Apy Cooking

Egg Curry / Poached Eggs in Spicy Coconut Gravy

2012-02-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

If you haven't tried cooking eggs directly in the curry, then you should. It's easy, saves time and also turns out quite tasty since the eggs absorb the spices in the gravy. Here's another poached egg curry recipe which is much easier. This one, (similar to this recipe) takes a bit of time because of the roasting and grinding of spices, but tastes fantastic! I have used a couple of spices here which may not be available in your pantry. One is star anise and the other is khus khus. If you don't have these, don't worry, just add an extra clove or a bigger piece of cinnamon. But I would urge you to buy these. Star anise lends a great flavour to your pulao or biryanis, so you can always use them there. Khus khus (poppy seeds) give a unique flavour to this dish. I will soon post another recipe using this spice.

Ingredients:
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp khus khus
3 to 4 cloves
2 cardamom
1" cinammon stick
1 star anise
6 to 7 red chillies (I used byadgi / kumte mirsang)
3 to 4 curry leaves
2 medium onions
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder (adjust according to taste)
About 1 cup thick coconut milk
6 to 8 eggs
Salt
Oil
Water

Method:
In a small pan, heat 2 tsp oil. Roast corainder seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, khus khus, red chilies and curry leaves on a low flame. Transfer to a blender.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Sauté onions till brownish. Transfer half the roasted onions into the blender. Blend with roasted spices, 1/4 cup coconut milk and some water. Grind into a smooth paste, adding more water if required.

In the deep bottomed pan with the rest of the roasted onions, add ginger garlic paste and roast. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder and roast for a couple of minutes. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk and bring to a light boil. Add the ground paste, 1 cup water and salt and bring to a boil. The gravy should be slightly salty.

Now it's time to add the eggs. Break eggs one by one and pour into the gravy. The eggs should be placed beside each other like you see in the picture. Don't mix. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Check once in between to make sure there is enough gravy, but don't mix. Flip the eggs and cook for a couple more minutes. Adjust salt and mix gently.

Make sure the eggs are completely cooked. You can cut the cooked eggs into half if you wish. Also, for a richer colour you can mix 1/2 tsp kasmiri chilly powder with some water and drizzle on the dish.

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant

2012-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, I had no idea what fondant tasted like. But I was very interested to work with it after watching several Food Network Challenge episodes. The first and only fondant I used was Wilton's store-bought fondant which we were asked to use at a class. Fondant is like play dough - pliable but edible. Fondant makes a cake look neat and lovely. Here's a picture of a cake I decorated with store-bought fondant (the bow is gum-paste) -

Now months later, I decided to try my hand at making fondant at home. I browsed the internet and found that marshmallow fondant was easy to make. All you need are the following ingredients-

8oz (4 cups) mini marshmallows
1 lb (a little more than 4 cups) powdered sugar
2 tbsp water

Yes that's all!! You need some crisco to grease your hands, but I didn't have any. So I thought of dusting my hands with powdered sugar, which I forgot to do. This is a very important step otherwise you will end up with a super duper mess. If that happens, just rub your hands with powdered sugar and you are good to go.

Method : (I referred this)
In a large microwave safe bowl, pour in the mini marshmallows and water. Microwave 1 minute on high. Remove and mix thoroughly, pressing the marshmallows, till you get a smooth paste. [If required, microwave for a few more seconds]. Pour powdered sugar. Mix, mix, mix.

Dust your palms with powdered sugar. Transfer the mixture to a clean cutting board and knead for a few minutes. Add a little more powdered sugar if required. Knead, knead, knead till you get smooth and pliable fondant.

If you'd like to colour your fondant, then dip a tooth pick in the colour, pull it across the required amount of fondant and knead again. You will see the colour in streaks. Knead well. Roll using a fondant roller or chapati roller. Using cookie cutters or fondant cutters, cut into desired shapes.

Cover fondant with a plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. Whenever you want to use it, just microwave for a few seconds, knead well and roll. Cut into desired shapes and adorn these on your cakes or cupcakes!!

Hearts for Your Valentine / How to Sprinkle "Love" on Your Cakes

2012-01-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day is just around the corner and you would like to make a pretty heart-shaped cake for your sweetheart. But you don't have a heart-shaped pan. No worries, just sprinkle some powdered sugar, sugar sprinkles or cocoa powder on your cake and there, love is all around!!

This is how you sprinkle "love":
If you are decorating a cake with icing, make sure the icing has set properly.
Take a parchment paper and cut out a heart-shaped design on it.

[Parchment paper should be used because it sticks easily to the icing and can be peeled off easily too. You can even sprinkle on a cake without icing ]

Place either the heart design or the outline on the cake. In a small strainer, pour a little powdered sugar / coloured sugar crystles / cocoa powder (contrasting the colour of the cake / icing). Sprinkle on the cake.
[I circle the back of a spoon or fork in the strainer so that it doesn't fall all over. If you are using thicker sugar sprinkles that don't pass through a sieve, sprinkle them directly. Also, if you are sprinkling powdered sugar then do so just before you serve. If you refrigerate it, the powdered sugar will melt and disappear!!]

Remove the design and ta-da!!

You can decorate a large cake with little hearts all over. You can even decorate your plates or cake-boards with designs of your choice. Go ahead, impress your Valentine!

Homemade Ghee / How to make Ghee

2012-01-24T02:26:00.000-08:00

This post is for those of you who (like me) have never made butter at home but would like to try your hand at making ghee. The ghee here is made with store-bought butter which comes in slabs or "sticks" as they call it here. Each stick is 1/2 a cup so I have totally used 2 cups (453g). You can easily reduce or increase the portions and the cooking time will vary accordingly.

Also, the store-bought butter (ateast the ones we get here) don't leave behind as much residue as the homemade ones and it is easier to clean the pan once done. If you are using home-made butter you may want to use a kadai as opposed to the regular vessel I have used. Don't use high heat to quicken the process, the butter could burn and stubbornly stick to your pan.

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 sticks, 453g) unsalted butter [I used Kirkland]

Method :

In a deep bottomed pan, melt butter on medium or medium low heat.

Once the butter melts completely you will see froth forming on top and you will hear hissing and crackling sound which will go on for a few minutes. Stir once in a while.

The milk solids will now start separating and the foam will start clearing. Stir every minute. Simmer. Watch carefully. After a few minutes, you will start getting a nice aroma and you will notice light to medium brown residue on the sides and bottom of the pan. [Scoop out some ghee from the bottom of the pan to check]. This means the ghee is done. Remove from flame when you see [and only after you see] this residue. Otherwise they will get darker and the ghee will also get darker and have a burnt smell.

Sometimes people add turmeric leaves for a nicer aroma and a pinch of salt towards the end so that the particles don't stick to the pan.

Allow to cool a bit. Using a strainer transfer the ghee into a glass or steel container. [You may want to avoid plastic container if the ghee hasn't cooled completely. You can always transfer it once the ghee cools down]. Strain again if required.

The ghee will solidify in a few hours.

Kori Ghashi / Kori Rotti / Mangalore Chicken Curry

2012-01-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

There are certain words which make a Mangalorean's ears perk up. "Gheeroast" and "Kori Rotti" are a couple of them. Ask any non-vegetarian Mangalorean what his favourite food is and kori rotti will probably feature in his top 5.

Kori rotti essentially means chicken curry on rice rotis. The "Rottis" are thin crispy sheets made of rice which soak up the curry and turn deliciously soggy. Half the fun of having this curry is with the rottis - they are definitely a great accompaniment.

Previously I used to get rottis from India but I was elated to find them in an Indian store here in Sunnyvale. This is what rottis look like -

For the chicken curry recipe, I resorted to the internet and saw it featured on several websites. I read through the recipes and adjusted the spices as I was cooking.

Ingredients:

1 large onion

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1” cinnamon

4 to 5 cloves

3 to 4 cardamom

12 to 15 mild red chillies (byadgi / kumte mirsang)

2 tsp chopped ginger

4 to 5 chopped garlic

2 tbsp grated coconut

1/4 tsp haldi powder

1 marble-sized tamarind

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

Approx 1 kg chicken, skinned and chopped

Oil

Salt to taste

6 to 8 curry leaves

[ I used coconut milk from a can which is very thick. If you are using homemade coconut milk you may have to adjust it accordingly]

Method:

In a large deep bottomed pan, heat oil and sauté onions till they turn brownish. Remove half of the roasted onions and transfer to a blender. Keep the large pan aside.

In a small pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Roast coriander seeds, jeera, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, red chillies, ginger, garlic and coconut on a low flame till they are lightly roasted and you get a nice aroma. Transfer this to the blender and grind along with the previously roasted 1/2 onion, haldi powder, tamarind, 1/4 cup coconut milk. Add about a cup of water little by little as you blend into a smooth paste - make sure the paste is smooth.

In the large pan (which already has 1/2 the roasted onions), pour this paste. Add chicken pieces and salt and mix well. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup water and cook covered for about 40 minutes or till chicken is completely cooked. Add more water if required, adjust salt and cook for a few more minutes.

Season with curry leaves.

To serve, place the rottis on a plate, pour curry all over it, wait for a few seconds till the rottis get soggy and enjoy!

Gobi Masala

2012-01-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days when I had no idea what to cook for dinner till an hour before dinner. I'm sure a lot of you experience this. I opened the fridge half hoping to find a box of yummy Chinese food miraculously appearing out of nowehere but that wasn't to be. Instead I saw a cauliflower looking straight into my eyes, as if to remind me that it needs to be given attention to too. I first thought of doing the usually upkari with it, then thought of trying out gobi gheeroast but was sure hubby and kiddo would find it too spicy. So I cut down the chillies, added some onions, garlic etc and made this simple gobi masala. It was already time for dinner by the time I finished, so I had less than a minute to click some decent pictures. I'm so not excited about clicking pictures of food at night. So these pics were taken half heartedly, with just a few seconds of work on it. Hopefully I'll be able to replace them with better pictures some day.

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
4 to 5 mild red chillies (I used byadgi / kumte mirsang)
6 to 8 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp tamarind
2 medium onions
1 tsp chopped garlic
5 to 6 garlic cloves
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato ketchup

Method :

Heat 1 tsp oil and roast jeera, coriander seeds and red chillies. Switch the gas off, add 2 to 3 curry leaves and haldi powder and mix. Allow to cool. Grind with tamarind and about 1/2 cup water to get a smooth paste. Add more water if needed.
Sprinkle about 1/2 cup water on the cauliflower florets and microwave for 3 minutes (mix once in between). Drain all the water.

In a large pan, heat oil + ghee. Sauté onions, garlic and ginger till onions turn brownish. Add green chillies and remaining curry leaves and roast. To this add the cauliflower florets and roast for a minute. Add the ground paste and salt to taste and mix well. Drizzle tomato ketchup and mix. Add more ketchup if the dish turns out too spicy. Cook for a couple of minutes. [Do not overcook, or else the cauliflower will lose it's crunchiness]. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with chapati and curds.

Sungta Ghashi ( Humman ) / Shrimps ( Prawns ) in Spicy Coconut Gravy

2012-01-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

Being born and brought up in Mangalore, I've been an avid sea-food lover. I enjoy eating fish when it is cooked in typical "amchi" style and this particular dish is my all-time favourite. My mom makes sure a plate of hot steaming sungta ghashi is ready for me whenever I land in M'lore.
The hing (aesofotida) adds a punch to the prawns which are cooked in a spicy coconut gravy with a hint of tangy tamarind. A day old dish is always preferred since the prawns would have soaked in all the spices.

Ingredients:

Approx 2 cups shrimps (45 to 50 medium sized), shelled and de-veined

1 ¼ cup grated coconut

10 to 15 red chillies, lightly roasted in oil (I added 14)

1 gooseberry-sized tamarind

Salt

2 tsp oil

1 tsp hing powder

Method:

Grind coconut, chillies and tamarind with enough water (about 1 cup) and some salt to get a smooth paste. [Adjust the chillies according to your spice level]. The paste has to be spicy to accommodate the bland prawns.

In a deep-bottomed vessel, pour this paste and mix the prawns in it. Add more water and salt to taste and cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes. The shrimps will curl up and appear pink in colour. Switch the gas off.

Add oil and hing powder and mix well. Adjust salt according to your taste. I like this dish slightly spicy and very slightly salty as it will be an ideal combination with rice.

And by rice I mean "boiled" rice or "ukde sheeth". Seen in this picture is "kuthari brown rice" which I bought from an Indian store in Sunnyvale. Now all this plate needs is a piece of fried fish :)!!

Chocolate Balls / Cocoa Ladoos

2012-01-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

Here's an easy-peasy chocolate ladoo recipe from Rekha Vishwanath Nayak, who posted it on a social networking site.

Ingredients:
50 g butter (I used 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tin (400g) milkmaid [or any other condensed milk]
3/4 cup powdered sugar (add more for more sweetness)
Dry fruits (optional, I did not add)

Method:
In a deep bottomed pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on medium flame. Keep stirring as you cook, specially the last couple of minutes.

Switch the gas off and allow to cool completely.
Shape into balls.

Note: If you cook the mixture too long it can get dry after cooling so if you are not able to roll them into balls, you can make burfis out of them.
If you cook the mixture for a shorter time, after cooling it may be too soft to roll into balls. Try and roll them into balls anyway and refrigerate them, they will harden in a few hours.

These ladoos taste better after they have set properly so it will be a good idea to make them a few hours or a day in advance.

Pindi Chana / Chole

2012-01-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

I just love the colour of pindi chana. The deep dark colour that disguises the otherwise off-white garbanzo beans makes the dish even more appealing. An aunt suggested adding a tea bag while cooking the garbanzo beans for the darker colour. It indeed makes a difference. I went about with the rest of the dish just like I prepare chole, except that I did not add too much water for the gravy.

I used MDH chana masala powder for this dish. It contains dry mango and pomogrante seeds powder which give a nice tangy taste. If chana masala powder is not available you could replace with pomogranate seeds powder and dry mango powder. If either of the two are not available I guess you could add some tamarind paste.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups chickpeas/ garbanzo beans / kabuli chana
1 or 2 tea bags*
2 bayleaves
1” stick cinnamon
3 to 4 cloves
2 large onions
2 tsp chopped ginger
1 or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ to 1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp jeera powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp chana masala powder
1 large tomato
Corainder leaves for garnish

[*Be careful if you are using tea bags with staples]

Method:

Soak garbanzo beans completely in water for 6 to 8 hours (overnight).
Place tea bags on the chana and cook with enough water in a pressure cooker till completely cooked. Mix well.

Meanwhile, in a deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaves. Sauté onions till brownish. Add chopped ginger and green chillies and sauté. To this add the powders, some salt and roast well for a couple of minutes. Add tomato and roast till completely cooked.

Now add the cooked garbanzo beans along with the water used for cooking. Mix well and cook covered on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring in between. Add more water if required. Add salt and mix.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Relish with puris, batura or chapatis.

Eggless Almond Coconut Cookies

2012-01-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

2011 has indeed been an eventful year for me. I did a few things I'd never dreamt of doing - wrote the 100th post in my blog, drove hundreds of miles on the freeway, ran a half marathon, learnt (a bit) of swimming, indulged in some water activities. If you ask me whether I want to live 2011 all over again, I'd say, hell yeah! But 2012 is already here bringing with it some new promises, a few challenges and lots of aspirations.

One more development that happened the previous year was I got a very good camera (thanks to my husband), so my pictures are getting better. I have started liking photography and love taking pictures of food. Previously, clicking pictures at night proved to be a challenge since taking close-up pictures meant having to tackle unnecessary shadows.

Coming to the cookies, these are a crispy crunchy lot with a delicate tinge of almond and a subtle flavour of coconut. These were actually supposed to be almond nankhatais. I was experimenting by adding almonds and coconut, with a few changes and substitutions (butter for ghee, sugar for powdered sugar). But the top did not crack like a good nankhatai's should, so I prefer calling them eggless cookies :).

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup grated coconut (not sweetened)
1 cup all purpose flour or maida
1/2 tsp baking soda

Method:
Grind the almonds (without water) for 15 to 20 seconds till they are powdered. [I did not soak them or skin them, so these are almonds with the skin].

