Cookery Corner

Vegetable Patties

2012-01-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year folks! I hope you all had a nice celebration to welcome the New Year. I had a rather unique experience this year and was at the temple for a special midnight puja to welcome the New year! This was definitely my first and i had no idea that such a thing existed... I've even been to a church for a special New Year mass but never the temple before... it was definitely a nice feeling and I was surpised at the rather big crowd that turned up.

Today's recipe is one that I made after tasting the frozen vegetable masala burgers (Tandoor chef) available in Indian grocery stores.. I quite liked the taste and texture of that and decided to make a healthy version at home and my husband declared that he liked these veggie patties even better than the storebought one. You could make these ahead and freeze them until ready to use. I had some leftover cooked quinoa and so added that to the patties and the rest of the family had no idea they were there... (they typically don't eat quinoa, i'm the only one who likes it)... but of course it's entirely optional.

VEGETABLE PATTIES

Ingredients:
Potatoes- 2 big or 3 medium, boiled, peeled and mashed coarsely
Carrots - cubed into tiny pieces about 1/3 cup

Corn kernels - 1/3 cup (I used frozen, if using canned, rinse and drain completely)
Peas - 1/3 cup
Bell pepper - 1/3 cup chopped ( I used red, you could use green too)
Onion - half, chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
Quinoa - 1/2 cup cooked (optional)

Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup (grind a few slices of bread in a mixie to get crumbs)
Walnuts - 2 tbsp, chopped and toasted (optional)
Sambar powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Curry Masala powder/Garam Masala powder - half tsp

Turmeric powder - half tsp
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp + oil to spray when baking

Method:

1) Pressure cook potatoes or microwave them submerged in water for about 7-8 minutes until soft. Peel and mash them. You could cut a portion of it into small cubes and mash the rest for an interesting texture in the burger patties.

2) In a pan, heat the olive oil and add the chopped garlic and onions. Saute this until the onions turn soft and are translucent. Next add the bell pepper and stir for a few minutes before adding the corn, carrots,peas and cubed potatoes (if using). Add some salt to help soften the vegetables.

3) After a few minutes, add the sambar powder and masala powder with turmeric and saute until browned a bit. The vegetables will be tender crisp. Switch off the stove.

4) To the mashed potatoes, add the bread crumbs & quinoa (if using), along with chopped walnuts and the sauteed veggie cubes.

5) Divide into small balls and flatten each into burger patties. (Cover with clear wrap individually and freeze them at this stage until ready to cook)

6) Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment or aluminium foil, spray with oil evenly and lay the patties. Spray the tops with oil too and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until browned, flipping over once in between. Alternatively you could shallow fry them in a pan until golden on both sides.

Assemble the patties in burger buns with lettuce, tomato, some mayo and ketchup... I used the thin sandwich buns while my kids had them plain with some ketchup like vegetable cutlets. Overall a definite favorite & nutritious too.

Cheesecake Bars

2011-12-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

I trust everyone is in a festive holiday mood... I have 2 weeks off and I couldn't be more thrilled... this is much needed downtime after a rather busy year at work. I hope to spend some fun times with the kiddos and also with some friends who are visiting us. Having the kids at home with me means lesser time for the things I usually do in my free time such as blog hopping, posting new recipes and even cooking something new... so today I'm here with a recipe I made a month ago for a get-together - Cheese cake bars.
They are very versatile and you can play around with the basic recipe and make many variations - such as adding crushed oreo biscuits or topping with a layer of ganache, adding in some nuts etc.

CHEESE CAKE BARS

Ingredients
For the Crust:
1 3/4 cup graham crackers (honey or chocolate) or nilla wafers - crushed to a powder
1/4 cup roasted almonds - powdered (optional, or you could increase the crackers by 1/4 cup)
Brown Sugar - half cup
Butter - 4 tbsp, melted

For the Filling:Low fat cream cheese (Neufachtel) - two 8 oz pkgs, softened
Sugar - half cup
Eggs - 2 large
Sour cream - 3/4 cup
Semisweet chocolate chips - about 1/2 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Jam (strawberry, raspberry etc) - 1/4 to 1/3 cup (I used plum jam since i wanted to finish that)

Method:1) Preheat oven to 300F. Line a 13x9 inch pan with aluminium foil - this will ensure that it's easy to lift out the cheesecake when done.

2) For the crust, combine the crumbs, powdered nuts (if using), brown sugar and melted butter. It will seem crumbly... press into the bottom of the pan and bake for 8 minutes and allow to cool.

3) Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a big bowl. Add eggs one at a time. beating the mixture until fluffy. Add sour cream and vanilla stir well. Pour over the crust & spread it out evenly with a spatula.

4) Microwave the jam for about 15-20 seconds to soften it... drop spoonfuls on the filling randomly... make swirls with a toothpick.. you will want to work quickly because the swirls are easier to make when the jam doesn't cool down too much.

5) Sprinkle chocolate chips on the top and bake for 40 mins. Allow to cool and refrigerate for atleast 4 hours before cutting into bars and serving.

In case I don't get to post again before the New Year starts, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year ahead!

Stir-fried Eggplant

2011-12-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

I know that this is not a popular vegetable and it wasn't mine either growing up but now it's a different story... My kids & husband are not totally crazy about it but there are certain recipes that can hook them in and this is one such.

This recipe was inspired by the eggplant dish one finds in Chinese restaurants... you can make it as spicy as you want it and it goes great with some fried rice or even plain rice. For this, I use the long, slender chinese eggplants. The cornflour ensures that the sauce hugs the eggplant & gives it a nice sheen.

STIR FRIED EGGPLANT / BRINJALS (Chinese Style)

Ingredients:
Long Chinese eggplants - 2, sliced into 2 inch pieces
Onion - 1 small, sliced thin (optional)
Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped
Oil - 2 tbsp (use half sesame oil if available)
Spring onion greens - for garnish (I didn't have any, unfortunately)
Chilli powder / red chilli flakes - half tsp (optional)
Salt - to taste

Sauce mix:
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce (e.g. Sriracha) - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Sugar - half tsp (optional)
Black pepper - to taste
Corn flour - 1-2 tsp (mixed with 3 tbsp cold water to form a thin paste)

Ingredients:
1) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wide, shallow pan and fry the eggplant with a bit of salt and chilli powder (if using) on medium. Flip over after several minutes and cook the other side as well until they are tender. Remove from stove and keep aside.

2) In the same pan, heat the remaining tbsp of oil and add the garlic and sliced onions (if using) and fry till golden. Now add the cooked eggplant and cook for a few more minutes.

3) Combine all the sauce ingredients and add to the eggplant-onion stir fry and allow to combine. Cook for a few more minutes until it thickens. Garnish with spring onion tops & serve with rice.

Pad Thai Wraps / Rolls

2011-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

It's not common for my husband to like healthy food.... (like salads and soups) but I have to admit that he has come a long way and now eats broccoli, tofu and a whole lot of other vegetables that he once refused to even look at.... So I was quite surprised when he complained that I haven't made the summer rolls in a long time - essentially they have a salad of veggies and seasoned tofu wrapped to make a roll.

Wanting something warm for dinner, I decided to twist my usual recipe to make a Pad thai inspired filling... so it's basically a combination of the Pad Thai recipe with the Vietnamese Summer Roll recipe. I sauteed veggies and tofu and added in a splash of the tangy, sweet pad thai sauce & added in some crushed peanuts - we loved it !

PAD THAI WRAPS/ROLLS

Ingredients:

Vietnamese Spring roll wrappers (rice wrappers) - here's a link that shows how to wrap them

Cabbage - 3/4 cup loosely packed shredded into thin, long strips
Carrot - 2 medium, julienned into thin slivers
Mung sprouts - about 2 cups
Tofu puffs - about 8, cut into strips (you could use sauteed tofu too)
Spring Onions - 3 to 5 stalks, chopped
Cucumber - cut into thin strips
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves, minced
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Sriracha chilli sauce - to season
Roasted Peanuts - 1/3 cup, chopped coarsely
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves/Spring onions - for garnish

For the Sauce:
Tamarind extract - 1 cup (soak tamarind in water and extract juice)
Soy sauce -2 tbsp
Jaggery - about 1 to 2 tbsp (or to taste)
Sriracha chilli sauce - 2 tsp (optional)
Salt - to taste

Method:
1) Heat oil & add garlic, next add the cabbage and carrot and saute with a bit of salt. Add about 1 cup of sprouts and a tsp of soy sauce and some sriracha if you want some extra spice. Remove from the stove while veggies are still tender crisp (so a few minutes in a hot stove should do). Stir in the chopped spring onions and set aside.

2) Make the sauce by simmering together the tamarind juice, soy sauce, sriracha and brown sugar/jaggery till it thickens to a sauce.

3) Heat a tsp of oil and add the tofu puffs with a splash of sriracha and a tsp of water which will allow the tofu puffs to soften a bit and absorb some spicy flavor. Use your favorite seasoning if sriracha is not your thing.

3) Heat some water in a wide, shallow pan (this is to dip the rice roll wrappers) - it should be a more than warm but not boiling hot.

4) Dip the rice roll wrapper (one at a time) and once it softens (takes about a minute or lesser) lay it out on a flat surface and it's time to make the rolls - in one corner, put the sauteed veggies, top them with some fresh sprouts, cucumber, tofu, peanuts and coriander leaves, drizzle some of the tamarind sauce and a bit of sriracha - roll it like you would a burrito (refer to this link for more detailed pictures). Serve with the tamarind based pad thai sauce for dipping and enjoy.

Baked Zucchini Crisps

2011-12-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Using the oven on a cold night gives the kitchen a cozy feeling and the tummies a delicious meal. Last week, I whipped up these zucchini crisps for dinner and they were devoured by the family. Thin slices of zucchini are coated with seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and baked till crisp... As for the first coating, you could use egg or a mixture of all purpose flour and water if you don't eat eggs - I didn't have any eggs at home that day. Try it and I'm sure this will be a very tasty way to get your family to eat zucchini.

BAKED ZUCCHINI CRISPS

Ingredients:

Zucchini - 1 (big), washed & sliced thin - about quarter inch thick slices
Bread Crumbs - about 1 cup (I ran a few slices of bread through a food processor)
Grated Parmesan - 1/3 cup to half cup
Garlic powder - half tsp
Lemon - Pepper seasoning - quarter tsp (optional)
Red Chilli flakes - half tsp to 1 tsp (or to taste)
Maida/All purpose flour - 1/4 cup mixed with water to form a paste OR Egg - 1, beaten
Salt - to taste
Oil - to spray

Method:
1) Pre-heat oven to 475F. Cover a sheet pan with foil/parchment paper and spray with oil.

2) In the first bowl, mix the all purpose flour with water to form a thin paste (or beat egg if using instead) add a pinch of salt.

3) In the 2nd bowl, mix breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese, salt & seasonings (garlic, chilli flakes, pepper etc)

4) Dredge the zucchini slices, first in the flour paste (or egg) and then in the bread crumbs to coat. Arrange as a single layer on the baking sheet.

5) Bake for 5 minutes on one side, flip and cook another 5-7 minutes on the other side.

Best when eaten fresh..... I wouldn't know if it keeps well and tastes good the next day since we always finish it the same day :) I served them plain but you could put out a bowl of marinara sauce or ketchup to dip.

Spicy Dahi Aloo

2011-11-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

This dish is a combination of spicy and tangy flavours with a favorite, popular veggie - potatoes that get cooked delicately in this curry and absorb all the spices... This goes great with pulao, naan or rotis and is sure to tickle your tastebuds. This gravy would look pretty with little baby potatoes but since I didn't have them, I just used normal potatoes that had been cubed.

SPICY DAHI ALOO

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 medium, cooked until firm but done & peeled
If using baby potatoes - use about 10 to 12
Onion - 1 small one or half of a medium one, chopped finely
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Yogurt - half cup, thick
Milk - quarter cup
Chilli powder - 1 to 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder or Curry powder - half tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - half tsp
Kasuri Methi - half tsp, crushed
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cloves - 1
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Cardamom - 1 pod
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch

Method:
1) Microwave the potatoes with water to cover them for 6 minutes. They have to be cooked but firm, not mushy (so slightly underdone). Peel the potatoes. If using the big ones, like me, cut them into big chunks. Pierce the potatoes lightly.

2) In a wide non-stick pan, add about 2 tsp of oil and pan fry the potato chunks till browned - sprinkle a bit of salt on them while doing this.

3) In a kadai, add the remaining oil & season with clove, cardamom, cumin seeds & hing, then add the finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute this until the onions are slightly browned.

4) Now add the masala powders (coriander/curry, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala), stir for abt 30 seconds, ensuring they don't burn. Add half cup water to this mixture and allow to boil for about 3 to 4 minutes.

5) Whisk the yogurt and milk together. Reduce the flame of the kadai to a simmer and add the yogurt mixture to the curry. Add salt to taste and the potato chunks. Cover and allow to simmer for atleast 20 minutes - oil will float on top.

6) Finally add in the crushed kasuri methi. Serve with naan or chapathis.

I would like to send this yummy curry to Lisa's event 'A celebration of Indian Food'.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2011-11-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Now that the cooler weather is upon us I'm including a lot of soups in our diet and this recipe is something that even kids will like (skip the red chilli flakes when making for them). Combining finely chopped broccoli (the frozen packs make this a breeze) with some smooth, creamy cheese is sure to warm you up in such a delicious way. The tiny specs of carrot add colour & nutrition.

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

Ingredients:

Broccoli, chopped - 10 to 12 oz (I used the frozen pack)
Carrot - 1, peeled and chopped finely
Onion - 1 small to medium, peeled & chopped finely

Garlic cloves - 5, peeled and minced
Processed Cheese (Velveeta) - 7 oz - 8 oz (I used 9 to 10 slices of processed cheese - Borden brand)
Milk - 1 cup or if you want it richer, you can use lesser quantity of half and half.

Vegetable stock - 2 cans (4 cups approx)
Water - 1 cup
Corn starch - 1 tbsp
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp or more to taste (optional)
Celery salt - half tsp (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) Heat oil and butter and saute the garlic and onions till translucent. Add red chilli flakes and celery salt now, if using.

2) Next add the chopped carrot and saute for a few minute more before adding the chopped broccoli. Add the vegetable stock and 1 cup of water at this point and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and allow this to simmer for 15 minutes until the veggies are tender.

3) Add the cheese (cut into small pieces) and stir into the soup until. Next add the milk (or half and half if using) and keep on a simmer.

4) After about 5 minutes, mix the cornstarch with a few tbsp of cold water to a smooth paste and add to the soup, stirring continuously until it thickens to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The soup is now ready to serve with some crisp croutons or garlic bread.
If you don't love cheese but want a tasty, creamy soup check out my Creamy Broccoli Soup

Microwave Sabudana Khichdi / Javvarisi Upma

2011-11-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

My dad would often try new recipes at home.. he was the one who introduced us to lauki koftas, home-made chocolate and this sabudhana khichdi among other dishes. He made this sound so simple and since I loved this, I decided to surprise my inlaws with this upma one day and didn't know how to soak the sabudana and soon it became a gooey mess - much to my disappointment. My dad on the other hand would churn out large amounts of the upma effortlessly - where every tapioca pearl would be separate and perfectly cooked.

I tried with several brands of sabudana/tapioca pearls here in the US but it was never satisfactory - my mom said that you need something called nylon sabudana which is not white but colourless... Anyway, all my sabudana woes disappeared when I chanced upon Nupur's microwave recipe - so much easier and the results have never disappointed me - always comes out perfect and finally I have an upma that is close to my dad's version (regardless of the type of sabudana)! (Thank you Nupur and thanks to your mom too for introducing you to this Microwave method). I've posted the fact that I've tried her recipe before but this time I wanted to post the recipe itself since I've made some changes to suit our taste and added a few things that are not traditionally added to this dish which is often eaten when ending a fast - such as onions.

My husband who never took to this initially and would only tolerate it if I fried them like vadas is now a huge fan of this upma... he loves the crunchy peanuts in the dish, I love the chewy tapioca and my son loves the potatoes :) so all in all a winner.

MICROWAVE SABUDHANA KHICHDI

Ingredients:

Javvarisi/ Sabudana/tapioca pearls - 1.5 cups (soaking method given below)
Raw/Roasted peanuts (unsalted) - about 1 cup
Potato - 1 big one, peeled & cut into tiny cubes
Onion - 1 small to medium, finely chopped (optional)
G. chillies - 5 to 6, minced finely (adjust to taste)
Ginger - 1 inch piece, minced finely
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Coriander leaves & Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp each (for garnish)
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sugar - half tsp
Salt - 1.5 tsp (adjust to taste)

Method:

1) Wash sabudana, drain then cover with just enough water to cover the pearls. Cover and leave overnight or atleast 6 hours. Fluff gently with a fork.

2) If using raw peanuts, roast at 425F for about 10 minutes and remove he skin. If using already roasted peanuts, skip this step. Once the roasted peanuts have cooled, grind coarsely.

3) Mix the sabudana with the coarsely ground peanuts and set aside.

4) In a strong microwaveable bowl (I used a wide pyrex one), add oil, ghee, cumin seeds, g. chillies, ginger, onion and potato - microwave this for 2 mins. Add a teeny bit of salt and microwave again for a minute or until the potatoes are almost cooked.

5) Add the sabudana, peanuts, salt and sugar and mix well. Cook on high for 2 minutes and allow to rest in the microwave for a minute.

6) Stir and cook- 2 mis on high and rest for a minute or two. Check if done, if not cook for 1 minute intervals until the sabudana is cooked (will look translucent), allowing it to rest for a minute each time after.

7) When done, stir in the coriander leaves and grated coconut (if using). Tasty upma is now ready to serve. This is a very filling, high calorie breakfast.

Lemon Rice & Breakfast Ideas

2011-11-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone is feeling pretty stuffed and sweet after Deepavali and Halloween... :) I know I am. Eventhough this year I didn't feel like making a whole lot of things, I still made 7 cups burfi (always reliable and always yummy) and chaklis and thankfully both came out really well.. and for Diwali dinner we had an elaborate meal with vadai and semia payasam. I trust you all had a lovely celebration.

Coming to the simpler things in life, I can't believe I haven't posted lemon rice on this blog in all these years. This is probably the easiest thing one can whip up... is super quick and anything tangy & spicy is a winner in my book.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup (I prefer to not use Basmati)
Lemon juice - 3 to 4 tbsp (depends on how tangy and juicy your lemons are)
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp, soaked for abt 15 mins
Dried Peanuts - 2 tbsp (optional)
Dried Red Chillies - 2, broken into bits
Green chillies - 5, slit into two
Curry leaves and coriander leaves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing/asafoetida - a pinch
Mustard seeds, Urad dhal - half tsp each
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
1) Cook rice with about 2 cups of water & a bit of salt (1:2 is what works for the rice I have but this can vary). Ensure the grains are separate and not mushy. When cooked, quickly transfer to a wide, shallow plate and allow to cool.

2) Heat the oil, season with mustard seeds and urad dhal, once the mustard starts popping, add the channa dhal, peanuts, red and g. chillies, curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder and salt. Saute this until they get fried - takes several minutes.

3) Add the cooked and cooled rice to this and mix (I use a spatula) gently until well coated with the seasonings.

4) Switch off the stove and add the lemon juice, stirring well. Finally garnish with coriander leaves.

This tastes best when it has rested for a while and has time for the flavours to marry. Sometimes I add in half of a chopped onion and fry that along with the seasonings for a tasty variation.

Before I sign off, I wanted to share some of my new favorites when it comes to breakfast...

1) Sprout salad with whole wheat bread & egg - Mung sprouts tossed with onion, tomatoes, g. chillies (sometimes i add grated carrots too), lemon juice and salt makes the sprout salad. Something my dad whipped up very often when he was here.

2) Avocado and Tomato Open Faced Sandwich - Toast a whole wheat bread slice until crisp, spread some Maggi hot and sweet sauce on it, then layer with sliced tomatoes, topped with sliced, ripe Hass avocados (so buttery and good), squeeze a few drops of lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. The crisp toast with the creamy avocado with the tang of tomatoes - so tasty!

My husband, who grimaced at first when I offered him a taste, quickly changed his mind after taking a bite and stole my sandwich.. of course I had more avocados so made myself another one... and forgave him :)

Well, that's for now... will catch up with you all later.

Chocolate Butterfly Cake

2011-10-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this recipe for more than a week now but with my son falling sick and work days being filled with meetings and more meetings I couldn't get to it until now. My daughter turned 6 on October 10th and for her birthday this year she was contemplating between a Butterfly cake and a Flower cake and finally after much thinking and some 'Eenie Meenie Minie Mo' she decided on the Butterfly Cake. She was positive about what flavour the cake had to be though when she declared that it had to be a chocolate cake.

So, I set about looking for websites that might illustrate how I can do a butterfly cake and found the perfect one at this website... I couldn't believe how easy it was (some very creative & smart thinking by the person who came up with it) and it didn't even need a special pan.. just a plain old round pan and a few cuts later, you've got yourself a butterfly! See the illustration I have below and you'll agree I am right. So, this is great for novices at cake decorating (like me) and a sure fire way to thrill your kids.

I did keep in mind some of the things I learnt from my last year's mistakes while making the Princess Castle Cake : 1) Make the cake abt 2 days ahead and refrigerate for atleast 12 hours so you can cut it easily 2) I wanted to bake the cake and make the frosting myself since the store bought mixes & frosting tubs didn't work well last time 3) Give ample time for the crumb coat to rest in the fridge before doing the final frosting. I defintely think that I got a better finish this time... not perfect still but a whole lot better.

The chocolate cake was really good - dense, moist, chocolatey a bit sweeter than store bought cake since I was going to do a light, not very sweet icing and for the icing I decided to go with my favorite whipped cream with a bit of cream cheese to give it more body. All in all a delicious & good looking cake.

