Cookery Corner

Apple Strudel

2008-07-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

I had some phyllo sheets hanging out in our refrigerator after making Spanakopita and was craving some dessert one fine evening. So I decided to make an apple strudel with it and was rather happy when it turned out pretty good with very little effort. The tip when working with phyllo sheets is to make sure that they are covered with a damp washcloth so they don't dry out. These sheets are particularly thin and easily prone to tearing.. particularly when brittle.

These apple strudels had a nice flaky crust and a warm, gooey, sweet filling and were absolutely delicious when paired with some cool ice cream.

APPLE STRUDEL

Ingredients:
Phyllo / Fillo sheets - 10, thawed
Apples - 2 medium, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
Raisins - 2 to 3 tbsp
Brown Sugar - 2 tbsp
Butter - 4 tbsp, softened
Whole wheat bread - 1 slice, powdered in a mixie to fine crumbs
Walnuts - 2 tbsp, chopped (optional)
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1) In a bowl toss the chopped apples, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, one tbsp butter, cinnamon & bread crumbs together.

2) Melt the remaining 3 tbsp of butter and keep aside.

3) Take one sheet of phyllo, brush some melted butter on it slightly and cover with another sheet, brush butter again and repeat until you have 5 sheets of phyllo.

4) Place half of the apple filling along the narrow edge of the top phyllo sheet and roll the whole thing up slowly, making sure to tuck/fold the sides as you go along.

5) Repeat the above step for the remaining 5 sheets of phyllo. We now have 2 rolls of apple strudel. Brush the tops with remaining butter.

6) Score the top of strudel roll 2 inches apart about half inch deep (so it's easier to cut when cooked).

7) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F for about 35 to 40 minutes, till golden.

8) Serve warm with a scoop (or two) of ice cream and Indulge!

Curried Egg Sandwich

2008-07-21T02:50:00.000-07:00

This post is what tempted me to make this delicious sandwich. I've had plain egg sandwiches before and though I ate them, simply because it was the only vegetarian option available at that place and time, I can't say I loved them - I found them too bland and overly creamy for my taste. But this one from Stefanie's blog is so flavorful and the spiced up, caramelized onions make this extremely delicious. I pretty much followed her recipe but made a couple of changes and it made for a lip-smacking lunch along with some oranges.

CURRIED EGG SANDWICH

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread - 2 slices

Egg - 1, hardboiled & peeled

Red Onion - quarter cup, chopped

Mayonnaise - 1 tsp

Mustard - a dash (not seeds but the condiment)

Sambar powder - half tsp

Salt & pepper to taste

Spinach leaves - to serve

Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1) This is the method I usually use to hardboil eggs. Place egg in a small pan and add enough water to just cover it. Heat and bring the water to a boil. Let this boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Switch off the flame, cover the saucepan and let sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. Perfectly hard-boiled eggs are ready. Now peel and cut into small cubes.

2) Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp of oil in a small pan and add the chopped onions, after about 3 minutes toss in a bit of salt and the sambar powder. Cook till they are browned and caramelized, stirring constantly.

3) In a small bowl, combine the chopped eggs, caramelized onions, mayonnaise, dash of mustard & salt and pepper to taste.

4) Toast the 2 slices of bread and layer one slice with washed and dried spinach leaves. Top with the egg mixture evenly, place another layer of spinach leaves and finally the second slice of bread. Enjoy !

Spanakopita

2008-07-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Spanakopita is a greek dish where a spinach & feta cheese mixture is stuffed inside or layered with phyllo dough. Though I have always wanted to taste this, I never got an opportunity to do so... but I tasted this Garlic Spinaci Pizza which had some garlicky spinach and feta cheese toppings and absolutely loved it, so I figured that I would definitely like the taste of spanakopita and decided to make it at home.

I've worked with Phyllo (or Filo) sheets before when making Baklava and they are quite easy to work with as long as some precautions are taken... These are extremely thin sheets and can very easily tear, dry up or turn brittle, but when covered with a damp towel and worked with quickly, one sheet at a time, they are quite flexible and easy to handle. What is good about these sheets are that they turn nice and crisp when baked and have very little fat in them and so are definitely a healthier option to puff pastry. The textures are different so they can't always be interchanged but some recipes work well with either of them.

My filling is not very traditional because I added some garlic, red chilli flakes and used a tomato-basil Feta but it was tasty nevertheless. These can also be made ahead, frozen and cooked when it's time to serve.

SPANAKOPITAS

Ingredients:
Phyllo sheets - about 10 to 15

Spinach (frozen) - 10 oz package, thawed and drained

Feta cheese crumbles - 4 oz pack

Onion - 1, chopped finely

Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped

All purpose flour - 1 tbsp

Eggs - 2 (I used about 1/3 cup Egg Beaters)

Red Chilli flakes - 1 tsp or to taste

Salt & Pepper - to taste
Olive oil - 2 tsp

Butter - 3 to 4 tbsp, melted

Method:

1) In a saucepan, heat oil and add the onions and garlic, when softened and edges are beginning to brown, add red chilli flakes and spinach .

2) Cook this with a bit of salt along with the tbsp of flour until the mixture is quite dry. Add some pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt because feta cheese is quite salty.

3) Transfer this to a bowl and add the egg and feta cheese and mix well. This is our stuffing.

4) Thaw the Phyllo sheets according to package directions and when ready, cover them with a damp (not wet) towel so they don't dry out.

5) Take a sheet of phyllo (keep the rest still covered) and brush lightly with melted butter and lay another sheet of phyllo on top. Brush the top with a bit of butter as well and cut it into 3 long strips.

6) Place about a tbsp of the filling at the bottom half of each strip in one corner and fold to form a triangle. Keep folding them over, alternating sides moving up the strip as you do so. The butter brushed on top will help seal it.

