norwegian cooking: April 2012

Eggless Butter Tarts

This time, for eggless baking, Gayathri had chosen butter tarts, and she had sent a link to the recipe at Joy Of Baking, one of my favorite stop for baking tips. The recipe and the procedure looked pretty much simple except for the egg replacing part. Since the pastry name itself was butter tarts, I didn't skimp on the butter, just went along with the recipe, replacing only the eggs. The end product turned out to be 'utterly, butterly delicious' (borrowing it from Amul), melt in the mouth goodies. If you like the taste of butter toffees, then this is for you..

Need To Have
For The Crust

All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
Cold Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup
White Granulated Sugar - 1/2 tablespoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Ice Cold Water - 1 tablespoon

For The Filling

Melted Butter - 2 + 1/2 tablespoon
Flax Seed Powder - 1 tablespoon
Milk - 3 tablespoon
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Light Cream (Half & Half) - 2 tablespoons

Method
In a food processor, take the flour, salt, sugar and butter, pulse it till it becomes a crumbly mix. Now gradually add the water and pulse it once more till it forms a dough. Remove, shape it into a flat disc, wrap with a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for half an hour. After 30 mins, divide the dough into 6 parts, roll into thick discs about 4" in diameter (dusting with some flour when it sticks). Line a muffin pan with this and press it slightly to the bottom and sides. Leave it in the fridge while you prepare the filling. Take the flax seed powder and 3 tablespoon milk and warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds and leave it for at least 5 to 10 mins. Beat the melted butter with the sugar, add the flax seed and the vanilla extract, beat it well till it comes to a creamy texture. Now blend in the light cream, finally fold in the raisins. Remove the muffin pan from the fridge, spoon in the filling till 3/4th height of the crust. Bake it at 375F for 20 to 25 mins, till the crust turns golden. Leave it to cool completely, then remove it very carefully and serve it at room temperature or cold.

Note
If you make the dough with your hand, make sure the butter is really cold, your hands will warm it.
It is a rich dessert, definitely not more than one for me, but absolutely delicious.
Check the oven after 20 mins.
You can roll out the whole dough and cut out circles with a cookie cutter.

reade more...

A Special Event For A Celebration & Two Cookbook Giveaways For The Same

Hi!

Time flies... It seems like yesterday that I started this blog and in the coming month, my blog will turn 3 on the 21st May. Since, it's celebration time here, I thought of asking all my friends to join me in this. Since, there's no better way of expressing joy other than making sweets, join me this month in a sweet journey with an awesome ingredient to use in making those..

It's an ingredients for which kid's never say a 'no' and personally I and most women crave for.. It's none other than our beloved "CHOCOLATE'.

Announcing 'Only'- Cooking With Chocolate which runs through the entire month of May. So, send me all your chocolatey entries this month.

Since, it a celebratory month there are two cookbook giveaways sponsored by www.tarladalal.com . I'll be picking two winners in the coming month for these two cookbooks, one book per winner.

The first winner that I pick, will get the Desserts cookbook and the second will get the Chocolate cookbook. One can read the details of these books by clicking on the respective pictures. These books will be shipped 'ONLY IN INDIA'. Anyone who is a follower of my blog through google connect or networked blogs (publically) and can provide me an address in India can be a part of this giveaway. This giveaway is 'Only For My Friends' who do not hesitate to show their presence in my blog publically and thus, allow me to connect with them, directly or publically and not discreetly or privately.

Rules For The Event

There will be two inlinkz tools open 'for India' & 'other Countries'. Please link your entries in one of these. Those who live outside India and can provide an address in India for the giveaway, should also link their entries under 'India'.
The post should be linked to this event announcement page.
USAGE OF LOGO IS MANDATORY, as it helps spread the word. If not used, I'll have no option but to not accept your entry. I'm sorry, I'll have to be strict with the rules as many tend to ignore the rules completely.
Those interested in the giveaway, please leave me a comment, mentioning the cookbook you are interested in.
Eggs are allowed in the cooking but no non-veg product added in any form will be accepted.
Only if you have a problem in linking the post, email me at cookingoodfood@gmail.com.
For 'Archived' posts.. only two entries are accepted from the archives. In that case, please mention in your archived post, in which post of the current month, the links to the archived posts have been reposted.
The cookbook winners will be chosen by random method, so that there's no disparity and is fair for all those participating in the giveaway.

Pls Note-I'm busy making the next year's schedule of events, those who are interested in hosting the 'Only' Series, please leave a comment in the host line up page under the header with your name, your blog's name and email id. For hosting my event, you need to be an active blogger for the past six months. Those who have already left me a note, please do not send again.

reade more...