BUTTERFLY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake (makes one 9 inch)
All purpose flour - 3/4 cup + 1/8 cup (yes.. no typo there)
Cocoa powder - 1/3 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Baking powder - half tsp
Salt - half tsp
Egg - 1
Buttermilk - half cup (I just used home made yogurt blended with a bit of water)
Vegetable/Canola oil - 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract - half tsp
Light coffee - half cup (I heated up half cup water and added about a tsp of instant coffee)

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper then spray again with PAM. Then flour the pans (this cake is quite sticky so make sure you don't skip any of these)

2) Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder & salt. Combine uniformly with the sugar using a whisk in a large bowl.

3) In another small bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla.

4) While gradually pouring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredents, beat them (I used a hand held beater). Finally pour the coffee and stir until it just comes together.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean. Cool in pan for 30 minutes before turning onto a cooling rack and cooling completely.

6) At this point, i wrapped it with cling wrap and refrigerated it overnight.

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1 cup
Low fat cream cheese - 2 oz
Sugar - 1/4 to 1/3 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Food coloring if needed (I used pink since she loves pink and purple)

Method:
1) Freeze the bowl and the beaters for atleast 20 to 30 minutes before doing this frosting.

2) First beat together the cream cheese, sugar, few drops of food coloring and vanilla extract until smooth. While still beating it, pour the heavy whipping cream slowly and continue beating until it holds a peak.

Assembly of Butterfly Cake:
Here's the illustration I promised you..

1) First put the cake bottom side up so you have nice clean level surface for the top.. using a sharp serrated knife cut cake in half so you have 2 semi circles.

2) Arrange them on a cling wrap covered tray so the curves are close to each other (but not touching).

3) Cut 2 notches or small triangles slightly below center and now the semicircles will look like wings of the butterfly. Take the 2 triangles you cut and put them between the 2 semi circles with bases touching each other - this forms the body of the butterfly.

4) First do a crumb coat which is basically a first layer of icing which will ensure that all the cake crumbs are not spread through the icing... Once that is done, referigerate the cake for another 6 hours or so before doing the second and final coat of icing.

5) Use a decorating gel pen / pipe a thin line of frosting to draw patterns on the wings.. We then used different kinds of sprinkles, colored sugar and jelly beans... to decorate the butterfly.

6) For the antennae you could use fruit roll ups or any long thin biscuit.. i just had some chocolate fudge that i melted a bit and stuck onto 2 halves of a wooden skewer and insterted them into the cake.

Pasta Frittata

2011-10-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

When I saw this on Giada's show, I was quite impressed by how fluffy it looked and thought my kids would definitely love it knowing how they enjoy both cheese and pasta. The addition of eggs makes for a filling lunch as well and since this comes together so very easily and tastes just as good at room temperature, it makes for an ideal lunchbox dish.

I had some leftover pasta in the fridge and some fresh basil in the garden so decided to give this a try and it was definitely a hit... both kiddos loved it. I might consider adding some chopped and sauteed veggies with it the next time, such as zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes etc. The basil gave it such a burst of freshness and made me wish I had added some more. I made some slight modifications to her recipe...

PASTA FRITTATA

Ingredients:
Pasta (cooked with a bit of salt and cooled completely) - 1.5 cups (I used macaroni)
Eggs - 3
Whole Milk - 3 tbsp
Basil leaves - about 10, chopped finely
Parmesan cheese and mozzarella - 1/4 cup each, (totalling half cup)
Salt & Pepper to taste (if making for adults, you can add some red chilli flakes)
Olive oil - 2 tsp + 2 tsp

Method:
1) In a bowl, beat the eggs & milk with some salt and pepper (go easy on the salt since the pasta has some salt and we are going to be adding some cheese as well).

2) Now toss in the drained and cooled pasta, chopped basil and the cheeses & stir well.

3) Heat a non-stick pan on medium and drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil, pour the pasta-egg mixture and spread evenly. Allow to cook on medium for abt 7-8 minutes. If the top still looks runny and not set, that run a spatula around the edges and tilt the pan so they run off to the sides.

4) Once the bottom has browned a bit, loosen the edges with a spatula and invert pan onto a plate.

5) Drizzle the remaining 2 tsp of oil in the pan and slide the frittata in, with the uncooked side on the bottom and browned side on the top. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or till firm. Cut into wedges when warm.

Serve with some salad, fruit and milk and watch your kids enjoy! :)

Arisi Upma

2011-09-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how quickly days fly by and before you know it a week is gone, then two and then an entire month slips away in an instant... Things have been way too busy on all fronts.. work and home - it leaves me pretty much no time to relax and get to my hobby of blogging. There has been a fair bit of cooking going on though and i have quite a backlog of recipes and pictures waiting to see the daylight but the one I have picked today screams comfort food to me and is perfect for the rainy days we've been having - it's the classic Arisi Upma. I remember my paati's version ever so clearly... tasty upma, doused liberally with nallennai (sesame oil) and the crispy crunchy bits on the bottom of the pan... so good!

When my mom was here, I asked her to make it quite often and here is her recipe for this tasty upma.

ARISI (RICE) UPMA

Ingredients:
Raw Rice - 1.5 cups
Toor dhal - 1/4 cup
Coconut, grated - 2 tbsp
Red Chillies - 5
Cumin seeds and whole Black pepper - half tsp each, pounded to a coarse powder
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Split Urad dhal - 1/4 tsp
Channa dhal - 1 to 2 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
1) Soak Rice and dhal together for 20 mins, drain and while still moist grind to a coarse powder.

2) In a pot (or the pressure cooker if you prefer that method), heat oil and season with mustard seeds, urad dhal, channa dhal, hing, curry leaves and the 5 red chillies broken into bits.

3) Once the mustard splutters and the dhals are a bit toasted, add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

4) Add the coconut and salt at this point and the powdered cumin seeds and pepper powder.

5) Next add the powdered rice and dhal, cover and allow to cook on a low-medium flame till well cooked. If using a pressure cooker, wait for 1 whistle then lower the flame and wait 5 minutes before switching off the stove - your upma is now ready, once the pressure subsides.

However, if you want the crispy bottom part, the stove top method works better.

Enjoy!
Wishing everyone a very happy Navarathri season :)

Summer Vegetable Pasta

2011-09-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's quite saddening that we are nearly running out of summer and the weather has been quite challenging lately... what with Irene first (which thankfully didn't wreak much havoc for us) and then the remnants of Tropical storm Lee - which caused nearly 5 days of non-stop rain! But it has been a fun and busy summer for us otherwise... we managed to squeeze in a trip to the beach, visited Niagara (a first for my kids and parents), moved to a new home, had a renuion with cousins, took the kids to a farm and a zoo, hosted a party & went on a few picnics.

This pasta dish was made for one such picnic outing and it turned out pretty tasty. My daughter planted a few stems of basil (after I used the leaves from the storebought one) and they grew to be a nice beautiful plant and I've had no dearth for basil this entire summer. Infact when the plant gets big, I cut the stems, wash and dry the leaves and grind them with some olive oil and store them in the freezer for later. I also made a few batches of pesto and froze that as well. Here are some pictures from our garden:

SUMMER VEGETABLE PASTA

Pasta - 1 lb (16 oz) - I used colorful Rotini
Red onion - 1 small, sliced thinly
Garlic cloves - 3
Green Beans - 10, cut into half inch pieces
Carrots - 2 medium, julienned into slices
Bell Peppers (Red/Green) - half cup, cut into 1 inch strips
Broccoli florets & stalks - 1 cup
Yellow Squash / Zucchini - half, cut into thick strips
Pesto - 2 to 3 tbsp or to taste
Red Chilli flakes, Salt & Pepper - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
Shredded Parmesan Cheese - 1/4 cup

1) Cook Pasta according to pasta directions, drain and reserve abt half cup of water.

2) Toss the vegetables with 2 tsp olive oil & a bit of salt, place in a wide bowl or plate and microwave for 5 minutes (no water needed or covering) - this will make them tender crisp.

3) Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, add onion, garlic and chilli flakes - cook till soft and tender on medium flame, Then add the microwaved veggies and some black pepper & toss for another 5 to 6 minutes...

4) Mix the pesto with about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and add to the drained pasta along with the microwaved vegetables & parmesan cheese. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Go with any kind of veggies you have and love.. some cherry tomatoes would be a great addition as well. This would also be great to take on picnics or for kids lunchboxes.

Chocolate Mousse Cake (with Eggless Option)

2011-09-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

This particular cake has been on my mind since the time my husband bought one for my birthday.. it had a chocolate cake base with a light, airy chocolate mousse topping, not too sweet but chocolatey. I've been scouting for recipes since then that would come close and I had to combine several elements from different recipes to fit what I had in mind. Inspite of all that, this cake is fairly easy to make and I used a boxed chocolate cake for a base which turned out to be very moist, thanks to the chocolate mousse layer on top. But you could just as easily substitute it with any chocolate cake recipe that you prefer or even this eggless version and make this a totally eggless chocolate mousse cake! Isn't that neat?

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Ingredients:
Cake Layer:
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's food cake) , eggs, oil as specified in the box of the cake mix. I followed the baking directions for a 9 X 13 inch pan
OR
this Eggless Chocolate Cake (double it to make it fit a 9 X 13 inch pan)

Method For the Cake Layer: Follow directions on the box and bake in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Allow to cool and refrigerate. If you use a 9 inch spring form pan then you can layer the cake, mousse and then remove the sides for a beautiful presentation. Since i wanted a bigger cake, I just referigerated it in the pan itself. If the top is not level (mine had risen more in the middle), slice the top to make it level.

Chocolate Mousse Layer:
Heavy Cream - 2 cups (ensure it's very cold)
Semi sweet chocolate - 9.33 oz (measured using a weighing scale)
Cocoa powder - 2.5 tbsp
Hot water - 6.5 tbsp
Sugar - 1.5 tbsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp

Method:
1) Dissolve cocoa powder in the hot water and keep aside.

2) Melt the semi sweet chocolate in a medium bowl - i microwaved for about a minute to 90 seconds in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Ensure there is no water in the bowl or the spatula to prevent chocolate from seizing (and becoming crumbly).

3) Mix the dissolved cocoa powder with the melted chocolate

4) Place bowl and whisk in freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes before making whipped cream.

5) In the well chilled bowl, put the 2 cups of cream, salt and sugar and whip until mixture begins to thicken and soft peaks form.

6) Using a rubber spatula, fold / mix a third of the whipping cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten.

7) Then fold in the remaining two-thirds of the mixture using the spatula until there are no white streaks. That's it! The chocolate mousse is now ready. Spoon or pipe this mousse mixture onto the cooled cake. Refrigerate for about 2 to 3 hours atleast.

Whipped Cream Layer:
Whipped Cream - 2 cups (ensure it's very cold)
Sugar - 2 to 3 tbsp
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Salt - a small pinch

Method for whipped cream:
1) Place bowl and whisk in freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes before making whipped cream.

2) In the well chilled bowl, put the 2 cups of cream, vanilla, salt and sugar and whip until mixture begins to thicken and soft peaks form. Beat some more until peaks stiffen.. (ensure you don't beat too much and turn it into butter) :)

3) Top the chocolate mousse layer with this whipped cream topping as a uniform layer.

I decorated the cake with some drizzlings of melted chocolate (lightened with a bit of milk) and some shaved chocolate curls. Mine was refrigerated for more than a day before we served it and it was extremely moist and stayed that way for nearly 2-3 days after.

I made this for a family reunion we had 2 weekends back - we had a lovely celebration.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert / Salad

2011-08-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Why they would name this as a Salad, i will never understand... because this actually fits very well in the dessert category. I was quite intrigued by this dish and the combination of ingredients that go into this recipe when my cousin P (akka) told me about it... I got a chance to make this for my son's birthday party (he just turned two) and since there was already cake on the menu, I thought that this would make for a nice dessert. It went over very well with the guests. Another good thing is that it can be made the previous day so one less thing to worry about on the day of the party! :)

The party's menu included chocolate cake, onion pakoras, vegetable vellai kurma, paneer jalfrezie, yummy chole that my neighbours helped make (will try and post that recipe soon), peas pulao, naan & curd rice besides this dessert.

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD / DELIGHT

Ingredients:

Prezel Layer:
Powdered Pretzels - 2 cups ( I used this)
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Butter - 3/4 cups (melted)

Cream Layer:
Whipped topping - one 8 oz. tub or freshly whipped cream
Cream cheese (low fat should work) - 8 oz pack
Sugar - 3/4 cup to 1 cup (to taste)

Strawberry Jello Layer:
Strawberry Jello powder - Two 3 oz packs
Boiling Water - 2 cups
Fresh Srawberries - 1 lb, washed, dried, hulled and sliced

Method:
1) For the pretzel layer, combine the powdered pretzels, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Press into a 9x13 inch pan evenly. Bake this in a preheated oven at 400F for 8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely.

2) For the cream layer, beat cream cheese and sugar till blended then fold in the whipped cream carefully. Spread this layer on the pretzel layer uniformly making sure you go till the ends and covering the crust completely. Chill this for atleast 2 hours.

3) To the boiling water, add the 2 packs of strawberry jello and dissolve. Switch off the flame and allow to cook completely. Arrange the sliced strawberries on the cream layer. When jellow is completely cool and slightly thickened, pour over the sliced strawberries slowly.

4) Refrigerate this for atleast 6 to 8 hours or upto 2 days. When ready to serve, slice (a serrated knife works best) and dig in.

Potato & Caramelized Onion Pizza

2011-08-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

When visiting friends in Boston, my friend S had only good things to say about this pizza joint (unfortunately I don't remember the name) so for dinner she and her husband had ordered a roasted veggie pizza and a potato pizza from there. Both pizzas were fabulous.. nice thin crust and yummy toppings. I was quite surprsed that the potato pizza tasted so good - not too starchy or filling but light and even crispy in some places.

So, I tried to duplicate that at home and it was just as tasty.. For the pizza base this time I used Raaga's recipe and it turned out perfect (recipe given below)

POTATO & CARAMELIZED ONION PIZZA

Ingredients:
Potato - 1 medium , peeled and thinly sliced
Red Onion - 1, sliced thin & caramelized in 1 tbsp oil with salt, chilli powder
Pepper jack /mozzarella cheese - 1/4 cup
Parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil to drizzle on potato slices
Garlic powder, Chilli flakes & Pizza seasoning mix on base
Srirarcha / Chilli sauce sauce to do the pizza.

Method:
1) Take the time to caramelize the onions on a medium flame till nice and brown. I used a non-stick pan and 1 tbsp of olive oil. I used red onions this time but shallots would be best and white onions will work too.

2) To assemble the pizza, sprinkle the garlic powder, chilli flakes and pizza seasoning (this is optional) spread the mozzarella cheese on the pizza. Then spread the caramelized onions uniformly.

3) Top with the thin potato slices (make sure they are thin or they won't cook well) and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the potato.

4) Dot the entire pizza with sriracha sauce to add a spicy kick and finally lightly drizzle some olive oil on the potato slices and sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese all over the pizza.

5) Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 15 to 16 mins. Slice and enjoy.

PIZZA DOUGH / BASE (makes 2 pizzas)

It may seem daunting initially but once you give it a shot you realize how easy making this is... All it needs once mixed is an hour of resting time and then you are ready to make delicious pizzas at home. The proportions below make enough dough to make 2 (slightly bigger than medium) pizzas.

Ingredients:
All purpose Flour / Maida - 3 cups
Active Dry Yeast - 2 packs
Olive oil - 1/4 cup
Milk - half cup
Water - half cup
Salt - 1.5 tsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Garlic powder & Pizza seasoning to taste (optional)

Method:
1) I usually proof the yeast - to do that, heat water so it's a bit more than warm about 20 to 30 seconds in the MW usually works for me (ensure it's not too hot). Dissolve sugar in this water and add the yeast packets. After about 5 minutes or so it will be foamy.

2) In a big bowl, combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, pizza seasoning and combine. Next add the milk, olive oil and the entire bowl of proofed yeast and combine to form a dough. Minimal kneading is required.

3) Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise for an hour or until it doubles in a warm place. If it's winter, I usually place it in the oven with the ligh on (without switching on the oven however)...

4) When ready, roll out the dough and then spread it out with your hands to a base of desired thickness. Add sauce, cheese and toppings and bake in a preheated oven for 400F for about 15-20 minutes or till bottom is golden & pizza is cooked through.

Avocado Beans Salad in Lettuce Cups

2011-07-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

With the heat wave that most part of the country has been experiencing, slaving over a hot stove is not something anyone would enjoy. That's when I resort to a light, summer meal which requires little or no cooking and this recipe here is a perfect fit. Light, yet filling and so very refreshing... A friend of mine made this during a get-together and it is something I enjoyed so decided to recreate it at home.

Any kind of beans will work but I used a can of black beans I had at home. Sweet kernels of corn would be a great addition to this but I didn't have any when I made this. Play around with the ingredients to suit your taste buds... you can even add some mint chutney to the avocado bean salad for a variation... the options are endless.

AVOCADO BEAN SALAD in LETTUCE CUPS

Ingredients:

Avocados - 2, ripe, scoop the inside flesh after cutting into two
Black beans - 1 can, drained and rinsed with water
Red Bell Pepper - half, chopped finely
Red Onion - half of a medium one, peeled and chopped finely
Corn Kernels - from one cob (that has been cooked till soft with a bit of salt)

Tomato - 1 small, chopped finely
Spring Onion - 1, chopped
Green chillies - 2, minced (optional, esp. when serving to children)
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Juice - from one half of a lemon
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped

To Serve:

Iceberg Lettuce - separated to form the cups (just before serving- keep chilled)
Sour Cream

Method:

1) In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salad. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Refrigerate this for 30 mins to an hour to allow the flavours to marry.

2) When ready to serve, arrange lettuce cups, put abt 2 spoons of the avocado bean salad and top with a dollop of sour cream. Roll up and eat!

We enjoyed that with a cool Mango Panna cotta for dessert.

Here are some more recipes that require no cooking:

Bhel Puri
Cucumber Sandwiches

Summer Rolls
Tortilla Pinwheels
Hummus
Raw Papaya Salad
Spinach Salad

Peanut Salad
Guacamole

Thai Sticky Rice with Mango Ver 2.0

2011-07-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

I know I've posted this yummy dessert earlier but this is a more authentic version and I've used actual sticky rice here as opposed to the regular rice I used earlier and followed a slightly different method. Now that I know how to get good mangoes here in the US, I've made this dessert several times this summer and were able to enjoy this creamy, luscious vegan dessert.

The recipe is adapted from the thaifood website but with some modifications made by me.

STICKY RICE WITH MANGOES

Ingredients:
Sweet Rice/Sticky Rice - 1 cup

Mangoes - 2, ripe, peeled and cut (ensure they are wrinkled and very soft)
Brown Sugar - 1/3 cup
Coconut milk - 1 can (make sure it's good quality e.g Chao Koh)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cornstarch - 2 tsp dissolved in some cold water

Method:

1) Soak the rice for about 30 mins to an hour. Drain and steam cook this rice for about 15-20 minutes on a medium flame or till translucent and cooked through. Transfer rice to a bowl with a tight lid and keep covered.

2) Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, sugar, salt on a medium flame until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture is scalding (not boiling but almost there).

3) Reserve about 1/3 of this sauce and pour the remaining into the bowl with rice. Stir to combine, cover and keep aside for about 30 minutes for it to absorb the flavours (no need to refrigerate).

4) To the remaining sauce, add the dissolved cornstarch and boil on low heat to thicken slightly.

5) When ready to serve, place a scoop of rice, with the mango slices and drizzle some of the coconut sauce on top. You can also sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds for garnish.

Mango Cream Pie

2011-07-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's good to be back after a break and I hope you all are having a fun and enjoyable summer.

We've been busy with the move the past several weeks and that would explain why I was missing from the blogosphere. To add on, I've been having carpal tunnel like symptoms so have been trying to stay away from the computer as much as I can. I have been cooking quite a bit though and this recipe is a perfect treat for summers... light, airy, sweet, fruity & cool. It's also eggless and this is a dessert I made to share with my neighbours who loved it.

I used mangoes here since I had a big crate of them (yes, I've finally figured out the kind of mangoes one should buy - the yellow ones that are marked "ataulfo" and you know they are ripe when the skin is not smooth but wrinkled and are very soft to the touch). You could use other fruits such as strawberries too to make this pie.

MANGO CREAM PIE:

Ingredients:
Low fat Cream Cheese (Neufachtel) - 8 oz (1 pack)
Confectioners Sugar (powdered) - 3/4 cup
Cool whip tub - 1 8oz (or freshly whipped cream about 2 to 3 cups)
Mangoes - 2 to 3 ripe ones, peeled & sliced thinly
Pie Crust/Graham Cracker crust - 1 nine inch (I used storebought but you could make it at home just as easily).

Method:
1) Beat softened cream cheese and confectioners sugar for a few mins.
2) Preheate oven to 400F and bake the pie crust (as per directions since it depends on the crust). For the store bought one that I used, i pricked it with a fork and baked for 10 mins until golden. Allow to cool completely.
3) First put half of the cream cheese mixture.
4) Next layer the mango slices, then top with half of the whipped topping.
5) Now add another layer of mangoes, then remaining half of the cream cheese mixture.. it will be difficult to spread on the cool whip portion so drop it in different places and swirl it in as uniformly as possible.
6) Add the next layer of mango slices. Finally top with the remaining cool whip and if there are a few fruit slices left, decorate the top... I didn't - hence the lone mint leaf :)

7) Chill this for atleast 4 hours and then slice and dig in for a light, cool, summer dessert that is eggless too.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

2011-05-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Quiche (pronounced Keesh) is a savoury, delicious egg filling baked in a pie crust. I used to make this very often and would use the store bought pre-made pie crusts which just need to be filled and baked - (Make sure there is no lard in the ingredients if you are vegetarian). But this time, I thought I'd try my hand at making the pie crust myself. It came together very easily I thought - the only mistake I made is that instead of weighing the crust down with some beans (in order to blind bake), I just decided to dock them (prick them) with a fork and that was not a good substitution apparently because it puffed up in some places. Otherwise this is an easy, delicious recipe.

