'Quinoa' Maavinakayi Chitranna / Mango - Coconut Quinoa

(This was originally posted on 5 /3/2011.)

Quinoa can be incorporated into Indian cuisine effortlessly. It can be used to replace rice in most of the dishes that need it and this post happens to be one such recipe. Mango chitranna / pulihora is a simple yet delicious dish from South India that uses rice and green mango. It is prepared especially during summer times when green mangoes are available in abundance. I have replaced rice with quinoa in this popular, tongue- tickling dish and here is the method.

And don't worry about the long list of ingredients mentioned. Most of them go in the tadka / tempering.

Below are some other quinoa based dishes that I have already posted.

Cooking Quinoa

Quinoa Bisebele
Quinoa Khichdi
Quinoa - Masoordal Soup
Quinoa Panchkuti Dal Khichdi
Quinoa Pilaf
Quinoa Pongal
Quinoa Sweet Pongal
Quinoa Upma

Ingredients: (Yield - 3 servings)
1 cup quinoa
1 - 2 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup. peanuts
1 tbsp. Bengal gram / chana dal
1 tbsp. skinned black gram / urad dal
1 tsp. mustard seeds
A sprig of curry leaves 
2 green chilies (I used Serrano peppers. If using other varieties, adjust the quantity according to the spiciness preferred.)
2 -3 dried red chilies, broken into small pieces
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida powder
3/4 cup grated raw mango
1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut (thaw if using frozen)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds powder +  1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds / methi powder (optional but recommended. The quantities can be increased if preferred. Lightly toast mustard and fenugreek seeds and powder them fine.)
Minced cilantro for garnish

Method:

* Wash quinoa in several exchanges of water. Add quinoa and 1 & 3/4 cups of water to a pressure cooker and cook until done. (2 - 3 whistles). Cool and fluff.
Alternatively, it can be cooked on stovetop. Bring the water to a rolling boil and then add quinoa. Cover and cook until done, about 20 minutes. When done, the seeds become translucent and the white germ would partially detach itself, appearing like a tail.
* Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan or a kadai. Add the peanuts, Bengal gram, skinned black gram and mustard seeds. When peanuts start to turn reddish, add green & red chilies and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds and then add the turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, mango and coconut and stir well. Turn off the stove.
* Next add the cooked quinoa, salt, mustard and fenugreek powders to the pan and mix well to combine.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Menthula Pappu / Andhra Style Lentil Preparation with Fenugreek Seeds

I being an Indian and vegetarian, eat legumes in one form or another on a daily basis for my protein quota. And I  therefore keep showcasing 'traditional' dals (Indian lentil recipes) regularly here. When I peeked recently at the 'dals' category in my blog, I realized some needed tweaking in terms of content and some posts needed better images. Here is one such post which needed some fixing and was originally posted in July, 2010. This dal used to be a regular one in my mother-in-law's kitchen and now loved by even my kids at our home.

Today's dal is a healthy and rather an uncommon one from Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, called menthula pappu. As the name suggests, menthulu or fenugreek seeds is the star in this traditional recipe. It should not be confused with the dal prepared using fenugreek greens / methi leaves. Unlike most of the dals, this does not require any vegetables and gives the fenugreek seeds an opportunity to shine. 

And no, the dal is not bitter because of the fenugreek seeds used. The fenugreek seeds soften once they are cooked and it is hard to notice them while eating. If you are one of those who soak their lentils before cooking, just remember not to soak the fenugreek seeds as well as they lend bitterness to the dal. The taste of the finished dal is uniquely flavorful and refreshes your taste buds. 

