Eggless Banana Bread

When I have a tried, tested and family approved recipe for a dish, I usually don't go looking for an alternative. I have already a banana bread recipe that I have been using for quite sometime now. It is a hit even among our guests and so I was contemplating whether I need another recipe when I came across this quick bread. However the tag 'Best Ever' attached to it caught my attention and I decided to try it since the banana bread is always in demand in my home. I tweaked the recipe to make it an eggless version and using overripe bananas as egg substitute also helped to cut down the sugar quantity by half. The resulting bread was a moist and fluffy one and I was glad to try it. It is a great way to utilize those bananas on the hanger, begging to be used. 

  Ingredients:
1 & 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
4 bananas, mashed (about 1 &1/2 cups)
1/2 cup canola oil
6 tbsp. buttermilk *
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
* I added some water to fat-free yogurt and blended it.  

 Method:
* Preheat oven to 325 deg F / 165 deg C. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.
* Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
* In another bowl combine sugar, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. 
* Now add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the nuts.
* Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for about 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. (Mine was done in an hour.)
* Remove and cool on a wire rack. Cut into slices and serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated / frozen.

Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #61.
  

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Thursday Teatime ~ Lemon and Mixed Nut Meal Scones

 
It seems that my yesterday's post gave everyone the wrong idea that I am doing 'Flourless Bakes" this week. Actually I thought about that theme, cooked a few dishes based on it but the dishes got scattered under various themes when the final planning happened. I divided my posts under six themes based on the days of the week rather than basing on the varieties of bakes. My post titles  are going to represent my themes and I had reserved 'Wednesdays' to showcase vegetables while 'Thursdays' are meant for tea time snacks. Now that's off my chest, I will move towards these subtly lemon flavored scones made with nuts meal. :)

A scone is according to wiki, a single serving cake / quick bread. They are a basic part of a Devonshire tea / Cream tea where scones are served along with clotted cream and jam during tea time. The pronunciation of scone rhymes with the word 'gone' in England regions while it rhymes with 'cone' in the U.S. I have never been in England to vouch for the authentic texture of scones and have eaten mostly the ones that have come out of my oven. Most of the recipes I have tried so far have been flaky, slightly on the crispier side and subtly sweeter ones. And I had never felt the need of a sweeter jam or cream to go along with it even though they are traditionally eaten that way. Yesterday I was going through some discussion boards regarding scones and read that British scones are more like dense cakes and are lightly sweetened. If that is the case, this recipe is a winner and for the first time, I understood why jam is needed to enjoy these subtly flaky dense cakes. The exterior was very slightly crispy and the scones were redolent with lemony flavor.
 
We all loved these scones to the core and enjoyed them for our yesterday's evening tea and today's breakfast. This recipe gave the inspiration for these scones and I was attracted to the beautiful images captured there. Mine looks different in color than the original one probably because I used pistachio meal more and used flax  meal. However they rose as they should be and tasted good, with only subtle hint of sweetness.

Ingredients: 
2 cups flour
3/4 mixed nut meal (I ground almonds, pistachio and walnuts together finely and substituted for almond meal.)
2 tbsp. sugar
2 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 cup / 1 stick frozen butter, grated (This method proved a lot easier and if not following it, cut the butter into small cubes)
Substitute for 1 egg (I combined 1 tbsp. flax meal + 3 tbsp. water for about 5 minutes.)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 - 3 tbsp. almond slices to garnish

Method:
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
* Combine all the dry ingredients (From flour to salt in the list) in a mixing bowl. Toss in the grated frozen butter. 
* In another bowl whisk the egg substitute, buttermilk, almond extract and the lemon zest. Add them to the dry ingredients' bowl and gently combine with a fork.
* When the dough roughly comes together, transfer to a lightly floured surface and gently knead just until it comes together into a ball. (My dough was on the sticky side and I lightly greased my hand to work.)

* Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and gently pat it into a circle of about 9 inches in diameter. Score into 8 wedges, keeping the circle intact. Sprinkle slivers of almond over it.
* Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and springs back when gently touched.
* Cut the wedges when they are still warm and enjoy with jam.

