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Pudina Parata Recipe| Flatbread Recipes | Easy Lunchbox Recipes

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We have affairs with food in my house. Yes. You heard me right. We have vicious cravings for delish food. We have a deep innate desire to eat some things repeatedly just like how lovers long to meet each other. And one of our constant affair is with the parathas. Both Mr.P and I enjoy eating parathas tremendously.

You give Mr.P aloo parathas slathered in ghee and you wont find a happier soul in the whole wide world.As for me, you give me any paratha and I ll be as content as a dog who has just found his favorite bone. Getting  the idea? While I do make parathas repeatedly at home ( after all, we have affairs with them. So, how can I not??) I don’t find much time to click a picture and share a recipe. But this time, I did manage to click some decent pictures and I thought, why not, tell the whole world about my love affair with the parathas?
Recipe For Mint Parathas
( Flatbreads flavored with mint and cilantro)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Resting Time: 45 mins to 1 hour.
Cook Time: 2 mins for a paratha
Level: Intermediate
Source: My notes
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour 2 cups
Fresh mint leaves 1/2 c tightly packed
Coriander leaves 1/4  c chopped finely 
Green chilies 4 
Ghee 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Wheat flour for dusting.
Oil to cook the parathas on a gridle

Directions
Combine the mint leaves, coriander and green chilies in a blender and grind to a fine paste adding about 1 tbsp of water. I used my coffee grinder for this. 
In a mixing bowl, place the wheat flour, salt and the ground mint paste and mix until just combined. Your dough should look crumbly after mixing.
Now, add about 3/4 c of water and start kneading. Knead for about 3 to 4 mins.
You may need less or more water depending on your flour and the weather but you must have a smooth non sticky dough at the end of kneading.
Once done, add the ghee and knead once again to make sure that it has been absorbed into the dough.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and let rest for about 1 hour. If you are pressed for time, rest it for 30 mins or so.
Once done, divide the dough into 10 equal parts, shape each into a ball.
Now, gently flatten a ball into a round disc, dust with flour and roll into 5 mm thick rounds with the help of a rolling pin. Dust with more flour if required.
Once done, heat a gridle. 
Place the paratha and cook till brown spots appear on one side.
Once done, flip and cook the other side too until brown spots appear.
Smear with oil and flip over.
Cook for 30 secs.
Smear oil over the top and flip again and cook for 30 secs more. 
Repeat for the remaining dough.
Serve hot with Boondi Raita and pickles.

Muskmelon Juice

By 6 Comments

Now, what can I say about this wonderfully flavorsome fruit, Muskmelon, that s literally tasteless. Believe me, the taste is a total disappointment after that enticing fragrance that one gets to enjoy in a musk melon. May be that s why its called musk melon. And that s why not many people enjoy it too. But that is no reason to not love muskmelon juice.

Atleast, I was not introduced to Musk melon until I reached college. Bengaluru, being a paradise, is host to so many fruits around the year and one such fruit was Musk Melon. I remember relishing huge chunks of this fruit with an equally huge bowl of vanilla ice cream. And then there was musk melon juice.

Bengaluru is very popular for its juice centers that swarm the city. Reasonably priced, these juices comes as a relief to hostellers like me and for people who also like drinking healthy fruit juices instead of some carbonated fizz.  And my favorite pick in any juice stall would be Musk melon juice or butter fruit shake. Butter fruit is nothing but avocado. And both of them took both the tasteless fruits to another level.

As for musk melon juice, its not even a recipe. Heck! Its just a way of using musk melon deliciously. And I feel all delicious ways must be ventured with a lot of people.
Recipe For Muskmelon Juice
( Muskmelon juiced with sugar)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Makes 2 tall glasses
Level: easy
Source: Inspired by Juice Stalls across Bengaluru

Ingredients

Muskmelon 2 cups cubed
Cold water ½ cup
Sugar 1/3 cup
Ice cubes to serve
Mint leaves to garnish
Directions
In a blender, place the melon, sugar and water and blend to a smooth puree
Top with ice cubes, add a mint leaf and serve cold.

Grape And Orange Juice Recipe | Easy Drink Recipes

By 10 Comments

Its summer here and it wont be long before we start sweating like a stream of water. The temperature is mercurial and there s no respite at all during the days inspite of the AC. The best way to beat the heat is to replenish the body with as much as fluids as one can. And to make the best of the fruits available during the season.
Well, its almost the end of the grapes and the orange season here in Baroda. And I wanted to get my dose of Citrus while I could. I did make some popsicles the last week. With all that tangy refreshing orange juice. And then I had a few more oranges left that I combined with grapes to make a mocktail sort of thing to relish in the afternoons after our lunch. It was well received or I should say, well gulped by Mr.P. So, I thought, why not share my tall glass with you all.

Recipe For Grape Orange Juice

( freshly squeezed oranges and juiced grapes)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Makes 2 largish glasses
Level: Easy
Ingredients
Black grapes 1 cup seedless variety. ( the oblong ones work wonders)
Oranges 3
Mint leaves 4 to 5
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Cold Water ½ cup
Salt a pinch
Sugar 3 tbsp
Ice cubes to serve

Directions
Peel the oranges and discard the pith and seeds from the segments.
In a blender, add the grapes and the sugar first and blend to a smooth puree.
Strain the grape juice and add the water to this.
Now, add the orange segments  and mint leaves along with the salt to the blender and blend.
Strain into the grape juice.
Mix well.
Serve chilled with ice cubes.

Torcettini Di St. Vincent Recipe | Easy Cookie Recipes | Yeast Cookie Recipes | We Knead To Bake 4

By 9 Comments

I have a thing for things that are twisted or convoluted.  And i also have a thing for citrus. We waited united as eager beavers the beginning of this month for Aparna to reveal the bread for this month. And she took us all by surprise by setting us to work on Torcettini Di St. Vincent. Before you all think my brains are addled, let me tell you that torcettini are cookies made with yeast dough. They are twisted into little twists and look as cute as a braid s bun. But the best thing about torcettini is that you wont believe it s actually a cookie!!
While i do make things ahead and schedule all my posts, somehow, the torcettini never happened beforehand this month. Lets hold a bunch of teenagers who come to study English with me guilty. They ve put me through such hair raising moments that i couldnt even contemplate baking, let lone torcettini. I also happen to be someone who likes meeting deadlines on time. I dont like procrastination and i hate people who are not on time. So, i worked up the energy to make the dough for these twisted beauties last night.
Needless to say, i was rewarded with crunchy chewy caramelly ( i m not sure if such a word exists, but hey! you get my feeling right?) torcettinis.

Recipe For Torcettini Di St.Vincent

Prep Time: 10 mins for the dough
                  1 hour for the first rise
                  Overnight rest in the fridge
                  30 mins for the second rise
Bake Time: 25 mins
Bake Temp: 160 C
Source: Aparna s Torcettini Di St. Vincent Recipe adapted from A Baker s Tour
Yields 24 cookies

Ingredients

All purpose flour 162 g
Cold Unsalted Butter 40 g  cut into pieces
Instant yeast 1 tsp
Cocoa powder 30 g
Salt 1/4 tsp
Orange zest 1 tsp
Warm water 1/2 c
Granulated sugar 1/2 c for rolling the cookies

Directions

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c of warm water and set aside.
In a bowl, place the flour, orange zest, salt and cocoa powder and whisk well.
Now, add the pieces of butte to this and rub it into the flour until you get a crumbly mixture that resembles bread crumbs.
Now, add the yeast water mixture to the flour mixture and mix until everything comes together into a ball. Dont over knead or over mix. Just mix until you can form a ball.
Transfer to a well oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let rise for an hour.
This dough will not double. It will only puff slightly. The dough is ready if you can make out a honey comb like texture when you pinch into it.
After an hour, punch down the dough and cover with cling wrap.
Let it rest in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Remove the dough and turn onto a clean work surface.

Roll the dough out into a 6″ long rectangle.
Now, using a pizza cutter, cut the dough along its width into 4 equal parts. The measurements really dont matter but you will have cute cookies if you do them neatly. I cut mine into 5, i think.
Now, cut the dough into 6 equal strips along the length,
Once done, take each piece and roll into a 5″ long strip that s as thick as a pencil.
Roll this in the sugar and make sure the dough is coated well with sugar.
Make a small loop by placing one end of the rope over the other.
Repeat for all the pieces.
Let rise on the lined baking sheet until slightly puffy. Takes about 30 mins.
Towards the end of 30 mins, preheat your oven to 160 C.
Bake the cookies for 25 mins.
Once done, remove immediately and let cool on a wire rack.

Start munching away, for they are irresistible.

Tomato Cheese Pasta Recipe | Easy Pasta Recipes

By 10 Comments

I dont make much pasta at home. Because whenever i do, it becomes a meal for one. Mr.P loathes pasta and i dont make it often because of this. I prefer sharing my meal with everyone around. You must have figured out that much cos of this blog and all, ya know.

On Thursdays, Mr.P fasts and on those days, if i have a lot of time on my hands, i do make an effort in cooking up a meal that only i enjoy. While most of the Thursdays are spent eating just rice and some curry, when i m really in a mood, i do make a pasta or some egg fried rice to please my tummy. This pasta happened like that. I followed no particular recipe. Just went with whatever i felt like and it tasted like so many good things at once- cheese, tomatoes, basil and finally, pasta!

Recipe For Cheesy Tomato Pasta
( Penne pasta in sauce and cheese)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Serves 3
Level: Easy

Ingredients

Penne pasta 1 c
Homemade Pasta Sauce 1 recipe
Olive oil 2 tsp
Onion 1 large chopped finely
Cheddar cheese 1/4 c grated
Mozarella cheese 1/4 c grated
Salt to taste

Directions

Cook pasta in plenty of water until soft. I prefer mine cooked completely. But you can cook it al dente too.
Once the pasta is done, drain water and rinse under cold water.
Add a tsp of oil and mix well. Set aside.
Heat a pan with oil.
Saute the chopped onions till golden brown.
Now,add the sauce and cook for about 3 mins.
Add the cooked pasta and salt next and mix gently.
Once done, preheat the oven to 180 C.
Transfer the pasta to a oven proof bowl.
Top with grated cheese.
Bake for 10 mins or until cheese is fully melted.

Serve hot.

Potato Stew Recipe | Easy Side Dish Recipes

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I dont cook potatoes very often. Honestly, i dont like those gargantuan burly potatoes. I prefer the baby bite sized potatoes. Occasionally, when i do buy a few potatoes, our meals see this delicious creamy stew and we gorge on this alongside lacy aapams. They make a hearty breakfast that s very amiable with the tummy. I m not going to talk much today. Oh! i m just a lil tongue tied after a hectic Sunday. So this post is just going to be some stew, aapam and me.

Recipe For Potato Stew
( Easy stew made with potatoes and coconut milk)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Level: Easy
Serves 3 generously
Ingredients
Potatoes 3 medium 
Onion 2 medium chopped finely 
Green chilies 3 slit lengthwise
Cinnamon 1″ piece
Clove 1 
Bay leaf 1 
Ginger 1 tsp grated
Thick fresh coconut milk 1 c 
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves a sprig
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tbsp
Directions
Pressure cook the potatoes until tender. Let cool, peel and mash. Set aside.
In a small pressure cooker, heat oil.
Add the cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf ,curry leaves and green chili and saute till aromatic. Takes about 1 min.
Add the onions and ginger next and fry till golden brown.
Now, add the mashed potatoes, salt and a cup of water and mix well.
Add the coconut milk and mix.
Cook covered for 3 to 4 mins.
Once done, sprinkle sugar and mix lightly.
Serve hot with aapams. We enjoy this with dosa too.

Raw Mango Coconut Chutney Recipe| Easy Chutney Recipes

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I am a terrific fan of Andhra cuisine. I love the flavors and the heat that comes along as a freebie. Its an exhilarating thing for me to eat hot spicy food and have tears trickle down my eyes. I love heat in my food. Ok. I agree. All my aforementioned statements almost mean the same thing. But sometimes, i just like being verbose.

Anyway, coming back to Andhra cuisine, i ve always been blessed with friends who hail from Andhra and who are also very magnanimous when it comes to food. We usually play cards with a few friends over the weekends. So, one such weekend was our friends turn. And my friends wife who is also a soon to be mommy, put together this amazingly delicious meal within minutes of our arrival. I mean, i ll keep tipping my hat off every single minute of my life to such people. I consider such souls as magicians. And one dish that she served in that lip smacking dinner of hers was this mango chutney. I made some variations to her recipe to suit our palate. And i must say, this is a recipe that i shall be making every time the mango season hits the markets.
Recipe For Raw Mango Chutney
( Called as Mamidikai Kobbari Chutney in Telugu. A spicy spread made with raw mangoes and coconut)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Serves 2 
Source: My friend S
Level: Easy
Ingredients
Raw mango 1 peeled and cubed
Freshly grated coconut 1/2 c
Green chilies 4  slit lengthwise
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tsp
Tempering 
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Curry leaves a sprig 
Oil 1 tsp
Directions
Saute the green chilies in oil for 30 secs. Let cool.
In a blender, blend together chopped mango, coconut, green chilies, sugar and salt to a coarse paste adding about 1 tbsp of water.
Transfer to a bowl.
In a pan, heat oil and pop the mustard.
Add the urad dal and let it turn a light brown.
Add the curry leaves next and immediately pour onto the chutney.
Serve with hot rice and ghee.
This is my entry for this week s Andhra cuisine for Avant Garde Cookies group. Check out Radhika, Jayanthi ,Kavi, Priya, Priya Mahadevan, Roshni for more spicy recipes.

