Pav Bhaji

Hope all you out there having a nice, fun-filled holidays. For us it's being a relaxed holiday, not much cooking, lot more shopping. Here is my quick last post for this year :) See you all next year.
Wishing all a peaceful new year 2011.

Ingredients:
1 big onion finely chopped
3 tomatoes
1/2 cauliflower
1 big green pepper
1 carrot
2 small potatoes
3 green chilies
1 tbsp ginger-garlic (homemade)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriender powder
1 1/2 tsp pav bhaji masala
Cilantro chopped for garnish

Pressure cook all the veggies except onion & tomatoes for 7-10 mins and let it cool.
Smashed the veggies and keep aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat 2-3 tbsp of oil(mix of butter and oil), add chopped onions and fry until golden brown, add ginger-garlic paste & saute for 1 min.
Add all the powders, mix well and add tomatoes cover & cook until the tomatoes are smashed in medium flame.
Now add the 1/2 tsp pav bhaji masala and mix well. cook for 2-3 mins until the masala blend with onion & tomatoes.
Add smashed veggies and 1 tsp pav bhaji masala and salt for taste and cook for 5 - 10 mins in the medium flame,stir occasionally.
Turn off the flame and garnish with cilantro.
Serve the bhaji with chopped onion & slice of lemon and Pav.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

A blasting news in Seattle right now is "Cold"... we having a super super icy weather from Sunday night.. It snowed just 1-2 inches and outcome was terrible... for about 50000 people no power from past 48 hours or so , you can imagine how we all dependent on the power. Hoping for a better temperature for the long weekend.

It's been a month I haven't bake...got some baking cookbooks from a book fair and indulge to this recipe..A morning cuppa coffee and a choco biscotti on a freezing cold....

Ingredients:
1 cup hazelnuts
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 granulated sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
3 large eggs
1 handful of bittersweet chocolate chips
1 large egg white for brushing
coarse sanding sugar

1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven at 350F. Line a baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a small baking tray, place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until they are lightly colored and the skins are blistered and cracking, 5 to 10 mins. Wrap in a kitchen towel and let steam for 1 min. Rub the nuts in the towel as many of the skins as possible, set aside to cool completely. Coarsely chop the hazelnuts.
3. In a medium bowl,whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter,sugar and salt to medium speed until light fluffy 2-3 mins, scraping down the sides of the bowl, Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until blended.
5. With the mixer on low speed,add the dry ingredients and beat until the flour is absorbed. Fold in the chocolate and the chopped hazelnuts.
6. On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll with lightly floured hands make a 17 inches long and 11/2 inches wide. Carefully, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 20 mins.
7. Remove the logs from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 mins, Using the knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into slices about 3/4 inch thick. Return the slices to the baking sheet, laying each one on its side, and bake until the biscotti are completely fried and crisp, about 10-15 mins.
8. Cool the biscotti for 10 mins on the baking sheet on a wire rack. The n transfer them to the rack with a metal spatula and let cool completely.

9. Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Rose Jam Bars

Last week while shopping groceries at international market I came across something that I was wanting for longtime  "Rose Jam" and wanted to make use of it in a different way instead of just spreading on the bread, did some reaserch on web, found something similar recipe "starberry jam bar", subsituted "rose" instead of strawberries and I should admit 'The Bars' came out pretty well.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 tbsp Honey
1-1/4 cup of All purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon, nutmeg
2/3 cup of Rose Jam
1/4 cup of Almonds chopped

Preheat the oven at 350 F
In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and honey.Combine the flour,baking powder, ground spices.
Gradually add to the butter mixture.
Divide the dough in half, spread one portion into a lightly greased 9 inch sqaure baking pan.Spread with jam.
Drop remaining dough by teaspoonfuls over jam, Sprinkle the chopped almonds.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Note: You can store the cut bars in a airtight container for a week.

Pumpkin Spice Short Cakes

Happy Halloween to all out there who celebrating. Seattle is looking so gorgerous and splashed with colors like oranges, red and green.. maples leaves, apples, pumpkins.Well, I am not a big fan of pumpkin but since it's season to celebrate thought will bake some....