In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a fork or spoon. You can very well use your hands. The butter should be soft (need not be completely melted) so that you can mix it easily with the sugar. Add almond powder and coconut and mix well.

To this add the flour and baking soda and knead very well with your hands till you get a soft dough. Leave aside for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop out tablespoon measures of the dough. Roll into a ball, flatten and place on the baking tray a couple of inches apart. Using a tablespoon each time will give you cookies of the same size.

Bake for about 16 minutes or till the edges turn brownish. The center will be soft. Allow to cool for a few minutes. The cookies will harden once they cool completely. This recipe yields 30 to 32 cookies.

More eggless cookies-
Nankhatai
Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
Eggless Oats Dates Cookies
Jeera Biscuits

My Baby Turns Three!! Celebrating with Train Cake

2011-12-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

Happy B'day Vineet!!

My li'l baby is now three years old!! This year I made a train cake for him which we took to his school. I followed this video to make the train. For the cake I used this recipe - baked the batter in a 9" loaf pan (for about 60 minutes). I made two batches for two loaf pans.

I did not take step by step pictures because the entire process was time consuming and I had a lot of buttercream all over my hands!! I used Wilton's store-bought icing to ice and decorate the cakes. All the steps are clearly given in the video. I more or less followed the video, making a few changes here and there.

I finished decorating the cake at 3am what with the crumb coating and all. My son was up till about 10 pm, wondering when I would finish making the cake, after which he went off to sleep. I had just finished making the loaves when he slept so he had no idea what was happening next. Until the next day when he woke up and saw the train cake. The look on his face was priceless!! :)

Merry Christmas!! Reposting Santa Claus Cake

2011-12-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

I was very excited to note that a lot of people visit my 'Santa Claus Cake' post through search engines. So I decided to repost this cake.

It is not as difficult as it looks. You can find more details here, where I've explained how I traced the designs and what tips I used to decorate. Go ahead, try it, you are so going to love it!

For the 2-layer cake you can check the following posts -
Yellow Cake
Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Basket Weave Cake

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Happy Baking!!

Gingerbread Men / Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again when the streets are lit beautifully. Every store you go, every place you visit, the spirit of the season is unmistakably infectious. It's the most wonderful time of the year is played almost everywhere and you cannot help but feel wonderful.
My (almost) 3 year old has now started understanding several things around him. And this season seems to be his most favourite yet. (Oh that is what I felt about Halloween too). His vocabulary nowadays has been widened with 'snowflakes', 'snowman', and of course, 'Santa Claus'.
The whole of yesterday, he was insisting that it was gingerbread boy and not gingerbread man while, to humour him, I was telling him otherwise. Kinda reminded me of the 'coffee - toffee' ad I heard growing up. Boy or man, these gingerbread cookies sure made our day so much more 'wonderful'. From the time I told him - 'let's bake some gingerbread cookies' to the time those cookies went into his little tummy, my restless li'l boy, though still restless, was the most well-behaved! He patiently waited as I was browsing for a recipe, was very careful when I was measuring the ingredients and used a lot of "please" when he wanted to help me cream the sugar and butter - something which he considers his job now! The two hours of wait time when the dough was in the refrigerator was the toughest for him but Dora, Diego and Team UmiZoomi came to his rescue. A couple of times, I did hear the fridge door opening but I blame myself for forgetting the safety lock.
When it was finally time to roll the dough, there he was, standing on his little chair, holding the little cookie cutter with a big smile on his face. His joy on my letting him cut a couple of gingerbread men left me so happy.
When the cookies were finaly done (he brought my attention to the beeping timer), "Amma, where are your oven mittens" took me by surprise.
When I was decorating the cookies he sat next to me instructing me where to put the eyes, the smiley etc - something he remembered doing in his school where they had to decorate a foam cut-out of a gingerbread man. Thank you gingerbread man, you sure made my day!

Recipe from here (with minor changes)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup mollases (I used Grandma's brand)
1 egg
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder (I used only 1/2)
1 pinch nutmeg powder

Icing
1 cup Powdered sugar, 1 tbsp juice of lemon, water

Method:
Bring the butter to room tempertaure. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar. To this add molasses and egg and beat further. Scrape the sides as you beat .
In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and the spice powders.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Beat with the electric mixer for a few seconds till they combine well. The dough will be sticky. Knead a bit with your hands and refrigerate covered for 2 hours. [The dough may smell strongly of molasses but will be ok after baking. Also, make sure you refrigerate the dough for 2 hours otherwise it will be sticky when you work on it.]

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cookie sheet (baking tray) with parchment paper. Remove a small portion of the dough from the fridge (about 1/3rd).
Spread some flour on a clean countertop. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Spread some flour on top. With a cookie cutter cut into the desired shape. Arrange on the cookie sheet a couple of inches apart. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. If the cookies are thinner, bake for a shorter time. The edges should look done. The centre will be soft but will harden as the cookies cool.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Here's a simple icing that you could make in seconds. Just mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tbsp juice of lemon and approx 2 tbsp water till you get a thick but flowing liquid. If it becomes too flowing, just add some more sugar.

Transfer the icing into a piping bag or ziploc. Snip off a very small portion. Decorate the cookies.

Undi

2011-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

A lot of exciting things transpired in the past few weeks and my blog graciously took a backseat. Back to the grind now with this hot steaming konkani breakfast dish. Undi is made of rice or idli rava (not to be confused with sooji. The rava is made of rice and not wheat) and fresh grated coconut. Some people prepare this dish by grinding soaked rice with coconut milk.

Typically, at Amma's place, undis are accompanied by ravo or godda paank - a syrup make out of jaggery. My husband however prefers undis with chutney.

Ingredients:

1 cup idli rava / rice rava

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated coconut

3/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

1/4 tsp methi seeds

5 to 6 curry leaves

Oil / ghee

Salt to taste

Method :

Wash idli rava with water. Drain.

Blend grated coconut coarsely. [I added a little water]. Pour over idli rava, add 2 cups water and mix thoroughly. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and methi seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves and roast for a few seconds. Pour idli rava-coconut mixture. Bring to a boil. Add another 1/2 cup of water. Add salt [I added approx 1 tsp]. Keep stirring for 5 to 10 minutes on medium heat till all the water gets absorbed. Cover and leave aside for 10 minutes till the mixture cools. [When you touch the mixture with your fingers, it shouldn't stick. If it does, cook for another few minutes till all the water is absorbed].

Shape into balls and a make a depression in the centre with a finger. Steam in a steamer or pressure cooker for 20 minutes. [Do not crowd the undis in the steamer. Allow some space between the undis. I dumped all the undis at once because I was running out of time. If they turn out too soft after steaming, allow to cool and they will harden].

For the ravo or godda paank just boil a huge piece of jaggery with 1/2 cup or so of water. Boil for about 10 minutes (stir in between) till water reduces and the solution becomes slightly thickish.

If you do not have a lot of time to make this dish in the morning, you can do most of the work the previous day. Just store the unsteamed balls in an airtight container and refrigerate it. All you have to do the next day is steam the undis. You can even make the jaggery syrup a few days in advance and store in the refrigerator.

Spider Web Mini Muffins / Cupcakes for Halloween

2011-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

I had big plans for this Halloween. I wanted to make something huge - probably as big as a large pumpkin. But I ended up making these cute li'l spiderweb muffins for my son's Halloween parade in school. No complaints. Except that I wish I could spend some more time and make them a little neater. I also wanted to add an edible spider and a couple more tasty accessories. But I was terribly short on time and decorated 24 mini muffins in less than 15 minutes! (dear hubby helped too). Anyway, that's just about how much time it takes to make these cute spiderwebs.

To make these spiderweb muffins, first of all, you need some delicious muffins. I used homemade banana muffins but you can use any store-bought ones too. Since it's for Halloween I chose liners with pumpkin designs.
To make the spider webs, you need two ingredients - white chocolate and semi-sweet (or milk) chocolates.
I used 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 5oz semi sweet baking chocolate squares. You could use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips too.

Microwave semi-sweet chocolate squares (or chips) for 1 minute. Stir well. Microwave for another 30 to 50 seconds. Mix well. Allow to cool.
Separately microwave white chocolate chips for 1 minute. Mix really well. Microwave for additional 15 seconds. Mix well. Allow to cool. Transfer into a piping bag or a ziploc. Snip off a tiny piece of the edge using a pair of scissors.

Now take a mini muffin and spread the melted semi-sweet chocolate around it. Take the piping bag filled with melted white chocolate and draw concentric circles on top. Using a toothpick, immediately pull lines along the diameters. There, you got your spiderweb! Thank you internet.

Do not touch the muffins (as tempting as it may be) for a few minutes till the chocolate hardens.

Note -
Before you decorate the muffins, make sure they have cooled down.
The melted chocolates (especially white chocolate) tend to harden even at room temperature, so work fast. If you feel it's hardening as you work, microwave for a few seconds and mix well. You can place the piping bag in the microwave.

Accessorize with toy spiders.

Mini Banana Muffins

2011-10-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

I find mini muffins cute. Very very cute. Specially when they are held by tiny little hands. Like my son's. He absolutely loves mini muffins. I first baked these when his friends came over for a playdate. I baked these again today. Thought I'd share them with you. I found the recipe in Sweet Oven Lovin' and made a couple of minor changes. Both times these have turned out pretty good.

I made these today specially for my son's Halloween parade at school. These are the shots taken before decorating. If the decoration comes out good, these will probably feature in my next post too.

Ingredients :

2 medium or large ripe bananas

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour or maida

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Method :

Peel and mash bananas.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line mini muffin pan with liners. If you don't have liners, grease them well.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, with a hand held electric mixer, beat sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time and beat. Add vanilla and beat further. To this add the mashed bananas and beat well.

Add flour mixture little by little and beat at low speed. [Don't add all at once as the flour will fly all over]. Do not over mix. You can even mix with a fork or large spoon. A few lumps are ok.

Pour the batter into the muffin liners, till each liner is almost full. The muffins will expand so leave some room. [ I used two spoons to fill the liners. One to scoop out the batter from the bowl and the other to scoop out the batter from the spoon and scoop it into the liners].

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or till fork inserted in the muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely. Tastes better after you refrigerate for sometime.
Makes 24 to 28 mini muffins.

These go to Bookmarked Recipes.

Kaju Burfi

2011-10-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Diwali!!

A tad late to wish you all, but this week's been very hectic. Sometimes I wonder whether I have too many things on my plate, other times I find life very exciting because of this and there are times when I want to do nothing but sleep!
Anyway here's a small treat to you all for Diwali. I found the recipe in Manjula's Kitchen and followed it to a T. Except that I powdered my cashews a little too coarse. Thing is, if you try to powder it too fine, it releases some oils and gets ground in it, which makes it lumpy (exactly what happened to my first batch). So grind it just for a few seconds. Mine turned out too coarse as is evident in the burfi.
I also added some ghee towards the end.

Ingredients :
2 cups cashewnuts
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 pinch saffron (optional)
Ghee 2 tsp

Method :

Powder cashewnuts. [Make sure your blender is dry. Also, powder them in small batches in the smallest chutney jar that you have.]
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water and boil on medium high heat. Keep boiling for 15 minutes or so (keep stirring in between) till you get one-thread consistency of sugar. Add saffron strands and mix well.

[This was the first time I ever made a burfi which required one thread consistency. I waited too long and the mixture became too thick. As suggested by Manjula, I added some hot water].

Meanwhile dry roast cashew powder in a deep bottomed pan on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. When the sugar solution reaches the desired consistency, just pour it on top of the cashew powder and mix well. If the mixture is too flowing, cook for a few minutes till it becomes dry.

Add ghee and mix well.

Keep a plate greased with ghee ready. Transfer this mixture onto it and spread it across. Since my mixture was too dry i put it on a cutting board and rolled it with a rolling pin. Keep pressing and rolling till you get the desired thickness.
Allow to cool for a few minutes. Cut into squares or diamonds.

Hoping you all are having a fun Diwali!

Mushroom Ghee Roast

2011-10-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

It's funny how things you haven't been too fond of make you crave for them when you are far away. It first happened when I moved to Bangalore after marriage. Along with all the memories of Mangalore that would come rushing in, gheeroast would make it's absence felt. Which was very surprising, because though I did have it a few times in restaurants, I was never a big fan of it. And then one day my uncle who was visiting Bangalore brought some chicken gheeroast with him from Anupama (Abhiman), a famous restaurant in Mangalore and probably one of the best ghee-roast producing 'factories'. And I craved for more. I went in search of restaurants in Bangalore which served gheeroast. Seriously, who does that? Lots of Mangaloreans far away from Mangalore do. Because there are some very delicious Mangalorean dishes which you cannot find everywhere.
Anyway, my search for ghee roast in B'lore did get some positive results. However, far away in this land, though you find an Indian restaurant in practically every street, Mangalorean dishes are a rarity.

Ghee roast is all about ghee and chillies. In restaurants if you look closely at this dish you will find it lying in a bed of ghee. Making this at home has the advantage of reducing the ghee or using substitutes like oil, though it's ghee that gives all the flavour.
The chillies typically used are a variety called byadgi chillies, or kumte mirsang in konkani. I got mine from an Indian store close by. These chillies are not too spicy and they lend a deep colour to the dish.

This recipe is from my aunt, Nandini Pachi, who guessed the ingredients after tasting ghee roast in several restaurants. Adjust the chillies according to your taste. However, the beauty of this dish is in the spice level so if you don't like things too spicy, you may want to stay away from it!

Ingredients :
12 to 14 mushrooms (227g / 8oz)
15 to 18 byadgi chilles (kumte mirsang) [ I used 15]
1 tsp coriander seeds
6 to 8 curry leaves
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1 large tamarind piece (goose berry sized)
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 to 6 tbsp (or more) ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
Chop mushrooms into quarters.
Roast red chillies with a few drops of oil. Remove.
In the same pan, dry roast coriander seeds on low for a few minutes. Switch the gas off, immediately add 1/4 tsp haldi powder and curry leaves and roast. Allow to cool.
Grind the above with roasted chillies, tamarind, garlic and salt with cold water (approx 1/2 cup), to get a smooth paste.

In a large pan, heat ghee. Add 1/4tsp haldi powder and roast for a few seconds. Add mushrooms and salt to taste and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Now add the ground paste and roast for a couple of minutes. Add about 1/2 cup water [You can wash the mixer with a little water and add]. Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes till water evaporates [keep stirring].

Relish with naan or chapatis.

Celebrating 100th Post with New York Cheesecake

2011-09-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

"It was cheesecake. It was fine. It had a buttery, crumbly, graham cracker crust, with a very rich yet light, cream cheese filling… "

One of my favourite FRIENDS episodes features Rachel, Chandler and a cheesecake. So this cheesecake happens to find it's way into Chandler's living room and eventually into his tummy when, infact, it was supposed to be delivered to his neighbour. Rachel first calls Chandler a thief, but cannot resist the temptation herself and along with Chandler, polishes off not one or two, but three cheesecakes!

And all this while, I was wondering what a cheesecake tastes like. So I set out to find a cheesecake in Bangalore, found one on the other side of the city and really liked it. I later discoverd that a bakery just down the road sold cheesecakes. So I went with great expectations, bought the cheesecake, resisted the temptation of hauling an auto and walked home.

All along the way, I was hoping the cheesecake wouldn't melt, reminding myself that it was not ice-ream. After reaching home the first thing I did, ofcourse, was bite into the cheesecake. Wham! a block of cheese hit my mouth. Ugh?? It was not luscious, creamy cheese, but a block of cheese - the kind you grate or chop to throw into your pasta. Really??

Chandler: Hey, you have got to try this cheesecake.

Rachel: Wow. My God, so creamy. Oh my God, this is the best cheesecake I have ever had.

Since then I have had cheesecake several times. And each time I ate it, I wish I had baked it. Exactly the feeling you get when you see a gorgeous dress and want to wear it. Infact when I slowly started learning the ropes of baking, three cakes featured in my 'must-try' list - tres leches, tiramisu and cheesecake. These cakes now have a special place in my blog. Tres Leches was what I started with, tiramisu featured in my blog's b'day post and cheesecake seemed apt for the 100th post.