Boondi Raita Recipe

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Boondi Raita is a creamy concoction of yogurt, fried gram flour balls and spices if I have to put it simply. It was immediate love when I ate this the first time at a friend’s house. I vividly remember that meal of Rajma chawal, Boondi Raita, and strawberry lassi.

If I have to describe this in Hindi, I will call it ” Chatpata”. Now, that means tangy, spicy and yummy all at once. It s like a burst of flavors in your mouth. And I bet this was one of those recipes that came about when someone had to whip up Raita but they did not have onions, cukes or tomatoes on hand.

Boondi Raita, cucumber raita, and onion tomato raita are three of the most liked Raitas across Indian houses. While cucumber raita and onion tomato raita are most often paired with Pulao and Biryani, this Boondi raita is a fabulous accompaniment for Rajma Chawal or Chole Chawal.

Boondi raita garnished with mint leaves and served in a wooden bowl

The recipe for Boondi ka raita varies from house to house. Some add roasted cumin powder and some, chaat masala. My version is something I learned from my friend K when I used to live in Baroda.

What is Boondi?

Boondi is a popular snack in India. This is a fried snack and uses gram flour or chickpea flour as the primary ingredient. You can also find different flavors of Boondi in Indian stores. Mint, Spicy and Plain salted are the most common flavors.

Ingredients

Boondi- 

For this Boondi Raita, I prefer and recommend the plain salted Boondi. This is because we will be adding our own spices and flavors. Try to choose Boondi that is not too oily. 

Yogurt

I love adding freshly set thick yogurt to any Raita. You can also use greek yogurt in this recipe.

Spice powders

Now, here is where we can bring about variations. The most common spice blends used in this recipe are red chili powder and roasted cumin powder. You can also add Chaat masala or regular cumin powder. 

Herbs

Mint leaves and finely chopped coriander leaves are the best bets. They give a nice earthy flavor to our Raita. You can choose to add both or just add any one of them.

Recipe Notes

  1. There are two things that can make or break this Boondi Raita. One of them is the way we process the Boondi. Please do not let the Boondi sit in the water for long time. It should be in the water for just 1 min. Then quickly strain it. For this reason, I recommend keeping the other ingredients prepped before we prep the Boondi.
  2. Do not add Boondi to very hot water. You need just warm water. When we add the Boondi to hot water, the Boondi also tends to become hot. Hot Boondi, when added to chilled yogurt is a terrible idea. The yogurt will become watery and even curdle at times.
  3. Keep this Raita chilled. That works best. In fact, keep any Raita chilled till ready to serve. This helps the yogurt stay fresh. When we leave Raita out at room temperature, the yogurt tends to become sour. So I recommend serving Boondi raita chilled.
  4. Boondi Raita does not taste good after a day. The Boondi become too mushy. So I recommend eating them as soon as it is made. And make just the right amount to avoid leftovers and wastage.

Method

Prepping yogurt mixture

In a mixing bowl, add the yogurt, spices and salt. Whisk well using a balloon whisk. Refrigerate.

Prepping the Boondi

We are adding the Boondi to the warm water to remove the excess oil. When there is oil in the Boondi, it does not soak up the yogurt well. And there tends to be a slight bitter aftertaste too. So this step is very important.

Add 3 to 4 cups warm water to a bowl. To this, add the Boondi and mix well. Let it sit for a min. Immediately, drain the Boondi using a colander. Now, add the drained Boondi to the yogurt. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. Stir well to combine.

Our Boondi Raita is now ready.

Boondi raita served in a wooden bowl alongside rajma masala

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Boondi raita served in a wooden bowl alongside rajma masala
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Boondi Raita

Boondi Raita is a light yogurt dip made with Boondi, an Indian chickpea flour snack.
Prep Time5 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour
Course: Accompaniment
Cuisine: Indian, North Indian
Servings: 3

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 1 c Plain salted boondi
  • 2 c hot water
  • 1.5 c whisked fresh yogurt

Spices

  • 1 tsp Red paprika ( Red chili powder)
  • 1 tsp Cumin powder You can also use roasted cumin powder instead of this.
  • 1 tsp Salt or to taste

Garnish

  • 4 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 tbsp very finely chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

  • Whisk together the yogurt, salt and spices in a mixing bowl.
  • Add the salted boondi to the warm water and let it stand for 1 min.
  • After a min, drain the Boondi in a colander.
  • Add this Boondi and finely chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves to the yogurt and mix well.
  • Chill for 1 hour.
  • Garnish with mint leaves before serving.

Notes

  1. There are two things that can make or break this Boondi Raita. One of them is the way we process the Boondi. Please do not let the Boondi sit in the water for long time. It should be in the water for just 1 min. Then quickly strain it. For this reason, I recommend keeping the other ingredients prepped before we prep the Boondi.
  2. Do not add Boondi to very hot water. You need just warm water. When we add the Boondi to hot water, the Boondi also tends to become hot. Hot Boondi, when added to chilled yogurt is a terrible idea. The yogurt will become watery and even curdle at times.
  3. Keep this Raita chilled. That works best. In fact, keep any Raita chilled till ready to serve. This helps the yogurt stay fresh. When we leave Raita out at room temperature, the yogurt tends to become sour.
  4. Boondi Raita does not taste good after a day. The Boondi become too mushy. So I recommend eating them as soon as it is made. And make just the right amount to avoid leftovers and wastage.

For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes

Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.

Disclaimer

Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.

Tried this recipe?Mention @tomatoblues or tag #tomatoblues!

More Raita Recipes

Corn Flakes Mixture Recipe | Easy Snacks Recipes

By 8 Comments

HOW TO MAKE CORN FLAKES MIXTURE?

Corn Flakes Mixture- A super addictive vegan and gluten free snack ideal for Diwali Namkeen.
cornflakes mixture served in a black bowl against a pale blue background

Corn Flakes Mixture- Corn flakes Chivda

This is also called as Corn flakes chivda in many houses. This is a crunchy tea time snack. You can make this under 1 hour and this also keeps well for a week.

You can think of this as an indulgent granola or trail mix.

I have used a combination of cashews, peanuts and raisins in this recipe but you can also use slivered almonds.

At the Praveen household, we are conscious and constant calorie counters. We dont indulge in deep fried foods and ghee laden desserts very often. With the exception of those instances where Mr.P will declare his abstinence from all divine food ( read deep fried and sweet) and go and gorge on samosas in office.

Lets leave that man in peace, shall we? Its best if we remain oblivious to such things.

But very rarely, i mean really rarely, i do fry a thing or two. Ok. My monthly kowtowing to  poori is excusable. Usually this frying exercise happens in a scheduled way. Yes! dont pop your eyes. That s how it happens at my place. And that s how i like to keep it.

This month, when the time for frying came, i decided to make something that i can store in a tin and munch away the weekend. And i dint have the patience to make murukkus. Nah. They are too demanding. So, i made this mixture. With all the crunchiness of corn flakes and roasted nuts, they are a perfect accompaniment to TV nights.

If you are looking for more cornflakes based snack, check out our

Cornflakes cookies recipe

Recipe For Cornflakes Mixture

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Corn Flakes Mixture- Corn Flakes Chivda

Corn Flakes mixture, also called as corn flakes Chivda. This is an easy vegan and gluten free Diwali Namkeen that can be made quickly.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 250 g Cornflakes
  • 1/2 c Aval or parched rice or poha
  • 1/4 c Peanuts
  • 1/4 c Roasted gram dal
  • 1/4 c Cashews
  • 1.5 tbsp Red chili powder
  • 2 tbsp Powdered sugar
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves a sprig
  • 2 tsp Salt or to taste
  • 400 ml Oil to deep fry

Instructions

  • Heat a deep frying pan with about 400 ml of oil.
  • Once the oil is really hot, deep fry the corn flakes for about 5 secs.Do this in batches. The flakes will fluff and float up immediately. Dont fry them for longer or they will burn. Drain on a kitchen towel.
  • In  another big frying pan, heat about 2 tbsp of oil.
  • Add the nuts and fry them till golden brown.
  • Drain and add to the fried cornflakes.
  • Now, add the curry leaves, chili powder, sugar and salt to the heated oil.
  • Switch off the flame.
  • Add the fried cornflakes and roasted nuts to this oil spice mixture and mix gently.
  • Transfer to another large mixing bowl and toss the mixture really well.
  • Store in an airtight container.

For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes

Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.

Disclaimer

Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.

Tried this recipe?Mention @tomatoblues or tag #tomatoblues!

Upside Down Apple Cake Recipe | Easy Cake Recipes

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When i began this blog, ( no when i began cooking, that s more like it), i never envisioned so much of passion in me for the ladles and the apron. I always thought i would be that passable cook who will put together a meal or two and then let the world be. But of course, like you all know, that dint happen. What i did not foresee myself enjoying so much was all the baking. I mean, i do enjoy cooking. But i dint know that i would enjoy baking so much until i started.

A chocolate cake is what i baked the first time. A hard, chewy chocolate cake. And i dint know a thing about texture or folding. The cake was, well, just another cake and there have been many cakes since. A few did win my heart and a few actually made me think, ” did i really make this?” But i ve learnt my textures, my folding and my sieving. And there has been no looking back since then. I always almost get requests from friends and family alike for a particular cake recipe or bake a cake for them. I ve come a loooooong way down the cake road, i must say. And while i m on that road, i happened to say hi to this upside down apple cake.

Now, its always been a thing between me and upside down cakes. Some sizzling electric love affair i have with these cakes. Ask why? because A) i m a fruit person and B) because i m still a fruit person. Lol. I love fruit in anything. Anything except my biriyani and pulao. How can this cake not be a thing with me??

Recipe For Upside Down Apple Cake
( Cake with apples and caramel)

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 40 to 45 mins
Bake Temp: 165 C
Source: Adapted from here
Makes a 6″ cake

Ingredients

For The Fruit Layer
Apple 1 large peeled, cored and sliced thinly
Brown sugar 1/2 c
Butter 3 tbsp plus 2 tsp softened and unsalted
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Nutmeg 1/4 tsp
Cloves 1/4 tsp

For The Cake
All purpose flour 3/4 c
Butter 1/2 c softened and unsalted
Egg 1 large at room temperature
Brown sugar 1/2 c plus 1 tbsp powdered
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Milk 2 tbsp at room temperature
Cinnamon 1/2 tsp
Vanilla 1 tsp
Salt a pinch

Directions

We ll do the sauce first. But before we begin, make sure you have you apples sliced thinly.
Grease a 6″ round cake tin generously with butter. Line the apples at the bottom of the cake tin making sure they dont overlap each other. If you have apples left, no sweat. Save it for after the sauce.
Now, heat a thick bottomed sauce pan with the ingredients for the fruit layer except the apples.
Once the butter starts melting, keep stirring the mixture until it starts bubbling. Be warned. Getting a splash of that bubbly mixture is not very nice to your skin.

When the mixture starts bubbling, remove from fire and let it cool down a bit. Dont let it cool completely or it will become hard and we wont be able to spread the mixture.
Once cool, pour the mixture evenly onto the apple layer.
In case you had some apples left out, line them up now over the sauce. Set aside.
Lets get the batter started now.
Preheat the oven to 165 C.
In a mixing bowl, sieve together the flour, salt, cinnamon powder and baking powder thoroughly.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light.
Now, add the egg and vanilla and whisk until light and well incorporated.
Now, add the sieved flour mixture to the egg mixture and gently fold in using a spatula until well incorporated.
Pour the mixture onto the apple layer in the tin.
Gently drop the tin on the counter once to even out the batter and to get rid of the air bubbles.
Now place the tin on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 mins or until a tooth pick inserted comes clean.
My cake baked in 42 mins precisely. So i would say, watch out after 40 mins.
Once done, let cool completely on a wire rack.
Invert and voila! you have all that beautiful caramel and apple layer!

Slice up and tuck in.

Orange Strawberry Popsicles Recipe | Easy Dessert Recipes

By 7 Comments

I am back. To bore you all mercilessly with my very garrulous talk on the weather. The mercury just reached 40. Ok. 40 is not my kind of temp. Look, seriously, i m that 25 26 weather types. I grew up in cool places and it was never this scorching hot wherever i grew up. That is. So, my only respite is the AC. With constant worries of my inner Goddess about how the skin will look all pale, wrinkly and wizened by sitting in the AC for what seems like forever.