1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (I prepared it at home you can also use canned)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground nutmeg

Prepare cake pans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat cake pans with softened butter and set aside.

Make the batter: Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed. Add the sugars and mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light. Set aside. Combine the pumpkin purée, buttermilk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. In thirds, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, blending well after each addition until smooth.

Bake the cake: Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean -- 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan on wire racks for 30 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and return to the wire racks until completely cool.

Aloo Palak ~ Potato Spinach Curry

A big thanks to Manju @ Mirch Masala  for introducing me to  "Full Circle Farm". I'm glad that I found this service. A box of fresh Vegetables and fruits on every wednesday morning at doorstep oh! no grocery shopping.. I'm we are loving it. This week delivery included fresh Spinach, Idaho potatoes and I can't think of any other recipe than "aloo palak" which is quick and simple to go with chapathis, pulkas or even with plain white rice.

Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Palak/Spinach
1 big Potato cut into cubes
1 big Onion chopped
2 Tomato chopped
3 Green chilies
Fresh ginger slice(Crush & paste using pestle mortor)
2 Garlic cloves(Crush & paste using pestle mortor)
1/2 tsp Coriender powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Whole masala( 2 Cloves, 3-4 Peppercorns,1" cinnamon, 1 small cardamom, 1 tsp cumin seeds)

Boil water and cook palak and green chilies until the leaves are soft and tender. Let it cool
In a heavy pan heat 3 tbsp oil add whole masalas and cuminseeds. when seeds starts splutters add chopped onions and saute for a min.
Once the onions are golden add ginger-garlic paste and saute.
Now add all the powders and mix well.Let the masala and onions combine well.
Add potatoes,tomatoes mix well add salt and reduce the heat, cover and cook until the potato soft(occasionally saute)
Meanwhile, Grind the palak and greenchilies to fine paste.
Once the tomatoes and potatoes are well combine finally add the ground palak-paste (add water depending on how thin the curry you want)and cook for 5-10 mins in low flame
Serve with hot pulkas, rotis,chapathis.

Fall and Upside-down Apple Cake

Halo! how are you all doing? last month on been busy..got a new job and life has become routine but I'm loving it. My favourite season is approaching and thought of baking a season's apple cake.
This recipe is from the Cookbook"Food and Wine".

Ingredients

Apples
 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
2 Golden Delicious apples-peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk

1.PREPARE THE APPLES: Preheat the oven to 350° and line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, blend the butter with the brown sugar and salt. Spread the mixture evenly in the lined cake pan. Arrange the apples wedges in the pan in 2 concentric circles.

2.MAKE THE CAKE: In the same bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix the eggs with the milk and vanilla. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Scrape the batter over the apples and spread evenly. Bake the cake in the lower third of the oven until golden and springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3.Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Run the tip of a knife around the inside rim of the pan. Center a serving plate over the cake; carefully invert the the cake and plate. Remove the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Let the cake cool completely.
4.MAKE THE GLAZE: In a small bowl, stir the confectioners' sugar with the milk and drizzle it over the cake. Cut into wedges and serve.

Homemade Raspberry Jam

Last weekend been to Pikemarket(One of famous public market in Seattle) and got some fresh berries. Since, longtime I wanted to make homemade jam and found simple jam recipe on http://www.epicurious.com/

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Sugar

• 2 cups Raspberries

In a ovensafe pan add sugar, warm the sugar at  250°F for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better.)
In the stainless steel saucepan, add the raspberries and mash it with a potato masher as they heat. Bring it to boil, stirring constantly.
Add warm sugar, return to a boil, and boil until mixture will form a gel about 5 minutes.
Once the jam cools down pour it to glass container and preserve for a week.

Aloo Sabji - Rajasthani Style

One of the easiest sidedish to make is aloo subji/potato stir fry and it is prepared in several ways in different parts of India. In southern part, it's stir fried and blended with coconut and in north it'xs sprinkled with garam masalas.
This time I tried a authentic rajasthani style aloo sabji with yogurt and gram flour. It tastes bit sour because of yogurt.