Play around with the stuff you add to the quiche.. i stuck to spinach and mushroom and added a top layer of parmesan crusted tomatoes but you can add whatever floats your boat to get a different version each time.

SPINACH MUSHROOM QUICHE

INGREDIENTS:
For the Pie crust
All purpose flour - 1.25 cups
Cold Butter - 7 tbsp, cubed
Cold water - 2 to 3 tbsp
Salt - half tsp

For the Filling

Spinach - 3 to 4 cups, fresh leaves, chopped (or use frozen)
Fresh White Mushroom - 1 (8oz) pack, cleaned and sliced
Red onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves, chopped
Red Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Tomato slices - 5 (optional)
Eggs - 4
Milk - 1 cup (whole milk preferred)
Shredded Cheese - 1.25 cups (I used pepper jack)
Parmesan Cheese - 2 to 3 tbsp (optional)
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Dried Italian herbs - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp, divided

Method:
1) For the crust: I used my food processor. Combined the flour and salt. Make sure that the butter is super cold (put them in the freezer for about 10 mins) . Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water a tablespoon at a time & continue pulsing until it just becomes to come together. Remove from the food processor, bring the dough together gently, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for atleast an hour.

For the filling:

2) Heat half tbsp olive oil in a pan, add garlic flakes and chopped onion with some red chilli flakes and saute till softened. . Add a pinch of salt and the chopped spinach at this time and cook until wilted.

3) Heat the remaining olive oil, add the sliced mushrooms and allow them to cook down without stirring too much. Flip and cook until browned with a bit of salt. Cooking them separately makes them nice and caramelized.

4) Beat the eggs in a bowl and whisk in the milk, nutmeg powder, salt & pepper to taste & dried italian herbs. Stir in the cooled down spinach mixture and the mushroom with about a cup of the shredded cheese.

5) Roll out the refrigerated pie crust to a thickness of 1/4 inch, to a circle slightly bigger than a pie pan. Transfer to the pie pan and crimp the edges... Blind bake this (Cover pie with parchment paper and add uncooked rice or dried beans to about 2/3rds - this will make sure that the crust doesn't puff up too much. Please note that the rice/beans cannot be cooked once used for blind baking, however it can be stored and re-used for blind baking at a later date) at 375 F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until half baked and not moist.

6) Allow to cool a bit and remove the beans or rice used. Now pour the egg-vegetable mixture to nearly the top. I added a layer of sliced tomatoes and sprinkled parmesan cheese on them. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of remaining shredded cheese uniformly over the quiche.

7) Return this to the preheated oven at 350F and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15-20 minutes before slicing in.

A Mother's Day Treat - Chocolate Pudding

2011-05-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a super easy recipe that kids and dads can make as a treat on Mother's Day (or any other day for that matter). The first time I had chocolate pudding I loved it because it tasted like cool, melted chocolate.... so very luscious, silky and tasty... This recipe is an eggless one and comes together with simple ingredients... it's also comparitively lighter than most other desserts.. no eggs, cream, butter etc.

I followed this recipe but with some slight modifications. I started off with the double boiler method but lost patience after a while and switched to the stove top method... it still turned out good. Another important note is to not forget the salt (especially for chocolate based desserts) since it brings out their sweetness & flavour.

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Ingredients:
Whole milk - 3 cups
Sugar - half cup
Cornstarch - 1/4 cup
Semi-sweet chocolate - 3/4 cup
Salt -1/8 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1) Dissolve the cornstarch completely in 1/4 cup cold milk and keep aside.

2) Heat the remaining milk in the microwave for about 3 to 4 minutes.

3) Set up a double boiler - I used 2 saucepans that sit on top of each other. To the lower pan, add water until it's about quarter of the pan, bring to a boil and keep the flame on medium. To the top pan, add the hot milk, the dissolved cornstarch, sugar & salt & continue stirring with a whisk.

4) Continue to cook this until it is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon - this can take about 20 minutes using this method but ensure that the mixture does not get burnt.

5) Like I mentioned earlier, I lost my patience so after about 10 minutes or so, I removed the top sauce pan to the direct flame (on low) and it started to thicken in a few minutes.

6) Add the chocolate chips at this stage and continue whisking until the mixture turns dark brown and thickens. Immediately remove from the stove and stir in the vanilla extract.

7) Strain (to remove lumps, if any) & pour into invidual serving dishes and once cooled a bit, refrigerate for an hour or two until chilled.

Put your feet up, dig in & be transported to a blissful state....

Here's another picture after several tasty spoons... :)

Happy Mother's Day! My daughter wrote 2 poems for me and gave me a handpainted flower pot with a pretty red flowered plant :)

Mixed Fruit Jam & Spring Flowers

2011-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry that my posts here have been few and far between... Work has been busy and with the gorgeous weather we've been having, we've been trying to have some outside fun that we missed out on during the cold winter months.... be it going out for walks, taking my daughter out cycling or the kids to the park, doing some small scale gardening or just being out on the deck blowing bubbles and popping them to our heart's content. Being Spring time, our neighborhood has been adorned with pretty pink, purple & white flowers.. here's a sample for your viewing pleasure.

Coming to the recipe, I got some perfect looking strawberries on sale a few weeks back and we ate 2 boxes just as is and the remaining 2 boxes was made into this heavenly jam. My husband is not a fan of the preserves and jellies that one gets here and is forever loyal to the Kissan Mixed Fruit Jam... so I tried to replicate that which is a bit different from the previous chunky mixed berry jam I made. It turned out great and for 2 weeks after, it was paired with everything possible or just eaten plain until it was all gone. I can't wait to make this again. My handy dandy candy thermometer was super helpful and it enabled me to stop at the correct stage - 220degF.

MIXED FRUIT JAM

Ingredients:
Strawberries - 2 lbs, washed and the top greens removed
Bananas - 2 ripe ones, peeled and cut into chunks
Apple - 1 large, washed, peeled & cored. Cut into big chunks
Sugar - 3 to 3.5 cups (depends on how sweet your fruit is)
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

Method:
1) Blend the fruits together (in batches) until smooth. You get a brilliant coloured puree, thanks to the strawberries, which when measured came to 6 cups for me.

2) In a heavy bottomed pan, combine the fruit puree and sugar and keep it on medium heat, stirring occassionally until it starts to boil and thicken.

3) After about 30 mins or so, you can check with a candy thermometer and also stir more frequently to avoid burning. Add lemon juice and continue to stir - We want to get a temperature of 220degF.

4) Once the temperature is reached, switch off the stove and allow to cool. I didn't use a sterilized container so I refrigerated the jam. If it feels too thick to spread right out of the fridge, just keep a small portion out at room temperature for about 15 mins or so or microwave for 10 seconds to get a spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-04-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

We have family visiting this week and it's been so much fun that I haven't had any time to post or blog-hop. There's been a fair bit of cooking going on and I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and Raaga's Nankhatai which disappeared in no time. I bought these cute cupcake liners at IKEA and got the perfect opportunity to use them when making these chocolate chip muffins.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 1.5 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Butter, melted - 1/4 cup
Egg - 1
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Salt - half tsp
Semi sweet chocolate chips - 3/4 cup

Method:
1) Beat together the egg, milk & butter. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt.

2) Stir in the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips. When mixed, fold in the chocolate chips mixed with a tsp of flour. Batter may be a bit lumpy.

3) Spoon into greased/lined muffin tins and bake at 400degF for 15-20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes clean.

Allow to cool and serve.

Raw Papaya Salad

2011-04-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm some one who is not a fan of papayas, neither is my husband.... but when we first tasted a raw papaya salad at our friend's house we were hooked. I couldn't believe that it could taste that good. Since then, I've made it several times and it's almost a regular at home now.

Infact, for my husband's birthday today, when I asked him what special thing he'd like me to cook for him, he suggested this papaya salad! So, lunch today was this papaya salad with thai green curry and for the birthday cake he picked this tres leche cake...

This salad has the crunch from the papaya and has a slight spice from the chopped green chillies and a sweetness from honey and sugar balanced with some lemon juice - delicious!

RAW PAPAYA SALAD

Ingredients: Raw Papaya (if it's slightly ripe, that's good too) - 1 small to medium, peeled and grated Tomato - 1 medium or half of a big one, chopped Green chillies - 3, minced Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Lemon juice - from 1 lemon Honey - about 2 tbsp Sugar - 2 to 3 tsp or to taste Salt - to taste

Method: Combine all of the ingredients above and toss well... taste and adjust the sweetness and acidity by adding or reducing the honey and lemon juice.

A quick picture of the Thai green Curry A shot of the tres leche cake

Methi Matar Malai

2011-03-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just when I was rejoicing that spring was here early, the weather has taken a turn and we have cold, gray days again.... But atleast it's nice and bright till nearly 7pm - and that always boosts my spirits. I can't wait for the beautiful spring flowers...

Today's recipe is one that involves the slightly bitter fenugreek/methi leaves (vendhaya keerai) - I always bring home a bunch since it's easy to find fresh methi leaves quite often and they are usually used in this gravy or added with chapathi dough or adai. However today's gravy has a creamy component going on that makes this methi leaves and peas combination taste heavenly.... I used this recipe (with some modifications) and got mouthwatering results and it won over everyone in the family. I think the idea of cooking the onions in boiling water is an important step and ensures there is no raw taste of the onions without using too much oil/ghee.

METHI MATAR MALAI (Fenugreek Greens & Peas in Creamy Gravy)

Ingredients:

Methi leaves - 1 bunch, leaves plucked and washed
Fresh/Frozen Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 small sized, peeled
Green Chillies - 5
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 1
Coriander powder - half tsp
Salt - to taste
Milk - 1.5 cups
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Method:
1) Pierce the halved onion with cloves and drop in boiling water. Allow to cook for about 8 mins till soft. Drain from the water and remove the cloves

2) Grind this onion with green chillies and almond/cashew to a fine paste.

3) Heat oil/ghee in a pan, add cardamom and the ground paste and fry for about 5 to 7 mins. on medium flame.

4) Now add the methi leaves and allow to cool till wilted. Then add the peas, coriander powder and salt and cook for another 5 mins.

5) Add the milk and bring to a slow simmer until it thickens a bit. Serve hot with rotis.

p.s. I'm not sure what's wrong with blogger but it's skewing up my formatting inspite of me trying to correct it several times.

Broccoli Artichoke Crescent Wreath

2011-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Crescent Rolls are so versatile and adaptable - they make entertaining so easy and fun. I've used them to make these spinach pinwheels and sometimes to substitute puff pastry in some recipes... When a friend made these spinach-artichoke wreath recipe using cresecnt rolls, I loved how it looked and the way it tasted. She said that it was really simple to make and I wanted to try since then.

However, when the day finally came (when i had both, artichoke and crescent rolls), I noticed that I didn't have any spinach (fresh/frozen). But I still wanted to go ahead, so I substituted spinach with chopped broccoli instead and proceeded to make these. This with soup made for a filling, satisfying dinner. Thank you Jessy for introducing me to this pretty dish!

BROCCOLI/SPINACH ARTICHOKE WREATH

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - 1 pack (refrigerated)
Milk - 1 tbsp or Egg Wash
Parmesan cheese - 1 tbsp, sprinkle on top (optional)

For Filling:
Artichoke hearts (canned) - half of a can, drained and chopped
Broccoli - half cup, chopped or 5 oz of frozen chopped spinach
Red Bell Peppers - 1/3 cup, chopped
Mozzarella cheese - half cup, shredded
Parmesan cheese - quarter cup, shredded
Mayonnaise/Sour Cream - 3 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 3, minced
Red Chilli flakes - 1 tsp or to taste
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Salt and Black Pepper - to taste

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 375F

2) In a small pan, heat olive oil and add garlic, once the garlic is sizzling, add in the red chilli flakes and chopped broccoli/spinach and saute with a pinch of salt until 3/4th cooked but still crispy.

3) In a bowl, combine the chopped artichoke, with the sauteed broccoli/spinach mixture and stir in the mayo/sourcream and the cheeses. Season to taste with some salt and pepper - this is our filling.

4) Unroll the crescent rolls and separate out the triangles along the perforations - you should have 8 triangles in all.

5) In a large baking sheet, covered with foil/parchment paper, arrange the triangles with some overlap at the base of the triangles with the edges pointing outward - see picture below. It will resemble a picture of the sun.

6) Now place the filling mixture along the base of the triangles.

7) Bring the tips of the triangles over at a slight angle and tuck in under the wreath. Some of the filling will show and that is perfectly fine.

8) Brush the tops with milk/egg wash and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a hot oven or until light golden brown.

Soya Chunks Kurma

2011-03-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've been absconding because work has been rather busy and there were quite a few things going on... To add on, I have a project on Queensland, Australia due on April 1st - actually, my 5 year old daughter does, but we all know who will and can browse for information, print pictures and create a huge chart for display at the school's International Festival! She is very excited about it and am sure she will help me as much as she can but it's still one more thing for me to do... We also have to figure out a way to do it while the little brother is out of the way. She also has a 'test' at her carnatic vocal class the coming weekend so every evening we've been practicing sarale varasais and getting her to perfect that and her taalam has been rather daunting. I thought all my stressful school days are over but the truth is that they are back!

Coming to this kurma recipe... I have to talk about soya chunks - i love these chewy little, protein packed fellas - always have and I can't believe that this is the first kurma recipe that i'm posting that involves them. This gravy is creamy with coconut milk and you can even add peanuts but I went with almonds instead and pressure cooked it so that made the soya chunks kind of melt in the mouth and they absorbed the flavour of the gravy beautifully.

SOYA CHUNKS KURMA Ingredients: Soya chunks - about 25 pieces Peas - half cup or so (I used frozen) Onion - 1 medium (if big, use 3/4) - chopped Tomato paste - 1 to 2 tbsp diluted in water (substitute with 1 pureed tomato) Coconut milk - 1/3 cup (you can also use coconut milk powder mixed with warm water) Salt - to taste Garam masala - 1/4 tsp Coriander leaves - for garnish Oil - 3 tsp (divided) To Fry & Grind: Garlic - 5 cloves Ginger - 1 inch piece Green Chillies - 5 to 6 Poppy seeds - 1 tsp Almonds / Cashews - 12 Coriander seeds - 2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Chilli powder - half to 1 tsp (to taste) Curry Powder / Kitchen king masala - half tsp Method: 1) Boil water in a wide mouthed bowl with a bit of salt and add the dry soya chunks (Nutrela). Switch off the stove, cover and allow to cook for 15 min. This makes them soft and they also become quite big. If too, big you can halve them after squeezing out all the water from them (once cooled). Set them aside. 2) Meanwhile, fry the ingredients to grind in a tsp of oil for a few mins. Allow to cool and grind to a fine paste with some water.

3) In a cooker, heat the remaining oil and fry the chopped onions till soft and translucent. Now add the diluted tomato paste (or tomato puree) followed by the ground paste. Fry till the paste is almost dry.

4) Add the frozen peas at this stage and salt as required, along with the well drained soya chunks & garam masala. Add sufficient water and coconut milk to form gravy of desired thickness.

5) Cover and pressure cook this for about 7 minutes or 2 whistles.

6) Once the pressure is released, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle coriander leaves as a garnish. This pairs well with chapathis/rotis. Note: This can be just cooked in a pan but I think pressure cooking makes the soya chunks taste even better.

Apple Crisp

2011-03-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Looking for a warm, comforting dessert that tastes heavenly with vanilla ice cream? This is the recipe for you. Juicy apples, sweetened with some sugar tossed with tart cranberries and topped with a crumbly mixture of flour, oats, brown sugar, nuts and butter - what more could one ask for.... This is the perfect fall dessert but can be made any time really. I made this for a party so some hurried pictures were taken but it was a dessert that both, the kids and adults enjoyed.

APPLE CRISP

Ingredients:
Apples (I used a mix of granny smith and red delicious) - 4 or 5, peeled, cored and cut into half inch pieces
Sugar - 1/4 cup, or to taste depending on how tart/sweet the apples are
Dried Cranberries (Craisins) - 1/4 cup (optional)

For Topping:
All purpose flour - half cup
Regular oats - half cup
Walnuts - 1/3 cup, chopped finely
Brown sugar - half cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon - half tsp (optional)
Butter - 5 to 6 tbsp, softened

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a large casserole dish.

2) In a large bowl combine the filling ingredients - apple, sugar, cranberries and place in the casserole.

3) Combine the ingredients for the topping until crumbly in a separate bowl and spread over the apple mixture (to cover it).

4) Bake the mixture for about 35 to 45 minutse or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream!

Eggless Vanilla Cake

2011-03-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

It was my son's half-birthday few weeks back - he's 1 and a half now (ok, I admit, I was just looking for an excuse to bake a cake). It so happened that we had some friends over for lunch on that day, so this delicious cake from Sharmi's blog was included in the menu (that comprised of Vazhaipoo vadai, Poori & Potato Masaal, Egg Curry, Vegetable Biryani, Capsicum-cabbage raitha & Rasamalais).

The cake requires no special equipment and needs just a whisk to blend everything together - it's very easy and quick to make and my friends were asking me for the recipe since everyone enjoyed it. I increased the amount of sugar and added some tutti frutti in just for some colour, but that's entirely optional. Thank you for this tasty recipe Sharmi.

EGGLESS VANILLA CAKE

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 1.5 cups
Thick Yogurt - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Vegetable oil - half cup
Baking powder - 1.5 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Tutti Frutti - 3-4 tbsp, mixed with a tsp of flour (optional)

Method:
1) Sieve all purpose flour twice. Preheat oven to 375F

2) Whisk/blend together yogurt and sugar thoroughly. Add baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Leave aside for 5 minutes.... (small bubbles will start to appear)

3) Add vegetable oil, vanilla extract and mix well. Add flour in small portions, mixing well after each addition until creamy and thick. Stir in the tutti frutti (if using)

4) Lightly grease a loaf pan with some oil, pour the prepared batter and bake for 20 minutes

5) Remove from oven, brush the top with some milk, return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6) Allow cake to cool completely before slicing and digging in.

Stuffed Snake Gourd

2011-02-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe that I first tried several years ago... I found it intriguing because we usually make poriyal or kootu with Snake Gourd (Pudalangai) and so a stuffed version was something I wanted to try and we liked the end result. Unfortunately I can't recall what the source of this recipe is but am glad I noted it down, albeit with modifications I made and everytime I find tender snake gourds (which doesn't happen too often sadly), I try to make this dish.

STUFFED SNAKE GOURD

Ingredients:
Tender Snake gourds - 2, pith cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces
Onion - 1 medium, chopped finely
Fresh/Frozen Grated coconut - 1/3 cup
Besan - 2 to 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped finely
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
1) Put snake gourds as a single layer in a microwaveable bowl, sprinkle some salt on them lightly, add about 2 tbsp water, cover and microwave for about 5 minutes until a bit tender (need not be fully cooked). The tips of the snake gourd (which can't be filled), can be chopped finely and included in the filling mixture.

2) For the Filling: Heat 1 tsp of oil and add the chopped onions (and chopped snakegourd, if any) fry them for a few minutes (no need to brown them), add salt, turmeric and chilli powder along with besan and fry for a few more minutes before switching off the stove. Now add the grated coconut and coriander leaves and mix well. The filling is ready.

3) Remove the pumpkin pieces from the microwaveable bowl and fill them with the stuffing mixture.

4) Heat a wide pan on medium with about 2 tsp of oil and carefully place each of the filled pumpkin pieces sideways as a single layer. Cover the top with a plate and add a few tbsp of water to the plate. Let this cook for a few minutes before carefully removing the plate and turning over the pumpkin pieces so they cook on the other side as well.

Serve as a dry curry with rice or eaten plain :)

Fried Nutella Wontons

2011-02-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

After the beautiful weather we had last week (where we got a preview into spring), we are back to a bone chilling cold... Anyways, here's something that can cheer you up in no time. For those nutella lovers out there, this is definitely a must try. It works as a nice, warm, crispy dessert with very little effort and time. I always have wonton wrappers in my freezer and nutella in my pantry and that's all this delicious dessert needs (besides oil that is).

FRIED NUTELLA WONTONS

Ingredients:
Frozen wonton wrappers - as many as you want (defrosted per package directions)
Nutella - about 2 to 3 tsp per wrapper
Oil - to deep fry (this doesn't require too much oil)
Powdered sugar - for dusting

Method:
1) Separate the wrappers, lay them on a flat surface.

2) Put about 2 to 3 tsp of nutella in the middle and spread it a bit.

3) Cover to form a rectangle (or a triangle if you so prefer), crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. You can freeze/refrigerate the assembled wrappers at this point and fry them when you want dessert.

4) Heat oil to deep fry ( a little bit goes a long way in this case) - and deep fry the wontons until puffed up and light golden. Drain on paper towels.

5) Dust some powdered sugar on top or serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Tip: The wonton wrappers absorb very less oil and would be a perfect candidate for the outer wrappers of a somaasi (something I'm planning to try when I get a chance).

Caramelized Onion Tart

2011-02-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

When I posted this picture a while ago, quite a few people showed interest in the Onion Tart. I have been meaning to make this for a while but never got down to it until recently. I didn't have puff pastry sheets on hand and thought I'd use the Filo sheets that I had in my freezer instead. Well, I think that the tart tastes definitely better with puff pastry sheets. The filo sheets worked but weren't as good - were too flaky in this case. So, I would highly recommend using buttery pastry sheets instead. The topping is super tasty regardless - this is definitely something I'll be making often - it's particularly great when entertaining.

