Veggie Platter

Sweet Pongal (Dry Version)

2012-01-27T09:47:00.002-06:00

If you are noticing the discrepancy between the title and the image, that is my doing. There are a few recipes where I can't beat my mother and this particular one is among them. As the title suggests, this pongal is not suppposed to be wet and mushy as the typical sweet pongal versions. This one is fairly dry and you must be able to notice each grain separately when done in the way it should be done. :) My mother cooks it to perfection but I have never been able to attain the required texture.
I had prepared it on Sankranthi day a couple of weeks ago and this time came closer to my mother's version and so thought of republishing it. It appears moist since I took the images soon after the preparation. It was dry after leaving it at room temperature for a couple of hours. The color of the pongal depends upon the jaggery used and my mother's version always looks darker. This pongal is very delicious but alas I can't prove the point with these images :)

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup moong dal
1 cup jaggery powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup dry coconut, grated
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
Ghee as needed (You can be as generous as you can.)
1 Tbsp each cashews and raisins
2 ½ cups or a little less water

Method:
* Dry roast moong dal until you start to feel the aroma. No need to turn the moong dal red.
* Wash the rice thoroughly. Pressure cook both the rice and moongdal together adding water, until two whistles.
* Heat a pan / wok. Add jaggery and a tbsp of water to it and let it cook on a medium flame till you get the desired consistency.
The desired consistency is that you must be able to form a small ball when you put few drops of syrup into the water. For this purpose, keep a small plate with 2 Tbsp of water near the stove. If you are not able to form the ball out of the syrup and it just melts in the water, then syrup is not ready and you must keep boiling the syrup. It would be done in around 3 –4 minutes.
* After the syrup is ready, turn off the stove. Add the cooked rice - moongdal mixture, grated coconut, cardamom and mix well. You don’t have to cook further.
* Heat ghee in a small pan, toast the cashews and raisins and add to the pongal.

Note:
1. Coming to the ingredients measurements, there is no need to use the standard measuring cup. For this recipe, the ratio of Rice : Jaggery : Moong dal is always 2 : 2 : 1.
2. This pongal is supposed to be very dry and not mushy. I did use 2 & ½ cups of water to the 1 & ½ cups of rice and moongal mixture. It turned out good. I think 2 & ¼ cups of water will yield the right texture (like in my mom’s pongal).
3. Keeping cooked rice- dal mixture ready before preparing the jaggery syrup is a good idea. If you do the other way, the syrup becomes much thicker.

Linking this to blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

My posts so far, under "Delicious Dals" theme are -
Masoor Dal Khichdi (Masoordal)
Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi (Dalia & Urad)
Chayote Kootu (Chana dal)
Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu (Chori beans)

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Alasanda - Vankaya Pulusu

2012-01-26T21:20:00.003-06:00

When I saw Gayathri's announcement recently about an event revolving around our childhood favorite dishes which we never got to learn about, two recipes came to my mind instantly. Surprisingly both the dishes were not from my mother's kitchen but from my MIL's. That's probably because I have been planning for so long to post them. Besides, most of the recipes I publish here are the ones I grew up eating and thanks to my ma, I know how to prepare most of my favorite foods. Naturally, my focus shifted to my beloved late MIL.
One of those recipes happen to be this rustic, very yummy homestyle dal because it takes my husband down the memory lane. Yes my husband, not me. :) I didn't even know that it was his favorite until a few years ago when my SIL casually mentioned about this dish their mother used to prepare during their childhood. Until then I had never even noticed red chori beans at stores since I was so much used to dals made with toor. My MIL was a great cook and naturally my husband keeps reminiscing about her cooking and his wonderful childhood days. I never got a chance to see my MIL cooking this but I got hold of the recipe through my SIL for my husband's sake. Though I had not eaten it before, my version is decent and the beaming face of my husband is the proof. :)
I had this in my drafts folder for the past few years. I have cooked this a couple of times but each time I have to consult the folder and so I think this makes it eligible for Gayathri's event.

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. Most of them go in tadka and grinding.

Ingredients:
Alasanda / Red chori beans / cowpeas - 1/2 cup
Vankaya / Eggplant slices - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Tamarind juice to taste (2 -3 Tbsp)
Salt to taste
1 tsp of jaggery powder (optional)

To toast and grind:

Coriander seeds - 1 Tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Red chillies - 12
1" inch piece cinnamon - 2

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

For tadka:
Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - A few pinches

Few curry leaves

Method:
* Pressure cook red chori beans, eggplants and turmeric adding about a cup of water.
* Meanwhile, add all the ingredients except the coconut to a pan and toast them until the coriander and cumin start to change the color. Let cool and grind them along with the coconut. Use a few Tbsps of water if needed.
* Heat oil in a pan and add the tadka ingredients. When mustard starts to pop, add the cooked beans, ground paste, salt, tamarind and jaggery. Add water if needed and adjust the ingredients if needed. Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Turn off the stove.
Serve with hot steamed rice and papad.

This is my fourth day entry for blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

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Chayote Kootu

2012-01-25T13:08:00.003-06:00

I grew up in a nuclear family with a sibling, five years younger than me. Flash forward 20+ years later, I ended up in a huge, I mean really huge family through my marriage to M. Just counting my husband's siblings' families, we are now somewhere around 70. It is almost like those large families in Indian movies / TV serials sans the drama and plotting, of course. :)) The new entrants to the family come from different backgrounds and regions ranging from Delhi, Gujarat to Karnataka.
Though I never had an elder sister, I acquired nine "akkas" (elder sister in many South Indian languages) through my marriage, in between my husband's sisters and SILs. Each of them is a great cook and I get to learn some new recipes each time we get to meet. This kootu comes from one of the SILs with a Tamilnadu collection. I have eaten kootu many times before but have never tried cooking at home as M is not fond of coconut. A kootu is a delicious variation from the regular sambhar fare and tastes good with hot, steamed rice.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chana dal / Bengal gram (or substitute half the quantity with toor dal. Kootu can be prepared with moongdal as well.)
1 chayote squash, peeled and cut into cubes (Veggies like bottle gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber or cabbage can be substituted.)
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup fresh, grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp rice flour (optional)
Salt to taste
For tadka: 1 Tbsp ghee, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp skinned, split blackgram / uraddal, a pinch of asafoetida and curry leaves

Method:
* I soak chanadal an hour before preparation but that is optional. Cook chandal, chayote cubes and turmeric adding water as needed in a pressure cooker until done. No need to cook until very mushy.
* Grind the coconut and cumins to a fine paste adding little water if needed.
* Add this paste, rice flour, salt and chili powder to the cooked dal and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and turn off the stove.
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves. When the dal starts to turn brownish, remove and add to the cooked dal.