7) Repeat this for the remaining filling. Place the spanakopitas on a large baking sheet and brush tops with remaining melted butter.

8) Bake this in a pre-heated oven at 350F for about 45 minutes or till done, turning over once if the bottoms get too brown.

Sodhi

2008-07-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ever since I first got introduced to aapam and stew (thanks to my keralite neighbours) that was my preferred combination, though I would indulge a little bit in the aapam + sweetened coconut milk combination as well. Whenever I pestered my mom to make potato stew with aapams she would remark how this is similar to what she had as a kid, called sodhi. Though she talked about it she never really made it - not once. I understood from her that it is very popular in Tirunelveli, and my mom had tasted it at her paati's house when visiting.

I finally got to taste this lovely curry when my very good friend, Latha, made it. It was so creamy with lovely coconutty notes and paired beautifully with the spicy potato roast and ginger chutney she cooked. She is rather popular for her sodhi recipe (amongst other dishes) and here's her fool-proof version.... Thank you Latha.

SODHI
Serves: 4 to 5

Ingredients
Moong Daal (Yellow split) - 1/3 Cup, Pressure cook till soft & mash
Beans - 20, cut into 1 inch pieces (lengthwise)
Carrot - 1 Big, cut into 1 inch pieces (lengthwise)
Potato - 1 Medium, cut into 1 inch cubes
Onion - 1 Medium, sliced thin into 1 inch pieces
Garlic - 1 Big whole bulb, peeled & kept as whole cloves
Coconut Milk - 1 Can (400 ml - I use Chaokoh Brand)
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green Chillies - 4 to 5 or to taste
Curry Leaves - a few
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp ( I skipped this)
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Salt

Method:
1) Pre-cook the carrots, beans and potatoes in microwave for 4 minutes with a bit of salt. Grind ginger & green chillis to a paste (I used a mortar & pestle)

2) Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds & split urad daal. Saute curry leaves, onions & garlic, till translucent

3) Add the microwaved vegetables, the ginger-green chilli paste and 2 cups of water along with salt to taste.

4) Cook uncovered till the vegetables are 3/4th done. Now add the smoothly mashed mung dhal and adjust consistency if too thick by adding about half to one cup of water, as required.

5) Allow to cook until the vegetables are fully done and very soft to the touch. Remove from stove and allow to cool slightly (about 5 minutes).

6) Now gradually pour the entire can of coconut milk and mix gently. Add lemon juice if using. Creamy, tasty sodhi is now ready to be served either with idiyaapam or rice.

Verkadalai (Groundnut) Kuzhambu

2008-07-12T11:55:00.001-07:00

I chanced upon some fresh groundnuts in the market and bought a bunch wanting to make a kind of salad that my dad used to make when we had potluck dinners with our neighbours up on our terrace under the soft moonlight. I have such fond memories of those dinners. My father loved to have moonlight dinners and somedays we would just take our usual fare of chapathis and sabzi or dhal and go to the coolness of our "roof-top garden" which he would've prepped by watering it earlier that evening so it was nice and ready. We would eat and then just lie there and chat until late... This soon moved to a larger scale operation where our neighbours joined in as well and soon we had the best of dishes from each house and lots of fun, games and music followed.

But after all this hype about that peanut salad that my dad made, I wasn't able to give a call and find out from him the recipe... but I remembered that my mom also made a kuzhambu using this so opted to make that since I remember that it tasted quite similar to her mochai kuzhambu recipe. The resultant was a very yummy gravy with melt-in-the mouth eggplant pieces and smooth, tasty peanuts floating.

VERKADALAI KUZHAMBU

Ingredients:

Fresh groundnuts - 1 to 1.5 cups, (after being pressure cooked & shelled)

Onion - 1 small to medium sized one, chopped finely

Chinese (long) eggplant - 1, cut into 2 inch pieces

Tomato - half of a small one, chopped

Garlic - 6 to 7 cloves, whole

Tamarind - small lemon sized, soaked in warm water and juice extracted

Sambar Powder - 3 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Salt, to taste

To Grind to a smooth paste:

Coconut - 3 tbsp

Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1 tsp

Splash of water, as needed

Seasonings:

Gingelly Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp

Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Asafoetida (hing) - pinch

Method:
1) Pressure cook the unshelled groundnuts with some salt and about 1/2 cup water for 3 whistles. Then shell them to get the soft groundnuts inside.

2) Heat 2 tsp of oil and season with mustard, urad dhal, jeera and curry leaves. Add the chopped onions and garlic. Saute this until golden.

3) Now add the eggplant pieces and when they soften a bit, add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric and sambhar powder. Stir and cook for a few minutes before adding the tamarind juice.

4) Allow this to boil for about 5 minutes before adding the cooked groundnuts. Add salt to taste, if necessary.

5) Let this cook until the raw smell goes away, the veggies have softened and thickens slightly.

6) Add the ground coconut-jeera paste. Let this boil for 5 more minutes before serving.

We had it with vazhakkai roast and butternut squash erissery.

Tortilla Pinwheels

2008-07-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

These are an easy snack to make and make for great party or picnic food because these can be made ahead and refrigerated and sliced just when you are ready to serve. It also lends itself to sneaking a fair bit of veggies into the mix and can be made to be quite spicy, if desired.

I used the plain tortillas since that's what I had on hand but it would be even better with spinach or tomato tortillas and adds a splash of colour as well.

TORTILLA PINWHEELS

Ingredients:
Tortillas - about 6

For the filling:
Light Cream Cheese - 1 (8 oz) pack, softened
Black beans - about half cup, drained and mashed coarsely (I used canned)
Red bell pepper - half medium, chopped
Fresh spinach - 2 cups, chopped
Carrot - 1 big, shredded
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Pepperjack cheese - 1/4 cup, shredded
Tomato Ketchup - 2 tsp
Chilli sauce (I used Sriracha) - 1 to 2 tsp

Method:
1) Stir together all of the above ingredients under the filling to a thick consistency.

