Curried Brown Chickpeas - Chana Upkari | Happy Ugadi

Every Friday when I was in school, I would wake up to the sound of fresh pepper being ground in the traditional Indian style spice grinder. No modern pepper mills for my mother.. even now its the same. The pepper would then be added to a seasoning for cooked brown/black chickpeas - kaala chana - along with a handful of coconut gratings to make Konkani style chona upkari. 

Every Friday it was a ritual to include chickpeas in the menu. No idea why this was but most Konkani homes followed this tradition on Fridays and also festival days as well.This continues even today and come Thursday night, I will soak chickpeas (black /white) or rajma or other dried beans (being little experimental).

Ugadi or New Year for Konkani, Kannada and Telugu communities falls today and is being celebrated with traditional rituals and food. A New Year for me means Khotte/Ittu along with my mom's special coriander chutney, lemon pickle (nonche), chana ghhasshi and upkari.  Every Konkani festival this was my breakfast. Though ofcourse marriage changed all this. Its good to have a spread when your mom is cooking, but when you have to do it, then its a bit tough...ahem !! 

Anyways today being Friday and also Ugadi, I thought I would share the simple chana upkari with you all. Khotte/ Ittu being a distant dream due to lack of jack fruit leaves and inability of yours truly to turn the leaves magically into a basket.. Oh.. the Goodness of mothers..

Ingredients:

Brown Chickpeas : cooked 1 cup  (any chickpeas will do)

OR 

Soak 1/2 cup chickpeas overnight and cook it in a pressure cooker next day  or 1 hour on stovetop adding little salt.

Seasoning:

Mustard: 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera : a very small pinch 

Curry Leaves: 5-8 

Dried Red Chillies: 1-2 

Fresh grated Pepper : 1/2 tsp +/- (adjust the chillies and pepper )

Salt: as per taste

Fresh coconut gratings: handful /as per your taste

Preparation:

Wash and pressure cook the soaked chickpeas adding little salt. Once done drain the cooking water. You can keep this water for later use like to make rasam or whatever you want as its good healthy lentil water. You can even use canned chickpeas after draining off the water.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add mustard. When it sizzles add cumin ,red chillies, curry leaves and fresh grated pepper. Let these sizzle till you get a nice aroma from the pepper. Add in the cooked chickpeas and saute well to mix everything well.

Mix in the coconut gratings and let it cook for 1-2 minutes on low flame so that water if any is remaining will be absorbed by the coconut and we get a dry curry. Adjust salt and garnish with more coconut if needed before serving.

Serve as side to whatever you like - idli, khotte/ittu, dosa, puri ,roti/breads or even rice.. Goes well even as a teatime snack... be creative and be traditional.

Wishing all a healthy & prosperous Ugadi and wonderful year ahead..

1940's Chocolate Cake | Valentine Special

Today being Valentines Day and red roses and heart shapes everywhere, I thought I too would contribute a little with a chocolate cake I had bookmarked for the occasion. Now whats in a chocolate cake ? Its a 1940s Wartime Chocolate Cake when there were restrictions imposed on the use of milk, eggs, butter etc as most of the countries were involved in war and it was tough to procure items. 

But necessity being the mother of inventions, goodtimes were celebrated with a chocolate cake that was eggless and dairy free.. in other worlds perfectly Vegan. And also a one pot chocolate cake. I had adapted a healthier version from CanolaInfo made with canola oil and whole wheat flour which can be enjoyed guilt free with your loved ones..

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour: 3/4 cup

All Purpose Flour: 3/4 cup

Granulated Sugar: 1 cup

Cocoa Powder: 1/3 cup (5 tbsp + 1 tsp) I went for heaped 3 tbsp

Baking Soda: 1 tsp

Salt: 1/2 tsp

Canola Oil: 1/3 cup

Vanilla Extract: 1tsp

Cold Water: 1 cup (250ml)

Cider Vinegar: 1 tbsp

Preparation:

In a round baking pan, whisk together the flours, sugar,cocoa, soda and salt.

Make a well in the center and pour in oil and vanilla .

In a small measuring cup combine water and vinegar.

Pour this over the flour mix and stir well to blend all the ingredients.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F for about 30-35 minutes, until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Take out and let it cool in the pan itself on a wirerack. Unmold and place it in a cake table or dessert plate after garnishing with confectioners sugar

Slice and Serve to your loved ones...

A simple one pot cake which is butter free, egg free and healthy with the addition of whole wheat flour and canola oil. Its a quick mix cake and one bowl too. By the time the oven is preheating, mix the ingredients and under 40 minutes yum... enjoy your slice of chocolate heaven.