Ingredients:
1 cup pigeon peas / yellow lentils / toordal
3 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp, spicy variety chili powder or to taste
1/4 cup watery tamarind puree (Soak 1/4 cup tamarind in water for an hour or place in a microwave with little water for about 3 minutes. Then squeeze the juice adding a little if needed. The leftover tamarind puree can be refrigerated and used within 2 days.)
Ingredients for tadka: 

1 or 2 tsp. oil

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

A sprig of curry leaves

2 pinches of ground asafoetida

Cooking:
1. Wash the lentils and fenugreek seeds with two exchanges of water and throw away the cloudy water. Then transfer the lentils and fenugreek seeds to a container. Add about 2 cups of water and turmeric to it. Place the container in pressure cooker, close the lid and put on the valve. Pressure cook the lentils until 3 whistles or until done.  
Alternatively, the lentils can be cooked in a pan on stove top, stirrng frequently. Add water as needed and cook until the lentils turns mushy.
2. Remove the dal from cooker and mash it slightly with the back of a ladle. 
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves and asafoetida. (This tempering can be done at the end and added to the cooked lentils.) 
4. Then add the mashed lentils, salt, chili powder and tamarind puree to the pan and mix well. Add some water if the mixture appears too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. 

5. Cook  on medium heat setting until it starts to boil and then turn down the heat setting to low. Cook for a couple of minutes more and turn off the stove.

* Serve it warm with some hot steamed rice and a tsp of ghee.

Comment

Sesame Seed - Peanut Laddu

(This was originally published on 12/25/2012.)

From an Indian perspective, the word 'sweets' stand for all culinary things that are obviously sweet and are from the subcontinent. In a traditional sense, none of the baked goods or the western desserts usually fall under the category and they are never a part of a religious feast. 

Laddus, kheer, halwa and burfis make up a significant portion of the myriad varieties of Indian sweets. They entice me the most and so I thought of posting a nutritious and super quick laddu today. These laddus are made with just four ingredients - peanuts, white sesame seeds, dried coconut and jaggery. This is again a 5 minutes recipe if you have toasted and skinned peanuts handy. One minute to toast sesame seeds, under two minutes to blend the mixture and about two minutes to shape the laddus. These are vegan, gluten-free, no bake and a quick fix treat that satiates the sweet tooth.

Peanuts obviously are a good source of protein while sesame seeds are a source of good fats and have a rich iron content. Jaggery is the sweetener used here which is more nutritious than sugar. Adjust the quantity as needed since the sweetness of jaggery varies each time one buys a batch. There is no need of any binding agent to make these laddus. Toasted peanuts and sesame seeds are used here which when ground release oil which help to bind the laddus. Made with healthy ingredients, these protein rich laddus provide a quick boost of energy besides being yummy and easy ones to prepare.

Ingredients: (Make 10 laddus)
1/2 cup roasted, skinned peanuts
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 cup grated dried coconut /copra
3/4 to 1 cup jaggery powder (depending upon the sweetness of jaggery)

Method:
* Toast sesame seeds on medium flame, continuously stirring until they start to slightly brown and start to sputter. It takes about a minute to toast them. Turn off the stove and transfer them onto a plate. Let them cool.

* Add all ingredients to a food processor / blender and coarsely grind them.

* Transfer the mixture onto a plate. Fist a portion of the mixture and shape it into a ball. Repeat the step of making balls with the remaining mixture. (It took me about 2 minutes for this quantity.)

* Store the laddus in an airtight container. The container can be left over the counter and needs to be refrigerated only if need to be stored longer. 

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon under the theme 'Protein rich dishes'. Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Flax Seeds - Sesame Seeds Laddu

My mother had given me a few laddu recipes to try a while ago. The tempting protein laddus I posted a few months earlier was one of them. These healthy flax seed laddus are one more from the bunch that are simple and easy to prepare. The original recipe was called flax seed laddu as it used equal quantities of flax and sesame seeds. I have increased sesame seeds quantity when I made these laddus. Also the recipe had about 1/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon which I omitted favoring cardamom. 

Sesame seeds play an important role in some of the regions during Sankranthi festival. These laddus make a great choice if one needs to make a dish using sesame seeds. Or if one has some leftover 'ellu-bella' mix, transform it to some nutritious laddus which everyone can enjoy. These quick fix laddus can also make an opt choice for a 'mithai' platter or when one needs to make more sweets for festivals like Diwali and such.  

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1 cup dates (More than 24 pitted dates)
1 /4  tsp. ground cardamom

Directions:
* Toast sesame seeds on medium flame until they start to lightly brown, continuously stirring all the while. Don't let them burn.

 * Toast flax seeds until they start to crackle and fly around. It takes about a minute or less to toast them.