This is my third day entry for blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

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Dalia - Cilantro Chutney Podi

2012-01-24T18:56:00.001-06:00

Spicy lentil powders / podis are a part of Indian cuisine and every home has a stock of their favorite ones. While some of these are added during cooking, some are served along with the breakfast dishes or even plain rice to add a spicy kick. Chutney powder / chutney pudi / podi chutney what ever you call it falls in the latter category and is a must in South Indian homes and mine is not an exception.
While the kids love this version because of the jaggery addition, I am mostly used to another version since childhood. My mother prepares chanadal - urad dal combo chutney powder, flavored with cilantro and asafoetida and is more spicier and flavorful than the former version. I have also eaten dalia - uraddal combination powder in one of my SIL's house and today's recipe is based on it. Tamarind, chillies and salt need to be adjusted according to one's own preferences. The color of the powder mostly depends upon the type of chillies used.

Ingredients required: (Makes about 1 & 3/4 cups)

Dalia / Roasted chickpeas / Pappulu - 1/2 cup

Urad dal / Skinned, split blackgram - 6 Tbsp / 3/4th quantity of dalia

Dry coconut (Copra) grated - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - a big marble sized

Red chillies - 12
Salt accordingly
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Cilantro leaves - 1/4 cup (wash and wipe dry.)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - A pinch

Method:
* Toast the urad dal in a pan on low heat until it changes to a few shades darker (light brownish color) and let cool.
* Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard starts to pop, add the cilantro leaves and saute for a few seconds. Turn off the stove and let this mixture also cool.
* Now add everything to a mixer / spice grinder and grind the mixture to a desired consistency. Some grind their chutney powder very fine and people like me prefer a coarser texture.

This is my second day entry for blogging marathon #12 under "delicious dals" theme. Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find out what other marathoners have been cooking.

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Masoordal Khichdi

2012-01-23T21:47:00.002-06:00

That's my theme for second round of blogging marathon #12. Yes, delicious dals - the recipes that are going to be posted this week long here need to showcase a dal / bean either in savory or sweet form, according to the marathon rules. I am going with this delicious, flavorful masoor dal khichdi on the first day, that has been the basis for many khichdi dishes posted at veggieplatter so far. It comes from M's SIL who happen to be a wonderful cook.
The original recipe includes onion and is sauteed after tadka. Next goes the veggies, dal and rice and fried for a minute before adding water. Somehow I hate to see onion in my rice dishes and so omit it. Even without a pressure cooker, my method takes only about 20 minutes from prep to plate. I also like the fact that this wholesome dish doesn't demand babysitting. :)

Prep & cooking time - 20 minutes
Servings: 2 - 3

Ingredients:
1/4 cup masoor dal
1/4 cup sona masuri rice
A little turmeric powder
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 - 3 Tbsp peas
15 - 20 green beans, stringed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups of water
1 tsp sambhar powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt to taste
2 -3 Tbsp tamarind juice
For tadka: 1 Tbsp ghee / oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, few curry leaves

Method:

* Wash masoor dal and rice thoroughly and throw away the water used to rinse. Add dal, rice, turmeric, vegetables and water to a cooking pot and cook on medium - high flame until the rice is done.

(I usually put the dal and rice to cook first and then start chopping vegetables. First, I go with the veggies that take longer to cook. By doing so, time can be saved.)

* Next add the tamarind, sambhar powder, salt and chili powder and cook for about five minutes and turn off the stove.

* Heat ghee / oil in a small pan and add the tadka ingredients. When mustard starts to pop, add it to the khichdi and mix well.

* Serve warm with papad / chips.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 12

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Eggless Banana - Semolina Cake

2012-01-22T22:50:00.003-06:00

Today is the 7th and final day of the first round of blogging marathon #12. I was planning to post a banana bread but couldn't take the pictures because of the bad weather all week long here. I so, thought of posting this banana - semolina cake instead, that was inspired from this recipe. This post was lying in my drafts as I was not happy with these images but since I couldn't come up with a post today, I had to use it. :) I need to update the images the next time I try this.
The cake is absolutely delicious and this recipe is a keeper. Keep rotating different fruits whenever you prepare this cake so that you end up with a different flavored one each time. Though it appears to have a gritty, crisp surface from the image, it becomes softer at room temperature.

Before going to today's recipe, here is a recap of my "Something Sweet" themed posts.
Day 1 - Carrot - Apple Muffins
Day 2 - Kesar Sandesh / Sondesh
Day 3 - Chocolate Chip - Oatmeal Cookies
Day 4 - Microwave Apple Crisp
Day 5 - Blackberry Cobbler
Day 6 - Dates - Coconut Kheer

Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
1 cup banana puree
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp raisins
2 Tbsp walnut pieces
1 tsp baking powder

Method:
* Combine all the ingredients except walnuts in a bowl and keep aside covered for 10 minutes.
* Preheat the oven at 375 deg F.
* Grease a baking pan. This batter doesn't raise much and so the batter can be filled up to 3/4th of the pan. I used 2 one cup capacity baking pans.
* Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle with walnut pieces. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
* Cool, slice and serve.

Check out here to know what my fellow marathoners have come up with during this marathon.

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Kharjoora Payasa / Dates - Coconut Kheer

2012-01-21T23:08:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it is hard to convey the deliciousness of a dish or it's rich flavor through an image. That's what happened to me while trying to capture this dates kheer last week and I finally gave up. I was trying to add some color to the pale brown, yummy kheer by adding toasted raisins and cashews in the form of garnish and everything except a couple sank to the bottom of the glass leaving back traces of ghee at the surface.
Here is a very delectable and simple kheer as my Day 6 entry for blogging marathon #12. The dates are cooked in coconut milk instead of the regular milk and the kheer stands apart for this reason. It makes it more rich and flavorful. If you have coconut milk ready, the kheer can be prepared in a jiffy. This can be prepared with regular milk too but once you taste the coconut milk version, you would not want to try the former one. For a true, authentic version go with homemade coconut milk instead of store bought ones.

Other coconut milk kheers posted earlier -
Godhi Nucchina Payasa / Cracked Wheat Kheer
Ananas Payasa / Pineapple Kheer

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Pitted dates
1/4 cup Jaggery
About 1.5 cup - 2 cups Coconut milk
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
Ghee toasted Cashews to garnish

Method:
Puree the dates. Add coconut milk as needed and jaggery to the dates puree. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add cardamom powder and toasted cashews and turn off the stove.
Serve warm or chilled.
Check out here to know what my fellow marathoners have come up with during this marathon.

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Blackberry Cobbler

2012-01-20T22:26:00.001-06:00

When I was looking for a blackberry cobbler recipe, I found an easy one here that had received great reviews from people who had tried it. I went ahead without a second thought and it turned out delicious. The original recipe uses an iron skillet but a 9" pie plate works fine. I wasn't sure whether it was the perfect size and so used an extra 1 cup baking dish for the below quantity but my pie plate would have been enough.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 1 stick unsalted butter

4 cups fresh blackberries (I used about half the quantity)

1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

Method:
* Preheat oven to 350 deg F/ 175 deg C.
* Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet or ovenproof baking dish, in the oven, 5 to 7 minutes. (I just melted the butter in the microwave.)
* Meanwhile, put the blackberries in a large bowl and slightly mash them to release their juices. Sprinkle with sugar if blackberries are tart. (The blackberries I used were very sweet and I did not have to use the extra sugar.)
* In another large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Next add 1 cup sugar, milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix until well combined and add melted butter to the flour mixture. Stir to combine.
* Pour mixture into the skillet / baking dish and pour blackberries and their juices into the center.
* Place the skillet / baking dish in the preheated oven and bake until top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the batter comes out clean, about 1 hour. (I baked for 1 hour.)
* Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

This is my Day 5 entry for blogging marathon #12 . Check out here to know what my fellow marathoners have come up with during this marathon.

