Square Meals

Masala Idly

2013-02-28T09:37:00.004-08:00

Masala Dosas are definitely among the most popular dishes ordered in South Indian hotels. I even know someone who orders only masala dosas when eating out. With this being the situation, I thought…why not take the masala and stuff it inside the dosa's cousin, the idly? So here is what I did!

Ingredients

For Idly

Idly Batter

For Masala (approx 8 idlys)

Big potato (cooked) – 1

Medium sized onion (finely chopped) – ½

Green chillies (finely chopped) – 2 (more if you want it spicy)

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Masala

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. As they start spluttering, add curry leaves, onions and green chillies. Sauté till the onions turn translucent, add the cooked potatoes, turmeric, and salt. As you mix in all the ingredients, mash the potatoes and add a little water and cook for a few minutes till the masala comes together nicely. Alternatively, you can mash the potatoes before adding them.

Make sure the masala does not get too watery or too dry.

Masala Idly

Grease your idly plates with oil and keep ready. Depending on the size of the idly plate, pour 1-2 tbsps of batter, add a tablespoon of masala, top it off with enough batter to cover the masala completely. Continue the process until all the idly plates are filled, cook until they are done (about 12-15 minutes). To check if the idlys are done, wet your fingers with cold water and touch the idly. If it is not sticky, your idlys are ready to be removed. Take the plates out and wait for a few minutes before scooping the idlys out, else they will stick to the bottom. Serve with your favorite chutney or sambar. Bon Appétit.

Note: You could make this in a shallow, round vessel (like you would make dhokla) and cut into desired shapes.

Healthy Dinners in a Jiffy

2013-02-21T12:38:00.002-08:00

Continuing the healthy trend, we have been trying new things for dinner too. We usually don't have rice for dinner, and it sometimes gets monotonous to eat dosas, idlys, or rotis. So we decided to give dinner a healthy spin. Also, eating cold salads on chilly winter nights is not too appetizing, so here are two options for warm salads.

Crispy Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Lettuce leaves – 4

Corn – ¼ cup

Bell peppers cut into long strips (mixed colors)

Onions cut into long strips

Guacamole as required (recipe given below)

Method

Heat a grill pan or regular pan, and grill the onions and capsicum until they get tender. Throw in the corn and let it also get some light grill marks.

Wash the lettuce leaves and keep ready. Take a few pieces of bell peppers, onions and corn and fill the lettuce leaves. Top with fresh guacamole and indulge. Bon Appétit.

Recipe linked to Food on Friday at http://caroleschatter.blogspot.com/

Grilled Vegetable Burger

A local burger place has an awesome vegetable burger, which is the inspiration for this creation. Instead of using a vegetarian patty, they stack thinly sliced grilled, seasoned vegetables and cheese and serve them between toasted buns. My variation, same stack of vegetables, minus the cheese and buns.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Eggplant slices – 4 (from large eggplant)

Thinly sliced green and gray zucchini – 1-1 ½ cups

Thinly sliced bell peppers – 1 cup

Thinly sliced onions – ½ cup

Guacamole as required (recipe given below)

Spice mix – salt, chili powder, garlic and herb seasoning mix (optional)

Method

I recommend using a grill pan for this (for those awesome grill marks on the vegetables), but regular frying pan will work fine too.

Heat a pan, on medium heat, and start grilling the eggplant first. Sprinkle some of the spice mix on both sides. Because we are trying to eat healthy, I did not use any oil. But you can use some if you wish. As the eggplant starts cooking, start grilling the remaining vegetables. Sprinkle some of the spice mix on the vegetables too. Toss the zucchini and peppers to ensure that they don’t burn. Once all the vegetables are tender, place one piece of the eggplant on a plate, assemble the vegetables on it, top with a dollop of guacamole and cover with the second piece of eggplant..and dig in. Bon Appétit.

Guacamole

Ingredients

Avocado – 1

Finely chopped onion – 2-3 tbsps

Finely chopped tomato – 2-3 tbsps

Lemon juice to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro (optional)

Method

Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh. Mash it with a fork, add the onions, tomatoes, salt, pepper and lemon juice and mix well. Mix in the cilantro and enjoy.

Note:

I used my vegetable peeler for slicing the zucchinis. They came out really well, slightly uneven, but good enough to for the burger.

You can use any vegetables of your choice. Play around with a variety of squashes to suit your palates.

Breakfast Blends

2013-02-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks, my husband and I have been trying new breakfast blends. No, I am not talking about coffee here…but more delicious and healthy blends. The inspiration? One of the Williams-Sonoma Free Technique Class that focused on raw food. Here are a few of our favorites.

Blend 1 – Green Delight

Pear – 1

Apple – 1

Spinach – about 2 cups (you can use kale/chard or any other greens)

Blend all ingredients together and drink up.

Blend 2 – Sunshine in a Glass

Carrots – 2-3 medium sized

Orange juice – About 1 cup

Ginger – 1-2 tsps (depending on taste)

Blend all ingredients together. Sieve if required and blend the pulp again with some water. Run through a sieve again and enjoy.

Blend 3 – Peach Blush

Cantaloupe – 1-1½ cups (you can use a melon of your choice)

Pear – 1

Blend together and your quick and healthy breakfast drink is ready to be gulped.

Note: For additional nutrition, add a handful of walnuts or almonds.

Quick and Easy V8 Tomato Soup

2013-02-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

For the past few days, I have been in a dilemma as to what recipe to post. I had two options, this soup and some awesome juice combinations. The weather was getting slightly warmer and I thought, okay let’s put the juice recipes. But then two days ago it went back to being extremely cold; looks like the winter is not ready to leave us!!! Another reason for making this soup…I have had a whole bunch of these juices lying about at home for quite some time. I realized that it contained very little sugar and the final product was definitely less sweeter than most tomato soups you buy. So, here is the recipe: a tribute to the relentless winter.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

Soup

V8 Low sodium vegetable juice – 2 cans

Roughly chopped onion – ½ cup

Finely chopped garlic – 2 cloves

Cumin powder – 1-1 ½ tsps

Herbs of choice (I used dried mint, rosemary and basil)

Water as required

Olive oil/cooking oil – 1 ½ tbsps

Salt to taste

A dash of hot sauce

Method

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is tender. Add the juice, cumin powder, salt, herbs, and water. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer until the mixture thickens a bit.

You can also blend the mixture for a smoother, creamier soup.

Add a dash (or more) of hot sauce and serve with crunchy homemade croutons. Bon Appétit.

Croutons

Ingredients

Butter – 1 tbsp

Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Bread – 2 slices

Mint/Rosemary/or any herb of choice – 1 tbsp

Method

I used regular whole wheat bread, but you could use any bread like a baguette, sour dough etc. In a pan, heat oil and butter on medium heat. Add the herbs and heat it for a minute. Add the chopped bread and toss to coat. Reduce the heat, and let it get crunchy (about 10-15 minutes). Keep tossing to ensure even crunchiness. Add a few croutons to your soup and enjoy. Bon Appétit.