* Let the toasted seeds cool down.

* Finely grind the toasted flax seeds in a blender and transfer it a bowl. (I saved a few seeds without grinding and added to laddus which I don't recommend.) Next finely grind the sesame seeds as well and add it to the bowl. 
* Lightly pulse the dates in a food processor or a blender until they appear coarsely ground. Next add the ground sesame and flax seeds, cardamom and cinnamon if using and run the food processor on pulse mode until the mixture comes together.  

* Transfer the contents to a bowl and shape into laddus. 

Comments

Chia Seed Pudding

I have been noticing the health buzz that is going on about chia seeds for years now and decided only recently to join the band wagon. I had stuck mostly to breakfast puddings or shakes using chia seeds until now and decided to post today one of those as part of the blogging marathon under the theme of  'puddings'. This is not one of those traditional puddings but an uncooked one that takes about two minutes to put together and can be eaten as a healthy breakfast or even a hassle free dessert.

My daughter just stepped into the kitchen the night I was putting together this pudding for my next morning's breakfast. She took a look at chia seeds and asked what those were and then started to freak out. Turns out that she had assumed that they were not edible, thanks to those TV commercials of foliage heads. 😊

A chia seeds' based pudding is quite flexible and can be customized according to one's diet preference or the ingredients on hand. For today's version I have used milk and yogurt as the base and added strawberries and almonds.
 
Ingredients: (Yield 1 serving)
1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup Greek style yogurt
or
1 cup diary or non dairy milk 
2 tbsp. chia seeds
Vanilla extract for flavor
Sweetener to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup hulled and chopped strawberries 
1 tbsp. slivered almonds.

Method:
* Blend milk, yogurt and vanilla together. Add chia seeds and stir. Refrigerate the mixture for about 4 hours or overnight.
* Before serving, taste and add sweetener as needed and stir in berries and nuts. 
* Or all ingredients can be blended together and refrigerated.

This goes to Blogging marathon #74, under the theme 'Are you Pudding me' Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Banana and Chia Seeds Overnight Oats

Though I jumped late on the 'overnight oats' band wagon, I have come to realize that I love it more than the cooked oatmeal because of the texture of the oats. It doesn't turn mushy and there are zillion ways to jazz it up. All you need to do is mix equal parts of rolled oats, milk, yogurt, sweetener and flavoring agent if preferred in a sealed jar / container and refrigerate it overnight. And a hearty breakfast in a creamy base is ready by the morning to eat or carry it to go. There is no cooking involved and it is a fuss free preparation that hardly involves a couple of minutes of one's time. Just before serving it in the morning, fruits / dry fruits / nuts can be added to make it more interesting and nutritious. Or they can be added along with the oats at night. Overnight oats would make a perfect breakfast especially on hot summer days. 

I usually prepare this overnight oats using a little over 1/3 cup rolled / old fashioned oats but depending upon one's intake the oats quantity can range anywhere between 1/3 to 1/2 cup for one serving. Any dairy or non dairy milk can be used depending upon one's dietary preferences for the liquid portion. Though usually equal quantity of oats and liquids are used in an overnight oats recipe I tend to add more milk and yogurt since I don't prefer my oats with a thick consistency. Sweetener can be anything ranging from honey, sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, again depending upon one's taste and choice. I prefer to add the sweetener in the morning to decide the quantity depending upon what toppings I am going to use. In today's recipe, I mashed a overly sweet banana and added a tiny quantity of sweetener. Ditto with the flavoring agent though it is optional. Some of the choices would be vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. The basic overnight oats preparation is like a blank canvas though with garnishes and one's creativity, it can lead to great variety of breakfast options. There is no problem in eating the plain, basic version of oats but however it can be made more colorful and interesting with toppings. They can range anywhere from fresh and/or dried fruits, nuts, seeds, coconut, chocolate and many more. For today's version, I used a mashed banana, chia seeds, raisins and sweetened dried cranberries.

 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup yogurt (I used homemade fat free yogurt.)
2/3 cup milk 
1 tbsp. chia seeds
Sweetener to taste (I used honey.)
1 banana, mashed or sliced into discs
1 tbsp. dry fruits / nuts to garnish (optional. I used sweetened cranberries and raisins.)

