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Many American restaurants offer a complimentary bread basket when lunch / dinner is ordered. In our area, it is mostly in the form of baguette / rolls and so I thought of trying a baguette with a make-shift pan for this week's 'complimentary starters' theme. Somehow the plan did not go accordingly and I chose to go with this no knead crusty loaf. I found this recipe on the all purpose flour packet, which in turn was inspired from the book 'Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day'. The idea behind this bread is that each loaf takes about 5 minutes of active preparation excluding the rising and baking periods. You prepare or rather mix the dough in bulk, refrigerate it and use it later when needed. When ready to bake, a portion of the dough is allowed to rise at room temperature for about an hour and then baked.
As the title suggests, it is a no knead bread and very easy and quick to put together. It tastes amazing with soft chewy interior and a crisp crust. Flour, salt, yeast and water are the only ingredients needed to make this bread. The prepared dough is allowed to rise and then left in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You can dump everything into a bowl and just mix to combine using a wooden spoon if you are not looking forward for a cleanup job later. My dough was prepared in no time as I quartered the recipe for this loaf. The dough can be refrigerated anywhere from a couple of hours to couple of weeks. It can be shaped round or in form of a loaf .
Ingredients: (Yields 3 or 4 loaves)
3 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp. rapid rise / active dry yeast
1 tbsp. salt
6 & 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (measured by 'scoop and sweep' method)
Cornmeal / parchment paper for the pizza peel or baking sheet
Preparing the bread dough:
* Mix yeast, water and salt. Add all the flour and mix until uniformly moist, using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer. The dough is going to be sticky and loose. Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover it with a lid or a plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about 2 hours at room temperature.
(If preparing the dough using the above proportions, use a 5 quart container or bowl to mix and store the dough. The dough is going to double or rise some more. And so use a container accordingly to store the dough.)
* Refrigerate the dough for at least three hours. (It would be easier to work with the dough if refrigerated.)
* The dough can be shaped and baked the same day it's mixed or can be left in a lidded container (not air-tight) or a loosely covered bowl for up to 14 days. The longer the dough sits in the refrigerator, the tangier it gets.
(I prepared the dough in the evening and didn't take any pictures.)
Preparation for baking:
* When ready to bake the bread, keep the work surface floured.
* Sprinkle some flour over the surface of the bread dough. This makes it easier to grab a chunk of the dough. Cut off about 1 pound piece or 1/4 to 1/3rd portion (or about a grape fruit size) of the dough. Alternately you can grease your palms and pull out the required piece of dough. Cover the remaining dough and refrigerate again, to use it later.
* Plop the sticky dough onto the floured work surface and shape it it into a smooth ball or a log. There is no need to fuss about shaping it perfectly. Slight imperfection is ok since it is going to look rustic anyway.
* Prepare a pizza peel with cornmeal or parchment, if using . Place the shaped dough on it (if a baking stone is going to be used) or onto a greased / parchment lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top. (It is to keep the dough moist during the resting period before baking.)
* Allow the dough to rise for about 60 minutes. (There is no need to cover the dough at this point but I covered it anyway with a thin cotton towel.) The dough may not rise much during this time but may expand.
Baking:
* At the final stages of rising, preheat the oven (and baking stone if using) to 450 deg F. Place a metal broiler pan / shallow metal pan or a cast iron pan on the lowest oven rack. Keep a cup of hot water ready.
* Slash the bread crosswise at 2 -3 places with a sharp knife, about 1/2 inch deep.
* Place the bread in the oven, carefully pour the hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath and close the oven door quickly.
* Bake the bread until it develops a golden brown crust, about 25 - 35 minutes.
* Remove the bread and allow it cool completely. Store the leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.
Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking during BM #49.
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Chips and salsa is the most common complimentary stuff offered at Mexican restaurants and I chose to go with it for today's BM under the theme 'Accompaniments'. I went ahead with baked version though traditionally tortilla wedges are deep fried. One can keep it simple just sprinkling some salt or customize them with preferred spices. They go great with salsa / guacamole and we had them with chunky salsa. I have already posted salsa recipe before and so today it's turn for the chips.
Ingredients: (For 2 servings)
4 - 6 corn tortillas (Flour tortillas can be substituted. I used whole wheat flour tortillas.)
1 - 2 tbsp. oil (I used canola oil.)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1 tsp. roasted cumin powder (optional)
Method:
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
* Mix salt, chili powder and ground cumin if using, in a small bowl.
* Cut each tortilla into 6 or 8 wedges using a sharp knife or scissors. (I cut each tortilla into 8 pieces and so totally had 32 wedges.)