2) Spread a thick layer on the tortillas with some space around the edges.

3) Roll the tortilla tightly and wrap each in cling wrap and refrigerate for atleast a few hours or overnight. This will help the cream cheese solidify a bit so cutting into it will be easier.

4) Cut these into thick slices when ready to serve and be prepared for a tasty treat.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

2008-07-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Pasta always comes to the rescue on those evenings when I'm short on time and have absolutely no idea what to make for dinner. It's so versatile and easily adaptable to our tastes and the ingredients available at that time. On one such evening, i had some cream, cream cheese and mushrooms on hand and so decided to whip this up. It hardly took 30 minutes and was deliciously creamy.

CREAMY MUSHROOM PASTA

Ingredients:
Penne - 6 to 8 ounces, cooked acc. to package directions in plenty of boiling water
Mushroom (Button or baby bella) - 8 oz, sliced
Onion - 1 small, sliced thin into 1 inch pieces
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves, chopped or crushed
Red Bell Pepper - half of a medium one, chopped
Roma Tomato - half of a small one, chopped (optional)
Light Cream cheese - 4 oz, softened
Cream - 3 tbsp
Olive oil + Butter - 1 tbsp
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Basil and chives - 1 tsp each, chopped ( I used fresh)
Parmesan cheese - about 2 to 3 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
1) Drain cooked pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid - which will help thicken our sauce, if too dry.

2) Heat the olive oil and butter combination in a pan and toss in the garlic, onions and once they brown slightly, toss in the red pepper and allow to soften with the red chilli flakes.

3) Next add the mushroom slices and a pinch of salt so the mushrooms soften and cook down till almost dry. Add the chopped tomato and saute till heated through with salt to taste.

4) Mix the softened cream cheese with a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid to make a smooth paste and add this to the vegetable mixture along with the cream and cooked pasta.

5) Season with pepper to taste... allow this to simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the pasta.

6) Finally stir in the parmesan cheese along with the fresh herbs and serve.

Cooking from other blogs # 6

2008-07-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted recipes that I've tried from other bloggers... so here they are:

1) Seema's Alsanda Bea Koddel - this was a beautiful, easy curry with Black-eyed beans and we enjoyed it.

2) Shilpa's Spicy Egg - which was easy, spicy and delicious.

3) Raaga's Tori Bendi - i loved the name and the dish. What was even more delightful was the fact that I finally found a recipe to use the whole pigeon peas that my husband bought instead of toor dhal :)

4) Srivalli's Channa Pulao - this has been on my list for ages (since she posted to be precise). Her description made me crave it and I finally made it - it didn't disappoint me one bit. My husband who was skeptical initially loved it as well.

5) Manisha's No-oil Lime Pickle - this has to be one of the most popular pickle recipe and countless folks gave this a shot last summer. I decided then that I would definitely make this and here I am. It's still in the process so I can't really write about the taste yet but I can't wait to get a bite of this. A picture of the ingredients before I proceeded to give it a toss.

6) Viji's Bread Rolls - were crunchy, tasty & healthy like all her recipes are. Can't link it however since her blog is now private.

7) Pravs Eggless Banana Cake with Raisins - which is pretty healthy and makes for a nutritious snack for kids.

8) Sig's Butternut Squash Erissery - this is my first attempt at cooking with butternut squash and I chose this coconutty dish from her fabulous blog.

9) Suganya's Mor Kali - I've always heard about Mor Kali from my friends but never tasted it because my parents are not a big fan of this. Even when I tried to explain to my mom how my friends had raved about this, in the hopes that she would make for me, she didn't give it a very tempting review. I finally gave this a shot myself and used Suganya's recipe.
It has only a few ingredients: Riceflour, Buttermilk, Red Chillies, tempering, oil & salt. This will also be my entry to this month's MBP - Less is More hosted by the talented Nupur. MBP is the brainchild of Coffee .

I would also like to send this post to Madhuram's Your Recipe Rocks (YRR) event.
To see other recipes I've tried out from other blogs - click here.

Karahi Dosai

2008-07-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is something that my MIL made when she visited us... Since dosais usually dry out a bit and are not ideal to pack for lunches, uthappams serve as a great alternative and fit the bill where dosais fail. She made these dosais, kind of thick like oothappams, in a karahi made of iron (iruppu chatti in Tamil) and made them kind of plump, sprinkled roasted red onions and spiced it with some red chillies and idli milagai podi - it was just so good! The edges were crisped up and it was soft and fluffy in the middle. It's a little wonder that my husband just loves them - as do I.

KARAHI DOSAI

Ingredients:
Dosa Batter - as required
Red Onions - 1 or 2, medium (OR) Shallots, chopped
Dried Red Chillies - 4 to 5, broked into small bits
Idli Milagai podi - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp + enough to make dosas
Salt - to taste

Method:
1) Heat the 2 tsp of oil in the karahi and toss in the mustard seeds, once they splutter, add the broken bits of dried red chillies and the chopped onions with some salt. Cook until the onions brown. Set this mixture aside.

2) Return the karahi to the stove and add a spoonful of oil and swirl it a little bit. Pour about one to two scoops of dosa batter and spread it just a little bit in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the idli milagai podi and onion-chilli mixture on top. Drizzle some oil along the edges and on the dosa.