After hunting for a good recipe, I came across this recipe on Joy of Baking by Stephanie Jaworski. Crossed my fingers and tried it. Turned out exactly what I was hoping - a buttery, crumbly, graham cracker crust, with a very rich yet light, cream cheese filling. Except, I used digestive biscuits instead of graham crackers. To powder these biscuits, just pulse about 18 to 20 biscuits in the blender till you get the desired powdered consistency.

Ingredients :

Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs [ I used Brittania digestive biscuits]

1/4 cup sugar [ I used only 2 tbsp since the biscuits were very sweet]

1/2 cup melted butter

Filling

32 oz cream cheese, at room temperature [ I used four 8oz slabs]

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp flour [I used maida]

5 eggs

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla essence

Topping

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method :

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, mix biscuit crumbs, sugar and melted butter . Pour into the springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer beat cream cheese. Add sugar and flour and beat till smooth and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat with each addition. Keep scraping the pan. Add vanilla, lemon zest and whipping cream and beat further.

Pour this mixture onto the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 250ºF. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes. [ My cake got done in about 15 + 70 mts. Remember, it doesn't look like a regular cake in the oven, so don't wait for the top to get browned. The sides should be done and the centre should be a slightly jiggly.]

Somewhere in between combine sour cream with sugar and vanilla. Once you remove the cheesecake from the oven, spread this topping on the cheesecake with a spoon or offset spatula.

Return it to oven and bake at 250ºF for another 10 to 15 mts.

Remove, run your spatula around the sides. Stephanie suggests doing this to reduce any cracks on top.

Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, unclasp the pan. Run a spatula around the sides of the cheesecake, remove sides of the pan. I noticed that the crust was tightly stuck to the bottom so I did not bother to transfer the cake onto a cakeboard. Next time I will probably use a parchment paper.

To give the cheesecake a pretty pink look, I made some strawberry coulis and drizzled it on top. To make the coulis, just blend 10 to 12 chopped strawberries (stem removed) with 2 tbsp sugar into a smooth paste (without water). Run this through a large sieve, pushing down the pulp with your fingers. Collect the juice and drizzle over the cheesecake.

I filled a piping bag (you could use a ziploc) to help drizzle better.

A big thanks to all my dear readers. Your support and encouragement has kept my blog going. I really appreciate it :)!!

This goes to bookmarked recipes.

Paneer Capsicum Masala Chilly

2011-09-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

It's such a joy to bring together different ingredients without having to follow any rules. I mean, why can Indian spices not join hands with Chinese sauces and give us the best of both worlds? Indo-Chinese cuisine - something I totally relish, has given us an insight into how dishes can be tweaked to suit the palates of the consumers. So when it comes to whipping out dishes in one's own kitchen and bringing together different cultures, the choices are innumerable.

This recipe is my take on 'Paneer Chilly', a famous Indo-Chinese dish which I have made more 'Indian' by adding Indian spices. I have chosen not to fry the paneer, and to throw in a little more vigour into the dish, have added red bell peppers. I'm so in love with the deep red colour of these peppers, the subtle sweetness they offer and the beautiful contrast they provide with the paneer.

I like this dish to be very spicy so do adjust the spice level according to your taste. If the dish turns out too spicy, add some tomato ketchup or lemon juice.

Ingredients :

2 large onions

2 tsp ginger gralic paste

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 medium tomato

1 large red capsicum

1 medium green capsicum

1 tsp soy sauce

1 to 2 tsp red chilli sauce (I used Ching's)

2 tsp vinegar

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp kasuri methi (optional)

400g paneer, chopped into cubes

Salt

Coriander leaves or / and spring onion greens for garnish

Method :

Heat oil. Sauté chopped onions till they turn brownish. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies and sauté for a few minutes. To this add the powders and roast. Add diced tomato and bell peppers and cook covered for 4 to 5 minutes or till they are cooked (keep stirring every minute).

Now add the sauces and vinegar and mix well. Cook for a minute. Add paneer, salt to taste (remember, the sauces have some salt in them) and kasoori methi and mix gently so as not to break the paneer.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

You can have this as a side dish with Chapati and curd. Or if you are like me and enjoy things spicy, eat it as it is!

Easy Microwave Kalakand

2011-08-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Remember the incredible 3-ingredient dessert I posted sometime back? An easy version of Mishti Doi which is still one of my favourite desserts to make and eat, specially considering a prep time of under 5 minutes.
So here's one more. Just two major ingredients that come together in under 20 minutes to create a delicious sweet that unmistakably reminds you of your local sweet shop back in India. A couple more added ingredients for flavour and appeal and you are dun duna dun done.

I first came across this recipe on Sandeepa's blog when I was blog-hopping about 3 years back, and marvelled at how easy things could be, if you wanted them to. My husband loves Kalakand and he was the one who introduced it to me, soon after we got married. There was a sweet shop close to our place in Malleswaram, and whenever we would visit someone in B'lore we would drive a mile down the road, I would hop into this store and order a pound or two of Kalakand to go. So when I saw the recipe, trying it out sounded like fun. No kids or worries then, and I had nothing much to do anyway.

So I went to the nearest Safeway and got some ricotta cheese, without having any idea what it was. Turned out to be our very own paneer with a creamy consistency packaged in a cool container. Really?? And all this while I thought 'cottage cheese' was paneer. (Cottage cheese doesn't taste anything like paneer, btw). I guess you could substitute crumbled paneer if ricotta isn't available, but I haven't tried.

The experiment turned out fine and luckily for me, my microwave is on a table and not above the stove like you see in most kitchens here, so I did not have to stretch while stirring. If your microwave is on top, be careful while stirring or just use your oven-mitts to bring the vessel to the counter-top to mix it each time.

Recently a friend of mine, Keerthi, made this sweet using low-fat condensed milk and part-skim ricotta cheese (plus some milk powder) so if you want to feel less guilty, that works as well.

Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
About 2 tbsp chopped almonds / pistachios

Method:
In a large bowl empty out the can of condensed milk. Add ricotta cheese little by little and mix well with a whisk.
Lightly grease a large microwave safe dish [preferably rectagular] with ghee. Pour the mixture into this.

Microwave (uncovered) as per below :

Microwave for 5 minutes. Stir well.
Microwave 5 more minutes. Stir well.
Microwave 2 more minutes. Stir well.
Microwave 2 more minutes. Stir well.
Microwave 1 more minute. Stir well.
Microwave 1 more minute. Stir well.
Microwave an additional 1 or 2 minutes, stirring after every minute.

[So totally, microwave for 17 to 18 minutes. The time may vary depending on your microwave and the type of container you use].

The reason you keep stirring in between is that the sides can get burnt because of uneven heating in the microwave. Specially towards the end, stir every minute. The mixture should appear dry, but still have some moisture.

After removing from the microwave, sprinkle cardamom powder, mix well and spread the mixture across the dish. With the back of a spatula, press it down. Allow to cool for atleast half an hour. Cut into squares / rectangles/ diamonds [do not remove yet]. Leave aside for another 30 to 50 mts, till it sets well. Remove, transfer to a container and refrigerate.

Before serving, sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Tastes great without nuts too!

Easy to make, easy to transport, a great solution if you have to return someone's container (exactly the reason why I made it this time) - with Diwali not too far away, this sweet deserves a shot, what say!?

This goes to bookmarked recipes.

Egg Biryani

2011-08-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Biryani is one of my most favourite meals. I absolutely drool over chicken biryani and love eating it while watching any favourite show on tv! Today I made egg biryani for my husband's potluck party in his office.
A few years back a friend had given me a basic recipe for biryani. Over the years I tweaked it and tried to bring in new flavours. Star anise, for example, lends a great flavour to your rice, so try to get your hand on it. Also, fried onions add a distinct taste to the biryani, so if you can forget about counting calories for a meal, go for it. However, the ingredient that lends the most flavour is ghee. Go a little liberal on ghee and your biryani will smell and taste great!
This recipe is almost a one-pot meal - the rice is not cooked separately. I actually prefer this method since I feel it captures the flavours better and brings all the elements together. The eggs are, ofcourse, boiled separately.
Before you start making biryani, or any other flavoured rice for that matter, soak the rice completely in water for 20 to 30 mts. This way the rice will not break when you mix it and the grains will look longer.

Ingredients :
5 boiled eggs, shelled and halved
2 cups basmati rice (uncooked)
2 bay leaves
1" piece cinnamon
4 cardamom
4 cloves
1 small star anise
2 large onions
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3/4 cup corainder leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves (pudina)
3 to 4 green chillies, roughly chopped
1/4 cup yogurt
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
Salt
Oil
Ghee

Method :
Soak basmati rice in water for atleast 30 minutes. [At this point you can start chopping your onions etc and start cooking so by the time you get to the point where you have to add rice, it will be atleast 30 mts].
In a large deep-bottomed pan, heat oil + ghee. Add bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Add chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and sauté until onion turns brownish.
Meanwhile grind corainder leaves, mint leaves, green chillies and yogurt into a paste (without water). Add this paste to the onions and roast for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes are completely cooked.
Sprinkle turmeric powder, garam masala powder and chilli powder (adjust according your spice level) and mix well.
Drain the water out of the rice completely and add. Roast the rice for half a minute. Now add 3 1/4 cup hot water. [If you did not pre-soak the rice, add 4 cups water].
Add salt and mix [it has to be slighlty salty to accommodate the rice].
Cover, turn the flame to medium and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. The rice should be about 95% cooked. [Check after 9 to 10 minutes, if you feel the bottom is likely to burn, add a few tablespoons of water. If you are not comfortable cooking this way, you can use a rice cooker or pressure cooker].
Turn the gas off, mix gently, cover and leave untouched for another 10 minutes till the rice is completely cooked.

At this point you can add the boiled eggs and serve. Or you can spice up the eggs a little bit.

To do that, in a bowl mix 1 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and 1 pinch turmeric powder. Add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 2 tbsp yogurt and salt to taste and mix well.
Heat oil in a wide skillet. Dip eggs in the above mixture and roast for few minutes on both sides.

Serving suggestion :
Take a large microwave-safe bowl. Spread some rice at the bottom. Layer with a few egg halves. Layer with rest of the rice. Place the remaining eggs on top. Garnish with 1/2 cup of fried onions and 2 tbsp coriander leaves. You can also drizzle some saffron water on top.

This goes to Bookmarked Recipes.

Nankhatai / Narayan Katar / Eggless Cookies

2011-08-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

My first memories of nankhatais are of the store-bought ones which used to be hard to bite into and that's how I thought nankhatais should be. Then my aunt started making them. Melt-in-the-mouth goodies with a subtle tinge of golden brown on the otherwise off-white outsides which would assure you that they are baked just a minute longer - exactly the way I love them. During my last India trip my aunt packed some nankhatais for me to take to my in-laws' place. Guess who ended up eating most of them - ME!

My aunt gave me the recipe of these lovelies in grams for about 7 dozen of them! I did some rough conversions, scaled down the proportions and came up with the following cup measures. Luckily they came pretty close to how my aunt makes them but still need some tweaking.

Ingredients :

1 1/4 cup maida (all purpose flour)

3 tbsp besan (gram flour. If not available, replace with maida)

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup (packed) powdered sugar

6 to 7 tbsp (little less than 1/2 cup) fairly hot ghee

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method :

Combine maida, besan and baking soda. Use a large sieve to sift them.

To the above, add powdered sugar and cardomom powder and mix well. Add ghee little by little and knead into a dough. If it is difficult to knead, just push the dough to the side of the vessel, press with your palm and knead.

[The ghee should be hot but shouldn't burn your fingers. Do not pour ghee all at once. Add about a tablespoon at a time and knead into a dough. If the dough turns out too sticky you can refrigerate it for half an hour.]

Keep aside for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Make equal sized balls of the dough [ I used a table spoon measure to make the balls, that way you can make them equal sized].

Place on the parchment paper atleast 2 inches apart. Flatten a little [flatter ones have a better texture compared to round ones].

Bake for 19 to 20 minutes. Makes about 18 cookies.

Next time I meet Nandini Pachi, I'm going to get the exact cup measures of these beauties. Until then, enjoy these!

Baby / Toddler Food - Khichdi

2011-08-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Two years back at this time when I introduced my son to vegetables, I was indeed fortunate that he took to them easily. Now that he has grown up a little bit and has experienced tastier food in life (read chocolates, chips and cheese), it can sometimes be a challenge to make the vegetables look good. However, he seems to like khichdi and eats it with (usually) no fuss. Is it the ghee, I wonder. No complaints there. Ghee is good, say the elders and don't hesitate to drizzle a generous amount on baby food. I have to admit ghee adds a great flavour to this dish, which otherwise can be pretty bland with just rice, dal and some veggies thrown in. After my son was comfortable with spices in his food, I started adding some of them. I sometimes add roasted whole jeera, powdered ajwain etc.You may want to avoid the spices if your baby is too small. Also, If your baby is not able to bite properly, mash well before feeding.

Ingredients :
[This quantity usually lasts him for two meals.]

1/4 cup rice (uncooked)
2 tbsp moong dal
1/2 cup chopped carrots / beans / frozen (cooked) green peas, thawed or a combination of veggies of your choice
2 tsp ghee
Salt
1 pinch turmeric (optional)
1/4 tsp jeera powder (optional)
1 pinch chilli powder (optional)
[Adjust the spices according to your child's preference]

Method :
Combine all the ingredients and add 2 cups water. Cook in a pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistles or until completely cooked.

Drizzle some more ghee on top if desired.

Paneer Mushroom Masala - and about some masalas.

2011-07-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

All of us have a tried and tested recipe that we fall back on during those days when we don't have time to think when we cook. This curry is one such which I usually make with either paneer or mushrooms, sometimes eggs, sometimes mixed vegetables. Today as I was deciding between paneer and mushrooms, I wondered how a dish with both of these would taste. My son loves paneer, my husband loves mushrooms and I love both. So there you go. Best of both worlds. Why not?

Before I move on to the recipe, I just thought I'd share a small tip with you. You may have seen a variety of masala powders in the market. And if you are a vegetarian, you may not have given even a second look to some of them. I mean, why would you want to buy meat masala powder when you don't eat meat at all, right? Well, maybe not. These powders are made of a variety of fragrant spices which can add a great deal of flavour to your vegetarian dishes. Yes, to your vegetarian dishes!

I got this tip from my mum-in-law who once added some mutton masala powder to some veg curry she was making. For once I was taken aback when I saw 'mutton' written on the packet (she is a staunch vegetarian) but hey, there's no mutton in there. She also introduced me to Kitchen King masala which I make a point to have in the pantry always.

The taste and spice levels of all these masala powders, ofcourse, vary. So be careful if you are adding any extra chilli powder. You can probably add salt as you roast the masala powders, check the spice level and adjust accordingly.

If you don't have any of these fancy masala powders, just add some chilli powder, coriander powder and jeera powder to taste.

Ingredients:
250g paneer
12 to 14 mushrooms
2 large onions
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 medium tomato
1” cinnamon
2 cloves
1 or 2 bay leaves
¼ tsp haldi
1 tbsp meat curry masala /mutton masala powder/ tandoori masala / pork vindaloo masala/ kitchen king masala etc. or a combination of these.
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
1/4 cup milk
Approx 1 cup water
Corainder leaves
1 tsp ghee (optional)
Oil

Method :
Dice onions and tomatoes. Chop mushrooms into thin slices. Chop paneer into smaller cubes.

In a large deep-bottomed pan, heat oil. Saute onion. Add ginger garlic paste and roast till onions turn brownish (you can cover the pan to quicken the process). Add tomatoes and saute till completely cooked. Allow to cool.
Transfer to a blender and grind into a smooth paste (without water).

In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. With the heat on low, add the ground paste and mix. Turn the heat to medium, add the powders and roast for a few minutes. Check the spice level and adjust accordingly.
Pour milk and water, mix well and bring to a boil. Add the chopped mushrooms and salt and cook covered for 4 to 5 minutes. Add ghee for some extra flavour [I did not add]. Add paneer pieces and cook for another couple of minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with naan, chapatis or rice. Drool. Enjoy the bite of the mushrooms and the softness of the paneer.