Method:
* Whisk oats, yogurt, milk and chia seeds in a pint sized container with a lid.
* Close the lid and refrigerate the oat mixture overnight or about 4 to 6 hours.
* Add banana slices or a mashed banana and toppings of your choice to the oats. Mix well and taste it before adding the sweetener to make sure whether it is needed.
 
This goes to Blogging marathon #70, under the theme 'Cooking for One'. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the BM.

Comments

Til Ke Laddu / Sesame Seeds Laddu / Nuvvundalu

 

Here is one more simple and easy recipe for the Sankranti festival, which is just around the corner. The combination of sesame seeds and jaggery, redolent with cardamom flavor yield a yummy treat.

Ingredients:
1 cup white sesame seeds
Scant 1 cup jaggery 
1 tbsp. ghee
2 to 3 tbsp. water 
1/2 tsp. cardamom powder

Method:
* Dry toast sesame seeds in a wide pan until they start to splutter, about 2 -3 minutes, stirring continuously. Transfer the sesame seeds onto a plate and keep it aside. 
* Keep a small plate with cold water ready by the stove to test the consistency of the jaggery syrup. Add jaggery, ghee and water to a big, sturdy, thick-bottomed vessel or a non-stick pan and keep stirring on low flame. Soon the jaggery starts to melt and concentrate.  Boil this syrup till it reaches a rollable hard ball consistency. To test, add few drops of jaggery syrup to the cold water and roll the syrup with your fingers to form a ball. It should keep its shape without melting in spite of tilting the plate.
*  Add the sesame seeds and cardamom quickly and stir well. Turn off the stove. Set aside the mixture for few minutes and shape into small balls. Store the laddus in an airtight container.

This goes to Blogging marathon #60 under the theme 'Festival of the Month'. Check the link to see what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Flax Seed Laddu

I happened to see these flax seeds based laddus on a Telugu cook show a couple of days ago, when I was leisurely browsing the television. The laddus made with a medley of healthy ingredients sounded and looked so tempting that I had to prepare them immediately. The original recipe used about 2 cups flax seeds and 1/4 cup each of whole black gram / urad dal and roasted chickpeas aka the chutney dal. I didn't bother to toast and grind the flax seeds as I had a big bottle of flax meal sitting in my pantry and so used it instead. I reduced the flax meal quantity and added some peanuts. Even though urad dal is added in small quantity, these laddus tasted almost similar to sunnundalu, earthy and delicious. Another reason for me to fall in love with these laddus as sunnundalu are a favorite of mine.
 
Ingredients: (Yield 16 - 18)
1 cup flax seeds / flax meal
1/4 cup skinned whole urad dal / black gram
1/4 cup roasted chickpeas / chutney dal
1/2 cup toasted and skinned peanuts
3/4 to 1 cup powdered jaggery
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tbsp. ghee
1 tbsp. cashews
Lukewarm milk as needed

Method:
* Toast the cashews in ghee until golden brown and keep it aside.
* If using flax seeds, toast them in a pan on low flame until they start to splutter. Transfer them onto a wide plate to let cool.
* To the same pan add urad dal and toast, stirring constantly on medium flame until they change lightly brown or until you start to feel the aroma. Let the toasted ingredients cool down.
* Grind urad dal slightly coarse and transfer to a wide bowl.
* Next grind flax seeds, chutney dal and peanuts together finely and add the powder to the urad dal flour bowl. Add jaggery, cardamom and toasted cashews along with the ghee used to toast, to the bowl and combine the mixture well using hand.
* Add milk, starting with a tbsp. or so to the mixture and combine to see whether the mixture holds together to shape. If not, add milk in 1 tsp. increments until the desired consistency is reached.
* Fist a lime sized portion of the mixture and shape into a smooth ball using your dominant hand. Repeat the step with the remaining mixture.  

Note:
1.  The laddus can be made without using milk and by increasing the ghee quantity to shape them. Using milk will reduce their shelf life and need to be refrigerated.
2. If by any chance the mixture becomes too wet, add some ground chutney dal or peanut powder so that laddus can be shaped.
 