Note: For those of you who have not heard of the V8 juice, well there is always the good old tomato soup.

Quinoa Salad with Yellow Squash

2013-01-30T20:02:00.002-08:00

Aparna and I have been going to Williams-Sonoma Technique Classes on Sundays for the past few months. Their recipes are simple and very earthy. Last week, the theme of the class was vegetarian cooking and one of the dishes they made was the yellow squash with red quinoa.

This dish is a great side dish or even a main dish if you like. I made it entrée size for dinner last night and believe me, this is a super filling dish. I have modified this recipe from the one I learned in the class.

Try this easy and healthy warm salad on a cold winter night.

Ingredients (serves 2)

Quinoa – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Yellow squash – 1 cup cubed (you can also use zucchini or any other squash)

Cucumber – 1 cup cubed

Garlic – 1 clove minced

Lemon juice – ¼ to ½ cup

Green onions – ¼ cup diagonally cut

Fresh basil – 2 tbsp

Fresh mint – 2 tbsp

Feta cheese – ¼ cup crumbled (optional)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Olive oil – ¼ cup + 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp (plain or flavored)

Method

There are many ways to cook the quinoa, but this is my favorite method. Rinse the quinoa using a fine-mesh strainer. Toast the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan and keep aside. Take 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Add a little salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil and bring the water to a boil. Now add the toasted quinoa and stir once. Reduce the heat to low medium and cook the quinoa covered for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the grains are tender. Once done, let the quinoa stand for a few minutes and then fluff it with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl.

Mix lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and ground pepper in a bowl. Let this stand for a few minutes. Whisk in the ¼ cup of olive oil. Keep this vinaigrette aside.

Take 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and warm it up. Add the cubed squash, salt and a little pepper and stir-fry it on medium heat for about 4 minutes. Once the squash is tender crisp, remove from the stove and allow it to cool on a plate.

Mix the cooked quinoa, stir-fried squash, cubed cucumbers, green onions, basil, and mint in a large bowl. You can add crumbled feta cheese if desired. Drizzle the vinaigrette and mix gently. Serve this warm salad with bread and a glass of wine.

Recipe linked to

Carrot-Ginger Soup

2013-01-24T11:41:00.001-08:00

We have had quite an extreme winter (for Southern California standards) and there have many chilly evenings when a bowl of hot soup has been the most comforting food. I have been wanting to make this soup for quite some time now, and one day last week I figured the day was auspicious enough (and cold) to finally make it. So here goes.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Roughly chopped carrots – 2 cups

Roughly chopped onions – ¾ cup

Finely chopped ginger – 3 tbsps(more if you like it stronger)

Olive/any cooking oil – 2 tbsps

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Chili powder – ½ tsp ( or to taste)

Salt to taste

Water as required

Method

Boil the carrots and keep ready. (I cooked them in the microwave. Alternately, you could cook the carrots along with the onions, spices, and some water). In a large saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the onions until slightly brown. Add the carrots, turmeric, chili, ginger, and salt. Sauté for about 5-6 minutes and keep aside to cool. Once it has cooled a bit, blend until smooth. Return to the saucepan, add the required amount of water and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and a few slivers of ginger. Bon Appétit.

Pongal Special

2013-01-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

We hope that you all had a very good Pongal/Sankranthi. Every Indian state, except Kerala, has its own way of celebrating this festival and we are sharing with you some specialties from Tamil Nadu. Even though these dishes are made during the Pongal, they can be enjoyed on any day of the year (an excuse for having posted them after Pongal?).

Thani Kootu

Ingredients

Green peas – 1 to 2 cups (frozen or fresh)

Tamarind extract – 1 cup

Sambar powder – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Hing – a pinch

Masala

Oil – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 2 tbsps

Dhania seeds – 3 tbsps

Grated coconut – 4 tbsps

Red chillies – 4 or 5

Seasoning

Oil – 2 tsps

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 4 or 5

Red chillies – 2

Grated coconut – 2 tbsps

Method

Boil the green peas in tamarind water, with sambar powder, salt, and hing for about 15 - 20 minutes. In the meantime, sauté the masala in oil until channa dal turns slightly brown. Grind to make a powder or paste. Add the ground masala to the boiling peas and allow it to cook for another ten minutes.

For the seasoning, heat oil in a kadai. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Then add the urad dal and the red chillies. Add the curry leaves and the grated coconut. Once all the seasoning ingredients are nicely sautéed, add them to the peas and serve hot.

Kali Kootu

Ingredients

Diced winter melon – 1 cup

Diced pumpkin – 1 cup

Peeled and diced raw banana – 2

Peeled and diced sweet potato – 1

Peeled and diced potato – 4

Finely chopped green beans – 1

Diced carrot – 1 cup

Diced brinjal – ½ cup

Green peas – ½ cup

Tamarind extract – ½ cup

Cooked toor dal – ¼ cup

Sambar powder – 2 tbsps

Hing – a pinch

Salt to taste

Masala

Oil – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 2 tbsps

Dhania seeds – 3 tbsps

Grated coconut – 4 tbsps

Red chillies – 4 or 5

Seasoning

Oil – 2 tsps

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 4 or 5

Red Chillies - 2

Method

Boil the vegetables in tamarind extract, with sambar powder, and salt. Preferably, pressure-cook the vegetables.

In the meantime, sauté the masala in oil until the channa dal turns slightly brown. Grind to make a powder or paste. In a big pot, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the urad dal, red chillies, and curry leaves. Now add the boiled vegetables and bring it to a boil. Add the cooked toor dal and the ground masala. Allow the gravy to boil for about 10 minutes and serve hot with rice, dosa or roti.

Oats Chakkara Pongal

You all know that the traditional sweet pongal is made with rice. This year, we decided to give it a healthy twist. Try our oats pongal and we are sure you won't miss the rice.

Ingredients

Cooked oats – 1 ½ cups

Cooked moong dal – ¾ cup

Melted jaggery – 1 cup (approx)

Cardamom powder – ½ tsp

Cashews and Raisins for garnish

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Water – ½ cup (more if required)

Method

Cook the moong dal (in a pressure cooker or on open flame) and keep aside. Toast the oats for about 5 minutes, on low heat. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil. Once the oats is ready, sprinkle the water over it and keep stirring. Keep adding the water until the oats are nicely cooked. Make sure it does not become mushy. Keep this aside.

In a saucepan, melt the jaggery with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Once the jaggery is completely melted, add the cooked oats and moong dal and mix well. Allow it to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until most of the excess water is absorbed and you are left with a nice ooey-gooey mixture. Take it off the heat and add the cardamom powder and mix well.

