Burfi - Bread Pudding

 
This pudding was randomly mentioned in an online article that I read sometime ago. There was no mention of the quantities of ingredients or any specific recipe though the idea of using burfis in the pudding stuck with me for years now. Burfis are Indian variety sweets that are usually nuts or flour based and are usually square shaped. This pudding can be prepared using any leftover burfi or mithais you have on hand. I used chickpea flour based burfi / besan burfi here. 

This pudding is a great way to recycle those burfis / mithais you have lying around untouched after any festival / celebration. All you need to prepare this really tasty and fuss free pudding are some left over burfis, bread slices and milk. Here is how I prepared this quick and easy dessert.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
3 burfi pieces
1 & 1/2 bread slices
1.5 cups milk
Nuts / Dry fruits to garnish

Method:
* Pulse the burfis and bread slices into a coarse mixture in a food processor. Do not grind them fine.
* Heat the milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Add the burfi - bread mixture and nuts to the milk and cook for a minute.
* Turn off the stove and bring the cooked pudding to room temperature. Chill it before serving.

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Potato - Spinach Curry Sandwich

I am quite in a relaxed mood after the biryani / pulao / khichdi themed month long blogging marathon. I am back onto the weekly BM series and this month marks a special milestone for the blogging marathon group as it hits the '100' mark.  Kudos to Srivalli, the group creator and coordinator who has managed to sustain the interest and enthusiasm of the group, for eight long years now. I am going with the theme of 'stuffed dishes' for this week and the first one in the series is going to be a spicy and yummy sandwich using an Indian inspired potato and spinach curry. One can easily modify the recipe to suit their preferences. The curry can be made ahead the previous night so that one would end up with a fuss-free, filling and tasty breakfast in the morning rush hours with little work. The curry also goes well with rotis / pooris / rice or even can be used as a paratha stuffing. I had made more curry than needed for the sandwiches.

Ingredients: (Yields about 2.5 cups of curry)
2 cups cooked and mashed potato *
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
1 big onion, chopped fine (about a cup)
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tomato, diced (about 2/3 cup)
1 cup, chopped and tightly packed spinach
1 tsp. garam masala
Red chili powder to taste
Bread slices as needed
* I used about 3 medium sized potatoes.

Directions:
* Peel, dice and cook potatoes in water until fork tender and place them in a colander. The water used to cook potatoes can be saved for other things if preferred. Mash the potatoes roughly and keep aside.
* Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to sizzle and splutter, add asafoetida, onion, turmeric and salt. Saute until onion turns golden brown.
* Next add tomato and spinach. Cook until tomato is mushy. If the mixture is getting stuck to the bottom of the pan, scrape and add a  tbsp. or two of water if needed. (One can use the potato water from step 1).
* Add garam masala, chili powder and saute for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then add the mashed potatoes and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Cook for a couple of minutes on low to medium flame and turn off the stove.
* Use the curry as filling and prepare the sandwich in a sandwich maker. Or toast the bread slices in a bread toaster. (One can apply butter and toast them on a pan if preferred. ) Spread as much curry as preferred on a toasted bread slice and cover it with another toasted slice.




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Koulouri - Greek Bread Rings

I came across this fabulous source of Greek recipes when I went looking for the same and ended up bookmarking many to try later. These koulouri are one of those precious finds which happen to be the delicious Greek bread rings studded with sesame seeds. Though the sesame seeds' version is the traditional one, there seem to be also versions of stuffed ones with cheese or nutella. They are supposedly a staple treat sold by bakeries and street vendors in Greece, especially in the mornings and would go great with a cup of coffee. They are crunchy outside and softer inside, fresh from the oven. But they turn harder after sitting for a while though I liked them either way. They were simple to make and were so irresistible that I ended up eating them all by myself.

Ingredients: (Yield about 20 koulouri)

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. warm water

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. yeast (I used active dry yeast)

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup white sesame seeds 

Method:

* Add sugar, active dry yeast and warm water to a mixing bowl. Stir and leave the mixture aside until it turns frothy. Then add flour, salt and oil to the yeast mixture and mix to combine. 

(If using instant yeast, there is no need for yeast proofing. Add all the ingredients except the sesame seeds to the mixing bowl and work the dough.)

* Knead the dough for about 10 minutes and place it in a greased bowl.  Cover and let the dough rest until it doubles in size.

