‘Only’ Event For JULY | Cook Book Giveaway

Hi all!

Food is not only an inevitable part of life but it is also an interesting part..Food  means nutrition for body but this nutrition can be acquired by cooking food in a variety of cuisines breaking the monotony. To learn the variety of cuisines and recipes so many cookbooks are available in the market and this month’s event is all about saluting those books and the cook/chef behind those books.

The host of this month is an amazing cook and a dear friend Gauri from Runner Girl In the Kitchen. The rules of the event can be checked in her blog. I would truly appreciate that you acknowledge the book used in creating the recipe, giving the person behind it due credit. In case you have copied the recipe into a diary, please provide a picture of the written recipe.

To encourage the food bloggers, www.tarladalal.com has sponsored the giveaway..

This book gets shipped only in India. Any one who is a publically follower of my blog through Google+/ GFC and can provide an address in India can be a part of the giveaway.

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Paav Bhaaji…No, No Bhaaji In The Paav | Quick Bite | Step Wise Method

 

Hi All!!

I’m sure many would relate to me when I say that the kid’s exam is your own exam..though my kid is grown up and quite independent in many ways but during his assessments he needs me the most. I do not indulge myself in teaching him word to word but I’m always there to solve his difficulties and also to boost up his morale, so I get tied up at home..last few days saw me doing that only..After finishing morning chores, I would sit and make a test paper for him to solve once he is back from school and then stay with him till he finishes studies. Amongst all this I was also helping a friend to look out for a house. Today is the day when I’m breathing in a relaxed manner, now that the tests are over and the friend also has has got an extension in her lease, phew!!

The kid had a half day in school today, so I wanted to make something interesting before he came home. I had not made pav-bhaji in a long time, so thought of making that for lunch but I was also in the mood to bake a bread to relax myself as it has a therapeutic effect on me. Plus, I also wanted to use the bread flour which I had eagerly bought in Thailand. My mind started working on how to accomplish both the things simultaneously and  that’s when the thought of making a stuffed pav-bhaji came to my mind. I made the bhaaji and used it as a filling. Instead of making regular stuffed round buns, I thought of making a more attractive bread, so indulged in a braided version.

The product formed after the baking was a soft braided bun with a bhaaji filling. Kid entered home sniffing, I had just finished the first batch of baking the buns before he stepped in and he was too eager to pounce on them. I had to push him away so that he could wash himself before he could savor the pav-bhaaji..First bite of the bread into his mouth and instantly the thumb was up with a smile and he was ready to finish more. He couldn’t stop praising the new version of Paav bhaaji or Bhaaji in a Pav and I was more than overwhelmed..

At night we savoured the remaining bhaji with the paav in the authentic paav bhaji style. The bhaaji has turned out too good and S mentioned that it is as good as Amar Juice Center, in Mumbai.

Preparation Time for bread: 20mins

Total Time to Make Bhaaji: 1hour

Rising Time:40-45mins

Baking Time Per Batch:16-20mins

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty Level: Moderate/ Needs Skill

 

Ingredients:

a cup of bhaaji

For The Bread

4cups APF or Bread Flour + more for rolling and dusting

1/4cup of Butter/ Oil/ Shortening +1tbsp oil

1tbsp active dry yeast

1tbsp sugar

1-1/2tsp salt

1 - 1-1/2cup of warm water

milk for milk wash

 

Method

For step by step tutorial on how to make an authentic bhaaji, read the post here.

Heat a cup of water to a lukewarm temperature. Add sugar and yeast and let the yeast proof (makes a froth).

 

Take 3cups of the flour and keep 1cup of flour aside. To this add the salt and 1/4cup oil/butter. Mix thoroughly.

Using the proofed yeast, knead the doug. Add the remaining flour gradually, stop adding flour when you feel the dough is slightly sticky. Knead the dough for 10mins, by the end of the kneading it should be smooth and not stick on the floor and hand. Apply some oil and cover with a greased plate or cling film.

Let the dough rise and double in volume, this takes about 45-60mins depending on the temperature outside. One can also read this post on working with yeast in low temperature to get a better understanding.

Punch down the dough and release the trapped air and knead it again for 2mins.

Break the dough into portions slightly larger than a lemon and using the flour roll an oblong shape of 1/2cm thickness.

Place about 2tsp bhaaji vertically in the center of the rolled dough.

Give equidistant slanting cuts on either side of the bhaaji on the rolled dough.

  

Start folding the cuts crossing over the bhaaji, first left touching the second cut on right, the first cut on right touching the second cut on left and so on.. Fold the last end underneath.

 

Let the braided bread rise again for 15mins covered. Apply a milk/egg wash. Bake 4-6 at a time. Bake for 16-20mins in a pre-heated oven at 180C till golden in color and when tapped on top produces hollow sound.

Serve warm.

 

Sending this to my event 'Only' Crazy For Potato, guest hosted at Nivedhanam.

Tips

Never take the full measure of water mentioned in the recipe at once to knead the dough as the absorption of water varies from flour to flour.

Always take lukewarm water for proofing the yeast. Insert the finger in the water, if the heat is bearable and not hurting, one can proceed with the addition of yeast. Hot water shocks the yeast.

