Kele Ke Dahi Bare / Spicy Plantain Dumplings in Yogurt

I was worried about the Delhi post since the recipes I was interested in either involved tedious work or were popular in other northern regions as well. I had prepared aloo chaat in case I wouldn't get a chance to prepare anything at the last moment but was not happy to post the simple dish for the marathon. Luckily yesterday, I found "kele ke dahi bare" while going through Pushpesh Pant's "India Cookbook". This book contains 1000 recipes ranging from the basic spice mixtures, dishes from Nawabi kitchens to exotic desserts. It covers both vegetarian and non vegetarian recipes but in spite of that it definitely catches the attention of a vegetarian because of the huge, impressive collection of mouthwatering vegetarian recipes.
This recipe uses plantain vadas unlike the urad dal ones as in the case of classic dahi vada. The spicy vadas and the sweet yogurt compliment each other very well and the balance creates a fabulous snack to savor. A great dish to entertain the guests.

Ingredients:
2 cups yogurt (Full fat preferably)
1/2 tsp sugar (Optional)
2 small plantains
1 tsp cumin powder
2 green chillies
2 tbsp minced cilantro
1 tbsp cornstarch (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil / Ghee to fry

Method:
* Add 1/4 tsp salt and sugar if using to the yogurt and whisk well. Keep it aside.
* Peel and cube the plantains. Add a cup of water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles or in a sauce pan until they are cooked but not mushy. Transfer the cooked plantain cubes to a colander, drain and cool them slightly.
* Add drained plantain cubes, cumin powder, salt and green chillies to a food processor and mash them roughly. Transfer the contents to a mixing bowl. Add cornstarch if using and cilantro to the mixture and mix together.
* Divide the mixture into equal portions and roll them into balls. Grease your hands if the mixture is sticky and flatten the balls slightly between your palms.

* Heat the oil in a kadai or deep pan. Working in batches, add the flattened plaintain discs and fry until golden, flipping once. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen towels.

* When ready to serve, add the plantain dumplings to the yogurt and combine so that they are covered in yogurt.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Vegan Snickerdoodles

 

Snickerdoodles are cookies made with flour, butter and sugar, using cream of tartar and baking soda as the leavening agents. They belong to Europe though no one is sure about their origin. Some believe the cookies came from Germany, or is Dutch in origin, or perhaps got its start in New England. Sometimes they are referred to as sugar cookies. While traditional cookies are rolled in white sugar, snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. They have a distinct cracked surface and can be baked either soft or crispy depending upon the preference. I baked them somewhat in middle. (Source: Google)

Absence of cream of tartar in a snickerdoodle recipe is probably a sin from a true connoisseur's point of view. However I was looking for a recipe where I can get away without using cream of tartar, which happens to be a byproduct of wine making. I found out that baking powder can replace both cream of tartar and baking soda in the recipe. And while looking for such recipes, I came across this vegan version where I didn't have to look for egg substitutes as well. The recipe is quite an easy one yielding really tasty cookies and I was surprised to note the negative feedback the recipe has received.

Ingredients: Yield a dozen cookies
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup or 2 oz. vegan margarine, softened (or butter for a non-vegan version)
6 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. soy or any nondairy milk (or milk for a non-vegan version)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For cinnamon sugar:
3 tbsp. sugar (I used icing sugar.)
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

 Method:

* Combine flour, cornstarch and baking powder in a small mixing bowl.
* Beat margarine / butter in another big bowl with electric mixer until soft. Add sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Stir in soy milk and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds or until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat 30 seconds or until smooth.
* To make cinnamon sugar, combine sugar and cinnamon in a plate.

* Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

* Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. Place balls 1½ inches apart on prepared baking sheet. 
I first baked a batch without flattening them and they remained puffy. The second batch I flattened them slightly using a fork.

 * Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies look dry on tops and are lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.

This is my post under "European Cuisine" theme for BM#36. Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking. 