CARAMELIZED ONION TART

Ingredients:

For the Onion Filling
Red onions - 2, thinly sliced (I used my food processor - makes life so easy)
Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
Heavy cream - half cup
Balsamic Vinegar - 1 tbsp (optional)
Brown Sugar - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Flakes - half tsp
Extra virgin Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste

For the Tart:

Puff Pastry sheet- 1 sheet (Half of one box), thawed according to package directions
Parmesan cheese - half cup, grated
Red bell peppers - sliced thinly into long pieces
Milk - 1 to 2 tbsp (or egg wash if you prefer that)

Method:
1) Heat olive oil in a pan on medium and add garlic, sliced onions and red chilli flakes, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium, stirring every once in a while until browned. Add the balsamic vinegar and continue cooking the onions until they are caramelized and almost paste like- about 30 to 40 minutes in all. Yes, it takes patience but it's worth it.

2) Pour the cream on the onion mixture and switch off the stove once warm. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and allow to cool a bit.

3) Preheat oven to 425F. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spread out the thawed puff pastry sheet a little with a light dusting of flour. Fold all 4 sides of the puff pastry sheet about one inch thickness. Brush the edges with milk (or egg wash if using) to create a border for the tart.

4) Using a fork, lightly pierce the inside of the puff pastry sheet (leaving out the borders) - this will prevent the tart from puffing up when baked.

5) Spread half of the parmesan cheese on the base, top with the caramelized onion mixture, top with the remaining parmesan cheese and line the red peppers.

6) Bake for 30 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Serve warm.

Rice Krispie Date Balls

2011-02-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is an absolutely tasty treat that comes together in an instant - butter, sugar and dates are melted to a goo and in go some nuts and rice krispies... Once cooled, these are rolled into delicious morsels. Will be great to pack as a dessert for kids' lunchboxes or to serve as an after school snack . This is also a recipe that can be made with your kids (you can enlist their help to roll it into small balls once it has cooled down a bit). These tasted awesome when slightly warm and when cooled they become a bit chewy, but remain tasty.

RICE KRISPIE DATE BALLS

Ingredients: (makes 15 one inch balls)
Rice Krispies cereal - 1.25 cups
Dates - 3 to 4 oz, pitted and chopped
Sugar - half cup or slightly lesser if the dates are very sweet
Butter - 3 tbsp
Walnuts - 2 tbsp, chopped (you could add more, or even substitute with other nuts) - optional

Method:
1) In a saucepan, melt together the butter and sugar on a low-medium flame. Then add the finely chopped dates and continue to stir and cook until the dates melt into the butter, sugar mixture and it's a brown gooey mix (about 7 to 9 minutes)

2) Add the chopped walnuts (if using), followed by the rice krispies and stir until well coated and mixed.

3) Pour out onto a pan/plate and allow to cool just until you can touch/handle it without burning yourself. Roll into balls and the yummy snack is ready.

Isn't that easy?

Brinjal Masala Gravy

2011-02-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

When I saw these luscious, perfect, purple beauties at the grocery store I couldn't resist myself and brought home quite a big bag of them. I had so many ideas of what to make with them and one of those was this tasty, spicy gravy. You could make this as a stuffed brinjal gravy as well but since my husband likes the eggplants to be really well cooked and I had no intention of using a lot of oil, I cut them into quarters, smeared them with the masala and roasted them in the oven first before adding them to the gravy. Works out great!

Another tip would be to make this curry well ahead of time and allow it to rest for about 6-8 hours before serving. Something magical happens during that time and the flavours mature resulting in a much tastier dish than if you were serving right away. I know it seems like a long list of ingredients and quite a process, but you can do quite a few things in parallel to cut down on the time. However, do not cut down on the simmering time or the resting time - the results are definitely worth the wait.

BAINGAN MASALA

Ingredients:
Fresh (indian) Brinjals - 6 to 7, cut into 4 or 6 pieces each (lengthwise)
Cloves - 1 or 2
Cinnamon - one 1 inch piece
Cardamom - 1
Aniseed (Sombu/Saunf) - small pinch
Oil - 2 tbsp

For Masala powder:
Roast the following in a few drops of oil and grind to a powder
Urad dhal - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds / Coriander powder - 1 tsp (if using powder, don't roast or add last)
Methi seeds - a tiny pinch (5)
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Dried Red Chillies - 4 to 5
Roasted Groundnuts /Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Dessicated Coconut - 2 tbsp (Fresh grated would work too)

For Gravy:
Fry the following in 1 tsp oil and grind together
Onion - 1 medium, cut into big pieces
Tomato - 1, cut into big pieces
Garlic cloves - 4
Ginger - half inch piece
Green Chillies - 6

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 425F. Coat the eggplant pieces with the masala powder. Spray with oil and spread as a single layer on a baking sheet, skin side down and cook in a 425F oven for about 30 mins or till soft.

2) Meanwhile, fry and grind the ingredients for the gravy.

3) Heat oil in a pan and add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and aniseed, then add the ground onion-tomato paste and fry on medium for about 10 minutes or till oil separates.

4) Add the cooked eggplant pieces along with any remaining masala powder and required amount of water to make a thick gravy and allow to come to a boil. Cover and allow to simmer for about 20-30 mins.

Ideally make this curry the previous day to allow the flavours to come together or atleast allow to rest for 6 to 8 hrs before serving. This is equally delicious with rice or rotis.

Spinach Soup

2011-02-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

With the winter weather being what it is, soups are my go to thing - hot, spicy, filling, soothing & satisfying. They are extremely low cal to boost so there is no guilt in eating that extra serving or two :) This is Vitamin A rich with carrots and spinach in the mix, derives some protein from the mung dhal & some fibre from the celery stalks. There is really no need to add any butter or oil & is tasty as-is and I pressure cook this so it comes together very quickly.

SPINACH SOUP

Ingredients:
Spinach - 5 to 6 cups of leaves, washed
Mung dhal (yellow split) - 4 to 5 tbsp, washed
Carrots - 2, sliced
Celery - 2 stalks, sliced (if not using, add a bit more onions)
Onion - quarter, cut into chunks
Tomato - 1 , cut into chunks
Green Chillies - 2-3, chopped
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
Black Pepper & Salt - to taste
Butter - 2 tsp (optional)

Method:

1) Pressure cook everything (except black pepper and butter) with some water (pour enough for it to be about 3/4th of spinach-veggie-dhal mix) for 2 whistles (or 1 whistle plus 10 mins on low flame).

2) Grind everything using an immersion hand blender (or allow to cool and grind in a mixie/blender). Season with black pepper to taste & adjust salt - add a touch of butter for flavour (if needed) & adjust consistency if it's too thin or thick. If it's too thin, dissolve some cornstarch in cold water, add to soup and allow to boil. I've never had to do this because the dhal gives a good consistency to this soup. Enjoy!

And here is a picture of the Eggless Chocolate Cake I made for our anniversary last week.... I put a layer of nutella in between the layers and used the chocolate frosting recipe for the top and sides. This was put together in a hurried fashion because it was a weekday but tasty nevertheless and low fat too.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank EC for featuring my blog on her 'Super Blogger Sunday' series.

Vellam Puttu / Jaggery Puttu

2011-01-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

If it's a weekend and we have bananas on hand (and I've remembered to soak the black channa), then it's almost always puttu with kadala curry for breakfast - a firm favorite at home and a filling one at that. When we have leftovers, my MIL usually transforms the puttu into either this sweet version of Vellam Puttu or into something that resembles Idli Upma (where the puttu is crumbled and cooked with seasonings and onions - but that's another post). My husband, always favours this sweet version (and this is quite similar to the vellam aval recipe featured earlier), while I prefer the savoury puttu upma :)

VELLAM PUTTU / JAGGERY PUTTU

Ingredients:
Cooked Puttu - about 3 logs, 1.5 to 2 cups crumbled
Jaggery - 7 to 8 pieces/cubes, crushed (adjust to personal taste)
Cardamom/Elaichi - 2, powdered
Ghee - 1 tsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp, shredded (optional) - I didn't use since the puttu has coconut already

Method:
1) Melt the crushed jaggery with a bit of water and allow to boil for a few minutes.

2) Add the crumbled puttu and powdered elaichi and stir. It will be semi solid in consistency (a bit paste like)

3) Continue to cook this on a low-medium flame (about 10-15 minutes) with a tsp of ghee until the whole thing becomes crumbly in texture (a bit like paruppu usli). That's it, all done. Easy and Tasty.

Yummy Spinach Salad

2011-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not really a salad person though I love vegetables... give me any vegetable curry or kootu and I can enjoy eating big portions of it but when it comes to salads, they typically don't excite me much... My husband is no different - but there are some salads that click with us and this is one of them. It comes together easily and I really enjoy eating it.. it is rather versatile and lends itself to quite a few modifications.

What I love about this is that it has some of my favorite additions.. tart, yet sweet craisins (dried cranberries), walnuts, bits of parmesan cheese, orange segments and I vary the dressing - sometimes it's just a drizzle of ranch dressing and other times i combine balsamic vinegar with a touch of orange juice, olive oil and drizzle... either way - so good!

SPINACH SALAD (Serves 1 to 2)

Ingredients:
Fresh, cleaned spinach leaves - about 1.5 to 2 cups
Walnuts - 6 to 8 halves, chopped (or use sliced almonds)
Dried Cranberries (Craisins) - 1.5 tbsp (or use raisins)
Small orange - segments
Parmesan cheese - 1 tbsp
Ranch dressing (storebought) - 1 to 2 tsp

Method:

Spread the spinach leaves on a plate, sprinkle with walnuts, cranberries, orange segments, parmesan cheese and drizzle lightly with dressing. Dig in!

Nutrition info:
Calories - 300, Total Fat - 17.9 g, Saturated Fat - 4.4 g, Polyunsaturated fat 6.9 g, Monounsaturated fat - 2.6 g, Cholestrol 11.9 mg, Sodium, 413.1 mg, Potassium 591.4 mg, Total Carbohydrate 27.3 g, Dietary Fiber - 5.5 g, Sugars- 18.9 g, Protein - 11 g
Vit A - 118.8 %, Vit B12 - 3.5%, Vit B6 - 13.3%, Vit C -113.6%, Vit E - 9.4 %, Calcium - 32.1%, Copper 17.6%, Folate - 40.1%, Iron, 12.7%, Zinc - 8.7 %

Other tasty additions - tomatoes, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onions, cucumbers or strawberries.

I would like to send this as my entry to Prathiba's Only Salads event which was originally started by Pari Vashist.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

2011-01-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

As mentioned earlier, we (my daughter and I) made some sugar cookies over the holidays to pack as a gift and I thought it would be a good way to spend some time together because she loves to help me, loves cookies and was particularly looking forward to decorating them. Sugar cookies are simple to make but taste buttery sweet and crisp. However, I didn't want to make royal icing which is the best way to decorate sugar cookies.. instead we just used storebought gel pens and some egg yolk mixed with a drop of food coloring (that we painted on using cleaned water colour brushes). Anushka enjoyed all the decorating and cutting out the cookies. The whole family enjoyed the taste of these crispy cookies and it's definitely something I'll be making again and again.

SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup (I added a bit more since we were not going to be heavyhanded with our icing)
Egg - 1
Butter - 1 stick (half cup), softened
Milk - 2 tbsp
Baking powder - half tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract - half tsp
Powdered Sugar - for dusting (to prevent the dough from sticking)

Method:

1) Sift flour, salt and baking powder together.

2) In a big bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add egg, milk & vanilla extract and continue to beat until combined.

3) Add the flour mixture in batches and run the mixer on low until it comes together as a dough.

4) Divide the dough into 2 parts, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 2 hours.

5) Preheat oven to 350F. Spread a large surface with wax/parchment paper and sprinkle powdered sugar and roll out the dough uniformly until it's 1/4 inch thick.

6) Cover with another sheet of parchment, transfer to a baking sheet and chill again for about 30 minutes (This will ensure that the dough doesn't spread out and retains its shape when baked).

7) Using cookie cutters (we used different shapes, such as house, duck, heart, dog etc.), cut the dough and transfer them to a baking sheet (covered with foil or parchment paper). If using egg yolk + food coloring, then paint using brushes (before baking) or sprinkle with colored sugar crystals.

8) Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. Then allow to cool on a wire rack until completely cool. If decorating using royal icing or gel pens, do that after the cookies have baked and cooled.

Poli

2011-01-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

I always associate Polis with Bhogi pandigai which is first day of the Thai Pongal festivities. Ever since I can remember, my mother has always made polis on that day and what's not to love about them - a soft, slightly elastic maida (all purpose flour) dough encases a sweet filling of channa dhal, jaggery and coconut that is fragrant with cardamom and ghee. I've always enjoyed the moist filling in the bolis that my mom makes as opposed to the dry filling that store bought ones have and eating them fresh and warm as soon as they are made (under the pretext of tasting) just makes them that much yummier.

Although this is a favorite sweet of my husband's (anything made with jaggery falls in that category actually), I've probably made it just twice in these 9 years because it involves a fair bit of work. Since I'm lucky to have amma here now and we are celebrating Bhogi today, she made it while I carefully wrote down the proportions and observed how she made it.

POLI

Ingredients:

For the outer cover -
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Oil - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - to cook the polis

For the filling/pooranam:

Channa dhal - 1 cup, dry (pressure cooked till soft, abt 10 minutes) - drain all the water.
Coconut - 1 to 1.25 cups, dry roasted lightly
Jaggery - 1.5 to 1.75 cups, depending on how sweet you want it, crushed

Cardamom - 5 pods, powdered

Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 tsp

Method:

For the outer cover:
1) Knead the all purpose flour, salt and oil adding lukewarm water as needed to make a soft dough. Allow to rest for atleast 5 to 6 hours.

For the filling:

2) Grind the pressure cooked channa & lightly toasted coconut to a paste (without adding any water).

3) Heat a pan, add a tbsp of water to the crushed jaggery and allow to melt. Add the ground paste and stir continuously until there are no lumps on a medium flame. The mixture may boil so be careful. Keep stirring & cooking for about 4-5 mins and then add 1tsp ghee and allow to cook until it thickens a bit. Switch off the stove and allow to cool, the mixture will thicken a bit more. It should still be a like a soft dough and not crumbly.

Assembling the Polis

3) Take a small portion of the dough on a piece of cling wrap (or any plastic sheet) and flatten (with oiled hands) to a small circle. Place a ball of the filling (about an inch diameter) in the center and fold over with the dough to form a covered ball (similar to what is done for Aloo Paratha - click here to see pictures)

4) Flatten this again and cook on a tawa with some ghee until light brown on both sides. Serve warm.

Happy Pongal everyone!

Oven Roasted Crisp Kale

2011-01-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

Who knew that this daunting look green could be this tasty... My first introduction with Kale was when I used it in this dish and now I regularly look for and buy this. I've always wanted to try the baked version of Kale after reading how crispy and crunchy it gets and set out to try it. This is really easy and reminds me of the Roasted Broccoli recipe that made my husband love broccoli. My daughter liked it a lot and kept eating the crispy kale even before we sat down for lunch (you will see a picture of her trying to grab some). She described it as being 'sparkly' - (I think she meant 'it crackles') probably because it feels so light and crisp in your mouth. I added a touch of chilli powder to give it some spice.

OVEN ROASTED KALE

Ingredients:
Kale - that has been de veined and cut/torn into big pcs, washed and completely dried.
Olive oil - about 2 tbsp and some oil to spray
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - to taste (optional)

Method:
1) Make sure that the Kale leaves are completely dry.. I used a paper towel to blot those that were still slightly wet. This will ensure that they turn out nice and crisp.

2) Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and spray with some oil.

3) Toss the dried leaves of Kale with oil & some chilli powder (if using) and spread as a single layer on the sheet and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or till crispy (they will still be nice and green).

4) Once crisp, remove and toss with required amount of salt and serve.

Chocolate Bark

2011-01-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! I had a lovely time the past 2 weeks with family & friends and found it quite hard to return to work. But all good things come to an end and I look forward to making more memories in the new year. As part of the holidays, I made quite a few goodies this year - chocolate bark (recipe below), honey roasted almonds, sugar cookies (recipe coming soon), carrot cake, Fruit (plum) cake, chocolate fudge - some were packaged as gifts and the rest were happily consumed, much to the dismay of my weighing scale....

This chocolate bark recipe makes for a great gift idea and it could very well be made with milk chocolate or white chocolate or even a combination. Since i like dark chocolate, i stuck to semi-sweet chocolate. This comes together in no times and the toppings can be modified to our own liking... The only (slightly) tricky part would be melting chocolate - make sure that the bowl has no water because chocolate and water don't really get along well and you will end up with a mess instead of smoothly melted chocolate.

CHOCOLATE BARK

Ingredients:
Semi sweet chocolate (or any kind of chocolate you like) - 12 oz [I used chocolate chips but you could just use chopped up pieces of any good chocolate you have]
Craisins (dried cranberries) - 1/3 cup
Roasted almonds/walnuts - 1/3 cup chopped
Dried Apricots - 4 to 5, cut into small bits
Sprinkles - my daughter's addition to this bark

Method:
1) Spread a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. No need to grease.

2) Using a double boiler method, where a bowl of chocolate is placed on top of a saucepan of simmering water (see picture), melt the chocolate until smooth, stirring occassionally.

3) Once melted fully, pour onto the parchment paper and spread out to desired thickness... usually these are quite thin.

4) Immediately sprinkle the toppings uniformly on the top and press down very gently with a spatula.

5) Allow to cool ( no need to refrigerate), and cut into pieces or break them up with your hand if you want a rough, rustic look. These are now ready to be packaged and served.

Veggie Snack Bites

2010-12-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all are getting ready for the upcoming Holidays. I'm looking forward to some downtime so I can relax for a bit with family.... Things have been rather hectic lately so I haven't had time to blog hop or post as much but wanted to squeeze in this recipe... These are great when you are entertaining because they don't need any advance preparation, can be baked (not fried) so it's easy to make large quantities, a crowd pleaser and a great way to get kids to eat their veggies....

VEGGIE SNACK BITES/BALLS

Ingredients:
Celery - 2 to 3 stalks, chopped finely
Carrots - 2, medium, peeled & chopped
Bell pepper (Red/Green) - 1 small, chopped finely
Frozen corn kernels - 1/4 to 1/3 cup
Peas - about half cup
Bread Crumbs - 2 to 3 cups (I had an old loaf of bread that i ground into crumbs
Pepper jack cheese - about 1 cup, shredded (keep abt half cup extra to help bind)
Walnuts (or Almonds) - 1/3 cup, chopped into small pieeces
Dried Italian herbs - 1 tsp
Red Chilli flakes - 1 to 2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1 tsp (or use a few cloves of chopped garlic)
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves / Parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the finely chopped celery, carrots, bell peppers and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes before adding the frozen corn and peas.

2) Add some salt (go easy because we are adding cheese later), garlic powder, dried herbs, pepper and red chilli flakes and cook the veggies until crisp tender.

3) Switch off the stove, stir in the bread crumbs, cheese, walnuts (or almonds) & coriander leaves. The cheese will now melt and combine with the bread crumbs and that will help bind the veggies together.

4) Preheat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with foil and spray/spread with some oil. Make small balls of the veggie mixture (adjust the cheese/bread crumbs amount to help them hold their shape) and arrange on the baking sheet.

5) Spray with a bit more oil and bake for about 20 minutes, turning them over once in between & cook till golden brown.

6) After removing from the oven, I fried them for a bit in a wide pan with a tbsp of oil until evenly crisp on all sides - this step is optional though.

Serve with ketchup or Maggi hot and sweet sauce. The next day, I made a sandwich with the leftovers and was extremely pleased with that combination too.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year ahead.

Soft Garlic Bread Sticks

2010-12-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

With the weather being what it is, a comforting bowl of hot soup paired with some soft garlic rolls makes a perfect meal. This was a hit with everyone at home and was gone in no time. Store bought pizza dough would work just as well and it could save a lot of time especially when making this on a weeknight. Just spread it out, slather on the garlic topping and bake.

SOFT GARLIC BREAD STICKS / ROLLS

Ingredients
For Crust:
All purpose Flour - 3 cups + a bit more
Active Dry Yeast - 1 packet (2 and 1/4 tsp)
Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Warm water - 1.5 cups (not too hot or cold)
Salt - 1 tsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Dried Italian herbs - half tsp

For Garlicky Topping:
Butter (melted) - 1.5 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Minced fresh garlic - 1.5 tbsp
Garlic powder - half tsp (optional)
Red Chilli flakes - half tsp to 1 tsp
Salt - to taste

- Mix all of the above in a small bowl.

Method:
1) For the dough: In half cup of warm water, mix in the brown sugar and yeast, cover and allow to proof for about 5 minutes. If the yeast is active, it will become foamy and rise up.

2) Stir in the italian herbs, salt and olive oil along with the proofed yeast and first add about 2.5 cups of flour. Slowly add the remaining warm water and knead to make a soft dough, adding flour as needed.

3) Place it in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm place (the oven with the light switched on always works for me) for about 1 hour.

4) Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and knead lightly again to make a ball. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, and put in a pan greased lightly (and dusted with some corn meal if you prefer). Allow the dough to rest for 15 to 20 minutes during which time you can preheat the oven to 425F.

5) Now spread the garlic topping on the dough as evenly as possible and allow to bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or till light golden. Remove, slice and serve and warm with some soup or as is.

Baklava

2010-11-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

This is a greek sweet which is made with flaky sheets of phyllo pastry, filled with layers of nuts and soaked in a sweet honey-sugar syrup - even writing this makes my mouth water... I first made this about 8 yrs ago for Diwali wanting to try something different and it became such a hit amongst our friends. It's not all that daunting and comes together in no time. The phyllo sheets are very thin and are almost translucent but they are not all that hard to work with.

What I like about phyllo dough is that it's very low in fat and though it requires brushing with butter, it's still something I can control as opposed to puff pastry sheets that come loaded with butter as-is. In the US, these can be found easily in most grocery stores in the freezer section (usually next to the puff pastry sheets). It can be used for both savoury and sweet dishes.