This goes to
1. Raven's CEDD event guesthosted by me.

2. Vardhini's Bake Fest, hosted by Pradnya this month.

Comments

Microwave Apple Crisp

2012-01-19T16:52:00.007-06:00

Microwave Apple Crisp ~ My Day 4 entry for BM#12 .

I was looking for a quick and easy, fruit based microwave dessert to contribute to the Cook.Eat.Delicious.Desserts event I am hosting this month and landed up here. This delicious crisp is done in the microwave and a serving can be prepared under 5 minutes. I quartered the ingredients and got a single serving. The recipe was like a reflection of my style of cooking - simple, quick and undemanding one. 2 minutes of prep work and 2 minutes of cooking and you will end up with a generous serving of delicious apple crisp (or two servings if you prefer portion control). I have found equally tempting versions on other websites that I am planning to try later.

Ingredients:
1 small apple, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1.5 to 2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 Tbsp quick cooking oats
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder (I used cardamom-clove powder instead.)
1 Tbsp dessicated coconut (optional)

Method:
1. Combine butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon in a small bowl.

2. Arrange the apple slices on a baking dish evenly. For the above measurement, I used one cup baking dish. Sprinkle the topping prepared in step 1 evenly over apples.
3. Cook in the microwave for 2 to 2 & 1/2 minutes or until apple can be easily pierced with knife.
* Serve with a few scoops of vanilla icecream.

This is going to
1. Raven's CEDD event guesthosted by me.

2. Srivalli's MEC event guesthosted by Kalyani.

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Eggless Baking ~ Chocolate Chip - Oatmeal Cookies

2012-01-18T14:07:00.003-06:00

My pantry auditing prompted me to look for ways to use the leftover oats I had so that I could free some space. And the search led me to this shortbread cookie recipe. What interested me was that the cookies were eggless and had chocolate chips in them. I didn't have to think twice since my daughter loves to eat chocolate chip cookies. I baked some last night for the third day of BM#12 under "Something Sweet" theme. They came out really crunchy.

Ingredients: (Yield 9 cookies)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp butter, softened (original recipe uses 1/4 cup.)
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk (or as needed)
6 Tbsp semisweet chocolate chips

Method:
* Preheat oven to 325 deg F / 160 deg C.
* Beat butter and sugar using a electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, oats, baking soda and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. (The mixture was very dry since I didn't use the recommended amount of butter. I added 2 Tbsp of milk to it to form the dough.)
* Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
* Bake 11 - 13 minutes or until lightly browned.

Note:
1. Regarding the temperature: After reading the reviews, I baked for 10 minutes at 335 deg F. The bottoms started to brown quickly and so I reduced the temperature to 315 deg F and baked for ten minutes more. I therefore think that 325 deg F temperature should work fine.
2. Regarding the time & quantity of cookies: The original recipe recommends to drop the dough by teaspoons and so the quantity will be more than what I got. The baking time of 11 - 13 minutes did not work for me. I baked for about 20 minutes, turned off the oven and let the cookies remian in the oven for 5 minutes more. The cookies came out with a bit darker bottom side but were good.
3. Use the recommended amount of chocolate chips. I used about a little less than 1/4 cup since they appeared to be more than the actual dough quantity. However after baking, I realised that I should have added more.

Check out here to know what my fellow marathoners have come up with during this marathon.

This goes to Vardhini's Bake Fest, hosted by Pradnya this month.

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Kesar Sandesh / Sondesh

2012-01-17T23:06:00.002-06:00

Bengali cuisine is well known for many mouth watering, dairy based sweets and I am fond of them all. I am a sucker for chhena based desserts like champakali, chamcham, rosgulla and rasmalai since I was a kid. Those were the things I would order at the end of a meal at restaurants back when I was in India and still do when I visit India. Somehow I like the succulent texture of the above dishes and they top my "most favorite desserts" list even today. I couldn't therefore let go this "Something Sweet" themed week of BM#12 without a milk based sweet and so here is kesar sandesh or sondesh, as Bengalis call it.
Sandesh is prepared with chhena and it has just melt in mouth kind texture and palate pleasing yumminess. If you have chhena ready, this is a simple dish to prepare and impress your guests. It gives an impression that you toiled for long in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
10 cups milk (About 2 litres of milk)
6 Tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron soaked in a tsp of warm milk
Sliced pistachios for garnishing
(Additionally vinegar / lemon juice to prepare chhena.)

Method:
* Prepare chhena with the milk as shown here.
* Traditionally the chhena and sugar are kneaded well, manually. This time around, I skipped that step since I had seen some of the blogger buddies blending the two ingredients in a mixer. I followed that this time and put the chhena, sugar and cardamom powder in the food processor and pulsed it until I got a smooth mixture.

* Put the mixture and saffron along with the warm milk it is soaked in, in a non stick pan and start cooking on low - medium flame. I added a pinch of yellow color for appeal and that is totally optional. Keep stirring in between to avoid the mixture from scorching, especially if you are not using a nonstick pan.

* After a few minutes, you will start to notice that the mixture almost reaches liquid stage again. Don't panic. Keep on stirring until it thickens. The whole procedure takes a good 20 - 25 minutes. This is really a simple dessert to prepare and woo your guests. No expertise or knack required. You just must be able to stir the contents in the pan. :)

* When the mixture comes together, turn off the stove and let it cool a bit. Then mould the mixture into preferred shape using your hands and garnish with nuts and extra saffron if desired.

Check out here to know what my fellow marathoners have come up with during this marathon.

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Eggless & Delicious ~ Carrot - Apple Muffins

2012-01-16T19:43:00.004-06:00

Another edition of blogging marathon starts from today and by now, my regular readers must have become familiar with the exercise attached to it. BM is for 2 weeks every month and the participants have the choice to take part in the 1st and / or second weeks sticking to a particular theme per week. My theme for the first round of BM#12 is "Something Sweet" and obviously the readers get to see some yummy stuff here all weeklong.

I have been noticing this muffin recipe for years now whenever I buy gold medal brand flour. The recipe comes printed on the flour pack under the name "glorious morning muffins". The yummy and healthy combination of carrots, apple, nuts and dry fruits had piqued my interest well enough that I tried them last week at last. Thanks to Gayathri's tips about egg substitutes during last marathon, I could convert these egg based muffins to eggless ones. They turned out truly delicious and actually were not dense as muffins would be. The texture was somewhere between a muffin and cupcake and so I really enjoyed them. We thought they were subtly sweet the evening I made them but by the next day, they were perfect for us.

The sweet stuff never counts as breakfast at my home and these could pass as yummy cupcakes actually. I am therefore sending them to Raven's CEDD (cook.eat.delicious.desserts) event, that I am guesthosting this month.

This also goes to Vardhini's Bake Fest, hosted by Pradnya this month.