Sending these to Vardhini's Dish It Out with Mushrooms and Onions
Kalyani's HLI - Paneer
Let's Cook - Sabzis.

Oats - Cooked Rice Dosa

2011-07-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of instant breakfast. There are times when I'd not have planned what to make for breakfast the previous day - which means I wouldn't have soaked any lentils or rice or whatever else, and I'd be left wondering the next morning what to make for breakfast. My husband doesn't like cereal so in my quest to find instant breakfast dishes, I happened to make this one.

I had heard about using leftover cooked rice to make dosas, by grinding them with pre-soaked uncooked rice. I did not want to add more rice to rice so thought of adding some oats to it. I also added some rava and a couple of other ingredients. You could also add chopped onion if you have time to chop them (I haven't tried yet).

Ingredients :

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup oats [I used Quaker Oats - Quick 1 minute]

1/4 cup rava (sooji)

3/4 tsp jeera

3/4 tsp chilli powder

Salt

Water

Method:

Grind cooked rice and oats with 2 cups water for about a minute or till properly ground. Transfer to a large vessel. Add rava and mix well.

Add jeera, chilli powder. Add 3/4 to 1 cup water and mix well (to get a buttermilk like consistency). Add salt to taste [ I added a little more than 1 tsp] and mix well.

Roast uncovered on both sides.

Note : The dosa takes some time to roast. I roasted one side for 3 minutes, flipped the dosa and roasted for another 2 minutes. Do not flip until the dosa is roasted well, otherwise it can break in several places. Make sure the griddle is hot before you pour the batter. Check my post on Rice Flour Dosa for tips.

Here are a couple more recipes with oats -
Instant Oats Dosa
Oats Idli

Yellow Cake

2011-07-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a recipe for a basic (two-layer) yellow cake. I was happy with the texture of the cake - it was soft and moist, so I thought of sharing it with you all. You can choose to serve the cake as it is, or frost it with your favourite icing.
This is Betty Crocker's Starlight Yellow Cake recipe and is very easy to execute - just dump all the ingredients in a (very) large bowl, beat the heck out of them and you have your cake batter. I made one minor change - the original recipe called for 1 tsp of salt which I found a little too much. Go ahead and add 1 tsp salt if you like saltiness in your cake. However, if you are planning to frost your cake, you may not want to add too much salt.

Ingredients :
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk (room temperature)
3 eggs

Method :
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Grease the insides of two 9" round pans liberally with oil or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, pour all the ingredients. [Pour the dry ingredients first so that they are at the bottom of the bowl, otherwise they will fly all over when beating].
With a handheld electric mixer beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes. Make sure you keep scraping the sides with a spatula as you beat, so that all the ingredients are mixed well and lumps are not formed.
Pour the cake batter equally into the two pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until fork inserted in the center comes out clean. [Mine took 25 minutes].
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 to 30 mts. Invert the cake onto a cake board. Frost if desired. [I used flour frosting]. Refrigerate before frosting so that the crumbs don't show up. Refrigerate after frosting so that it sets well on the cake.

Sending this to Bookmarked recipes.

Almond / Badam Burfi

2011-07-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, my aunt Lakshmi Akka brought us some delicious almond burfis which I totally loved. We had some cousins visiting last weekend and I thought of making these burfis for them. I immediately called up Lakshmi Akka who gave me a detailed explanation of making these burfis. They came out quite good and the cousins liked them too.

Ingredients.
1 (heaped) cup almond
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup ghee

Method:
Soak almonds in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain water. Peel the almonds and discard the skin.
Grind almonds with milk into a thick, smooth paste (add more milk if required).
In a large deep bottomed pan, transfer the almond paste. Pour 1 tbsp ghee and mix well. Turn the heat to medium and keep stirring for a few minutes.

Add sugar and stir on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Scrape the sides as you mix. [If you cannot stand in front of the stove the entire time, just reduce the flame to low and stir every minute or so. But towards the end, make sure you are right there, mixing well, otherwise the bottom portion can get burnt]. The mixture will start thickening and will leave the sides of the pan. Don't remove from heat until the mixture stars resembling chapathi dough. Now add the rest of the ghee, switch the gas off and mix well.

Keep a large plate [I used a glass dish] greased with ghee ready. Transfer the mixture to the plate. With a spatula spread it across. You can smoothen it with the back of a glass. Immediately cut into squares. Allow to cool for a bit and transfer to an airtight container.

Note : Once the mixture starts resembling chapati dough, you have to work really fast. I stopped to take pictures and the mixture became drier than I'd have liked. Make sure you have a (liberally) greased plate ready. When you cut into squares, grease the knife with ghee to avoid the burfi from sticking to the knife.
If you feel the burfi is too soft, that means you may have removed the mixture from the pan too soon. Just stick them into the refrigerator and they will harden.

Check my post on 7 cup burfi.

Flour Frosting for Cakes / Cupcakes

2011-07-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

When I first came across this recipe, I was surprised to see flour as a base for frosting. It really intrigued me. So I went ahead and gave it a try and was delighted by the result. The frosting turned out light and airy, had a nice spreadable consistency and was DELICIOUS!

If you feel buttercream icing has too much sugar and whipped cream icing is all fat, you may want to try this tasty, pudding-like frosting. The ingredients are easily available so you don't need to think twice before trying it out. I found the recipe here and made a couple of minor changes.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour (maida)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Method:
In a medium pan, pour in the flour. Add (cold) milk and with a manual whisk or fork, mix the flour and milk thoroughly. Turn the heat on to medium. Keep whisking the mixture as it heats up and thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk vigorously if you see lumps forming. The mixture has to be of thick consistency and lump-free before you remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.

In a large bowl, with a hand-held electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and beat further, scraping the sides with a spatula. When the mixture appears creamy, add the flour-milk mixture. Beat on medium speed for a couple of minutes, scraping the sides. If the frosting appears grainy, beat for a few more minutes.
Note: If you refrigerate the frosting, before using just bring it back to room temperature and stir well for it to come to it's original spreadable state.

Enjoy this luscious yummy-ness on your cakes or cupcakes!

This goes to Bookmarked Recipes and Hearth and Soul.

Carrot Bajjis (Fritters) / Carrot-a Bajo

2011-06-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

I've had 'bajjis' of different vegetables, however, surprisingly, I've never had carrot fritters exclusively. I've had them as a part of a mixed vegetable fritter dish. Infact a few days back, I had them (once again, as a part of a mixed vegetable fritter dish) at a restaurant and made a mental note to batter-fry carrots for my son who loves both carrots and fritters.

Since I made these for my son, I used just one carrot and went very easy with the spices. Feel free to add more spices and increase the quantity of the fritters. My M-I-L adds ajwain which gives a nice taste to the fritters (and has several health benefits) so I added some.

Ingredients :
1 large carrot
2 tbsp besan
1 tbsp maida or cornflour
1 tsp rice flour
1 pinch ajwain
1 pinch jeera (cumin seeds)
1 pinch chilli powder
Salt to taste.

Method:

Wash, peel and chop carrot into 1/4th inch slices. (Mine turned out too thick, next time I will chop them thinner).
In a bowl add the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water and mix well to get a thick batter (I added about 2 tbsp water).
Dip carrot slices one by one and deep fry.

My son looked at the plate and smiled. 'Smiling bajo, smiling sauce', he said.

Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

2011-06-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

The first chocolate cake I ever made from scratch was the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. It is what they call it - perfect. Easy to make, tastes great and it has never failed me. I have made this cake so many times, I've lost count - son's b'day, bro-in-law's b'day, friend's b'day, potluck parties, cake decorating classes.
I have toyed with several kinds of frosting on the cake - Hershey's ''Perfectly Chocolate'' chocolate frosting, buttercream icing, whipped cream icing, whipped cream mixed with oreo cookie bits. Tastes great without icing too. This recipe is definitely worth a try and before you know it, it may become your favourite dependable chocolate cake recipe.

Ingredients :

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Liberally grease two 9" round cake pans with oil or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. With a handheld electric mixer, beat on medium speed for two minutes. Add water and beat for a few seconds till it mixes well.

Pour the cake batter evenly into the two cake pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a fork inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Here are some pictures of the cakes I made using this recipe - some when I just started baking and a couple in my cake decorating classes. More on that some day.

A couple of eggless chocolate cake recipes:
Eggless Chocolate Cake
Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes and Hearth and Soul.

Capsicum / Bell Pepper Raita

2011-05-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

When my mom last visited us, she made this simple, tasty raita using green capsicum. I, however, am a big fan of the beautiful, vibrant colours of bell peppers (I mentioned them here too). So I spiced up the dish a little bit by adding all these lovely colours and some chaat masala.

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped capsicum (I used a combination of red, green and yellow).

2 to 3 tsp ghee / oil

1/2 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 cups yogurt (curd)

1/2 tsp chaat masala

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt

Coriander leaves

Method:

Heat ghee /oil. Add jeera. When it splutters add turmeric powder and roast for a few seconds. Add chopped bell peppers and sauté for a few minutes till they become soft. Add salt to taste and mix.

Beat curd thoroughly with a fork or whisk. Add chaat masala, chilli powder and salt and mix well. Add the sautéed capsicum and mix. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Goes well with rice or chapatis.

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes.

Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake

2011-05-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

So you always wanted to bake a cake, but do not have a convection oven. You do have a microwave oven but you never thought of making a cake in it. Wait. Look at this cake.

Soft, spongy and super-easy to make. Take a deep breath. And get started.

Ingredients :
1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
¼ cup cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ cup oil
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
1 cup milk (room temperature)
2 tbsp water

Method:

In a small bowl, add all purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking soda and mix well. [Make sure the flour and cocoa powder do not have lumps. If they do, then using a large sieve, sift them first].

In a large bowl, with a manual whisk or large fork, mix oil, sugar and vanilla. Add milk and whisk thoroughly into a smooth solution [get rid of all the lumps. Scrape the sides as well].

To this, add the flour mixture little by little whisking as you add. Add water and mix thoroughly (scraping the sides) for 10 to 15 seconds to form a smooth cake batter.

Grease the insides of a large microwave safe round bowl with oil or cooking spray liberally. Pour the cake batter into the bowl. The cake batter should fill half (or less than half) of the bowl. Otherwise it will spill out.

Microwave for 6 to 7 minutes in regular microwave mode (NOT convection mode).
You will see moist spots in the center and sides of the cake. No worries.
Switch the microwave off and let the cake remain untouched for another 10 to 15 minutes. This is the standing time where the cake will continue to cook even after you turn the microwave off, with the heat generated within it.
[If you wait for the cake to cook completely before you turn the microwave off, the cake will continue to cook during the standing time and will become rubbery].

If you plan to invert the cake, allow to cool for another 20 to 25 minutes. [The bottom of the bowl should not be hot.] Then place a large plate or cake board on top of the cake bowl. Turn the bowl upside down and tap the bottom (which is now on top). The cake will slowly slide onto your cake board/ plate. Remove the bowl carefully.

You will not get beautiful neat sides like oven baked cakes. You can cover this up with a chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze :
In a saucepan or microwave, melt 2oz (57g) chopped baking chocolate with 1 tbsp milk. Remove, mix well and add 4 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp water and 3/4 tsp vanilla essence. Mix well. [Amount of sugar depends on whether you use semi-sweet or milk chocolate (I used semi-sweet), so adjust accordingly. Add more water if you prefer a thinner glaze.].
[I actually used 3 oz chocolate, which gave me too much glaze, so I scaled down the proportion in the recipe. Feel free to adjust your glaze the way you like it]. Cool.

Pour the glaze on top of the cake and watch it as it slides down the sides and oozes onto the bottom.
Refrigerate the cake for an hour or two to let the glaze set.

So what did I do with the extra glaze? See for yourself.

Go ahead, give it a try. Who knows, for the next birthday in your family, your cake may be sitting at the centre-table!

Check my Eggless Microwave Coffee Cake.

Paneer Achari by Him!

2011-05-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

My dear husband made Paneer Achari for me last night. It was definitely yummy! He referred to the Mushroom Achari recipe and made some changes - he added some garam masala and mint leaves. It was a welcome addition (and definitely a welcome change from the routine), and the dish was happily lapped up by a beaming me!

Idli Sambar

2011-05-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Idli Sambar is one of the most common breakfast dishes in most South Indian homes. At my Amma's place idli sambar is, by default, the breakfast on sundays. Somehow I have never taken a fancy to idli-sambar in restaurants - the strong smell of sambar totally puts me off. But this one, I like. I learnt this from my Pachi (aunt) when she visited us in Bangalore. She did all the cooking and I did all the hogging but thankfully I took some notes.

There are a few variations in making the idli batter. Some people add 1:2 (dal: rice) measure, some add cooked rice, some add beaten rice, fenugreek seeds. I have never tried these methods since I'm quite satisfied with this measure.

IDLI
Ingredients:
1 cup urad dal
1 1/2 cups idli rava
Salt

Method:
Wash and soak urad dal in about 3 cups water for three to four hours. Drain completely.
Grind with very little water [start with 1/2 cup water and add more as needed] into a thick but pour-able consistency. [ Make sure the dal is completely ground]. Transfer to a large vessel.
Wash idli rava. Squeeze out all the excess water and add the idli rava to the ground dal. Mix thoroughly.

Cover and place the vessel in a warm place and allow to ferment overnight.
[The vessel has to have enough place to accommodate the fermented batter or else the batter will spill out.]

Next morning, mix the idli batter, add salt [there are times when I have totally forgotten to add salt!] and mix again.

Boil some water in a pressure cooker or steamer. Grease the idli plates with oil or cooking spray. Pour idli batter into each mould till it is 3/4th full [the batter will expand when heated, so leave some room].

Place the idli stand in the cooker. Make sure that the holes and the moulds alternate so that steam can escape easily, otherwise the idlis will become soggy. [Also, I use a perforated steel plate under the idli stand (upside-down), so that it gets some height and the lowest one doesn't get soggy - a useful tip from my mum-in-law].
If using a pressure cooker, do not add the weight. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Switch the gas off and allow to cool for sometime. Remove the idlis from the stand with the back of a spoon or a flat butter knife.

SAMBAR
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dal (I used 1/2 cup toordal + 1/4 cup moong dal)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 gooseberry sized tamarind
3 to 4 tsp sambar powder
Salt
Oil / ghee
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
6 to 8 curry leaves

Method:
Pressure cook dal with about 2 1/2 cups water for 3 to 4 whistles. Churn with a whisk or large spoon.
Soak tamarind in 3 tbsp warm water, pressing it into the water.

In a large deep bottomed pan, heat oil + ghee. Saute onions till they turn transluscent.
Add sambar powder and roast for a couple of minutes. Squeeze out and discard tamarind and add the tamarind water to the onions. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Now add dal and mix. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. [I like my sambar a little watery, so adjust water accordingly. Also if you refrigerate the sambar, it will thicken so add more water and boil before serving]. Add salt and cook.

To season, heat oil/ ghee. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter add curry leaves. Immediately add to the sambar.

Serve idlis with steaming hot sambar. My dad likes to put a dollop of curd on top. It does add a different taste.

Note - If you stay in a cold region where the batter does not ferment overnight, you can heat the oven to about 105ºF. Turn the oven off and after a couple of minutes, place the batter in the oven. The warmth in the oven will speed up the fermenting process. Thought it's spring here right now and the weather is warm, I applied this method to make sure the batter ferments.

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes.

Baked Potato Chips

2011-05-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

Oh well, these may not be as crunchy as the fried ones, but atleast you can eat 'one more' without guilt.
I've been wanting to bake these chips for a long time - ever since my cousin-in-law asked me to make 'healthy lays', but what kept me from making them was a mandoline slicer. I did not have one.
Finally I bought one this weekend, tried these chips out today and wondered why I didn't make these earlier. My husband and son both love chips. I'm hoping my husband likes these (he hasn't eaten them yet) and if he does, well, one more reason to don the apron.

Ingredients :
1 large potato
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Chilli powder or any other spices of your choice

Method :
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Wash, dry and slice the potato into very thin slices [I did not peel mine]. It will help if you have a mandoline, you can get equally thin slices. If not, try to slice them as thin as you can with a knife.