BAKLAVA

Ingredients:
Phyllo dough - 1 (8 oz) roll, thawed acc. to package directions
Chopped nuts - heaped 1 cup (I used walnut & almonds, roasted lightly & pulsed coarsely)Raisins - 2 tbsp, chopped (optional)
Cinnamon powder - half tsp
Butter - 1/4 to 1/2 cup, melted (I use a light hand when it comes to brushing with butter)

For Syrup:
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract - half tsp

Method:
1) In a small bowl combine the nuts, cinnamon & chopped raisins if using.

2) Preheat oven to 350F and butter the bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

3) Cut the thawed phyllo sheets in half (lengthwise) so they can fit in the loaf pan. Work with them quickly, to avoid them drying out. So, keep everything ready and closeby (nuts, butter and sheets) so you can start the layering.

4) Layer 2 to 3 sheets of phyllo in the pan and brush the top with butter, add another layer of 2-3 sheets and butter the top layer, add one more final layer of 2-3 sheets and top with butter.
5) Now sprinkle a light layer of nuts mixture and top with 2-3 sheets, butter the top layer, sprinkle another layer of nuts, top with 2-3 more sheets, butter and nuts.. repeat until all but 8-9 sheets are left and all the nuts are used up.

6) Now layer the sheets similar to what was done for the bottom part, put 2 sheets, butter the top layer lightly, place 2 more sheets, butter and so on until all the sheets are done. Butter the top most layer with some butter.

7) With a sharp knife, cut the layered phyllo in the pan into squares (this will make it easier to make pieces after it has been baked). Bake this in the oven for about 35-40 mins, until light brown.

8) Meanwile, heat water, sugar and once all the sugar has melted, add the honey and allow to simmer for 20 mins. Cool this syrup in the refrigerator until the baklava is baked.

9) Once the baklava is ready and out of the oven, pour this cooled syrup on the hot baklava uniformly and allow it to soak the syrup overnight (uncovered so it retains it's crispness). This is now ready to serve.

More recipes using Phyllo:
Spanakopita
Apple Strudel

Potato & Kale Fry

2010-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'd never tried the daunting looking Kale but one day I decided to give that a shot after the success with Swiss Chard. Back home, my parents would definitely make one new green each day of the week -so I grew up loving greens of all kinds... they would mostly be poriyals, kootus or masiyals. This recipe that I tried looked different - pairing Kale with potatoes and adding indian spices appealed to me and this is now a regular dish at home(with some modifications). It's goes well with rice or rolled up in a chapathi.

POTATO & KALE FRY

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 big or 3 medium
Kale - a small bunch, 4 to 5 cups, chopped (after removing the stalks)
Ginger - 1 inch chopped
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves, chopped
Turmeric powder - half tsp
Chilli powder/Sambar powder - half tsp (or to taste)
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - quarter tsp
Cumin seeds - quarter tsp

To Grind:
Coconut - 3 to 4 tbsp, grated
Green Chillies - 6
Pottukadalai (Dalia) - 3 tbsp or Almonds - 12

Method:
1) Boil the potatoes and peel them (I usually microwave them for 7 mins).

2) Grind the coconut, pottukadalai (or Almonds) & green chillies to a paste with a tiny splash of water.

3) Heat oil in a big pan, season with mustard and cumin seeds, then add the minced ginger and garlic, quickly followed by the chopped kale. Saute this until the greens wilt a bit. Cover and allow them to cook for about 10 mins or so.

4) Now add the turmeric powder, salt and chilli/sambar powder followed by cubes of potatoes.

5) Cook them for a few minutes together before adding the ground coconut paste.

6) Keep roasting this on a medium flame until the potatoes and kale are completely done (another 5 to 7 mins) & dry.

Crepes

2010-11-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

How often do you get inspired by airline food? For me, almost never what with me being a vegetarian - most of my airline meals consist of rice, potatoes, dhal of some sort or spinach and if i'm lucky then some paneer maybe thrown into the mix. But this time, I had the opportunity of trying some crepes with a quark and raisin filling topped with a slightly tart yet sweet cherry sauce and I was completely bowled over.

Wanting to recreate that at home, I read up about quark and decided to use ricotta cheese as it's substitute... As for the recipe for the crepes, I borrowed Alton Brown's. Not having cherries on hand it was the strawberry jam that was cooked with a touch of water to form a sauce... The resultant dish was pretty good though it didn't have the same taste as the one i had on the flight. I guess I must try with the real quark sometime.

The crepes came together in no time and that recipe is definitely a keeper. The next day morning, I made another batch and spread some nutella and topped with some banana slices and those were gobbled up in no time. I would like to try some savoury fillings next time...

CREPES

Ingredients:
Eggs (large) - 2
Milk - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Melted butter - 3 tbsp
Butter for coating the pan

Method:
1) In a blender, combine all the ingredients and pulse together. Keep this batter in the fridge for an hour so the bubbles will subside. The batter can be made ahead and used within 48 hrs.

2) Heat a small non stick pan on medium and coat with butter, pour about 1/8 cup of batter and swirl (like you would for aapams). Allow to cook, flip over and cook the other side as well.

3) Keep the crepes separate by using a sheet of parchment paper in between.

Ricotta Filling:
Ricotta cheese sweetened with some sugar and plump raisins. Topped with a thinned down strawberry jam that has been heated to a sauce.

Nutella Filling:
Spread Nutella and arrange banana slices. Fold over and dust with some powdered sugar

Lemon Rasam & a quick snack

2010-10-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

The past few days we've all been down with fever and cold one after the other and all we've been craving and making is loads and loads of rasam... mostly using this recipe but I made this tasty rasam for a variation. The lemon and ginger taste amazing together and I simply love the flavour and brightness that only limes/lemons can impart.

LEMON RASAM

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (I used Roma) - 2 (not too big), peeled (peeling is optional)
Toor dhal - 2 to 3 tbsp, cooked
Green chillies - 4 to 5, slit in half
Ginger - half inch piece, chopped
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Lemon/Lime - 1/2, juiced or increase/decrease to taste
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Black pepper (whole) - half tsp
Rasam powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - half tsp
Salt - to taste

Seasoning:

Nallennai (Gingelly oil) - 1 tsp
Ghee (Clarified Butter) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - quarter tsp
Cumin seeds - quarter tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Asafoetida - a small pinch

Method:
1) Chop the peeled tomatoes finely. Microwave with some water for 5 minutes. Allow to cool a bit and mash.

2) Coarsely pound cumin and pepper together ( I used my handy-dandy mortar & pestle). Dissolve the 2 to 3 tbsp of well cooked toor dhal in 2 cups of water & keep aside.

3) Many people season rasam at the very end, but I do it in the beginning. Heat a pan with 1 tsp of nallennai, and season with mustard seeds, once it splutters, add cumin seeds, asafoetida & curry leaves.

4) Next add the crushed cumin and pepper, chopped ginger, slit green chillies and after a few seconds of sauteeing them, add the crushed tomatoes with the water they cooked in. Next add the rasam powder, salt, turmeric powder and the toor dhal mixed with water. Allow this to boil for about 10 minutes.

5) Switch off the stove, add the lemon juice, coriander leaves and the tsp of ghee. Cover and allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

VEGGIE CRACKERS
Here's a quick snack I made when we had some surprise guests... It's just vegetable crackers (plain, salted ones will work too) that has been topped with a layer of 'Laughing Cow' cheese (any flavor), topped with thin slices of cucumber/tomato slices with a tiny dollop of sour cream and a leaf of cilantro/coriander. Best eaten as soon as it's made or it can get soggy. My daughter loved making and eating them as well.

Princess Castle Cake

2010-10-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

My daughter turned 5 today (10-10-10) and we wanted it to be magical in every way (unfortunately we have been falling sick one after the other) so we couldn't celebrate like we had planned. Though it was low key, we still made it special for her and I baked her this Princess Castle Cake. We had been planning on this for a while now. .. it was supposed to be bigger with 5 turrets instead of just the one but then we stuck to the smaller, scaled down version due to lack of time and energy. She had an awesome time decorating it - helped roll the cones in purple sprinkle sugar, stuck the nougats, m&ms, jelly beans, the flags and was extremely happy about it.

I used store bought icing which was too thick and inspite of me freezing the cake for an hour & trying to do a crumb coat, it was very hard to get it on smoothly. Well, i should've just made my cream cheese icing instead which definitely is easier to work with.

Here's one with with the birthday candles lit up...

Veggie Pizza & Pizza Sauce

2010-10-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed the new look - i changed it on a whim and I'm still not sure how I feel about it but I've always wanted a template that allows 3 columns instead of two so that's why I started to experiment. Well, onto the recipe of the day...

When I'm running short on time but still want something different and exciting, I rely on store bought pizza crust. I used to buy the refrigerated ones (e.g. Pillsbury) but not anymore... Almost all the supermarkets carry their own fresh made pizza dough and after having sampled them from many stores in my area, i prefer the ones from Harris Teeter. It yields a nice soft, fluffy crust and they also have whole wheat versions of the same which tastes equally good and is a whole lot better than the ones in the cans. I'm also including a recipe for a no-cook pizza sauce which tastes delicious - I got this from the allrecipes website.

I also prefer home-made pizza because I can pile on the veggies, add my favorite Tandoori Paneer & make it spicy. Here are a few of my favorite toppings:

VEGGIE & PANEER PIZZA

Ingredients:
Pizza crust of your preference (store bought/homemade) - 1

Marinara / Pizza sauce - home made (see below) or storebought or use this Thokku recipe
Mozzarella cheese / Pepperjack cheese - about 6 to 8 oz, shredded

Toppings of your choice - choose from Tandoori Paneer, Sliced Red Onions, Bell Peppers (Red & Green), Broccoli, Pineapple pieces, Olives, Mushrooms, jalapenos & Tomato slices.

Chilli Powder, Salt & Pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Method:
1) I usually saute the veggies separately in a tsp of oil and season them with chilli powder and salt. This lends a spiciness to the pizza. As for the Broccoli and mushroom I add salt and pepper (instead of chilli powder). For the paneer follow this recipe to marinate them. Following which, toss them in a pan with some oil for a few minutes or leave them as is and they will get cooked when on the pizza.

2) Preheat oven to 400F or 425F. Roll out (or flip if you feel particularly adventurous :) ) the pizza dough, in a wide sheet pan that has been sprayed with oil, to desired thickness Spread pizza sauce uniformly. Sprinkle some crushed red pepper if you prefer for some added heat or some crushed (dried) pizza seasoning.

3) Sprinkle a good layer of cheese on the sauce. Now place the toppings making sure they are evenly distributed. Add a touch more cheese on the top. You could add a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top but I usually don't because my veggies are already sauteed - maybe if you are using raw veggies that would be a good idea.

4) Place in a preheated oven and cook for about 15-20 mins or until the crust is cooked through. The cheese would've melted & become gooey by now. Remove, cut into slices and serve.

HOME-MADE PIZZA SAUCE (no cook) - makes enough for 2 pizzas

Ingredients:

Tomato paste (canned) - 6 oz

Hot water - 6 oz
Grated Parmesan cheese - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 1 tsp, minced
Honey - 1 tbsp
Onion powder - 3/4 tsp (it's okay to skip if you don't have this)
Dried Oregano - 1/4 tsp
Dried Marjoram - 1/4 tsp
Dried Basil - 1/4 tsp
Black Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Dried Pepper flakes - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste

Note: if you don' t have the individual herbs, use italian seasoning or pizza seasoning instead.

Method:
Combine all of the above in a bowl and stir well until they are mixed together completely. Use on pizza as a sauce base.

Chettinad Vegetable Kurma

2010-10-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that I tried from here and it was quite a hit at the party for which I made this. It was mild and creamy and was a tasty variation to the usual red gravies. It pairs really well with chapathis or parottas or even with some ghee rice. I made this a while ago but couldn't post it sooner.

MIXED VEGETABLE KURMA (Chettinaad Style)

Ingredients:
Carrot - 1 big, cut into small cubes
Beans - 10, cut into small pieces

Peas - a handful
Cauliflower - half cup, florets
Potato - 1 small, cut into small cubes
Capsicum (Green bell pepper) - 1/3 cup, cut into cubes
Onion - 1 medium, chopped finely
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Seasoning - 1 clove, 1 small cinnamon, a pinch of sombu
Oil - 3 tsp

To Grind for Masala Paste:
Grated Coconut - about half cup (not packed)
Cashews OR Almonds - 6
Pottukadalai (Roasted gram) - 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds (Kasa Kasa) - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Clove - 1
Cardamom - 1
Fennel seeds (sombu) - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 10
Ginger - half inch piece
Garlic - 6 cloves

Method:
1) For the Masala paste - In a tsp of oil, add cinnamon, cardamom, clove & fennel seeds then add the ginger, garlic & green chillies, pottukadalai, poppy seeds, cashew/almond and fry for a few minutes. Finally add the coconut. Grind this to a smooth paste with some water .

2) Microwave the cut vegetables with a few tbsp of water and some salt for about 5 to 7 minutes.

3) In a big pan, heat oil and add clove, cinnamon and sombu, followed by chopped onion. When that softens and gets cooked, then add the tomatoes and salt & the chilli powder - cook till slightly mushy.

4) Now add the microwaved vegetables and allow the mixture to boil for a few minutes. Now add the ground masala paste and sufficient water. When it starts to boil, allow this to simmer covered for about 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure the curry doesn't become too thick. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Microwave Mango Halwa

2010-09-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it's good to be back blogging. Hope you all had a good summer and soaked in all the sun. We had a great vacation at home and the kids had a blast with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins and my daughter was particularly thrilled to visit the beach.

Talking of India, i missed the mango season but had lots of my favorite 'Naturo' - an awesome snack made of mangoes (similar to fruit leather found in the US). It is sweet with a slight tang and I couldn't get enough of it as a kid... infact I still love it just as much. Now, my daughter loves it too. Dreaming of Naturo... i made this Mango Sweet, inspired by this fabulous picture, using store bought, canned mango pulp. It took a long time in the microwave but the end result was close to naturo and the texture was exactly what I was looking for. Onto the recipe...

MICROWAVE MANGO HALWA

Ingredients:
Canned Mango Pulp (found in Indian stores) - about 2 to 2.5 cups
Sugar - about half cup to 1 cup (depending on how sweet you want it)
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) Combine mango pulp and sugar in a big, microwaveable bowl and microwave it in 5 minute intervals (with a lid to avoid splatter). Stirring every 5 mins. Do this about 5 to 6 times.

2) Once the mixture thickens considerably, reduce cooking time to 2 to 3 minute intervals (this is trial and error) and continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes, add ghee at this point, until the mixture is almost comes together.

3) Transfer this to a plate greased with ghee, smooth out the top with a flat ladle that has also been coated with ghee. Allow to cool before cutting into cubes. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to cut perfect squares. Enjoy.

Corn on the Hob & some Cakes

2010-07-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

The markets are filled with an abundance of sweet, fresh ears of corn and that too on sale that it is quite impossible to not bring home a bunch. That is what I've been doing the past few weeks and I'm quite happy just boiling them with some salt and eating. However, my husband is not a fan of this and keeps asking me to spice it up. So, in an effort to get him to eat the corn I tried this method that a friend suggested and he had 3 ears of corn that evening! It had a bit of charred taste and was lemony and spicy so quite irresistible. I call it 'corn on the hob' because I cooked it on a direct flame on our stove.

CORN ON THE HOB / CHARRED, SPICED CORN

Ingredients:

Fresh ears of corn (preferably in their husk) - 4, (I used sweet white)
Lemon/Lime - half
Salt & Chilli powder - to taste (mixed together)

Method:
1) Dehusk the corn and remove the silky threads. Skewer one end of it and place on a direct flame on the stove and keep turning it every once in a while and moving it so all areas of the corn are exposed to the heat. The corn will make a popping sound but there's nothing to worry... (it was a little bit like distant firecracker sounds on a Diwali night). In about 3 to 4 minutes when all of the corn is browned (some parts will be charred but that is okay), remove carefully.

2) Rub with the halved lemon/lime all over and when cooled a bit, rub the chilli powder and salt on the corn and bite in.

We had this with my curried egg salad sandwich for an easy and quick weeknight dinner.

I've been baking quite a few cakes the past few months and wanted to do a quick post about them.

The most recent one I made was this Chocolate Cherry Cake since I had some unsweetended baking chocolate and a big bunch of cherries to use and I am so very glad I made it after eyeing it for so long. Initially (when warm) I wasn't very impressed with it and found it too crumbly but after I refrigerated it overnight, it was so dense and for bitter chocolate lovers out there this is just perfect - I can't get enough of it now. I made a few changes - used almost double the sugar the recipe calls for and added in a tsp of instant coffee powder for a more intense taste. My husband loved it with some good vanilla ice cream and i love it plain. Once refrigerated it held its shape well. here's a picture.

The last one was Praline Sponge Gateau that I tried from here and not sure if I messed up something but again the cake itself wasn't too soft but I was quite amazed at it's texture for a cake with no butter. I'll probably use the cake recipe to make a pineapple cake and soak it to make it more moist the next time. I know the picture and decorations are far from good but this was done in a hurry.

I also made Black Forest cake using this recipe & this has to be the most time consuming cake I've made so far and though it was good, there are a few changes I'll probably make the next time... and soak the layers in syrup a bit more to make it more moist and also avoid maraschino cherries since I do not like them at all and substitute with something else.

Thank you fellow bloggers for these delicious cake recipes.

BLOG BREAK:
I will be off to India soon and most likely will not have the time to post from there so I will see you all again in September. Ciao.

Ginger Chutney - 2

2010-07-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

My love for all things ginger can't be expressed sufficiently in words - a large chunk of it is smashed up and added to my daily tea and I typically incorporate it in most every dish I make. This is the second Ginger Chutney recipe on this blog but this version is quite different and something my MIL whipped up as an accompaniment to idlis/dosais. It was spicy, thick and delicious. The previous version however goes really well with rice.

GINGER CHUTNEY for Idlis/Dosas

Ingredients:
Ginger - 100 gms, peeled and chopped
Urad Dhal - 2 tbsp
Dried Red Chillies - 10 (yes this is a spicy chutney)
Tamarind - small piece
Jaggery - small piece
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (preferably Gingelly)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the urad dhal , red chillies and ginger and roast on medium till golden & fried. Add the tamarind towards the end and switch off the stove.

2) Allow this to cool a bit and grind along with salt and jaggery to a paste with water as required.

3) Heat the remaining 1 tsp of oil and season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Pour over the chutney and serve.

Tres Leches Cake

2010-06-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have been on an unannounced, unplanned break (yet again) for too long and have been itching to get back to the blogging world but things have been far too hectic lately and they have prevented me from doing so. Today has been a real long day with intense preparation to have some 20+ pple home for lunch. On the Menu : Bhel Puri, Egg Biryani, Peas Pulao, Chettinad Vellai Kurma, Rajma, Chapathis, Curd Rice, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Vanilla icecream...

But this post has nothing to do with the above items and I will probably post the Chettinad vegetable kurma soon but today is all about the delicious, moist, Tres Leche Cake (3 milk cake is the literal translation).

I have been wanting to taste this cake for the longest time after reading its description but almost always when I do find it on the menu at any restaurant, they will be out of it and so I've never had the opportunity to try it. So, for a potluck party we had a few weeks ago, I decided to make this for dessert and I must say it went over really well and everyone loved it... some even thought it tasted like paalkova. This is very milky and moist and it's amazing how the sponge absorbs so much liquid - I couldn't get enough it inspite of knowing how fattening it was! :) Now onto the fabulous recipe...

TRES LECHES CAKE (MILK CAKE) - makes one 9x13 inch cake Ingredients

For the Cake :

All purpose flour - 1.5 cups Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 5, separated
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Soaking Liquid:

Condensed milk - 1 can (14oz)
Evaporated Milk - 1 can (12 oz)
Whole Milk - 1 cup (8 oz)
Heavy Whipping Cream - 6 oz (or substitute with equal amount whole milk)

Icing:
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1 to 1.5 cups (depending on how much icing you'd like) Confectioner's Sugar - 3 tbsp

Method:

1)Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan.

2) Beat egg whites on high separately in a clean bowl until light and fluffy and soft peaks form.

3) In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar till fluffy, add egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat well.

4) Add flour 3 tbsp at a time to the butter mixture and beat until well combined.

5) Now, fold in the egg whites carefully making sure not to deflate it too much. Pour this batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and cake is light brown.

6) Pierce the cake several times with a fork all over the cake (this will enable the soaking liquid to penetrate completely). Allow cake to cool completely.

7) Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, whole milk and heavy whipping cream (listed under the soaking liquid) and pour this mixture uniformly over the cake, ensuring that the corners are sufficiently moistened as well.

8) FOr the icing: Chill the bowl, beaters and the cream really well to ensure you can get fluffy whipped topping.

9) Whip heavy whipping cream and once soft peaks form, add 3 tbsp sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Spread this on cooled cake.

10) For best results, refrigerate this cake overnight before serving. This will allow the cake to soak up all the milky goodness and be just perfect. You can decorate the cake with some cherries but I scattered some tutti frutti that I had.

I know this sounds too involved but I think the results made it well worth it :) Also, I know the pictures are very dark but I remembered to take pictures after pple had started to dig in so it was all rushed.

Tofu Sambal

2010-04-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

A sambal is basically a chilli based sauce and there are several varieties of this spicy sauce. The sambal oelek sauce that one finds commercially typically contains shrimp paste. It's easy enough to make this at home with the dried red chillies that we almost always have at home. This spicy sauce is a perfect combination for the bland tofu and this was the first dish that had my tofu-hating husband start appreciating tofu. Nowadays he is perfectly fine with tofu in any form and I make quite a few dishes using it.