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Spring Onion Parathas

          After the Spring Onion And Cabbage Kurma, these parathas is another dish I made using spring onions. They were really very flavorful, very easy to prepare and would pair very well with almost any side dish. These parathas are an excellent choice when you want to make something, a little different from the regular roti but not very time consuming..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Spring Onions - 2 cups
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the spring onions and saute till all the liquid dries up.

          Make a soft dough with the flour, salt, chilly, turmeric, black pepper and roasted cumin powders and keep it aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 portions.

          Take one ball of dough, roll out into a thin disc, spread a little bit of the spring onions, and press slightly with the rolling pin or with your hand.

          Heat a skillet, using a little oil, cook the rolled out parathas on both sides, till light brown spots appear.

Note
You can use the sauteed spring onions as a stuffing and then roll out, but it turns out a little messy.

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Enquete publique Port de la vigne

......Pour pouvoir lire le document, passez en plein écran en cliquant sur la petite flèche en haut à droite de l'image. Vous pouvez consulter l'Avis de l'autorité environnementale sur le lien suivant: http://www.gironde.gouv.fr/Demarches-administratives/Reglementation-et-environnement/Avis-de-l-autorite-environnementale/Avis-de-l-autorite-environnementale-du-3-juin-20132/%28language%29/fre-FR

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Potato- Fox Nut Curry | Aloo- Makhana Curry | Vegan Curry

 

Hi!!

Hope all my readers are hale and hearty and enjoying the monsoon. The city I live in is still to see a proper rainfall but I’m happy as the temperature has come down a bit…I’ve learnt to thank God for small mercies!!! My eyes and sinus is improving too, thanks for enquiring about me and all the concern, I’m truly touched!!

I’m still not into elaborate cooking as heat of the burner troubles me, so I’m more into quick preparations. I’m avoiding roasting my masala for curries and missing it too, hopefully will cook and post an elaborate recipe in a few days, till then enjoy reading my quick preparations, and I also personally feel there are many more cooks and readers who indulge in quick cooking and these posts are definitely useful for them.

This curry is very simple to try, quick to make, needs few ingredients and yet there’s no compromise on taste. Many people have this false illusion that if the curry has many ingredients and exotic spices added the recipe and preparation is good, I mean with all the exotic things going into it it is bound to be good,what’s so big about it? But the trick and art is in using few ingredients and making the food tasty.

I feel like mentioning my great granny here….she had seen tough times in her life and towards the end of her life she just had enough to meet her day to day needs but she had a warm heart, which welcomed all her guests with a smile and out of the little food that she could afford and cook, she would serve them. The lentils she cooked literally had a spoon of oil with bare minimum spices but the flavor and taste was just awesome, I’ve not yet tasted a better daal than what she made.

I had asked my readers on my fan page that which recipes using potatoes they would like to read in my blog, one of the readers wanted potato-vari but vari is not easily available here but the instead of fox nut the vari can be fried and added in this preparation. One just needs to keep the spice level up when using vari.

Preparation Time: 15mins

Cooking Time:10mins

Serves:4

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

1tbsp ginger, grated

2green chilies, sliced

1/2 cup tomato puree ( I used readymade)

5potatoes, boiled and hand crushed

1cup fox nut

1tsp mustard seeds

3 –4tbsp oil +  1tbsp oil

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1tsp red chili powder

2tbsp coriander powder

1/2tsp sugar

salt to taste

about 2-3cups water

Method

Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan and roast the fox nuts on a medium flame till crisp. Remove in a plate.

Heat the remaining oil and add the mustard and let it splutter. Add the chilies and ginger, sauté for few seconds.

Add the tomato puree and sauté till oil separates. Add the spices, salt and sugar.

Mix in the crushed potatoes and cook in the spices on high heat for 2-3mins.

Add water and bring it to a boil. Once the curry boils, tip in the fox nut. Cover with a lid and cook till the fox nuts soften and absorb the flavor, also the curry has to reduce to a semi thick consistency.

Serve hot with rice or Poori/ chapati.

Tip:

The fox nut can be deep fried but it soaks a lot of oil and hence I avoid frying them and prefer roasting till they are crisp.

The tomatoes add sourness to the curry, to balance the sourness sugar is added.

 

Sending this to my event 'Only' Crazy For Potato, guest hosted at Nivedhanam.

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Kathrikkai Masial/ Mashed Eggplant

          For most of the dishes using eggplants/ brinjals I use only the baby eggplants, there are very few dishes that I make with the big eggplant. Today's kathrikkai masial/ mashed eggplant is one of them, it's very easy to prepare and both my husband and daughter love this. It goes very well as part of a South Indian Thali ( rice + sambar + vegetable ) or as a side dish with rotis/ chappatis and also with akki rotis/ flatbreads made with rice flour. The smoked flavor from roasting the eggplants and the tamarind juice added gives a unique taste to this dish..

Need To Have

• Big Eggplant - 1
• Thick Tamarind Extract - 2 tablespoons
• Urad Dal/ Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Onion - 1 small, chopped
• Green Chilly - 1, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5 - 10
• Salt - to taste

Method 

          Wash the eggplant and roast it on direct fire till the skin is completely charred. 