Transfer them into a bowl. With a paper towel remove all the excess water. Pour oil [I used olive oil] and mix. Just before baking [otherwise the potato slices will release water], sprinkle salt and chilli powder and mix till all the slices are coated well.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place potato slices in a single file, so that they don't overlap. [You will be doing more than one batch, so don't try to squeeze all the slices on one sheet].

Bake in the preheated oven. The baking time depends on how thin the slices are. Mine were this thin -

- and they took 12 minutes. If your slices are thicker, they can take much more (even upto 20 minutes) and you may have to flip them halfway. Keep checking on them. They can burn easily.

Allow to cool and crisp up.

Give me a bag of fried potato chips any day, but hey, these aren't bad either.

Methi Malai Mutter

2011-05-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

Methi malai mutter figures in my husband's list of most favourite dishes. So when my cousin, Aruna, gave me this recipe I tried it immediately. I have made it several times after that with some minor changes here and there. What I liked best about the recipe is that there's no 'malai' to be added, and the milk gives a creamy texture.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions

4 to 5 garlic cloves

3 to 4 green chillies

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 pinch of nutmeg powder (optional)

1 tsp cumin/ jeera powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 bunch (about 2 cups) methi leaves
1 cup coriander leaves
2 tsp maida
2 cups milk (room temp)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp lime juice (see note)
Salt to taste
Oil

Method :
Roughly chop onions, garlic and green chillies. Wash and coarsely chop methi leaves and coriander leaves.
Heat oil. Saute onion, garlic and green chillies for a few minutes till onion turns brownish. Allow to cool. Transfer to a blender. Add all the powders and blend into a smooth paste (without water).
In the same pan, heat 1/2 tsp oil and saute methi leaves and coriander leaves for 3 to 4 minutes. Add it to the above paste and blend for 6 to 8 seconds.

[In the original recipe, you roast all the above mentioned ingredients together and blend them together into a smooth paste. However, I like to see little specks of methi and coriander leaves in the curry so I roast them separately and pulse them with the onion paste. If you don't like the taste of tiny methi leaves, blend together into a smooth paste].

Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep-bottomed pan. Add maida and stir till oil and maida mix well, making sure no lumps form. When the mixture changes colour slightly, add milk little by little and mix. [Add 1/4 cup milk at a time, mixing well with each addition]. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes till the mixture boils, keep stirring so that the paste doesn't stick to the bottom.

Add green peas (completely drained) and cook for a few minutes. Add salt to taste, sugar (to remove bitterness of methi) and juice of lemon. [ Note - I actually hesitate to use lemon juice because I'm scared it'll curdle the milk. I mentioned it here since it's included in the original recipe].

Add cubes of fried paneer if desired. Goes well with chapati, tandoori roti, naan or jeera rice.

Sending this to bookmarked recipes.

Rava Mushrooms (Shallow-fried)

2011-04-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

During my last India trip, my aunt (in-law) made some tasty shallow-fried mushroom by coating them with rava (sooji). I loved the crispy outside and tender insides. Today I was very tempted to make them when I saw a box of mushrooms in my fridge. So I sliced them, threw in some spices, coated them with rava and shallow-fried them. See, it's that simple!

Ingredients :
12 to 14 mushrooms (8 oz/ 227 gm)
3/4 to 1 tsp chilli powder
3/4 tsp jeera (cumin) powder
1/4 tsp hing powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Rava (sooji) - about 1/2 cup

Method :
Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel or damp cloth. (If you wash them they will be soggy). Chop them into thin slices (about 1/4th inch thick).

Place mushrooms slices on a large plate or bowl and sprinkle chilli powder, jeera powder and hing powder. Add salt to taste and mix, coating all the mushrooms with the powders. Keep aside for 15 mts.

Roll the mushroom slices in rava. [There will be some rava leftover, you needn't use up the entire lot].
Heat 2 to 3 tsp oil in a shallow-bottomed pan and spread it with a spatula. Place mushroom slices and roast (uncovered) for a few minutes on each side till they turn golden brown.

Enjoy the ooze of the juicy insides when you bite into these yummy mushrooms!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-04-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I purchased some beautiful cupcake liners from Michaels (did I ever mention I love that store?) and have been waiting to put them to use. A friend of mine had asked me for a good chocolate chip muffin recipe long back, so I thought of putting the two together - the yummy muffins in these pretty liners.

These muffins are easy to make and are hassle-free since you don't need an electric mixer and can use a large spoon or a wire whisk to mix the ingredients. I referred to this recipe and made a few changes as suggested by some reviewers - I increased the quantity of milk, sugar and oil, added vanilla, sprinkled some topping and got some pretty decent chocolate chip muffins.

Ingredients :
2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup oil
1 cup milk

Topping:
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp brown sugar (or regular sugar)

Method :
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Line the muffin tray with muffin liners / baking cups. If you don't have muffin liners, grease each cup with oil, butter or cooking spray, so that the muffins come off easily. I definitely prefer using liners since they are more convenient. If you get pretty liners in the market (Michaels has some great ones) use them to package your muffins. They will look lovely specially if you are making them for a birthday party or any special occasion.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour chocolate chips, mix well and keep aside.
In a large bowl beat egg. Add vanilla and oil and beat further. Add milk and whisk till the mixture becomes smooth.

To this, add the flour mixture and mix gently for about a minute. Do not overmix, if the batter is a little lumpy, that's fine.

Fill each muffin cup with the batter till it is 3/4th full. I used a 12-cup muffin pan (diameter of each cup being 2 3/4 inches). This recipe yields 12 muffins (unless you like good things like uncooked cake or cookie batter, in which case you may get just eleven. I got eleven and a half, I'm on a diet).

Mix 1/4th cup chocolate chips with 1 or 2 tbsp brown sugar and sprinkle a little bit of the mixture on each.

Bake for 18 to 20 mts, till a fork inserted in the muffin (not the chocolate chip) comes out clean. [If you are using a mini-muffin tray, bake for a shorter time].

I baked for 20 minutes so I got a slightly crispy crust with a nice golden brown colour. Also, the brown sugar on top makes the top of the muffin slightly sweeter than the inside.

Gently remove the muffins from the tray along with the liners and allow to cool completely. Arrange them in whatever way you want. And just look at them. Say 'to hell with my diet' and eat one.

These go to bookmarked recipes.

Easy Vegetable Pasta in White Sauce

2011-04-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

If you have never made a pasta dish before, you can give this recipe a try. There are 4 steps involved:

1. Boil pasta
2. Roast vegetables
3. Prepare white sauce
4. Combine all three.

If you don't want to prepare sauce at home you can use any store-bought pasta sauce. If you don't have time to roast lots of vegetables you can add just one or two. Also, if you don't mind a dry-ish pasta made rich by the flavours of roasted vegetables, you can skip the sauce (just don't call it pasta in white sauce). You have so many options. So get going!

Ingredients :
12 oz (340g) pasta
Salt
Oil

To roast :
Oil
Salt
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

Vegetables of your choice. I used -

2 carrots
2 zucchini
1 chinese eggplant
1/2 red capsicum
6 to 8 broccoli florets
1 handful spinach
8oz (226g) mushrooms
1/2 cup boiled / frozen corn

For the white sauce :
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour / maida
1 1/2 cup cold milk
1 cheese slice or some grated mozarella
Salt
1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
[ I don't like too much of white sauce in my pasta, but if you do, increase the measures].

Method :
Boil pasta according to package instructions - Boil water, add some salt and olive oil, pour pasta and cook till pasta is done (about 10 minutes). Drain. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.

Chop vegetables. In a large deep-bottomed pan, heat oil. Add chopped garlic and sauté till you get an aroma. Add chopped vegetables starting with carrots and roast on medium flame. Cover and cook till vegetables become tender, stirring a few times in between. To this add red chilly flakes, ground black pepper and any other seasoning of your choice. Add salt to taste and mix well.

Prepare white sauce. For this, in a medium deep-bottomed pan, with the flame on medium-low, heat butter. When butter melts, add flour / maida. Stir for a few seconds till butter and flour combine and the mixture slightly changes colour. Add 1/2 cup milk and with a manual whisk or a large spoon, whisk fast and continuously. The milk will boil, bubbles will appear and the sauce will thicken. Add rest of the milk and keep whisking. It will take a few minutes, but keep whisking till the sauce thickens. It will totally take about 7 to 8 mts. [Check the picture below for thickness. If your sauce isn't thick enough it will not taste good - it's almost like adding plain milk to yr pasta. Ugh!]

Add cheese slice or grated mozarella and whisk. If you love cheese go ahead and add lots more. I added just 1 cheese slice since the white sauce itself looks and tastes cheesy (cheesy?). Add the water reserved while draining pasta and bring to a light boil. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1 pinch nutmeg and mix.

Now comes the fun part, combining all three. You can either mix them in the large pan in which you roasted the veggies, or you can layer them on your plate - spread pasta, arrange roasted vegetables and pour sauce all over.

I prefer to mix them all in the pan, since I have a few other things to do than sit and arrange things over my plate - like stopping my son from climbing on the dining table.

If you love the sight of your pasta drowning in white sauce then increase the portion of white sauce and cheese and treat yourself to a mouthwatering dish!

Tawa - Roasted Paneer Pudina Tikka

2011-04-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy appetizer for your guests which can also serve as an evening snack - just make some mint chutney, marinate paneer in it and shallow fry. [I altered my mint - coriander chutney recipe slightly and used it as the marinade. ]

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups mint leaves
2 cups coriander leaves
2 green chillies
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp amchur powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp chaat masala
2 tsp juice of lemon
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp thick curd / greek yogurt
Salt to taste
400g paneer
Oil for roasting

Method:
Chop paneer into 2" pieces. [I like to keep one side thinner for easier roasting].

Blend ingredients 1 to 10 into a smooth paste (without water).
Add thick curd and salt and pulse 3 to 4 times. [The marinade should be spicy and slightly salty, since it has to accommodate the bland paneer].
Pour this marinade into a large bowl. Dip paneer pieces one by one coating each piece with the marinade.
Refrigerate for half an hour.

Heat oil in a tawa (shallow pan) and spread with a spatula. Place paneer pieces and roast on medium- low heat for a few minutes on each side till they turn golden brown.

Note : Serve immediately. Otherwise the paneer will harden if it sits out for a long time. If you cannot serve immediately then before serving, microwave the roasted paneer till it becomes hot and soft. The best bet is to refrigerate the marinated paneer till your guests arrive and roast it just before serving so that your guests can enjoy these beauties when they are soft and succulent.

If the pieces are too big, you can cut them diagonally into little triangles and poke a fancy toothpick in each.

A hint of lemon juice on top will add an even better taste to the tikkas.

[Alternatively, you can bake the paneer at 375ºF for 7 to 8 mts on each side. Grilling tastes great too.]

Eggless Oats - Dates Cookies with a Soft Chewy Interior

2011-04-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

First of all, what's with the name? It's like this: This recipe was a last minute hodge-podge done after I realised that we were out of biscuits/ cookies, sort of a must-have in the home of a toddler, because you don't know when they will ask for one.
So I threw in some oats, some dates and then some, which resulted in a pretty tasty cookie, except that the interior was chewy, almost like it was a filling in the cookie. It wasn't uncooked, it was definitely baked, but it was still not how the inside of a cookie should be. I figured too much milk was the culprit and decided to not blog about these cookies at all and maybe modify the recipe and try some other day.

However, after I refrigerated the cookies for a couple of hours, the centres became harder and the cookies turned out to be just what they are supposed to be - crunchy, chewy cookies. To add to this, my son and my husband loved the cookies so I thought of blogging about them anyway.
If you plan to try this recipe, you decide whether you would like a soft- chewy interior or a crisp-chewy interior and refrigerate/ do not refrigerate accordingly.

Ingredients:
20 dates, pitted
1/2 cup hot milk
1 cup oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Method:
Soak 10 dates in hot milk for a few minutes. Chop the remaining 10 dates finely.

In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat flour, baking soda and sugar. Add melted butter and mix well.

Grind the soaked dates and milk into a smooth paste. Add to the above. Add chopped dates. Mix well to form a sticky dough.

Refrigerate the dough for one to two hours.

Preheat the oven to 375ºC.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. With a tablespoon measure scoop out the dough, form into balls and place on the sheet two inches apart. Using a tablespoon measure will give you cookies of the same size.

Bake for 13 to 14 mts till the sides look brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The interiors will be soft and chewy. For crispy interiors, refrigerate for a few hours.

Makes approx 24 cookies.

Spicy Sukha Aloo

2011-04-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Potatoes are not exactly my favourite when they peek out of dishes that include some of my favourites. For example (and some Konkanis may agree) potatoes in alambe songa (mushrooms in spicy sauce) can be every annoying, atleast for me it is. I do not particulary like potatoes in any shrimp or chicken dishes, except maybe vindaloo. That said, I can be crazy about potatoes when they are the prime and only vegetable in the dish. Like batate songa (potatoes in spicy sauce), mashed potatoes, fries, aloo dum and sukha aloo.

Sukha aloo is very easy to make and is a good solution for a quick side dish. In this dish, spices get together and form a thin, aromatic, spicy-tangy crust over the potatoes, making them a pleasure to eat. The ingredient list is quite long but before you know it, they will do their job. Even if you skip a couple of them (except potatoes ofcourse), the rest will bring the act together.

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp jeera / cumin seeds

1/4 tsp coriander seeds (optional)

1/4 tsp urad dal (optional)

1/2 tsp chopped ginger

2 green chillies, finely chopped

6 to 8 curry leaves (optional)

1 tsp hing powder

1/2 tsp haldi / turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp jeera powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp juice of lemon

Coriander leaves

Oil

Salt

Method:

Wash and peel potaotes. [I like to keep the skin on of 2 or 3 potatoes]. Chop them into 1/2 to 1" chunks. Boil till they are 90% boiled [I used a microwave]. Drain completely.

In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add coriander seeds, urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and hing powder and roast for a minute. Bring the flame to low. Add all the powders and roast for 10 to 15 seconds. [ Make sure the flame is on low, do not over-roast. The powders will get burnt].

Add boiled potatoes, 1 tsp ghee/ oil and roast gently till all the potatoes are coated with the masala. Add salt to taste. Cover and let cook for about 5 to 10 minutes till the potatoes are cooked completely, stirring every 2 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice on top and mix well.

Note : If the dish turns out too spicy, drizzle some more lemon juice. If you need more spice, sprinkle garam masala.

Garnish with coriander leaves. We like it best with chapati and curd.

Scrumbler / Stumbler / Scrambled Eggs with Bite-Sized Bread

2011-04-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

This dish is another childhood-favourite. I've been calling it 'stumbler' from the time I can remember. I've had it in a couple of fast-food joints in M'lore most often with a dear cousin, same age as me. During my summer vacations I would end up at her place and we would walk aimlessly, 'accidently' bumping into a particular store to have a plate each of spicy, hot stumbler.
My favourite stumbler, however is prepared by my Pachi who recently corrected me saying it's actually 'scrumbler' and gets it's name from the scrambled eggs in it.

I was expecting a friend and her family for tea today so prepared this dish following Pachi's recipe. It's an easy to make, delicious dish which your guests will enjoy eating.

Ingredients:
4 medium onions
1 1/2 to 2 tsp chilli powder
2 medium tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 pinch black pepper powder
4 eggs
1 tsp garam masala
2 to 3 slices bread
Salt
Ghee
Oil
Coriander leaves

Method :
Chop bread slices into small bite-sized squares.
Chop onions, tomatoes and green chillies finely.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat 1 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee. Sauté onions till they turn transluscent. Add chilli powder, roast for a few seconds and add tomatoes. Sauté till tomatoes are completely cooked. Add minced green chillies and black pepper powder and mix.

Now add eggs one by one, beating each egg till it gets scrambled. [ Add one egg, whisk, add another, whisk ]. To this add garam masala. Now add 2 tsp of ghee and salt to taste and mix. Add the bread slices, mix well and cook for 5 to 6 minutes till the bread becomes soft and pulls in the masalas. [ I added 3 bread slices. If you don't like bread in every bite you can reduce it to two slices. Adjust the spices accordingly].

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Relish it for breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner - it's a complete meal in itself.

