Qistibi

Qistibi is a traditional and popular stuffed flatbread in some of the regions in Russia. Mashed potatoes are the popular filling though a stew called ragout or millet porridge can also be used to fill qistibi. I had to go with potato filling though I was very much interested in the millet filled version. Neither I could find a single recipe for the latter online nor I could figure out which millet would be used in the recipe. The original recipe uses flour, egg, milk and baking powder for the dough.I skipped the egg and realized later that baking powder was not needed either for the small quantity qistibis I made. Qistibis are supposedly served with a sauce or tea but I served with some ketchup since qistibis are bland on their own.

Ingredients: (Yield 4)

1 cup all purpose flour

Milk as needed (or substitute water)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder (optional)

1/2 tsp. oil

3/4 cup cooked and finely mashed potatoes

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. butter + extra for toasting

Method:

* Combine flour, salt, and baking powder if using in a bowl. Add room temperature milk in small increments to form a soft, pliable dough. Add 1/2 tsp. oil and knead the dough. Cover and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.

* Add mashed potatoes, salt and butter to another bowl and mix well to combine.

* Heat a griddle or a flat non stick pan on medium flame.

* Divide the dough into 4 portions and shape them into balls. Roll out the balls into about 6 inch diameter circles.

* Toast one dough circle on the heated griddle without using oil / butter until brown spots start to appear on both sides. Keep it aside. 

* Now spread a thin layer of mashed potato mixture over the toasted qistibi, fold into half like a half moon. Place it again on the griddle and toast it with butter flipping in between until brown spots appear on both sides.

* Repeat toasting twice the remaining rolled out dough circles.

* Serve them warm.

This goes to Blogging marathon #86, under the theme 'Stuffed flatbreads'. Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Pan de Coco - Coconut Bread from Dominican Republic

Pan de Coco is a coconut bread from the Latin region and the version here today comes from 'The Dominican Republic'. The recipe varies region wise and comes in both sweet and plain versions. This Dominican version is not on the sweet side and  instead these are 'heavy and salty' kind flat breads. According to the the original recipe, these are usually served with fish or meat dishes that have lot of sauce so that these breads are used to scoop those gravy kind dishes and soak up the juices.

These coconut breads are supposedly evolved from a combination of a recipe of 'Johnny cakes' brought by the English immigrants to the region and coconut, which is locally available in abundance. The coconut flavor is not pronounced much in this version though they are called coconut buns and coconut flakes are not an usual addition. These breads are more like biscuits with a crispy exterior and we had them hot from the oven, slathered with butter. 

Recipe source: Here
Ingredients: (Yields 6 breads)
2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (Reduce the qty by 1/2 tsp if salty breads are not preferred.)
1 cup coconut milk
2 tsp. coconut oil + extra for greasing baking sheet and palms 
1/4 cup coconut flakes (optional)

Method:
* Preheat the oven to 300 deg F. Grease a baking sheet and keep aside.
* Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add coconut milk and oil to the dry ingredients and knead together to a dough. Grease your palms with oil and work the dough if it is sticky.
* Divide the dough into 6 portions and roll them into balls. Flatten them on the greased baking sheet, into discs of about 6 inches diameter. 
* Sprinkle the coconut flakes if using, on the top of the discs.
* Bake them for about 25 minutes or a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. They are not going to get brown but remain pale after baking.
* Once cool, they can be toasted quickly but at high temperature to brown them. (I skipped the step.)


This post goes to Blogging marathon #77 under the theme "Latin American Recipes". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Scallion Pancakes

For the uninitiated, that's not a misnomer. These flatbreads from China are indeed called pancakes and they use a dough instead of a batter. These chewy and savory pancakes are just like Indian parathas except that all purpose flour is used to make them and some plain, chopped green onions / scallions are stuffed inside. This recipe is a cinch to make as there is no need to cook the stuffing, which is the usual case with the classic Indian stuffed parathas. These mildly flavored pancakes are usually served with a soy - ginger dipping sauce. I made the sauce from here but no one at home cared about it.

Ingredients: (Yields 5 pancakes)
1 cup all purpose flour + extra for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp. water at room temperature (more or less as needed.)
1/4 cup finely chopped, green parts of scallions
Oil to toast the pancakes

Method:
* Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water in small increments and knead into a soft, pliable dough that is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. In case the dough looks dry, wet you hands with water or add about 1 tbsp. water and knead. In case the dough is sticky, add extra flour until the dough is workable. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. No harm is done if the dough is allowed to rest longer.

