. This stays good for a few days, maybe 10 days. Not sure beyond this as it has not lasted for even upto 10 days here!

5. Serve the sweet & tangy jam with bread toasts, pakoras, puris, masala puris, methi parathas, potato bonda to name a few..

Notes :

1.The sugar quantity for 250 gms carrots would be 1 cup. The carrots I used were pretty sweet on their own and I need just 1 cup sugar for 500 gms carrots.

2. The cooking time in the microwave for 500 gms carrots too would be the same as above.

3. When choosing a microwave safe bowl to cook, make sure its lid is microwave safe too. Some micro safe bowls will have warning that the bowls are too be used in the micro without its lid.

4. When you grate the lime zest, wash & wipe the lime well . Then grate only the top surface and not the white portion which will be bitter. The only halve them & extract the juice.

Tips & Tricks - Crispy Pakoras

2011-12-02T02:06:00.000-08:00

When mixing the batter for pakoras, add 1-2 tbsp or even upto 4-5 tbsp rice flour along with the regular besan/ chickpea flour.

This will make -

* the pakoras crispier and
* the pakoras absorb less oil when they are being fried in oil.

The Cookie Story

2011-11-27T03:42:00.000-08:00

And some Homemade Coconut Cookies

Some wonderful and happy memories of childhood stay with us forever. Often when we look back on them as adults, they can bring a smile on our face and for a fleeting moment make us all forget the humdrums of our every day life.

Passing by the neighborhood park can remind us of the countless joyous hours we spent with our siblings and friends. The little fights we had with our peers which seemed like a mini war in the making back then seems such a miniscule matter at present. But these are the moments and experiences which unknowingly strengthened our bonds with them.

Another one of the fondest memories I can think of at the moment has to be the regular visits to the local bakery. I remember being immensely awed by the 'colorful creations' or rather 'masterpieces' that were on display. Every time I wanted a little bit of everything to be packed so I could be content for a while (read : a week). Back home, these 'treasures' would be stored in their respective cookie jars and during the process quite a few would disappear if my sister or I were nearby. What I was not pleased with was these cookie jars were kept well above my reach!

The reward were worth the efforts to reach them. We would treat ourselves every day with different sizes, shapes, colors. When a so-called problem in school upset us, nothing like the sight of a cookie to brighten us up! Most of the break times in schools would be spent peeking in to a friend`s lunch box to see what fancy shaped jewels (read : cookies) she had.

The frustrating part would have to be when there remained just a single cookie and I and my sister had to justify why one of us deserved the lone cookie more than the other! While there were good sides to a 'cookie', there were some 'darker' sides too..They were something like a double-edged weapon.

These innocent cookies were often used by adults to get work done from us, say to finish your pending homework or clean our room..well you get the drift. And before you knew it, a week had passed by and it was time for another visit to the bakery.

We do not know when we out-grew our 'cookie-age'. Newer & fancier fast food joints, the movie theaters was what held our attention as we grew. Visits to local bakery became very occasional and then disappearing with time. The cookie jar that once had been under the lime light lost its charm in our eyes and was pushed far behind in the shelf.

A few years ago as my family and I were going on a long drive , the music blaring in the background sis and I caught a faint whiff of something very familiar that instantly brought in a rush of pleasant memories. A look outside revealed to us that we were in front of a cookie factory! It had been ages since we had bit into some fresh, sweet cookies.

This long lost 'friend' of ours caught our attention for few minutes, discussed a few pleasant memories we had had with them and then we moved on to our destination. Back home I was once again reminded of our brief moment of joy on being brought face-to-face with something we so well associated with our childhood.

Set about mixing the flour, butter, sugar, shaped them into little rounds and off they went into the oven to be baked. Biting into these fresh, homemade, flavorsome cookies made us all feel we were kids once again - carefree and innocent! The cookie jar was full and contented once again and seemed to smile back..... :)

Coming back to the present (as the cookies have all gone now!), I just had to share these easy to make Coconut Cookies with you all.. My recent encounter with the 'cookie' which held a special place some ages ago made me realize we never fully 'outgrow' this phase. It is just pushed far behind, beneath all our everyday tasks that are far more important for now. This phase just waits patiently to be re-surfaced once again.

COCONUT COOKIES

Easy to make, chewy, coconut-y & addictive cookies!

Makes 20 to 25 cookies

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Plain Flour/ Maida	85 gms
Baking Powder	¾ tsp
Salt	A pinch
Butter (at room temperature)	55 gms
Dessicated Coconut	40 gms
Castor Sugar	55 gms
(or powdered sugar)
Water	2-3 tsp or as required

For the Glace Icing : (optional)
Icing sugar	85 gms
Hot water	1-2 tbsp or as required
Glace Cherries (halved)	To decorate

Method for the cookies :

1)In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar nicely until light and creamy, about 5 mins or so. Use a hand whisk.