This goes to Bookmarked Recipes.

Mint - Spinach Pesto Pasta

2011-04-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of those pasta dishes that you can prepare when you don't have much time in the kitchen, yet are not comfortable with using store bought sauces. Pesto is like our chutney - just put the ingredients in the grinder and half your job is done. (Strictly speaking, however, pesto is prepared using a mortar and pestle).

I chose mint and spinach because they were both sitting in my fridge and I wanted to use them up. Last week I got this H-U-G-E (if you've seen it you'll know what I mean) packet of spinach from Costco (what was I thinking), because spinach is good for health and I've been using it in many of my dishes (hoping husband dear doesn't get fed up of it). I also added mushrooms and peas for some extra taste and fiber.

Ingredients:
13.25 oz (375g) pasta [ I used multigrain Penne Rigate]
5 to 6 garlic cloves
8oz ( 227g) mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 to 3/4 tsp black pepper powder
Oil
Salt

To grind:
3/4 cup fresh mint (pudina) leaves
1 1/2 cup packed spinach
1/3 cup almonds, pine nuts or macadamia
1 or 2 cheese slices
3 tbsp oil

Method:

Cook pasta according to package instructions - Bring water to boil, add some salt and oil, pour pasta into it and cook.

Meanwhile grind spinach, mint, nuts [ I used macademia because there was a brand new box of roasted, salted macadamia in my pantry, again from Costco. You could use almonds or pine nuts and lightly toast them before adding]. Add cheese. I used a couple of Kraft Singles cheese slices but you could use mozzarella or whichever you have. Grind to form a smooth [or if you wish, coarse] paste.

Drain the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of water.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Roast chopped garlic. Add chopped mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes. Add green peas. To this add the ground paste and reserved pasta water. Bring to a light boil. Pour in cooked pasta and mix throughly. Sprinkle pepper. Add salt to taste and mix well.

My son laps it up calling it green pasta. When he grows up he'll know.

This goes to Presto Pasta Night, started by Ruth.

Devasthana Saaru

2011-04-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a Happy Ugadi!!

When I was a kid, I was not a big fan of Konkani food, but this saaru, I loved. Still do. I've been calling it Devasthana Saaru from the time I remember and don't know if there's any other name to it. It is served in the temples during carfestival, and so the name. During weddings or special occasions, it is a usual accompaniment to rice.

I got this recipe from my Amma and don't know if this is exactly how they do it in the temples. But it tastes pretty much similar.

Ingredients:
2 tsp oil
3/4 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 to 4 red chillies
1/4 tsp hing powder
1 pinch methi seeds
1 pinch jeera
1 to 2 tbsp grated coconut
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 marble-sized tamarind
1 to 2 tbsp chopped jaggery
1 green chilli
2 strands of coriander leaves

To season :
1 tbsp ghee
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
6 to 8 curry leaves

[The chillies typically used are a variety called kumte mirsang. I used 2 kumte mirsang and 2 kashmiri chillies, hence the colour].

Method :
In a shallow bottomed pan, heat oil. Roast ingredients 2 to 8 one by one on medium low flame for a few minutes. When they release an aroma, add grated coconut and roast for a minute. Switch the gas off, sprinkle turmeric powder and allow to cool.

Grind the above with tamarind and enough water to get a smooth paste.

In a deep-bottomed vessel, bring two cups of water to boil. Add slit green chilli and jaggery [I added 2 tbsp of jaggery because I like the way it balances the spice. You can add less if you do not prefer sweetness in the saaru]. When jaggery melts, add ground paste. Add another cup or two of water and bring to a boil. Add salt [I added a little more than 1/2 tsp]. Add coriander leaves.

Season with ghee, mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Sending this to walk through the memory lane.

Celebrating World Cup Victory with Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

2011-04-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations India on winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup!

Like every Indian cricket fan, I wanted the Indian team to win the World Cup. Like every optimist, I knew they would. And like every food-lover I wanted to celebrate with something delightful.

When India was steadily marching towards victory, I sneaked into the kitchen for a few minutes. At the risk of missing out on a few amazing overs, I went ahead and made these irresistible goodies, because I wanted to relish them as India was celebrating.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients :

4 oz (113 g) semi-sweet baking chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

6 tbsp all purpose flour

[I used Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares. Each square weighs 1 oz, so use 4 squares].

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 ºF.

Liberally grease the bottom and sides of four ramekins or oven-safe custard bowls with butter or cooking spray.

In a large microwave safe bowl, place butter and chocolate and microwave on high for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, with a fork or whisk beat the eggs and egg yolks together.

Remove the bowl from the microwave. The butter would have melted, but not the chocolate. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.

To this, add powdered sugar and stir well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix. Add flour and mix until everything is incorporated.

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet (baking tray). Pour half cup of batter into each ramekin.

Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. The sides should be done, but the center should be slightly jiggly. Do not cook the centers completely. If you do, you will not get the molten center and the cake will be like any other muffin. The original recipe asks you to bake for 13 to 14 minutes but mine took 12 minutes.

Also, the baking time depends on the size of the ramekins/ cups. I used 7 oz ramekins and 1/2 cup batter in each. You could also use a muffin pan to make these. If you are using less batter, reduce the baking time.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a minute. Run a butter knife or back of a spoon around the sides of the ramekins to loosen the cake. Invert onto the serving plate.

While serving, wack off a small portion of the cake to display the oozing chocolate. Dust some powdered sugar or/and ...

... pour a dollop of slightly melted ice-cream on top. Enjoy the sinful pleasure.

When the Indian team lifted the World Cup, my husband and I celebrated by devouring the seeping lava of this luscious volcano cake, splashed generously with good old vanilla ice-cream. Pure bliss indeed.

These go to Hearth and Soul.

Disappointing Cake Disaster to Yummy Cake Custard Pudding

2011-03-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

A few months back, I was watching Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, a reality show on Food Network and Sasha, one of the chefs was attempting a huge Maryland cake with ten, you read right, TEN layers! I was curious to see whether the cake would hold it's shape till the very end. Sasha was not satisfied with the cake as she was layering it (it did look like a leaning tower) and decided to make a pudding out of it.

Something very similar happened to me once. Oh no, I did not attempt a ten layer cake and I wouldn't for the life of me think of it, because if I did, I would probably get a nervous breakdown.

I invited a friend and her family over for dinner. It was her b'day the previous day so I wanted to bake a cake for her. After contemplating on what cake to make, I proclaimed to my husband that I would make a swiss roll with custard and jelly filling.

The swiss roll required baking a sheet cake and making some custard. Since I was busy with cooking a few other items for dinner, I thought of skipping the custard and applying just the store-bought jam on the cake and rolling it. So I made the sheet cake, spread jam over it and as I started rolling it, my dear beloved husband entered the kitchen and with a disappointed look on his face mumbled, 'No custard, only jam?'

Now how could I say no to that face? My husband loves custard and I thought of quickly making some.

But ofcourse, it took a good 15 minutes to make the custard and another few minutes for it to cool down (even though it was dumped into the freezer for quick cooling). By the time I started applying jelly and custard, the cake had completely cooled down and hardened and there was no way I could roll it neatly. I went ahead and tried anyway, but the cake broke in several places as I was rolling it. And ofcourse, a shabbily rolled swiss roll is an absolute no-no, definitely not for a b'day girl!

There was just about half an hour left for our friends to arrive and I was wondering whether to agree to my husband's proposition of getting a store bought cake or to pull a Chef Sasha and convert the cake into a pudding. And me being me, the store bought cake idea was smacked down.

Ingredients:

Cake pieces / crumbled cake

Custard powder (I used Brown and Polson)

Milk

Sugar

Jam/ jelly (optional)

Chopped nuts

[The quantity depends on how many pieces of cake you use.]

Method:

Prepare custard according to package instructions - Measure 1/2 litre milk. Make a paste of 2 tbsp custard powder and 4 tbsp milk. Bring the remaining milk to a boil. Add 3 tbsp sugar and the custard paste and keep stirring till custard thickens. Remove from heat. Cool. [ I eyeballed the measurements, so my custard was a little runny].

Microwave jam for 30 to 40 seconds till it becomes easily spreadable. Cool.

Spread jam on the cake pieces and place in a glass bowl. Pour half the custard on top. Make another layer of cake and remaining custard. Sprinkle chopped nuts (I used walnuts). Refrigerate for two to three hours.

Luckily our friends liked the pudding and the b'day girl didn't seem to mind pudding instead of cake. Whew :).

So if you bake a cake anytime and if it crumbles or doesn't come off the pan neatly and falls into pieces infront of your earnest eyes, do not worry. Just make some custard, or whip some cream and layer it with whatever you can think of - jam, nuts, fruits - and convert the cake disaster into a yummy pudding :)!

Easy, Breezy White-Chocolate Chocolate Turnovers

2011-03-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend one of my closest friends from New Jersey came over and I wanted to treat her to a home-cooked meal. I was so busy preparing the main course that I had almost no time for dessert. My dear husband offered to pick something from the nearby store and I refused, because a dessert was taking shape in my head.

A couple of years back I had read about making chocolate turnovers with puff pastries. I always wanted to try it out. Luckily I had a pack of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets in my freezer and some chocolate chips in the pantry. So I went ahead and put them together.
This is a very easy dessert and if you like puff pastries and chocolates, you should definitely try it.

Ingredients :
1 sheet puff pastry
Chocolate/ chocolate chips
Butter or egg wash

[I used white chocolate chips (because I love them) and semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can use just the semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or even chopped chocolate].

Method :
Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. [Usually room temperature for 40 minutes].
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Lightly flour a clean countertop. Spread the sheet on it. Cut the sheet into 9 squares.

Place chocolate chips on each square. I put 2 heaped tsp of white chocolate chips and 1 heaped tsp of semi-sweet chocolate chips on each square. [Use atleast 1 heaped tbsp in total; if you can accommodate more, go for it!]. Fold the top carefully [for triangular turnovers, fold along the diagonal] and try to spread the chips as much as possible, so that the sides are not deprived of chocolaty chocolaty-ness (!)

Press the edges with a fork [press hard and pull lightly], making sure you seal them well, otherwise the chocolate will ooze out. I tried a couple of different shapes.

Line a cookie sheet (baking tray) with parchment paper. Place the turnovers 2 inch apart. Brush butter or egg wash generously on top.

Bake for 18 minutes, till the turnovers turn golden brown.

Looks like I missed a spot. See what I mean?

Melt some chocolate and drizzle on top. Serve immediately.

If you refrigerate the turnovers, the chocolate inside will harden. So microwave 15 to 20 seconds before serving. Also, I found the triangular shape the best, as the chocolate was evenly distributed.

The white chocolate freak that I am, I loved this combination. And so did everyone else at home. Cheers to semi-homemade cooking!

These go to Bookmarked recipes, Anyone can cook.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-03-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

I remember as a child, my brother and I used to hog on peanut butter. My aunt used to get us a jar each during her India trips and we used to relish both the creamy and crunchy versions. My love for peanut butter continues and now it's my son who shares it with me. Since he loves cookies I decided to make some peanut butter cookies for him.

My son was very excited about the cookies. When I asked him, 'shall we make some peanut butter cookies?', he, with a big grin on his face said, 'yes, maaamy' (he learnt the mummy part from Caillou, he otherwise calls me 'Amma'.) Infact, those who watch Caillou (or can't help watching it thanks to their two to four year olds at home) will definitely know that Caillou knows a great deal about food, helps his 'maamy' in the kitchen sometimes and even dreams of making his own pizzas. My son has learnt a few terms thanks to him - one day he actually asked me for some mushrooms!

I let my son do the creaming of the butter and sugars(with a firm hand on the mixer, ofcourse) and he was fascinated by it. He even let out a 'wow' here and there. It was such a fulfilling experience for me!

Coming to the recipe, I saw some basic recipes on the internet, mixed the usual ingredients and came up with the following :

Ingredients :
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Skippy, creamy)

Note - You can substitute peanut butter with almond butter.

Method :
Combine the flours, baking soda and salt and keep aside.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until creamy. To this add egg and vanilla and beat. Scoop in the peanut butter and beat till it mixes well.
Add flour mixture little by little and beat till well incorporated. [You can even mix with a large spoon or knead with your hands].The dough will be sticky. Refrigerate for one to two hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Line a cookie sheet (baking tray) with parchment paper. Scoop out one tablespoon of the dough at a time. Shape into balls, press lightly with your fingers and place on the cookie sheet two inches apart. Using a tablespoon measure each time gives you cookies of the same size.

With a fork make the signature crisscross design on the cookies. [Dip the fork lightly in water to prevent it from sticking. Press the fork hard on the cookie batter, otherwise the lines will disappear].

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or till the edges look brownish. The centre will be soft and will harden once the cookies cool. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. [For the next batch if the dough appears sticky, refrigerate again till firm].

Makes 32 to 35 cookies. But then again, I can't be sure since some dough found it's way into my tummy!

Cabbage-a Undi / Steamed Cabbage Dumplings

2011-03-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of years back, when I asked a cousin what she would like to have for dinner, she mentioned about cabbage-a muddo. I immediately googled and found a recipe for cabbage-a undi on Divya's blog. I wasn't sure if they were the same but thought of giving it a try anyway. My cousin loved the undis and said these were exactly what she wanted. After that I have made it a few more times, with a couple of changes - I reduced the turmeric powder and, as suggested by my M-I-L, added tamarind. For the original recipe, go here.

Ingredients :
1/2 of a medium cabbage, chopped finely
1 cup idli rava
1 cup grated coconut
5 to 6 roasted red chillies
1 marble sized tamarind
1/4 tsp haldi
1 tsp hing
Salt

Method :

Soak idli rava in water for 15 minutes. [The water should just cover the top].

Grind grated coconut, red chillies, turmeric powder and tamarind, with very little water - just enough to get a smooth paste. Drain any extra water from the idli rava, add to the above and grind again. Do not add too much water. The batter should be thick.

Add salt and hing and mix well. Add chopped cabbage into the batter [only as much cabbage as the batter can accommodate]. Shape into balls.
Grease the steamer basket lightly. Place undis atleast half an inch apart as they will slightly increase in size. Steam undis for 25 minutes, or till toothpick inserted comes out clean. [You can even use an idli stand to steam].

To serve - In a bowl, pour some coconut oil, mix a pinch of hing. Pour on top of the undi.

Tastes great with rice, dal, papad, pickle and some yummy Konkani curry.

Sending these to Bookmarked Recipes.

Ragda Patties

2011-03-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had some guests for tea and I made Ragda Patties. I was surprised to hear that they were having it for the first time, though one of them loves chaat.

My Pachi (aunt) makes mouth-watering chaat dishes and I got the ragda recipe from her, which I tweaked a little bit.

Ragda
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup dried white peas (yellow vatana)
1 onion
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp jeera powder
3/4 tsp chilli powder
2 roasted red chillies
1 green chilly
1 1/2 tbsp jaggery, chopped
1 gooseberry sized tamarind
1 tsp grated coconut (optional, I did not add.)

Dried White Peas

Method:

Soak white peas overnight. Pressure cook with chopped onion. [Soaked peas cook fast, I overcooked mine so the ragda became a little mushy].
Grind red chillies, green chilly, jaggery, tamarind, grated coconut and all the powders with a few spoons of water to form a smooth paste.
Add ground paste and salt to the cooked peas. Add one or two cups water if necessary and bring to a boil. The ragda should be of pouring consistency.

Patties
Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp chaat masala
Salt
1 bread slice (optional)
Bread crumbs / rava

Method
Pressure cook potatoes with peas. In a large bowl, mash the boiled potatoes and peas. Dip the bread slice in water, squeeze out all the water and mix with the mashed potaoes. [I refrigerated the mixture for an hour, for better binding]. Add chilli powder, chaat masala and salt and mix well. Shape into balls and flatten lightly with your fingers.
In a pan, heat oil / ghee. Dip either sides of the patties in bread crumbs or rava and shallow fry. [This recipe makes about 18 medium sized patties].

Serving suggestion :
Arrange ragda and patties separately. On the side, arrange date-tamarind chutney, chopped onions, coriander leaves and sev.