3) Let this cook on a low flame and when the bottom is fully cooked, turn it over and cook the other side as well. It tastes good all by itself and doesn't really require any other accompaniment.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2008-07-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

My friend's 5 year old daughter goes for a baking class and I heard that they whip up quite a few delicacies there - like quiche, sugar cookies, irish soda bread, cakes and so on... It reminded me of the Cooking class that was offered at our school during our 'interest period'. We were allowed to pick 2 classes each year and we could pick from embroidery, carpentry, photography, carnatic vocal, veena, violin, guitar, bharathanatyam, cooking, flute, mirudhangam and so on... I was rather keen on the cooking class - mainly because we got to eat the treats that were made and they were quite different (mostly snacks and sweets) from the usual fare we get a home but my mom dissuaded me saying that I would most probably be doing a fair bit of cooking later on in life and this was my chance to try out something else. We did get a taste of some of the yummy treats from friends who were in the cooking class from time to time.. and I'm glad I picked Veena and Embroidery - immensely enjoyed myself.

So, this little girl came with a recipe card when she visited our place and we set about re-creating the chocolate chip oatmeal cookie she had made in her previous class. She was so excited and helped in measuring, mixing and also putting spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet. We loved the crispy, crunchy taste of the cookies so I wrote down the recipe and made it again a while ago.. Thank you Joshna for this fabulous recipe.

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
Yield - 30 to 40 small cookies

Ingredients:
All purpose Flour - 1 cup
Oats (I used Quaker old fashioned) - 2/3 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Chocolate Chips - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Egg - 1
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a tiny pinch

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt with a wire whisk.

2) Beat softened butter, brown sugar and sugar on medium, till creamy and smooth.

3) Add the vanilla and egg, beat on low till incorporated.

4) Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5) Drop rounded spoonfuls of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet (atleast 2 inches apart) and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely to get the crunchy taste...

I wanted to take this opportunity to mention some awards that I've received...
JZ & Ramya were sweet to give me the 'Giant Bear Hug' Award - Thank you girls for your generosity...

I would like to pass this onto my good friends Seema , TBC , Rajitha & Kribha

Madhavi has given me the 'Blogging with a Purpose' Award - extremely kind of her. I would like to pass this onto Viji, JZ, Sig, Easy Crafts and Nandita.

Vegetable Platter - has given me the Yummy Blog Award. Thank you so much! :)

Bharathi Aunty's Mochai Kuzhambu

2008-06-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is a special kuzhambu that a close family friend of ours makes and it's so tasty and creamy. I tasted this about 3 years ago and loved it... so when she visited us a while ago, I was sure to get this recipe from her. This uses dry mochai beans and so I made it a point to get a pack during our recent trip to India.

This recipe can be made with white channa, rajma beans & dried green peas as well besides mochai. You may have to lower the amount of tamarind accordingly for these however.

MOCHAKOTTAI KUZHAMBU

Ingredients:
Dried mochai beans - 1 cup
Tamarind - small lemon sized (lesser than what is used for puli kuzhambu), soaked
Garlic cloves (whole) - 6 to 8, peeled
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Brinjals - 1 or 2, small (optional, I didn't use)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Coconut milk - 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Grind to a fine paste (with water as required):
Chilli powder - 2.5 tsp
Coriander powder - half tsp
Cumin powder - 2.5 tsp
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Method:
1) Dry roast the mochai for a few mins and soak for 3 hours atleast or overnight. Pressure cook the soaked mochai beans with a bit of salt, till soft - about 3 whistles. Extract tamarind juice from the soaked tamarind piece.

2) Heat the oil, season with cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida, toss in the garlic cloves and chopped onion. Fry this till golden brown. Also add brinjal and fry (if using)

3) Now add the ground paste and fry this for a minute. Next add the tamarind extract and salt. When this boils, add the cooked beans and allow this to boil for another 5 minutes.

4) Add the coconut milk and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or till oil separates.

Serve this delicious curry with rice.

I would like to send this to JFI-Tamarind hosted by Sig and also to AFAM-Coconut event hosted by Suganya. JFI was started by Indira and AFAM by Maheshwari.

Also check out
1) Seema's version of the same recipe (from the same source) and
2) My mom's version of Mochai Kuzhambu.

Tiramisu

2008-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

This famous Italian Dessert is one of my favourites... I particularly love how light and wonderful the mascarpone cheese tastes and also the flavour of coffee coming through. The first time I had this was at a small pastry shop which served it in cute cups with saucers. I didn't know what to expect when I first dug in but it was love at first bite. I almost always order this when we go to an Italian restaurant and sometimes give the panna cotta a chance too.. :)

Imagine my joy when I found out that this is really easy to put-together at home and can be eggless too. It takes less than 30 minutes to whip this up, once refrigerated for the flavours to blend, it's ready to enjoy... I made this for a friend's birthday and it's best to make this when you have company because it's so easy to indulge a bit more than you should...

TIRAMISU

Ingredients:
Mascarpone Cheese - 8 oz
Heavy Whipping Cream - 10 oz
Icing (Powdered) Sugar - 5 tbsp
Espresso / Strong Coffee - about 8 ounces
Kahlua (Coffee Liquer) - 2 to 3 tsp (I didn't use this)
Lady Fingers / Sponge cake / Angel Food Cake - as required to form 2 layers.
Dark chocolate curls / grated - for garnish
Cocoa Powder - 1 tsp (for coffee mixture above) + 2 tsp for garnish

Method:
1) For the coffee mixture, boil 8 ounces of water, switch off the flame and add 2 tsp of instant coffee powder and 1 tsp of plain cocoa powder. If using kahlua add it to the coffee mixture when slightly cooled. The Coffee mixture should be lukewarm, not hot, when the cakes are dipped.

2) I used mini angel food cake that I had on hand this time but have used ladyfingers previously. If using angel food cake, cut them into small slices.