2) Now sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into the creamed butter. Add the dessicated coconut. Mix once with a spatula and then with your hands to bring it together . Add a tsp or two of water to form a dough. The dough should not be very stiff nor too smooth.

3) Preheat oven at 200⁰ C for 10 mins. Nicely grease a baking tray with butter.

4) Shape the dough into small rounds and arrange them on the greased baking tray.

5) Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 mins till done. The top will still be light and the base will turn a bit crisp & brown when done. Mine got done in just 10 mins. The top may seem slightly soft to touch but will harden on cooling. Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack.

6) Store in airtight container. They stay good for a week atleast.

For the Glaze Icing :

Applying icing on top is purely optional. The cookies taste just as good without the icing too. I iced few of the cookies and left most of them plain and they stayed good for a week.

You may apply the icing on the cookies to be served just before you serve too if you wish to serve them in a fancy way.

1)In a bowl put the icing sugar, add some hot water to make them into a thick paste like and spreadable (not runny) consistency.

2) Immediately apply the icing with a cutlery knife over the top of the cookies. They set over the cookies within a few seconds of applying.

Keep one halved glace cherry over each of the cookie. Serve.

Notes :

1)I did not measure the icing sugar-water quantity. Just mixed the two to get the right consistency and applied over just few of the cookies. We enjoyed the rest plain.

2) Always apply icing on completely cooled cookies.

3) After baking as the top of the cookies seem slightly soft to touch and will still be light in color, do not over bake. They will harden on cooling.

What is Dessicated Coconut?

Desiccated coconut is a grated and dried (to the perfect moisture content) meat of mature coconut. This ensures a longer shelf life. They are crisp and white in colour. It has a sweet pleasant and fresh taste of the nut.

It can be used as a substitute to grated fresh coconut in household preparations or for baking biscuits, cakes, cookies, muesli etc. They may also be used as topping for sweet or savoury dishes. They may also be used in smoothies, salads, chutneys, pattice, gravies. They taste excellent even when used as coating for chocolate balls.

The sweetened coconut flake is commonly available at the market. When you buy, make sure they are clean and off white in colour and have sweet aroma of coconut. Do not buy if they have dirt content and avoid yellowish coloured. coconut.

To store : The shelf life of dessicated coconut is longer when compared to fresh coconut due to lesser moisture content in the former. Dessicated coconut can be stored in plastic bags and refrigerated for upto 6 months.

Source : Tarla Dalal

Full Appearance : Corn & Mushroom Tartlets

2011-11-19T03:16:00.000-08:00

As promised friends here are all the missing ingredients processes of my previous post - The Tart Shell Experiment..

Having assumed that the making of the Short Crust Pastry itself would take a lot of time ( and I was not even sure if the experiment would be a success mind you) I chose a simple filling. After browsing through pages & pages of savory tarts recipe, I finally came upon this recipe - a mixture of the various recipes I came across! If the base fell apart, i could at least use the filling as a topping for toasted bread or baked bread moulds or for canapes etc..Well...you get the point..

I was worried for nothing as the base came out of the oven basking in all the glory. The simple filling actually worked perfectly with the wheat short crust pastry. The chilled butter used for kneading the base did lend it a slightly flaky & layered texture.

I would suggest you use a blend of wheat flour & plain flour as the recipe states as wheat lends a nice taste & aroma. So you don`t need heavily spiced filling or an overload cheese..

Corn and Mushroom based filling topped with tangy tomato puree is quite light ( for a tart ), easy & hassle - free to put together. And like always, I`m not very generous when it comes to adding cheese to any recipe. Hard core cheese lovers too I`m sure will be sufficiently satisfied (read : satisfied enough to ask for a second helping) with just a few sprinklings of cheese the recipe calls for.

My mantra here is : It is necessary to indulge but in moderation...

And so my conclusion : this savory tart recipe meets the requirement for a tasty, easy to make & easy to eat finger food!!

CORN & MUSHROOM TARTLETS

Serves : 5-6

Ingredients :

For The tartlets/ Base/ Short Crust Pastry :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Plain Flour Wheat flour Butter (chilled)	100 gms 150 gms 125 gms
Salt Pepper powder	½ tsp 1 tsp
Powdered sugar	½ tsp
Dried Oregano	1 tsp
Ice cold water	To knead the dough

For the filling :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Olive oil	1 tbsp
Butter	1 tbsp
Onion	1 medium
Boiled corn (frozen)	½ to ¾ cup
Sliced mushrooms (tinned) (or chopped green capsicum)	1 cup
Dried Oregano	1 ½ tsp
Salt	To taste
Black pepper powder Grated cheese (cooking cheese) Chopped jalapenos (optional)	To taste 4-5 tbsp 2 tbsp

For the Sauce :

Approx measurements. Increase or decrease tomato puree as per taste

ITEM	QUANTITY
Tomato puree (tetra pack)	¼ cup
Cornflour	1 ½ tbsp
Salt	A pinch
Black pepper powder	To taste
Chopped fresh coriander leaves	1 tsp

For the topping :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Grated cooking cheese	1/3 cup (or as desired)
(or mozzarella)

Dried oregano Chilli flakes (optional)	To sprinkle on top of each tartlet -do-

Method :

For the base :

Click here for the Short Crust Pastry recipe

For the filling :

1)In a non-stick pan, heat oil & the butter. Add the onions and sauté till they soften. Do not brown them.