FIERY TOFU SAMBAL

Ingredients:

Firm Tofu - 1 pack (16 to 19 oz), drained & cut into 1 inch cubes
Medium Onions - 2, sliced thinly and cut into 1 inch pieces
Tomatoes - 2 small (roma), chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped, finely
Ginger - 1 inch, chopped, finely
Tomato Puree/ Paste (canned) - 1 tbsp
Dried Red Chillies - 7 to 8 (or adjust based on spiciness desired)
Sugar - 1 tsp (recommended since it gives a caramelized flavour)
Soy Sauce - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped for garnish

Method:

1) Saute chopped fresh tomatoes with a bit of salt & a wee bit of oil till mushy.

2) Place dried red chillies in a bowl of water, bring it to a boil and let boil for about 5 minutes. Switch off the stove, cover and allow to stay for about 10 mins. Drain the chillies.

3) Grind the drained red chillies with the sauteed tomatoes & the tsp of sugar to a smooth paste.

4) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide saute pan, sprinkle a bit of salt and add the tofu pieces, allow them to brown on one side, sprinkle more salt on top and flip them over, allowing the other side to brown as well. Remove from the stove and keep aside.

5) In the same pan, heat the other tbsp of oil and saute onions, ginger & garlic till browned. Add the fried tomato -chilli paste along with the tbsp of tomato paste and fry till thick & the raw taste has gone - about 5 to 8 minutes.

6) To this, add about a cup of water, mix well and stir in the tofu cubes. Cook until the tofu absorbs the masalas on a low-medium flame. The mixture will be semi solid. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Semiya - Javvarisi Payasam

2010-04-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

This used to be my favorite payasam as a kid.. I loved the little glassy, chewy balls of tapioca/sago/javvarisi in the payasam. I remember crushing the appalams into this milky payasam when this was served at weddings. It was a nice salty + sweet taste and it also enabled sopping up the runny payasam off the plantain leaves that served as plates (because the appalams/papads made the consistency thicker). I haven't eaten this way in many many years since I rarely make this payasam with papads but would love to just to see if I still like the combination as much as I used to :)

This payasam/kheer could very well be made with just semiya/vermicelli and the javvarisi/sago could be skipped.

SEMIA - JAVVARISI PAYASAM - serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
Semiya/Vermicelli - 3/4 cup, broken into small bits (in case you have the long variety)
Javvarisi/Sago - 1/3 cup
Milk - 1.5 litres or 6 cups (I used 2%)
Sugar - 1 cup (or a few tbsp more)
Cardamom - 3 to 4 cardamom pods, crushed with some sugar finely
Ghee - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
Raisins - 1 to 2 tbsp
Cashew pieces - 1 to 2 tbsp

Method:
1) In 1 tsp of ghee, roaste the javvarisi/sago for a few mins.. It will turn a bit shiny and translucent. Transfer this to a heavy bottomed, preferably deep pan, add about half cup or so water and allow to cook on a low flame. The roasting will ensure that the sago pearls don't stick.

2) Roast the Semiya/Vermicelli separately in another tsp of ghee until golden brown and keep ready.

3) Once the javvarisi/sago has almost cooked through, add the roasted semia followed by all the milk. Allow this to come to a boil and simmer on a low-medium flame taking care to ensure it doesn't boil over. I typically sprinkle a few drops of water if I think it's going to boil over and also keep a wooden spoon in the milk at all times. This mixture has to simmer until the milk thickens and reduces a bit... Typically, I let it reduce to about 3/4 of the original volume... it doesn't have to thicken too much like Paal Payasam. During this process, the semiya will be cooked and so will the sago.

4) When thick enough, add the sugar & cardamom powder and stir. Switch off the stove. This payasam/kheer, typically thickens upon cooling thanks to the starchiness of the tapioca.

5) In a separate pan, heat the 1 tbsp of ghee and roast cashews and raisins till cashews turn golden and raisins plump up. Toss the entire mixture into the payasam and now it's ready to serve when warm. My husband loves this cold.

If you notice that the payasam is very thick upon standing, adding some milk will help thin it out.

Bagel Crisps

2010-04-07T08:36:00.001-07:00

Kids and consistency (especially when it comes to their likes and dislikes in food) don't go hand in hand - atleast in the case of my daughter. What is her favorite one day may not be all that appealing to her a few days later and I have to constantly think of new ways to keep her interest engaged and go with what her current preferences. So, what once seemed like the perfect lunchbox idea - bagels and veggie cream cheese (since she couldn't get enough of it & it was an easy fix for me when paired with some baby carrots and fruit) was quickly dismissed and that too soon after I bought a pack of mini bagels. So, these poor guys just hibernated in one of our refrigerator shelves waiting to see the light of day... until I got the idea to use them and make bagel crisps so it could serve as a crunchy snack for tea time. Now, I have a good way to use these leftover bagels and have also figured out my daughter's latest craze which is heart shaped stuff.. so i can send her anything i want for lunch (bread, dosa, idli) as long as they are shaped like hearts... so it all ended well - atleast for the time being :)

BAGEL CRISPS

Ingredients:
Left over Bagels - about 6 mini bagels, sliced very thinly (mine were a bit hard due to the refrigeration so it was easy to do this with a sharp knife)
Olive oil - 1/4 cup
Garlic powder - half tsp
Red Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Italian seasoning - half tsp
Salt & Pepper - 1/4 tsp each or to taste

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 300F and line baking sheets with foil and spray lightly.

2) In a small bowl, combine olive oil and heat gently until warm. Stir in the seasonings and remove from the stove.

3) Place the sliced bagels on the baking sheet in a single layer and brush this seasoned oil evenly.

4) Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 to 7 minutes till golden brown and then flip over and bake the other side as well until crisp and golden.

These are delicious as is for a snack or when served with soup.

Vegetable Manchurian

2010-03-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

The mention of manchurian always brings a smile to my husband's face and it makes me very happy too. If it weren't deep-fried, we'd definitely be making & eating it more often... :) I've already blogged about the much-loved Gobi Manchurian and this has a similar sauce base but instead of cauliflower this has fried vegetable balls that consist of minced cabbage, carrot, beans etc. Since I use the mixie to pulse the veggies this comes together in no time and so is great to make for a crowd or parties. You can also make a dry version of this to use as an appetizer and follow the method as given in this recipe after making the fried manchurian balls.

VEGGIE MANCHURIAN

Ingredients:
For the Manchurian Balls:
Cabbage - about 2 cups, minced (I use the mixe & pulse after cutting them into big chunks so it results in a coarse texture, ensure it's not pastey)
Carrot - 2 big, minced (same method as above)
Green Beans - 12 or Cauliflower - 1 cup florets, minced (same method as above)
Spring Onions - 2 to 3 stalks, white and green parts, chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece, minced
Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
Green Chillies - 4 (mince the Ginger, garlic & Green chillies in the mixie or using a mortar & pestle)
Cornflour - 4 tbsp
All purpose flour - 2 tbsp (adjust based on consistency)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (or to taste)
Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - to deep fry

For the Sauce:
Onion - quarter, chopped finely
Spring Onions - 3 or 4, chopped finely. Reserve some of the green parts for garnish
Ginger - half inch piece, minced
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves, minced
Green Chillies - 2, minced
Red and/or Green bell peppers (capsicum) - half cup, chopped finely
Soy sauce - about 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce - 1 to 2 tsp (I use Sriracha)
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tsp
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - about 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
1) For the manchurian balls, combine all the ingredients (except the oil for deep frying) in a bowl. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame (ensure it's not too hot or the insides won't cook). Make balls of the dough with your hand and deep fry them in oil till crisp & golden on the outside. Make sure the mixture is not watery and adjust cornflour & all purpose flour accordingly. Drain the fried veggie balls on a paper towel and keep aside.

2) For the manchurian sauce, heat a tbsp of oil in a deep pan and add the chopped onions, spring onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry till they wilt a little bit. Then add the chopped bell peppers with a bit of salt (be careful since the sauces we will add later are salty too) till they are tender crisp.

3) Add the soy & chilli sauces and ketchup at this stage and stir for a minute or two before adding 1.5 cups of water.... Let this come to a boil. Taste and adjust seasonings as required.

4) In the remaining half cup of water, dissolved the corn syrup to a smooth paste and once the sauce starts to boil, stir this in and you will see the sauce thicken almost immediately and turn a bit translucent. Add powdered black pepper at this stage. Once bubbles pop up, the sauce is ready.

5) If you are serving immediately, you can add the fried veggie balls to the sauce and let it cook for a minute or two before removing from the stove. Else, keep the sauce and veggie balls separately until it's time to serve. Reheat the sauce when ready to serve and pour over the veggie balls and garnish with spring onion tops.

We enjoyed our vegetable manchurian with this delicious and easy peppered vegetable rice.

Murungakkai (Drumstick) Poriyal

2010-03-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

This vegetable used to be one of my favorites and something we had in abundance thanks to the large tree that my grandparents had in their home. My grandma made good use of this veggie and the leaves and there was always plenty to hand out to the neighbours too. Now, of course, I don't find these fresh anymore and I stick to what I find in the freezer section of the Indian stores and sometimes they are very sorry looking and thin... :(

When you see the picture below though you will notice that it doesn't look like a trademark drumstick curry - you might even think - where is the drumstick?! They have been cooked and the pulp inside has been separated to use in this curry so it will be easier and less messy to eat this veggie. I don't mind eating this in the typical way but sometimes that's not ideal when you have to pack lunch for work so nowadays this is how I make this. This recipe is from Mallika Badrinath.

This tasty curry is one of the many ways we enjoy this vegetable besides adding to sambar , avial or thengaipaal kuzhambu.

MURUNGAKKAI CURRY

Ingredients:
Frozen Drumsticks - 1 pack
Onions - 1, big
Tomatoes - half, chopped
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sombu (Fennel) - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1) Cook the drumsticks in a microwaveable bowl with few tbsp of water and some salt for about 7 to 10 minutes (covered) till soft. Allow to cool, peel, and scrape the fleshy insides with a spoon. Keep aside.

2) Chop half of the onion into big cubes and chop the other half finely. In a tsp of the oil, fry the big cubes of onion for a few minutes till light brown. Grind this with sombu & coconut to a paste with some water.

3) Heat the remaining oil in the pan and season with mustard seeds & curry leaves, once they splutter add the finely chopped onions and saute until cooked, then add the tomatoes with some salt and allow to cook till mushy.

4) Add all the spice powders at this stage and the ground paste and cook for a few minutes.

5) Add the scraped flesh of the murungakkai and some water, cover and allow to cook on low for about 5 to 7 minutes. Once the flavours have been absorbed cook the curry in an open pan until almost dry. Serve with rice for a delicious curry.

Rava Kesari

2010-03-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Will you believe it if I say I've made Kesari a grand total of just two times (once for our grihapravesam and the other was when I made TBC's Pineapple Kesari - which we loved) in the past 10+ years since I started cooking? Considering that this is one of the simplest and quickest desserts and something that frequently appears in many homes for the exact same reasons, one has to wonder why it didn't feature more often at our place. Both, my husband and I aren't (make that weren't) exactly big fans of this sweet and that would explain why this hasn't made it to our table often. But recently my mom made this when we had a few visitors and I found that it tasted quite delicious as did my daughter & husband. So, last week when my MIL made this I quickly noted down the measurements & took pictures since now, this is a sweet that I will definitely make more often than before. When you have surprise guests at home, this can be whipped up at a moment's notice with ingredients that are almost always available at any point of time.

RAWA KESARI

Ingredients:
Rava/Sooji/Fine Semolina - 1 cup
Sugar - 1.75 cup (or 2 cups if you want it very sweet)
Water - 3 cups (or replace part or whole of it with milk for a richer taste - called Sojji instead)
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Orange food colouring - as reqd
Cashew bits - 1 tbsp (I didn't use since my daughter is allergic)
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Elaichi powder - from 2 to 3 cardamoms

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry cashews & raisins till the cashews are golden & the raisins puff up. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep aside. NOTE: Refrain from popping these into your mouth while making the kesari regardless of how tempting this may be - this is really hard for me to do... :)

2) In the remaining ghee, add the rava and roast till fragrant. It should not turn brown. Keep this aside as well.

3) Bring to boil the 3 cups of water in the pan and add some orange food colouring. Reduce the flame at this point and add the roasted rava in a steady stream while constantly stirring with the other hand. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken.

4) When thick enough (the rava would've cooked by now), add the sugar and cook until the mixture thickens again, adding ghee little by little until it is shiny and leaves the sides of the pan. Stir in elaichi powder and fried raisins (& cashews, if using).

If you want to cut into shapes, allow to cool a bit and then do so. Delicious Kesari is now ready to dig in. My daughter loves anything that is heart-shaped so sandwiches, pooris, dosa, chapathi and even this kesari has been shaped thus to appeal to her.

Crispy Stuffed Tacos & Chocolate Fondue

2010-03-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

A quick weeknight meal needn't be mundane or boring. With just a few easy steps, it's possible to have a meal that is delicious & different from the usual. I didn't have a lot of time two days back and needed to think of something for dinner and remembered that I bought a pack of crisp taco shells at the grocery store last week along with a can of refried beans (vegetarian of course) and decided to use them. The resultant was a crisp taco, filled with beans, spiced boca soy crumbles, rice & veggies topped with lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes and cheese. To round off the meal, I made a super quick chocolate fondue into which we dipped pieces of luscious strawberries and banana chunks - yummy! Now tell me if that is not a sure fire way to brighten up a weeknight dinner :)

CRISPY STUFFED TACOS

Ingredients:
Crisp Corn Tacos (I used store bought) - 1 pack
Refried beans (Vegetarian) - 1 cup (make sure there is no lard in the ingredient list)
Romaine Lettuce - about 2 to 3 cups
Tomatoes - half cup, chopped or use Salsa if you have that.
Spring Onion Tops - 3 tbsp, chopped
Shredded Cheese - 1/4 cup
Avocado/Guacamole - some (optional, I didn't have any so skipped it)

For the Rice, Veggie and Soy stuffing
Boca meatless ground burger - half packet, thawed

Cooked Rice - 3/4 cup
Onion - half, chopped
Spring Onion whites - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
Tomato Paste - 2 tbsp, mixed with little warm water
Carrot - 1, cut into small cubes

Green Bell pepper - half cup, chopped
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Sambar powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
1) Heat oil in a pan and add garlic,and onions and when slightly browned, add the carrots and bell pepper with some salt and fry till a bit tender. Add the sambar powder along with the boca meatless burgers crumbles, tomato paste and water mixture, cover and allow to cook on medium till the veggies soften.

2) Now add the cooked rice, toss together and let it cook until the mixture is dry. Adjust salt as necessary.

Assembly:
Take each crisp taco shell, warm them in an oven lightly and put in first a thin layer of refried beans, followed by the rice-soy mixture and add toppings of your choice.. except for the guacamole, I added the rest - lettuce, tomatoes, green spring onions, shredded cheese & sour cream and bite into it.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE (makes a small portion)

Ingredients:
Semi sweet chocolate chips - 2/3 cup
Heavy whipping cream - 1/4 cup (or substitute with 1/4 cup milk + half tbsp butter)
Instant coffee granules - 1/4 tsp (optional, I like the coffee - chocolate combo)
Vanilla essence - half tsp

To Dip: Washed & dried strawberries, peeled banana chunks

Method:
1) Find a combination of a bowl and saucepan such that the bowl fits in the saucepan (see pic below) so as to form a double boiler.

2) Take some water in the saucepan making sure that the bowl on top will not touch the water beneath and bring the water to a light boil. Reduce flame and allow to simmer gently.

3) Place the bowl on top and add the chocolate chips, cream (or butter & milk), coffee granules and keep stirring. In a few minutes, the chocolate will start to melt and become smooth and satiny. Stir in the vanilla essence and switch of the stove.

You could transfer this to a fondue pot or in our case, we just moved the entire arrangement to the table and started dipping the fruit in with our skewers :)

I know the picture is not good but believe me it tasted great.

Tomato Rice

2010-02-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

My husband has some pretty weird requirements when it comes to tomato rice... he wants it to be tangy & spicy but not too tomatoey (if that is a word). I've had a really tough time catering to this and most of my attempts have not been met with much enthusiasm. I tried quite a few recipes and most of them had a lot of tomatoes in the ingredients list and I knew right away that it wouldn't fit the bill... if I scaled back too much on the tomatoes then it didn't have sufficient tang :( but help arrived in the form of my mom's tomato rice... Finally i found a version that was met with approval and I promptly took note of the measurements. So, this may not be the tomato rice for everyone out there but even for someone who loves tomatoes (like me) , this is a very tasty and quick rice dish.

TOMATO RICE a.k.a Thakkali Saadham

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 cups (levelled, not heaped), soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained
Roma Tomatoes - 3, chopped
Onion - half of a big one, chopped finely
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, chopped
Mint Leaves - 1/4 cup, chopped
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Sambar powder (I use Shakthi) - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 to 1 tsp
Water - 3.5 cups
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

For Tempering:
Sombu (Fennel seeds) - 1 tsp (always a good combination with tomatoes)
Elakkai (Elaichi) - 1
Kraambu (Cloves) - 2
Pattai (Cinnamon) - 1 inch piece

To Fry & Grind:
Onion - half of a big one, cut into big cubes
Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves, peeled

Ginger - 1 inch, peeled
Green Chillies - 8

Method:
1) Heat 2 tsp of oil and fry one half of the onion (cut into big cubes), garlic, ginger & green chillies till the onion is light brown. Cool and grind this to a paste.

2) Heat the remaining oil in a pressure cooker and season with fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon & elaichi. Then add the chopped onion and cook till it is browned. Now add the chopped tomatoes with some salt and turmeric powder and cook till mushy.

3) Toss in the chopped coriander and mint leaves, and the ground paste along with the chilli powder, sambar powder and garam masala. Fry this really well for about 5 to 7 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, drain the rice, saute in ghee for a few minutes & keep aside.

5) Add the drained and fried rice to the onion-tomato spice mixture and 3.5 cups of water. Check and add more salt if necessary. Cover with lid, place the weight on top and once the pressure builds allow to cook for 5 minutes on medium flame before switching off the stove (there will be no whistle). Let this rest for 20 minutes atleast before opening the cooker. Stir gently and serve with some raitha and chips.

Roasted Potatoes with Green Beans

2010-02-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

This is a quick, simple vegetable side that I made for my daughter's dinner (since I had some boiled potatoes in the refrigerator) one day to accompany her pasta dish. She loved it and also insisted on taking the leftovers to school for the lunch the following day. It's very mild with just a touch of red chilli flakes, salt and pepper and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I quite liked it too and in the name of tasting ate quite a bit of it... :)

ROASTED POTATOES with GREEN BEANS

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 1 or 2, boiled, peeled and cooled (make sure they are firm and not mushy)
Green Beans - 10 to 12, trimmed and french cut into 1 inch bits
Butter & Extra virgin Olive oil - half tbsp each
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Red Chilli flakes - a pinch (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tbsp or to taste

Method:
1) Parboil the green beans by adding a tbsp of water with a pinch of salt and microwaving them (covered) for about 4 minutes. Cube the cooled potatoes.

2) Heat oil & butter together in a saute pan and add the garlic and cook for a few seconds taking care not to burn. Then toss in the red chilli flakes, potatoes and green beans and toss around with some salt and pepper on medium flame until the potatoes get a golden crust on them.

3) Finally sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

I served this with some rotini pasta tossed with a mushroom alfredo sauce sprinkled with ground black pepper for my little gourmand.

Enjoying Bajjis amidst all that snow

2010-02-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

We got a whole lot of snow on Friday & Saturday and it was upto 30 inches Saturday evening. While I stocked up on groceries & thought we were prepared and all set to stay indoors, we were in for a shock when we woke up Saturday morning to find we had no power or heat. It was about 8 hrs before we got both back and until then it was quite worrying. We couldn't even go to any of our friends' home (who had power) because the roads were far from clean and were pretty dangerous to drive in. The shovelling was back breaking since it was kind of heavy, icy snow as opposed to the light powdery ones we got the previous few times. This is our second major storm for this winter and as much as it looks beautiful the work involved and the potential danger (esp when we lose power and therefore heating) makes me dread snow and want nothing more to do with it.

Here are some pictures of our neighbourhood...

Since my dad always makes bajjis when it rains, we made spicy milagai (chilli) bajjis during this snowstorm :) - spicy chilli bajjis with hot ginger tea is sure to warm us up in any weather. The following batter and method can be used to make bajjis using different vegetables such as sliced potatoes, sliced vazhakai/raw plantain, cauliflower florets, sliced onions (my favorite) etc. the possibilities are endless.

BAJJI

Ingredients:
For the batter
Besan/Kadalai maavu - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour/Arisi maavu - 1/4 cupMaida/All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
Idli/Dosa batter - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 to 1.5 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - 1.5 tsp (or to taste)
Water - 1 cup (approx)

For the Bajjis:
Light green Anaheim Peppers, Onions, Raw Plantains, Potatoes, Cauliflower etc.
Oil - to deep fry

Method:
1) In a bowl, blend together the ingredients listed under 'for the batter' and make sure it's not too thick or thin.
2) Heat oil until it starts smoking a bit.
3) Dip the veggies in the batter, making sure that it encases the veggies fully and gently slide them into the oil and deep fry until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve plain or with some coconut chutney.

Veggie Burger

2010-02-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hiya folks... I know I've been away for much too long a time and it was totally unplanned. I had no intentions of taking a break but things just unfolded and soon I realized that it has been more than a month since I posted anything. Things have been super hectic at home and work and to top it there has been a lot of cold, cough, ear infections etc. going around at home so it has been tiring to say the least. I will try my best to post more regularly but if I am slacking yet again, you will know why :)

Coming to the recipe I have on hand.. this a hot new favorite at our home and is healthy too - a veggie burger.
What I love about this burger, besides it being absolutely delicious, filling & easy to make, is the fact that it has crunchy bits of vegetables that lends a yummy texture and can be frozen for later. We had these stuffed in pita bread (store-bought jalapeno cheddar pita) with some cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots & a touch of mayonnaise & ketchup - yummy! These can be served like traditional veggie burgers or even eaten as is like cutlets, if you please.