3) Beat the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream , the icing sugar and 2 to 3 tsp of the coffee mixture on medium till thick and creamy (from a liquid state it will thicken up in a few minutes).

4) Dip each piece of the cake in the coffee mixture on both sides, just for a few seconds and place them as a single layer in the serving bowl. (You can make individual desserts or put them all in one bowl like I have).

5) Top with half of the mascarpone mixture - smoothen it out.

6) Repeat by doing a second layer of coffee dipped cake and top again with the remaining mascarpone cheese.

7) Dust with cocoa powder (Take 2 tsp of cocoa in a wire-mesh sieve and sprinkle over the tiramisu). Top with chocolate curls (if using), refrigerate for atleast 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

8) Slice and dig in!

5 minutes and 4 people later:

Nupur's Pav Bhaji

2008-06-20T07:51:00.001-07:00

This is probably the very first recipe of Nupur's that I've tried. Her description of the perfect Mumbai Pav Bhaji was just too tempting to pass and the results did leave us dazzled. This is something I make quite often and is particularly great when we have company because it is something that can be done in a jiffy with not much effort, and is sure to impress.

The passion with which she writes is very impressive and I admire her amazing collection of recipes - from authentic Indian fare to exotic dishes from different parts of the world. Her energy and exuberance never fail to inspire me. Thanks Nupur for having such a brilliant blog and for sharing it with us.

PAV BHAAJI

Ingredients:
Cauliflower Florets - 2 to 3 cups
Potatoes - 3 big
Green bell peppers (Capsicum) - 1 big or 2 small, chopped finely
Carrots - 2 medium, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Beans - approx 20, chopped
Peas - half a cup
Tomatoes - 2, chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves, minced
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Pav Bhaji masala - 1 to 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp + more to spread on Pavs
Coriander leaves - for garnish, chopped
Lemon wedges & Chopped raw onions - to serve
Salt - to taste

Method:
1) Pressure cook the vegetables (cauliflower, carrot, beans and peas) with some water. Also pressure cook the potatoes separately. Peel and mash the potatoes. Also mash the veggies when cooked soft.

2) Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, once they sizzle add the chopped capsicum and ginger-garlic paste and saute this till it gets tender.

3) Next add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric and cook till they are mushy. Now add the chilli powder and pav bhaji masala powder, to taste, along with all the veggies and little water if it's too thick.

4) Keep stirring this thick mixture and allow to cook for about 5-10 minutes. Be careful since this usually splatters quite a bit.

5) Add the butter to this and keep roasting till the gravy thickens and is well cooked. We like ours a bit on the thick side. Don't skip the butter.. it definitely increases the flavour of the bhaji.

6) Spread some butter/margarine on the pavs (or buns) and sprinkle some of the pav bhaji masala and toast till golden on a pan.

7) To serve, arrange buns and gravy on a plate and sprinkle the gravy with some chopped onions, coriander leaves and with a wedge of lemon on the side... You could also add a pat of butter on the gravy, if you wish. Pure bliss.

Other 'Tried and Tasted dishes' from One hot stove:

1) Microwave Sabudhana Khichdi with onions instead of potatoes.

2) Undhiyu

3) Ragda Patties

4) Chocolate Bread with walnuts and chocolate chips instead of pecans.

Well this post is off to a few events :

Zlamushka's Tried & Tasted - this month features One Hot Stove
Sia's Monthly Blog Patrol - Street Food

An Indoor Picnic

2008-06-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

We spent a fair amount of time planning for a picnic and what originally seemed like a 30% chance of rain (according to the weather.com website) on Saturday soon turned into a full-fledged shower just as we (6 families in all) were getting ready to leave... much to our disappointment. All our plans of watching the kids play in the carousel, take rides in the minature train, head for a walk along the lake, play some frisbee or chase a ball were shattered with dark, gloomy skies, strong gusts of wind and pouring rain.

Several phone calls later, we decided to just all meet in our home and bring the food in and make an evening of it, so all wasn't lost. Here's a picture of the goodies we were planning to take for the picnic.

The Menu: Paapdi Chaat, Dhoklas, Idlis smeared with milagai podi, plain idlis, sambhar, Tortilla chips with a jalapeno cheese dip and a mango salsa, Cucumber-mint chutney sandwiches, Jam sandwiches, Tortilla pinwheels, curd-rice and to finish it all some watermelon and grapes along with juice boxes for the kids and coke and iced lemon tea for the adults.

I made the Tortilla pinwheels and the sandwiches. The cucumber sandwiches were nice and moist and didn't turn soggy thanks to the cream cheese I incorporated with. I normally add sliced tomatoes but didn't this time because of the salmonella scare.

GREEN CHUTNEY
Mint leaves - half bunch, remove stems and wash
Coriander leaves - half bunch, washed
Green chillies - 7 or 8
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Lemon juice / Tamarind paste - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Grind all of the above ingredients with as little water as possible to a smooth paste.
This chutney, when watered down a bit, doubles up as a great accompaniment to several chaat items.

CUCUMBER-MINT TEA SANDWICHES
Ingredients:
Cucumber - 1, sliced very thin
Tomato - 1, sliced very thin
Light Cream cheese - 3 ounces (softened)
Green Chutney - about 3 to 4 tbsp
Ketchup - to taste
Salt and pepper - to taste
Butter or Margarine - to spread on the slices
Bread slices, edges trimmed if you want to be fancy! :)

Method:
1) Blend the cream cheese and chutney till smooth.
2) Butter one slice of the bread, spread the chutney-cheese mixture on the other.
3) Dot some ketchup on the buttered side, spread lightly and layer with slices of cucumber, followed by tomato slices. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.
4) Cover with the other slice and cut into triangles.

It's perfect for lunches too and you can also add sliced roundels of boiled potatoes if you wish.