Alternatively the recipe mentions that they can be cut into 8 wedges and baked for 15- 20 minutes at 400 deg F. I haven't tested it.

Check here to learn what other marathoners are cooking during this blogging marathon.

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Saggubiyyam Dosa / Sago Dosa

My 3 year old niece is close to me despite the distance barriers. She makes sure that the adults at home call me frequently so that she can share the so called 'fun' things happening in her life. I got a similar call from her yesterday and the tiny one was all excited to share the news that she received 4 medals  in her pre-school sports day event, including the one for hosting the event along with her teacher in front of an audience of 100 plus. It is a remarkable feat considering that no one cannot elicit a single word from her in front of strangers though she talks a dozen to dime with those who are in her 'friendly' zone. Everyone at home is usually happy to hear her pleasant chatter and it is hard for us to escape from her charming and strong persona. Even my 16 year old who acts as if he is reclusive and doesn't show an iota of enthusiasm when he wins state and national level competitions at school couldn't escape from the excitement his little cousin was spreading and was chatting away enthusiastically with her sharing her sense of pride. 
My sister was mentioning that her daughter was acting as a mini adult these days and behaving so mature for her age. Gradually the conversation veered towards the food in general and the little one's preferences in particular. It seems that her daughter was bored with the same kind of dosas she was making and asked me for some varieties to rotate. For people who are in the same boat like my sister, here is one dosa made with sago. These dosas taste good when served warm along with a spicy chutney.

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups rice (I used extra long grain rice.)
1/2 cup sago / tapioca pearls (Saggubiyyam)
Buttermilk (Majjiga)
Salt to taste
Oil to make dosas ( Canola / vegetable / peanut oil)

Method:
* Soak rice and sago pearls together for about 4 - 5 hours in water such that they are immersed well in water. Wash and drain the water after the soaking period.
* Grind rice and sago together finely into a thick batter, using butter milk. In absence of butter milk, add equal quantities of yogurt and water.
* Transfer the ground batter to a big container, add salt and mix well. Cover and allow the batter to ferment overnight. (I usually soak the ingredients in the afternoon, grind the batter in the evening.)
* When ready to make dosas, heat a griddle or a shallow pan. Pour a ladleful of batter at the center of the griddle and spread thinly into a 6 inch circle using the backside of the ladle. Drizzle 1/2 tsp oil around the edges and cook until the bottom side of the dosa turns light golden. Flip the dosa using a spatula, drizzle about 1/4 tsp oil around the edges and cook for about 20 seconds and remove.
* Repeat the dosa making process using the remaining batter.
* Serve dosas warm with roasted chickpea / peanut chutney.

This goes to Blogging Marathon #50, under the theme of "One ingredient - Three different dishes". I have decided to showcase three different dishes this week using Sabudana / Sago / Tapioca pearls. Check out the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Mor Kali

A few years ago when my SIL visited us, we both tried a dish that she had eaten in someone's home at Chennai. She mentioned that it was rice flour upma cooked in buttermilk instead of water. The idea of using rice flour for a upma sounded intriguing at that time and I wanted to see what texture we end up with. I had used a traditional style kadai and by the time the dish was done, I will admit I was fed up with the tedious stirring. And to top that, my husband commented that why did we guys take such pain to create 'vadiyala pindi'. (Vadiyalu is Telugu word for sun dried papads / vadagam / sandige. Vadiyala pindi is papad batter when loosely translated.) I guess there is no need to mention that I had dropped the idea of posting it on the blog.

I got to see the versions of mor kali on Tamilian blogs later many times and realized that it's what my SIL and I tried to cook on that day. Mor kali is a traditional recipe from Tamilian kitchens that is prepared using rice flour and buttermilk. It can be slightly gooey when done or can be cooked until crumbly. Using sun dried, salted chillies add a flavorful kick to this slightly tangy dish. This can be eaten as a light snack or as a meal.
Most of the recipes I had gone through online mention to stop cooking once the mixture leaves the sides of the pan or the mixture is not sticky to wet hands. This tip didn't help me as I was using a non stick pan and it started to leave the sides of the pan in less than ten minutes and it was no where close to the final stage of cooking. Going by my first experience, I did not care whether my mor kali was going to look snow white or soft textured. This time my criteria was to cook it enough that it didn't stick to my mouth and taste good. I cooked until it passed my taste testing and was satisfied with this second attempt.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
3 cups thick butter milk (slightly sour one is preferred.)
(or use 1.5 cup butter milk + 1 cup water)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil (I used sesame oil.)
1 tsp chana dal / split chick peas
1 tsp urad dal / split, skinned black gram
1 tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of asafoetida 
Few curry leaves
3 - 4 sun-dried salted chillies / 5 - 6 red chillies

Method:
* Combine rice flour, butter milk, water and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk it to form a lump-free batter.
 