Couscous With Soy Granules

Couscous is very popular in Moroccan cuisine, usually served with some vegetable or other gravies. I started cooking with couscous only some time back, especially after I found whole wheat couscous at Trader Joe's. Initially I used it to make salads, but lately have started making some Indian dishes with it, using it in the place of rice, and it works out very well, especially in pulaos. This is one such attempt with soy granules, it turned out to be a very tasty and nutritious meal..

Need To Have

Couscous - 2 cups (that comes with the rice cooker)
Soy Chunks - 1 cup (liquid measuring cup)
Onion - 1 big chopped
Capsicum - 1 big chopped
Tomato Puree - 4 tablespoons
Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
Garlic - 4 cloves grated
Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Broken Cashews - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon
Cinnamon Stick - 1" piece
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 2
Star Anise - 2
Javentri - a small piece
Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup

Method
Boil water, add the soy chunks or granules, cover and leave it for half an hour. Then, wash them in cold water, squeeze them to drain the water and keep it. Heat some oil, add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise and javentri, once they start popping add the cashews, saute till they become fried, then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute them till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away, then add the chopped capsicum, saute for a couple of mins. Now add the tomato puree, turmeric, chilli and coriander powders, saute for 3 or 4 more mins. Finally add the soy granules, roasted cumin (jeera) and garam masala powders and the couscous, mix everything well, add 4 cups of water and salt. Cook for 5 mins, switch off and leave it covered for atleast half an hour. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it warm with some curd or raitha.

Sending it to Prabha's Cooking for Sangeetha's Show Me Your Hits - Soy Recipes event and
to Divya's Culinary Journey for her Showcase - What's In Your Lunch Box? event.

Note
Usually the couscous to water ratio is 1:1, I have doubled it because the soy granules tend to absorb water.
Javentri is the orange flower like spice you see in the picture, use just one fourth of it.
Can use chopped tomatoes instead of puree and also can add a handful of chopped mint leaves along with the couscous, gives a nice flavor, I didn't have it that day.
If the soy granules are very big, chop them into two, after soaking in boiled water and draining.

reade more...

Kairichi Vaatli Daal ( low oil version)..a Chaitra specialty from Maharashtra, Step by Step

Hi All!

The month of Chaitra in the Hindu Regional calendar is considered as the first month of the year. In Maharashtra the month of Chaitra starts with celebrating Gudi Padwa, i.e the first day of the year and ends with Chaitra Amavasya. 'Chaitra Gauri' on Gudi Padwa is an important event for ladies who invite each for Haldi Kunku or Haldi Kumkum in Hindi. Women observe nine days, called 'Devichi Navaratri' starting with 'Chaitra Gauri,' all the way till ‘Akshaya Tritiya’. 'Paanpoyi' or large pots of water are specially set up in public space in order to help the needy. "After the puja of the water pots, the very act of offering water to one and all is important on Gudi Padwa. People can distribute water this way till Akshaya Tritiya.

The other important attraction of Chaitra Haldi Kunku is Kairichi Daal and Kaari Panha, indicating the onset of spring and the welcome of raw mangoes. About two three days back I was speaking with my cousin P and she mentioned of attending Chaitra Haldi Kunku and eating Vaatli daal and the mere mention of Vaatli Daal tempted me to make it at the earliest. To add to my interest was also the quick comment by P that her MIL makes a very low oil version of it which is very light to eat. She explained in short how I could make it in the microwave partly and then cook in pan later. I have already mentioned earlier here that P and her MIL are great cooks and their Stuffed & Batter Fried Bread Roll was a post read by many..

Now, that the Chaitra month is already over, yet I did make the daal my way with the tips I had learnt from P and it really turned out light to eat and less oily. The original method of preparation makes use of loads of oil for roasting and cooking the daal. This method is far more easy, simplified and perfect for weight watchers like me. Yes, after a month of successful diet control and with 3kgs down I can tell everyone now that I’m watching my weight Smile

, I still have a long way to go but the process has begun, finally.

It is a very healthy preparation with lentils and raw mango and can be cooked in less than half an hour if you have soaked lentils in hand. It's spicy, tangy, slightly sweet..it's just very tasty and asafetida adds more flavour.

KAIRICHI VAATLI DAAL

Soaking Time:4-5hrs

Preparation Time:10mins

Cooking Time:20mins

Standing Time:1hour

Serves:3

Ingredients

2cups of Soaked Bengal Gram/ Chana daal

7-8 green chilies

1tsp cumin seeds

1small piece ginger

3baby raw mangoes

1/2tsp turmeric

1tsp coriander powder

1/2tsp cumin powder

1/2tsp eno fruit salt

1tsp sugar

1/2 lemon's juice

For tempering

4-5tsp oil

1tsp mustard

1sprig curry leaves

1/4tsp asafetida (heeng of good smell)

For Garnish

Chopped Coriander

Freshly Grated Coconut

a lemon wedge

Method

Wash a cup of Bengal gram/ chana daal and soak for 3-4 hrs. It doubles in volume.