2) Add sliced/ chopped mushrooms and sauté till moisture leaves the mushrooms and turns dry. Or if adding capsicum, add now and sauté for 2-3 mins. You could even add a little of both.

3) Add the boiled corn, chopped jalapenos and mix for 2-3 mins. Add the seasonings and oregano and mix for a minute or two. Remove from heat and immediately add the grated cheese and mix well. Set the filling aside till serving time.

For the sauce :

1)Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Proceed :

1)Take the prepared (pre – baked) tart base and keep a tbsp or two of the filling depending on the size of the base. Pour a tbsp of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle grate cheese, oregano, chilli flakes.

2) Bake at 190 C for 5 to 7 mins or till cheese melts. Then let cool for 10 mins and serve as a starter with your favourite mocktail or along with soup.

Variations for the filling :

1)You can skip the mushrooms and add 1 ½ cups boiled corn instead.

2) May add a tbsp or two of chopped green olives too.

A final glance,

Photography by my cousin Kavya Rao

The Tart Shell Experiment

2011-11-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

The easy, simple way out sure tempts one to opt for it sometimes, but no doubt the challenging ones beckon you too quite often!

One of my experiences that made me conclude the above was the making of the perfect tart shell. Everywhere I kept reading people`s opinion on how complicated it was to knead the perfect dough. And then instead of being put off by these not-so-happy experiences of others, I decided to try it out for myself before arriving at this common conclusion.

Read on to know the trials and errors of my different attempts...Or skip straight to the recipe to see the final results :)

It was my first attempt and I set about making the tart shell. The dough started coming together a little later than the recipe stated but anyways I could shape and roll them out & blind bake. But texture lacked the acceptable quality of a tart crust...Sigh...another attempt on the way then..

Photography by my dear cousin Kavya Rao :)

And the next time I pulsed the ingredients in a mixer till they resembled bread crumbs or just started coming together. Till here it looked like it was coming as per the recipe. Took it out and did a final kneading. And then I saw that it looked a tad stickier than it was supposed to be. Anyways I refrigerated the dough for an hour and took it out and still found it was too moist. Proceeded to making the Apple Pie as planned anyways. The crust even after baking was too delicate and crumbly but the taste was good. Well at least something turned out fine..

Sat about analyzing where I went wrong when I realized I had added too much butter for that amount of plain flour used. I had measured the flour in a cup and should have checked to see how much grams it equaled to! Its basic maths gurl!!

It was time for the third attempt. This time I had decided I would use only the gram measurements..:) Set about mixing and kneading and baking and there came out a beautiful tart base. Well not an exact one you will find in a bakery or like those done by expert home cooks. But it was to my satisfaction level. Loved the aroma too from the oregano. They even tasted good plain and without the filling! Tasted similar to the Spicy/ Khara biscuits we get at bakeries!

I cannot say this is the perfect tart base recipe..I may need to make a few more changes maybe the next time I get the motivation to try another batch of the tartlets. But this will do for the time being... :) So do feel free to make changes to this as per your taste.

I forgot to take a pic of just the base..Will do so next time & update.

Some even add a pinch of baking powder when sifting the flour. Not sure what difference it would make. Need to try it next time.. :)

Now to the recipe..Here is the recipe for the base and the recipe for the filling to follow in my next post..

TART BASE/ SHORT CRUST PASTRY

Ingredients :

For The tartlets/ Base :

Makes about 15 tarts (of the above size). A slightly larger size may yield 8-10.

ITEM	QUANTITY
Plain Flour Wheat flour Butter (chilled)	100 gms 150 gms 125 gms
Salt Pepper powder	½ tsp 1 tsp
Powdered sugar	½ tsp
Dried Oregano	1 tsp
Ice cold water	To knead the dough

Equipment Needed :

Individual/ mini tart moulds

Method :

For the Base/ Tartlets :

1)Sieve the flour into the mixing bowl. Add the salt, powdered sugar, pepper powder, oregano. Mix lightly.

2) Cut the butter into cubes. If it turns bit warm by the time you finish cutting them up, regrigerate the butter cubes for about 5 mins.

3) Add the chilled & cubed butter into the flour. Rub in the flour gently with your fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs/ pea sized pieces of butter remain.

4) Now add the cold water a tablespoon at a time & mix to make a stiff dough. You may find that they do not perfectly hold together but will turn out fine later on. (it did for me :))

5) Divide the dough into golf sized balls (depends on the size of your tart moulds). Roll out on a lightly floured surface with the help of a rolling pin. The rolled out dough should not be too thick nor too thin. They should be of size slightly bigger than the tart mould so that they cover the base and a little of the sides as well.