Heck! before you all think, i ve buried my head in the sand or something, let me assure you all, i do cook. I also paint. And oh! the children have not spared me either. They come. They scream. And my house is as cacophonic as ever. By the way, is cacophonic a word? I m not sure. ( Its all that talk about those brats that s making me think like this) But what would i do without them? My world would look colorless and noiseless. Nah… i cant stand that kind of tranquil. Nope!  Anyway, coming back to the weather. Last week, when Mr.P actually said he doesnt want lunch in the beginning and then came back on the third day saying he wants lunch ( ahem….. let a girl brag peacefully, will ya?), i went shopping. Shopping for what? you ask. Of course, fruits- strawberries ( yes, we have them here still), oranges and watermelon. I spent a fortune on butter too. ( Lets forget that, shall we?).  Soon after that amma sent along some mixture,cheedai and murukku. And forgotten were the oranges and strawberries.

While i peeked into my fridge last evening, i could see in a far corner, a box of those berries and some half a dozen oranges sitting sadly. And i thought a salad first. And then, Mr.P made this very obnoxious statement- ” you seem to be making too many salads” No…… Dang! he said it and i changed my mind. And i made popsicles. Popsicles that are as easy as pie to make and divine to devour in the evenings!

Recipe For Orange Strawberry Popsicle
( Heck! its not even a recipe. So i m gonna leave this blank. Well, literally not blank. Just saying. )

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Freeze Time: 2 hours
Makes 5
Level: Super easy ( I just invented that level)

Ingredients

Oranges 6 medium juicy ones
Strawberries 100 g hulled
Sugar 1/4 cup

Directions

Squeeze the oranges and extract the juice.
Add 1/8 cup of sugar, mix well.
Pour these into your popsicle moulds until half full and let set for an hour in the deep freezer.
Before the end of an hour, puree the strawberries along with the remaining sugar and strain. you may need extra sugar if your berries are tart. So adjust accordingly.
Now, take the mould out and fill them.
Close and let set in the freezer for another hour or so.
Once done, remove, run the moulds under tap water.
Unmould.

Start licking away!

Semiya Payasam Recipe| Easy Dessert Recipes

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Should i even launch myself into an introduction for this ubiquitous yet tongue tickling dessert? Its omnipresent as far as the south of India goes and its that dessert which is fail safe and life saver at the most unexpected of times. So, why am i sharing the recipe? Because, while some of us have already made our marks in cooking food, there are newer brides and little girls stepping into colleges with their own kitchens to rustle up a meal or two.

Recipe For Semiya Payasam
( Dessert made with vermicelli, milk and clarified butter)

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Level: Easy
Serves 3

Ingredients

Vermicelli 1/2 cup ( unroasted)
Full fat milk 1.5 cups
Sugar 1 cup
Ghee 2 tbsp divided
Green cardamom 1
Cashews 2 tbsp broken
Raisins 2 tbsp

Directions

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee.
Add the cardamom and the vermicelli and saute till the vermicelli turns a light golden brown.
At this stage, add 1 cup of milk and mix well.
Bring down the flame to the a medium low and let the vermicelli cook until all the milk has been absorbed.
Now, add the sugar and mix well. The mixture will turn a bit liquid at this stage.
Add the remaining milk and give it a nice stir.
Simmer for about 3 to 4 mins more.
Switch off flame.
In another pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee and add the cashews and roast till golden brown.
With the help of a spoon, remove the cashews from the ghee and add to the payasam.
Now, add the raisins to the ghee and saute till they fluff up.
Once fluffed, add the raisins and the ghee to the payasam.
Mix well.
Serve warm or serve chilled.
To make the dessert exotic, add a scoop of ice cream before you serve in case you are serving it cold.

Mango and vanilla work best. Chocolate, i wont recommend but then try and dare if you must and do let me know!

Aapam Without Yeast Recipe | Easy Breakfast Recipes| Vegan& Gluten Free

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South Indian cuisine has its own charm. I havent made the aforementioned statement just because i am a South Indian. When one gives a little thought to the ways of eating in South India, the realisation that the need to cook vegan or gluten free meals come to an end very quickly. And that too in a delicious way. Because a majority of the south Indian cuisine is predominantly vegan and gluten free.

While we are people who cant imagine a life worthwhile without our daily doses of clarified butter and yogurt, our meals do not feature either as an ingredient by itself. Both are only additions to our meal. So, if a person really opts to be a vegan, then the south Indian cuisine is the ticket to all that deliciousness and yet living without butter and yogurt.
Because, we are kindred spirits who cant live without rice, we make it a point to have rice in one of its various facets in almost all our meals. So, even breakfast is a panoply of dishes that have rice in them. One such mouthwatering dish is this lacy pancake that s called aapam. That the folks from Kerala are really good at making. As light as air and totally delectable, these pancakes are also congenial to the tummy. They are usually relished with coconut milk and a potato stew that s every bit hearty as the pancakes themselves are. Today s recipe is all about these lacy pancakes. I hope you all enjoy eating them.

Recipe For Aapam
( Lacy pancakes made with rice and coconut milk.)

Prep Time: 6 hours to soak the rice and dal
                 20 mins for the rest
                 12 hours to ferment
Cook Time: About 3 mins for an aapam
Source: Malliga Badrinath
Level: Intermediate
Makes about 20 aapams.

Ingredients

Raw rice 1.5 cups
Urad dal 1/4 cup
Fenugreek 1 tsp
Thick Fresh Coconut milk from 1/2 a coconut ( About 1 cup here)
Sugar 2 tbsp
Salt as needed
Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Second pressed coconut milk and sugar for serving.

Directions

Soak rice, dal and fenugreek together in about 4 cups of water for 6 hours or overnight. I used Ponni rice for this.
Next day, drain the water, wash and grind to a smooth batter. Grinding the batter in a wet grinder gives best results.
Once done, add salt and mix well.
Let it ferment for about 10 to 12 hours. In case the weather is hot, your batter will not take long to ferment. The batter rises up just like bread dough once it ferments.
Once it ferments, mix well.
Mix the coconut milk with 1/2 cup water.
Just before making the aapams, add the coconut milk, sugar on the top of the batter.
Let rest for 5 mins.
Now, add the baking soda and mix well.
Making aapams requires a special deep pan. I ve a non stick pan for this and here s  picture tutorial on making aapams.
Heat the aapam pan.
The batter must be runny. Not as thick as the regular dosa batter.
Pour a ladle of the batter onto the center of the pan.
Now, with the help of the handles of the pan, lift it off the flame and gently swirl so that the batter evenly coats the inner circumference of the pan..

Once done, turn the flame to medium low and cook covered until you can see holes on the surface of the aapam.
If you dont see holes, add a pinch more of baking soda in the batter.
Cook the aapam on only one side.
You will know its done if you can easily lift it off the pan.

Once done, remove and serve hot with coconut milk and sugar. We enjoyed this with potato stew. Recipe coming soon. Stay tuned!

Chettinad Peas Kurma Recipe | Easy Side Dish Recipes

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We, cookies, have been blog hopping into each other s space the past few weeks. The last time, i cooked off from Jay. I made these amazing Microwave milk peda from her space. Its a month gone by now and its time for one more cook off from Roshni s space.

Roshni s space is a treasure trove of recipes from across the globe. But then, living in UK, has made her a global desi and she s got an array of traditional Indian recipes in her repertoire. I found each of her traditional take on food delightful and made quiet a few dishes from her blog. While the No oil Naga chutney tickled our tongues, her broccoli poha gave a much needed respite from the ho hum poha that s usually made. But what left us licking our fingers copiously was this chettinad style green peas masala. Full of flavors and mildly spicy, it was such a treat to tuck into.

Recipe For Chettinad Peas Kurma
( Dried peas cooked in indian spices- vegan and gluten free)
Prep Time: Overnight to soak the peas
                 10 mins for the rest
Cook Time: 30 mins to cook the peas.
                   15 mins to do the rest
Level: Intermediate
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
Dried peas 1 cup
Onion 2 medium chopped finely 
Tomatoes 2 medium chopped finely 
Garlic 4 cloves minced 
Ginger 1″ piece grated
Green chili 1 minced
Curry leaves a sprig
Oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Spice Powders
Coriander powder 2 tsp
Cumin powder 1.5 tsp
Chili powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Directions
Soak the peas overnight with 5 cups of water.
The next day, drain the water and pressure cook the peas with 3 cups of water and salt until fork tender or slightly mushy
Once done, drain the water and reserve.
Heat oil in a pan.
Pop the mustard and cumin seeds and add the chopped onions, green chili, ginger, garlic and curry leaves,
Saute till the onions turn a golden brown.
Now, add all the spice powders except the pepper powder.
Mix well and cook for a min.
Add the chopped tomatoes next and mix well.
Cook till oil separates from the mixture.
Add the pressure cooked peas and mix well.
Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved water and salt and mix.
Simmer for 5 mins.
Add the pepper powder, mix and simmer again for 3 mins.
Serve hot with rice or rotis or even puris.
So, where are the other cookies cooking from?? To know that, check out Radhika, Jayanthi ,Kavi, Priya, Priya Mahadevan, Roshni s cook off frenzy

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe | Eggless Cookie Recipes

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My house ( read Mr.P) is not the one which likes to wake up to a breakfast of cookies or pancakes or a thick slice of bread. We like our breakfasts to be full blast Indian and more often than not, we eat a huge breakfast. So all this baking shaking comes to play only during those evenings when both of us need a bite or two. That s probably why you wont find cookie and quick bread recipes crawling all over my blog.

But as is the case with any one, the other side of the pasture is always greener with me too. While i really like eating a huge Indian breakfast, i do yearn for a simple breakfast every now and then. I wouldnt mind a cookie or a slice of that banana bread. So while i let Mr.P indulge in his Indian breakfast ritual, i do skip town and stuff myself with a few cookies or a slice of bread. 
When i had a similar craving last week, ( Of course, not in the early morning), i decided to make chocolate chip cookies. But i wanted my cookies to be a little offbeat and did not want to bake those prescriptive flour, sugar and chip cookie. Plus, i wanted the cookies to be eggless. I turned to my almost apodictic friend- Google and found this cookie recipe. And i must say, what a break they were from the ho hum chocolate chip cookies.Slightly chewy and milky, the cookies were absolutely ineffable!
Recipe For Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
( Cookies with condensed milk and chocolate chips)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Level: Intermediate
Source: Adapted from here
Yields about 15 to 20 cookies
Ingredients
Flour 96 g
Unsalted softened butter 90 g
Granulated sugar 30 g powdered
Condensed milk 1/4 cup 
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt a pinch 
White chocolate chips 1/4 cup
Dark chocolate chips 1/4 cup
Directions
In a mixing bowl, sieve together the salt, flour and baking powder thoroughly.
In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add condensed milk next and whisk until well incorporated.
Now, add the flour mixture and chocolate chips and gently combine the mixture with a spatula.
Refrigerate the mixture for about 2 hours. The original recipe doesnt call for this step. I did it because i dint want my cookies spreading too much. You can skip the step and instead bake the cookies immediately by dropping the batter with a spoon on a lined baking sheet. The dough is a little watery when compared to normal cookie dough but dont you panic! Its completely normal.
At the end of 2 hours, preheat oven to 180 C. 
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a spoon or a melon baller, make small balls out of the dough and drop on the baking sheet leaving atleast 2″ gap between each cookie.
Slightly flatten the cookie ball with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 15 mins or until tops are golden. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Once done, let cool completely.
Now, enjoy with a glass of milk and store away in an air tight container for a greater meal in front of the TV.
The cookies keep well for 3 days.

Kuska Recipe | Easy Rice Recipes And Winner Of Your Kitchen In Spring Event

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For a couple that eats pulao every other day, this blog stands unjustified. I make so many types of pulao but i really have no clue as to why i ve not bothered clicking a picture and sharing that bowl of awesomeness with you all. I mean, how dumb can i get?

Looks like i can get dumber. Because, if you really take a look at my alphabetical recipe index, you will find that, while there are more than ten recipes of lunchbox rices, there are not even 4 or 5 pulao or biriyani recipes. You see, the excitement that comes along with a biriyani or a pulao is so immense that i find it very hard to not dig in as soon as it s cooked. The ditto applies to Mr.P too. Anyway, i made this really easy flavorsome Kuska last week. And needless to say, it was gobbled down to its last grain. It was a filling meal by itself which tasted divine with a bowl of mixed raita. And i did have the brains to click a few pictures. So, here s bringing to you all, the easy, the divine and the finally photographed Kuska recipe!

Recipe For Kuska
( Basmati rice flavored with indian spices)

Prep Time: 1 hour to soak the rice
                  15 mins for the rest
Cook Time: 20 mins
Source: A monthly tamil magazine
Level: Intermediate
Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

Basmati rice 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Tomatoes 2 medium chopped finely
Onion 1 large chopped finely
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Green chilies 3 to 4
Mint leaves 10 to 12
Cilantro 1 small bunch
Coconut milk ( not too thin and not too thick) 1 cup
Cloves 2
Cinnamon 1″ piece
Green cardamom 1
Bay leaf 1
Oil 1 tbsp
Ghee 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Directions

Soak the basmati rice in 2 cups of water for an hour.
Towards the end of an hour, prep all your veggies.
Heat a pan with oil and add green chilies and saute till puffed up and white.
Now, add the onions and saute till light brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste next and saute for 30 secs.
Now, add the mint leaves, cilantro and chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn completely mushy and oil starts separating.
Once done, add salt, mix well and let cool completely.
When cooled, grind to a smooth paste in a blender.
Heat ghee in a pan.
Add the bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.
Let them brown a bit.
Now,add the ground paste and cook on medium flame for about 2 to 3 mins.
Drain the water from the rice and add to the paste.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Mix gently. I used 1/2 c of canned coconut milk and diluted it with 1/2 cup of water.
Cook until the rice is fluffy and tender. Alternatively, you may transfer this to a heavy bottomed pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle or cook the rice in an electric rice cooker. An electric rice cooker works best for me!
Once the rice is done,fluff gently with a fork.