Heat the ghee in a small pan. Add the cashews and raisins and sauté for a couple of minutes. Garnish the prepared pongal with the sautéed nuts and raisins and serve hot. Bon Appétit.

Acorn Squash Soup

2013-01-09T09:44:00.002-08:00

I don't remember if I have mentioned this before, but I have been attending some of the free Cooking Technique Sessions conducted by the Williams Sonoma stores. These sessions are held on Sunday mornings and are really interesting. The first one I attended was focused on fall squashes. The lady doing the demo had brought 6 different varieties of squashes and she cooked a few of them for us. One of the squashes she cooked was the acorn squash. She cut it in half, spread some butter and brown sugar on the inside, placed it upside down on a cookie sheet and baked it for about 30 minutes. What came out was a nicely caramelized, gorgeous looking thing, which was very yummy too.

The other squashes (butternut, kabocha, sugar pie, etc., were roasted with some olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. They tasted awesome too.

Coming to the soup, I roasted the acorn squash (with peel) in the oven, scooped out the flesh and then made the soup. This can be done with any other squash that is available.

Soup

Ingredients

Chopped onions – ¾ cup

Mashed squash – ¾ cup

Water – 2 cups + more

Milk/cream – 2-3 tbsps

Finely chopped garlic – 1-2 cloves

Chili powder to taste

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Thyme (or any herb of choice) – 1 tbsp

Olive oil/Cooking oil – 2-3 tbsps + more for brushing on the squash

Method

Preheat oven to 350^O F. Wash and cut the squash, remove the seeds and pulp, brush with a little oil, sprinkle sat and chili powder and place upside down on a cookie sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Let the squash cool a bit before you handle it. Using a spoon, scoop out the cooked flesh and mash well.

In a saucepan, sauté onion in 2-3 tbsps of oil. Once they turn slightly translucent, add the garlic and sauté for couple of minutes. Add the mashed squash, salt, chili, turmeric and herbs. Mix well. Add the 2 cups of water and let it simmer. Add more water if you want. Also, you can blend this mixture if you prefer smoother soup. I personally liked the slightly coarse texture.

Add the milk/cream just before serving.

Croutons

Ingredients

Butter – 1 tbsp

Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Bread – 2 slices

Mint/Rosemary/or any herb of choice – 1 tbsp

Method

Note: For an added crunch you can also add toasted pumpkin/squash seeds. To make those, wash dry the seeds. On a cookie sheet toss the seeds with some olive oil, salt, and chili powder. Roast in the oven at 350^OF until they are crunchy (about 30-40 minutes). These make a nice afternoon snack.

2013-01-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

We wish all our readers and their families a very Happy and Prosperous 2013. Our holidays were extremely fun and we hope that yours were too. The best part of the season was that we got to meet each other…and we spent some quality time together. What could be better?? Well, we got to taste each others intoxicated cakes. They were absolutely delicious!

The new year usually brings with it hopes, aspirations, and resolutions. We of course do not believe in resolutions, because most resolutions are made to be broken. It is better to not make any, don't you think so?

Anyway, in this first post for the year, we would like to share some photographs of all the wonderful food we made/ate over the holidays. Bon Appétit.

Mashed Potatoes topped with Cheddar, Green onions and Mushrooms

Mini Pumpkin Cake (Left) Mini Chocolate Pie (Right)

Kacchi Biryani (Veg)

Intoxicated Cake Laced with Coconut Rum

Intoxicated Cake with French Vanilla Ice Cream

Celebration Punch (Raspberry Lemonade, Lemonade, Orange Juice and Club Soda)

Sea Breeze (Cranberry Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Lemonade, Vodka)

Maple Cream Roll with Hazelnuts

Ginger-Cinnamon Torte

Remembering the Departed

2012-12-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

Our hear-felt condolences to the the families who have lost their little ones to the terrifying massacre that happened last Friday.

Potluck Fiesta

2012-12-14T14:04:00.002-08:00

The holiday season is all about meeting family and friends. And what better way to meet and greet other than a potluck. Aparna and I also had our share of potlucks for this holiday season, a couple of weeks back. Both our potlucks (in Orange County and in the Bay Area) were loads of fun and let’s just say the crowd and the food were equally appealing.

Aparna made her mouth-watering Kacchi biryani. This recipe has been adapted from the Kacchi Biryani recipe presented by Komali Nunna in her gorgeous cookbook titled Trader Joe's-Simply Indian. Aparna has had the pleasure of working with Komali on two occasions and is always enamored by her gorgeous photographs and extraordinary creativity.

I made my version of the vegetable kofta. I can vouch for the deliciousness of Aparna’s biryani and as for my kofta, well…the vessel was empty at the end of the dinner :-) Need I say more?

Kacchi Biryani

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

Mixed vegetables and paneer/tofu (optional) – 2 ½-3 cups

Marinade

Yogurt – 2 cups

Minced garlic – 2 tbsps

Minced ginger – 2 tbsps

Minced green chili – 1 tbsp

Chili powder – 1 tsp

Roasted cumin powder – 1 tbsp

Curry powder – 1 tsp

Ground black pepper – 1 tsp

Salt – 2 tsps

Lime juice – 3 tbsps

Oil – 2 tbsps

Chopped cilantro – ¼ cup

Chopped mint – ¼ cu

For Rice

Basmati rice – 3 cups

Salt – 2 tbsps +1 tsp

Saffron – 1 tsp (approx)

Hot milk – ½ cup

Oil – ½ cup

Raisins – ¼ cup

Sliced almonds – ¼ cup

Large onion (thinly sliced) – 1

Cilantro and mint for garnish

Method

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the vegetables and paneer/tofu (if using) in the

refrigerator for 4-24 hours. Take it out at least an hour or so before cooking, so that it comes to room

temperature. Wash the rice and soak for 1 hour with 1 tsp of salt.

Meanwhile, toast the saffron threads on low heat and crumble over the hot milk. Keep aside. Heat oil in

a skillet, add the raisins and fry until they are plump. Remove them onto a plate and into the same pan

add the almonds and sauté until they turn a shade darker. Keep them aside with the raisins. To the same

pan add the onions and fry them, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown. Keep them aside and

reserve the left over oil.

Preheat the oven to 375^oF.

As the oven is heating, bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large vessel. Add 2 tbsps of salt. Once it starts

boiling, add the rice and boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain the rice into a colander. Take an ovenproof dish,

place one layer of the vegetable mixture, top with half of the fried onions, and continue to layer the rice

and vegetables. Drizzle the saffron milk and reserved oil. Cover the vessel with a foil and bake for 1-1 ¼

hours. Let it rest for 15 minutes before opening.

Mix gently to incorporate all the flavors. Garnish with the raisins, almonds, cilantro, mint and remaining

onions. Serve with raita and papad or Gomathi’s Vegetable Kofta. Bon Appétit.