5) Press the rolled out dough into mini tart moulds. Trim at the edges if they peek out from the moulds. Prick with fork to prevent the base from puffing up.

6) Blind bake the dough in a preheated oven at 200 C for 10-15 mins or till pale golden.

7) Cool & use as required.

Notes for the tart base :

1)You can knead/ prepare the dough in a food processor too. To mix in a food processor, combine both flours, salt, oregano, sugar in it & pulse once to mix. Now add in the chilled butter cubes & pulse 6 to 7 times till it resembles breadcrumbs or pea sized pieces of butter remains.

Add the ice cold water a tbsp at a time and pulse until the mixture just starts coming together. To check if done, take a small portion of this flour mixture & if they hold together, its ready.

Transfer dough onto a clean surface and knead lightly to bring it all together. Divide into balls and proceed as above.

2) You can prepare the dough, then wrap the entire dough in a cling film and refrigerate for at least half hour to make the dough firmer & easier to handle. It can be refrigerated for a day or two even.

In that case, before you divide into balls, keep the dough aside at room temp for about 5 to 10 mins so that they soften a bit & makes rolling out easier.

3) The base can be blind baked and stored in an airtight container for few hours or upto 1 day in advance. At serving time, keep the filling & bake/ serve as the recipe requires.

4) Always knead a tart dough gently and never apply too much pressure.

5) One of the secrets to getting a flaky pie crust is to use chilled butter.

6) Instead of wheat flour and maida, you could 250 gms plain flour too.

7) If making the base for a sweet filling, skip the oregano, pepper. And make the base from only 250 gms plain flour.

Some recipes call for bringing butter to room temp and then adding flour to it. So this goes to my to-do list and hopefully this method is a lot less tricky!!

For more tips on tart shell making, you could visit this site I came across. It has a clear step wise pictures too..

Cottage Cheese in a sweet-spicy Red Bell Pepper sauce

2011-11-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

Every now and then,

when the world sits just right,

a gentle breath of heaven

fills my soul with delight...

~ Hazelmarie `Mattie` Elliot, A Breath of Heaven

Finally...I`m here, face to face with my computer all ready to start typing away the happenings of the past weeks. It was not meant to be a break but unexpected events kept cropping up and I had to push all plans to post another of my culinary experiment way down the line. Somewhere at the back of my mind I did feel the 'need' to blog & the guilt for not doing so crying out for attention. After an intense battle, my desire to' type away' took over and so here I am folks :)

I do chide myself for not making extra effort to make my presence here as usual. And let me not bore you with all the details and happenings as I could go on on!! Its been a while you see since I shared all my thoughts with you all...See...here I go again..on & on..!!!!

Photo Effect by Anjali Rao

Let me just sum up by saying, it was 2 weeks of fun and celebration!! Started off with the Diwali preparations and then enthusiastically welcomed the festival. Just as the festive celebrations ended, it was time to celebrate my little sister Anjali Rao`s birthday... :) We had a wonderful time planning surprises for her, planning a `French Menu`(as per her wish!), baking a cake etc etc..And in the end to see the joy and appreciation on her pretty lil face made all the preparations so worth it! Well you see now why I had to make some extra time for other tasks :)

Sometimes in life its the simpler acts, few happy minutes spent with loved ones, what you do for others rather than for your own self that become a part of the 'Happy Memories' list that we carry throughout our life.

Now apply the same formula to your every day meals. While you want to experiment and create new and complicated dishes, there are times you crave for simple, soul-comforting food. On my quest to make a list of such simpler and comforting dishes, I came upon this recipe form the book - 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer.

Having read so many good reviews of this book, I just had to buy one! After going through pages and pages of mouthwatering Indian recipes given a special touch and presenting them in attractive, contemporary ways I decided on encounter with this book that it even exceeded my 'high' expectations!

At this point my sister`s motto comes to mind, never have 'high' expectations, you can be disappointed after you actually 'see' it. Well, this was what she concluded after having too many hopes for new movies and then being greatly disappointed on actually seeing it!

Coming back to the book, it has been conveniently divided into different categories - spice blends, vegetable, legumes, meat to name a few. And moreover it has a whole category to the all-time favorite - paneer! Simla Mirch Paneer is one recipe from this category. What induced me to try it out the instant I saw it was the simplicity and flavors of the dish.