Ingredients: (Make 12)
1 cup flour (1/2 the quantity can be substituted with whole wheat flour.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup yogurt
6 Tbsp butter
2 - 3 Tbsp milk (adjust as needed)
1 big carrot, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup peeled, shredded apple
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup sliced walnuts / almonds

Method:
* Heat oven to 350 deg F /175 deg C. Place paper baking cups in the muffin tray or grease them.
* Combine butter, milk, yogurt and vanilla in a mixing bowl and just whisk to blend the ingredients. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in carrot, apple, coconut, raisin and 2 Tbsp of nuts.
* Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the batter.
* Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from the pan.

Check out here to know what my fellow marathoners have come up with during this marathon.

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Chiroti / Pathir Pheni for December ICC

2012-01-15T21:01:00.004-06:00

Our Sankranthi / Pongal wishes to readers who are celebrating.

Thanks to ICC, I could try a recipe this month that I had been planning to do for years now. Actually I haven't eaten them in decades, if I remember correctly. Before some of you start wondering how old am I really, let's jump to the topic. :) For this month's Indian cooking Challenge, Srivalli went with pheni / chiroti, thanks to Harini's grandmother for the recipe. I must admit that I am still confused about the title and the dish though my son and I enjoyed it immensely. To be honest, until Valli announced this month's challenge, I hadn't heard the name pathir pheni in my life and according to web sources, it belongs to Karnataka. It was a big surprise to me as more than half of my life was spent in that state. And also the phenis of Andhra we are familiar with, do look different. When I told my mother and my husband about this month's ICC, they both were surprised to hear that phenis and chirotis are same. For us, they both are way apart. However such things do happen in India owing to the vast differences in the regional cuisines. As far as I know, this month's recipe is a mini version of Karnataka's weddings' staple dessert - Chiroti since the recipe is more similar to chiroti preparation than phenis.

Chirotis are synonymous to weddings in my dictionary since I have eaten them only during those functions. I am not aware of the present scenario but when we were kids, traditional style Brahmin weddings in Bangalore region used to have chirotis served mandatorily at the end. They are strong competitors to holiges, the other famous dessert from the region. Chirotis are flaky discs of about 10 inches diameter. When you tear a piece, you would be able to notice the layers. Chiroti itself is not sweet and so, usually powdered sugar is sprinkled on top and badam milk / milk is poured on it so that you can dunk it in the milk-sugar mixture and enjoy it. A pheni is either dunked in sugar syrup during preparation and it will have a sugar coating over the surface like a badusha. Or it can be eaten with milk - sugar mixture. Chiroti on the other hand is usually served with milk - sugar mixture. I am not aware about "behind the scenes" of chiroti making but my guess is that probably the cooks will go with many layers of large rolled circles of dough to get those super sized chirotis at wedding feasts.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chiroti rave / pheni rava / fine semolina
1/2 cup maida / all purpose flour
A pinch of salt
3 Tbsp solidified ghee
2 Tbsp rice flour
Oil to fry
1/2 cup sugar powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 clove powdered (optional)

Method:
1. Mix the sugar, cardamom and clove powders in a bowl and keep aside. Or powder sugar, cardamom and clove together.
2. Combine the semolina and /or flour, 1 Tbsp solidified ghee and salt in a mixing bowl, rubbing the mixture with your hands. Then gradually add water and form a dough that of poori / roti consistency. Cover and allow the mixture to rest at least for an hour. The more the resting time, better the chirotis / phenis would be.

3. When you are ready to prepare the phenis / chirotis, whisk the remaining ghee and riceflour in a small cup and keep aside.

4. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Roll them out into thin circles. Apply the rice flour - ghee paste on each of the rolled out circle. Don't worry about getting perfect circles. It is hard because of the elasticity of the dough.

5. Place the rolled out circles, placing one on top of another so that you have layers of them with the flour - ghee paste in between. Apply the paste on the surface of the top rolled out circle too.

6. Starting from one end, go on rolling the layered circles like a carpet, to form a tight log. Apply the paste while rolling too. Tuck the ends securely.

7. Cut the log into one inch pieces. Roll out each piece again into a circle or press lightly with your hand.

8. Heat oil in a small wok for deep frying. Fry the rolled out circles on low flame until done, taking care they don't change the color. Drain them on paper towels. Serve warm with sprinkling on powdered sugar and pouring on some almond milk. Chirotis are best served warm but they can be stored for longer periods at room temperature.

Note:
1. This recipe source uses only chiroti rava. There are versions which use only all purpose flour and some use both flour and fine semolina.
2. If fine semolina is not available, grind and sieve the regular semolina to get a finer consistency.
3. For quick fix badam milk, add MTR's badam mix to warm full fat milk or evaporated milk and combine well.

Comments

Eggless & Spicy Mexican Brownies

2012-01-12T23:59:00.003-06:00

I know that I have been missing from action for the past few days. No blogging or blog hopping due to personal commitments. :)) M has been away on work and I thought of investing the extra free time I had doing some productive work rather than sitting in front of the computer. I zealously decided to clean my two floored, 5 bedroom house in a couple of days. Hasty decision, it was. In my over enthusiasm, I turned upside down the whole home and without a helping hand, the chore soon turned into a long, backbreaking one. The result - I feel sore right now from top to bottom and probably need another two days to get the job done.
And lucky me, it is snowing outside while I am drafting this. In fact, it has been snowing nonstop from the morning. The snow will continue through tomorrow morning and our driveway needs to be cleaned. I have guests coming over this weekend. :) Now you see, with that physical stress, who needs a computer for timepass?

However dear Kalyani's new event "Magic Mingle" kept echoing somewhere at the back of my mind and so here I am with the post. In this event, two ingredients would be picked each month and the participants have to choose a dish that uses both of them. The interesting combo of "Cinnamon & Chillies" is the theme for the first edition. Many spicy rice dishes came into my mind as soon as I read about this combo but wanted to try something different. And hence these Mexican brownies that I first came to know about in my initial days of blogging. This is not your typical sweet brownie but a spicy version.

I came across an egg based brownie recipe but stuck to it since I had all other ingredients ready. I turned the recipe into an eggless version. By mistake, I deleted the recipe source URL and at this hour, I am not able to locate the source recipe. (I will do it later and provide the link.)
The original recipe recommends to use a 8 inch square pan covered with aluminum foil. I halved the recipe and used two mini baking pans. I had to cut those rectangular loafs into brownies and in the process the beautiful upper layer is gone. It appears as though I have ended up with cake like texture but it is not the case. The 1/2 tsp chili powder gives really a kick in your mouth. If you don't want to experience it, reduce the quantity. The brain kept forgetting that these were spicy stuff and the palate accustomed to a sweeter version kept experiencing the jolts. :) If you totally eliminate the chili powder, you will still be left with yummy brownies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp chili powder (reduce if needed.)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

2.5 oz semi sweet chocolate

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup yogurt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil, grease it and dust with flour. Tap out the excess flour.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Let it sit until the chocolate melts, then add brown sugar, yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.
Combine the flours, chili powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients. Pour into the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. The batter rises and so fill the pan with batter to only a little over half.
Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a moist crumb, about 30 minutes.