Vegetable Kofta

Ingredients

For Kofta

Potatoes – 2 diced

Sweet Potato – 1 diced

Raw banana – 1 diced

Green peas – ¼ cup

Carrots – 2 diced

Cauliflower florets – ¼ cup (optional)

Green peas – ¼ cup

Paneer/ cottage cheese cubes – ¼ cup (optional)

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Chaat powder – 1 tbsp

Bread crumbs – 1 cup + more for rolling

Oil for deep-frying

For gravy

Onion – 2 chopped

Tomatoes – 4 diced

Garlic cloves – 2 chopped

Ginger – 1 tsp

Cashews – ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Sugar – 1 tbsp

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Butter – 1 tbsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

Pressure-cook all the vegetables to three whistles. Remove from stove and allow it to cool completely. Mash the vegetables to a pulp. I would recommend doing this with a spatula or your hands. Using a blender might make the vegetables thin and watery. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, chaat powder, and the breadcrumbs to the vegetables and mix it well. Separate the mashed vegetables into equal sized portions.

Take a deep pan for frying and heat oil. Roll the divided vegetable balls with breadcrumbs. Fry the balls until they turn crisp and brown. Remove and allow it to cool in a plate.

In a pan, heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and cashews until they are well cooked. Allow this mixture to cool and then blend the sautéed mixture to make a fine paste. In a soup pan, add butter and allow it to soften. Pour the ground paste in the pan. Add the spices and 2 or 2 ½ cups of water. Allow it to boil for 2 minutes, then simmer, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from stove and allow it to cool.

Take two or three ladles of the gravy. Place the koftas in a vessel and spoon the gravy on top very slowly. Make sure the koftas are completely cooled or they will break when the gravy is poured on top of them. Let this sit until serving time.

Just before serving, heat up the remaining gravy for a minute or two and then spoon the rest of the gravy slowly on top of the koftas. Serve warm with Aparna’s delicious vegetable biryani or roti.

Our Intoxicated Christmas Cake

2012-12-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

After our successful Skype collaboration for Diwali, we decided to give it another go, this time with a Christmas cake. Both of us have never baked a fruit cake before and were absolutely excited about our first trial. It started a couple of weeks ago when Gomathi found a recipe for a Traditional British Christmas Cake and we decided to make it. The ingredients included brandy and having never baked/cooked with alcohol before, this recipe had us discussing how much brandy to buy and where to buy it from.

As the day drew closer, our excitement grew exponentially and finally we were online, on Sunday morning, all set for the adventure. The prep work took about an hour and we finally slid the cake into the oven for its very long baking process…how long is very long you ask? 4.5 hours!!!

We turned off Skype and went our ways, finishing off our routine: cooking and lunch etc. Since the instructions specifically said not to open the oven too often, we just kept turning the oven light on, every 30 minutes or so, to check the progress. After about an hour, our kitchens were filled with the aroma of spices…we could hardly wait for the cake to get done.

The timer went off..beep beep beep…bringing us back to the kitchen; to the deliciousness that was awaiting us in the oven. When I say, deliciousness, it is just an assumption because we are yet to taste our cakes. Yes, you read it right. This cake is not meant to be eaten immediately, it needs to soak in more alcohol for TWO MONTHS!!!

Because we do not have two months left for Christmas and because we just can't hold ourselves that long, we have decided to shorten the wait till the end of this month..which is still too long if you ask us. Patience is a virtue, they say…we'll just have to go with that. So, join us in the wait for a taste of our Intoxicated Christmas Cake. Bon Appétit.

Here is the link to the recipe- http://britishfood.about.com/od/christmasrecipes/r/xmascake.htm

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients

1lb 2oz/525g currants

8oz/ 225g golden raisins/sultanas*

8oz / 225g raisins

4oz / 110g mixed candied peel, finely chopped

6oz / 165 glace cherries, halved

10oz/ 300g all purpose or plain flour

Pinch salt

½ level tsp mixed spice **

½ level tsp ground cinnamon

½ level tsp freshly ground nutmeg

2½ sticks / 300g butter, slightly softened

10 oz / 300g soft brown sugar

Zest of ½ lemon

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbsp brandy, plus extra for feeding

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 300°F/150°C/Gas 2
The temperature is low as the cake needs a long slow bake. It is packed with sugars, fruits and brandy and if the temperature is any higher the outside of the cake will burn and the inside be undercooked.

· Line a 9 inch cake tin with 2 thicknesses of parchment or greaseproof paper. Tie a double band of brown or newspaper paper around the outside. This acts as an insulator and to prevent the cake from burning on the outside.

· In a large roomy baking bowl mix the currants, sultanas, raisins, peel and cherries with the flour, salt and spices.

· In another large bowl cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the beaten egg to the butter mixture a little bit at a time, beating well after each addition - do not try to rush this process as the mixture could curdle. If it does curdle simply add a tbsp of flour and mix again, this should bring the mixture back together. If it doesn't come back together, don't fret, the cake will still be delicious.

· Carefully fold in half the flour and fruit into the egg and butter mixture, once incorporated repeat with the remaining flour and fruit. Finally add the brandy.

· Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin making sure there are no air pockets. Once filled smooth the surface with the back of s spoon and make a slight dip in the center (this will rise back up again during cooking and create a smooth surface for icing the cake).

· Finally, using a piece of paper towel clean up any smears of cake batter on the greaseproof wrapping, if left on they will burn, and though it won't affect the cake, it doesn't smell too good.

· Stand the tin on a double layer of newspaper in the lower part of the oven, if you have a gas oven ensure the paper is well away from the any flame, and bake for 4½ hours. If the cake is browning too rapidly, cover the tin with a double layer of greaseproof or parchment paper after 2½ hours. During the cooking time avoid opening the oven door too often as this may cause the cake to collapse.

· After 4½ hours check the cake is cooked. The cake should be nicely risen and a deep brown all over. Insert a skewer or fine knife into the centre of the cake. If there is sticky dough on the skewer when you pull it out it needs cooking longer, if it is clean, the cake's done and remove from the oven.

· Leave the cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack for an hour, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely. Once cooled prick the surface of the cake with a fine metal skewer and slowly pour over 2-3 tbsp brandy. This feeding should be repeated every two weeks up until Christmas.

The cake should be stored wrapped in greaseproof or parchment paper in an airtight tin.

Changes we made:

One of us used Spiced Rum instead of Brandy and baked in a bundt pan instead of the suggested round. The dry fruits used also varied a bit, with substitutions like apricots, dried cherries instead of glaced, and orange zest instead of lemon.

The 25 day wait is finally over, and it was definitely worth it!!!

Recipe linked to http://deepthidigvijay.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-food-fair-event.html

Happy Diwali!!!