Strain all the water and keep aside. Coarsely grind the lentil with 5 green chilies, ginger, cumin and raw mangoes. If you do not have raw mangoes, amchoor can be used instead.

Transfer the ground lentils to a microwave safe bowl and add about 1/4cup water.

Add 1tsp oil, salt to taste, suagr, cumin and coriander powder.

Mix thoroughly and just before putting in microwave add eno fruit salt and give a quick stir. The fruit salt helps to make the lentil cook light and fluffy. This was a tip given by P's MIL, Sandhya Mavshi. Thanks so much Mavshi, this tip does work.

Heat it in the microwave for about 10-12mins, and keep mixing after every 2mins.

after 5mins of cooking

after 10mins of cooking

At this stage, either wait for cooling of the mix (like I did) else proceed with the next step. But waiting is advisable.

Crumble the cooled mix with fingers.

Heat about 3tsp oil and add mustard seeds to it.

Lower the flame and add asafetida, this prevents it's burning.

Add curry leaves and two slit chilies.

Tip in the cooled and crumbled lentils.

Mix the lentils properly and cook on high heat for 2-3mins.

Cover and cook under steam for 5-6mins again. Mix lemon juice. If you feel that the lentil is very dry, sprinkle some water and steam cook for 2-3mins, till soft.

Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander, coconut and lemon wedge.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Snacks & Starters hosted by Raji at Vegetarian Tastebuds and My Culinary Creations- Snacks

reade more...

Mango Colada (Mango Drink With Coconut Milk)

I like Pina Colada, with all the tropical flavors of pineapple and coconut in it, but of course without alcohol. Got to taste it only after marriage and thereafter, one of my favorite mocktails. I had bought this huge box of mangoes and wanted to make something with it apart from eating them plain and I also had some coconut milk ( not the canned ones, it comes in tetra paks at Trader Joe's, without the oily smell), so putting the two together, I made this delicious drink, replacing the pineapples with mangoes. Cheers, to all those mango lovers out there..

Need To Have

Mango (ripe) cubes - 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 3 tablespoons
Water - 1/2 cup
Lime juice - from 1/2 a lime

Method
Blend the mango pieces to a smooth pulp, add the coconut milk, sugar, water and lime juice, blend everything together, serve it cold.

Sending it to Tickling Palates for the Let's Cook: Chilled Delights event,
to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event,
to Vegetarian Food & Me for Gayathri's WTML event,
to Tomato Blues for the Summer Spirits event,
to Srav's Cooking Concepts for the CC - Spring Seasonal Food event and
to The Pumpkin Farm for the Mango Mania 99 event.

Note
You can replace the water with ice cubes.
Adjust sugar according to the sweetness of the mangoes.
Can use fresh coconut milk, and also sugar replacements.

reade more...

Urad Dal Ladoos (Black Gram Balls)

Back from a trip to Florida, had a nice time with friends and got to visit the Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, my daughter and I were very excited, both of us love the series. Returned yesterday night, very tired so I thought I'll post today a simple dish. It requires very few ingredients and can be made in no time. A sweet ladoo with urad dal (whole black gram without the skin) and jaggery, supposed to be very healthy, especially for women..

Need To Have

Urad Dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup grated or powdered
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Method
Dry roast the urad dal till they turn pink and you get a nice aroma and cool it. Grind it to a powder (need not be smooth but like fine sand). To this, add the jaggery, cardamom powder and melted ghee, mix everything well, roll it into small balls.

Sending it to Vegetarian Tastebuds for Pari's 'Only' - Snacks And Starters event,
to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event and
to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event.

Note
Can add more ghee if needed.
Make balls by taking a fistful of the powder and pressing it together, like you would do with beach sand.
The ladoos might look a little hard if you try to break it but when you bite into it, it just crumbles.

reade more...

Eggless & Whole Wheat Garlic Cheese Italian Flat Bread..Step by Step

Hi All!

I know, I know, you might say this looks like a pizza but it isn’t..

Recently, the kid insisted to buy this version of bread from a famous bakery here. He loved the flavor of the bread and insisted that I should also make this. Now, being a mother, I had to tweak the recipe and make it more healthy, hence, I opted for a whole wheat version.

I decided to make a round shape flat bread only for simplifying my work (the reason it looks more like a pizza), one is free to make a square, rectangle, oval or any shape of their choice. The bread is a little dense because of the use of whole wheat but there’s no compromise on the taste.

As the name suggests, it has garlic and cheese in it and makes use of Italian herbs. To that extent it does resemble the Pizza but the bread is much more softer and much lesser cheesy, making it suitable for everyday eating. One can also call it a ‘Cheat’s Pizza’..

This bread makes an excellent snack for the kids as it has many inviting flavours and has cheese too..

This bread goes straight to my event ‘Only’ Snacks & Starters hosted by Raji at Vegetarian Tastebuds.