Serve hot accompanied with a curry of your choice or some raita.
Among other things, Your Kitchen In Spring Event giveaway has been won by Roshni Chandrasekar who blogs at Arusuvai Kurippu. Congrats Roshni!! 

Carrot Almond Salad Recipe | Easy Salad Recipes

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The diet regimen struck my kitchen just like it does every year. I knew that it shall perish as soon as it began. Or atleast, i expected that it will. But then, things took a different course this time. The regimen is still in action and its proving to be challenging to whip up something that s yummy and yet at the same time,low on calories. Not to mention, Mr.P s eddying desires to eat everything sugarless and uncooked.

Keeping in tune with Mr.P s sudden deep penchant to healthy eating, i ve been making salads every week. Sometimes, i m inspired to put together a really mean salad with a bean or two dressed up with mayo. But otherwise, when i feel subdued after all that calorie counting, i put together a simple salad that s scrumptious with some nuts. That s just what i did yesterday. Made this lovely salad that can keep your 4 o clock hunger pangs at bay. I ate it for lunch, though and thoroughly enjoyed it too!

Recipe for Carrot Almond Salad
( Vegan salad with carrots and assorted nuts)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Level: Easy
Serves 2 minimally

Ingredients

Carrots 2 large peeled and shaved into ribbons
Almonds 1/8 cup toasted and slivered
Sunflower seeds 1 tbsp toasted
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp toasted
Cilantro 1 tbsp chopped finely

Dressing

Olive oil 1 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Honey 1 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
White pepper 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Directions

Use a peeler and make ribbons out of the carrots.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for dressing and mix well. I mean really well.
Now, place the carrot ribbons, nuts and cilantro in the bowl along with the dressing and toss well.
Serve garnished with a drizzle of honey and a few leaves of cilantro. You must note that i totally forgot this step!

Enjoy your salad as a whole meal by itself or as a 4 o clock snack 

Egg Fried Rice Recipe | Easy Chinese Recipes

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There was a time in my life when lunch meant only egg fried rice. Those were the times in my life when travel included two hours of bus journey, dried rice strongly infused with the rancidness of soda bicarb and a very affectionate roomie who took as good care of me as a gardener would of his tulips and sweet peas. With literally a lioness’ appetite and aching bones, i would come back to my hostel to only find that rancid rice in the dining hall waiting to be gulped down without a second thought with an equally tart dal or sambar.  I would take one look at the containers lined up messily on the table and my appetite would die a thousand deaths.

But, as soon as i enter my room, a brown paper bag would greet me heartily. A paper bag that had delicious food. Haa… i must define that paper bag as manna from heaven. A bag that held a large box of take away chinese- egg fried rice to be precise. I dont know how many of my lunches were egg fried rice. I ve sort of lost count. But then, that fried rice kept me going for more than a year of my college days and for that i m thankful to my roomie immeasurably and for that great soul who actually had the brains to make egg fried rice. So, its only natural that i share my recipe of egg fried rice with ya all.

Recipe For Egg Fried Rice
( Leftover rice cooked along with scrambled eggs and veggies)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Level: easy
Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

Leftover cooked rice 2 cups
Carrot 1 peeled and chopped very finely
Green bell pepper 1 chopped very finely
Onion 1 large chopped finely
Garlic 4 cloves chopped very finely
Spring onion whites 4 tbsp chopped finely
Spring onion greens 1 tbsp chopped finely
Soy sauce 2 tbsp
Tomato sauce 1 tbsp
Green chili sauce 1/2 tbsp
White pepper 1 tsp
Eggs 2
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Directions

We ll begin by scrambling the eggs first. In a bowl, break the eggs and whisk along with a little salt.
Heat a pan with oil. Once heated, add the beaten eggs and stir vigorously.
Once the eggs turn yellow, break down the eggs into pieces with the help of a ladle and set aside.
Now, heat a pan with oil.
Add the onions and garlic and saute till light brown.
Add the bell pepper next and saute for a min and follow with the spring onion whites.
Next add the carrots and saute till they become fork tender. Takes about 3 to 4 mins.
Now,add all the sauces and cook for about 1 min.
Add the white pepper and salt next. Keep an eye on the salt as the eggs and the sauces already have salt in them.
Now, add the cooked rice and the scrambled eggs and mix well.

Garnish with spring onion greens and serve hot with some ketchup and veggie manchurian. And believe me, that platter will be sheer bliss.

Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipe | Easy Pasta Recipes

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While Mr.P is not very fond of the pennes and bowties, I have a fetish for pasta and the tongue twisting names that come along with them. It also happens that not only do I like the names but I enjoy eating pasta immensely. Because, its always a one woman meal affair when it comes to pasta, I hardly make it at home. In fact, it s been aeons since we even ordered pasta outside. But then, when I decided at the beginning of this year that I shall expand my culinary horizons to every bit possible, I sure did add cooking pasta to that list.
I ve seen many a pasta sauce in the aisles of supermarkets here. But I ve never fancied buying one of those tall jars for two reasons. One, I don’t believe in buying hideously expensive jars that I ll probably open only once and then, frantically search for a space in my pantry to shove that jar in. And then there remains the fact that I enjoy cooking from scratch so much. In fact, I m so fond of making things myself that , I even bake bread every week. We stopped buying bread ages ago.  Pasta sauce was no exception. And this time, I didn’t even research for a recipe. Having eaten pasta in a few restaurants that serve authentic Italian, I remember the taste so vividly that I tried and recreated the same in my sauce. I followed no particular recipe at all and I cooked by my instincts. And I must say, I was more than happy with the results. The correct word would be euphoric. Yeah. That s how I felt when I popped a spoon of this sauce into my mouth. Euphoric.
Recipe For Homemade Pasta Sauce
( Sauce with tomatoes and herbs for pasta recipes)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Yields 1.5 cups
Level: Easy
Ingredients
Tomatoes 5 large ripe ones chopped finely
Onion 1 large chopped very finely 
Garlic 5 cloves minced
Fresh basil leaves 2 tbsp chopped finely 
Balsamic vinegar 2 to 3 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Red paprika 2 tsp or chili flakes 1 tbsp
Oregano 1 tsp 
Salt to taste
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a pan.
Add the garlic and saute till it turns golden brown.
Next add the onions and fry till golden.
Now, add the basil leaves and fry for about 30 secs. Turn down the flame to the lowest.
Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Add the paprika or chili flakes next and saute for anouth 30 secs.
Follow with the chopped tomatoes next and add oregano. Add salt.
Now, cook the tomatoes until completely mushy and oil just appears on the surface.
At this stage, switch off the stove and let cool completely.
Once cooled, place the mixture in a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Blend a little less if you want a chunky sauce. But i like mine as a smooth puree. So i blended it completely.
Transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until use.
This sauce keeps well for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
Now, how can you possibly use this divine sauce? Stay tuned for those ideas!

Oats Upma Recipe | Easy Breakfast Recipes

By 8 Comments

We are not oats lovers in the Praveen household. Its not like there are fifty people saying ayes and nayes here. It s just two of us in the household but we are not oats fans. Mr. P detests oats so much that he wont even take a look at it. As for me, i ve eaten a bit of oaty grub now and then but not a maniac either.
That s the reason why the blog never features oats recipes. But on those rare days, when i run out of breakfast ideas, i make this oats upma. And that s only been 4 times so far in all of my two and half years of blissful marriage. So, you can pretty much figure out how much oats we eat ! But then, every time i make this, its a hit and i almost always end up eating it for dinner too. Otherwise, the morning breakfast is dutifully shared with the house help. So, it is only fair that i share my upma recipe here, right? Right.

Recipe for Oats Upma
( Quick cooking oats with a medley of veggies)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 to 15 mins
Level: Easy
Serves 2

Ingredients

Quick cooking oats 1 cup ( cos that s the only oats we get here, i wouldnt know if this works with other types of oats too)
Onion 1 large chopped finely
Carrot 1 medium chopped finely ( I used 2 baby carrots)
Peas a handful
Grated ginger 1 tsp
Green chilies 7 slit lengthwise
Curry leaves a sprig ( which i dint have this time but highly recommended)
Oil 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Water 1 cup
Salt to taste

Directions

Bring the water to a boil.
Heat a pan with oil and pop the mustard.
Add the urad dal next and wait till it turns a light brown.
Now, add the grated ginger, curry leaves and green chilies and saute till chilies turn a light brown.
Add onions next and saute till light brown.
Add  carrots and peas next and saute till they turn fork tender. Takes about 5 mins on medium flame.
Add the boiled water to this with salt and wait for the water to start bubbling.
Once it does, add the oats and mix well. The oats will absorb all the water immediately.
Cook covered for 5 to 6 mins on medium flame.

Serve hot with curd and pickle.

Chocolate And Coconut Bar Recipe | Easy Energy Bar Recipes

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Being  a south Indian, no one can ever drive home the concept of eating an energy bar when hungry, to me. Especially being hungry in the evenings. No. For me, being hungry augurs platefuls of idlies or vadas or sometimes, a bonda or two.

I can never, ever satiate my hungry tummy by nibbling on a piddling sweet bar. Well. That would have been the case a few years ago. You know how the story is, dont ya? You grow up. You start to act responsibly. And so you start eating responsibly too. That s what happened to me too. Only i realised that eating responsibly doesn’t necessarily mean eating tasteless food and that i can always satiate my tummy with an energy bar. I dont make such stuff very often. But when i do make it, i walk an extra mile to make sure that the bars are made yummy in every which way possible. This month, The Groovy Gourmets went public. 21 of us gourmets are cooking along and we are all being inspired by all the vegan deliciousness on Roxana s Home Baking. Considering that Roxana s actually an avid baker, i must have baked these Pani Popo, a hawaiian bread recipe. But then, i had had too much bread the last week and i really wanted a no cook recipe. So i picked these chewy chocolate coconut bars, which is probably the easiest recipe on her space and the yummiest no cook recipe i ve come across. So, i have to say, all in all, a win win situation. As for the bars, they are all gone.

Recipe For Chocolate And Coconut Bars
( No cook raw energy bars made with vegan ingredients)

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Level: Easy
Source:Adapted from here
Makes about ten to fifteen 4″ bars

Ingredients

Freshly grated coconut 1/2 cup
Pitted dates 3/4 cup chopped finely
Almonds 1/2 cup
Walnuts 1/2 cup
Raisins a handful
Cocoa powder 2 tbsp
Coconut oil 2 tbsp

Directions

Toast your nuts. I did this on the microwave and totally, totally enjoyed the aroma of the nuts toasting. So, please do yourself a favor and toast your nuts on high for about 2 mins in the microwave. And let them cool completely. Make sure you toast a few extra for you will munch on them too. And please feel free to pick your nuts but i wouldnt recommend cashews.
Once cool, place them in a blender along with coconut and grind coarsely.
Remove and set aside.
Now, add the pitted dates, raisins and cocoa and grind till the mixture comes into a ball.
Once done, add the coarsely ground nut mixture and coconut oil to this and blend again till the mixture comes into a ball.
Will take a few mins, this grinding to a ball thing, but rest your blender in between, scrape and blend for 4 to 5 mins and you must be done.
Once done, line small baking tray or a deep dinner plate with parchment paper.
Spread the mixture on to the tray evenly.
With the help of a flat bottomed plate or a bowl, gently press down the mixture to even it out.
Refrigerate for about 6 hours to set.
After 6 hours, remove from tray, cut into squares.

What are you looking at? Start digging in!
Here s the link up of all the gourmet posts that we did this month. 

Dal Makhani Recipe | Easy Dal Recipes

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Dal Makhani; Creamy buttery black gram lentils slow cooked in an onion tomato curry base. Finished off with cream, this is a rich gluten-free dish that goes well with Kulcha or rice.

I have a thing for Punjabi style delicacies. I go bananas over their aloo parathas and rajma chawal. While i make both of them regularly, I have never been able to click them. My family is also a huge fan of the Dal Makhani that the Punjabis make with ease.

I love that creamy texture in the dal and the ural dal kidney beans combination lends a flavor thats very unique. I ve been making this dal for a long time now. But lets just say i found the time to click a few pictures only now.

 

Directions

Pressure cook the dals and beans together with salt and cinnamon in 2 cups of water until overcooked and mushy. Took 10 whistles for me. May take longer if your beans are old.
Once done, drain the water and set aside.
Heat a pan with the butter and crackle the cumin.
Add the clove and cardamom with green chilies next.
Saute for 30 secs and add green chilies, onions and ginger garlic paste next.
Saute till onions turn a light golden brown.
Now, add the chili powder and turmeric powder and saute for 30 secs.
Add the tomato puree and cook the mixture till oil separates.
Now, add the cooked dal and salt to taste.
Mix well.
Cook on medium flame for about 2 mins.
Add 1/2 cup of the reserved water and mix well. Simmer.
Now add the cream and mix well.
Simmer for a minute more.
Once done, garnish with a dollop of cream on top and cilantro leaves.

Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for regular cooking updates and short videos. Find us on Pinterest for delicious content. Tried our Dal Makhani? We value your thoughts and comments! Leave a comment and tell us how it worked for you. Email us your questions to anusha24writes@gmail.com if you need any guidance in making this.

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Dal Makhani

Creamy buttery black urad dal cooked in an onion tomato curry base.
Prep Time4 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course, Mains
Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi
Servings: 5

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • 3/4 c Black Urad dal
  • 3 tbsp Kidney beans
  • 1/4 c Fresh cream
  • 1 c finely chopped Onion
  • 1/2 c Tomato puree
  • 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
  • 3 minced Green chilies
  • 2 tsp Chili powder
  • 1/2 tspTurmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 inch Cinnamon
  • 1 Clove
  • 1 Green cardamom
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
  • 1.5 tsp Salt or to taste

Instructions

  • Pressure cook the dals and beans together for 8 to 10 whistles with salt and cinnamon in 2 cups of water until overcooked and mushy.
  • Once done, drain the water and set aside.
  • Heat a pan with the butter and crackle the cumin.
  • Add the clove and cardamom with green chilies next.
  • Saute for 30 secs and add green chilies, onions and ginger garlic paste next.
  • Saute till onions turn a light golden brown.
  • Now, add the chili powder and turmeric powder and saute for 30 secs.
  • Add the tomato puree and cook the mixture till oil separates.
  • Now, add the cooked dal and salt to taste.
  • Mix well.
  • Cook on medium flame for about 2 mins.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the reserved water and mix well. Simmer.
  • Now add the cream and mix well.
  • Simmer for a minute more.
  • Once done, garnish with a dollop of cream on top and cilantro leaves.

For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes

Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.

Disclaimer

Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.

Tried this recipe?Mention @tomatoblues or tag #tomatoblues!

Coconut Rolls Recipe | Yeast Bread Recipes

By 8 Comments

As a kid, i ve never liked bread. Coimbatore has this famous bakery called Iyer and Co. which probably sells the best vegetable puffs in the entire universe. Back in the 90s, it costed 5 bucks a puff and if Daddy was home on a weekday, when i came back from school, then i knew i was in for a puff treat that day. I used to heartily tuck in to that buttery puff and then wash it down with a tall glass of bournvita.
On days, when daddy couldnt make it to the bakery on time to grab a piece, ( mind ya, the puffs disappeared as quickly as they arrived), he would bring home something called thengai bun. That was another favorite of mine. Soft fluffy buns stuffed with sweetened grated coconut and raisins.

Then i grew up, went to college. Got married. Got myself a husband and then an oven. And then i began baking my own breads, i suddenly realised how much i miss those thengai buns and the vegetable puffs. While vegetable puffs is quite a strenuous process which is evidently kept aside for a day when i have nothing but time on hands, i made these coconut buns yesterday into some pull apart buns. And oh my, how nostalgic it felt to make them and eat them. Mr.P was over the moon when he ate it and i was over two moons! So, here s the recipe.

Recipe For Coconut Rolls
( Pull apart rolls stuffed with coconut and raisins)

Prep Time: 10 mins to make the dough
                  1 hour for the first rise.
                  10 mins to make the filling
Bake Time: 15 to 20 mins
Bake Temp: 200 C
Makes 7 rolls
Source: My kitchen notes and adapted loosely from here

Ingredients

All purpose flour 2 cups
Instant yeast 2tsp
Sugar 6 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Warm milk 1/2 cup
Coconut oil 4 tbsp
Coconut oil for greasing

Stuffing

Coconut 3/4 cup freshly grated
Cardamom 1 pod
Raisins a handful
Tutti fruity a handful
Sugar 2 tbsp

Milk for brushing
Coconut oil for brushing

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast well.
Add the warm milk and knead into a smooth pliable dough. Takes about 3 to 4 mins.You may have to add about 1 to 2 tbsp of more milk if the dough is too dry or 1 or 2 tbsp flour if the dough is sticky.
Once done, cover with a clean damp kitchen towel and let rise until double in volume. Takes anywhere between 1 to 2 hours depending on the weather. It took 45 mins here.
While the dough is rising, prep the filling.
In a blender, place the cardamom pod and grated coconut and blend to a coarse paste without adding any water.
Transfer to a bowl, add tutti fruity and raisins and mix well using your fingers. Set aside.
Once done, grease a 6″ cake tin generously with coconut oil.

Punch the dough down.
Divide the dough into 7 equal parts.
Shape each part into a ball.
Gently stretch the ball into a circle of 3″ diameter using a rolling pin.
Place about 1 tbsp of the filling in the middle of the circle and pinch the sides together.
Now, place the ball into the greased pan pinched side downwards.
Repeat for the rest of the dough, placing the rolls into the cake tin and making sure you dont overcrowd them.
Let rise for about 10 mins. The dough wont double. But doesnt matter as we are using instant yeast here.
During this time, preheat the oven to 200 C.
As soon as the oven gets preheated, brush the rolls with milk and oil generously.
Bake for 15 to 20 mins or until the rolls get browned on the top.
Once done, let cool completely on a cooling rack.
When cooled, invert.

Start pulling out the loaves and tuck in!
This goes to Roxana s Bake Your Own Bread

Schezwan Baby Corn Recipe | Easy Appetizer Recipes

By 3 Comments

I have a gargantuan addiction of chinese food. Either ways that is. Indo chinese or the authentic Chinese food. You say it and i ll follow you like a Hutch Pug throughout. The brownie point is that i love cooking chinese too. Unlike other oriental cuisines that pretty much call for ingredient lists that are as long as the Great Wall, Chinese food has considerably fewer ingredients, more veggies and terrific flavor. What takes the cake is the fact that it s a crowd pleaser.

But what i m not sure of is whether Schezwan is chinese. But i m taking the liberty to call Schezwan, Chinese because i was recently served this at a Chinese place and it tasted out of the world. Well, curiosity did kill the cat and i asked the hotel people how did they make it and they did give me a long and winding procedure. I picked what i wanted to use in the recipe and discarded the rest. I have modified the original recipe given by those folks here and the result was simply brilliant. And we went truly Indo Chinese by eating this with rotis. So, it s a win win situation anyway. Roti. Rice. Either ways, its drool worthy.

Recipe For Schezwan Baby Corn
( Baby corns marinated, fried and dunked in spicy sauce)

Prep Time: 30 mins for the marination
                 10 mins for the rest
Cook Time: 30 mins
Level: Intermediate
Source: Hearsay
Serves 3

Ingredients

Baby corn 10 to 15
Onion 1 large chopped finely
Spring onions 2 stalks chopped finely
Green chilies 2 chopped finely
Garlic 10 pods chopped finely
Ajinomoto 1/2 tsp
Corn flour 2 tbsp
Oil for shallow frying
Salt to taste

Marinade

Vinegar 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Soy sauce 1 tbsp
Salt 1/2 tsp

Sauce

Tomato sauce 2 tbsp
Red chili sauce 3 tbsp
Soy sauce 1 tbsp
Corn flour 1 tbsp
Water 1/2 cup

Directions

In a mixing bowl, place all the ingredients for marinade. Combine well.
Clean the corn thoroughly, place in boiling water for 2 mins, drain and then add to the marinade. In case you are using tinned corn, you need not place the corn in boiling water.
Toss well and set aside for 30 mins.
After 30 mins, coat the baby corn with corn flour generously.
Heat oil in a pan.
Shallow fry the baby corn until golden brown.
Drain on a kitchen towel.
Now, lets make the sauce.
In the same pan that you used shallow fried the corn, add the garlic and green chilies and fry till light brown.
Now, add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
In the meanwhile, combine 1 tbsp corn flour with 1/2 cup water and set aside.
Next add the spring onions and fry just until wilted. Takes about a min.
Now, add the sauces and combine well.
Cook the sauces on high flame for 30 to 40 secs.
Now, add the corn flour water mixture and stir well.
Cook on medium flame until the mixture turns almost dry.
Once done, transfer to a bowl.
Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Serve hot with vegetable fried rice or rotis.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Eggless Carrot Cake Recipe | Easy Eggless Cake Recipes

By 11 Comments

Its been a while since i stepped up into the Daring Baker apron. I ve been wanting to make so many recipes but simply dont find the time. This month s challenge was one that  had me jumping because, not only was it creative but also a wee bit easy. Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results! 

When i first heard of carrot cake on a TV show, i thought to myself, ” carrot cake? seriously? carrot in a cake?” And so my hunt for a carrot cake recipe began until it eventually became an obsession. The first time i made carrot cake, it was disastrous. The cake was mushy and the texture resembled something close to that of kiddo cereal. And that sort of put me off carrot cake for a long time. But when Ruth challenged us all to sneak veggies into our sweet bakes, i was more than delighted. I challenged myself to make that carrot cake again and this time, i researched over 25 recipes before i came to this version. And my hard work did pay off. I made a bundt cake with the batter and the cake was relished to the last crumb. Thank you Ruth! for setting us up with such a creative challenge!

Recipe For Eggless Carrot Cake
( Cake with grated carrots and cinnamon)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Serves 4
Bake Temp: 180 C 
Source: Adapted from here
Ingredients
All purpose flour 100g
Granulated sugar 120 g powdered
Carrots grated 1 cup
Unsalted Butter 100 g softened
Thick fresh curd 3/4 cup or 90g whisked well
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Baking soda 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp
All spice powder 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Vanilla 1 tsp
Butter for greasing 
Directions
Preheat oven to 180 C. 
Grease a 21 cm bundt pan with butter and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, place flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder and all spice powder.
Combine well.
In another mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Takes about 3 mins on high speed in an electric whisk.
Now, add the curd and beat again on high speed for about 30 secs.
Add the vanilla next and whisk again for 30 secs.
Get rid of the whisk and arm yourself with a spatula now.
Add the grated carrots into the butter sugar mixture and combine well with the spatula.
Now, add the dry flour mixture and gently folding in to the wet ingredients.
Dont try to mix or whisk vigorously. This cake is as such a dense cake. The more you mix, the denser the cake. 
Fold in the dry ingredients just until well combined. The batter is not free flowing unlike other cake batters. It is thick but dont be alarmed. You will have a beautiful fluffy cake!
Now, pour the batter into the greased pan and spread evenly.
Drop the pan gently on the counter twice or thrice.
Place the pan in an oven and bake for 30 to 35 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes clean. I suggest you take a peek after 30 mins.
Once done, cool for 10 mins before inverting the cake.
Cool completely before serving.
Make this a super dessert by topping with chocolate ganache or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
The cake keeps well in a fridge for 2 to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Filipino Fruit Salad Recipe | Easy Dessert Recipes

By 13 Comments

I love fruits. And i m crazy about fruit salad. I mean, its such a simpleton of a recipe but still tastes as though you ve slogged for hours in the kitchen when you serve it up cutely in a dessert glass. I knew how to make the regular fruit salad, which was probably the only dessert apart from ice creams, that i ate, about 10 years ago. I knew that other desserts such as tarts and gelatos existed, thanks to Enid Blyton. But then the only ones that i got to devour with fervor was fruit salad and an occasional falooda or a huge ice cream. Daddy always made sure he got a family pack of ice cream. Even though i was the only kid at home. Pampered brat i was.
You need not even doubt if i shared it. No, i dint.

Eventually, as i grew up, i did get to taste a tart here and a sorbet there. But fruit salad remained close to my heart forever and it still is my favorite dessert. When i decided it was time to write about the humble and beloved fruit salad, i knew i dint want a regular version. I wanted to add some zing to the regular fruit salad and thus began my hunt. I came across various recipes and almost decided to make this salad. But somehow it dint fancy me much. So, some more searching later, i was convinced that i had to make a filipino salad. After going through almost 20 recipes for making a filipino salad, i zeroed in on this recipe and added my own touch to it. And it was sensational. So, the next time, you all think of making a fruit salad, try this one!

Recipe For Filipino Fruit Salad
( Assorted fruits in dressing served cold)

Prep Time: 20 to 30 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Source: Adapted from here
Level: Beginnner
Yields 2 to 3 cups

Ingredients

Apple 1 small cored and cubed
Pear 1 small cored and cubed
Black grapes 20
Papaya 1/2 cup chopped finely
Chikoo 1 chopped finely
Orange 1 segmented and chopped
Banana 1 sliced ( a fruit sa
Pomegranate seeds 1/2 cup
Tender coconut pieces 2/3 cup
Condensed milk 2/3 cup
Thick coconut milk 1/2 cup

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix gently with a spatula.
Chill in the fridge for an hour.

Burp!
This is off to Priya s Healthy Me & Healthy Us.

Hokkaido Milk Bread Recipe | Yeast Bread Recipes

By 16 Comments

Three cheers to my bread baking group, We Knead To Bake. If not for the group, i wouldnt have dared to make classic croissants and i wouldnt have known that some thing called Hokkaido bread even remotely existed. Thanks to Aparna who has been patient enough to make us all feel that there cant anything easier than making a tangzhong bread. 