 

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Quick Microwave Chocolate Pudding

Whenever I ask my 11 year old to make a list for our weekly grocery shopping, the two things instantly that come to her mind are chocolate pudding and macaroni & cheese. They are so appealing to her that she never gets tired of them. If given a choice, she can survive on them alone. Chocolate pudding is her most favorite evening snack and so obviously, none of our grocery shopping goes by without buying cartons of chocolate pudding.
While she enjoys those store bought puddings, I keep worrying looking at the long list of chemicals added in the form of preservatives to the simple pudding. And so I was thinking of trying it at home from a long time now. Recently when I was browsing for condensed milk recipes, I came across this recipe at allrecipes and was impressed by the positive reviews the recipe got. The recipe is very simple even for a novice cook and can be prepared in a jiffy. I consider it a hit as my daughter was happy with this pudding. Try it if you are looking for a quick one to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Ingredients: (4 servings)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups milk (at room temperature or warm)
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
* Mix sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in a microwave safe bowl.
* Gradually add milk to the bowl and whisk so that no dry lumps are present.
* Microwave the mixture for 3 minutes on HIGH. Remove and stir the mixture. Again at one minute intervals, cook for about 2 minutes or until shiny and thick.
* Stir in the vanilla and butter.
* If serving cold, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming and chill. (I skipped this step as my daughter likes to eat the pudding at room temperature.)

Note:
* I halved the recipe to get 2 servings and it was done under less than 4 minutes.

This goes to BM#24 under the theme of "Cooking with Appliances". Check here to find out what others are cooking during the marathon.

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Eggless Butter Tarts

If there were no things such as fat and calories to consider and worry about, then I would have not shared any of these tarts and would have finished all of them in one go. :) I will leave it at that and will not write any more to convince how wonderful these butter tarts taste.  Thanks to Gayathri who chose them from Joy of baking website for this month's Baking Eggless Challenge.
These tarts have a crispy, flaky and delectable pastry shell with a moist nut filling. The original recipe contained eggs in the filling and our challenge was to convert it to an eggless one and still maintain the texture and yumminess of the filling. I replaced the eggs in the recipe with cornstarch and these tarts turned out delicious. Also I substituted regular granular sugar for brown one and whole milk for cream.

Ingredients:
For pie crust pastry:
1& 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into i inch pieces
Scant 1/4 cup ice water (or adjust)
For filling:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup regular sugar.)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts and /or raisins (I used 1/2 cup walnuts + 1/4 cup raisins.)
1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)
(I also added a pinch of yellow food color.)

Preparing pie crust pastry:
* Add flour, salt and sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine. 
* Next add the butter cubes to the processor and pulse for about 10 15 seconds until it resembles fine crumbs.
* Finally add the cold water and run the food processor for few seconds again. Remove the dough from the food processor, knead to gather and shape into a disc. 
* Cover it with a plastic wrap or put it in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate it for about an hour.

Preparing filling:
* Cream butter and sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer or a hand mixer. Add milk, vanilla, corn starch and beat again until combined. Remove and add walnuts / raisins to the mixture.

* Assembling and baking:
* Remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave it for 5 minutes at room temperature.
* Roll out the dough and cut into 12 four inch discs using a cookie cutter or a bottle lid. If it is hard to roll the entire dough at once, work with 1/4th portion each time.
* Place the discs into a 12 cup muffin tin.
* Pour the walnut filling into each cup, filling up to 3/4th in each muffin cup.

* Bake until the shells turn golden brown and the filling is set, about 20 - 25 minutes at 375 deg F. Remove and let cool before serving.
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Eggless Apricot Jam Biscuits

I was looking for a jam cookie recipe as we are great fans of strawberry shortbread cookies and landed here. However at the last minute, I substituted apricot preserves instead of strawberry jam. I had a bottle of apricot preserves lying in the refrigerator for months without anyone touching it and finally found a delicious way to use it. This recipe yields crispy, subtly sweet cookies.

Ingredients: (Yield about 20 - 22)
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup vanilla custard powder (I replaced some with flour.)
1/4 cup cornstarch / corn flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup butter (I used about 5-6 Tbsp)
3 Tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
* Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
* Add the flours and mix well. Stir in the yogurt and form a smooth dough.
* Roll out the dough, into about 5 mm thickness. Cut them into desired shapes using a mould and make an impression in the centre to fill in the jam. (I used a round cookie cutter and made the impression in the center using a small bottle cap. If you don't have the mould, use your thumb to make the impression.)

* Place them on a greased baking tray. Fill the impressions with the jam. Bake for about 15 minutes or until done.

After baking

Check out the page to see what other marathoners are cooking during this BM#14.

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