Simla Mirch Paneer is `embarrassingly easy` (as the book states) to put together. The gravy has a rich, natural color and flavored with the sweetness of cardamoms and spiciness from the chillies. As you take a spoonful of this rich sauce, you are pleasantly hit by the mild sweet-spicy flavor which is highly addictive! Another plus for this is that it has no onion or garlic! A dish ideal for everyday meals or special dinner parties even.. :)

The only change I made to this is adding crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) instead of cilantro. Its just a habit with us at home to add it to all dishes possible, including regular dals.. Fresh cilantro tastes just as addictive.. :)

SIMLA MIRCH PANEER ~ COTTAGE CHEESE IS RED BELL PEPPER GRAVY

Serves : 6-8

Recipe Source : 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Cashewnuts (*raw/untoasted*)	¼ cup
Red bell peppers (red capsicum) – *halved,* *Deseeded & cubed*	2 large ones
Green cardamom pods	5-6
Green chillies, *slit*	2-3 or to taste
Water Red chilli powder/ cayenne Paneer/ Cottage Cheese cubes Freshly chopped cilantro	2 cups 1 tsp or to taste 200 gms 2 tbsp
(or 2 tsp crushed kasuri methi) Salt	To taste

Method :

1)In a pan pour 2 cups water and add in the cashewnuts, cubed bell peppers, cardamom pods, chillies. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, cover pan with lid and cook over a medium-low flame till the bell peppers turn fork tender. Stir in between.

This may take around 20 mins.

2) As it cooks, shallow fry the paneer cubes in few tsps oil till all sides turn a very light golden. Set aside.

2) Once the bell pepper is cooked, remove from heat and let cool a bit. Then blend the mixture to a smooth puree along with the cooking water. You can do the blending process in 2 batches too if the jar is too small.

3) Pour the smooth puree back to pan, add in the salt, chilli powder, paneer, cilantro or kasuri methi. Cover and simmer for 5 - 7 mins to let the paneer take in all the flavours of the spices and herb.

4) Serve hot with warm rotis, chapathis or as the book says, tastes good even with some buttered toasts!

My Notes :

Do not fry the paneer too much. They will turn chewy. If they turn too dark, you can dip them in some salt water before adding to any gravy. This will make them soft.

Sending this to 'Only' - Curries event hosted by Pari of Foodelicious and Kamalika of Janaki`s Kitchen

And to the event 'Healthy Lunch' hosted by Smita & guest hosted by Kavi

A Savory recipe for Diwali - Shakkarpara or Tukudi

2011-10-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Diwali is just another excuse at home to make this crispy, mildly spiced tempting, fried savory..This is one farsaan that is made all year round at home and the stock is replenished quite often!!

These are not too spicy but of course you could increase the spice level as per your taste. But I would suggest you go easy on the spice and salt as I found they taste better when both these are added in moderate quantities..

They store well in airtight container but its hard for me to say for how many days as they do not often last very long :) We enjoy it with tea or coffee or with rice and sambhar or simply just munch on them whenever our heart desires!!

Moving on to the recipe...

TUKUDI

A fried savory dish.

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Maida/ All purpose flour	3 cups
Bombay Rava	1 cup
Hot ghee	~ 2tbsp
Salt	To taste
Red Chilli powder	2 tsp or to taste
Water Oil to deep fry	To knead a dough

Method :

1)In a wide bowl mix together maida, Bombay rava, hot ghee, salt, chilli powder. Add enough water to knead to a stiff dough.

2) Shape them into big round portions and roll out like a chapathi/ tortilla. Using a pizza cutter cut them into diamonds – cut them diagonally first into semi wide strips and then again in the other direction.

3) Deep fry them in hot oil over medium flame till golden as seen in the picture. Do not fry them to too dark a color too as they will not taste as good. Drain on paper towels.

4) Let them come to room temperature and store in an airtight container!

My Notes :

1)A variation to this is a sweet-spicy version which is very addictive.. Skip the chilli powder and instead add a little (a tbsp or two or to taste) powdered sugar and some fresh green chillies paste when kneading the dough. Fry as above and store in an airtight container.

Now now dear sis, you have to wait till Im done taking pics..!!!

You just can`t resist can you?? Guess its enough of photo session for today..Wait...wait for me...don`t finish it all!!

Sending this to 'My Diwali My Way' hosted by Khushi of 'A Girl`s Dairy' :)

And to Serve it - Festive Potluck hosted by Krithi and Denny

Finally....the 7 links challenge :)

2011-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

I was delighted when Zareena of My Experiments with Food and Charishma of Cherie`s Stolen Recipes tagged me for the 7 links Challenge..Both had informed me of this sometime back and I finally got the time to post it..Thank you both!!

So here goes...

The most beautiful post..

This has to be the one of amma`s best recipes from her kitchen she wished to share with you all.. - Masala Dosa..

And a post by my dear sister Anjali.. I was immensely touched by her enthusiasm to cook/bake for the first time in her life only to post something special on my blog..Here is her Moist & Eggless Chocolate Cake

The most popular post..

Based on the number of hits the most popular post has to be Glazed Eggless Mango Cheesecake. I kept postponing my plans to try out a Cheesecake as I simply did not want the extra calories by way of generous amounts of cream & cheese!! And then I got a request from a friend for a Cheesecake recipe & at the same time came upon this no eggs, no bake, no cream Cheesecake which fit all my requirement perfectly.. :)

The post that was surprisingly successful...