Update: It just occurred to me that I could send this sandwich to Raaga's WBB - Express Breakfasts. WBB is the brainchild of Nandita.

Rasmalai

2008-06-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

As a result of the disaster I had while setting my yogurt, I had a mass which was in between paneer and curd states. Not having the heart to throw it away, I wondered what to do with it and the first thought was Rasamalai. I have been meaning to give it a try for sometime now and this presented itself as a perfect opportunity. So, I put the entire milk + yoghurt mixture into a colander, lined with a muslin cloth and let it drain for an hour or so to get the soft paneer (it was a lot more softer than usual paneer but still workable).

RASMALAI

Ingredients:

For Chenna/Soft Paneer
Milk - 3 to 4 cups (about 1 litre)
Vinegar/Lime Juice - quarter cup

For Sugar Syrup:
Water - 3 to 4 cups
Sugar - 1 cup

For the Flavoured Milk:
Milk - 600 ml
Saffron - 2 pinches
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Nuts (Cashew, almond, pistachios) - 1 to 2 tbsp, powdered or minced finely

Method:

1) I skipped this step for my rasamalais... but if I were to make this from scratch, I would've followed my method of making paneer: Boil the milk in a heavy pan and when boiling add the vinegar or lime juice and stir until the whey and paneer separate. Switch off the flame and once slightly cooled, pour into a colander lined with a thin muslin cloth and allow to stand until all the whey has drained out. Tie this up and let it dry out well.

2) Pat this chenna (while still in the muslin cloth) with another absorbent kitchen towel in a mashing kind of motion. This will ensure that it gets kneaded and is as dry as possible. I had to do quite a bit of it since i had a pasty mixture.

3) Once kneaded, make tiny (1 inch diameter) balls and roll them as smoothly as possible. Flatten lightly.

4) Meanwhile, heat the water and sugar and let it come to a rolling boil. Drop the chenna balls in (without overcrowding them - do them in batches if you have too many) and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let this boil for about 10 minutes or so till they float and have increased in size. Ladle them out into a pan along with some of the sugar syrup. Keep aside and let rest for atleast a few hours, preferably longer. You can stop here if you want rasagullas.

5) I then let the remaining sugar syrup boil vigorously once the chenna was cooked and reduced it to a thick, sugary syrup. Keep this aside.

6) For the flavoured milk, boil the milk with saffron strands and allow to simmer stirring constantly until it reduces to slightly less then half. Now sweeten with the reduced sugar syrup above to taste. Boil more if it's diluted. Finally add the cardamom and the powdered nuts, reserving some pieces for garnish.

7) Take the rasagullas and press lightly to squeeze out the sugar syrup in them, add to the flavoured milk and allow to boil for about 4-5 minutes.

8) Allow this to cool completely and refrigerate overnight or for atleast 5 hours so the flavours come together. Serve with chopped nuts on top as a garnish and enjoy.

Seema has given me the Yummy Blog Award - Thank you !

"Yummy blog award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos". This award has been started by Roopa of My Kitchen treats.

Four Desserts/Sweets that I like are:
1) Tiramisu
2) Most Bengali sweets but rasmalai does kind of top the list amongst them.
3) Cheesecake
4) Paal Payasam / Chakka Pradhaman

I think almost everyone has already received this award.. so not sure who I can pass this onto specifically... so am sending this onto all you wonderful bloggers out there who tempt me with your beautiful recipes every single day - Thank you!

Idli Manchurian

2008-06-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Inspired by this post by Shankari, I wanted to try my hand at making Idli manchurian and it came out really well. It's also guilt-free unlike it's deep-fried counterpart: Gobi Manchurian, but still satisfies manchurian-cravings. Shankari mentioned that she baked the idlis and that is what initially drew me to the recipe. I cut the idlis into smaller pieces and tossed them with some chilli powder before spraying some oil and baking them. They are yummy just out of the oven, even before I proceed to make a manchurian of them... I tossed some of the pieces with idli milagai podi and ate them just like that...

There was a little disaster associated with this - I had set some yogurt that afternoon and had it in the oven so it would be warm but totally forgot about it being in when I preheated the oven to bake these idli pieces. When I was ready to pop the idli in I was so horrified to see the vessel with the milk + curd concoction!! I quickly pulled it out but damage had already been done. It hadn't set sufficient but there was some whey that separated out and it was at an intermediary stage of paneer... or so I concluded. In an effort to salvage it, I proceeded to start on a slightly laborious process and something sweet and delectable came out of this disaster :) Will post that later.

Coming back to the Idli manchurian recipe, I did it pretty much like the cauliflower manchurian.

IDLI MANCHURIAN

Ingredients:
Idlis - 8
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Onions - 1 small or half medium, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Green & Red Bell pepper - about 1/2 cup, cut into 1 inch cubes
Spring Onions - 3, chopped with white and green parts separated
Green Chillies - 3, chopped finely
Ginger - 1 tsp, minced
Garlic - 1-2 tsp, minced
Light Sodium Soysauce - 1 tbsp
(Sriracha) Chilli sauce - 1 tsp, or to taste
Ketchup - 1 to 2 tsp
Cornflour - 1 tbsp (mixed with 1/4 cup water)
Oil - 2 tsp + enough to spray on idlis.
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 375F. Cut idlis into small pieces (I made about 9 pieces with each idli). Toss with some chilli powder and spread on a baking sheet, coat with some oil spray. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or till golden and crispy.

2) Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic, spring onion white and onions. Cook till they are translucent.
3) Add the bell peppers and little salt and sauté till they are crisp-tender.
4) Push the veggies to the edges of the pan and in the middle pour the remaining 1 tsp oil. In this oil, toss in the sauces (soy, chilli & Ketchup) with a sprinkle of pepper and salt, as required. When they are heated through, toss with the veggies and add the baked idli pieces.
5) Now add the cornflour mixed with water to this and toss for a few more minutes till it all comes together and gets a slight glaze.
6) Garnish with spring onion tops and serve hot!