* Heat oil in a pan, preferably a non stick one. Add chana dal, urad dal, and mustard seeds. When the dals start to turn reddish, add the chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Saute them until the chillies are toasted and turn brownish. Next add the rice flour batter to the pan.
 
* Cook the mixture on medium flame until it is done. Stir continuously through out the process to avoid the mixture from forming lumps.
* This was after 10 minutes of cooking. I cooked for about 25 minutes on medium flame.

* You can serve as it is. Or grease a plate with some oil / ghee and transfer the cooked mixture to it. Flatten it with the back of a spatula and cut into desired shapes and serve.

This 'Mor Kali - Mor Milagai' combo goes to BM #46. Check what other marathoners are cooking during this marathon.

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Yeast Breads ~ No Knead Banana Bread

Event: Blogging marathon #40
Theme: Yeast based breads

We rarely run out of bananas as my husband keeps bringing them during each and every grocery trip. It is a fruit neither appreciated nor shunned at my home and somehow there are always a couple of bananas at the end, left hanging onto the stand. When the left overs are on their way to get overly ripened and attract fruit flies, I have to shrug off my lethargy and go search for recipes. Those kind of recipes where the final dish is appreciated by the majority of the family without an inkling about what went into it. In other words, baking does the trick most of the times. This time I was left with some more even after I had made muffins. And besides that, at the last minute the bulb went on that I had selected yeast breads as my theme for this week's marathon. I therefore went hunting for yeast based banana bread recipes so that I can kill two birds with one stone.
  
I ended up here during my quest and used the cardamom flavored rolls' recipe to bake a loaf. If you are looking for a bread with subtle banana flavor and a hint of sweetness, then this is the recipe you may like. It is not that sweet, quick bread kind where you dig into crunchy bits of walnuts with the goodness of banana flavor oozing from it. It is out and out a plain kind bread with perfect texture and goes well with a jam / jelly / Nutella spread. I would suggest to skip the cardamom if you are planning a loaf. Some how I didn't find the cardamom and the jam (or whatever spread you prefer) flavors jelling well. 
A very easy bread to put together manually and the fun part is you don't even need to knead. One would just need to combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and leave it to rise. It's that simple and quick - done under 5 minutes and cleanup is a cinch.

Ingredients: (1 loaf / 8 rolls)
1.5 tsp dry active yeast
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 cup mashed bananas
3 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour 

Method:
* If using milk and vinegar in place of buttermilk, combine both and leave aside for about 3 -4 minutes.
* Combine everything except the flour in a big mixing bowl. 
* Then add the flour and just mix well to combine. The resulting dough would be on a sticky side. 

* Cover and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it doubles and collapses.

* Grease a loaf pan and transfer the dough to it. Cover the pan with a wet towel and leave aside to rise again for about 45 to 60 minutes.
* This recipe was originally for rolls. If you are planning to make rolls, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes so that it would be easy to handle while rolling them. Divide the dough into 8 portions, dust the working surface and shape them into rolls. Arrange the rolls in a greased cake pan, cover and allow to rise again for about 45 minutes.
* Preheat the oven at 350 deg F or 180 deg C. Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes till done and golden brown. Remove, cool and slice the loaf.

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I ~ Irish Soda Bread

Event: Blogging Marathon #32
Theme: International / Fusion Food

I must admit that if not for this marathon and the letter 'I", I wouldn't have taken up this soda bread preparation. I like moist quick breads and somehow the fact that it is on the "dry and dense" side had always pulled me back from trying it even though I have bookmarked recipes for it. I copied this recipe from a cookbook I had borrowed long ago from my local library and the recipe got me a decent bread. 
Soda bread happens to be a quick bread, traditionally made using baking soda as the leavening agent. Flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt are the ingredients of a traditional soda bread though butter, eggs, raisins / nuts can also be added.