* Preheat the oven to 425 deg F / 220 deg C.

* Flour the working surface if needed and roll out the dough ball into a rectangle of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness.

* Then cut the rectangle lengthwise in about 1/2 to 3/4 inch strips. Cut those strips into 3/4 inch pieces.
 
* Roll each piece into a string. Brush it with water and connect both ends to form a ring. Roll the wet ring in sesame seeds. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Repeat the steps with the remaining dough pieces.

* Bake them until golden brown, about 10 - 12 minutes.
 
This goes to Blogging marathon #76, under the theme 'Greek Recipes'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Avocado Toast

Here is one more easy recipe as part of the 'bread toast' series I have been posting this week. This one is based on avocado and pick a ripe or almost ripe avocado so it would be easy to mash and spread over the toasted bread. Season avocado well since basically avocado is bland on it's own.

Ingredients:
4 bread slices (I used whole wheat bread.)
1 avocado
Salt to taste
Crushed pepper corns and/or red chili flakes
1 small lemon / lime
Flax seeds and/or toasted white sesame seeds

Method:
* Toast the bread slices.
* Mash the avocado and sprinkle salt, pepper and/or chili flakes. Add lemon juice to taste and stir to combine.
* Spread the avocado paste on the bread slices and sprinkle flax seeds and/or sesame seeds over. 
 
This goes to Blogging marathon #76, under the theme 'Toasts'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Baked Vermicelli - Vegetable Cutlets

Here are some guilt free and flavorful vermicelli and vegetable based cutlets or tikkis to munch on along with a cup of tea in the evenings. I have used potato, carrot and beans here though other veggies like peas, cauliflower or greens can be added too. Vermicelli here can be replaced with other kind of noodles but I find the Indian variety short strands of vermicelli more convenient to use here. The tikkis of course can be pan fried or deep fried too instead of baking. (The tikkis in the background plate were pan fried.)

Ingredients: (Yiled 12 cutlets)
1 cup cooked vermicelli*
1 cup peeled, chopped and cooked vegetables (I used potato, carrot and beans.)
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. chaat masala
1/2 tsp. chili powder or to taste
3/4 tsp. amchur powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup (or as needed) bread crumbs
Oil to spray 
* Indian style 1/2 inch vermicelli strands
Method:
* Drain the cooked vermicelli and set aside to cool. Squeeze out any extra water if present.
* Drain the cooked vegetables taking care that no water is present. Coarsely pulse them using a food processor.
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil if preferred and spray it with cooking oil and keep it aside.
* Add the cooked vermicelli, prepared veggies, turmeric, spice powders and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon or hand. Add bread crumbs as needed and mix to form a cohesive mixture. 
* Pinch out lemon sized portions and shape them into discs. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet and spray the tops with oil again.
* Bake them until the bottom portion turn golden brown and flip them and continue to bake until the other side browns too. (I forgot to record the time of baking but it may take around 30 minutes or so.)

This goes to Blogging marathon #71, under the theme 'One Ingredient - Three Courses'. Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the BM.

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Eggless French Toast (Using Custard Powder)

My daughter in general is not a fan of breakfast sandwiches but loves this version of toast. It is a super quick and easy breakfast recipe for kids during the morning rush hours. I used some leftover whole wheat bread slices for this toast but any version of bread, cut slightly thicker would work good for this toast. Serve it with some fruit and milk to make it a wholesome breakfast.

Ingredients:
4 Bread slices
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. sugar (or adjust as needed.)
2 tbsp. custard powder or corn starch *
Vanilla extract if using corn starch
2 tbsp. butter
* (I used vanilla flavored custard powder and omitted vanilla.)

Method:
* Whisk sugar, custard powder / corn starch and vanilla if using into milk in a wide pan or a pie plate.
* Heat a flat griddle / pan and melt 1/2 tbsp. butter on it. 
* Meanwhile, dip a bread slice quickly in the custard powder mixture to coat well on both sides. A few seconds extra soaking will make the bread slice soggy.
* Place the bread slice on the griddle and cook on both sides on low flame, until golden brown.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining bread and custard powder mixture.
* Serve with maple syrup / honey if desired. (If the sugar quantity in the recipe is increased, the toast would be sweet as it is and may not need any garnishing.) 