Now, if you all are wondering what tangzhong is, its actually a flour water milk roux that is used in making this hokkaido milk bread, a famous delicacy in most South Asian bakeries.The loaf is sweet usually filled with some kind of filling. The bread is usually made in a food processor but since i dint have one, i dared to make it with my hand, all the while, keeping my fingers crossed that i dont over knead the dough and make it dense as opposed to it phenomenal pillow soft texture. 

And i succeeded. I did manage to click step by step pictures of shaping the dough and making the tangzhong but as luck would have it, the pictures got deleted by mistake. But no worries. You can all refer to Aparna s elaborate photo tutorial and the original recipe.  
This bread is usually made into cute shapes or made into rolls. I chose to make them into rolls and stuffed them with chocolate chips. I went a lil overboard and made six rolls into one loaf with stuffing and all, while the traditional way of making it is only with three rolls. I m looking forward to making the hokkaido again with some savory filling. And i shall share that too when i make it soon. But for now, here s how i made it.

Recipe For Hokkaido Milk Bread
( Bread loaf using flour water roux method)

Prep Time: Tangzhong- 10 mins for mixing. 
                                     2 hours to cool
Cook Time: 7 mins for the tangzhong
Bake Time: 20 mins for the loaf
Bake Temperature: 170 C
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

Tangzhong
Flour 1/3 cup
Milk 1/2 cup
Water 1/2 cup

For The Dough

Tangzhong 1/2 cup of the tangzhong that you made
Flour 2.5 cups
Instant dried yeast 2 tsp
Sugar 2 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp ( increase to 1.5 tsp in case you want a savory filling in the bread)
Milk powder 2 tbsp
Milk 1/2 cup
Cream 2 tbsp
Unsalted butter 25 g or 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp softened and at room temperature

For The Filling 

Milk chocolate chips 3/4 cup

Milk for brushing

Directions

Tangzhong

In a pan, combine the flour with water and milk and mix thoroughly until no lumps are seen. Use a balloon whisk for this and rest assured, you will be successful! 
Now, place the pan on the stove and cook stirring continuously until you see lines appearing on the surface of the mixture. The lines must not disintegrate immediately. Or if you have a thermometer, wait till the mixture reaches 65 F.
Now,allow the mixture to cool completely and this takes 2 hours minimum.

The Dough:

Now, lets make the dough.
Once the tangzhong has cooled down, take 1/2 cup of the tangzhong and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix cream, tangzhong and milk until smooth. Balloon whisk to the rescue here too!
Now, in another bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, milk powder and yeast and combine well.
Add the flour mixture to the tangzhong mixture and combine well until everything just comes together. 
Now, add the butter and start kneading the mixture until smooth and a little less than sticky. Do not be tempted to add more flour to the mixture than called for. Believe me, patience does pay for, so keep kneading.  I kneaded for about 10 mins to achieve this but i did this on phone calls in between so i rested my hands here and there. 
You will know that the dough is ready when it doesnt break immediately when you stretch. Also, the dough must form a circle when you stretch. And that s when you know its ready.
Now, oil a bowl generously and place this dough into the bowl.
Let it rise until it almost doubles in volume. Took 45 mins for me as the weather here is mercurial. May take longer for you if you live in a cold place.

Shaping the dough

Once the dough has risen, its time to shape the dough.
The dough makes for one 6″ by 4″ loaf and six stuffed rolls on a muffin tin. But i dint bake these small stuffed rolls in muffin tins. I baked them in a regular loaf tin into one big loaf that was as big as 8″ by 5″
Lets shape the dough, shall we?
Grease a 6″ by 4″ bread tin with butter generously. Set aside.
Once the dough is done, gently deflate it.
You wont need any extra flour for shaping this. 
Divide the dough into 2 and place one on the counter.
Now, divide this into 3 equal parts and make small balls.
Take one ball and stretch it into an oval that s 1/8 ” thick.
Now, fold the ends of the oval to the middle of the oval, making sure one end lies over the other.
Turn the oval to its other side.
Now, roll the oval into a rectangle that s approximately 4″wide.
Now, roll the rectangle beginning from one end and then pinch the sides together.
Place the roll along the wider side of the tin.
Repeat the same process with the other two remaining pieces and place them, sealed edges down in the loaf tin, adjacent to the first roll.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise for about 45 mins.
Lets work with the remaining half of the dough.
Grease a 8″ by 5″ loaf tin.
Divide the dough into six equal parts.
Repeat the process of rolling into an oval, then making a rectangle for each piece.
Now, place about 2 tbsp of chocolate chips in the beginning of the rectangle and roll.


Place the roll in the loaf tin.
Repeat the process for the rest of the rolls.
And place them sealed edges down in the loaf tin.
Cover and set aside to rise for about 45 mins.
At the end of the 45 mins preheat the oven to 170 C.
Brush the dough tops with milk.


Bake for 20 mins or until tops turn golden brown. 
This is our bread for this month s We Knead To Bake and am taking this along to Zorra s Blogwarming Party and Bake Your Own Bread at Roxanna s Space
This bread is also being yeast spotted!

Vegetable Pulao Recipe | Easy Rice Recipes

By 8 Comments

I am like this. I have a predetermined menu that i always turn to when i feel that its time i impressed my man. And my man is not easy to please, mind ya! The perfectionist that he is, it s not a wonder that it took me 2 years to master his method of dosa making. He likes his dosas round and not so soft yet not so crispy. That alone took me 2 years. And then the taste et al is totally another story.

The same stands true for his pulao expectations. Having graduated from Warangal, the land of the biriyani ( according to Mr.P) he does not accept a mixture of cooked rice and veggies as pulao. Well, he knows that the likelihood of eating a pulao that s made like in Warangal is almost zero for i  would never be able to make biriyani like the Warangal inhabitants but he expects some kind of consolation which is a big deal for me, considering the 2 years dosa experience. The pulao took lesser time surprisingly and this recipe is my man s favorite among the other pulaos that i make. I decided to win him over today.You see, this always almost means that i have a shopping list as long as the Nile.  Anyway, the pulao is a winner. And is my go to recipe at all times. Wonder why i haven’t shared it with y’all so far. But better late than never, right?

Recipe For Vegetable Pulao
( Cooked rice and vegetables mildly flavored with spices)

Prep Time: 1 hour to soak the rice
                 20 mins for the rest
Cook Time: 20 mins
Serves 2
Source: My kitchen notes

Ingredients

Basmati rice 1 cup soaked
Carrot 1 peeled and diced
Green peas 1/2 cup
Sweet corn kernels 1/4 cup
Green beans 10 chopped finely
Onion 1 large thinly sliced
Green chilies 2 slit lengthwise
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Mint leaves 10
Bay leaf 1
Green Cardamom 1
Cinnamon 1 ” piece
Cloves 2
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Ghee 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water 2 cups
Screw pine water 2 drops

Directions

Soaking the rice is mandatory when it comes to Basmati rice. So make sure you have soaked the rice for atleast an hour. I generally soak it for 2 hours. Call it the soaking obsession!
Wash the rice well and soak it with 2 cups of water.
In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and ghee.
Once hot, add the cumin seeds and once they crackle, add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
Once the spices turn a light brown, add the green chilies and the onions and cook till light brown.
Next, add the ginger garlic paste.
Cook for about 30 secs, stirring continuously.
Now, add the chopped veggies and cook for 2 mins.You can pretty much add any vegetables that you want. Like cauliflower or capsicum. But i prefer my pulao with just this combination. In fact, i tend to even avoid adding green beans.
Next, add the mint leaves and cook for 30 secs.
Now, add the rice along with the water and salt to taste.
Add the screw pine water next and mix gently.
Close and pressure cook for 1 whistle. You may have to cook for 1 whistle more if you have soaked the rice for only an hour. But not more than 2 whistles in all.
After 1 whistle bring the flame to the lowest and continue to cook for 2 mins.
Once done, switch off the flame and wait for the pressure to drop completely.Fluff the rice with a fork gently.
Alternatively, you may do the sauteeing part in a frying pan and transfer the contents to an electric rice cooker to make your pulao.
Open the cooker and transfer the rice to a bowl to avoid the rice becoming mushy.

Serve hot with raitha or any curry of your choice.

P.S The amount of water mentioned here is for Kohinoor Basmathi rice. The quantity may vary depending on the quality of the rice and the age of the rice.

Watermelon Salsa Recipe | Easy Dip Recipes

By 8 Comments

Summer has kicked in. On a loud note. Its sweltering hot as soon as the clock strikes eleven in the morning. And the AC has to chill away at 18 C in the night and only then we manage to grab a wink. Such is the state of affairs here. Sordid. Isn’t it?

The heat only makes cringe at the sight of hot food. We ve bid our adieus to soups and deep fried snacks. Even moong dal ladoos. We are befriending summer elements here. And the first one to shake hands with was the rotund watermelons sitting almost at every nook and cranny in the city. Actually we dint make great friends in the beginning. The watermelons were not as sweet as they looked to be. But by the time we reached our third jolly fella, we had struck pink gold. Sweet, juicy and luscious pink gold. After we got bored enough of all that watermelon cooler, i decided it was time to try something new with the pink gold. And the rest is history exemplified with this salsa.

Recipe For Watermelon Salsa
( Chunks of watermelon combined with other veggies to dip in your pita chips)

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Serves 2 generously
Source: Adapted from here

Ingredients

Watermelon 1 cup chopped finely and deseeded
Persian cucumber 1 chopped finely with the skin
Red jalapeno 1 seeds removed and chopped finely
Onion 1 medium chopped very finely
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Mint leaves 10 to 12 chopped finely
Coriander leaves 3 tbsp chopped finely
Salt to taste
Black salt to taste

Ingredients

In a bowl, place all the ingredients and toss well.
Refrigerate for an hour before you serve.
Serve alongside pita chips or nachos.

That s about it! Easy breezy, right?

Steamed Nutella Swirl Cupcake Recipe | Easy Cake Recipes

By 8 Comments

So, i tell you that you actually dont need an oven to bake a cake? Wont that change many things? For me, it definitely would.Just so that i can kick away all those crazy cravings that i get at all God forsaken hours. It would save me the trouble of preheating the oven, get a cake mould out, grease, yada yada. See what i mean? The thing is i made some cupcakes without an oven. I really did make them without an oven and they were brilliant. Only i dont know if it would be the same if i made the cake like an entire cake, you know? Like a round 9″ inch something frosted monster? But cupcakes. Steamed ones at that. Works like a charm. Especially when you have some one home or you are going to have some one home a few minutes from now and you know, you dont have any dessert to offer. Even otherwise, these work swell. Just to kill some time. Or to pop a cake in while you watch the 9 PM. As much as it sounds weird steaming a cake, you got to believe me about this one!!

Recipe For Steamed Nutella Cupcake
( Egg free cupcakes with nutella)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 to 12 mins
Makes 4 medium size cupcakes
Adapted from here
Ingredients
All purpose flour 1/2 cup
Baking powder 1 tsp
Any neutral oil 1 tbsp
Fresh curd 1/4 cup whisked well
Milk at room temperature 2 tbsp
Sugar 3.5 tbsp
Vanilla 1/2 tsp
Nutella 1.5 tbsp
Directions
In a steamer, add water and let it boil.Once the water starts bubbling, switch off the flame and close. I used my trusted idli steamer for this. But pretty much any steamer will work fine.
Take 4 heat proof and crack proof ramekins and line them with cupcake liners. Its no big deal if you dont have wrappers. Just grease your ramekins extra generously and set aside. I used my ordinary stainless steel cups for steaming my cakes. You can do that too!
In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and mix well.
In another bowl, whisk the curd well with sugar. Add the oil, vanilla and milk and whisk using an electric whisk for a minute on high speed.
Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and mix just until combined.
Now, take the nutella and mix it lightly into the batter. Its ok if you dont mix it well. 
We need those cute streaks. So let s go light on the mixing.
Once done, take about 1.5 tbsp of the batter and  pour into the lined ramekins.
Place in the steamer and steam for 10 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes clean. Dont over steam the cakes or you will have something that s very similar to rubber. In case you under steam them, you will have mushy cupcakes. So keep checking after the 10th min. It shouldnt take you more than 15 mins in all.
Once done remove from the steamer and let cool completely.
Unmould and enjoy!
Totally steamed. Make it to enjoy all that steamed goodness of nutella 😀

Microwave Milk Peda Recipe | Easy Dessert Recipes

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I m not a sweet toothed person. But like they always say, opposite poles attract, Mr.P loves sweets. In any form that is. And he likes them home made. Imagine my horror when he said that he preferred home made mysore pak and halwa. For starters, the very idea of eating sweets is a put off to me. Making it has always been a mighty task. The precision and concentration that Indian sweets call for is tremendous and i simply dont have it in me. Well. I ve come a long way from there now. I can proudly say i know a thing or two about Indian sweet meat making. But its the easy ones that attract me even today. If you ask me to choose between rava kesari and mysore pak, i ll definitely pick kesari. Quick, simple and oh! yeah vegan too. I shall post that recipe soon. In the meanwhile, i found one more such breeze of a sweet to make from my friend Jayanthi s blog.