This also goes to Vardhini's Bake Fest, hosted by Pradnya this month.

Comments

Sweet Corn - Vermicelli Kheer for CEDD

2012-01-05T16:42:00.001-06:00

I am starting the Cook.Eat.Delicious Desserts and giveaway event that I am hosting this month with a simple, Indian dessert. As the event title suggests, it is about desserts and any sweet thing you cook with a vegetable and/or fruit becomes eligible for this event. If you are planning to cook or bake any fresh produce based dessert this month, just remember to send them here. :) I would gladly accept even any archived entries. Check here for Raven's giveaway details and participation rules.

Kheers are versatile in spite of the fact that all of them are prepared basically the same way. I absolutely love kheers for their simplicity and the ease with which they can be made. In fact, kheer is made at least once a week in my kitchen and so, I could not let go the desserts event without a kheer post. If I am preparing it to just satisfy my sweet cravings, I use low fat milk, artificial sweetener and add some raisins directly to milk with out toasting so that I can have a guilt free dessert.
I saw this vermicelli - corn kheer recipe recently on television and tried it immediately. It sounded like a twist to the regular vermicelli kheer but the flavor of corn is more prominent in this dish as vermicelli - corn is used in the ratio of 1:4 in the original dish. I just tweaked the recipe to suit my taste.

Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

2 Tbsp ghee
1 Tbsp each - raisins and cashews
2 Tbsp vermicelli / semya
1/4 cup corn (cook and grind to a paste adding a few spoons of water if needed.)
1.5 cup milk
2 - 3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method:
* Heat milk in a sauce pan.
* Meanwhile, heat ghee in another pan and toast the raisins and cashews. Remove them with a slotted spoon and keep them aside.
* Add vermicelli to the same ghee and toast it until golden brown.
* Next add the corn paste and saute for a couple of minutes.
* Add the hot milk to the corn - vermicelli mixture.
* Cook on low flame until vermicelli is cooked. Keep stirring in between to avoid the vermicelli from clumping.
* Add sugar and cardamom powder and continue to cook until sugar melts.
* Turn off the stove and garnish with toasted dry fruits.
* Serve warm / chilled.

Comments

Announcing Cook.Eat.Delicious - Desserts #6 and a Giveaway

2012-01-01T17:35:00.008-06:00

We wish all the visitors, friends and our family a joyous and prosperous new year. May all your dreams and wishes come true during 2012. And my blogging starts in this new year with a sweet announcement, literally. :)

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. ~ Jim Davis

If you believe the same, then you are at the right place and this event is definitely for people like you. :) I was just kidding and everyone is welcome to cook and eat delicious desserts. Just remember to send them over some to me virtually since I am guest hosting CEDD #6 this month. Yes, Raven's yummilicious Cook.Eat.Delicious - Desserts event comes to VeggiePlatter this month and I am going with "fresh produce" as my theme. Thanks Raven for the hosting opportunity and the beautiful logo.
Another exciting feature of this event is the following book, offered by Raven as prize to a winner chosen by a random drawing.

500 Seasonal Recipes: Making the Most of Fresh Produce through Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter by Anne Hildyard. This cookbook has all the recipes you need to utilize fresh produce throughout the year to cook up some delicious food!

Here are the guidelines for participation:
1. Cook / Bake any dessert with "Fresh Produce" as the star ingredient. Use any vegetable and/or fruit of your choice but keep it vegetarian and nonalcoholic. Eggs are allowed only in baking.
2. The event runs thru the month of January and the last day to send entries would be 31st January, 2012. Please provide a link to this event announcement page and to CookEatDelicious.com in your post.
3. Use of logo is optional but appreciated. It would help to spread the word about the event.

4. New entries are preferred, with archived ones being re-posted.
5. Multiple entries are accepted with only one going towards the giveaway.
6. Non-bloggers are welcome to send in their entry. Just attach a photo & full recipe.
7. Email me about your entry at toveggieplatter@hotmail.com with the following details.
Your name
Your location
Recipe name
Recipe URL
Photo URL
8. Post a comment in this post after emailing me so that your entry is not missed in my spam folder!

That means all you have to do to participate in this event and become eligible to win the above book is prepare desserts with fruits and/or vegetables of your choice and send it to me. The roundup of the event and details of the winner would be published by the first week of February. I would be waiting for all those mouthwatering desserts from your kitchens. :)

Comments

Green Peas Curry in Coconut Milk Sauce

2011-12-31T13:57:00.000-06:00

Standing on the threshold of new year, this one is going to be my last post for the year 2011. This yummy, mild curry is intended for events hosted by some dear blogger buddies. :)

Ingredients: (Yield 2 -3 servings)
1- 2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 onions, minced
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add onion and saute until translucent. Then add the tomatoes and cook until mushy. Next add the frozen peas, salt, turmeric powder and chili powder. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. Slowly stir in the coconut milk and cook on low flame. Turn off the heat when it starts to boil.
Let it sit for a few minutes before serving since it thickens after cooking.
Serve this with rotis.

This is on it's way to
Cooking with Seeds - Peas, an event by Priya Suresh.
HLI - Peas, hosted by Veena, an event by Kalyani.
MLLA, hosted by Kiran, an event by Susan.

Comments

Rava Idli / Semolina Idli

2011-12-29T22:43:00.003-06:00

Usually the store bought mixes can never compete with homemade stuff in quality or taste. However MTR's rava idli mix is an exception and no homemade mix can beat this. It is obvious of course, since MTR is the creator of rava idli mix.

MTR is such an iconic brand that it hardly needs any introduction among its Indian customers. The abbreviation MTR stands for "Mavalli Tiffin Rooms", a famous restaurant in Bangalore. And for the non locals, the word MTR is synonymous with the delicious instant food mixes the company markets under the same brand name. I had read about the man behind this giant food empire once on a Kannada website and thought about sharing it here.

The person who was responsible for the growth and the tremendous success and popularity of MTR is late Mr. Yagnyanarayana Maiya. Born in a poor family as one of the 9 kids, he could not pursue education because of his family circumstances. He began cooking at weddings and other functions when no choice was left and thus began his career in the food industry.

In the meantime, two of his brothers who were also cooks started "Brahmin's coffee club" on Lalbagh road, Bangalore in 1924. It became quite popular in a short period of time but when one of his brothers passed away, Mr. Yagnanarayana stepped in, to fill in his place.

Besides being an expert cook, he was strictly disciplined and honest in his work. He had set standards for himself that his hotel would be not one among others but it would be the topmost. He gave utmost importance to hygeine and the taste of the food. To him, nothing was important than customers' happiness. He would diligently pick all the ingredients needed for cooking at his hotel.

During 1950, his European tour to study the restaurants there, had further strengthened his beliefs in serving hygienic, high standard food to his customers. After his trip, he revamped his hotel, changed the name to "Mavalli Tiffin Rooms" which became popular as MTR.

One of the interesting tidbits I read about him was he would never allow to use the rice batters ( like the idli batter) after 9 am since it starts to go sour at that time. He would throw away the batter in the gutter instead of serving his customers sour idlis.