This is going to be my contribution to 
1. Kids' Delight event under the theme 'Breakfast for Kids', hosted by Nisha.
2. Blogging marathon #67



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Banana - Nutella Sandwich

 

This post would not have seen the light if not for the rainy and cloudy days we had for the past week. Cooking for this week's theme as planned earlier did not make any sense as there wasn't enough light to capture the images. This sandwich post from my drafts folder came to my rescue though it was not a part of my initial plan. 

Banana - Nutella sandwich is a mundane recipe to many folks, especially food bloggers but I wanted to record it on my blog anyway and so, here it is. The bread and the fruit have remained constant in this simple sandwich over the years in my home, though the spread used has changed from plain butter to nut butters to Nutella. The sweet chocolate-nut spread provides a yummy base for this fruit sandwich and definitely has a universal appeal unless one is staying away from the sugary spread for any reason. As the title suggests, it involves three ingredients, the bread, banana and Nutella spread and makes a quick and easy breakfast option or a lunchbox idea for kids.

I don't have the patience either to sit and make nut butters at home or bake the bread regularly even though I own a bread maker. I buy them from stores like many and so, is considering bread as one ingredient and Nutella as another though they individually are made using many ingredients. 

Ingredients:
Bread slices of your choice (I used wholewheat-honey bread.) 
Sweet chocolate-hazelnut spread / Nutella (Or any nut butter)
Banana, sliced into thin circles 

Method:
* Toast the bread slices and trim the edges, if particular about it.
* Spread the nutella on one side of the toasted slices.
* Arrange banana slices on the nutella side of a toasted bread slice. Cover it with another bread slice, with nutella side facing down.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining bread slices.

This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under the theme 'Recipes using three ingredients' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Vegan Banana Rabanada / Brazilian French Toast

Rabanada is a Brazilian version of French toast and is served as part of Christmas breakfast there. The bread slices are dunked in egg and milk mixture, soaked, fried and served with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon-cocoa mixture. This vegan version is made with bananas, milk and cornstarch and of course uses no eggs. I went by Pavani's idea to serve it with maple syrup as my daughter too preferred it that way though originally, maple syrup is not associated with rabanada. This rabanada had become her recent favorite and thanks Pavani, for the recipe. And there may be extra banana mixture leftovers if serving only 2 or 3 as it happened to me and I used it to make pancakes later.


Ingredients:
1 baguette
2 very ripe bananas
1&1/2 cups almond milk or any other non-dairy milk
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Vegan butter / Cooking spray
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

 Method:
* Sliced baguette diagonally into 1" pieces.
* Blend bananas, milk, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth.
* Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pour the banana mixture over the bread and flip the slices to coat all over evenly. Let them sit for 10 minutes. Then flip them over and soak again for 10 more minutes.
* Preheat a non-stick skillet, over medium heat. Melt butter over the pan or spray with cooking spray. Place as many bread slices as the pan can hold. Cook for 5 -7 minutes or until it is toasted golden brown. Flip to the other side and cook until it turns golden brown as well.
* Keep them covered with foil to keep them warm while cooking other batches or serve them immediately.
* Mix together cinnamon and cocoa powder together in a small bowl. 
* When ready to serve, arrange the french toast on the serving palte and generously sprinkle the cinnamon-cocoa mixture. 
* Serve with maple syrup / fruit if desired.

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



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Spicy Cucumber - Paneer Sandwich

I have these open face sandwiches for today, continuing the 'Instant Breakfast' theme of this week's Blogging marathon. The two French baguette breads sitting on my kitchen table gave me the idea for this sandwich though regular sandwich bread works fine as well for this recipe, if serving immediately. The crusty bread held the chutneys better without sogging the bread immediately and by the time I assembled and served, the bread soaked up the chutneys and flavors well, bringing the texture of the bread to a desired consistency. These sandwiches can be assembled in no time, if one has chutneys and paneer handy.

Ingredients:
Bread slices (I used French baguette.)
Crumbled paneer
Thick spicy, green chutney (Cilantro-Mint chutney)
Sweet chutney
Thinly sliced cucumber slices
 
Method:
* Mix paneer and green chutney in a bowl.
* Spread paneer & green chutney mixture thinly on a bread slice and evenly arrange cucumber slices over it.
* Spread another bread slice with sweet chutney, if looking for a spicy sandwich. Place it chutney side down over the cucumber slices. 
Omit this step if looking for mildly spicy version and drizzle some sweet chutney over the cucumber slices.