VEGGIE BURGER

Ingredients:
Blackbeans (cooked) - about 1.5 cups, coarsely mashed (you can use canned instead)

Potatoes -2, cooked & peeled (I microwaved for 8 mins with some water)

Quick cooking oats - half cup
Onion - half, chopped finely
Garlic - 4 cloves, chopped finely

Carrot - 1, big, chopped finely
Broccoli stalks - half cup, chopped finely

Bell peppers (red & green) - 1/3 cup, finely chopped
Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup (I run the end slices in a mixie and store them so used that)
Chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Sambar powder - 1.5 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Celery salt, Oregano, turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp each
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped finely

Oil - 1 tbsp + more to cook the burgers (I used Extra virgin olive oil)

Method:

1) Heat oil in a pan and add onions, garlic and saute until translucent. Next add the green & red bell peppers, carrots, broccoli stalks and saute till crisp tender.

2) Add salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, sambar powder, celery salt, oregano & turmeric powder and let this cook for a few more minutes before adding in the mashed potatoes, oats, coarsely mashed black beans & bread crumbs. Switch off the stove.

3) Stir in the chopped coriander leaves and combine everything together and divide to form patties - make sure they are thick enough so they don't fall apart. Wrap them individually in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour before cooking.

4) I froze some of these for later and pan-fried the rest on the tawa with some oil and assembled them in the pita bread.

Vazhaipoo Vadai

2009-12-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

I consider myself lucky to have vazhaipoo a.k.a plaintain/banana flower readily available at the Asian grocery store we visit... however it is not something i've bought often mainly because it requires quite a bit of time and labor to seprate the flowers & the stamen from each. But my mom can process a vazhaipoo in no time and doesn't think it's such a big chore at all so we've been buying this rather regularly now that she's here. At home, vazhaipoo vadai or paruppu usli are amongst the favorite preparations. Amma makes two kinds of vadais - one with urad dhal (ulundhu) not unlike the medhu vadai and the other is this... with channa dhal/kadalai paruppu. The former yields a softer vadai while this is the crunchy counterpart - both delicious.

VAZHAIPOO VADAI

Ingredients:
Vazhaipoo - half of a big one
Channa dhal - half cup (soak for 2 to 3 hours)
Dried Red Chillies - 2 to 3
Ginger - half inch piece, minced
Asafoetida - a big pinch
Onion - half of a big one, chopped finely
Curry leaves - 1 stalk, chopped
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped
Salt - to taste
Oil - to deep fry

Method:
1) Prepare the vazhaipoo by peeling out the florets and removing the stamen (click here for detailed steps on how to do this). Chop the vazhaipoo into small pieces and put them in bowl of water to which a tbsp of yogurt has been mixed in. This will help maintain the colour of the vazhaipoo without blackening them.

2) Heat a pan and drain fistfuls of the vazhaipoo (from the above diluted yogurt water) and add to it with a pinch of salt and allow to cook for about 10-15 mins or until all the water has evaporated. This should be dry.

2) Grind the soaked the channa dhal & red chillies to a coarse texture (not too chunky either or it won't hold together well).

3) To the channa dhal, add the cooked vazhaipoo, chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, hing & salt to taste. Mix thoroughly.

4) Heat oil (to deep fry) in a pan on medium and when hot enough, make small vadais (flattened slightly) and deep fry till golden brown. Make sure the oil is not too hot or the insides won't cook through. Drain on a paper towel & serve.

Broccoli Kootu

2009-12-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from my friend Latha and what I love about it is that it requires no grinding & no chopping either if you use the frozen one and incorporates broccoli in a very yummy, subtle way that it makes for a nice variation to make even for those who are not crazy about this veggie. Ever since I started making Roasted Broccoli, it has converted my once broccoli hating husband to one who actually buys a big bunch every time he goes shopping. My daughter has even gone on to declare it as her favorite veggie - so now I incorporate this in many more ways in our daily cooking.

BROCCOLI KOOTU

Ingredients:
Broccoli (Chopped) - 1 box (10 oz)
Mung dhal (yellow split) / paasiparuppu - 1/3 cup

Sambar powder (I use Shakthi) - 1 to 2 tsp
Coriander powder - half tsp

Turmeric powder - half tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - a small pinch
Salt - 2 tsp
Shredded Coconut - 1 to 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - half tsp
Urad dhal - half tsp
Curry leaves - few
Red chillies - 1, broken (optional)
Onion - 1 small, chopped finely
Garlic - 1 clove, minced (optional)

Method:
1) In a deep pan, saute the mung dhal for a few minutes (it shouldn't change colour). Wash it once and return to the stove, then add 2 cups of water, hing, turmeric & 1 tsp of salt. Once it boils, reduce the flame to a simmer, cover and allow to cook.

2) Meanwhile, microwave the frozen broccoli for 5 minutes. When the dhal is cooked about 75% and is quite soft, add the broccoli into the mix followed by the cumin seeds, sambar & coriander powders & remaining salt. Cover and allow to cook till both, dhal & broccoli are cooked fully.

3) In a separate pan, heat oil and season with mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves & broken red chillies. Add the chopped onions & garlic and a bit of salt. Allow this to cook until it softens & browns a bit.

4) Add the onion-seasoning mix to the broccoli-dhal mix and stir in the coconut. Switch of the stove... and allow to rest covered for about 5 to 10 minutes - kootu is ready and tastes real good with rice.

We had nearly 2 feet of snow over the weekend and while it was (and still is to an extent) breathtaking to look at, the clean up was a lot of effort. I leave you with some pictures...

Choco-Toffee Crunch Cookies

2009-12-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

I you are looking for crispy cookies studded with nuts, toffee bits and chocolate chips then this recipe is perfect. It was very satisfying and retained it's crunch for several days and was just great dipped in milk or plain. Making cookies with my daughter is always a pleasurable activity and she particularly loves chocolate chip cookies so I wanted to try this out with bits of toffee as well. The recipe below makes a LOT of cookies so I would recommend halving it if you want around 24 cookies.

CHOCO-TOFFEE CRUNCH COOKIES

Ingredients: (makes 4 dozen cookies)

Oats - half cup (I used old fashioned, plain)
All purpose Flour - 2.25 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter (unsalted) - 2 sticks (at room temperature)

Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla - 1 tsp
English Toffee Bars (e.g. Heath/Skor) - abt 4 oz (chopped into small bits)
Walnuts - about 1 cup, chopped & lightly toasted
Semi sweet chocolate chips - 1 cup

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F & line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2) Run oats in a food processor and combine with flour, baking powder, soda & salt using a whisk.
3) Beat butter and sugars (white & brown) till fluffy, then beat in eggs and vanilla.

4) Add flour mixture and stir just till blended.

5) Stir in tofee bits, walnuts, choc chips.

6) Drop cookie by rounded tablespoons and bake for 13 to 15 mins. Cool for 5 mins in pan before removing them.

Pad Thai

2009-12-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

I had made several versions of pad thai earlier but nothing gave as good results as this and I chanced upon this method and video at DelhiBelle's blog. Since then, I've made this quite a few times and it has always been very enjoyable - thanks DB. I rarely order Pad Thai in restaurants these days because some seem to have a very strong, fishy smell and it is such a turn off - so I just stick with my home-made version. A very useful tip I got from her blog was to do the frying in batches that will serve 1 to 2 at a time - this way, the noodles are fried evenly and do not get soggy.

PAD THAI (Vegetarian) - serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
Tamarind extract - 1 cup (soak tamarind in water and extract juice)
Soy sauce -2 tbsp
Jaggery - about 1 to 2 tbsp (or to taste)
Salt - to taste

Method:

Combine the above in a pan and allow to boil together, then simmer until it thickens a bit. Keep aside to use when frying the noodles.

For the Noodles:
Flat rice noodles (used for pad thai) - about 100 to 150 gms
Tofu - 2 cups, cubed and pan fried with a wee bit of oil & a sprinkle of salt
Bean Sprouts - 1 cup
Mixed shredded veggies e.g carrots, cabbage, spinach (optional), shredded - 1 cup total
Garlic chives - to taste (I didn't have this so used spring onions)
Garlic - 1 tbsp, minced
Shallots - 4 tbsp, chopped
Eggs - 3, beaten with a bit of salt & pepper
Red Chilli Flakes - 1 tbsp or more to taste
Dry roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup or so, to taste, crushed
Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon wedges - to serve

Method: (do the following in 2 batches to serve 3 to 4 pple)
1) Soak the pad thai noodles in some warm water for about 30 minutes or so (or follow package directions). Ensure they are not too soft or they will turn soggy when fried.

2) Heat about 1.5 tbsp of oil in a big wok and add half the garlic, shallots and red chilli flakes, then add in half cup of the veggies using and stir fry on high heat till tender crisp. Add a bit of salt when doing this.

3) Next add about a cup of the pan fried tofu (cut into cubes) and the half of the softened noodles (drained completely). Stir fry this with a tbsp of water, if necessary, until it is soft.

4) Now add half of the beaten egg mixture and continue cooking and stirring until the eggs get scrambled and cooked along with the noodles. The pan should be really hot.

5) Now add half of the bean sprouts & about 3 tbsp of the sauce (can be adjusted after tasting) and continue to stir fry.

6) Finally add the chives/spring onions & the crushed peanuts before removing the pad thai off the flame. Serve with lemon wedges & more chilli flakes if desired for a delicious pad thai.

Bread Pudding

2009-12-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

This may not be a great looking dessert but it's definitely a simple and comforting one and a great way to use leftover, dried up, hard, stale bread (which is what I had after making some paninis) . The cinnamon and vanilla flavours with the not overly sweet milk mixture combines to form a yummy dessert and biting into the raisins is such a sweet surprise

BREAD PUDDING w/ RAISINS

Ingredients:
Half of a sour dough loaf - cut into cubes (about 6 to 7 cups)
Eggs - 4 (I replaced 2 with half cup egg beaters)
Milk - 3 cups
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Salt - half tsp
Raisins - about half cup
Butter, melted - 3 tbsp + half tbsp to grease pan

Method:
1) Toss together bread, raisins, cinnamon & melted butter.

2) Grease an oven proof (about 2.5 quart) casserole dish with half tbsp of melted butter and put the bread-raisin mixture in.

3) Heat the milk in a saucepan (shouldn't boil). Whisk together eggs, sugar & vanilla. Then add milk and whisk again. Pour this gradually over the bread mixture.

4) Slightly push down the bread on the top to dunk it slightly in the milk mixture.

5) Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla icecream and it also tastes good eaten cold by itself.

Mixed Berry Jam

2009-11-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out my freezer recently and found a couple bags of berries - strawberries, raspberries & blueberries to be precise. I freeze these when we get them in abundance & typically use them to whip up smoothies... But now that the cold weather is upon us, smoothies are the last thing on my mind and so I decided to make a jam using them instead. It came together really easily and now i look forward to my breakfast of toasted whole wheat bread, jam & scrambled egg with a mug of ovaltine/boost. Btw, I owe the colour to the addition of blueberries - gave it a nice, deep & intense look.

MIXED BERRY JAM

Ingredients:

Strawberries - about 1.5 cups, chopped
Raspberries - about half cup
Blueberries - about half cup
Apple - half, peeled, cored & chopped into small cubes
Sugar - 1.5 cups (adjust based on sweetness of fruit)

Method:
1) In a fairly deep pot, combine the strawberries, raspberries & sugar and put it on the stove on medium heat until it comes to a boil.

2) Add the chopped apple & blueberries and continue boiling the mixture for about 20 minutes or so, stirring often until it reaches 220F on the candy thermometer. I like a bit of texture in the jam so mashed the fruit a bit with the back of the spoon and didn't make it smooth.

Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight (glass) container/bottle and refrigerating.

NOTE: I would highly recommend buying/using a candy thermometer because it's inexpensive (approx US$4) and takes out a lot of the guesswork about the right time to pull things off the stove.

Sunday Supper

2009-11-25T08:27:00.001-08:00

I can't remember the last time we all sat down and ate together... it must be atleast 6 months back. Last sunday however, we got an opportunity to do just that and the baby obliged as well and took a small 15 minute power nap during that time. Colder weather always makes me want to use the oven often because baking makes the kitchen and the house in general so much more warm and comforting so we had quite a few baked items.

On the menu were Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Potato Wedges, Hummus, Pita Bread, Roasted Broccoli, Pear Slices & Apple slices - a light and satisfying meal.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes - 3, cut into thick sticks
Chilli powder - to taste
Salt - to taste
Extra Virgin Olive oil - 1 tbsp

1) Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss the sweet potato with the seasonings and oil.

2) Spray a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil and lay the sweet potato as a single layer and bake for about 20 minutes or so, turning them over once in between until done.

They don't get super crisp but are very tasty and the spiciness from the chilli powder and sweetness of the potato go well together.

HUMMUS

Ingredients:
Garbanzo/Chick peas - 1 (14 oz) can, drained and rinsed well
Garlic cloves - 1 medium or 2 small, peeled
Extra virgin olive oil - 1 to 2 tbsp
Tahini paste - 1 tbsp (I roasted sesame seeds and ground them with olive oil & salt with chilli powder)
Chilli powder - approx 1 tsp
Lemon juice - from half a lemon
Salt - to taste
Water - a few tbsp as required to get the right consistency

Method:
1) Blend together the tahini, garlic, olive oil for a few seconds and then add the drained chickpeas, lemon juice, chilli powder, salt with water as required to make a paste.

This is a very versatile recipe and you can change the ingredients and texture to your preference. It will also be good to add some roasted red peppers or jalapenos for a spicy kick.

Serve with crudites or with toasted pita bread.

Finally, always a good sign at the end of the meal... :)

Deepavali 2009 Treats

2009-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

I know this post is rather late, but better late than never... This Deepavali, with my mother's help, we churned out quite a few savouries and sweets but almost all of them were made in small quantities except for the thenkuzhal. I have this unfortunate luck where if some sweet turns out good and I try to double or triple the quantities the next time, then it usually flops. We made Asoka Halwa, 7 cups burfi, karasev, thenkuzhal , mysore pak (from Lata akka's blog - though mine was not perfect like hers it was still the best mysore pak I've made so far) & jangri (from Raks' blog). I also tried making gulab jamun using milk powder which according to me was a super flop texturewise but my daughter and husband loved the taste.

My mother's recipe for thenkuzhal came out smashingly well and it was crunchy and had the perfect texture. The Jangri was also fairly easy to make, much to our surprise (and thanks to Raks' detailed pictures), that my husband who was initially skeptic and was pushing for badusha instead, couldn't get enough of the jangri and finished the entire thing in 2 days after which he wanted us to make more.... but by then I was sick of seeing copious amounts of sugar and ghee that goes into the making of practically everything and decided to give a few months before our next indulgence.

THENKUZHAL (Murukku)
This is the plain, salted version and if you want to spicy one please check out the recipe for Chaklis.

Ingredients:
Rice Flour (I used store bought) - 2 cups
Urad dhal flour - 1/4 cup (procedure give below)
Cumin seeds - 1 to 2 tsp (based on preference)
Asafoetida powder (hing) - few pinches
Butter (unsalted) - 1 tbsp at room temperature (not melted)
Salt - to taste (I used about 3/4 to 1 tsp)
Water - sufficient amount to bind into a dough
Oil - enough to deep fry

Method:

1) Procedure for Urad Flour: Dry roast about 1/4 cup of whole, skinned (white), urad dhal in a pan until very light brown. Allow to cool and grind to a fine powder. Sieve this urad dhal flour and then measure out the required 1/4 cup flour for this recipe.

2) In a bowl combine the rice flour, urad dhal flour cumin seeds, salt, asafoetida. Then add the butter and mix well. Slowly add water and make into a soft dough. If it's too hard, then it'll be really hard to press out the thenkuzhal and if too soft/watery, it will absorb too much oil.

3) Heat oil in a wide pan, test with a small piece of the dough and if it sizzles and comes right back up then it's ready. Press out the thenkuzhal (you need special equipment for this) directly in the oil, if comfortable or onto a piece of foil or wrap before transferring them into the oil.

4) Fry until the bubbles around the murukku almost disappear but ensure that it doesn't become brown.. it should be an off white. Adjust the temperature of the oil accordingly. Drain on a paper towel and store in an air-tight container when it has cooled down.

----------------------------------------------------------------

JANGRI (south indian jilebis)

Ingredients:
For the dough:
Whole white urad dhal - 1/2 cup, soaked for 2 hours
Orange food colouring - a pinch
Salt - a pinch

Oil - to deep fry

A Ziploc bag

For the Sugar Syrup:
Sugar -1/2 cup
Water - as required to immerse the sugar
Orange colouring - a few pinches
Rose essence - if desired

Method:

1) For the Sugar Syrup: Boil water and sugar for a few minutes until the syrup thickens a bit. Add the orange colour and rose essence and keep this kind of hot and ready for the jangris.

2) For the Jangris: Grind the urad dhal with very little water to a smooth and fluffy dough (I used a wet grinder for this and followed the exact same procedure as for vadais). Add a wee bit of salt and food colouring and mix well.

3) Now spoon this into a ziploc bag and push it all to one of the lower corners and snip of the tip (a small one will do). Heat oil in a wide, but shallow pan - one inch depth of oil is sufficient - on a low flame. Oil should not be smoking hot.

4) Now squeeze the top of the ziploc while making circular motions directly in the oil to form the jangris (I know it sounds complicated but isn't all that bad when you actually give it a go). Please check out raks website for detailed pictures. I practised making a small one on a plate before trying it out in oil.

5) Flip them over and allow to cook on both sides & remove from oil (using chopsticks is recommended so as not to bruise them) and drop them in the hot sugar syrup for about 2 minutes or so before removing them onto a plate.
I would recommend letting them sit for a while before eating because they tasted better with time.

Kaara Vadai

2009-11-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

My dad loves bajjis and always finds some reason or another to whip up a batch & enjoy. If it rains, it goes without saying that bajjis will most likely make it to the table :) So, one rainy evening we had bajjis on the mind but were out of kadalai maavu (besan). My mom decided to make these kara vadais (spicy vadais) instead which are pretty instant if you have idli/dosa batter on hand and we absolutely loved these spicy bites.

KAARA VADAI

Ingredients:
Idli/Dosai Batter - 1 cup
Rice Flour - 1/3 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 medium to large, chopped
Green Chillies - 5, minced finely (reduce if you want make it less spicy)
Ginger - 1/2 inch, minced
Coriander leaves - few, chopped
Baking Soda - a pinch
Salt - to taste
water - as required to make a thick dough
Oil - to deep fry

Method:
1) Combine everything (except the water and oil) in a bowl and mix uniformly. Add water little by little (it doesn't require much) to make it pretty thick. It should NOT be too wet & watery.

2) Heat oil to deep fry (test to make sure it is the right temperature), add small bits of the batter and fry till golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving with some hot tea.

Vanilla Cupcakes and a Birthday celebration

2009-10-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone... Thank you so much for your well wishes. I thought I would be able to get back into the blogging world in a few months but boy was I wrong.. it's been super hectic to say the least and before we even realize that a day has dawned it's drawing to a close. 2 kids are definitely a handful and they constantly keep us on our toes. That didn't stop us from having a small celebration at home in view of my daughter's 4th birthday on October 10th. She also had a small party and a Montessori ritual at her school so I baked some vanilla cupcakes for her friends and decorated it with a light pink icing and she put the sprinkles on top and was positively excited about it. For the 'cake cutting' at home, I baked a carrot cake and again enlisted Anushka's help to decorate it with her favorite candy - m&ms. She was all smiles and said that she loved the 'celebragens and decoragens' :)

SIMPLE VANILLA CUPCAKES - makes around 12 to 15 cupcakes

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour - 1.5 cups
Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick), at room temperature
Sugar - 1 cup (slightly more if you want it sweeter)
Eggs - 2
Milk - 3/4 cup
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Baking Powder - 1.75 tsp

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with paper cups. Sift together the flour & baking powder.

2) In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. I used a hand beater and kept at it for a good 6 to 8 minutes.

4) Beat in eggs one at a time, beating really well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract next and beat really well again.

5) Now stir in the sifted flour + baking powder until almost mixed. Add the milk and beat till the batter is smooth.

6) Spoon it into the paper cups - 3/4 full is good because they rise quite well. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean.

These are great plain or with an icing of your choice.. since my daughter likes Cream cheese I used that to make this icing and topped with some sprinkles. "

Here's a picture of the other carrot cake also topped with cream cheese icing

and also one of the birthday girl, the baby brother & my mom.

On a Break...

2009-08-13T05:47:00.001-07:00

This is probably a late announcement since I've been away for quite a while already. There has been a new addition to our family last week - a little boy and so we've all gotten busier. I will be absconding from the blog world for a while and hope to get back in a month or two.

Dum Aloo

2009-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

I find baby potatoes so cute looking and adorable that I never miss a chance to buy them when I spot them. I usually make either dum aloo with them or a spicy, dry masala fry. I don't use the dum technique per se for cooking these but just let them simmer for a long time so the potatoes can absorb the masalas.

DUM ALOO

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes - 12, parboiled and peeled
Coriander leaves - chopped, for garnish
Thick yogurt - 2 tbsp
Milk / Cream - 2 tbsp
Oil - 4 tsp, divided
Cloves - 1
Cinnamon stick - half inch piece
Cumin seeds - half tsp
Salt - to taste

To Fry & Grind:
Onion - 1 large, peeled and cut into big pieces
Tomato - 1 medium, ripe
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - half inch piece
Almonds/Cashews - about 8

Masala powders (to be mixed into a paste with some water)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kitchen King Masala - 1 to 2 tsp

Method:
1) Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and fry the onion, ginger and garlic till browned on the edges. Add the tomatoes with a bit of salt and when they are mushy. Transfer out to a bowl and allow to cool a bit. Then grind this with almonds or cashews to a fine paste.