Being a creative person, he came up with this rava idli mix during second world war when there was shortage of rice. Up until then people knew only about rice - urad dal idlis.

Ingredients: (Yield 16 idlis)

Semolina / Sooji / Rava - 1.5 cups

Salt to taste

2 - 3 Tbsp fresh/frozen green peas

2 - 3 Tbsp grated carrot

1 Tbsp minced cilantro

1 to1.5 tsp baking soda

1 & 3/4 cups yogurt (Fatfree yogurt will do. Half the quantity of yogurt can be substituted with water but don't skip the yogurt. )

For tadka:

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp chana dal / Bengal gram

1 Tbsp urad dal / Black gram

1 Tbsp mustard seeds

2 Tbsp cashews

1/2 tsp grated ginger

Few minced curry leaves

1 - 2 finely minced green / red chillies (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger. Fry until it turns golden brown and then add the other tadka ingredients.

2. When the dals turn reddish, add semolina and fry on medium flame until it starts to change color. Add salt and mix well. Let cool.

* If idlis are not prepared immediately, this mix can be stored for months in a closed container. Add baking soda while making the batter.

3. To the mixture that has come to room temperature, add yogurt (or yogurt + water) and baking soda and mix well. Leave the mixture to rest for about 5 - 10 minutes. Then add the grated carrot, peas and cilantro to the batter and combine well.

4. Grease the idli plates and pour the batter into idli moulds. Steam them until done.

Serve with saagu as they do in Bangalore restaurants or with chutney or sambhar.

Rava idli is my "most favorite" among idlis and so, I thought of posting it on last day of BM#11 under the theme "idlis". Check here to find out what my fellow marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

And my posts during this BM with "Mix and Match" themes.
Lunchbox - Quinoa Khichdi
Bihari Cusine - Thekua
Kids Delight - Color Palette - Cilantro Carrot Rice
Eggless Baking - Eggless Brownie Cookies
Holiday Cooking - Eggless Almond Moon Cookies
Preps & Preserves - Chhena & Chhena Halwa

Comments

Homemade Chhena & Chhena Halwa

2011-12-28T23:38:00.001-06:00

We ~~are still in fall season~~ just entered winter season but as usual we already had our share of bone chilling temperatures and snowfalls (though less than usual). Chicago's notorious gusty winds makes it further worse. What do weather has to do with my blogging, you ask? Then read on. I prefer to take pictures in natural light and it gets quite crazy in this season. I should say that it would be hell up until March, if you decide to take pictures outdoors. There would be more cloudy days than sunny ones and in either case, one wants to curl up on the couch than being outdoors. My inexperience in taking pictures indoors, lousy weather and my basic camera are not helping. It was around minus 7 deg C on the day I took the pictures for most of my posts during this marathon. I decided to take the pictures for many dishes that day just because it was very sunny. I went out into my kitchen balcony to take shots without the gloves on. Within 30 seconds, I was turning hot water in the kitchen sink to help my hands that have gone numb. It was that chillingly cold and my husband couldn't understand why I was torturing myself in the name of blogging. :) That is the reason why I couldn't post any good picture for bread crumbs last week or for today's chhena post. And so kindly bear with me.

Today's post comes under "preps and preserves" theme. Sometimes I end up with fullfat milk that is past due date. I have read somewhere that it is safe to use for a couple of days more the past date since the date mentioned on the can is the selling date and not the expiry date of the milk. Only kids drink fullfat milk at my home and so, if any milk is past sell date or starts smelling / tasting different even before that date, I just make paneer or chhena with it and stash it in the freezer.
Paneer is the only cheese native to Indian subcontinent and is vegetarian. Paneer and chhena are the base ingredients for many Bengali desserts and preparing them at home is quite a simple process. They both involve the same steps of preparation except that the paneer is drained and pressed for long while chhena is the crumbly and moist form of paneer.

Ingredients & utensils needed:
1 litre of whole milk
1 Tbsp of vinegar or juice from a lime / lemon
A saucepan to boil the milk
A colander / strainer
Cheesecloth or a thin cotton cloth

Method:
* Bring the milk to boil in a saucepan.

* Lower the heat, add the vinegar or the lime juice to the milk and stir. The solid part, chhena starts separating from the liquid part which is called whey.

* When the chhena completely separates, turn off the stove. Let it sit for a couple of minutes.

* Then line a colander / strainer with the cheesecloth or the cotton cloth and pour the mixture into it. Bring the corners of the cloth together (with the chhena filtrate in it) and hold the bundle under running water to wash away the vinegar / lime juice residue.
* Collect the chhena filtrate and use as needed.

And here is a bonus recipe for today. This is one of my favorite sweets from childhood. Whenever the milk split & curdled at home, my mother used to prepare this yummy halwa.

Ingredients:
Chhena - 1 cup
Semolina / rava - a little less than 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Food color - A pinch (Optional. I happened to use it only because the color was next to the cardamom bottle. :))

Method:
Just mix all the ingredients in a nonstick pan and cook on low flame until semolina is cooked. It is that easy but make sure that you haven't drained all the liquid from the chhena during the filtering process since the moisture from the chhena is needed to cook the semolina.

This is going to be my day 6 post in BM#11 with "preps and preserves" theme. Check here to find out what my fellow marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

Comments

Eggless Almond Moon Cookies

2011-12-27T22:31:00.013-06:00

Love at first bite. :)

It is hard to escape from the magic of festivities and the baking spree going on in the blogosphere during this holiday season. And yet this post is here not for that reason. The month of December and Christmas are special to me too, though not for the obvious reasons. I was brought into this world by my wonderful mother on Christmas day and my blog was also born this month. While I turned 30+ something this Sunday, my blog turned 5 a couple of weeks ago. And I thought of celebrating the occasions with these delicious, melt in the mouth kind cookies.

First of all I would like to mention that I am not good in gushing about things I have come to love in this culinary journey or present a dish emphatically / humorously to convey the "awesome"ness (if there is such a word) of a recipe. It is really hard for a person like me who loves to live in her own cocoon but still I would unabashedly love to proclaim that these cookies are really awesome. Just a bite into it, I knew that this is going to be one of those cherished recipes one would love to treasure. One of the local shows on TV featured these cookies as a part of holiday celebrations and I was instantly attracted to the recipe since they were eggless. After trying these cookies, I was so glad that I did not miss the show that day and could get hold of this amazing recipe. They are crunchy and at the same time have a crumbly and melt in mouth kind of texture. Just try them once and I am sure this would find a permanent place in your recipe repertoire.
Don't skip the sugar dusting; without it the cookies are barely sweet. At first bite, you think they are just subtly sweet but after completing the cookie, you realise that that is the right amount of sweetness you need in a cookie.

Ingredients: (Yield 28 cookies. I halved the recipe and got 15 cookies.)
Unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature - 2 sticks (16 tablespoons or 1 cup)
Confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar 1/4 cup + 1 cup for coating the cookies after they're baked (I used about 2 - 3 Tbsp for coating)
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Almonds, slivered, finely chopped - 1 cup

Prep work:
1. Put the butter out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before the cookies are made. Or nuke the butter in a microwave just to soften it.
2. Grease the baking sheets.
3. Sift the all purpose flour and sugar seperately. Keep aside.
4. Toast and chop the almonds.