This goes to Blogging marathon #59 under the theme 'Bookmarked Dishes'. Check the link to see what other marathoners are cooking.

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Chutney Sandwich

Sandwiches can be one of the quick and easy options when doing brunches. One can go with the simple ones like peanut butter - jelly, cheese, nutella or jam sandwiches for kids and some spicier versions for adults like this chutney sandwich.  Butter, green chutney and tomato ketchup add beautiful layers of color and flavor to this Indian style sandwich. Green chutney is kept on the spicier side and is prepared using cilantro, mint leaves, green chillies, lemon juice and salt. The ketchup can even be replaced with sweet chutney. These sandwiches can be prepared in a jiffy as no grilling or toasting is needed. They can be a great addition to a party menu too. Three bread slices yield 4 mini sandwiches and I have given the instructions below for that quantity.
 
Ingredients for each serving:
3 bread slices, crusts removed
1 tbsp. slightly softened butter
1 tbsp. thick green chutney
1 tbsp. tomato ketchup / sweet chutney

Method:
(I am giving numbers to bread slices - 1, 2 & 3 for easy reference.)
* Apply butter on one side of slice #1 and keep the buttered side up.
* Apply green chutney on one side of slice #2 and place it on slice #1 so that chutney applied side rests on the buttered side of slice #1. 
* And now the plain side of slice #2 would be up. Spread butter on that side or it can be omitted if counting calories.
* Apply ketchup / sweet chutney on one side of slice #3 and place it on slice #2 so that ketchup / chutney applied side rests on the buttered side of slice #2. (I repeated one more step with green chutney.)
* Cut diagonally or cut into 4 pieces and serve immediately.

This goes to Blogging Marathon #49, under the theme of "Weekend Brunch".

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G for Guyana ~ Butter - Flaps

Event: BM #44    
Choice of country: The Co-operative Republic of Guyana  
Capital City: Georgetown  
Official Language: English 

I am back with my "global culinary tour" today after that short break I took yesterday. I mentioned this morning casually about my Guyanese post to my husband and he instantly sent me into a panic mode with out even realizing. He just asked me a simple question whether I was doing  French Guiana. He is pretty strong in his geography and so, I immediately had to run to my computer to check whether I had messed up and whether the two countries are indeed one and the same. I had already cooked these butter-flaps long back and wasn't in a mood to recipe hunt again for "G" country today. Turns out that there are two nations on the northern coast of south America called Guyana and Guiana. Guyana was colonized by Netherlands originally and later by Britain up until 1966 when it gained independence. While the other Guiana is also called French Guiana and is an overseas region of France. 

The name "Guyana" is derived from "Guiana", the original name for the region. Guiana formerly included Guyana (British Guiana) Suriname (Dutch Guiana), French Guiana and parts of Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela. "Guiana" comes from an Amerindian word meaning "Land of many waters". Guyana is the only south American country with English  being the official language though majority of the people speak Guyanese creole. 
Coming to food, the Guyanese cuisine reflects the ethnic makeup and the colonial history of the nation. The food is diverse and one can clearly see the dishes from or dishes influenced by African, Creole, East Indian, Portuguese, Amerindian, Chinese and British cooking. Dishes have been adapted by addition of spices and herbs.

I was thinking that I would go with a Greek / German dish for my "G" country until I saw this bread here. Butter-flaps are indigenous to Guyana and this Caribbean bread tastes amazing. I know "liking a particular food" is something subjective but still I feel these are an exception. Butter-flaps have become my new favorite. These are the best rolls I have made yet and if not for this BM, I would have recommended them to Valli when she asked if anyone of us had rolls in mind for the upcoming bread challenge she planned for the month of October. You see I had to get selfish since I didn't want to go hunting another G recipe while I had an amazing recipe already cooked and ready. :) These are called butter-flaps for a reason, the dough doesn't contain butter but the rolls are stuffed with butter. Yes, butter. I usually stay away from such high calorie foods but don't know what got into me that day. Whatever got into me did some good. I got to meet some amazing rolls. :) 

The bottom crust of these rolls is to die for which I somehow forgot to show in pictures. I had made only half a dozen of it not realizing how good they are going to be and they were gone in no time. The butter oozes out during baking and turns the bottom crust crispy while the buns are soft and chewy. These can be served for breakfast or dinner.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water (110 - 115 F)
1 tbsp sugar 
1.5 tsp dry active yeast
2 cups all purpose flour + extra for work surface
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil / vegetable oil 
1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature (I used unsalted butter.)