Slighlty crumbly and moist and sweetened just right for your Valentine..

Krendel - Ukrainian/Russian Fruit Filled Pretzel Shaped Festive Bread | We Knead to Bake #34

This post was supposed to be up last month as it was a Christmas Bread. But as usual it got postponed and  I thought I should definitely post this month atleast as it was a very tasty and really festive bread. Festivals definitely put us in a happy space. Time somehow flies and with all the aromas surrounding us we get too carried away. This is one such bread that lifts the mood and definitely makes the day festive and gourmet. The warm spice baked aroma coming out of the oven fills the house and you just can't wait to dig in. 

Krendel is a pretzel shaped Russian/Ukrainian fruit filled Christmas bread. It is  supposed to be of German origin and has a filling of fresh apples and a spiced jam of apricots, prunes and other dry fruits. As usual I halved the recipe and the recipe turned out wonderful. I was in a hurry that I could not click better pics. Serves me right as I need to control myself rather than jumping  on the dish as the aroma from the oven were heavenly. Self control is not my virtue but it definitely helps in getting better pics.

Ingredients:

Instant yeast: 1 tsp
Honey: 1 tbsp
Cream :2 tbsp
Lukewarm milk: 4 tbsp
Soft Butter: 2 tbsp
Egg: 1/2 (3/4 pkd tsp of Ener G + 2 tbsp of water)
Vanilla: 3/4 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
All Purpose Flour: 1 cup &6 tbsp to 1 cup &10 tbsp

Filling:
Applejuice: 1/2 cup
LArge apples: 1 peeled and chopped
Dried figs: 8 tsp finely choppped
Dried apricots: 8 tsp
Chopped Prunes: 1/3 cup
Butter: 2 tsp
Sugar: 1.5 tsp
Chai masala: 1/4 tsp


Spread:
Soft butter: 1 tbsp
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Cinnamon: 1/4 tsp


Glaze: 
2 tsp butter
Hotwater: 2 tsp
Icing sugar: 6-8 tbsp
Grated lemon zest: 1/8 tsp
Sliced almonds: 2 tbsp

Can be avoided. Dust with just icing sugar instead of glze

Preparation: 

Dough:
Put all the ingredients of the dough including 1 cup and 6 tbsp of flour in the processor bowl and knead to get a soft, smooth and elastic dough which is little sticky adding additional flour if needed


Shape into a ball and place it in a well oiled bowl turning once to coat and let it sit covered loosely until doubled in volume around 1.5 hours.

Filling:

Put all ingredients except chai masala in a large sauce pan, bring to boil and then reduce and let it simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally till it reaches a pulpy consistency. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool completely.

Deflate the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly dusted counter. Roll it out into a medium thick rectangle. Brush soft butter all over the dough within 1" of edges. Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle uniformly over the butter. Spread the filling over and roll up the rectangle jelly roll style as tightly as possible from the longer side. Seal the seam well and pinch together the ends to prevent the filling from falling out.

Place the dough seam side down on a lined /greased baking sheet. Shape it into a pretzel pinching the ends to the sides or tucking them under.

Loosely cover and let it rise for around 30-45 minutes until puffy. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

Bake the krendel for about 40-45 minutes until golden brown at the top. Take out and let it cool on a wire rack.

If using glaze mix the ingredients for it and brush over the krendel. Else just dust the krendel with confectioners/icing sugar and slice and serve.

Perfect festive treat. It can be consumed anytime including midnight . Its a simple bread made festive with the filling. 

Lets see who all baked the Krendel with us and hop over to Aparna's.

Sweet Rice Pudding | Happy 2016/ Makar Sankranthi/ Pongal

Makar Sankranthi/ Pongal is being celebrated today in several states across India. Makar Sankranthi marks the start of the journey of the Sun  northwards or "Uttarayan" or when the sun enters the 10th house of Makar or Capricorn. Basically a harvest festival, it indicates the arrival of spring in India and falls usually with Jan 13-15. In South India it is celebrated as Pongal which almost a week long festival. 

Christmas came, New Year came and it started on a good or rather musical note. After travelling, after working after lazing around, I  thought atleast now I should start blogging for the year. Today  Makar Sankranthi/ Pongal being celebrated  in some parts of India I thought I should start with a simple healthy traditional and also different dish. 