Method:
1. Put the greased baking sheet(s) in the freezer. (I did this eventhough it was not mentioned. Somewhere in the prep work, it was mentioned that doughballs need to be placed in the refrigerator but I did not see the step mentioned in the recipe given. I therefore chilled the baking sheet.)
2. Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer / hand mixer.
3. Slowly add in the 1/4 cup sugar, the flour, and the vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Turn off the mixer and slowly add the chopped almonds. Mix until the almonds are just combined, about 1 minute.
5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
6. Use the cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough, and place those balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Try not to touch the dough balls, as doing so will warm the dough. (I did not have a cookie scoop and so I just used a tablespoon. I quickly patted the dough into the measuring spoon using my fingertips and it did not matter.)

7. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly brown.

8. Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack. Pour the remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar into a low bowl and roll the cooled cookies around in it until covered.

9. If they are not gone by the day they are made, take the trouble to store them in a sealed, airtight container at room temperature.

Note:

The cook mentioned that the dough can be frozen upto two months.

This is going to be my day 5 post in BM#11 with "holiday cooking" theme. Check here to find out what my fellow marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

These are being sent to the following events -
Bake Fest # 2, hosted by Sangee, originally started by Vardhini

Bake With Your Heart

by Khushi
CC - Holiday Baking by Sravs

Christmas Delicacy

by Julie
Let's Cook - Baked Goodies, an event by Radhika.

Sinful Delights hosted by Vardhini

Sweet Baked at

Krithis

and

Dennys

.

Comment

Eggless Brownie Cookies

2011-12-26T22:31:00.005-06:00

This is one of cocoa recipes that I bookmarked recently to try. If my memory serves me right, it must be from diabetic living website. The recipe attracted me since it was mentioned that these cookies taste like rich brownies and to top that, they were eggless. The recipe is quite an easy one and so I tried them around 11 pm last night when I was not feeling sleepy. :)
The recipe mentioned that the cookies would be set by 8 - 10 minutes. The scoops of dough remained unaltered in shape until the sixth minute and so my daughter and I sat in the kitchen thinking that they would be ready by the next couple of minutes. However, after that period, they started to spread and began to become almost gooey. I thought that this experiment was going to end in a disaster and started to curse myself for trying those at the middle of the night. However, I kept them baking for around 8 - 10 minutes more and removed them thinking that probably they would end up in trash.
Nope, I was wrong. They were absolutely delicious and crispy. I forgot to sprinkle the powdered sugar at that hour but they were absolutely good. They are very dark brown in color, just like brownies but were perfectly done. They were more like chocolate cookies than brownies and received more than a seal of approval from my kids. I need to bake one more batch this week. :)

Ingredients:
(The following ingredients yield 24 cookies. If you want to halve the recipe to get a dozen cookies, use the ingredients mentioned in the parentheses / brackets. )
1 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup butter (2 Tbsp)
2/3 cup sugar (5 Tbsp)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Heaped 2 Tbsp)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (2 Tbsp)
1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk* (2 Tbsp)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon sifted powdered sugar (I didn't use it. )
Note
* To make 1/4 cup sour milk, pour 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1/4 cup total liquid; stir. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using

Method:
1. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in sugar, cocoa powder and brown sugar. Add buttermilk, vanilla and flour. Stir just until combined. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour. When you remove the dough out, it would be firm.
2. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
3. Drop chilled dough by rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. The cookies will spread while baking and so space them accordingly.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. (Actually I baked around 16 - 18 minutes since they were not set by 10 minutes and were almost at semi liquid stage.)
5. Transfer to a wire rack after a couple of minutes and let cool.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This is my day 4 post in BM#11 with "eggless baking" theme. Check here to find out what my fellow marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

I am sending these to the following events -
Bake Fest # 2, hosted by Sangee, originally started by Vardhini

Bake With Your Heart

by Khushi
CC - Holiday Baking by Sravs

Christmas Delicacy

by Julie
Let's Cook - Baked Goodies, an event by Radhika.

Sinful Delights hosted by Vardhini

Sweet Baked at

Krithis

and

Dennys

.

Comments

Cilantro - Carrot Rice

2011-12-25T22:33:00.002-06:00

For day 3 of blogging marathon#11, here is a delicious idea for lunchbox. Aromatic cilantro, healthy carrot and flavorful spices combine in this yummy rice. No need to alter the ingredients if serving older kids and for younger ones, just reduce the spice levels. This is going to Veena's "Kid's Delight - Color Palette", an event originally started by Srivalli.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups rice (Preferably Sona masuri)
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
3 one inch pieces of cinnamon
6 cloves
2 green chillies (I used Serrano Peppers. Adjust the quantity if using other variety.)
1/4 cup grated, fresh / frozen coconut (Thaw if using frozen.)
2 cups packed cilantro leaves
2 carrots (about 1.5 cup peeled and grated carrot)
Salt to taste
For Tadka: 1 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp chana dal / Bengal gram, 1 tsp mustard seeds, few cashews / peanuts

Method:
* Cook rice adding 3 cups of water. Let cool and fluff.

* Heat 2 Tbsp of oil and add ginger to the same oil and fry until golden brown. Then add cloves, cinnamon and chillies to it and fry them for a few seconds. Then add cilantro leaves and fry until they are wilted. Turn off the stove and let cool. Add coconut to it and grind into a paste without adding any water.

* Heat a Tbsp of oil in a pan and add chana dal, peanuts/cashews and mustard seeds. Fry until peanuts and chanadal turn golden brown and then add grated carrot. Cook until it is done.
* Next add the cilantro - coconut paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Then add the cooked rice and salt. Stir well to combine.

Check here to find out what my fellow marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

Comments

Bihari Cuisine ~ Thekua / Khajur

2011-12-25T00:06:00.003-06:00

I had prepared thekuas for this month's Indian Cooking Challenge in advance but unfortunately could not post it on time. The day I was supposed to post them, I hurt my hand and couldn't draft the post. My hand was jammed in between while accidentally our van door closed. Literally my right hand was half inside and half outside when the door was locked. I had to thank God that my hand was not broken that day.
I thought of posting it today since it fits both "Bihar dishes" & "Holiday cooking" themes. Holidays are "festivals" in India and we Indians have no dearth of them. One or other religious celebration would be waiting for us on turn of each page of calendar, if we really care to accommodate them in our busy schedules. And obviously like other cultures, Indian celebrations too revolve around good food. When taking about good food, sweet dishes steal the show like the other regions of the world. However most of the stuff is deep fried and there are hardly dishes involving baking since ovens are not part of a traditional Indian kitchen setup. Since cookies, cakes and other decadent desserts are reigning the blogosphere this month, today I thought of posting thekua, a regional cookie from India. Thekua, also known as khajoor or khajur is from Bihar and Jharkhand regions and is one of their revered prasads, offering to gods. This sweet and crispy dessert is prepared with whole wheat flour, sugar and coconut. It can be stored for a few days and hence an apt one to carry during travels.