Aloo Paratha

2008-06-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love aloo parathas? They are truly the yummiest and I remember walking long distances on quite a few Saturday nights, while in University, to have these at a hawker stall nearby where auntyji and her daughter in law made such thick, tasty parathas. With some spiced yogurt on the side, it was utterly blissful and was a treat for my tongue which had to contend with flavourless food for dinner most nights (e.g. Rice with soy sauce and some steamed veggies with almost no salt, or steamed bittergourd - pitiful vegetarian fare we got at the canteen) .

This is another dish, like idlis, whose preparation I took for granted until I actually tried my hand at making these.. it was never good enough - there was always something missing, either the filling oozed out or it wasn't enough, was too thick or too thin and so on. When a good friend, who is an expert at stuffed parathas, was visiting us, she obliged to demonstrate and also make a stackful of these yummy aloo parathas.

Armed with these new-found techniques, I went about trying my hand at making these and have documented the steps with some pictures for the benefit of those who are struggling like me. They turned out quite satisfactory this time - Thank you Seema.

ALOO PARATHAS

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 2.5 cups + about quarter cup for dusting

Milk - half cup, lukewarm

Water - about 3/4 cup, lukewarm

For Filling:

Potatoes - 3 large or 4 medium

Onion - half, chopped finely

Ginger - 1 tsp, minced

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, minced

Mint Leaves - 1 tbsp, minced (optional)

Chilli powder - 2 to 3 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp + enough to shallow-fry parathas

Method:

1) For the dough, first mix whole wheat flour and some salt. To this, gradually add lukewarm milk little by little and knead as you go and once that is used up, use the lukewarm water and make a soft, pliable dough. I normally end this with a tsp of oil and rub it over the dough. Let it sit aside for a few hours to rest.

2) Meanwhile, cook potatoes (I use a microwave, but a pressure cooker would work too) till soft. Peel and mash them to a smooth consistency.

3) Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions and ginger till golden. Now add the chopped coriander and mint leaves and saute for a minute or two extra. Add the masala powders & salt and after a minute of frying them, toss in the mashed potatoes. Fry this till it's well incorporated and completely dry. Allow this to cool, this ensures that the stuffing doesn't ooze out when rolling out the parathas.

(Alternately, you could skip the onions, ginger, mint and coriander leaves and just mix the masala powders and salt with the mashed potatoes and make a raw stuffing with no cooking - perfect when you are running short on time and tasty as well).

4) With the chapathi dough make equal sized smooth balls, about 2 inches in diameter. I got 12 with the above measurements. Roll the cooled, potato mixure into balls of the same size as the chapathi dough (2 inches in this case)

5) Roll out the dough ball into a small chapathi (about 4 to 5 inches in diameter) I usually make the edges a little thinner than the middle so it's more uniform when I fold it over - but that's just me... :) Place the potato ball in the middle and enclose it by folding the chapathi dough around it.

6) Dust in flour and place it back seam side down. Roll this out to a bigger paratha.

7) Heat a griddle on medium-high and fry the paratha on both sides.

Normally I flip over the first side in about 20 to 30 seconds and let the other side cook until it starts puffing up a bit, at which point, I brush the top with some oil and flip over. Pressing down gently on the chapathi ensures that it puffs up. Brush this side with some oil too before flipping over one last time. This does require a bit more oil than the usual chapathis.

8) Serve with some Yogurt and Pickle of choice. I spiced up the yogurt by adding half a teaspoon each of chilli powder and cumin powder alongwith salt to taste.

and you guessed right - this stack of Aloo parathas is going on right on over to dear Srivalli for her Roti Mela.

Bhindi Masala

2008-06-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

You know ladiesfinger / okra / bhindi / vendakkai - it can turn slimy if a few precautionary steps aren't taken... but is still a very popular vegetable, if prepared the right away. My husband likes only a drier version of this vegetable, not the gravy kind. The recipe below can be made semi solid, instead of the dry version I have here, so it pairs well with rotis. I also found out that the microwave offers a great option to get rid of the stickiness. So, here's my method...

BHINDI MASALA

Ingredients:

Bhindi/Vendakkai - 30 to 40, make sure they are tender

Onion - 1 big, cut into 1 inch slices

Tomato - 1, chopped

Chilli powder - 1 to 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp + a few sprays of oil

Method

1) Wash Bhindi and let them dry completely. Cut bhindi and lay them out as a single layer on a microwaveable plate. Microwave them for 5 to 7 mins. This will ensure that they do not get sticky and retain their green colour. Do this in batches.

2) Heat oil in a wide, shallow pan and toast some cumin seeds, then add the onions and fry till translucent and slightly browned.

3) Now add in the tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, chilli, coriander and cumin powder and cook till the tomatoes turn a bit mushy.

4) Now the previously microwaved Bhindi goes in and gets tossed around in a medium heat till well cooked.

5) I sometimes shift the entire thing into a microwaveable bowl and complete this in the microwave instead of on the stove-top. That works well too but definitely yields in a drier version.

We had this with Dhal Fry and Chapathis.

Rajma

2008-06-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Rajma needs no introduction and is quite a favorite dish at home. I usually serve it with chapathis but I've read many a blog that tells me that rice is the best combination. However it may be enjoyed, this is a recipe that I almost always use because my husband loves this version the best.