* Generously brush each side of the tortilla piece with oil. On one side, sprinkle a little quantity of plain salt or the spice mixture whichever you are using.
* Or you can brush the tortillas with oil on both sides, sprinkle salt or the spice mixture and then cut them into desired number of wedges.
* Arrange the wedges in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake them until they turn crisp and turn not too brown. Rotate the tray midway once for uniform crisping. I had mine done in about 6 - 7 minutes. They browned at around 8 minutes.
Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking during BM #49.
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Most of the popular and mouthwatering chaats from the Indian subcontinent involve a fried base - like puffy pooris, crispy papdis, stuffed kachori or samosas, yummy potato patties and so on. Pure indulgence, some may argue but still these remain popular in spite of novel twists the health conscious people keep coming up with. Today's recipe is a similar kind which involves fried fritters made with tender, spinach leaves. The leaves are lightly coated with a spicy chickpea flour batter and then deep fried. These yummy fritters are the center attraction of today's lip smacking chaat. This chaat was inspired from a recipe I saw in a cookbook sometime back.
The
chaat can be served individually as one bite snacks or regularly as
shown in the image below. I got the one bite snack idea after seeing how
my husband assembled the chaat for himself. It would have been a cute presentation if I did in a similar fashion. But by that time, I already plated, pictured and even consumed my chaat portion. I was in no mood to grab his plate and start clicking again. :)
Ingredients for making spinach fritters / palak pakode:
3/4 cup gram flour / garbanzo flour / besan
2 tbsp. rice flour
1/2 tsp carom seeds / cumin seeds
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. baking soda
15 tender spinach leaves
Oil for frying
Method:
* Wash the spinach leaves and gently pat them dry.
* Combine all the above ingredients except spinach leaves and oil in a mixing bowl. Add water and make a batter of dropping
consistency.
* Heat oil for deep frying in a small kadai / frying pan.
* Dip a spinach leaf in the besan batter so that the leaf is lightly coated with batter on both sides.
* Gently drop the batter dipped spinach leaf in to the hot oil. Add as many spinach leaves as the pan can fit without overcrowding.
* Fry them on low medium flame setting until they turn light golden brown on both sides, flipping them intermittently. When done, remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
* Repeat the steps with the remaining leaves and the batter.
Ingredients for the palak chaat:
15 Palak pakode from above recipe
1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes, cooked until tender
Green chutney as needed
Sweet chutney as needed
1 cup lightly whisked fresh yogurt
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Roasted cumin powder to taste
Thin sev to garnish
Minced cilantro leaves to garnish
Method:
* Combine potatoes and salt in a mixing bowl.
* If planning to serve each piece individually, place fritters on a serving platter. Place about 2 tsp. boiled potatoes on each spinach fritter. Pour about 1 tsp. green chutney, 1 tsp. sweet chutney and 2 tbsp. yogurt over each fritter and gently mix. Next sprinkle a pinch of chili powder and cumin powder on each fritter. Finally garnish with sev and cilantro. Add some more quantity of chutneys if desired.
* Or place 2 - 3 fritters on a serving plate. If the pakode are bigger in size then break each one into two pieces. And add the other ingredients and assemble the chaat as required.
This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.
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The next one in the 'Chaat' series is going to be this lip-smacking aloo chana chaat that can be a wholesome meal on it's own. This can be turned into an oil-free dish if you skip the garnishing of sev and puri / papdi. Some planning is ready if you are planning to make this dish from scratch since this chaat's star ingredient is cooked garbanzo beans. In case if you have some cooked beans handy or a can of garbanzo beans lying in your pantry then it can be prepared quickly. The below recipe can just be used as a reference point. One can omit or add ingredients as per their choice. And of course the seasonings and chutneys that go into the dish depends upon one's taste buds and so use them accordingly.
Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans / Kabuli chana
1 potato / aloo
1 tomato (optional)
1 onion (preferably red onion.)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp chaat masala
Black salt to taste (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice
Green chutney to taste
Sweet chutney to taste
4 to 6 crushed papdi / poories
2 to 3 tbsp. minced cilantro to garnish
Fine sev to garnish
Preparation:
1. Soak chana / garbanzo beans overnight and boil until tender. Drain and keep it aside. (Indians usually cook the beans in a pressure cooker to quicken the process.) Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly if using canned beans.
2. I peel the potato, cut into small cubes and cook it in the microwave adding a little water. It takes around 5 - 7 minutes to cook potato in the microwave depending upon it's strength. One can cook the potato in a pressure cooker or in a sauce pan on stove top too. Just cook until fork tender.