This goes to blogging marathon #57 under the theme 'Bookmarked Posts' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

Comments

Oats - Sesame Parathas

 
Actually it was supposed to be the day of zucchini pancakes here if not for the minor detail that I missed while picturing them. Flat breads / pancakes had to be pictured along with a side dish according to the BM theme and I had completely forgotten about it when I pictured those pancakes. I realized that today morning while drafting the post and I wanted to bang my head somewhere as I did not have anything else to post. And adding to my woe, the weather has been so bad today with not a ray of sunshine in the radar. I was feeling like going and curling up under the covers than cooking and clicking. I started to dig in my drafts folder to see if I had something suitable and ended up with posts with mediocre pictures. They were in drafts in the the first place for the same reason. 
 
Somehow late afternoon I decided to make these oat based parathas and was able to get some decent pictures in spite of the gloomy weather. I saw these healthy parathas on a cook show and the recipe has been in my drafts for a while. I did not have time to rest the dough and so I added about 1/4 cup fat-free yogurt while preparing the dough so that the parathas remain softer for longer. It's time now for these parathas, owing to the 'Flat breads / Pancakes' BM theme going on this week here.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 to 1 cup wheat flour + extra for dusting
3 - 4 tbsp. sesame seeds
2 green chilies, finely chopped
2 tbsp. finely minced cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil (optional)
Oil / Ghee to toast parathas

Method:
* Lightly dry toast sesame seeds. 
* Add all ingredients except the oil to a mixing bowl and combine. Prepare a firm yet pliable dough using water as needed. Knead for a couple of minutes and place the dough in a bowl, covered. Let it rest for about an hour or so. 
* Make lime sized balls out of the dough. Take out a dough ball, flatten it and roll into a thin circle of about 5 inches diameter, dusting with flour if needed.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining dough. One can keep rolling and frying the parathas simultaneously or roll some and start frying while keeping the rest covered.
* Heat a griddle or a shallow pan. Place the rolled out dough circle on the griddle. When the bubbles start to appear, flip it. Spread 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges and fry flipping in between, until brown spots appear on both sides. Remove and repeat the steps with the remaining rolled out circles. 
* Keep the rotis covered until ready to serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen. Just warm them on the griddle again before serving.
* Serve them warm with any subzi / dal. I served them with Vegetable & Soya chunks curry and some tindora chutney.
 

These go to blogging marathon #57 and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

Comments

Berbere

I kept swinging between Middle Eastern dukkah and the Ethiopian berbere for the final 'condiment' post this week. Finally I inclined more towards the spicy berbere, owing to my Indian origin, I guess. And so for today, it is the fiery hot, flavorful spice blend from the Ethiopian and Eritrean regions, berbere. Berbere pronounced behr-behr-ee is prepared using a mixture of chili peppers and spices and is like an all purpose seasoning mix. This aromatic mixture can be used as a seasoning in stews / braises / soups / vegetables or as a rub for meats. It is the basic ingredient in dabo kolo, (a popular Ethiopian snack) doro wat (Ethipian chicken dish) and other Ethiopian dishes.

Some of the spices used in the preparation are the commonly available kind like cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin and the like while some spices used are grown only locally in the region such as korarima. The combo of fenugreek and red pepper are a must in a berbere recipe. If looking for a milder version, paprika can be substituted for some or most of the red pepper in the recipe. Berbere can be made both as a dry mixture or a wet paste. Being born and raised in a country which happens to be the spice capital of the world, I use spices in my cooking at the drop of a hat. And so naturally I had everything needed for this recipe in my pantry. Instead of using powdered spices in the recipe, I toasted whole spices and ground them for a robust flavored berbere.