Now, what can i tell about Jay? I m dumbstruck when it comes to her photography. And then the choice of recipes that one finds at her space is nothing less than a plethora. She seems to have taken full advantage of living abroad when it comes to cooking food from around the world. Such is the diversity of her blog s recipe index. What more should i say? Her blog bears testimony to her penchant for food. So, hop on over to her space, try a few recipes and kick up a storm in the kitchen! In the meanwhile, let me tell you all about her super quick super delicious milk peda.

Recipe For Microwave Milk Peda
( Indian milk fudge)

Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Yields 21 medium pedas
Source: Sizzling Veggies

Ingredients

Condensed milk 1 can or 400 g
Milk powder 1.75 cups
Unsalted Butter 60 g
Cardamom powder a large pinch
Saffron 4 strands
Roasted almonds for garnish

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter, cardamom and saffron for a min on high.
Now, add the condensed milk and milk powder and mix well.
Microwave on high for a min.
Take out and stir well.
Repeat the stirring after every 1 min of microwaving for 3 more times. The microwave temperature may vary. But you will know the fudge is ready when it bubbles up, comes together and  becomes thicker to stir. This took me 4 mins on microwave with stirring in between 1 min.
Once done, let it cool completely.
After cooling, grease your hands with ghee and shape them as you please.
Gently press an almond on top.
Transfer to an air tight container and enjoy!

The peda becomes hard when refrigerated. Just put it out for a while before you serve and you are good to go!

Classic Croissant Recipe | Yeast Bread Recipes

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When Aparna, the brain behind We Knead To Bake, announced February s challenge as croissants, i was a little alarmed. No, little will be the understatement of the millenium. I was more than alarmed. I knew. I had heard. And i have seen. How tricky croissant making is. But February went by uneventfully ( in the croissant world, that is ) as some guests arrived home. And i had too big an ego to pass up the challenge. I mean, after having blogged about food for more than a year now, i couldnt simply say, ” Huh! this is too difficult”

I just waited for a quiet house to myself to begin with my croissants. You see, croissants are not for the faint hearted. They are for those who are ready to wait and be kept waiting. Getting my point? Making a croissant takes 3 days of patience and cold butter. Butter that has to be cold at all times. Or you wont get it right. As much as i thought that i would hate the whole process of making the croissants, i have to admit now, that it was very enjoyable and might satisfying to see those cute little rolls coming out all brown from the oven. The butter must be cold. The dough may tear. But its all worth it. And you must try it if you are a daring baker like me who made my croissants when the weather was mercurial.

Recipe For Classic Croissants
( Rolls made with cold butter and flour)

Prep Time:  10 mins to knead the dough
                  Overnight rest for the dough
                  About 1 hour for the lamination and folding
                  Overnight rest again
                  About 1 hour for shaping
                  2 hours for proofing
Cook Time: 15 mins
Bake Temperature: 220 C
Yields 10 mini croissants

Ingredients

All purpose flour 2 cups
Instant yeast 1/2 tbsp + a pinch
Granulated sugar 2 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
Cold Milk 1/4 cup
Cold Water 1/4 cup
Unsalted butter, softened 20 g or 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Lamination

125 g cold unsalted butter

Milk for brushing

Directions

Day 1

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and butter.
Now, slowly add the milk and water and knead into a smooth soft dough. You must knead about 3 mins for this.
Now, dust a deep pie pan or a side plate with flour and place the dough in this. Gently shape the dough into a flat ball. Dont knead or use pressure as this causes gluten development which we dont want. Now,cover the dough with a cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2
Lamination

Before we begin, i must remind you all that we need cold butter for this. And the butter has to be cold at all times. Nothing else will do. In case you find the butter melting during the process of lamination, refrigerate the dough for 10 mins and then continue. I would strongly advise you all to try and do this in an AC room. I did so and i was rewarded.

Cut the butter into small pieces. Place the cold butter on a piece of parchment as big as 15″ by 10″
Cover the parchment with another parchment and slowly pound the butter using a rolling pin.
Once the butter pieces start sticking to each other, use more force and flatten the butter into a square.
If you find the butter losing shape, gently shape using your hands and make a square. Make sure the butter is cold all the while.
Once done, refrigerate the butter with the parchment.
Now, take out the dough and transfer to a slightly floured surface.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 8″ square.
Make sure the dough is evenly rolled out.
Now, place the butter on the dough in the centre in such a way that the butter forms a diamond on the dough.
Once done, take one flap of the dough and slightly stretch it over the butter and place.Now the pointed  Repeat for all the four sides. Make sure the butter is sealed well within the dough like a letter in an envelope.
Now, the pointed ends of the dough would have all come together in the center.
Dust the dough with flour slightly and then turn the dough over.
Dust again and now start kneading the dough into a rectangle of  4″ by 12″
Do this gently with the rolling pin, dusting the dough with flour in case you find it sticky.
Now, divide the dough into three parts lengthwise.
Place one end of the dough over the middle part. Similarly, bring the other end over and place on the first layer. Just like how you would three fold a letter before you put it into an envelope.
Now dust a baking tray with flour and place the folded onto this. Stick this into the freezer for 15 mins to chill and relax the dough.
After 15 mins, bring the dough out, slightly flour gently roll into a rectangle of the same size.
Repeat the folding, freezing and rolling for 1 more time.
Again dust a baking pan with flour and place the dough on this.
Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3

Shaping and Proofing Croissants

Remove the dough out and gently divide the dough into two along the lengthwise.
Refrigerate one half and work with the other.
Place one half of the dough on a well floured surface and wake the dough up by gently pressing it along the sides with a rolling pin.
Now, start rolling out the dough into a rectangle.
Make sure you flour the surface well before you begin this.
Once the dough has stretched to more than 1/3 rd its size, slightly lift the dough and place it back on the counter.
Now, continue rolling the dough into a neat rectangle of about 5″ by 11″ rectangle.
Once you ve got the required size, trim the breadth ends of the dough so that the length of the rectangle is 10″ in all.
Now, divide the length of the dough into 2 inch  parts.
With the help of a pizza cutter, cut each 2″ part into the shape of a triangle.
Lets shape the triangle into a croissant now.
 Work with one triangle each. And refrigerate the others while you proof one.Lift one triangle off the surface and place it in such a way that the broader side is on the same side as you.
Now, start rolling outwards into a roll. You must do this not very tightly or not very loose.
Flare your hands outwards as you do this. The roll must be in such a way that the pointed edge of the triangle must be under the rolled croissant.
Repeat the same for the remaining triangles. Once done, place them on a baking sheet 2 ” apart and brush them slightly with milk.
Let proof in a cool daft place for about 2 to 3 hours. The croissants wont double but they will look slightly larger.
Make croissants with the remaining half of the dough triangle resting in the fridge in the same fashion.Towards the end of the proof, preheat the oven to 220C.
Bake one batch each of the croissants for 15 mins. If you find them browning too much, reduce the temperature to 210 C.

Once done, cool them completely on a wire rack and enjoy for breakfast with a dollop of butter and a good pot of jam!

My Notes

1. Please make sure you work with cold butter all the time. In case the butter starts leaking, refrigerate the dough for a few mins and work forward.
2. Dont panic if the dough tears here and there while you fold. Mine tore too. Just make sure you dust a little flour and continue the folding.
3. Before you begin mixing the dough, see if your yeast is alive and then continue. To do this, add a little yeast to a glass of warm water and see if it froths up. If it does, then bingo! the yeast guy is all yours.
This goes off to this month s Bake Your Own Bread at Roxanna s Space

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe | No Ice Cream Maker Recipe

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I am not an ice cream lover. I know i have raised many eyebrows by having made that statement. But that is the inevitable truth. As much as the coldness of ice cream comes as a bliss during summers, i m not a fan of all that creamy mixture. I love fruit based desserts, sorbets and even milkshakes. But ice creams. No. And if its chocolate ice cream, then i m definitely not even looking. Banana split is an exception though. I can eat that as a meal by itself.

So, how did i bring myself to make ice cream? Well. Making an ice cream and eating one are two different things. Ain’t they? The inspiration to make ice cream kicked in along with the realisation that the blog doesnt have many dessert recipes. The reason is that both Mr.P and i are not great dessert persons. We like our main course and occasionally the craving to eat a deep fried starter does kick in. And we do cave. But not dessert. And Mr.P loves ice creams. So there you  go, two birds in one. Blog happy. Mr.P happy. And that makes the gal happy!

Seriously, this recipe does not need an ice cream machine. And its not loaded with condensed milk. And it uses fresh lusciously red strawberries. And its egg free. Strawberries. I am already seeing stars. Sigh……. And this recipe is as easy as pie. So fold your sleeves and get ready to make your own ice cream in your own freezer.

Recipe For Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
( Ice cream with fresh strawberries)

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Cooling Time: 30 mins
Setting Time: 4 hours for each blend and overnight for the final
Source: Tarla Dalal

Ingredients

Fresh strawberries 10 to 15 hulled
Fresh Cream 2/3 cup
Fresh full fat milk 1 cup
Sugar 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending on the sweetness of the strawberries.
A few strawberries to add in later
Corn flour 2 tsp

Directions
Mix 2 tsp of corn flour with 2 tbsp chilled water and set aside.
In a pan, heat milk and bring to a boil.
Stir the corn flour mixture once and add to the milk.
Bring down the flame to the lowest and stir well using a hand whisk to make sure that there are no lumps.
Simmer for 5 mins.
Once done, let it cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, whip the cream and the sugar until well incorporated. Use an electric whisk for best results. It took me about 5 mins to get this done.
Set aside.
Now, strain the milk mixture and add to this.
Puree the strawberries in a blender.
Strain the puree and add to the mixture.
Stir well.
Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until set. Mine took 4 hours to set. By set, i mean that the mixture must be slushy.
Keep checking after 3 hours.
Once set, add the mixture to a blender and blend well.
Again transfer to the container and let set. This is done to achieve the creamy texture of the ice cream.
Repeat the blending for 3 more times. I agree, its a lil time consuming but it s all worth it.
Its best recommended to begin the process early in the morning so that you can keep an eye on the ice cream through out the day.
Once you blended the ice cream the final third time, chop the reserved fresh strawberries and add to this.Transfer to the container. Let it sit in the freezer for a minimum of 8 hours.
After 8 hours, you are good to go.

Bring that ice cream scoop and dig in!

Vanilla Meringue Cookie Recipe | Easy Cookie Recipes

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Ok. I admit. I m not a cookie fan. No. No…… dont get me wrong. I love munching cookies just like every other person. What apprehends me is the baking. No. Wait. Its not even the baking. Its the wait. In a normal cookie, that is. The wait where you have to aimlessly wander around your house dusting the already dust free furniture while the cookie dough sits in the fridge relaxing and chilling out. I mean, i find that wait tormenting. Well. I ve never been fond of waiting. So its not unnatural for a person like me to feel that way. But cookie dough tests my patience monumentally.

But then, a meringue cookie. Awww… that s a totally different ball game. It doesnt need to sit in the fridge at all. In fact there is no dough in the traditional sense. There is only eggs and that too whites. Of course, the ominous question as to what can be done to the yolks remains. But then, that s a small compromise for a person who avoids cookie dough chilling like the plague. Last months Good Food magazine was a package of inspiration. In terms of everything but mostly these meringue cookies. And that s how the bug bit me. The rest, of course is history. Get ready for some heavy duty egg beating, wont ya!

Recipe For Vanilla Meringue Cookies
( Egg whites beaten with sugar and baked)

Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 35 to 40 mins for the baking and 1 hour for resting
Yields 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Eggs 3 medium
Sugar 1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp powdered
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Cream of tartar 1 tsp
Salt a small pinch

Directions

Separate the eggs and let stand the egg whites at room temperature in mixing bowl for about 30 mins.
Before you begin the whipping process, line a baking tray with parchment.
To the whites, add cream of tartar, salt and vanilla and beat till soft peaks form.
Now, add sugar by the tbsp and beat further till the whites are stiff and peaky. An electric beater works best for this. There s really no substitute for cream of tartar in a meringue cookie for anything else will change the taste a slight bit.
Once the whites are whipped,  preheat the oven to 120 C for 10 mins.
Spoon the whipped whites into a piping bag or a zip loc pouch. Cut a small opening by the side and pipe the meringue into 1.25″ diameter cookies onto the parchment.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 mins. Keep an eye after 30 mins. If the meringues start browning, you can put off the oven.
At the end of the baking, switch off the oven completely and leave the baked meringues in it for an hour to dry.

You may have to bake the cookies in two to three batches. While doing so, make sure you refrigerate the remaining meringue while the batch bakes.
After an hour, remove the cookies from the oven, take them carefully out of the parchment and store in an airtight container.

I made meringue kiss cookies with nutella too. I smeared about a tsp of nutella on one cookie s base and stuck one more to it. Really no big deal. You can give it a shot too. Try more flavors or fillings!