Now Pongal is a festival celebrated worldwide by all Tamilians. Each region and sometimes each family have their own recipe with slight adjustments and adaptations. This time I thought I could try a slightly different Sri Lankan Tamil version adapted from here. Its easy, healthy and vegan too if you avoid the drizzling of ghee while serving

Ingredients:

Raw rice/ white rice/sona masuri : around 1 cup

Moong Dal / Split yellow gram: 1/4 cup

Jaggery: grated around 2-3 cups made into a syrup(adjust as per taste)

Clove powder: 1/2 tsp

Coconut Milk: 1/4 -1/2 cup medium thick

Raisins/ dried prunes/currants: handful

Cashew nuts: handful 

Ghee (optional) : for roasting the nusts and raisins and also drizzling on top.

Preparation:

Dry roast the moong dal lightly in a pan until the raw smell goes and it starts browning. Add it to rice.

Cook together rice,roasted dal and clove powder in enough water until its done. I prefer my pongal slightly mushy or overcooked but its your choice.

Add jaggery syrup to this mixture and continue cooking, stirring in between so that it doesn't burn. Do the taste test and add more jaggery syrup incase you want it to be more sweet. 

Add in the coconut milk and continue cooking for few more minutes on low heat. Once it thickens or reaches your consistency then remove from heat.

Serve warm in bowls as a dessert garnished optionally with ghee roasted nuts and raisins.

The measurements are guesstimates and feel free to change as per your needs. Pongal is usually made with cow's milk  and cardamom powder and I just twisted it to make a defferent yet same Lankan one which is vegan if you close your eyes to the garnishes. 

Hope you'll enjoy the dish as much as you enjoy the festival.

Vánocka - Czech Christmas Bread | Baking Partners Dec'15

Now that Christmas is just a few days away it makes sense to post the festive bakes one by one. Especially the christmas festive bread. This time Swathi has chosen a Christmas bread from Czech Republic- Vánocka (va-nawtch-kah) for Baking Partners A Simple sugary brioche type bread but rich with eggs. Now thats where my adaption skills work. I had earlier trid brioche without eggs and it had come out fine. So here too I replaced the egg yolks in the recipe with EnerG egg replacer. Now as per Swathi its like a " curry without salt" but still the bread turned out perfect. As usual I halved the recipe and read it below..

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 2 cups
Salt: 1/8 tsp
Sugar: 3.25 tbsp
Instant Yeast: 2 tsp
Lemon zest: 1/2 a lemon
Grated Nutmeg: 1/2 tsp

Vanilla :1/2 tsp
Lukewarm milk: 1/2 cup (100ml)
Butter: 4 tbsp melted
Egg Yolk: 1 (1.5 pkd tsp of Ener G + 1 tbsp of water)

Raisins: 1/4 cup
Peeled almonds: 8 tsp

Egg wash: 1 egg + 1 tbsp of water

Preparation: 

In a big bowl, mix together flour,salt,sugar, yeast, nutmeg and lemon zest. Add in the vanilla, butter, milk and egg yolk in the well in the middle and start stirring with a spoon mixing into the surrounding flour. Once the dough becomes too stiff for a spoon, begin t knead it with onehand trying to incorporate tje remaining flour. If the dough is too dry/crumbly, add in 2-3  tbsps of milk.

Turn the dough into to a counter and knead for another 10 minutes prying apart the dough with the  lower part of your palms, fold in half and twist and repeat this till you get a smooth soft dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased pan and let it sit in a warm place until it doubles in volume. Meanwhile heat water in a bowl and add raisins. Let it boil until  it plumps up. Drain on a kitchen towel and set aside.

Transfer the dough on to a lightly dusted surface and place the raisins on top if it. Try to incorporate the raisins into the dough while kneading.

Divide the dough into 9 equal parts and roll out each about 15cm long cylinder.Take the first 4 cylinders and lay them next to each other .

Join at one end and then bring the first one at extreme left over the third one. And bring the fourth one at extreme right over the top of second one. Now the earlier frst one has become 4th and the previous 4th has become 1st. Repeat the steps 1 over 3 and 4 over 2 and join the ends to get a beautiful 4 stranded braid, Keep it aside.

Take the next 3 strands and make a three braided dough and keep it aside.

Make a 2 stranded braid with the remaining two.

Place the 4 braided piece on a lined baking sheet and bake a slight depression in the middle so it can hold the other two braids. Place the three braid bread ontop of this followed by the two braided. If there are loose ends try to tuck underneath the entire bread.

Stick almonds on the sides -either sliced or whole peeled. Then stick toothpicks in between so that it doesn't flip during baking.