I was surprised to receive positive feedback from many blogger friends and relatives for my Coriander Seeds Thambli, a traditional Udipi recipe..

The most controversial post...

None so far..and would of course want to avoid it in future too.. :)

The post that did not get the attention it deserves...

My earlier posts got less views of course compared to now..But I don`t want to say they did not get the deserved attention..My earlier posts did receive sufficient attention that was acceptable for the initial stage.. :)

The most helpful post...

Based on number of views my most on Face Massage at Home was the most helpful and popular post..

The post I am so proud of....

The one post I am proud of is Focaccia. It was the first time I had ventured into baking yeasted bread or even using yeast & was quite proud of the results.. :)

I wish to pass on this Challenge to :

1. Jisha of Jisha`s Kitchen
2. Ananda Rajashekar of A Pinch of Love
3. Sushma Mallya of Authentic Food Delights
4. Chitra Hegde of Chitranna
5. Nisa Homey of Cooking is Easy

The rules

Blogger is nominated to take part.
Blogger publishes his/her blog
Blogger nominates upto 5 bloggers to take part

The categories are

Most beautiful post
Most popular post
Most helpful post
Most controversial Post
A post whose success surprised you
Post you feel did not get attention it deserved
Post you are most proud of

Diwali Special - Kaju Burfi

2011-10-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

An easy to make Cashew Fudge

Row of lamps bordering all homes, laughter and fun, family reunions, rangoli, giving, receiving, sharing, a wonderful array of sweets and savories that is the common meaning of the festival of lights - Diwali!!

No doubt excitement, planning and preparations have begun in most homes. A mouthwatering platter of sweets and savories are shared with family, neighbors, friends and guests who drop in to be a part of the diwali celebrations.

Easy to make sweets are quite handy in these times but of course they need to be 'Diwali Approved' - which is they must taste divine & royal!! This kaju burfi is one such recipe.

These are not similar to another popular cashew delicacy which is the kaju katli. This cashew burfi is different in the final texture and method of preparation compared to the katli. But no doubt that these are equally satisfying and easier to make..

Here is the recipe...

Please note : The credit for making this goes to Amma..I was just lurking near the kitchen door when this was being done and finally made myself useful by taking a few pictures and then sis and I giving our positive, satisfying feedback... :)

KAJU BURFI

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Cashew powdered	1 cup
Maida/ All-purpose flour	2 tbsp
Regular sugar	1 cup
Water – for sugar syrup
Ghee/ clarified butter	Maximum 2 tbsp + 1-2 tsp to grease the thali

Method :

1)Take whole cashews which are at room temperature. Powder them to get 1 cup

cashew powder..

Add the maida to the powdered cashew and set aside while you make the sugar

syrup.

2) In a heavy bottomed pan put sugar and just enough water to cover it. Make

syrup of single string consistency and not more.

3) Now add the cashew-maida powder, little ghee and stir constantly till it leaves

sides of the pan and a bit thick.

4) Transfer to greased thali/ plate,cool the burfi a bit and then cut into diamonds.

Store in airtight container once cooled.

My Notes :

1)The mixture may seem a bit watery when ready and starts to leave sides. But it

will thicken more on cooling.

2) Make sure that the cashew before you powder is of room temperature to get

the right consistency burfi where the rich flavour of cashew comes through well.

3) It is important to make sure the sugar syrup is of the right consistency before adding the cashew-maida mix.

One final look at these addictive burfis....

Sending this to 'My Diwali My Way' hosted by Khushi of 'A Girl`s Dairy' :)

And to Serve it - Festive Potluck hosted by Krithi and Denny

A quick meal with Sabudana Upma

2011-10-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

Oil painting by Prathima Rao

An entry for Blog Hop Wednesday

" Golden, woodsy, rusty and yellow,
A season that keeps me calm and mellow.

Rustling leaves, dancing to the breeze,
Fills my mind with ease.

The air is crisp and the hues are bold
Like the sun has sprinkled dusts of gold.

I am in awe at Nature`s enchanting creation,
As I wipe a tear of admiration. "

.......By Anjali Rao

Thank you my dear sis Anjali for that beautiful poetry on autumn.. :)

Three months of hopping around in foodie blog world, of new friends, new dishes, wonderful memories, new culinary techniques...Has it been three months already?

When Radhika sent a mail informing of her intention to start a 'Blog Hop' it was a mix of rain and summer here! The neem tree just outside my bedroom window was adorned with velvety green leaves and stood proudly mocking at the other smaller plants beside it. It was the season for picnics on sunny days and splashing about in the rain when the skies opened up.

And now the leaves of the neem tree are turning to a shade of rusty yellow and slowly falling away. The air is chilly showing signs of the coming winter

Its been three months of exploring so many wonderful food blogs. While we regularly appreciate the wonderful culinary creations of other blogs and 'bookmark' them to 'try out' on a later date, often these 'days' never arrive.