2012-11-12T17:41:00.002-08:00

Even though Square Meals was started as a combined effort, we have not cooked anything together after the EgglessBlueberry Muffins made early last year. We have been wanting to do it again and finally got a chance today. We cooked together… virtually! Standing in two kitchens, about 350 miles apart, but brought closer by technology: we made rasgullas via Skype. Funny, isn’t it?

Rasgullas have always intimidated us, and it has has been in our 'must conquer' list until today. So when one of us (Aparna) found a blog with an elaborate step by step procedure for making rasgullas, we did not want to miss the opportunity. The explanation, along with the captivating photographs gave us a glimmer of hope.

Diwali being around the corner, we decided to make it over the weekend, right on time for the festival of lights.

We started out in the morning, making the paneer and hanging it for the whey to drip completely. After a few hours, we took it up from where we had left off and continued with the procedure. Both of us were still a little apprehensive about how it would turn out and it was only after our first two sample pieces came out spongy and gorgeous looking, that we gained the confidence to keep going. The sight of the fluffy white balls swimming in sugar syrup was absolutely drool worthy and the final verdict came when both the husbands tasted one from the first batch and said 'It is gooood'.

Taking a little detour from our excitement, we would like to introduce you to a wonderful organization called Maitri. I (Gomathi) have been a volunteer at Maitri for the last four months. Maitri is a non-profit organization that helps women fight domestic violence, in the Bay Area. Being a part of this organization has enriched my outlook towards life. Aparna and I would like to request all of you to support this noble cause.

There are multiple ways to show your support:

Become a volunteer at Maitri
Like and share their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/maitribayarea
Add their website's URL and hotline number to your email as a signature line http://www.maitri.org/ 1.888.8.MAITRI
Help spread awareness

A tiny gesture from your side can be a big help to Maitri and to the numerous victims they care for.

Finally, we would love to thank Soma of e Curry for her wonderful recipe and we wish her, her family, and all our readers a Very Happy Diwali!

Masala Paneer Spread

2012-11-04T19:27:00.001-08:00

Let me start by telling you that my father loves to experiment with food and is known for his chutneys and sandwiches. So it was no surprise when my mother mentioned a sandwich that he had made and all the compliments he had received from her colleagues. So when I asked him for the recipe, he said, "I sautéed some onions and tomatoes in a little oil. Added salt to taste and all the masala powders that I could think of and when the mixture had come together well, I added some paneer pieces and sautéed it for a few more minutes. After the mixture cooled down, I put it in the mixie (blender), blended it and put it back into the pan for further thickening. Once it was of spreadable consistency, I took it off the heat and used it as a spread for the sandwiches."

The thought of blending paneer did not sit well with me at first, but I had made up my mind to try it anyhow. So I bought some paneer during our weekend trip to the Indian grocery store. Before I could get to the sandwich, though, I made a paneer curry for dinner. A simple tomato-onion gravy with green chilies, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, chili powder , cumin powder, and garam masala. I had a little left over and was wondering what to do with it when a bright bulb went on in my head!!! Wasn't this quite similar to my father's paneer mixture (before blending)? Without losing any time, I took the paneer curry out of the fridge, put it into the small jar of my mixie and blended away until it was a smooth paste. I added a small piece of paneer (because I have the very bad habit of picking out paneer pieces from the gravy and eating them separately, leaving very little pieces Vs gravy).

The mixture was super fragrant from all the spices that had gone into it the previous night, the only thing missing was the bright color of the tomatoes, because I had added a little milk to the gravy. Anyway, I added a bit more chili powder and salt and poured it into a small pan and let it simmer on low heat for a while. My kitchen was filled with an amazing aroma as the paneer mixture sat and reduced into a perfect spread-like consistency.

Alternately, I think this will make a nice Indian style dip/topping for chips, vegetables and crackers too. What say? Bon appétit.

Sweet Puttu – Navarathri special

2012-10-22T14:36:00.001-07:00

Navarathri has always been my favorite festival. I remember keeping golu – display of dolls – in my house every year. It used to be great fun visiting neighbors, friends, and relatives during this festive season, seeing different golu arrangements, and eating varities of sundals and puttus. This is my third year in keeping golu with my husband and my daughter. Now that my almost three year old is asking many, many questions, the festival has taken new meaning for us. Therefore, this year I decided to make one of the traditional sweets made during this festival.

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1 cup

Water – ¾ cup

Grated coconut – ½ cup

Cashews – ¼ cup

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Ghee – 2- 3 tbsps

Method

Soak the rice for 10 to 15 minutes and then drain. Spread out the drained rice onto a paper towel and let it dry for 15 minutes. In a kadai, dry roast the rice until it turns slightly red. Roasting the rice ensures that there is no moisture left in the rice.

Now grind the rice in a mixer to make a smooth powder. Sieve the ground rice flour to remove any lumps. Add salt and turmeric to the flour and keep aside.

Boil ¾ cup of water. Mix the hot water to the rice flour slowly. Mix simultaneously, until the mixture is crumbly. Be careful while adding water, too much water will make it very soggy. Now press the mixture tightly and keep it covered for 30 minutes.

In a kadai, heat ghee and fry cashews. Keep the cashews aside. Then roast the grated coconut and add it to the cashews.

In a saucepan, take 1 cup of jaggery in a little water and bring to a boil to make the jaggery syrup. In a small cup, keep little water for checking the syrup consistency. After about 3 – 4 minutes, drop a little syrup into the water and try rolling it with your fingers. The syrup for this sweet dish must form to a hard consistency when rolled with fingers and should make the “ding” noise when you throw it onto a plate. This is the “Kallu Paggu” or the stone consistency.

Once the syrup boils to the required consistency, remove from stove, add the rice flour, cashews and coconut to it, and mix well. Sweet puttu is ready to be enjoyed.

Carrot Cake and a Birthday

2012-10-08T13:43:00.001-07:00

Is there a better aroma than that of something baking in the oven...especially when the fragrance of spices wafts throughout the kitchen? I guess not!

It was my husband's birthday a few days ago and I baked him a cake. I have been wanting to bake a carrot cake for quite some time now and this seemed like the perfect occasion. This super moist cake is mildly flavored with cloves and cinnamon and is complemented by the sweet cream cheese frosting, with specks of lemon zest, slathered all over. So, am I guilt laden for eating such an indulgent cake?? No, of course not…I used fat free cream cheese and slightly less sugar and butter than the original recipe…so all is well in the guilt department. :-)

Ingredients

Cake

½ cup walnuts/pecans

1 ¼ cups grated carrot

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp powdered cloves

2 eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

⅛ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (I used fat free cream cheese)

1 cup powdered or icing sugar

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Depending on the number of layers you want, butter the cake pans and keep ready. Heat a small pan on medium heat and toast the nuts for a few minutes (until they turn slightly darker and fragrant). Once cooled, chop coarsely and keep aside.