RAJMA

Ingredients

Rajmah – 225g dry or 1 can (drained and rinsed)
Baking Soda – 1tsp (optional, but soaking with it makes the beans soft when cooking)
Onion –1 peeled and chopped
Tomatoes - 2, chopped
Cinnamon – 2 cm
Bayleaf – 1
Cardamom – 1

Ginger and garlic pastes –1 tsp each

G. Chillies – 2, slit
Chilli powder – 1tsp
Coriander – 1 tsp
Garam masala – 1tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Oil and Ghee - 1 tsp each

Method:

1) Soak rajma (red kidney beans) overnight with baking soda. Wash and pressure cook with sufficient water till soft. Alternately use canned beans (drained and rinsed) and skip the step above.

2) Heat oil and ghee together and toss in the cinnamon, bay leaf & cardamom, then fry onion for 2-3 minutes along with green chillies, ginger and garlic.

3) Toss in the tomatoes and add salt. Once they turn mushy, add the chilli powder, coriander, turmeric and garam masala.

4) Add the kidney beans with the cooking liquid (if using canned beans, add sufficient water) and coriander leaves. Once it boils, cover, lower the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes and serve.

I would also like to thank two friends, Madhavi and Uma
for giving me the 'Rocking Girl 'Award and the 'You make my day' Award (respectively). Thank you ladies for making my day... :D

Simple Green Mung Dhal

2008-05-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

While doing my undergraduation, I had some north-indian post grad friends who made the most delectable dhals each night for dinner. Bhalla, a Punjabi, would make dhal parathas where he would knead leftover dhal into the chapathi dough, give us spoonfuls of the sweet pickles his mother made and also make this smashing, super simple dhal with whole green mung. At that time in my life, i was the least bit interested in cooking and never cared to observe how anyone made anything or even talk about what goes in....

But later, when I wanted to duplicate this dhal made by Bhalla, i tried several methods by adding chopped onions and tomatoes with the usual masalas, then only onions and so on.. but it never really matched his dhal. Finally, one day I limited myself to just chilli powder and salt and the end result was exactly how I remembered it... My husband loves this as well and making dhal couldn't be simpler.

SIMPLE GREEN MUNG DHAL

Ingredients:

Whole Green Mung beans - about 1 cup
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp or more to taste
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 to 2 tsp

Method:
1) Pressure cook Green Mung beans till soft with sufficient water.
2) Make a paste of chilli powder and salt with some water.
3) Heat oil and add the chilli powder and salt paste, and stir.. after just one minute or so (ensure the paste doesn't burn), add the cooked beans and sufficient water. Let this simmer for abt 5-10 minutes or till thick enough. Delicious dhal is ready with minimal ingredients and time.

Minty Vegetable Sandwich

2008-05-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law makes this very yummy sandwich and I fell in love with it at first try. I've been making it quite often since then and is perfect for a quick meal, especially if you have the mint chutney on hand.

I wanted to send this for the sandwich event but I just realized that I'm too late, unfortunately.

MINT CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

Mint Leaves - about 1 bunch, de-stem and reserve the leaves

Channa dhal - 1 tsp

Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

Red chillies/G. chillies - 2 or 3

Dessicated, shredded Coconut - 1 tbsp

Tamarind paste or small piece of tamarind soaked in water

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Heat oil and toast the urad dhal, channa dhal and chillies, next add the mint leaves and fry till it is wilted.

2) Grind this with dessicated coconut, tamarind and salt to a smooth paste, with a sprinkle of water as necessary. Can be stored for a few days refrigerated. Some coriander leaves can also be added for a variation.

MINTY VEGETABLE SANDWICH

Ingredients:

Bread slices

Onions - sliced thinly

Bell pepper (Red/Green) - sliced into thin rounds

Tomatoes - sliced into thin rounds

Mayonnaise / Sour Cream / Thick yogurt (drained)

Ketchup

Mint Chutney (recipe above)

Salt and pepper - to taste

Butter / Margarine

Method:

1) Spread mint chutney on one slice of bread and the mayonnaise/sourcream on another slice.

2) Top one of the slices with sliced onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Dot the other slice with a few drops of ketchup and use that to cover the vegetables.

3) Dot the top and bottom of the sandwich with some butter/margarine and pop into a sandwich toaster and cook till it's golden brown - as simple as that.

4) Add a slice of cheese on top of the veggies, for the kids and make a meal of it with a filling smoothie.

Also check out:
Roasted Vegetable Panini
Carrot & Green Peas Sandwich

Spicy Tomato Soup

2008-05-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

I love our spicy Indian tomato soups and since I've been down with some cold and cough, I wanted something hot to soothe my throat and also wanted it to have some tang, so I could taste it :) Sniffly-nosed, I pulled out some ingredients and made a soup that satisfied all my needs and was done in a jiffy... The colour of the soup may not be much, but the taste definitely worked out for me.

SPICY TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:

Roma Tomatoes - 4 or Big Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Onion - 1/3 of a medium onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Bell pepper - 1/4 of a medium sized one, cut into 1 inch pieces

Carrot - 1, medium, cubed

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves

Chilli powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Clove - 1

Cornstarch - 2 tsp

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Butter - 1/2 tbsp and more to serve

Tomato Ketchup - abt 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:

1) In a stockpot, heat the half tbsp of butter and add the clove and bay leaf, add the chopped onions, garlic & ginger, saute till they soften.

2) Next add the capsicum and carrot and fry for a few more minutes... then add the tomatoes, salt and chilli powder and cook till they turn a bit mushy.

3) Add about 3-4 cups of water and allow this to come to a boil. Simmer on a low to medium flame for about 15 minutes.

4) Pour this through a sieve, fish out the clove, bay leaf & discard them, puree the remaining solids in a blender/mixie till smooth.

5) Mix this paste and the stock and return to the pan. Heat this and add some cornstarch dissolved in water along with ketchup (if using) and allow this to boil, till it thickens to the right consistency.

6) Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with some additional butter and crunchy croutons.