Preheat the oven to 350F /175C while the dough is resting - which should not be more than 30 mnts. Brush the bread with egg wash  or milk/butter  and bake for about 38-42 minutes making sure the top doesn't brown too much.. in which case cover it with a foil.
 After removing from the oven sprinkle with powdered sugar /glaze and let it cool completely.Slice into pieces and serves.


An excellent raisin bread. The aroma of sugar and raisin definitley gives a festive feel.The original recipe adapted from here and which came from Swathi sugested baking time of 38 minutes, but my eggless version definitely took few extra minutes as I have seen in some of the egg replacer preparations. I suppose this is because the egg replacer powder is made up of different plant based startces which take longer time to cook.

Lets see who all baked Vánocka for Christmas. Hope over to Swathi's

Chilli Cheese Corn Bread | Baking Partners October '15

Diwali came and went in between rains. It was almost a wet Diwali  but it was nice to simply sit and chat doing nothing. Though I made regular sweets I didn't touch my computer or look at my blog those days. Now that one festival is over, we can slowly think of cooking clicking and posting about another festival which we don not celebrate much ieThanksgiving. 

I am more interested in experimenting with various festive dishes from other cuisines. This time  Southern style corn bread was suggested by Suja of KitchenCorner for Baking Partners by Swathi. The recipe is adapted from Weight Watchers CookBook and 1001 Great recipes around the world, Culinary Institute New York. As usual I tried the eggless  version replacing eggs with Ener G egg replacer and it came out right on time pretty good but  read on...

Ingredients:

Makai ka Aatta / Yellow Cornflour: 1.5 cups

All Purpose Flour: 1 cup

Baking Powder: 2 tsp

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Brown Sugar: 2 tbsp

Egg: 2 OR Ener G Egg: 1 tbsp pkd Powder whipped with 4-5 tbsp of water

Vegetable Oil: 4 tbsp

Buttermilk: 1 cup

Milk: 1/2 cup

Carrot grated/shredded: 1/3 cup (optional)

Green chillies : 1-2 minced

Corn: 1/2 cup

Cheddar cheese : 1 cup/shredded

Preparation: 

Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and set aside.

Beat in eggs and blend in oil,milk and buttermilk. Add in the dry flour mix and fold in the carrot,chillies, corn and cheese.

Pour in a greased 8" pan and bake in a preheated oven at 400F/ 200C for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The bread will be light brown and crispy in the edges.If you have a skillet, heat in butter in it on a stovetop. And bake the bread in same skillet. 

The bread looked perfect from outside. Its taste was yum but texture was something I was not happy with. It was not light fluffy texture. But slightly heavier/thicker I  felt. Taste was excellent what with corn and carrot and chillies. But may be these made it thicker or pastier I felt. It was cooked perfectly, the tester in the middle had come out clean. 

Normally when I replace eggs some baked dishes take more time. This time also I had anticipated it , but the bread was done in exactly 30 minutes and top started browning a bit more that I wanted and hence I had pulled it out. But I let it cool completely in the pan and before cutting it.Next time definitely I will be playing around with the temperature and different ingredients and spices. 

Savoury Modaks for Ganesha | Ammini Kozhukattai

Ganesha Chathurthi was celebrated two days back with pomp all over India and in some parts the celebrations are still going on. Festivities that celebrate the Birthday of Modak-loving, Elephant Faced Indian  God Ganesha or Ganpati end with the immersion of the Ganesh idol and this can take upto 1 week. At homes different types of offerings are made -usually sweet modaks and sometimes savoury as well. This time I preferred savoury modaks or ammini kozhukkattai - riceflour based steamed balls whick are then tempered to the taste. These are speciailities of Tamil Nadu though popular in all Southern states in India  and they turned out perfect as an offering snack. I have adapted the recipe from Sailus Kitchen and its given below.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour: 1/2 cup

Hot water: 1cup +

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Ghee/oil: 1/2 tsp

Grated Coconut: few tbsp

Tempering:

Oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Channa dal: 1.5 tsp

Urad Dal: 1 tsp

Green Chillies: 1-2 slit

Red Chillies: 1-2 chopped into pieces

Hing/Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves: few or 1 sprig

Preparation:

Mix salt rice flour together and add in ghee/oil. Add in hot water and knead the flour to get a smooth dough. You can first boil water with salt and ghee/oil and add in the rice flour and stir in to get a lump free dough. 

Whatever the method you use the dough should be smooth and lump free and let it sit for sometime so that it becomes easy to handle.