Finely grate the carrots and keep ready.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and powdered cloves, and ground cinnamon.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. I recommend using an electric beater, as it makes the work a lot easier. Add the sugar gradually and beat until the mixture thickens. Pour in the oil and the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just mixed. Fold in the grated carrots and half of the chopped nuts. If making multiple layers, divide the batter between the pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick pierced in the middle comes out clean).

Remove from oven and let them cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter, with an electric beater, on low speed. Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until completely incorporated. Fold in the lemon zest.

Assembly

If you are making a single layer cake, just spread the frosting smoothly, all over the cake, and garnish chopped nuts.

For multiple layers, place one layer on a cake pedestal/serving plate, spread the frosting on top, place the next layer and continue the process. You could make more frosting to cover the cake completely and add add the chopped nuts either on the sides or on top.

Note:

The same batter can also be used to make cupcakes.

Leftovers should be refrigerated.

Linked to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up

A simple, home cooked south-Indian meal in 60 minutes

2012-09-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

This post is a Sunday lunch I cooked almost two months back. So, what is special about this menu?

For one, this menu is simple and was done in sixty minutes. This exact menu used to take me almost three hours a couple of years back.

The second is the enormous time I took to writing this blog J I am not kidding here. My co-blogger and best friend, Aparna, is almost ready to oust me from this blog site for all the delays.

I hope all of you will try this menu in its entirety or some of the items from here. Enjoy the sappadu.

(From L to R - Rasam, Vathal Kzhumabu, Yogurt, Carrot salad, Baby Watermelon curry, Bitter gourd curry, and Potato curry. Rice, dal, ghee, and papad in the middle.)

For the rice and dal

Ingredients

Rice – 2 cups

Water – 5 to 6 cups

Toor dal – 1 ladel

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Method

Wash the rice nicely to remove any impurities. Add 5 to 6 cups of water to the washed rice. Take about a two glasses of water in the pressure cooker. Place the rice vessel inside the cooker. Cover with a lid. In a small hollow plate take toor dal, add a pinch of turmeric powder and water. Place it inside the cooker and close the lid. Place the cooker weight and cook for three whistles.

For the Vathal Kzhumabu and dal rasam

Ingredients

Vathal Kzhumabu:

Tamarind juice – 2 cups

Drumsticks – 4 to 6 pcs

Sambhar Powder – 2 or 3 tbsp

Fenugreek powder – a pinch

Salt to taste

Gingely oil – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Peanuts or channa dal – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 or 3

Method

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the channa dal or peanuts and the curry leaves. Add drumsticks and the sambhar powder, salt, and fenugreek powder. Sauté well. Add the tamarind juice, stir well. Allow it to boil for about twenty minutes or until the gravy thickens. Remove from stove.

Ingredients

Dal rasam:

Tamarind juice – 1 cup

Tomato – 1

Sambhar powder – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Asafetida – a pinch

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Cooked toor dal – ½ ladel

Method

Boil the tamarind juice, diced tomato, sambhar powder, salt, and asafetida. Boil until the tomato and tamarind are well cooked. Mash the cooked toor dal with a spoon or your hands and add 1 cup of water. Add it to the boiling rasam and wait for it to froth, roughly about two minutes. Remove from stove. In a sauce pan, add a teaspoon of oil and add mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter and pour it in the rasam Add coriander leaves.

For the vegetables

Ingredients

Potatoes – 4 medium sized finely cut

Baby watermelon (Kovakkai) – ½ lb or 2 cups thinly cut

Bitter Gourd – 1 or 2 thinly cut

Carrot – 2 grated

Seasoning

Vegetable oil – 4 to 6 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 2 tsp

Spices

Salt to taste

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Red chilli powder – 2 tbsp

Green chilli – 1 or 2 finely cut

Lime juice – 2 tbsp

Equipment

Three sauce pans with lids

Three stove tops

Method

Take a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the diced potatoes, salt, asafetida and red chilli powder. Cover the saucepan and keep the stove at medium flame. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes to cook.

Take another saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Spoon out half the spluttered mustard into another bowl. To the rest of the mustard seeds, add the cut baby watermelon, salt, asafetida and red chilli powder. Mix well and add ½ of water. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow it to cook on high flame. Add more water if needs be. Remove from stove when fully cooked and the water is absorbed completely. This takes about 15 minutes to cook.

v Baby watermelon takes a long time to cook and hence cooking on high flame with a covered lid is faster.

Take a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the thinly cut bitter gourd, salt, asafetida and red chilli powder. Cover the saucepan and keep the stove at medium flame. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes to cook.

In the bowl you have spooned out the spluttered mustard, add the grated carrot, green chillies, salt and lime juice. Mix well.

Appalam or pappad

Roast pappads in a microwave for about a minute. Add a cup of yogurt to the meal. This meal was for two adults. I have made the same for 4 to 8 adults by increasing the ingredients accordingly, but it still takes almost the same time.

Enjoy your simple home cooked food hot with your family.

Time calculation: The rice and dal takes 20 minutes, the vathal kzhumabu and rasam another twenty and the vegetables take another twenty. The important thing here is doing things simultaneously. A few years back, when I started cooking, I just could not do things together. I would do each dish individually—essentially I used only one stovetop at a time. Over the years, I have learnt to use all the four stovetops, thus reducing my cooking time considerably.

Kozhukatta/Modak for Ganapathi

2012-09-19T19:52:00.001-07:00

Just like last year, this year's kozhukattas were also a last minute affair. What is different, you may ask? Well, this time the outer covering has a new ingredient, 'oats'.

Ingredients (makes 6-7 small ones)

Powdered oats – ¼ cup

Rice flour – ⅛ cup

Melted jaggery – ¼ cup + more to taste

Grated coconut – ¼ cup

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Salt – ¼ tsp

Water – 2 tbsps for the jaggery and more for the dough

Method

Heat a small pan on medium heat and toast the oats for 3-4 minutes (while tossing occasionally). Keep the oats aside, to cool. To the same pan, add the jaggery and 2 tablespoons of water and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the coconut. Add the cardamom powder and keep stirring until all the water has reduced and it forms a sticky mixture. Keep aside.

Powder the oats and remove into a bowl. Add the rice flour and salt and knead into a soft ball of dough by adding little water at a time. The dough should resemble chappathi dough. Make small balls with the dough and roll out into small rounds. Depending on the size of the round, add 1-1½ tablespoons of the filling. Bring the sides together and pinch at the top to seal the kozhukatta. Once all the dumplings are prepared, place them in an idly vessel (or any steamer) and cook for 7-10 minutes or until done. Remove and serve hot.

Note: The measurements, especially for the jaggery and coconut are approximate.