(I actually couldn't trace the source link from which I tried this recipe even after scouring the web thoroughly a couple of times.)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried red chillies
1 tsp. red chilli flakes
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
6 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp. pepper powder
3 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. all spice powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
Extras if making a wet berbere:
Fresh ginger (Skip ginger powder from the list.)
2 tbsp. finely minced onion
1 garlic clove, finely minced (Skip garlic powder from the list.)
3 to 4 tbsp. water or oil

Method:
* Toast all the spices individually without scorching them and let cool. 
* If making a dry version, grind together the toasted spices and all the powders under the 'ingredients' list finely. Store in an airtight container and use as needed. 
* If making a paste, grind together the toasted spices, spice powders, fresh ginger, onion and garlic with water or oil.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56


Comments

An InLinkz Link-up

Sri Lankan Curry Powder

Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Condiments
My choice: Sri Lanka

I prepared this curry powder when I made the Sri Lankan curry. This is one flavorful, aromatic spice blend from Sri Lanka that gets used in both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes there. It is on the lines of Indian garam masala and obviously we loved it when I used it in the Sri Lankan curry that I posted a couple of weeks ago. Apart from curries, I am seeing it's potential in jazzing up rice dishes as well.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. rice
2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

2 cardamom pods
3 dried red chilli
3 inch cinnamon stick
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

Method:
* Dry roast the rice until it turns golden in color and transfer on to a plate.
* Dry roast all the other ingredients individually except turmeric until fragrant or until they change one or two shades darker. Roast on low flame and stick around since the spices burn quickly. If any of the spices is burnt while roasting, discard them and start with the fresh ones.
* Let them cool and grind all the ingredients together into a fine powder.
* Store the spice powder in airtight container and use as needed. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

Comments

An InLinkz Link-up

Kerala Vegetable Stew / Vegetable Ishtoo

For those who are wondering where I went kaput, I am back with a month long blogging mararthon. Yes, you read it right. This is again time for that part of the year where we, a group of food blogger friends feature a food post each day of the month on our blogs, excepting Sundays. This time around, the marathon is named 'Buffet on the Table" and is going to be a weekly based one. The first one in the series is going to be "Combos from Countries" where the dishes usually served as a pair need to be featured.  

I am going with an Indian breakfast combo on the first day, a popular one from the south Indian state of Kerala. Appams, Kerala style lacy pancakes served with mild vegetable stew or ishtoo, as it is colloquially termed. I am posting the recipe for the stew today. Though the list of the ingredients seem lengthier, this is one of those simple side dishes that you can prepare with no fuss. It doesn't involve any elaborate preparation and even a newbie can nail it. This traditional Kerala dish is mildly flavored and usually paired with paalappam though it tastes equally good with rotis as well. After standing a while, the dish ended up with a mild yellow tinge, because of the carrot used.

Source: Kurryleaves
Ingredients:
Oil / ghee as needed
3 cardamom pods
3 cloves
1" piece of cinnamon
8 - 10 peppercorns
1 tsp. finely grated ginger
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic (I didn't use it.)
2 to 3 green chillies, slit lengthwise (or adjust the quantity as needed.)
1 to 2 sprigs of curry leaves
1 big onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 potato, peeled and cubed
10 French beans cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cups peas, (frozen or fresh can be used.)
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1.5 cup thin coconut milk
Salt to taste

Method:
* Heat oil in a pan and add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns. Sauté them until fragrant and then add ginger, garlic, chilies, a sprig of curry leaves and onion.
* Fry them until onion turns translucent and then add all the vegetables. Add thin coconut milk and salt to the pan. Cover and cook on low flame until the vegetables are done.
* Next add the thick coconut milk, stir and cook for a few more minutes.
* Heat a tsp. of ghee / oil and toast curry leaves for few seconds. Remove and add the toasted curry leaves to the cooked stew and stir gently.
* Turn off the stove and serve the stew warm with palappam, idiappam or rotis.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56.

An InLinkz Link-up

Comments

Fun Friday ~ Russian Rose Bread / Cinnamon Sugar Braided Bread

I had planned early on to try a braided bread for this marathon and was looking for one which my kids would love to try. I came across a subtly sweet, cinnamon flavored one here which was part of a bread baking challenge. The several versions I checked ended up being part of the same challenge and so only the fillings changed according to one's preferences but the bread dough and the recipe remained the same. I wonder if this recipe has any Russian origins at all since I could not find anything online related to 'Russia' and 'Rose bread'. However it seems that another version of sweet cinnamon braided bread is equally popular in another East European nation, Estonia and it goes by the name 'Kringle'.