Just before serving, in a bowl, place two patties, pour hot ragda over them. Swirl about two spoons of date-tamarind chutney. Sprinkle about a spoon each of onions, coriander leaves and sev.

Happy eating!

(H)ap(p)y B'day, Apy Cooking! Celebrating with Tiramisu

2011-03-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

So I started my blog at this time last year, not realising what a huge influence it would have on my cooking. And here I am, one year later, beaming at the knowledge I have garnered and happy about pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone and whipping up delicacies I hadn't dreamed I could ever make. I have all of you to thank, for encouraging me with your support, comments, and more importantly trying some of the recipes and giving me good feedback.

I'm particularly grateful to my husband who, without any hesitation has eaten all that I have made, tasty or not, thus encouraging me to carry on with my experiments. Heck, I'm no seasoned cook and most of the recipes here were attempted the very first time, so based on his facial expressions after eating the food, could I decide whether it was blogworthy or not. My son has been a great help too - there are many recipes included here which I made solely for him and a few others for his little friends in his playgroup. Whenever he even gets a hint that I have something in the oven, he peeks into it to get a look and waits for me to open the oven door.

I'm now waiting for him to grow up a little so we can have great fun in the kitchen - baking and decorating cookies and cupcakes.

I would also like to congratulate SS and wish her blog, SS Blogs Here, a Happy Bloggiversary! We started blogging on the same day and SS has constantly visited my site and unfailingly left me a nice comment on each post. Thank you, girl!

Coming back to my post, Tiramisu has been on my list ever since I attempted the Tres Leches cake (which incidently happens to be the first post and one of my most favourite posts in this blog, shall I also mention, my most favourite cake in the world!). The Italian word Tiramisu literally means 'Pull me up' and you do want to do exactly that when you see one.

I did not use raw eggs because I wanted to sleep without salmonella nightmares, specially since my son would be happily eating the Tiramisu. I cannot call this an eggless Tiramisu, since the lady fingers I used did contain eggs. If ladyfingers are not available, you can use a sponge cake. [Lady fingers, not to be confused with okra, are sponge cakes shaped like a finger].

The recipe is from Happy Home Baking, which I made a few changes to, since I used a larger spring-from pan (9"). I substitued alcohol with vanilla. Also, I did not border the cake with ladyfingers (or line it with foil/ parchment paper) and so the sides of the cake look tacky. I do need to learn the art of un-moulding the pan without damaging the sides. Any suggestions will be appreciated. [See update]

Ingredients:

Espresso Syrup:
1 cup boiling water
2 tbsp expresso powder [I used instant pure coffee powder]
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Filling
1 1/4 cups heavy/whipping cream
12 oz (340 g) mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
6 tbsp sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)
2 tbsp expresso syrup

Other
Ladyfingers - Approx 30 count [depending on the size]
Grated chocolate - 2 tbsp
Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp

Method :
If you are using a springform pan, line the base with foil. [Since this is a no-bake cake, you can use any container and scoop out the tiramisu if you wish]. [See update].

If you wish to border the cake with ladyfingers, check the original recipe. [Make sure you have extra ladyfingers].

Prepare the espresso syrup by combining all the ingredients mentioned under it.

Prepare the filling. For this, with an electric mixer, beat heavy/whipping cream for a few minutes till soft peaks form.
In a separate large bowl take the mascarpone and mix well with vanilla, sugar and 2 tbsp of espresso syrup. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture and mix.

Now start layering. [Remember lasagna?]
Dip either sides of the ladyfingers in the expresso syrup, very lightly for just a second [otherwise the lady fingers will be a soggy mess, I learnt it the hard way as you can see in the picture]. Place in the pan so that they fill the entire base, cutting them into shorter length if needed.
Layer with half of the mascarpone filling. Sprinkle grated chocolate.

Make another layer of ladyfingers and the rest of the filling. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 4 hours [or overnight].

Just before serving unmould the cake. Dust cocoa powder on top...

...making some pretty design if you wish. Just cut out a shape on a parchment paper and place it on the cake before dusting. Remove the paper and voila!

This is a virtual piece for all my dear readers and blogger friends. Thanks for your support!

UPDATE :
I made tiramisu in a large glass dish and it was much faster since I did not have to worry abt foiling the pan. I just soaked the ladyfingers and placed them in the glass dish and went about with the layering. I then scooped out the yummilicious pieces and served them. Just make sure you have an extra supply of ladyfingers if you are using a really large glass dish, so that you don't run out of them.

Date - Tamarind Chutney

2011-03-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

A generous swirl of date and tamarind chutney on my chaat, and I'm a happy camper. This sweet-tangy and slightly spicy chutney lends a great flavour and I cannot imagine chaat minus this.
Different restaurants have different tasting date-tamarind chutneys and street vendors seem to get it just perfect. This is my attempt at making this chutney -

Ingredients:
3/4 cup pitted dates
2 to 3 tbsp jaggery
2 tbsp tamarind
1/2 tsp chilli powder
3/4 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
Salt to taste

The measures are approximate. Jaggery usually comes in blocks and it's a pain to try and fit it into a tablespoon, so just eyeball it. I used a large piece of tamarind, again approximately 2 tbsp, but you can increase or decrease it depending on how tangy you like the chutney.

Method:
Bring about 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. Add dates, jaggery and tamarind. Boil for 10 to15 minutes, stirring a few times in between. Add chilli powder, cumin powder and salt. Allow to cool. Blend [You can add some water when blending if you want a runny chutney. I added about 1/2 cup water]. Strain if required.

Relish with samosas or pakodas, in combination with Mint Chutney.

Cake-ish Chocolate Brownies

2011-03-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

During my last India trip, I met Aparna of 'My Diverse Kitchen'. We had lunch together and chatted about our common interest - food. Aparna brought with her some chocolate walnut brownies for my family which all of us enjoyed. I got the recipe from her and tried my hand at these brownies.

As Aparna mentions in her blog, the brownies have a slightly cake-ish texture. I made some minor changes - I had run out of baking powder so haven't added any. I also added some salt since I used unsalted butter. I used half white sugar and half light brown sugar (next time I will probably opt for 3/4th cup white sugar and 1/4th cup brown sugar, since I found the brownies a tad less sweet). For the original recipe, go here.

Ingredients :
3/4 cup butter
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method :
Preheat the oven to 375ºF
Melt butter (completely) in the microwave. Add cocoa powder, mix with a fork or whisk and microwave for a few seconds to form a smooth paste. Cool.
In a large bowl mix sugar and eggs thoroughly with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Add the butter-cocoa paste and mix well.
Add flour, salt, vanilla and mix further. Pour in the chopped walnuts and mix well.

Pour into a greased or lined 8" square pan (I used a rectangular pan of similar proportions). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes till brownies are done. Allow to cool.

Cut into squares. Enjoy hot with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce if you please!

Sending these to Divya's Brownie event.

Paneer Stuffed Bun

2011-02-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

I was going through the recipe list on my blog and realised that I had not posted even one recipe with paneer in it. And I made a mental note to include paneer in my next post. Stuffed bun was on my to-do list fr a long time. So I decided to stuff the buns with paneer, so here goes :

Filling:
Ingredients :
1 medium onion
7 to 8 garlic cloves
1 to 2 green chillies
1 medium tomato
1 tsp garam masala
3/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium capsicum
300 gm paneer, chopped into tiny cubes.
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup boiled corn
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
a few springs coriander leaves
Salt

Method:
Heat butter/ oil. Roast finely chopped onion and garlic, till onion turns brownish. Add finely chopped green chilles, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric powder and roast for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and saute till they are completely cooked. Add capsicum and saute for a few minutes till they become soft. Add paneer, green peas, corn and tomato ketchup and roast for sometime. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Bun:
Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp ghee or butter or olive oil
1/2 cup water
Sesame seeds

Method :
Combine 1/2 cup warm water with sugar. Add yeast, mix gently and set aside for 10 minutes till yeast becomes frothy.

In a large bowl combine the flours, salt, water and ghee/oil. Add the yeast mixture and knead into a dough. (Add more flour or water as needed). Transfer the dough into a well oiled bowl, turning the dough in the bowl so that it is coated with oil. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aside for one and half hours. The dough will double in size.

Punch the dough to remove air. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each one into a ball.

On a cutting board or a clean counter top, roll each ball into a circle, 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Place the filling (about 1 and 1/2 tbsp) in the center. Pull the sides so that they join together in the centre. Press the sides, flatten with your palm and shape into a round.

Place the ball seam side down on a baking tray, lined with foil. Brush the top with milk, butter or egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Cover lightly and set aside for about half an hour. The dough will rise again.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (mine took 21 minutes) till the bun turns slightly brown in colour.

When my husband came home from office this evening I welcomed him with these hot buns straight from the oven. The look on his face was priceless :)!!

This goes to fast food not fat food and Food Palate - Brown.

Valentine Cookies

2011-02-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

Color flow icing was something I wanted to try for a long time now. Before making it from scratch, my curiosity led me to my favourite store - Michael's, to my favourite aisle, Wilton. However I ended up buying the Cookie Icing bottles. I did not follow the instructions of microwaving the icing, but used it as is, transferring it to a piping bag. Results were not too bad. Took me some time to get the hang of it, but once I did, armed with a toothpick in one hand and the piping bag in another, there was no stopping me!

For the cookies, I used Alton Brown's recipe which I used to make the Halloween Cookies earlier, using heart shape cutters instead of the pumpkin cutter. To get the step-by-step pictures go here.

Wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Chane Ghashi

2011-02-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

It's car festival time in M'lore and Chane Ghashi has been dominating my mind for the past few days. I finally got around to making it today and thought of posting it immediately.

Ingredients :
3/4 cup chana (black chana)
1/2 can young green jackfruit (kadgi)
3/4 cup grated coconut
5 to 6 roasted red chillies
1 marble sized tamarind
6 to 8 methi seeds
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
6 to 8 curry leaves
Salt
Oil

Method:
Wash chana a couple of times. Soak in about 2 and 1/2 to 3 cups of water overnight.
Pressure cook chana (with the water) for 4 to 5 whistles. Meanwhile, grind together coconut, red chillies and tamarind with enough water to get a smooth paste.
In a large vessel, transfer the chana with the water and add canned young green jackfruit. Make sure you wash the jackfruit throughly before adding it, to remove the briny smell. Boil for a few minutes. Add the coconut paste and bring to a roaring boil.
Season with methi seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves.

My Baby Turns Two!! - Celebrating with his favourite Winnie the Pooh Cake

2010-12-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, at this time, I became a mother. My son, a tiny 5 pounder filled my life with happiness I cannot explain in mere words.
On his second birthday, but obviously, I baked him a cake with one of his favourite characters adorning it. Barney, Mickey Mouse, Thomas the train and Caillou were the other contenders. If I could, I would put them all on the cake. But Winnie the Pooh won the battle and here he is, smiling on my son's b'day cake!

I will update this post with more details. For now, let me plant another kiss on my precious li'l darling.

Happy B'day Vineet!

UPDATE :
As crazy as this may seem, I carried two huge boxes of Wilton buttercream icing ( 4.5 lbs each) with me to India! I never made buttercream icing in India before and I did not want to take ANY chance, definitely not for my son's birthday cake, specially when we had a party lined up. I also took with me a tube of piping gel, red colour and black colour icing. Apparently Wilton sells Pooh icing colour set but I came to know of this too late and decided to mix some colours for the Pooh gold.

I made two 10"X11" chocolate cake, layered and iced them using buttercream icing.
For the pooh gold I mixed white icing with yellow, orange and a little bit of brown to get the desired colour.
I went about with decorating this cake just like I decorated the Santa Claus cake. I printed an image off the net and traced it on a parchment paper with a piping gel. I then inverted the paper on the iced cake and with the back of a paintbrush gently pressed the design on the cake. I then carefully removed the paper. (If piping gel is not available you could trace the image directly on the cake with a toothpick. I haven't tried this method yet but I guess it should work.)

You will, obviously, get an inverted image on the cake. I used wiltons tips to pipe out the designs - Star tip 16 for Winnie and the flowers and a combination of star tips 18 and 21 for the shell border; round tips 3 and 5 for the rest of the details like Winnie's eyes, eyebrows etc. and tip12 for the balloons.

Santa Claus Design on a Cake (and a break)

2010-12-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

I totally enjoyed decorating this cake which I made for a Christmas party at a friend's place. It's actually very easy to make if you know how to. Refer the Wilton's method and you will know how simple it is.

I made a 9" double layer round cake and iced it with buttercream icing (make more batches as needed). If you do not want to make the icing at home, you can use store bought icing.

For the red and black icing, I used store bought Wilton's decorating icing. You get them in 4.25 oz tubes. I have given up on making both these at home since they do not turn into the colour I want and leave a hideous taste which I can definitely do without.

I used Wilton red decorating gel (.75 oz tube) to trace this design.

I wish I had done a better job of covering the tracks of the piping gel with the icing!

The Wilton tips I used to decorate the cake :
Hat - #18
Beard and hair - #18
Face - #18 (I mixed some red icing with white icing. You can also mix pink colour with white icing)
Mustache - #5
Eyes - #5
Lips - #3
Border - #21
Writing - #3

I'm travelling to India next week and may not be able to update my blog for sometime. On this note, wish you all a Merry Christmas!!

Veg Thai Red Curry with Homemade Thai Curry Paste

2010-12-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

You may think I'm crazy but one of my favourite pastimes is grocery shopping. The bigger the store, the happier I am. And what I love about the holiday season is that you get to listen to this lovely, soothing music while you decide what pasta to pick, which herbs to choose, what bread to buy and what snacks to opt for.

Ranch Market is usually the store I go to if I decide to cook Thai food. One aisle that I spend the most time in is the vegetable aisle. I like looking at the different varieties of mushrooms. Till now apart from what I usually buy - the regular, baby bella and sometimes portobello, the only variety I dared to buy were the shiitake mushrooms. This time I was very tempted to buy straw mushrooms. I decided to buy the peeled, canned mushrooms instead of the fresh ones. No particular reason.

I generally avoid using canned products - the fresh ones are always healthier. But this time tempatation took over me and I also picked up a can of baby corn. Back In B'lore I used to buy fresh babycorn by the dozen. Unfortunately we do not get fresh babycorn here. I also prefer bamboo shoots in my Thai curry so picked that up as well. So much for avoiding canned goods, I hear you saying.

I also like large pieces of galangal and lemongrass in my curry so I picked them too and also picked some leeks.

After I came home, I remembered seeing a recipe for Thai red curry paste in Nita Mehta's Vegetarian Microwave Cookbook. So instead of using store bought Thai curry paste, I thought of giving it a try.

I used galangal instead of ginger, increased the chillies, decreased the peppercorns and made a couple more minor changes to suit our taste. The colour didn't please me much, but I guess that depends on what chillies you use. However, the paste did lend a nice flavour to the curry and my husband liked it a a lot, so I cannot complain.

If you are using store bought Thai curry paste, just go directly to the Thai curry recipe.

Thai Red Curry Paste

Ingredients :

5 to 6 whole red chillies (preferably kashmiri)

1 shallot or 1/2 onion

6 to 7 garlic cloves

1 1/2" galangal or 1" ginger

1 stalk lemongrass or rind of 1 lemon

1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 peppercorns

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional, for the colour)

Method :

Break chillies into half and soak in 1/2 cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Grind into a paste with the rest of the ingredients. Use the water in which the chillies were soaked as needed, to get a fine paste. [The paste will be very spicy, so beware!]

If you do not want to use the paste the same day, just roast it for a few minutes in 2 tbsp oil till the water evaporates. Cool and refrigerate.

Veg Thai Red Curry

Whenever I make pasta, lasagna or Thai curry, I like to use different varieties of vegetables. I have mentioned a few here. Feel free to make changes and add or subtract vegetables as per your liking. I personally like to use additional lemon grass and galangal in the curry because I love the flavour given out by them, but you needn't add them as they have already lent their flavour to the paste. I forgot to add carrots this time, but I will include it in the list.