Onam and an Exciting Start to a Long Weekend

2012-09-01T22:29:00.008-07:00

You must be wondering why an Onam post is appearing three days after Onam. Well, Onam was a simple affair this time…we had postponed the festivities for the weekend. A few friends had come for lunch and we had a wonderful time: a traditional Kerala sadhya shared with good friends and a refreshingly good Hindi movie to complete a lovely afternoon.

The excitement continues, as we move onto the second day of the three day weekend…we have more visitors coming over tomorrow…any guesses? It is a much awaited reunion....still no idea? Gomathi and her family are visiting us and we are super excited.

Coming back to the recipes, I tried two new ones this time around, unni appam (a sweet made with a rice-jaggery-banana batter) and puli inji (thick tamarind sauce flavored with ginger and chilies).

Unni appam

Ingredients

Rice flour – 2 cups

Melted jaggery (honey like consistency) – 1 cup

Mashed bananas – 4 tbsps

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Grated/Chopped coconut – 2 tbsps

Ginger powder (optional for extra flavor) – 1 tsp

Ghee

Water – as required to loosen the batter and melt the jaggery

Method

In a bowl, mix flour, cardamom powder, coconut, ginger powder (if using) and bananas. Melt the jaggery, with water, to honey-like consistency and pour into the flour mixture. Mix well and add water to make a batter that resembles idly batter.

Heat the appam/Æbleskiver pan, pour oil to fill ¼ of each cavity. When hot, pour about a tablespoon of batter into each cavity and let it cook well (about 2 minutes or until it turn brown). Turn it over and let the other side cook too. The varied coloring seen in the photographs is because of my experiments with different heat levels.

Remove onto a paper towel and let the oil drain. Once it cools down, refrigerate in an air-tight container.

Note:

The brownness of the appam will vary depending on the color of the jaggery.
Warm the appams before serving.

Puli Inji

Ingredients

Tamarind water – 1 ¼ cups

Finely chopped ginger – 4 tbsps

Finely chopped green chilies – 2-3 tbsps

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Chilli powder – ½ tsp (or to taste)

Asafoetida powder – ¼ tsp

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves

Coconut oil – 1 ½ tbsps

Dried red chillies – 2-3

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Jaggery – 2 tsps (optional)

Method

Soak tamarind in hot water for 15-20 minutes and extract the pulp.

Heat the oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Add the chopped ginger and green chillies and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Keep aside. Into the same oil, add the mustard seeds. As they splutter, add the curry leaves and red chillies and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the tamarind water and the remaining ingredients, stir and reduce the heat. Allow the mixture to simmer and reduce until thick. Remove from the heat and refrigerate in an air-tight container.

For more traditional recipes, visit Onam Special. There is no rule that these recipes should be made only for Onam, so please try these out and let us know how you like them :-). Bon Appétit.

Recipes linked to

Omelette A La Mexicana

2012-08-23T10:18:00.003-07:00

I am sure that you all would have gone through this phase of packing, moving, unpacking and setting up a new home. We just moved in a new apartment on last Saturday and are now sitting amidst a sea of cardboard cartons. What did we set up first? Well, the kitchen and the living room of course! However, to tell you the truth, the past few days have been extremely tiring. What comes out of this state of exhaustion…an excuse to eat out! We found this Mexican place in a complex nearby and decided to check it out. We ordered a couple of crispy tacos and one quesadilla and they were delicious. The restaurant boasts five salsas, which are complementary with any entrée and since it was our first time there, we asked for a sampling of all five: Roja (Red), Verde (Green), La Famosa (the famous one-their version of pico de gallo), Chipotle and Habanero (extremely spicy chili).

Anyway, we could not finish all the salsas, so I mixed them all and put them in the refrigerator for later use. Last night, I had a brainwave; why not use them up in an omelette; and that is exactly what I did.

Ingredients

Eggs – 3

Chopped onion – 3 tbsps

Water – 2 tsps

Salsa mixture – 2 tbsps + more for spooning over the omelette

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Beat together the eggs, water and salt, until frothy. Add the salsa and mix well. Add the oil to a pan and place it on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour the egg mixture, cover and let it cook until the eggs are no longer runny. Flip and cook the other side. Remove onto a plate, spoon some salsa over the omelette and serve with buttered toast. Bon Appétit.

Note:

1) I did this to use up the left over salsa, but you could make your own salsa, or use store bought varieties to suit your palate.

2) My iron skillet is still inside some box; else, I would have made a frittata. You could try that out.

Recipe sent to
Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up

Thank you so much Ashwini from http://indulge-ashscorner.blogspot.com/ for this wonderful award.

Corn Chaat: In Memoriam

2012-08-12T22:19:00.002-07:00

Let's rewind six years and travel to Chennai; to the days when Gomathi and I used to work together. I used to park my two-wheeler in her house and we would then walk to work (approximately 20 minutes). Had we become health conscious? Yes. Was there any other intention? Yes. We would get that much more time to spend with each other, just like it was in college. An added bonus, a reward if you will, was an occasional pani puri or bhel puri from a small Calcutta Chaat shop or corn chaat from vendors outside supermarkets like Nilgiris.

This recipe is in honor of those wonderful days!!!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Corn kernels – 1 ¼ cups

Chopped onion – 2 tbsps

Chopped tomatoes – 1-2 tbsps (optional)

Chaat masala – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Finely chopped green chili – 1 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste

Chopped herbs (cilantro/mint) for garnish

Method

I used very tender sweet corn, so I did not cook it. But if you are using Indian corn, boil it as required.

Mix all the ingredients (except herbs) well, garnish with herbs and serve. Bon Appétit.

Note

Visit Warm Salad for a Cold Night to see how to easily cut corn.
You can increase the amount of onions and add green chilies if you please. The red onions I used were spicy and I did not want the flavor to overpower the mild flavor of the corn.

Recipe linked to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up

Paruppu/dal Poli

2012-08-03T17:48:00.003-07:00

Poli is a sweet that always makes my stomach go in knots. I have had varying degrees of luck with this dish. In total I have made this sweet about five to six times, but every time I make it my limbs are all crossed.

I made poli this time with the same kind of apprehension, but it turned out great.

Ingredients

Channa dal – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – a pinch

Grated coconut – 1 tbsp

Maida or all-purpose flour – 1 cup

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Salt – a pinch

Gingely oil – 2 or 3 tbsp

Ghee – 2 or 3 tbsp

Method

Roast channa dal in a pan until it turns slightly brown. Soak the roasted dal in water for a couple of hours. Drain the dal and dry it using a paper towel. Once the dal is dry and grind it in a mixer to make a fine powder.

Mix maida, salt and water and knead to make a soft dough. Brush two or three spoons of gingely oil on top of the dough and keep it aside for a couple of hours.