My kids love 'cinnamon'y bakes and so naturally they enjoyed it. They thought this rose bread was perfect though I felt it could have been a little more sweeter. I guess it is supposed to be that way since it is a bread and not a cake and is served along with coffee / tea. The original recipe had some sugar bits sprinkled on the top but I left them out. Sweetoholics probably may drizzle some chocolate / sugar icing on it if they prefer a sweeter bread. And people who are not sweetoholics may go with a savory filling.

I accidentally prepared a cup of sugar filling and by the time I noticed it, my daughter had sprinkled about 3/4th of it but I think even if I had used up that whole cup of sugar it would not have ruined the bread. And probably that's why my bread doesn't look dark as cinnamon-sugar ratio became different. I removed the bread from the oven as soon as it attained a golden hue and was done. 
My daughter was all along with me while shaping the bread and left at the last moment when I was coiling it and so she was surprised to see a wreath shaped bread coming out of the oven. Even my son was intrigued as how I arrived at that shape and I had to show him the pictures. When you cut a slice of the bread, all you see is layers attached to each other with cinnamon sugar filling between instead of a bread slice . 

 
Ingredients for the dough:
1 & 3/4 tsp. dry active yeast
1 & 1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp flax meal (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Ingredients for the filling:
1/3 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used about 3/4 cup.)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preparation of the dough:
* Add sugar and yeast to warm water and let it sit for few minutes, until it foams and rises.
* Combine flour, flax meal and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture, oil and vinegar to the bowl and knead the mixture until it results in a non sticky, elastic dough. Feel free to add small amounts of extra water / flour if needed, to achieve this consistency.
* Place the dough ball in a greased bowl and turn it to coat uniformly with oil. Cover and leave it to rise in a warm place until it almost doubles. This should take around 1 - 2 hours depending upon the weather.

Shaping the bread:
* Lightly flour the work surface and place the dough ball on it. Using your palms, gently flatten it into a rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll it as thin as you can into a rectangle without making it translucent or without tearing it. I rolled mine into 12 by 24 inched one.

* Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. 
* Brush the softened butter all over the surface of the rectangle, leaving about 1/4 inch space around the edges. Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture uniformly over the spread butter.

* Gently roll the dough rectangle into a tight log / roulade, starting from one of the longer edges.

* Cut (and not saw) the roll lengthwise into two equal parts using a sharp knife. (Make sure that your knife is in the middle so that you end up with two equal parts. If cut down along the seam, you will have a neater wreath. I put the log, seam side up and cut along the seam.)

* Slowly turn the two halves facing outwards, so that layers show up. (Basically the layers should be facing upwards towards you or in other words you should be able to see the layers. The layers should not face downwards.)
* Place them crossing each other to form a "X" shape, with the open layers facing up. Pinch the ends together at the upper side and continue to cross them to form a rope.

* This is your 2 strand rope shape. If for any reason, some of the open roulade layers are facing sideways or downwards, gently and carefully turn them to face upwards. Gently pinch the ends to seal.

* Grease a 10 inch spring form cake pan and remove the bottom. Gently slide the spring form pan bottom under about half of the dough rope. If you have a thinner end, start from that side of the rope. Keeping that point as the center of the wreath, slowly form a coil. The open layers of the roulade should be still facing up.

* Neatly tuck in the other end under the wreath.

*  Now attach the side frame of the spring form pan to the bottom side (with the bread wreath on it.)
(Use a 10 inch round cake pan if you don't own a spring from cake pan. Gently and very carefully lift the shaped bread so that it's shape is not affected and place it in the greased pan.)

* Cover and let it rise in a warm place until the braided wreath fills about 3/4th of the pan. (I lined the pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup. The second rise may take up around 30 minutes or so. )

* If using decorative sugar bits, sprinkle over the top of the wreath now.
* Place the wreath in a preheated oven at 200 deg C / 400 deg F and bake for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 180 deg C / 350 deg F and bake for another 30 - 40 minutes or until brown and done.
* Cool the bread on a wire rack. Slice and serve along with tea / coffee.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51

Comments

An InLinkz Link-up