With greased hands pinch off small pieces from the dough and place in a greased steamer/ idly plates.

Place these plates in a steamer or pressure cooker and steam for 10-15 minutes (without weight if using cooker) until the balls are cooked and turn little light. Remove from heat and keep aside .

In a pan, Heat oil for tempering and add in the mustard. When it splutters, add in cumin and the  dals. Once the dals brown and the cumin sizzles, add in the red and green chillies, curry leaves and hing. Once the hing toasts and curryleaves sizzles add in the grated coconut followed by steamed rice balls. Mix well and take it off heat.

Serve in bowls as a breakfast or snack etc based on your choice.

Simple easy to make and savoury snack. You can make it along with sweet modaks and offer it during your pooja.

Pineapple & Broken Wheat Payasam | Festivals Galore

Today is celebrated as Onam in Kerala, Varamahalakshmi Pooja in Karnataka and for select communities its also the 'thread changing day' or 'suthaam punnav' or avani avittam. Whatever way you celebrate its the foods that show the festive spirit. And obviously the sweet desserts which come at the end of the meal but linger on till next year. 

I tried a simple fruit payasam or kheer with  healthy broken wheat, split yellow lentils and pineapple. The recipe from a magazine is pretty much traditional except I replaced the rice in the traditional avatar with healthy and easy cooking ingredients.

Ingredients:

Broken Wheat /Dalia : 1 cup

Split Yellow Lentils: 1/4 cup

Pineapple chopped/grated: 1-2 cups or more as per your preference

Jaggery Syrup : 2.5-3 cups 

Thin coconut milk/ Third extract: 6-8 cups

Medium thin coconut milk/ Second extract: 2-3 cups

Thick coconut milk/ First extract: 1 cup

Powdered Ginger /Sonth : 1/2 tsp

Powdered Jeera/ Cumin : 1/4-1/2 tsp

Preparation:

On medium heat bring to boil the thin coconut milk/ third extract and add in hte broken wheat and lentils. Let these cook on low -med heat until almost done.

Add in the chopped/grated pineapple and continue cooking till most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add in the second extract/medium thick coconut milk and jaggery syrup and continue cooking stirring periodically so that this doesn't get burnt.

Once the mixture thickens a bit or reaches your choice  or the right payasam consistency, stir in the thick coconut milk and powdered spices. Stir well and take it off heat. It will thicken upon sitting. 

Serve warm or at room temperature in bowls garnished with more pineapple.

You can use or add other fruits incase you are not a fan of pineapple, but its good for me. You can cook with rice or oats or mix of lentils and grains if you wish to experiment.You can even add cashew nuts or raisins along with pineapple. I kept it simple .. just the pineapple.

I am a pineapple fan and for your kind info , if you happen to visit Kerala in hotter months(!?) make sure you visit the area called ' Muvattupuzha'- its the heart of pineapple cultivation. Though it is available all year round, pineapple flourishes in hot season. By May you can feel the pineapple in the air as they perfume the air when they ripen. Imagine loads of pineapples... Its a feeling I have enjoyed.Hope you do too. You can even see several truck loads of pineapple being transported to markets etc...

Meanwhile enjoy the payasam... healthy delicious and obviously festive..

Baisakhi Meal with Spice Terrace | New Year Celebrations continues

Baisakhi this year was celebrated on April 14,2015, Tuesday. It is an important harvest festival in Punjab in North West India and is celebrated as Punjabi New Year and also marks the establishment of the Sikh Khalsa or the Order. 

On such an auspicious day what better than to enjoy an authentic Punjabi meal and learn more about the Punjabi Cuisine from none other than chef Surjan Singh Jolly at SpiceTerrace restaurant,JWMarriott Bengaluru.

Spice Terrace, an Indian speciality alfresco restaurant in JWMarriott, Bengaluru  is celebrating Baisakhi all this week or to be exact from April 10th -April 19th, 2015. The menu all designed based on the travels and decade long experience of  Chef Jolly  helps showcase the authentic Punjabi cuisine.

Having heard and tasted the popular Punjabi food items like regular bhartas, lassi and ofcourse the 'Paneer' when served with rooh afza shikanji was an eye opener. It was time to relearn stuff and get acquainted with the authentic cuisine made modern. Instead of the regular greasy and calorie laden Punjabi food  which is available elsewhere like tandoori chicken and  oily dishes, we were served flavourful items like Rajma Anjeer tikki, Kathal(jackfruit) and dried amla achar along with flavourful pulao and Amritsari Kulcha.