 

Ingredients:
2 big Potatoes/Aloo (peeled, boiled and cut into cubes)
1 cup Yogurt beaten
1 tsp Besan/Gram flour
1 tsp roasted Coriender-Cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Tempering:
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Kalonji/ Onion seeds
2 Cloves
1 inch Cinnamon stick
1 Bay leaf
Oil
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder

In a bowl mix gram flour and yogurt.keep aside
Heat a 2 tbsp of oil in heavy saucepan, Add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin, fennel, kalonji, cloves, cinnamon , bay leaf and asatoetida powder and saute for few seconds.
Add gramflour-yogurt mixture and bring to boil.
Now, add the cut potatoes/aloo and salt mix well and add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook in a low flame for 5-10 mins or until it's combine
It's ideal for rotis and chapathis  

Tindoora in Coconut gravy - South-Indian style

Ingredients:
20-25 Tindoora
small lemon size Tamarind
1 tsp Jaggery
Salt to taste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Gravy:
1 1/2 tsp Coriender seeds
1tsp Black gram
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp Seasme seeds
4-5 Red chilies
1/2 cup coconut grated
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder

Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Black gram
2 Red chilies
Few curry leaves

• In a pestle and mortor punch the tindooras
• Boil the water in a heavy pot, add turmeric powder, few curry leaves(keep half aside for garnishing)  and tindooras, cover and cook in low flame until the tindooras are soft and tender.
• Meanwhile, dry roast the ingredients from gravy list except coconut. Grind with coconut by adding water to fine paste.
• Once the tindoora are cooked add tamarind paste, salt to taste, jaggery and ground paste. Mix well and cook in low flame for 15-20 mins or until combine.
• Laslty, heat a small pan add 2 tsp oil, mustard seeds, black gram, chilies and asafoetida powder, when mustard seeds splutters mix it with gravy.
• Garnish with leftover curry leaves.
• Serve with hot white rice.

Mushroom Biryani

Off lately, biryani is becoming a sunday treat for us. After trying out various method, I'm stick to the traditional way of cooking in low flame with tight sealed for about 60-90 minutes gives biryani a nice aromatic flavour.  

Ingredients:
8-9 Mushrooms cut into slices
2 cups Basmati Rice
1 Onion sliced
2 Tomato finely chopped
2 Bay leaf
1 cup Coconut milk
1 tsp Sindhi biryani masala
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Ghee or Oil
2 tsp Lemon juice
Salt - to taste
few Coriander leaves finely chopped
few Mint leaves finely chopped
7-8 paneer cubes
2 bread cut into cubes

Paste :
1 tsp Fennel seeds
2 inch Cinnamon stick
4 Cloves
4-5 Green chilies
1 inch Ginger
2 Garlic

Sealing:
wheat flour dough(Wheat flour depends on the size of pan I used 2 cups of wheat flour and water to make a dough)

• Soak the rice in water for 30 mins. Grind the ginger, garlic, green chilies, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds to fine paste by adding little water.
• Heat ghee or Oil in a heavy saucepan. Add bay leaf and fry for a minute. Add sliced onion and fry till it turns into golden brown in color.
• Add ground paste, biryani masala, turmeric and fry till raw smell goes off.
• Add chopped tomatoes and salt cover and cook for 2-3 mins or until the tomatoes are smashed Stir occasionally.
• Add Mushroom pieces and fry until it becomes soft  Add Chopped Coriander and Mint leaves and cook until it is combine.
• Then add soaked basmati rice and fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till the water evaporates from the rice. 
• Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of coconut milk(for biryani water measurement is 1 cup rice =1 1/2 cups of water)salt and lemon juice.
• Cover the lid and seal the dough thoroughly around the pan and cook in low medium flame for 60-90mins.
• Meanwhile, shallow fry the bread cubes and paneer cubes.Once the biryani is cooked granish it with paneer and bread cubes.

Serve with raita.