Blog hopping was a wonderful opportunity for my family and I to try some of the dishes we had planned on making ages ago! The experiments were sans any lengthy 'research' on google to find out the 'perfec't recipe. Wonderful, keeper recipes along with some really appetizing clicks and handy hints and all you had to do was recreate what other bloggers have posted! It was a chance to appreciate and give due credit to other bloggers for the wonderful recipes they successfully tried and posted.

And did you think this 'Blog Hop' is coming to an end? Certainly not!! If interested in participating in the next batch and making some amazing friends click here!

This week I am paired with Monika of Sin-A-Mon. It was a pleasure going through her wonderful blog with scrumptious, mouthwatering recipes!! I have bookmarked quite a few recipes from her site and for today`s blog hop gave this Sago Kichdi a try. It made a light yet filling and a tasty evening meal... :)

I first soaked the sago without washing in a cup of water. At the end of two hours I found while some where very soft, few sago were still quite hard. Then put into force the emergency back up plan. Discarded the first batch of soaked sago. Then soaked some more sago in hot water for just 15 minutes and it was ready to use! Thank you Monika for this wonderful recipe :)

Here is the recipe from Sin-A-Mon with few modifications.

SABUDANA (SAGO) UPMA

Serves : 5-6

Ingredients :

ITEM	QUANTITY
Sago/ Sabudana	1 ½ cups
Green gram dal/ Moong dal	½ cup
Rice flour	1 tbsp
Oil	5 tbsp
Mustard seeds/ rai	½ tsp
Cumin seeds/ jeera	1 tsp
Onion – medium size, chopped	1
Green chilles , chopped	1 or to taste
Curry leaves	5 – 6 leaves
Hing/ asafoetida powder	A generous pinch
Ginger, chopped	½ inch
Peanuts – roasted & coarsely crushed	5 tbsp
Salt	To taste
Sugar	¼ tsp
Lime juice, freshly squeezed	Of ½ to 1 lime
Coriander leaves	To garnish
Boiling water & water at room temp

Method :

1)Soak the moong dal in water (room temperature ) for 2 hours or minimum of half an hour depending on how quickly they soften. Drain water through a colander.

2) Wash the sago well. Drain. Pour boiling water on sago enough to cover it. Close the vessel with a lid and set aside for 15 mins. Drain water through a colander. Sprinkle with the rice flour to separate the grains.

3) Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the mustard and cumin and let crackle. Add the asafoetida, chopped onions, green chillies, ginger and fry till the onions soften.

4) Add the curry leaves and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the drained sago and dal, salt, sugar. Cover and cook on low flame till both the sago and dal are cooked. Stir in between to prevent ingredients from sticking to the pan. You can sprinkle more oil if necessary.

May take from 8 to 10 mins to cook them depending on how soft the sago and dal were when soaked.

5) Adjust seasoning. Add the crushed peanuts, lime juice. Mix once, garnish and serve hot.

My Notes :

1)If unsure if the dal will cook well along with sago, you could cook the dal separately till it is just tender. Drain. Squeeze the excess water when it cools down a bit. Add it to the pan after the sago is cooked. Then add the lime juice and peanuts.

2) Adding moong dal is optional. You could add some vegetables instead.

3) You could also add 1 to 2 boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes. If adding potatoes, add after the sago and/or dal is cooked. Add the potatoes along with lime juice.

4) You could add peeled and grated carrots. If adding, add after the onions are translucent. Fry the carrots for a minute or two and then add sago.

5) May add 2 tbsp grated coconut instead of peanuts.

6) The soaked and drained sago before adding to the pan should separate easily without sticking to each other. Hence some rice flour is added to soak excess moisture. You could add a tbsp of besan/ gram flour instead. Do not add flour more than the specified amount.

7) You could apply oil on the insides of the pan completely before doing the upma to prevent sticking.

Sending this to Blog Hop Wednesday - Week 7 by Radhika of Tickling Palates

Khaman Dhokla

2011-10-12T01:46:00.000-07:00

AN ENTRY FOR BLOG HOP WEDNESDAY

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it ~ by Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist

Some incidences have happened to me too many times to be ignored. I just think I need to meet a person for some reason and fate complies. I meet 'that' person unexpectedly during our outings! If you thought it only applied to local acquaintances then you are wrong. Ah...the wonders of Facebook! I login to find 'that' person online after ages!!

Ditto for some recipes I plan to make for the week. I plan to do some hunting for the 'perfect' way to make that 'dish'. And there I sit in from of my lappy planning to search away till I hunt 'it' down but only to find my blogger friends would have already done that work for me!! Then all there remains to be done is write it down and head to the kitchen. :)

We at home love dhoklas!! They are easy to make, tasty & healthy!! All this while though we have relied on ready made dhokla mixes to satisfy our dhokla cravings. These were quite delicious, soft and spongy. Making this Gujarathi delicacy from scratch had been on my to-do list for quite sometime but always wondered if they would give the same satisfying results. So there was an excuse to putting off any plans for making them for the time being.