Ingredients:
Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter milk 
(In absence of buttermilk, combine 3/4 cup warm milk + 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar in a bowl and add. This is what I added.)
2 Tbsp melted butter
Dry ingredients: 
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark raisins (I used dark and golden raisins)

Method:
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Grease a baking sheet and keep it aside.
* Combine all the dry ingredients except raisins until blended in a mixing bowl. Mix in butter, buttermilk (or milk - vinegar mixture) and raisins to form a soft dough. The dough would be wet and sticky.
* Knead the dough for a minute or so on floured surface.
* Shape it into a round loaf and place it on the baking sheet. Flatten it slightly with hand. Cut an 'X' shaped slash on the top using a knife.
* Bake until golden brown or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (about 35- 45 minutes.)
* Cool on a wire rack before slicing.


Logo courtesy : Preeti 
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Oats - Raisin Scones

 

I usually try to stay away from high calorie baked stuff. However I don't feel guilty to consume one or two scones whenever I bake them. And so naturally my inclination was towards scones, when I was planning to bake with whole grains this week for the blogging marathon. I came across these when looking for some oat based ones and modified the recipe a little, to suit my needs. I ended up with slightly bread textured scones since I added melted butter by mistake but am still happy with the result. They tasted good with a crunch offered by raisins and nuts. 

Ingredients: (Yield 16 scones)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup / 4 oz / 1/2 stick butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup each - raisins & walnuts (I used 1/2 cup each.) 

Method:

* Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

* Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks unevenly crumbly. (Using a food processor to cut in the butter is what I recommend. By mistake, I used melted butter and ended with soft, bready scones.) Mix the raisins and nuts. Stir in the buttermilk and form the dough.

* Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide it into two portions. Form each portion into a disk and pat into a round of about 6 inches in diameter. At this point, you can sprinkle with coarse sprinkling sugar if desired. Cut the round into 8 wedges. Don't separate the wedges.

 

* Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet and bake them for about 20 minutes or until they are just beginning to brown. Remove them and serve them warm.

Check what other marathoners of BM#25 are cooking.

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Vermicelli Dosas

Today's recipe comes from a Telugu cookbook named "Vegetarian Vantalu" by Smt. Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, one of the famous female Telugu novelists. The book is divided into chapters, covering all the topics ranging from soups, salads to pickle making. As the name indicates, it gives prominence to vegetarian style cooking and is really a great gift to novice cooks.

Vermicelli dosas are no grind / ferment dosas that can be served for breakfast or as an evening snack. Soaking the vermicelli for about an hour in buttermilk makes it kind of mushy and one can hardly guess that dosas are made with vermicelli. These lacy thin, crisp dosas taste fabulous along with a chutney / spicy pickle.

Ingredients: (For 10 Dosas)

1/2 cup vermicelli / semya

1 cup buttermilk / majjiga (or whisk the yogurt adding water)

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup water
1 big onion, finely minced
2 green chillies, finely minced
Minced cilantro

Oil to fry dosas

Method:

* Soak vermicelli in buttermilk for about an hour.
* Add rice flour and enough water to the soaked vermicelli to form a lump free, thin batter (like rava dosa batter). Or a thick batter can  be prepared adding less water. Mix onion, chillies and cilantro to the batter.

* Heat a griddle / non stick shallow pan. When it is hot enough, pour a ladleful of batter on the griddle. Start pouring the batter from outside circle of the griddle. You can not spread with the back of the ladle if using a thinner batter. It will spread on it's own and fill any gaps in the middle with dosa batter. Pour about half a tsp of oil around the edges of dosa and let it cook on medium flame. When the dosa turns browner (the side closer to the griddle), flip it and again pour another 1/2 tsp oil around the edges and let it cook for a minute and remove it.

Repeat the same with the remaining batter.

Today, I made triangle shaped vermicelli dosas.

This is my Day 6 post in BM#7 and check what my fellow marathoners are cooking today.

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