* Divide the dough into 5 portions and roll each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Work with one portion at a time and keep the rest covered to prevent them from drying out. Gently press the ball into a disc.

* Dust the working surface with flour if necessary. Roll the disc into a thin rectangle and gently brush with oil over the surface. (Sesame oil is preferred for this step.)

* Sprinkle the chopped green parts of the scallion over the surface of the rolled out dough.

* Starting from one longer side, roll it like a mat / carpet.

* Coil it up and gently press down. Again roll it into a thin circle of about 5 inches diameter, using a rolling pin. 

 

* Heat a skillet or a shallow frying pan. Place the pancake onto the skillet. Cook for about 30-40 seconds and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds. Then add about 1/4 tsp oil around the edges and brush the surface with the back of the spoon used earlier to drizzle oil. Flip and brush the other surface too with oil. Cook until brown spots appear on both sides and pancakes look cooked.

* Repeat the steps of rolling and toasting the pancakes with the remaining dough.

Note:

Add scallions directly to the flour while making the dough in the first step. in case if stuffing the scallions while rolling looks hard. 

This goes to Blogging Marathon #50, under the theme of "International Flatbreads". Check out the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Turkish Gözleme

Oh boy! I was under this great misconception that I somewhat mastered the art of rolling flatbreads until I saw this video. I was exploring some European flatbreads and in the quest, came across this amazing video where a skilled and experienced Turkish woman is rolling out humongous sized gozlemes effortlessly. Gozleme is a savory and stuffed, griddle bread from Turkey prepared from hand-rolled dough. The traditional gozleme making requires a long, thin rolling pin and a large griddle. The name 'gozleme' is derived from the Turkish word 'göz' meaning compartment, referring to the pocket of the dough where the stuffing is sealed and cooked. The stuffing that goes inside these popular Turkish breads can range anywhere from vegetables, cheeses to meats.

I couldn't make gozlemes in the traditional size as neither I had the required tools nor the expertise to nail them. Gozlemes can be prepared in two shapes - a crescent shaped one or like a stuffed envelope. I used the spinach-cheese filling to make my gozlemes, in a mini size and made in both shapes. My gozleme experience is telling me that crescent shaped one is the ideal one for uniform toasting. The envelope shaped ones need extra time for getting uniformly toasted. I wasn't sure whether they were toasted properly inside or not and so toasted them again to just make sure. I cut gozlemes into strips, held them with tongs and toasted them on all sides including the edges.We enjoyed these yummy gozlemes with ketchup.
 
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium sized onions, finely minced
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used paneer instead.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil to toast gozleme

Preparation of dough:
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water in small increments to the flour mixture and prepare a soft, pliable dough. (I added a little less than 1/2 cup water.) Gently knead it for 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough and keep it aside for about 15 - 30 minutes. (Gozleme dough doesn't include any oil but I added a tsp. of it.)

Preparation of filling:
Heat oil and add minced onion. Fry until onion softens and add spinach. Cook until spinach wilts and the rawness is gone. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Next add the crumbled cheese, give it a stir and turn off the stove. Let the filling cool a bit.

Method:
* Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll them into discs between your palms. Work with one disc at a time and keep the rest covered. Roll it thin into a rectangle or in a circular shape. Dust with flour if necessary.

* Place about 2-3 tbsp. of filling at the middle of the rectangle. (I used more filling than showed in the picture.)

* Fold the opposite sides to cover the filling.

* Then fold the remaining sides to cover up the filling and form an envelope. Gently press with fingertips to seal properly.

* If the dough disc was rolled out into a circle, place about 1/4 cup of the filling on one half of the circle. Then fold the other half over it. Seal the edges using your finger tips and gently pat the whole crescent shaped gozleme.

* Heat a skillet and place the rolled dough square or crescent on it. Cook on low flame, drizzling with oil / butter until brown spots appear on both sides. (I cut them into strips and toasted them again. I held the pieces with tongs and toasted on all sides to make sure that gozlemes are properly cooked.)

This goes to Blogging Marathon #50, under the theme of "International FlatBreads". Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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