One spoonful of pulao feels very very light and yet having full flavour of desi ghee will put you in doubt on how the Punjabi food which is popular for ghee and fats can be this light? The doubts were obviously clarified by Chef Jolly who insisted that desi ghee having low smoking point is always added at the end of cooking as a garnish and not used a cooking medium per se. 

The chef shared his experiences during travels to Punjab, his search for authentic yet rarely seen now foods and how he always makes sure the olden times food is given to the modern day calorie conscious customer without losing the flavour, taste and authenticity.

It was a great experience and an auspicious start to the New Year. Especially when we saw the soft hot big khoya stuffed Jamuns or the jalebi with rabdi or other mouthwatering recipes. Let me leave you with visually tantalising images so that you can ring in Baisakhi once more with Spice Terrace, JWMarriott.

Baisakhi calls for gourmet indulgence. Continue celebrating Baisakhi with Spice Terrace @ JWMarriott till April 19th,2015.

In a nutshell

Ambience: Backdrop of Traditional Street in Amritsar, with live entertainment 
Type : Buffet
Cost: Rs.1599/- + taxes
Time : 7pm -11pm
Date: Till April 19th, Sunday

Negatives:
* Rains might play havoc, but the restaurant has a plan B.
 *Service might be slow, as some of the food is served hot and fresh in live counters (which is actually good        as you can be assured its not from a freezer)

Go and grab it Punjabi style so that you can be happy and lucky entire year round.

Vishu Kanji | Happy Vishu for all the God's Own People

They say in olden days people used to guess the moods of nature. Time was known from suns position and same goes for seasons. As for me I used to guess vacations when I used to see flowering  'Konna Tree' or the golden shower tree with yellow flowers near my house in Thiruvananthapuram. The tree turning yellow/golden indicated summer and end of annual exams and two lovely dreamy months ahead. They also indicated Vishu - first day of Malayalam Zodiac / Kerala New Year. These flowers are important during Vishu/ Kerala New Year Celebrations which falls today this year. 

Vishu is celebrated during April second week in Kerala  normally 14th or 15th April based on Sun's transit to Aries  (Medam in Malayalam) and is the first day of the Malayalam Zodiac or Kerala New Year. So the  thing we see first in the morning - called 'Vishu kani'- is considered to have importance throughout the year as a good auspicious kani indicates your wellness and prosperity.There are rituals and customs on how to arrange a good kani.

The kani is followed by 'Vishu Kaineettam' where the elders of the family shower blessings on the younger ones by giving them coins/sovereigns or in general money and new set of clothes. Vishu Sadya (feast) which is a regular part of all other festivals follows and has items based on regional tastes.

I am not big on festival feasts but till now remember the taste of Vishu Sadya I had in Kochi at Bharat Hotel. We were given coupons from the office I working in at that time and Ijoined the gang deciding that I am going to hate it. But it turned out otherwise.. 

Anyways when I came across Vishu kanji - a rice and lentil porridge in coconut milk- in a magazine I wondered how come I missed it in the sadya that day. I am assuming it was because it is not a part of  Vishu menu in Kochi where crackers were more important than 'kaineettam' or maybe they didn't think it met the restaurant standards. But whatever it is I tried it and loved it. 

Ingredients:

Raw Rice : 500g (2.5 cups)

Moong Dal/Split yellow lentils : 300 gm

Thin Coconut milk: 2-3 cups + as needed

Thick Coconut milk/coconut cream: 1 cup +/- as per taste

Salt: as per taste

Preparation:

Roast moong dal  in a deep pan for few minutes till the raw smell goes. Add it to cleaned rice and thin coconut milk and bring it to a slow boil on medium flame stirring occassionally. The coconut milk might curdle if boiled on a high flame. 

Reduce to a simmer and let the rice and lentil cook till done -and even mushy works. The word kanji means porridge and even mushy texture is ok. 

Once done, remove from fire and stir in the thick coconut milk. Keep aside. 

Add salt just before serving. The porridge thickens on sitting and you can gently heat through before serving adding more coconut milk if needed. 

Serve with papad or pickle or your choice of gravy. 

 An easy to prepare yet delicious dish.It is meant to liquidy or pourable consistency. But at the end its your choice. This is a very simple version. I have seen different versions in other sites as well. Each region has its own recipes. This version is something that will be easy to prepare.