In a saucepan, melt jaggery in a little water. Once the jaggery starts boiling, mix the ground dal powder and mix it nicely. Once the puran turns into a dough consistency, remove it from stove. Add cardamom powder and grated coconut.

Divide the maida dough and puran into equal parts. Oil a flat surface and spread one ball of maida evenly. Keep a ball of puran inside the spread maida and cover all the sides. Now make a flat bread using your finger tips. Cook the bread on a hot tawa. Use ghee to make the sides crisp.

Serve paruppu poli with warm milk or ghee.

Recipe linked to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up.

Butter Biscuits and a Special Request

2012-07-27T12:19:00.003-07:00

A friend of mine had asked me if I knew the recipe for butter biscuits; you know the ones that we get in bakeries in India? I had no idea but I promised her that I would find a good recipe for it. After a couple of trials, I think I have found a match. These buttery cookies are super indulgent, because of all the butter in them (go figure!), but will that stop us from eating more than one at a time???

Ingredients
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Powdered sugar – ½ cup
Melted butter – ½ cup
Baking powder – ¼ tsp
A pinch of salt (not required if butter is salted)
A pinch of cardamom powder
Method
Melt the butter and keep it aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and cardamom powder and mix well. Pour in the melted butter, slowly, and knead to make soft dough. The dough will be slightly crumbly, so keep working it until it forms a smooth ball. Allow it to rest for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350⁰Fahrenheit.

Layer a cookie sheet with parchment/foil and keep ready. Divide the dough into equal sized balls, press lightly and arrange them on the cookie sheet. Leave at least an inch between them, as they will expand.
You can make a design on them by pressing with a fork (just an added touch). Bake the biscuits for 18-20 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool completely before putting them away in air tight containers.

Note

I have noticed that confectioner's sugar is very expensive compared to regular sugar, so I just powder the regular sugar that I use at home as required.
Place the biscuits in the middle rack; else the bottom could turn dark brown.
If you do not have a cookie sheet, use any baking dish. Just turn the pan upside down and use the bottom of the pan like a cookie sheet.

Recipe sent to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up

Overripe Bananas and my Favorite Recourse

2012-07-16T11:15:00.002-07:00

I am super stoked to tell you about a prize I won. I had submitted my Baked Mishti Doi recipe to Chinet's Bakeoff Contest on Facebook and it was selected as one of the weekly winners. I received an email about it, but I had no hopes of receiving a prize. I received another email last week saying there was some kind of delay with the shipping and that the prize would reach me by the end of the week, and it did. A FedEx guy knocked at my door at 6.30 PM on Friday, with this box and I was like, wow, this is really happening. And the prize…a set of Chinet's use and throw bake ware and an apron.

Coming to today's recipe, I had a couple of overripe bananas in the fridge and wanted to use them up. This banana bread is what came to my mind first.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 1 ½ cups

Baking powder – 1 ½ tsps

Honey – ½ cup (or to taste)

Coconut milk – ¾ cup

Mashed bananas – 1 heaped cup

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Olive oil – 4-5 tbsps
Flax seeds - 1 ½ tbsps (optional)
Raisin Bran Cereal - 3-4 tbsps (optional)

A pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 350^oF.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking powder, salt, flax seeds, and cardamom powder). Mix the wet ingredients (honey, oil, coconut milk) separately and then fold into the dry mix. I wanted to add raisins but realized that I did not have any. And then I had an idea...why not add some cereal. I mixed a couple of tablespoons of the raisin bran cereal to the batter and sprinkled the remaining on top.
Blend well and pour into a greased bread pan or any baking dish you like. Bake it for 30-35 minutes or until done. Slice and serve. Bon Appétit.

Shared with Delicious Dish Tuesday Link Up

Raggada Patties or Aloo Tikki Channa

2012-07-12T16:49:00.003-07:00

During my early school years, my father was posted in Dhanbad, Bihar. It was here that I was exposed to the lip smacking tangy chaats that I love even today.

I was in my fifth grade when a chaat shop opened near my house in Dhanbad. The other kids in the colony all raved about this shop and my brother and I insisted that our parents also take us there. So on a Friday evening; my parents took us to the shop.

My brother had his favorite bhelpuri, and my mom and dad shared a kachori chaat. I was a very poor eater as a child, and hence my mom suggested that I share with everyone. I did not like the idea one bit and said I would have one dish for myself. My father agreed and I choose the first thing I could see on the menu – Aloo tikki Channa.

I had never had this before and didn’t know the quantity or the taste. So, our chaats arrived. My brother and parents stared having their food and all I could do was stare at my plate. My plate was fully heaped with channa and allo tikkis beneath them. I had never had even half the quantity of food that was in front of me at one sitting before that time. But I had to eat now, as the dish was ordered only because I had refused to share.

So, slowly I started eating. The aloo tikkis along with the channa was surprisingly a very good combination and somehow I seemed to like the taste. It did take me an easy 45 minutes to finish off the plate, but the experience was worth every morsel.

Since then, aloo tikki channa is one of my favorite chaat items. Here’s the recipe for this lovely chaat for all of you to try it at your homes.

Ingredients

For channa

Dry white peas – 5 to 6 ladles (soaked overnight)

Onion – 2 finely chopped

Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Tomatoes – 2 to 3 finely chopped

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Green chillies – 3 to 4

Chaat masala – ½ tsp

Aamchur powder – ¾ tsp

Black salt – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 to 4 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 1 cup

For tikkis

Potatoes – 6 to 8 small (boiled and mashed)

Green chillies – 3 to 4 finely chopped

Bread crumbs – 1 cup

Coriander leaves – 4 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Aamchur powder – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 to 4 tbsp

For serving

Onion – 1 cup finely chopped

Green chutney – ½ cup

Tamarind chutney – ½ cup

Coriander leaves – ½ cup

Lemon – 1 or 2 cut into small pieces

Method

In a big bowl, mix the potatoes, breadcrumbs (¾ cup), green chillies, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder, aamchur powder and salt to make smooth dough. Divide the dough into equal portion and make them into small discs. Roll the discs in the remaining breadcrumbs.

Heat a tawa and evenly spread 1 to 2 tbsp of oil in it. Simmer the stove and place the tikkis in it. Cook the tikkis by flipping them over from time to time until they become crisp on all sides. Once done, keep the tikkis separately.

Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and sauté until the onions turn translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and the tomatoes. Cook for five minutes and then add all the masalas – Turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, black salt, chaatmasala and aamchur powder. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the cooked peas. Cook for 5 minutes or until the whole gravy is well blended.

Take serving plates and add 2 or 3 tikkis on each plate. Cover the tikkis with the cooked channa. Be generous in adding the channa. Add one or two spoons of green chutney and tamarind chutney on top of the gravy. Garnish with chopped onions and chopped coriander leaves. Place a piece of cut lemon on each plate and serve.