Ingredients to make 20 thekuas:
2 cups wheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 Tbsp grated, dried coconut / copra (or cut into tiny bits)
3 Tbsp solidified ghee
1/4 cup semolina / sooji / rava
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar, powdered
Water / milk to make the dough (I used 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp of water.)
2 cups oil / ghee to fry the thekuas
(A special mould is used to shape these cookies.)

Method:
* Combine wheatflour, semolina, cardamom, sugar and coconut in a bowl. Add ghee and mix to form a crumbly mixture. Then add water little by little to form a stiff dough.
* Roll out the dough into 1 '' thickness and cut out into shapes desired.
* Heat oil / ghee in a small wok or kadai. When it is hot, drop them gently into the oil and fry them until golden brown on low flame.
Remove them with a slotted ladle and drain them on paper towels. Let cool and store them in an airtight container.

Verdict:
They have a melt in mouth kind texture and very addictive. We all enjoyed them.

Check here to find out what my fellow marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

Comments

Quinoa Khichdi ~ Spicy Quinoa - Toordal Stew

2011-12-23T18:15:00.003-06:00

Second week of blogging marathon #11 starts from today and I have chosen to go with "Mixed themes" for this week. My pick for today is lunchbox theme and so here is quinoa khichdi, a flavorful and healthy one pot dish. It is quick and simple to put together (especially in an Indian kitchen) and so qualifies for lunchboxes or quick fix meals on busy nights.

Ingredients for 2 servings:
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup toordal
3/4 cup chopped vegetables (I used carrot, beans, potatoes and tomato.)
A pinch of turmeric powder
1.5 tsp sambhar powder
1.5 Tbsp tamarind puree or to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt to taste
For tadka: 1 Tbsp ghee / oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, few curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida powder

Method:
* Wash quinoa and toordal with plenty of water by rubbing them in between your fingers and drain.
Add quinoa, toordal, turmeric, vegetables and about a cup of water to a container and cook in a pressure cooker. Alternatively, the ingredients can be cooked in a saucepan on stove top until toordal turns mushy.
* Melt ghee in another pan / a small kadai and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Then add the cooked quinoa - dal mixture, sambhar powder, salt, chili powder and tamarind to it. Add about 1/2 cup of water if needed, to reach the desired consistency. Mix well and cook for about five minutes. Turn off the stove and serve warm with papad / potato chips.

This goes to MLLA - 42, hosted by Kiran, an event by Susan.
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Homemade Yogurt / Perugu

2011-12-22T20:23:00.009-06:00

A simple breakfast - Strained / hung yogurt, kiwis, walnuts drizzled with honey.

Milk, yogurt and ghee - this trio of dairy products have a special place in Indian kitchen and are consumed on a daily basis for their health benefits. A freshly made batch of yogurt appears daily at the dinner table and eaten at the end of a meal either plain or along with rice for its digestive & cooling properties. Also it helps to soothe the palate after a spicy meal. Besides, yogurt can be a star in many dishes like these ones. BTW, yogurt goes by the name curd in India. It is perugu in Telugu, mosaru in Kannada, thayir in Tamil and dahi in Hindi.

Preparing yogurt at home is another basic and essential step in Indian kitchens and making yogurt is child's play, literally. Homemade version tastes better, is economical and free of unwanted chemicals and sugars. Using a good starter / yogurt culture and letting the yogurt set in a warm place are the only two points to be taken care of while making yogurt at home. The type of starter determines the quality of your yogurt and so, choosing a good starter is the key for making delicious yogurt. Starter is nothing but a few spoons of fresh yogurt. In India, good starters can be borrowed from neighbors or even store bought yogurt sometimes taste good and can be used. I have learnt from experience that when you live abroad, it may be difficult sometimes to get Indian style yogurt with that characteristic texture and taste. When you move out of the country, you will realize how you cherish those small things that you take granted back home. :(

For a true desi style yogurt experience, try your desi neighbors / colleagues, restaurants or even temples that has food service. They would be happy to share some yogurt with you. In the recent years, I have noticed that Indian grocers are carrying "desi dahi". I have tasted it but don't consider it as a substitute for an authentic Indian style yogurt but it is better than the sticky ones sold in supermarkets.

Making yogurt is the last thing probably an Indian wife does each night so that she has a fresh batch of yogurt to serve at lunch the next day. Preparation of yogurt is a simple chore done everyday without giving much thought to it. In India, generally full fat cow / buffalo milk is bought fresh each morning and boiled before consuming since it is unpasteurised. Excess milk is bought than needed for tea/coffee preparations and the leftover milk is used to prepare yogurt.

Yogurt preparation is actually a simple and quick process. All you need is milk and a couple of spoons of yogurt. Any milk will do - fatfree, low fat or full fat milk. I usually just heat about 4 cups of milk in the microwave for about 4 - 5 minutes since I use pasteurised, fatfree milk. And below is the way how it is done in India normally.

How much milk you need depends upon how much yogurt you would want to make. Just rinse the pan you are going to use to boil milk and add milk to it. This is a small step I follow to let the milk not scorch. Start heating milk on low flame in a sauce pan / non stick pan suitable for stove top cooking. Usually a steel vessel is used in India for this job. Remember to stay around when you are heating milk. If heated on high flame, you will end up with a scorched milk and also there is the possibility of milk boiling over the stove and that means a messy stove to cleanup. After a few minutes, you will notice that a thin layer of cream starts forming on the top. The milk starts bubbling and boiling over. At this point, either you can turn off the stove or simmer a few minutes to get a thick layer of cream.

Do you see the cream layer on top? Now wait until the milk becomes lukewarm. For about 4 cups of milk, I add about 1 - 2 tsp of yogurt / starter / live culture. Add a small piece of dried red chili, or a piece of green chili or a few peppercorns to the milk to ensure that yogurt is set fast. This is an optional step but I usually follow it.

Set in a warm place to set. The weather determines how quick your yogurt sets. On hot days, it sets quickly and also turns sour quickly if left at room temperature. If it is really cold like here in Chicago where the temperatures go below zero mark during fall & winters, the yogurt takes more than two days to set if left at room temperature and tastes not so good. During cold weather, I usually leave it overnight in my oven with the light on so that I will have my yogurt ready by morning. Refrigerate it until use or else it will go sour.

Tips:

1. If you want to have strained yogurt or a thick yogurt to make shrikhand or other desserts , pour the yogurt in a cheese cloth or thin cotton cloth, tie up into a bundle and put it in a colander to drain. Keep a bowl underneath to catch the drips. Place the colander and bowl in a refrigerator to avoid yogurt going sour.

2. If you want to have a healthy drink on hot days, add a cup of water to a cup of chilled yogurt. Churn it for a few seconds until you get an uniform consistency, add a pinch of salt and drink. This is called butter milk in India though the original buttermilk is the one leftover after churning the cream to produce butter.

Here I drained the fatfree yogurt slightly and served it with kiwi pieces, walnuts and honey.

This is going to be my Day 7 post under "Preps & Preserves" during BM#11. Check here to know what my fellow marathoners are cooking today.

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