Method:
* Combine sugar, yeast and warm water in a bowl. Cover and let it to proof for about 10 minutes in a warm place.

* Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and the oil. Mix the ingredients until combined. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead the dough for about 3 - 4 minutes. If the mixture turns out sticky, dust the work surface with flour. Grease a bowl and place the dough in the prepared bowl. Turn the dough so that all sides are coated with oil.

* Cover and place in a warm spot for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the dough bulks up. Punch down the dough and knead for a couple of minutes. Shape it into a log and cut into 6 - 8 pieces.

* Shape each piece into a ball. Gently dust the work surface and roll each ball into a disc of about 3 to 3.5 inches in diameter. Take about 1 to 2 tsp of butter and smear the disc, leaving out the edges. One can stuff about a tbsp. or more butter if they wish.

* Fold the disc into half, twice to get a triangle. Press down the edges. Do not seal them. Repeat the steps with all the dough balls. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch up all the greasy drips and for an easy cleanup later. Place the prepared triangles on the sheet.

* Cover them with a kitchen towel and again leave them in a warm place, for about an hour, for second rise. Below are the butter stuffed dough triangles after the second rise.

* After about 45 minutes is up, preheat the oven to 400 deg F / 200 deg C. 
* Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until the butter-flaps turn golden brown through out (not dark brown). Some of the butter gets released from the dough during baking and this is normal. The butter inside will melt into the dough. 
* As soon as the pans are out from the oven, butter-flaps can be turned upside down so that the melted butter inside trickles down on the top. If desired, brush the butter-flaps with about 2 tbsp. melted butter or use the butter from the baking sheets.
* They can be served cold too but I liked them hot from the oven.


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An InLinkz Link-up

V ~ Vegan Braided Bread

Event: Blogging Marathon #32
Theme: Baking Recipe #5

Priya keeps posting such versatile recipes that one couldn't stop from bookmarking them. When I thought of baking something for the letter V, I honestly didn't have to think twice before checking my list of "recipes to try" from her blog. An added incentive was that I was planning to bake a braided bread from a long time. Leaving apart the rising and baking periods, the bread can be made in a short time. The braiding part is easy once you get a hang of it. Instead of one big one, I baked 4 mini braided loaves.

Ingredients: 
3 cups bread flour / all purpose flour ( I used both flours)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp dried herb or 2 Tbsp fresh herb of your choice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup luke warm water (I have to add 3 Tbsp more.)
1/4 cup olive oil 

Method:
1. Place sugar, salt, yeast in a bowl and add luke warm water. Let it sit in a warm place for about 5 minutes. The yeast solution would have turned foamy by that time. 

2. Meanwhile, mix together the flour, cumin, sesame seeds and the herbs you are using in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the yeast solution and the oil to the flour bowl. Combine everything and work with it to form a stiff dough. 

4. Place the dough in a well greased bowl, cover and let it sit in a warm place for 2 hours. The volume of the dough would increase by the time.

5. Punch the dough and divide it into 3 portions. Roll and shape them into balls. Further roll each ball into a strand / rope. 
Instead of one big braided bread, I was planning to make 4 mini ones. And so I divided the dough into 12 portions and proceeded with the recipe. 

6. Braid the strands together and seal at the ends. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 deg F and keep a greased baking tray ready. 

7. Place the braided loaf / loaves on the greased baking sheet. Brush it with some oil / milk if not looking for a vegan version.

8. Bake them for 25-30 minutes until the crust turns brown. Let them cool for few minutes before serving.

My experience:
* The bread didn't turn brown even after baking much longer than the time mentioned and the bread started to go on to the harder side. I then increased the temperature to 375 deg F and then it browned in very short time.
* My oven is relatively new and am wondering whether the bread needs to be baked at 375 deg F. I have to check with Priya about this. Or I think the bread initially can be baked at 375 deg F and later reduced to 350 deg F.

Logo courtesy : Preeti

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