The coconut flavour is having upperhand in this dish. You can make your own coconut milk by pulsing water and coconut together in a blkender and then filtering out. The first milk will be thick one whereas the second extraction will give thin. You can also go for readymade coconut powders to be mixed with water or even coocnut milk in carton. If too thick feel free to add water to it to thin it down.

Masala Mathri | Holi Snacking is on...

Holi or Basant Panchami celebrated throughout India is a festival I love and also hate. I love watching others getting drenched in colours but hate to do so myself. I also love seeing people getting high on Thandaai. Its a n alcoholic drink traditionally prepared on Holi. You can find the non alcoholic version here.  

But I am definitely interested in Holi snacks and preparations. There are even specific foods that are made on Holi. Atleast thats what Google aunty showed me. Well its definitely an occasion worth celebrating with thandai and  snacks. Eventually after playing holi and getting messy and colourful, hunger is something thaty needs to be taken care of and what better than mathris.

Mathris/ Mathis are flaky crunchy Rajasthani snacks made using flour, ghee and cumin seeds. They are tea time snacks and also prepared during weddings or festivals. When prepared during wedding they are also called 'suhaali'. A spicy version or Masala Mathri has spices added to it. I tried the spicier version I found here and they turned awesome. 

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour: 2 cup

Wheat Flour: 1/2 cup

Salt: to taste

Hot Ghee/Clarified Butter: 2 tbsp

Warm water: just enough to knead

Oil: for deep frying

Spices:

Black Pepper powder: 1 tsp 

Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves ) : 1 tsp hand crushed

Hing/asafetida: 1/4 tsp

Coarsely Powder:

Coriander Seeds : 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp

Fennel Seeds: 1 tsp

Preparation:

Sift all purpose flour in a bowl and mix well with wheat flour and salt. 

Add in hing and coarsely powdered spices, crushed kasuri methi and fresh grated pepper and mix well.I coarsely powder all the spices together except hing which is in powder form with me.

Add hot ghee to it and mix well till it resembles coarse sand.Add in just enough water and knead into a tight dough. Rest the dough for about 15 minutes.

When ready turn the dough onto a counter and roll it out into a thin sheet. Normally or rather traditionally, the dough is divided into small pieces and each piece is rolled out into a thick small disc or poories. I rolled out into a  thick rectangle and cut these into rounds using a cookie cutter.

Pierce each round with a fork so that they turn crunchy after frying. 

Deep fry each in oil on  medium-high heat. Serve with hot tea or coffee.

Yum yum and yum. I know you will think of oil and calories, but sometime we should foresake these. Afterall you are running and jumping and getting all worked up during celebrations. For the very health conscious fellas out there, do try baking these. 

Point Pedro Vadai - ParuthithuraiVadai | Sri Lankan Festive Fritters

January, the first month of the year also brings in the harvesting season. Almost entire India celebrates the beginning of harvesting season which falls in the middle of the month as Lohri, Sankranthi, and Pongal. This is actually a celebration of the Sun God- which provides the energy needed for agriculture -as it starts its journey northwards.  Pongal which is a Tamil harvest festival is celebrated not just in Tamil Nadu, India but also in our neighbouring country Sri Lanka. It is Sri Lanks'a national festival celebrated with the offerings of Pongal and variety of snacks one of them being PointPedro Vadai or Paruthithurai Vadai. 

A little googling on Lankan Cuisine gave me this name and led me to a few sites that had the recipe. I was under the impression that it is same as our 'Vada /Vadai'- savoury ground & deep fried  lentil dumplings that are very common here. But I  was surprised by the recipe from Ahila's site which involved no grinding and used wheat flour for the dough. 

The vadais are  a speciality from the town of Paruthithurai or Point Pedro  - anglicised name for the same.or Peduru Thuduwa in Sanhala - in Jaffna. They are also known as Jaffna Vadai. 

Ingredients:

 Skinless Split Urad Dal : 1 cup

Steamed Wheat flour: 1 cup 

Regular Wheat Flour: 1 cup + as needed 

Salt: as per taste

Onion: 1/2- 1 cup minced

Green Chillies: 1-2 minced  (as per taste)

Fennel Seeds: 1 tbsp

Curry Leaves: few chopped finely

Water: just little as needed to form a dough

Oil: for deep frying

Preparation:

Soak the dal in enough water for 6 hours or overnight. 

Mix together drained dal and all the other ingredients except oil with just enough water to form a little tight dough. You can take regular wheat flour and steam it or use wheat puttu flour available in market.Steaming regular wheat flour may involve extra steps and time and I went for the wheat puttu flour which is already steamed, sifted and ready to use.