          Cool it, remove the skin and mash it ( I got 1 cup of pulp), add the tamarind extract and salt and mix it. 

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and urad dal, when it starts spluttering, add the chopped onions, green chillies, asafoetida, ginger and curry leaves. 

          Saute it till the onions turn light pink in color, remove and add it to the mashed eggplant and give it a mix.

Note

You can use the Italian eggplants for doing this.

You can toast the eggplant in the oven ( cut into half and bake or grill ) if you don't like the smoked flavor.

If you can't find tamarind, you can add a big chopped tomato ( sauteed), though tamarind gives a different taste.

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Corn Meal Upma

          I have been seeing these corn meal packets for some time now, but bought it only a couple of months back. Though I have so many things, in my mind, to try out with it, this upma is the only dish that I have made with it till date. It is a change from the regular upma with semolina/ sooji/ cream of wheat, makes for a tasty breakfast or dinner. We had it with coconut-onion chutney, which went very well with it..

Need To Have

• Corn Meal - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped
• Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Green Chillies - 2 sliced
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Heat some oil in a pressure pan, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the onions, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and saute till the garlic turns golden.

          Add the corn meal and keep mixing for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and green peas and keep sauteing for 2 to 3 minutes.

          Now add about 3 cups of water and salt, close the pressure pan with its lid and put on the weight. Cook for one whistle and then reduce the heat to the lowest, cook for 5 minutes and switch off. Once the pressure is fully released, remove and serve with any chutney or pickle.

Note
You can do the whole cooking in a regular vessel, might require a little more water and take a bit longer to cook, you have to keep checking for the water level and that it doesn't start sticking to the pan.
If your using an electric coil stove, switch off after the first whistle, the heat in the coil is more than enough.
You can add other vegetables like french beans, carrots or potatoes and also some roasted cashews for extra richness.
If the corn meal used is very fine, then it'll require less water and also get cooked faster, but I prefer the slightly coarse variety, gives a nice texture to the upma.

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Kanda-Kairi Kochkayi | Instant Pickle | Maharashtrian Cuisine

 

Hi all!

Last few days have been torturous for me, I had severe sinusitis and to add to it,  I was facing dry eyes problem too. Normal vision was getting affected plus there was an unbearable eye pain and head ache. Light was a no no..so with great difficulty I had posted both the event round ups as I could not bear the glare of the laptop screen too…

The problem still persists and it will take some time to get rectified so thought of posting a quick recipe which is just apt for this mango season and will not make me sit in front of the screen for a long time. I know it’s kind of painful to sit in front of the screen but sitting idle is not my cup of tea.. so decided to type for short durations in a day and whenever the post will get completed, will post it. No deadlines to follow currently..

A few days back, I had posted on my face book fan page that I’m into a raw mango mania..I’ve been trying to make the best use of it to fulfill all my fancies and marvels of this fruit! I love the sourness of the raw mango and love to use it in creating new recipes and traditional ones but traditional ones do dominate in my kitchen. I made the Maavinkayi Chutney, the Chitranna in bulk to suffice me for a long duration. These two come very handy in case of quick fixes, just cook rice and use them.. plus I also made a water based pickle using the baby raw mangoes which hopefully I will post soon, as I’ve still have not clicked the pictures and the pickle is disappearing fast..but one recipe which is very close to my heart passed on to me by my mother and Mavshi, which they had learnt from their mother (my Granny)  and frequents our kitchens through the summer is the Kanda Kairi Kochkayi! Kanda means onion, kairi means raw mango, so it’s an instant pickle using the two ingredients which stays for a few days when refrigerated but normally that does not happen as it finishes fast.

It’s a hassle free recipe which is ready in few minutes but simply great to taste. Even if there’s no curry, I would eat my roti/chapati with this and be happy. It is neither a side dish nor a salad, it falls in a category in between them..

Preparation Time:10mins

Cooking Time:5mins

Serves:4

Difficulty Level: Easy

 

Ingredients

1raw mango, finely chopped (medium sized)

onion, finely chopped (small one)

4-5tbsp oil

1-1/2tsp mustard seeds

1/2tsp asafetida powdered/ heeng (good quality)

1/2 - 3/4tsp turmeric powder

2 - 3tsp red chili powder

salt to taste

1/2tsp fenugreek seeds, fried and crushed (optional)

1tbsp jaggery (optional)

Method

Mix the raw mango and onion.

Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Remove from flame and cool slightly and then add asafetida, turmeric, red chili powder and crushed fenugreek.

Pour the tempering on the mango-onion mix.

Add salt to taste, jaggery and mix thoroughly.

Serve.

 

Tips:

Salt is added more because of the sourness of raw mango, adjust based on the sourness.

Adding good quality asafetida takes the preparation to a new level, so please keep that in mind.

Red chili powder should be added after the tempering cools a bit else it gets burnt.

Jaggery is optional but gives a slight sweet tangy taste to the preparation.

Oil should nicely coat the pickle and this prevents it from getting spoilt.

The original recipe doesn’t ask for fenugreek, that’s my addition to the recipe.

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