2) Return the same pan to the stove and add another tsp of oil, slightly prick the parboiled ( I used a microwave to do this), peeled potatoes and toss in the oil with a pinch or two of salt and allow them to get fried a bit.. They will just get a light brown colour. Take this out and keep aside.

3) Now add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and season with cloves, cinnamon and cumin seeds and add the ground onion-tomato paste, followed by the masala powder paste with some salt and allow this to cook on a medium flame till it is nice and thick and the raw smell is gone.

4) Now add about a cup of water and the fried potatoes, let this come to a boil, cover, reduce flame and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or till thick. You will see some oil splitting and floating on the top after this. The reason we want this thick now is so the curd and milk mixture will bring it back to the right consistency.

5) Blend the curd with milk/cream until smooth and add to the gravy. Switch off the stove and cover again and let it stay for about 10 to 15 minutes before garnishing with coriander leaves and serving. If desired more cream can be drizzled on top.

Serve with naan, rotis or pulaos.

Potstickers / Vegetable Dumplings

2009-07-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

I love potstickers and find these just as satisfying (sometimes even more so) than the deep fried spring rolls. These have a crunchy coating from the pan frying and the steaming method makes them a bit chewy as well. I usually use wonton wrappers that one can find in the freezers at the supermarket and they really make life easy because one just makes the filling and encloses them in the wrappers. These can then be frozen for later or pan-fried immediately or even steamed.

The wonton wrappers that I had on hand weren't wrapped properly after the first time I took them out so turned rather brittle. I then resorted to making the outer covering myself similar to what is used for momos, just a dough of all purpose flour, salt and some water. These were time consuming but they still tasted good and were a lot chewier than the wonton wrappers. One could also just steam these and they are just as tasty.

POTSTICKERS / VEGETABLE DUMPLINGS

Ingredients:
For the dough: (or use store-bought wonton wrappers)
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Water - as required to make a stiff dough
Oil - 2 to 3 tsp to cook the dumplings

For the Filling:
Carrots - 2, cut into thin slivers
Cabbage - 1 cup, sliced thinly or chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Garlic - 1 to 2 cloves, chopped
Spring Onions - 3 to 4, chopped (I didn't have any this time)
Soy Sauce - 1 to 2 tsp
Sriracha chilli sauce - to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
(You could add other veggies as per your preference like mushrooms, beans etc.)

Method:
1) For homemade dough, mix the flour, salt and water to make a stiff dough.

2) For the filling, heat the 2 tsp of oil and add the whites of spring onions, ginger and garlic, after abt 20-30 seconds, add in the veggies and a pinch of salt and stir-fry till crisp-tender. Stir in the soy & chilli sauces with pepper to taste & spring onion tops (greens) and when done. Keep aside and allow to cool a bit.

3) Pinch small portions of the dough and roll out into circles of 3 to 4 inch diameters. Place the filling in the middle and close over to make a semi-circle. Pinch the edges together. If using the wonton wrappers, follow a similar procedure and fold over to form triangles, a bit of water along the edges will help seal the wrappers. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.

4) Heat a wide, shallow pan and spread a layer of oil... Place the potstickers/dumplings flat in a single layer (possibly in batches). Allow to cook for a few minutes until the bottoms of the pot stickers brown a bit and get crispy. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the hot pan, cover and allow the dumplings to get steam cooked.

5) Serve with dipping sauce of choice or even plain.

Spicy Cabbage Curry

2009-07-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple, spicy, dry curry and something that a friend whipped up. I've only made poriyals/thorans with cabbage or a few kootu varieties and that usually involves coconut but this just needs a bit of chilli powder and the channa dhal lends a bit of bite and comes together very quickly... so I was sure to try this at home and liked it.

CABBAGE CURRY

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 3 to 4 cups, chopped into half inch pieces
Onion - half of a medium one, sliced thinly into 1 inch pieces
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece, grated
Chilli powder - 1 to 2 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste

Seasonings:
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - half tsp
Urad dhal - half tsp
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - few

Method:
1) Heat the oil in a pan and add the seasonings, asafoetida and curry leaves.

2) Next add the ginger and onion and fry till transparent. Then add the chopped cabbage, chilli powder and salt.

3) Allow this to fry for a few minutes, sprinkle some water, cover and allow to cook on a medium flame, till done. I usually don't let it become too soft so there's a bit of crunch. Keep stirring every few minutes so it doesn't stick to the bottom.

4) When it's dry, remove from the stove and it's ready to serve.

Coconut Buns

2009-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Coconut Buns that we get in Indian bakeries and was so happy when the Salara I tried from Cynthia's place was pretty close. They were my absolute favorite with soft buns (cut into triangular wedges) encasing a sweet, coconut-tutti frutti mixture. On those days my mom couldn't get these, she would buy the coconut puffs instead but that never quite stood up to the buns. Infact, since I loved it so much, my grandparents actually bought an entire round bun (which was not cut into wedges) from a bakery and I cut into that for one of my birthdays instead of a cake :)

So, a few weeks back, I decided to bake these coconut stuffed buns and we really enjoyed the treat. The buns were soft and the coconut filling was delicious. I had some tutti frutti leftover from this Plum Cake I had baked and so added that as well along with some dates and raisins. The next time however, I think I will use brown sugar instead of white so the filing can get that deep colour that the store bought ones have. I also didn't glaze the buns with egg whites or mik so they had a dull looking exterior but that didn't take away from the taste one bit.

COCONUT BUNS

Ingredients:
For the Buns:
All Purpose Flour - 1.5 cups
White Whole wheat flour - 0.75 cups (if not available, use AP flour)
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Warm Milk - 1 cup
Active Dry Yeast - 4 tsp
Unsalted butter (cold) - 4 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp

For the Filling: (Combine the following in a bowl)
Coconut grated - 1.5 cups, run it through the mixie to make it softer if using frozen
Combination of Tutti Frutti, Raisins & Dates - 0.5 cups, chopped
Sugar - 1 cup or slighty lesser.
Cardamom, powdered - 1/4 tsp or more

Method:
1) To the warm milk, add yeast and sugar and mix. Allow this to proof for about 10 minutes. It will become foamy.

2) Mix flour and salt and crumble in the cold butter. Add the yeast-milk mixture and combine until you get a smooth, sticky dough. I had to add a touch more flour at this point.

3) Spray a bowl with some oil, place dough, cover with wrap and put in a warm place (e.g. oven with light on) and let it rise for an hour or so until it doubles.

4) Punch down the dough and knead lightly. Then take a piece of about 2.5 inches diameter and flatten it lightly to a circle, place about 2 tbsp of the filling in the middle. Pull the edges over the filling and enclose it. Seal it and place on a greased parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough. I got about 16 buns.

5) Cover with wrap and allow to rise again till doubled about 45 minutes. Then, remove the cover and bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If preferred you can brush an egg white wash or milk over the buns before baking.

6) Allow to cool a bit and serve warm or at room temperature. Keeps well for a few days on the counter.

Egg Curry

2009-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had several malayali neighbours growing up and thanks to them I tasted quite a few kerala dishes and one of my favorites was the delicious egg curry that they often whipped up. I love the results of the recipe below & use it often but I still feel that it doesn't stand up to the ones that Radha aunty and Usha aunty made. I even made them give me the egg masala powder that they use but I guess it needs their magic touch or something :)

What I like about this recipe is that it needs no grinding and I often use coconut milk powder mixed with warm water instead of opening an entire can since this needs just quarter cup of coconut milk. You could add a few chunks of boiled potatoes too if you want to extend this curry and add them right after the masala powders go in so they absorb the flavours.

EGG CURRY

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4, harboiled and peeled
Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced and cut into half inch pieces
Tomatoes - 1 small, chopped
Coconut Milk - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp or so chopped, for garnish

Masala powders (to be mixed with water to form a thin paste)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Egg Masala powder/Kitchen King Masala powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp or lesser

Method:
1) To Harboil eggs, place eggs in a bowl and cover with water. Bring this to a boil and after 2-3 minutes, switch off the stove, cover and let this sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The eggs can then be peeled and cut into 2 halves, with a few slits on the whites so the masala can steep in.

2) In a pan, heat oil and season with mustard seeds and add the curry leaves. Then add the sliced onions and fry till they are translucent. Next add the chopped tomatoes and some salt and cook till they are mushy.

3) Now add the masala paste and allow this to cook for about 3-5 minutes more. Add about a cup of water at this stage and let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce the flame and allow to simmer on low heat till it thickens - around 10 to 15 minutes.

4) Add the halved eggs in and let it cook for 5 more minutes before stirring in the coconut milk. Let this heat through (low heat is best so the coconut milk doesn't split). Garnish with coriander leaves, cover and let rest for a few minutes before serving so the flavours mingle.

This is great with rice, rotis, aapams, idiyaapam or parottas.

Tamarind-Date Chutney & a tasty snack

2009-06-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

We all love chaats and most chaats are spiced up with a delicious array of chutneys of which the most popular ones are the green chutney and this tangy, sweet tamarind chutney which is my absolute favorite. It has a light spicy kick to it and is lip smackingly good and there have been so many occassions when I've just had this plain. After seeing how easy it is to whip this up, i've stopped buying it from the store and use it on so many items like bhel puri, ragda patties, dahi vadas etc.

TAMARIND DATE CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
Tamarind/Puli - 1/4 cup, soaked in warm water for 15-20 mins
Dates - 1/2 cup, seeds removed (I used seedless)
Jaggery (Vellam)/Brown sugar - 3/4 cup, powdered
Ginger - half inch piece, crushed/grated
Chilli powder, Cumin powder - half teaspoon each
Garam masala - a pinch
Salt - to taste

Method:
1) Extract juice from the soaked tamarind and keep aside.
2) In a pan, add the tamarind extract, coarsely chopped dates, jaggery and sufficient water. Allow to boil, then reduce flame and allow to cook for about 15 mins or so till the dates soften.
3) Allow this to cool a bit and blend together till smooth.
4) Return to the pan, add the masala powders and salt to taste and cook till it thickens sufficiently.
5) Cool and serve or store in an airtight bottle in the refrigerator.

Here's a quick snack that I put together with some leftover Punjabi Chole and some Aloo Tikkis... Top the tikkis with channa masala, freshly cut onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and drizzle green chutney and this tamarind date chutney, topped with sev for a flavor explosion that is sure to tantalize your taste buds:

ALOO TIKKI CHANNA CHAAT

Luscious Lemon Tart

2009-06-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

I don't like lemon tarts, I can tolerate them but it's not something that I enjoy - so why did I bake this? For my husband who is a big fan. A month or so ago we were at a pastry shop which showcased (and sold) some very decadent looking cakes and tarts and we came home with a dark chocolate-raspberry ganache cake and a lemon tart.. tiny 2.5 inch diameter portions for a hefty price of $6 each. While my daughter and I devoured the chocolate cake, we wanted nothing more to do with the lemon tart after a customary taste - but my husband was so in love with it and kept raving about lemon tarts and how much he always loved them and so on. He hasn't really mentioned it before... so i casually looked up what making a lemon tart entails and was surprised to see that it was rather simple.

So, I set about making this over the weekend and I must say that it came together rather easily and I tasted a bit just out of curiosity and though it was lemony, fresh & nice, it really isn't my cup of tea but I loved the crust and so did my daughter. Had I known, how yummy the shortbread crust would've been, i'd have baked some of the dough separately. Anyways, I was happy that my husband loved it and in a way I'm glad that there's this dessert in the fridge but I'm not battling any temptation to eat it all up... :) So, this recipe is for all you lemon tart lovers out there...

LEMON TART

Ingredients for Shortbread Crust:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Confectioners sugar (Powedered) - 1/3 cup
Cold, unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick) cut into abt 10 slices
Salt - 1/8 tsp

Method For Crust:
1) Prepare a 8 or 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom ( I used a pie pan lined with aluminium foil with some over-hang, so I could remove it easily later) by spraying with cooking oil/butter.

2) In a food processor (I used our indian mixie fitted with a medium jar), place flour, sugar and salt and process to combine. Then add the cold butter slices and pulse until the pastry starts to come together and looks clumpy - see picture.

3) Transfer this to the pie pan and evenly press the pastry onto bottom and sides of pan. My sides were thinner than the bottom so that is something you'll want to keep in mind and try to do this more evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a tines of a fork (so it won't puff up while baking).

4) Cover this with cling wrap and freeze for about 15 minutes (which helps prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes). Meanwhile Pre-heat oven to 425F with rack in center of oven.

5) When pastry is chilled, place tarn pan on a larger baking pan and bake till the crust is golden brown (about 13-15 mins). Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing the filling. Also, reduce the ove temperature to 350F.

Ingredients for Filling:
Cream cheese (I used lower fat) - 5 oz, softened at room temperature
Sugar - 2/3 cup (1/2 cup was the original recipe but i increased it a bit)
Fresh lemon juice - 1/2 cup (I juiced 4 lemons to get this much, depends on the size)
Eggs - 2, large
Grated lemon zest - 1 tbsp (Zest the lemons before juicing them)

Method:
1) In a food processor (I used the same medium jar of the mixie not wanting more things to clean), put cream cheese and process till smooth. Next add the sugar and process so it is combined.

2) Now add the eggs one by one and process till well combined. Add the lemon juice, zest and process till smooth. Pour this in the tart shell and bake for 25-30 minutes (in the 350F) oven till filling is set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or you could pipe the whipped cream over the entire tart.

Hara Aloo

2009-06-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

This is a curry that I first made almost 9 years ago and is a recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor. I remember my friend & me enjoying it quite a bit but unfortunately I lost the recipe and didn't make it after that. So I was thrilled to see this on Lakshmi's blog and was able to recreate it after all these years and it was really delicious. My family really liked it and I particularly relished this with curd rice - very satisfying. Hara Aloo translates to green potatoes and the coriander leaves lend such a bright, fresh burst of flavour and offers for a great varatiation to our ubiquitous potato fry. In her recipe, she's first baked them in the oven and though that's a fabulous idea, with the hot weather that prevails, I didn't want to switch on the oven, so instead tossed them on a wide pan in 2 batches.

HARA ALOO (Spiced Coriander Potatoes)

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 4 medium, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
Onion - 1/4 of a big red one, sliced thin into 1 inch pcs (optional)
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Water - couple tablespoons

To Grind:
Coriander (Cilantro) leaves & stems - about a cup, washed
Green chillies - 5
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 2 small cloves

Method:
1) You could toss the potato slices in some oil (the 2 tbsp) & salt and bake them in an oven until browned or pan fry them in a wide pan as a single layer until lightly browned. Flip over and cook the other side as well. I had to do 2 batches to finish all the potatoes. Remove them and keep aside.

2) Meanwhile grind coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic & ginger to a slightly coarse paste.

3) Heat a tsp of oil in the same pan and add cumin seeds, then add the ground coriander paste and cook this for a few minutes (so the raw smell goes away). Rinse the jar of the mixie with a few tbsp of water and add this to the fried paste and a bit of salt to taste.

4) Toss in the potatoes at this juncture and stir gently (with a spatula) so they are coated with the coriander masala. Keep the flame on a medium high until all the water is absorbed, which only takes a few minutes.

5) After that, reduce the flame to medium and keep tossing the potatoes until browned and dry. Serve with rice and rasam or my favorite combination curd rice and this - bliss.

Bread Upma

2009-06-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

I tried this bread upma recipe from Menu Today's blog and absolutely loved it and now this has become a standard method of preparation at our place. My MIL makes this differently where she first makes coarse bread crumbs and even adds eggs sometimes - my husband likes that version a lot too. This one just uses chunks of bread and has a slight tang from the yogurt and is quite spicy too. I've made a few variations to include more veggies, depending on what I have on hand but otherwise follow her recipe pretty much.

BREAD UPMA

Ingredients:
Bread slices - 12 to 15
Yogurt/Curd (thick) - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala / Curry Masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Onions - 1 large, sliced thinly and then into 1 inch pieces
Tomato - 1 small to medium, chopped
Green chillies - 4 to 5, slit in two
Ginger - half inch piece, chopped finely/grated
Carrot - 1 or 2, grated
Green bell peppers/Capsicum - 1 small, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sombu (Fennel seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a twig
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped
Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Method:
1) Cut each slice of bread into about 16 cubes (depends on the size of the bread slices and how big you want the chunks to be).

2) In a large bowl, combine the yogurt with the chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and some salt... add the bread cubes to this, mix gently until the mixture coats the bread pieces and allow to marinate for about 15 to 20 mins.

3) In a big, wide pan, heat oil and season with mustard seeds and sombu. Next add the green chillies, onion, ginger and fry till they wilt. Then add the capsicum pieces & grated carrot and cook till they soften.

4) Now the tomatoes go in with a bit of salt so it helps them turn mushy . Now add the marinated bread pieces and stir gently so it's evenly coated. Cook this on a medium flame, tossing every once in a while until the bread pieces get roasted.

5) Finally switch off the stove and toss in the coriander leaves. Yummy bread upma is ready to serve as is or with some ketchup.

This makes for a delicious breakfast and I would like to send this to Divya's Show me your breakfast event.

Falafel

2009-06-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Falafels are yummy, fried chickpea patties and when stuffed in a pita bread with some cucumber, tomato, onions and lettuce - it makes for a delightful & tasty sandwich. I had quite a few extra and though they are delicious all by themselves as a snack, I froze the leftovers and heated them up and used them like burger patties - worked great. Though this is a middle-eastern snack it has a lot of the indian spices going in and so really appeals to our palate.

FALAFELS (Chickpea/Channa Patties)

Ingredients:
White Channa / Chickpeas (dry) - 1 cup, soaked overnight in plenty of water
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic cloves - 2 to 3
Chilli powder - about a tsp (or to taste)
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, chopped
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt & Black Pepper - to taste
Sesame seeds - 1 to 2 tbsp (optional)

Oil - sufficient to fry the patties

Method:
1) Rinse the well-soaked chickpeas. Puree the onion and garlic in a blender and add the soaked chickpeas (in batches, depending on your blender) & puree it all together. It will be a little grainy & pasty (not chunky) for most part. Preferably no water should be added but if you absolutely must, add the bare minimum.

2) Add the masala powders, sesame seeds, coriander leaves , baking powder & salt & pepper to taste to the chickpea paste. Mix well and refrigerate for a while ( a couple of hours if you can).

3) Heat the oil for deep frying and make patties of this mixture and drop in hot oil & fry till golden. Ensure that the flame isn't too high because they will brown without cooking well on the inside. Drain on paper towels and eat by themselves or as a sandwich/burger.

Coconut Pineapple Cake

2009-06-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is a simple, easy to make cake which is so summery, moist and light and has tropical flavours like pineapple & coconut. I've made this several times and it's great to take on picnics as well... it's one that we enjoy at home and I had fun making this with my daughter too. It starts off with a boxed cake mix but the additions to the cake take this to another level.

COCONUT PINEAPPLE CAKE

Ingredients:
Yellow cake mix - 1 box (18.25 oz)
Evaporated Milk - 1 can (12 oz) - I used low fat
Eggs - 2 large
Crushed Pineapple in Juice - 1 can (20 oz), drained & juice reserved
Almonds/Walnuts - half cup, chopped
Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup
Flaked Sweetened Coconut - 1 cup, lightly toasted

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 13x9 inch pan (or two 9 inch round pans)

2) In a big bowl, combine cake mix, evaporated milk, eggs and beat on low speed for 2 mins. It will become thick and creamy. Stir in 1 cup of the drained crushed pineapple.

3) Pour the above batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with nuts on the top.

4) Bake this for 30 to 35 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for about 15 mins or so.

5) In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar with 2 tbsp of the pineapple juice (that was drained from the can). Stir until smooth.

6) Poke a few holes (about 2 inches apart) with a toothpick and spread the sugar+juice mixture on the top of the baked warm cake.

7) Sprinkle with coconut and remaining drained pineapple. Slice and serve as-is or with whipped cream for a delicious treat.

Beetroot Halwa

2009-05-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

I can't remember when I had beetroot halwa... but in my mind I've always held a fascination for it and was sure that I'd prefer it over carrot halwa. I don't cook much with beets, except when making cutlets or some vegetable kurmas, or add to biryani... but I like quite a few preparations of this veggie. The last time I tried my hand at making this beetroot halwa, i added too much sugar and in an effort to get a thick halwa, overcooked it to the point that after 15 mins or so, the entire mixture had turned rock hard and stuck to the bowl to which i transferred it! No amount of poking and prodding could release it from the bowl and it was a total flop (taste & texture wise) to say the least. So, this time, i played with the proportions a bit and was more watchful of the sugar and the time it cooked so i could get the consistency right.... I just love the colour - ain't it pretty?

BEETROOT HALWA

Ingredients:
Beetroot - 1 big, peeled and grated (measured 2 cups total)
Sugar - 2/3 cups (depends on your sweet preference and the beetroot)
Milk - 2 cups
Cardamom Powder - a couple pinches
Ghee - 2 tbsp, divided

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a heavy bottom pan and add the grated beetroot. Stir on medium flame for about 5-7 mins till beetroot is dry and softens a bit.

2) Add the milk at this point and once it begins to boil, reduce flame low-medium and allow to cook, stirring occasionally. This step is a time consuming process (took about 30 mins or more for me) but the good thing is that it doesn't require constant attention and there's no fear of the milk boiling over or the mixture getting stuck to the bottom. I just stirred it every now and then until most of the milk evaporated and the beets were cooked.

3) I had about a tbsp of milk left in the pan when I added the sugar. Stir this mixture until it thickens a bit - i was wary of it getting too thick and turning hard like the previous time i tried making this halwa so i didn't let it become very thick. Add the remaining tbsp of ghee and sprinkle cardamom powder. Stir until the mixture comes together and switch off the stove. Serve warm for a tasty, colorful treat.

Today is my thaatha's birthday so it's only fitting that I celebrate it with this tasty treat.