And then it was time for another week of Blog Hop. Yet again things seemed to work in mysterious ways as my next blog hop pair Kalyani of Sizzling Tastebuds had Dhoklas in her blog!! Bookmarked this a week ago. And then I switched on the television to find a lady explaining how to make dhoklas! And on another day as I sat and flipped through the pages of a magazine I came upon yet another recipe for dhokla! I found people I met during the last two weeks discussing dhoklas...!!

So khaman Dhokla it was for this week`s blog hop!! And it actually tasted even better than the packet version we were so used to.

What is Khaman Dhokla?

These are soft, fluffy, savory cake from the Indian State of Gujarath. They are made from a batter of besan or chickpea flour and steamed Once steamed, they are tempered with mustard seeds, sesame and coconut and served alongside with green chutney. Perfect and authentic dhoklas have the right balance of sweet, spicy and slightly sour taste.

A twist to the regular tempering here is the sprinkling of few drops water after removing the pan from heat and stirring it with sugar. This helps to keep the dhoklas soft and moist for a few hours.

KHAMAN DHOKLA

Serves : 4-6 / Makes 15 pieces (approx)

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Ingredients :

Ingredient	Quantity
For the Batter :
Besan/ Chickpea Flour	1 cup
Rrava/ semolina	1.5 tbsp
Salt	1 tsp
Sugar	½ tsp
Ginger-Green chilli paste	1-2 tbsp
(or 1-2 chillies + 1”pices peeled ginger)
Lime juice	2 tsp
Turmeric Powder Water Eno fruit salt For the tadka/ tempering : Refined oil Mustard seeds White Sesame Seeds Asafoetida/ hing powder Fresh Curry leaves Green chillies, chopped Sugar Water For Garnish : Fresh coriander leaves, chopped Freshly grated coconut, optional	¼ tsp As req 1.5 tsp 1 tsp ½ tsp 1 tbsp A pinch 6-8 1 1-2 tsp 1-2 tbsp

Method :

1)In a wide bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the batter (except eno). Add enough water (approx ¾ cup) to make a smooth pancake/ idli consistency batter. The batter should be of flowing consistency but thick enough and not watery. Taste and adjust salt, chillies, sourness. Set batter aside till the steamer is ready.

2)Grease a round, 7” to 8” diameter and 2” deep steel thali/ cake pan with a tbsp of oil.

3)Heat some water in a steamer just sufficient to fall short of the bottom of the pan/ thali when placed on it. Place the ring which comes with the steamer. Bring the water to a rolling boil.

4)Now add eno fruit salt to the batter and bubbles start to appear almost immediately as it starts to act up when combined with lime juice. Mix once very lightly and quickly pour the batter onto the ready thali/ pan. Do not try and spread the batter as it will result in a hard dhokla. Set this thali/ pan in the steamer over the ring. Cover with lid and cook over a high heat for 15 minutes or till done (see notes).

5)Remove the thali,/ pan and set aside to cool slightly, about 15 mins.

6)For the tempering, heat oil in a pan and add the mustard and let them crackle. Add the sesame seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and sauté for 5 to 8 seconds. Now add sugar and remove the pan from heat and add water. Stir to melt the sugar. Do remove the pan from heat when you add the water, you know what how it would splatter otherwise!

7)Then pour this tempering over the dhokla and spread it with a spoon. Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut. Cut into equal squares and serve with mint chutney, coriander chutney or sweet and sour tamarind chutney.

My Notes :

1)The dhoklas are cooked when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Also the color of the dhokla will be opaque yellow, looks spongy and spring back when touched. The skewer method is usually sufficient to test doneness.

2)Never open the lid when dhoklas are cooking for at least 10 to 15 mins as they may collapse.

3)Eno fruit salt, widely available in Indian groceries stores is popularly used for relief from indigestion, nausea, acidity. Fruit salt contains soda bicarbonate and citric acid.

4)Some people use a combination of oil, soda bicarb and lemon juice in place of eno fruit salt. A recipe I came across said 1 tsp soda bicarb, 2 tbsp oil and juice of 1 lemon to be mixed together and then added to the batter made from 2 cups besan. I have not tried this way though and not sure of the results.

5)If you do not have a steamer, you could steam in a large wok/ pan that has tight fitting lid. Just pour some water into it so that it comes to just below the bottom of the thali/ cake pan. Keep a pastry ring or a steel bowl upside down. Then keep the thali/cake pan filled with the batter. Cover pan with lid and steam till done.

Few more visuals of this Gujarathi delicacy :

Sending this to Blog Hop Wednesday - Week 6 by Radhika of Tickling Palates. Do hop over to her blog to check out what the blog hoppers have dished out!!

And also to Fast Food not Fat Food hosted by Archana and Priya.