Ingredients:

Thai red curry paste - store bought or homemade, about 2 oz (50 g)

1/2 of red capsicum, chopped

1/2 of yellow capsicum, chopped

6 to 8 baby corn, slit lengthwise

1/2 cup chopped eggplant

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped leek

5 to 6 tofu pieces

2 tbsp chopped lemon grass

1" galangal

2 1/2 cups coconut milk (I used 2 cups canned coconut milk + 1/2 cup water)

1/2 tsp soy sauce

4 to 5 basil, roughly chopped

Salt

Optional

1 tsp oil + 1/2 tsp chilli powder

Method :

In a large pan, heat 3 tbsp oil. Add Thai red curry paste and roast for a few minutes till the water evaporates. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk and bring to a light boil. Add all the vegetables and mix well. Add the remaining coconut milk and soy sauce and bring to a roaring boil.

Add chopped basil and salt and boil for a couple more minutes. Adjust the spice level. Some chillies can be really spicy while some may not. I actually heated oil+1/2 tsp chilli powder in the microwave (for half a minute) and added it to the dish.

One change I would like to make next time, as I mentioned, would be to try making the paste with some other type of chilli which will give me a deeper red colour. Any suggestions are welcome.

Update - Thanks for your suggestions. I have updated the post accordingly.

Carrot Pepper Rice (Microwaved)

2010-12-02T01:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish there were 25 hours in a day so that I could devote a whole hour to my blog. But if I were granted even 30 hours a day, I'm sure I'd need just one more!

I'm typing out this post at 1 in the morning, after putting my son to bed a couple of hours ago and folding a truck load of clothes while watching my favourite show - Food Network Challenge. I find folding clothes one of the most boring things you could ever do and keep myself happy by watching something fun on TV.

Coming back to my post, this recipe is from Nita Mehta's Vegetarian Microwave Cookbook. The book was gifted to me by a friend (whose first name incidently happens to be Neeta. Not Mehta, Pai.) The dish is a quick solution to those busy days when you have neither time nor energy to cook anything elaborate.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
3 tbsp oil
1 onion
1 capsicum
1 carrot
1 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Method:
Soak rice for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile chop onions, carrots and capsicum.

In a large microwave safe bowl (take the largest you have) mix oil, capsicum and carrot and microwave for 3 minutes. (I found the rice slightly oily so next time I will reduce the oil by a tablespoon)

Add rice, two cups water, salt, pepper and soy sauce.

Mix a bit and microwave covered for 13 minutes. Stir once in between.
This is what your rice will look like -

Leave untouched for 5 minutes. Mix well and serve hot.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-11-20T23:19:00.000-08:00

Ever since I tried milk chocolate oatmeal cookies and enjoyed the whole experience, I wanted to try the Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe. So finally when I got around to making them, I thought of replacing the eggs with ground flax seeds (alsi - I've mentioned about it here)

I read about flax seeds as egg replacers on several websites and was very keen on trying this method out. I was specially motivated when I read about it in this book. Here is the equation as per the book -

1 tbsp of ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water to replace 1 egg.

Just dry grind a few tablespoons of flaxseed for 10 to 15 seconds. You can store the extra powder in an airtight container (in the freezer) for later use.

Take 3 tbsp hot water in a bowl, add 1 tbsp flax powder and stir vigorously. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will turn thick and viscous like so -

(the picture shows 2 tbsp flax powder + 6 tbsp water)

Since the recipe calls for two eggs, I did the needful, creamed all the wet ingredients and reached for the all purpose flour. I had just about a cup! So good old atta (whole wheat flour) came to my rescue. The result - not too bad! The cookies were slightly denser and did not easily flatten out like (I presume) they should (the absence of eggs could also be the reason for this). But they tasted great and crunchy with that li'l chewiness in them - the main reason why I loved chocolate chip cookies since I was a little girl!

Since I was adding flax seeds, I added a little extra vanilla - just to make sure the nuttiness of the flax seeds did not overpower the taste of the cookies, but all was good at the end. Also, I added a little more baking soda since flax seeds do not have the leavening properties of eggs. I also used a little less chocolate chips than the original recipe.

So with all these changes, here's the recipe :

Ingredients :

1 cup all purpose flour (I used maida) + 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (atta)

[ OR 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour in total]
1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp flax seed

6 tbsp warm water

1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Method:

Mix 2 tbsp ground flax seeds with 6 tbsp warm water and set aside for 10 minutes until the mixture turns viscous.

Meanwhile combine all purpose flour, wheat flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a separate (large) bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla and flax mixture and beat further.

Add the flour mixture little by little and fold in with a spatula. Since whole wheat flour is used here, mix gently - otherwise the cookies can become hard and dense; but make sure it's mixed well.

Add chocolate chips and mix well.

Refrigerate the dough for about an hour. (Since it's winter now, I refrigerated it for just a few minutes. However if it is hot and humid, you need to refrigerate it for a longer time in order to roll the dough into balls. The original recipe doesn't call for refrigeration, but I do so since I prefer to roll the dough into balls).

Preheat the oven to 375F.

With a tablespoon, scoop out the dough and make balls. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, about two inches apart and flatten them a little with your fingers.

Bake for about 11 minutes - till the the edges turn slightly brown. The center will be soft. Remove and allow to cool on the baking tray for two minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The center will harden once the cookies cool.

Like I mentioned earlier, the cookies were slighlty dense, owing to the whole wheat. But I have no complaints since whole wheat is definitely a better option, specially for kids.

The recipe yields about 5 dozen cookies (great solution for a potluck party!), if you can refrain yourself from sneaking in some cookie dough to yourself. But I guess with the absence of raw eggs in the dough, it may not be too easy!

These cookies hop on to Hearth and Soul and Vegetarian Foodie Fridays.

Instant Oats Dosa

2010-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here's another dosa that you can make a few minutes before breakfast, instead of worrying about soaking and grinding the previous night. I got this recipe from my aunt Jyothi Prabhu who adapted it from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oats [I used Quaker quick 1-minute oats]
1/2 cup rava (sooji)
1/4 cup rice flour or wheat flour
1/2 cup yogurt (curd), whisked
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 green chillies, finely chopped
Salt

Dry grind oats in the mixer (about 10 seconds). In a large bowl mix oats powder with the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water and mix well to remove lumps [I use a manual whisk]. The batter must be of thin buttermilk consistency. Let stand for a few minutes.

Roast on both sides. (You can refer Rice Flour Dosa for tips).

Please note that they take a long time to roast, so do not flip until one side is completely cooked, otherwise it can break.

Oats dosa tastes great with Mint Chutney.

Baingan Bharta

2010-11-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

Whenever I go to a grocery story, the deep purple coloured eggplants almost always lure me to buy them. Sometimes I give in, but mostly I don't because my husband is not a big fan of eggplants.
The other day when we were talking about something, DH (dear husband) mentioned he didn't like eggplants very much but he actually liked Baigan Bharta a lot. So the next time I went to the store, I dunked in a large eggplant and happily came home to make Baigan Bharta.

I referred to this recipe on Vegtarian Concoctions. She mentions roasting the eggplant on open flame. I had once baked an eggplant and thought of doing so. But I was short on time, so I chose to microwave it since it's faster and hassle free. I also made some minor changes in the recipe.

Ingredients :
1 large eggplant / brinjal / aubergine
1/2 tsp jeera
4 to 5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chopped ginger
3 green chillies, minced
1 large onion

3 large tomatoes

2 tbsp roasted peanuts (optional)

1 pinch hing (asafoetida powder)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt
Coriander leaves

Method :
Rub about one tsp oil all over the eggplant. Make a few deep slits with a knife (otherwise the eggplant can burst in the microwave). Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 11 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool.

Remove the eggplant from the microwave. Chop off the top (calyx) and peel off the skin. I do prefer the peel as well, so I left some of it on. Chop the eggplant and mash it a little bit.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Add jeera. When it splutters, add ginger, garlic, green chillies and peanuts and roast for sometime. Add onions and saute till they turn translucent. Add all the powders and hing and roast for a couple of minutes. Toss in chopped tomatoes and saute till they are completely cooked. Mash lightly with the back of the spoon.

Add chopped eggplant and roast it in the masala for 5 to 6 minutes. Add salt.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Sending this to Bookmarked recipes.

Spinach / Palak Raita

2010-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

'We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been helping to protect himself against inflammatory problems, oxidative stress-related problems, cardiovascular problems, bone problems, and cancers at the same time.' (Source : whfoods.com)

We love palak raita and I make this atleast three to four times a month. I found the recipe of this nutrious raita many years back on the internet and tweaked it a bit to our liking.

Ingredients :
3 cups chopped spinach/palak
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 to 3 green chillies, finely chopped
5 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
Salt
Curd/ yogurt

Method :
Heat oil. Add mustard seeds and jeera. When they splutter, toss in ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute till the chillies and garlic turn brownish. Add onions [I used white onions] and saute for a few minutes, till they turn translucent.
Add spinach/ palak [ I used baby spinach, roughly chopped] and salt. Keep stirring (do not cover) for 2 to 4 minutes till the spinach cooks completely.

Allow to cool.

In a bowl, take 1 cup yogurt. Mix with 3 tbsp (or more) of the spinach mixture. Adjust salt accordingly.

You can refrigerate the rest of the spinach mixture in an airtight container for later use. Mix with curd just before serving.

Sesame Honey Chilli Potatoes

2010-11-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

When I came across this recipe on Shailu's Kitchen, I was reminded of the sweet and sour chicken from Hao Hao that I used to love as a kid (and still do!) This is a completely different dish but honey and chilli seemed like a deadly combination and the sweet and spicy sauce lured me into trying it out.

I had a lot of potatoes in the pantry so thought of using all of them. For the original measures, go here.

Ingredients :
12 medium potatoes [I used red potatoes]
8 garlic cloves
3 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp tomato sauce
3 tbsp oil
Salt
Spring onions/ coriander leaves
Toasted sesame seeds*

Sauce
4 garlic cloves
4 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp red chilli sauce [I used Ching's]
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey

Method:
Chop potatoes into wedges/ fingers. Peel and chop garlic.
In a large bowl, combine garlic, chilli powder, tomato sauce, oil and salt. Toss in the potato wedges and mix well. Adjust the salt.

You can either bake the potatoes or fry them. Shailu suggests adding cornflour instead of oil while frying the potatoes.

For baking, line a large baking tray with greased foil. Place the potatoes (avoid overlapping) and bake at 400ºF till the potatoes are cooked - about 30 to 35 minutes. Turn the potatoes once in between.

In a pan, heat 1 or 2 tbsp oil. Add garlic and roast till it turns golden brown . Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce (except honey) and bring to a light boil.

Add the baked / fried potatoes and honey and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes until the potatoes are coated with the sauce.
Garnish with spring onion greens and toasted sesame seeds. (If you have regular sesame seeds, just dry roast them on low heat).

I added less honey because I wasn't sure if my husband would like the honey-chilli combo. But he did love this dish, so I will stick to this proportion. You could increase the honey if you prefer the dish a little sweeter.

Mint - Coriander Chutney

2010-11-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

Hot pakodas on a cold rainy day serve as an excellent snack. And what better way to have them than to dip them in a bowl of delicious mint chutney! I made these fritters yesterday for a Diwali party hosted by our dear friends Rajesh and Bhargavi. Luckily it wasn't raining last night and Rajesh's fireplace kept us warm, but we enjoyed the bajjis nevertheless!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mint (pudina) leaves

2 cups coriander leaves

1 tbsp grated coconut (optional, for thickness)

1 tbsp chopped ginger

2 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp amchur powder

2 tbsp olive oil

2 to 3 green chillies

Salt

4 tsp juice of lemon or/ and 4 to 5 tbsp curd (yogurt)

Blend the first eight ingredients (without water), into a smooth paste. If necessary, add more oil. (If you want to avoid oil, add a little water instead. The flavour will be slightly different).

Pour either lemon juice or yogurt and blend for another 5 to 10 seconds. Relish with hot pakoras or succulent kebabs. You can even use this chutney as a marinade to make hariyali kebabs (use oil though and not water to grind). Idlis, dosas and samosas dipped in pudina chutney taste great too!

7 Cup Burfi and Celebrating 50th Post!

2010-11-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a Happy Diwali!

I first had this burfi at an aunt's place a couple of years back and loved it. When she told me it's called 7-cup burfi, I thought it was made of a cup each of seven different ingredients. After that I forgot about it. When I came back home two months later, I was suddenly curious to know what the seven ingredients were. At that point of time, my aunt was fast asleep in India, so as usual I resorted to the internet for the answer. And that's when I realised that there were seven cups in total, and just 5 ingredients - besan (1 cup) , ghee (1 cup), milk (1 cup), coconut (1 cup) and sugar (3 cups).

The first time I made this, I used the exact same measures. It tasted great but I found it a tad too sweet for my liking. The next time, I reduced the sugar by 1/4th cup and added 1/4th cup of cashewnuts instead. And that's how I've been doing it since then.

Ingredients :
1 cup besan (gramflour, chickpea flour)
1 cup ghee
1 cup grated coconut
1 cup milk
2 3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cashewnuts

Method:
Blend the cashewnuts with coconut and milk for 10 to 15 seconds, to get a coarse runny mixture.

In a deep bottomed pan [I prefer non-stick], with the flame on low, heat ghee and add besan. With a manual whisk or a large spoon, mix well to get rid of any lumps. Add the blended coconut, cashewnut and milk and keep stirring. Pour in sugar. Increase the flame to medium and keep stirring.

The mixture will start to thicken.

If you have to run around to attend to other chores and cannot be in front of the stove the whole time (just like me), just reduce the flame to low but make sure you stir the mixture atleast once every minute or else the bottom portion will get burnt. Otherwise, just continue to keep the flame on medium and stir every few seconds.

Keep stirring till the mixture thickens so much that when you move the spoon in the mixture, the mixture should move along with the spoon (but should still be pour-able). This can take anywhere between 30 to 50 minutes, depending on how low or high the flame is.

Sometime in between, grease a large plate [I used a 9X14 glass dish] with ghee. When the mixture attains the desired thickness, just pour it onto the plate.

With a spatula or spoon, spread the mixture evenly.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. With a butter knife greased with ghee, cut into desired shape [ I cut mine into squares]. Do not remove from the plate yet.

Once the mixture cools completely (this can take an hour or two) transfer into an airtight container and refrigerate. (If the burfi hasn't hardened by then, refrigerate it for a few hours so that it sets completely before serving).

And thus I celebrated my 50th post :)!

Sugar Cookies - for Halloween

2010-10-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

Last Halloween, my son, then 10 months old, was dressed as a tiger. This time I got him a pumpkin costume. One of his friend's mom from his playgroup is hosting a Halloween party this week. Decorating these pumpkin-shaped cookies sounded like fun so I decided to make them for his cute little friends.

After scouting for a while, I came across this recipe on Food Network, by Alton Brown.

Ingredients :

3 cups APF (I used maida)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp milk

Method :

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and milk and beat further.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and add to the above little by little, beating until dough forms.

Divide the dough into two and refrigerate for 2 hours.

This is where I made a big mistake. I made the dough, refrigerated it and went to put my toddler to sleep. I was so exhausted, I decided to bake the cookies the next morning and fell asleep.

When I started rolling the dough the next day, this is what happened :

The dough had become hard and started to crack as I rolled it. I patched it up carefully. Next time I make this I'm going to use up the dough within two hours!

The recipe asks us to roll out the dough on powdered sugar instead of flour, to 1/4th inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut the rolled out dough into desired shape. I used a pumpkin shaped cutter. Remove the extra scraping and keep aside. You can roll them out again for more cookies.

Arrange atleast 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet [I lined mine with parchment paper].

Bake in a preheated oven at 375ºF for about 7 to 9 minutes [mine took 8 minutes] or till the edges start browning. Cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. (The centers will be slightly soft but will harden as they cool)

Repeat for the next batch, till you finish all the dough.

To decorate the cookies, I used Wilton's buttercream icing.

I took a little bit of icing and added green food colour. I added orange colour to the rest of the icing. For the black colour, I used store bought icing because I have had terrible experiences trying to colour the icing black. You can even use chocolate chips for the eyes.

To decorate the cookies, the tips I used were 5, 12, 18 and 1M.

Here's hoping my son's little friends enjoy eating these decorated cookies as much as I enjoyed making them.

These cookies go to Food Palate Series.