Divide the dough into small balls - it comes around 60 or more. And flatten each piece into a thin circle. This is the traditional way of making them. 

Else divide the dough into half or quarter. And roll out each piece into a rectangle as thin as possible.The dough is little drier compared to the Indian medu vadai. Use cookie cutters and cut the dough into circles. This was the technique I followed as it gave same shape and thinness to most of the pieces. Thinner the vadas crunchier they are.

While the vadas are getting ready, heat the oil for deep frying. Once the vadais are ready make sure they don't sit out a long time before frying. 

Deep fry the vadai few at a time until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with your choice of dip/chutney.

The texture is very crunchy ie the thinner you roll out/flatten crunchier they will be. The texture is similar to thattai vadai  for those who are familiar with the Tamil cuisine. 

If slightly thick in width then they turn softer after sometime. Both ways they tasted perfect with a cuppa.

NeujahrsPretzel - New Years Pretzel | Baking Partners Jan 2015

New Year is celebrated across the world in different ways. Each country has its own traditions or otherwise People even add their own twist which inturn becomes a new ritual/tradition. The idea of celebration is bring together people or family and friends. Celebrating with family and friends definitely enhances our moods and then makes us positive as the the new year dawns. This definitely brings good luck and happiness throughout the year. 

Different traditions are associated with New Year and each one is supposed to bring good luck to our lives. This includes even in some food items consumed during the beginning of the new year or rather even as the clock strikes 12. One of them is New Year Pretzels.These are a speciality in Germany and are supposed to bring goodluck and prosperity if consumed at midnight or before breakfast on New Years' Day. 

In Germany or other German speaking and even other pretzel baking areas, on Jan 1st lightly sweetened yeasted pretzel is gifted among friends and family for good fortune. Sometimes young kids visits grandparents to get their share of pretzels. In fact pretzel is supposed to have got the shape from the German monks who used to pray for peace and prosperity. Whatever the story behind the bread, the New Years pretzels are the perfect option to snack on when you come tired after the celebrations and even during the celebrations

This time around for Baking Partners yours truly got the chance to choose the recipe thanks to Swathy. And yup the breads came wonderful and perfect. I went for one fourth (quarter) of the recipe adapted from  Pittsburgh Magazine given below. 

Ingredients:

Warm Milk: 1 ½ cups

Sugar: ½ cup

Butter: ½ cup

Warm Water: ½ cup

Yeast: 1 tbsp yeast (along with 1 tsp of sugar)

Bread Flour/ Apf: 6-7 cups

(You can make your own bread flour by adding 1 tsp of vital wheat gluten to 1 cup of all purpose flour.)

Salt: 1 tbsp

Egg: 2 OR Ener G Egg = 1 tbsp EnerG + 6-8  tbsp of water

Icing:

Confectioners Sugar: 2.5 cups

Almond/Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

Water : as much as needed

Garnishing:

Toasted Sliced Almonds

Candied cherrries

Confectioners/Powdered Sugar

Preparation:

In a bowl mix together warm milk, sugar and butter and stir until the butter and sugar are dissolved.

In another bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with few sugar grains. and let it sit until foamy.

I didn’t have bread flour and added vital wheat gluten to my all purpose flour. In the small steel plate in the pic is vital wheat gluten ready to be mixed in.

To the milk bowl, add in the 5 cups of flour, salt, yeast mix and egg .

Mix until you get a soft batter. Add in more flour ½ cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Continue knead until the  dough leaves the sides of the bowl.

Take the dough onto a floured counter and knead it to form a smooth ball.

Put it into a greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in size.

Turn onto the counter, divide into half.

Roll each half into a long rope and shape into a pretzel.

You can refer this video for shaping the pretzel.

Lay the pretzel into a parchment lined baking sheet and let it rise for another hour,

I made one big pretzel with one half of the dough. Other half I divided into smaller pieces and made smaller pretzels.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375F/175C for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

The bigger pretzel came out like this

The smaller one ..

Garnish with powdered sugar.

Else mix together the confectioners sugar with vanilla/almond extract with as much water as needed to get a spreadable icing. Pour the icing over the bread and decorate with toasted almonds and candied cherries.

The bread is soft and light right out of the oven. It is similar to any soft sandwich bread that we make or buy. But once you decorate then it looks regal.. Its all the love and hope and positive that makes the simple pretzel superb centre piece in the New Year menu and gives a perfect start for the New Year .

Lets hop across to Swathi's and check what other partners baked for New Year.