Baba Ganoush Recipe | Easy Dips And Spreads Recipe

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Well. 2013 has been a revelation of sorts to me. I realised that my blogging skills has just been so trite. There has been no much variations or new cuisines that i tried in the last few months. So i decided to take the bull by its horns. I sure did start reading on a lot of cuisines and i m slowly trying my hands at various cuisines across the globe. I must accept that some cuisines intrigued me right from the beginning. Because they were not a huge fanfare yet very pleasing in terms of flavor. And it did not involve buying some random jar of ingredient for a hideous 400 bucks. Well, i wouldnt even know if i would use that jar again. Why, for that point, i m quite sure that that jar will lie in some lonely corner of my pantry, ignored and unopened until a day will dawn when i realise that i must atleast check its expiry. By which time, i m doubly sure, it must have kicked the bucket. So, i dont believe in picking up that random jar and spending 400 bucks on it. See my point?

So what are those cuisines that i m actually romanticizing about? For starters, the middle eastern cuisine is a burst of flavors and is very similar to Indian cuisine. While the ingredients in both the cuisines are almost identical, i find that the combination of them is much more exotic in the middle eastern recipes. And then there s the greek and the moroccan cuisine. I must accept that Greek food makes me imagine the weirdest of combinations that taste divine and Moroccan is no less. While i was on all this reading spree, i zeroed in on a few recipes to try. And the first one that i gave a shot was the persian dip- Mast O Khiar which was a runaway success at my house. So, i was doubly confident about Baba Ganoush and boy! was i glad that the bowl was licked clean. Simple, quick and easy to make, Baba Ganoush is a plethora of flavors that come together onto your tongue when you least expect it. Have them with your crackers or spread them on your pita. Either way, you will love it.

Recipe For Baba Ganoush
( Roasted eggplants with garlic and herbs)

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz s Version
Yields 1.5 cups
Make ahead and store for 3 to 4 days

Ingredients

Eggplants 1 large globe variety
Green garlic 3 stalks with the bulbs in the end
Cilantro 1/2 cup chopped finely
Chili flakes 2 tsp
Lemon juice from 1 large lemon
Tahini 2 tbsp ( recipe follows)
Olive oil to drizzle
Salt to taste

For The Tahini

Sesame seeds 2 tbsp
Olive oil 2 to 3 tbsp

Directions

Prick the eggplants with a knife and slather generously with oil.
Roast them on stove top until fork tender. Takes about 10 mins
Let cool completely
Once cool, remove the charred skin and keep the pulp ready.
In the meanwhile, prep the tahini.
Dry roast the sesame seeds until brown and fragrant.
Let cool.
Once cool, place in a blender and powder them finely
Add olive oil to the powdered sesame seeds and blend until you get a fine paste.
Set aside.
In another blender, place the green garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, chili flakes, salt and tahini and blend to a coarse mixture without adding any water,
Now, add the roasted eggplants and blend for about 20 secs if you want a chunky baba ganoush. In case you want a smooth dip, blend for 30 secs longer.
Once done, transfer to a bowl, drizzle olive oil and garnish with fresh sprigs of cilantro.

Serve with crackers or pita.
This is my entry to this week s Dips And Spreads Theme at Avant Garde Cookies. Check out our other cookies Radhika, Jayanthi ,Kavi, Priya, Priya Mahadevan, Roshni and Veena  for their dips and spreads.

P.S My baba ganoush is green because i used green garlic and went heavy with the cilantro.
Feel free to use 2 cloves regular garlic instead.
For a more exotic version, try  replacing 1/4 cup of cilantro with 1/4 cup flat headed parsley. No not the curly ones, please!

Mint Chutney Cheese Sandwich Recipe | Easy Sandwich Recipes

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Of all the things that have happened to mankind, only five are the best. In the sense, our life would be empty in indescribable words, had these five things not happened to us. Well, what are the five? Music, art, love, cheese and butter. Yes. You heard me right. I mean, can you imagine a world without cheese or butter. The first three would have changed your life phenomenally some time or the other. But even though cheese and butter do not cause such pronounced revolutions in our lives, a life sans the two would be cruel. Dont you all agree? And that s why i make sure cheese and butter make an appearance in my table at least once a week.

So this week, when i thought it was time that the duo shook hands with my tummy, i decided it shall be a sandwich that brings the three together. Cheese, buttah and my tummy. I some how constantly fall in love with that combination. They came together packed together between slices of bread, constantly shoving aside the mint chutney so that they get my attention. You see the mint chutney was also doing a fair job in tickling my tummy and tongue. So it was quite difficult to conclude which one is the lesser evil. All in all. It was a good breakfast that got washed down with a glass of cold milk. Burp….. Wanna see how i made my sandwich? Read on.

Recipe For Mint Chutney Cheese Sandwich
(  Sandwiches with mint chutney and cheese filling)
Ingredients
Multi grain bread 6 slices ( Feel free to use any bread that floats your boat)
Mint Chutney 1/2 cup
Cheese slices 2 
Butter 2 tbsp for grilling
Directions
Spread the mint chutney on one bread slices generously on one side.
Cut the cheese slice diagonally and place one half on one bread slice.
Cover with another bread slice and on top of this apply the chutney again.
Now, place the remaining cheese slice on this and cover with the third slice.
Repeat the same for the next 3 slices.
Apply butter on both the sides of the sandwich and grill in a sandwich maker or toast them until the cheese melts on a heated tawa.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Paruppu Kidanchathu Recipe | Easy Dal Recipes

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Dal or paruppu is an integral part of an Indian meal. It is prepared in so many ways that it s difficult to put a finger on one particular way of making dal. Every household has its own version of dal. While there are many dals or lentils that are used in different recipes, toor dal or split pigeon pea features regularly in the meal. Its either the rasam or sambhar when its the south indian cuisine. And the north Indian people eat the dal as is with a mild tempering.

In some parts of Tamil Nadu, they also make something called paruppu kidanchathu. Its difficult to tell which version is the authentic version.I make it my way. What i love the most about this recipe is that its easy to whip up and makes a complete meal in itself. But what takes the cake is the absence of any masalas. Its mild and comforting on a day when your nose just refuses to give up running.

Recipe For Paruppu Kidanchathu
( Split pigeon peas mildly tempered in clarified butter)

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

Toor dal or split pigeon pea 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Shallots 4 to 5 chopped finely
Dry red chilies 1 to 2 depending on your spice levels
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Curry leaves a sprig
Hing a small pinch
Clarified butter/ Ghee 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Directions

Pressure cook the dal along with turmeric and salt in 1.5 cups of water until soft and mushy.
Once done, drain half the water from the dal and mash well.
In a pan, heat the ghee.
Pop the mustard and cumin seeds.
Now, add the chilies,urad dal,  curry leaves and shallots and saute till the shallots turn a golden brown.
Finally add the hing.

Pour into the cooked dal and mix well.

Serve hot with rice and some potato chips.

Easy Garlic Herbed Naan Recipe | Easy Bread Recipes

By 8 Comments

Well. You all remember that luscious garlic butter that i made. And then i also said i ll give you some delectable ways to use up that pot of butter that you all would be making. So, here s one of those delectable recipes that you can whip up using that garlic butter.

You need not buy expensive ingredients to make exotic or delicious food. That s a lesson i learnt long time ago. And that s why i wonder why a piece of naan bread is hideously expensive in a restaurant. For all that i knew, it was just flour and the rest. And its also why i learnt making everything from the scratch. And that s why i ve arrived at this garlic naan recipe. Without further ado, let me take you all to the world of naan.Let me tell you, this naan will not become as chewy as  rubber once it turns cold.

Recipe For Garlic Herbed Naan
( Flatbread using garlic butter and a few herbs)

Prep Time: Under 10 mins
Resting Time: 1 hour min
Cook Time: 3 mins for a naan
Yields 5 naan breads

Ingredients

All purpose flour 1.5 cups
Salt 3/4 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Fresh curd 2 tbsp
Water 4 tbsp + 2 tsp
garlic butter 5 tbsp cooled
Cilantro chopped finely 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds 1.5 tbsp

Butter for greasing
Flour for dusting

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the middle.
Add the garlic butter and rub it into the flour until it crumbly.
Now, add the yogurt and water and knead into a smooth  stretchable yet non sticky dough.
If you feel the dough is too sticky add a lil more flour. In case you feel the dough is too dry, increase the amount of water.
Once done,cover and rest for a minimum of 1 hour.
After an hour, divide the dough into 5 equal pieces.
Stretch the dough into a tear drop shape.
Dust with flour and roll as you would do for chapathis.
Once done, heat a cast iron girdle.
Place the stretched dough and cook until puffy and bubbled up on one side.
Once puffed, flip over and cook the same way.
When both the sides have bubbled up here and there, flip over and cook on both sides till dark brown spots appear randomly on the naan.
Brush with butter. In case you have some of that garlic butter remaining, feel free to brush that up on the naan.

Serve hot with any curry of your choice.
This goes off to this month s Bake Your Own Bread at Roxanna s Space

Mast O Khiar Recipe | Easy Dip Recipes

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Persia. The land of the Mughals. And great food. Food that involves huge fanfare almost always on a daily basis. I m a huge Persian food because of the presence of yogurt. Oh. Come on. I ve ranted and raved enough on my fetish for curd rice. So it is only natural that i take to persian food. This month, us, the the groovy gourmets wanted to see how fancy we can get with our dips and spreads.

As i m fond of yogurt and Persian cuisine, i opted to try my hand at this simple yet exotic dip that s eaten alongside flatbreads in Persia. It also works fantastically well with a bowl of biriyani or pilaf. And its a perfect  summer treat. It makes for a great breakfast or even an afternoon snack. For those who are counting the calories, use low fat yogurt.  Lets get started, shall we?

Recipe for Mast O Khiar
( Yogurt dip made with cucumbers, walnuts and dried rose petals)

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: Nil
Serves 2 generously
Source: Adapted from 101 cookbooks

Ingredients

Thick fresh yogurt 1 cup chilled ( I used Amul set curd)
Cucumber 1 small peeled, deseeded and cubed
Walnuts 2 tbsp toasted and crushed
Craisins or dried cranberries 1 tbsp chopped
Dried rose petals 1 tbsp
Fresh mint leaves 5 to 6 chopped finely
Fresh dill leaves 1 tbsp chopped finely
Garlic 1 clove minced
Salt to taste
Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk the curd well.
To this add the crushed garlic, salt,dill and mint.
Just before serving, strain the cucumber well and add to the yogurt along with the walnuts.
Mix well.
Garnish with rose petals, craisins and a few walnut slivers.Drizzle that olive oil.
There. You are good to go. Easy right?

And yummy to dunk in your breads into.

I served mine with alongside some parathas. 

Easy Eggless Banana Bread Recipe | Instant Bread Recipes

By 7 Comments

It takes monumental efforts for me to stop myself from eating a banana.Can you imagine what a huge addict i am? My father used to buy almost 2 bunches of bananas every other day if i m lurking around the household.Certain varieties of bananas would be gone as quickly as they came. But the mysterious part is even after having consumed so many zillion calories over the past 20 and odd years, i m rail thin. Ok. Not rail thin. But thin. Lets leave the relative theory of thinness alone, shall we? The point is i did not gain the weight i must have.

As an upshot, i ve people envying me for having been bestowed the body that never gains weight. Well there s a downside to all this too. People never take a midget seriously unless the midget makes itself scream until her lungs may possibly tear. So there goes my banana rambling. But then, if you all thought i gave up eating bananas, then,oh boy! you are mighty wrong. I still eat my bananas and i still dont gain weight. Mr.P really wonders if he married a monkey sometimes. That s my life story about the banana.Ok?

Now, lets talk banana bread. Soft, buttery and fragrant banana bread that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and sprightly and cheerful outside. That s what banana bread does to me. But for the life of me, i dont understand why i took me more than a year to tell you all how i make banana bread. Why waste time anymore? Lets dive into banana goodness, shall we?

Recipe For Banana Bread
( Instant bread flavored with banana and cardamom)

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins to an hour
Bake Temp: 180 C
Source: Adapted slightly from here

Ingredients

All purpose flour 1.5 cups ( 192 g)
Butter unsalted 1/2 cup ( 113 g) melted
Banana puree 2 cups or 5 medium ripe bananas pureed
Yogurt 1/2 cup at room temperature
Vanilla 1 tsp
Baking soda 1 tsp
Sugar 1 cup powdered ( i used 1 cup as my bananas werent too sweet but you may reduce the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup depending on the sweetness of the bananas that you use)
Salt a pinch
Extra butter for greasing the pan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 C for 10 mins
In a large mixing bowl, sieve together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In another mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar and whisk for a min.
Now, add the yogurt and mix well.

Add the vanilla and the banana puree and mix until well incorporated.
Now, add the flour in three batches and gently fold in the mixture until just combined. If you mix the batter too vigorously, you will have a dense bread.
Grease a 9″ X 5″ pan generously with butter.
Pour the batter into the greased pan and drop it on the counter gently.
This is to get rid of all the air bubbles.
Now bake in the oven for 50 mins to 1 hour until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
My bread browned a lot during the end. It was also a little dense but then i guess all that doesnt really matter because the taste was simply out of the world. In case you want to avoid that, cover the loaf tin with tin foil and then bake.
Once done, take out and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Cut into slices and enjoy.
This goes off to this month s Bake Your Own Bread at Roxanna s Space