Cucumber Chutney

This recipe is from cookbook "Cooking at home with Pedatha. An authentic recipe of Andhra. The blend of tamarind, flavour of sesame seeds powder with cucumber gives a petulant taste. It goes well with chapathis.rotis and dosas.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cucumber peeled and chopped in 1inch long and 1/2 inch cube
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 
• 2 tsp Sambar powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Sesame seeds  
• 1 tbsp Jaggery
• 3 tbspTamarind pulp
• Oil
• Salt to taste
• Coriender leaves for garnish  

Tempering:

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp black gram
• 2 red chilies
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
• few curry leaves 

• Dry roast the sesame seeds and grind to fine powder. keep aside
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan, add mustard seeds when it splutters add black gram,curry leaves, red chilies and asafortida powder.
• Add chopped cucumber and saute for min, add turmeric, tamarind, sambar powder, sesame seeds powder, jaggery. Cover and cook in a low flame until the cucumber are tender.
• Laslty, add the salt, mix well and granish with finely chopped coriender leaves.

Kiwifruit Pistacho Bread

I have been looking for Kiwifruit recipes on web and found this one interesting and simple. I made this with little of variation by adding nutty kutty pistachos and a desi touch by adding cardamom powder. It tastes bit sour-sweet with wonderful caradamom aroma.

5-6 med. ripe kiwi fruits
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped pistachos
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Wash and peel the fruit. Chop finely  to make 1 1/2 cups.
Heat a pan add chopped fruit and sugar.
Bring to a boil, stirring until fruit loses some of its color. Allow to cool.
Beat eggs and oil well.
 Blend together flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the baking soda to cooked kiwi mixture. Stir until bubbles form.
Add this to the egg mixture and then add flour mixture, Pistachos and cardamom powder to it.
Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour the mixture into a well greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees about 55 minutes.
Cool in pan 10 minutes and turn out onto wire rack.

Enjoy when its warm or at room temperature.

Bitter Gourd fry

Because of it's bitterness, for some it's a favourite and for some it's not.
From Health standpoint, consuming of cooked bittermelon reduces risk of diabetics, bloodpressure and diffferent kinds of cancer.

Ingredients:
4 Bitter Gourd
1 Onion sliced
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder or depending on your taste
1 tbsp coriender powder
2 tbsp fennel seeds crushed
oil to fry
Salt

Peel the bittergourd and wash thoroughly. Cut in to round thin slices and add salt, mix and keep aside for about 3 hours.
Wash out thoroughly again and squeeze out excess water.
Heat the oil and fry the bittergourd unitl golden.
In a medium saucepan heat 2 tbsp oil add sliced onions and saute it until golden. Now, mix all the masala and salt as required and saute for a min.
Lastly, add fried bittergourd mix well, cover and cook for 4-5 mins in low flame.

It goes well with curd rice.

Sarson ka saag - Mustard leaves curry

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Mustard leaves
1 bunch of Spinach leaves
1 big Onion
2 Garlic
1 inch Ginger
3-4 Green chilies
2 tbsp Corn starch
Salt
oil
1 tsp Garam masala
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Wash the leaves and chopped roughly. Chop onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy saucepan, add chopped onion, galric, ginger, greenchilies and leaves saute for a min and add salt, cover it and cook until the leaves are done. Stir occasionally.

Once the leaves are cooked, wait until they cool down. Now, blend coarsely.

Heat  2 tsp of oil in same pan, add the grind paste and bring it to boil.

Serve with any rotis, or chapathis.

Mango Rasayana

Ingredients:
3 Mango(Peeled and smashed, disgard the seed)
3 tbsp Jaggery powdered.
1/4 tsp cardamom powdered
pinch of salt
1 cup grated coconut
Water

Blend the grated coconut and extract milk. In a serving bowl, add jaggery, cardamom, smashed mangoes, salt and coconut milk and mix well. If required add water/ milk and serve.

Cantaloupe Drink

Hope you all having wonderful summer! Had a amazing and refreshing vacation at Alaska. Weather in Alaska was moderate and when I landed here in seattle it was 90 F.So to beat the heat here is a refreshing drink. 

Ingredients:
2 cups Cantaloupe(Peeled and cut into cubes)
3 tbsp Jaggery
1/4 tsp Cardamom powered
Water

Blend Cantaloupe and Jaggery and water( as required) add cardamom.
Transfer to serving glass and Enjoy outdoor!