3. Finely chop onion. Usually red onion is used for chaats as that is the commonly available onion variety in India. However white onion can be used if you don't have red ones handy.
4. Finely chop tomato and keep it aside. Mince cilantro finely.
5. If you are preparing chutneys, papdi/pooris and sev at home then keep them ready before assembling the chaat. Store-bought sev, papdi / pooris and chutneys can be lifesavers during time crunches. I used the store bought sev, sweet chutney and ready to fry pooris for this recipe. I haven't posted the green chutney recipe yet. I grind cilantro leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, salt and lemon juice.
Click the links below if you are looking for these recipes.
Date-Tamarind chutney
Papdi
Sev
Assembling the Chaat:
* Combine garbanzo beans, potato, onion, tomato, salt, chaat masala, black salt if using and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
* Add green chutney and sweet chutney as per taste and mix gently.
* Divide the mixture in individual serving bowls.
* Garnish each bowl with crushed papdis / pooris, minced cilantro and sev. Add some more sweet chutney and green chutney if desired.
* This can be served as a starter at parties, an evening snack or as dinner.
This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.
Comments
This recipe is inspired from a 'Khana Khazana' episode, aired long ago. The idea of using a non fried base like these salty crackers makes this chaat more attractive and guilt free. The crackers add a nice, crispy texture to this chaat and this chaat variation make great one bite snacks. These can be assembled in a jiffy, if you have chutneys and sev ready beforehand or using store-bought stuff.
Ingredients:
15 round salty biscuits (I used Ritz crackers.)
1 boiled and mashed potato
1/4 blanched corn kernels
1 onion, finely chopped (Preferably red onion but I used white onion here.)
Salt to taste
Chaat masala as required
2 tsp. red garlic chutney (I didn't use any.)
3 to 4 tsp. green chutney (Keep it on thicker side.)
2 to 3 Tbsp. date -tamarind chutney
1/4 cup chopped raw mango
1/4 to 1/2 cup fine sev
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
Minced cilantro to garnish
Method:
* Mix mashed potato, corn, onion, salt and chaat masala. (I added red chili powder also in this step.)
* Arrange biscuits / crackers in a single layer on a serving platter. Place about a tbsp.of potato mixture and 1 tsp. of mango pieces over each biscuit / cracker.
* Next, spoon a little quantity of three chutneys over the mixture. (The quantity of chutneys used depends upon one's preference.) Finally garnish with sev, red chili powder (if it was not used in the first step) and cilantro.
* Serve immediately.
Click the links below for the recipes.
Date-Tamarind Chutney'
Sev (Omit carom seeds from the recipe.)
This goes to BM #48, under "Chaats" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.
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Umm Ali is one of the cherished desserts in the Middle East, that was supposedly originated in Egypt. This delicious bread pudding uses puff pastry or phyllo pastry or some stale bread, milk, nuts and coconut. One can use / omit whatever nuts they prefer in this recipe. The creamy bread pudding, crunchy nuts and sweetened cream - milk base, make this an irresistible treat. I came across this lighter version using croissants at Nestle website and had prepared it some time back, scaling down the ingredients to serve two.
Umm Ali literally means mother of Ali and I came across a couple of legendary stories behind the origin of this delicious dessert. One refers to a woman named, Umm Ali who happened to be the first wife of a Sultan named Aybek. His second wife Shajar al-Durr prevented him from seeing his first wife and son and the king happily obliged. However when he got ready to marry another woman, the second wife got so jealous and raving mad that she killed him and proved that he died in his sleep. The first wife who already had a dispute with Umm Ali, got her brutally killed by Shajar's own servants. And then, she celebrated her victory by preparing this pudding and distributing it among the people of the land.
The second one, a less violent version is that it was invented during the reign of Ottoman Turks. A sultan who was on a hunting trip got hungry and stopped by a small village. Umm Ali, the best cook of the village, filled a pan with the ingredients she had - dried wheat flakes (probably leftovers from some stale bread), nuts, sultanas and coconut. She covered it with milk and sugar, put in the community oven and cooked something akin to this pudding.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
3 croissants (I used small size ones.)
1 cup water
1/4 cup condensed milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whipped cream
1 tbsp. each - coconut, pistachios, almonds and raisins
Method:
* Preheat the oven to 200 deg C / 400 deg F.
* Combine croissant pieces, coconut, pistachio, almonds and raisins in a ovenproof dish. Or divide the mixture among 2 oven proof bowls if you are planning to serve two, individually.
* Bring condensed milk, water and vanilla to a boil in a sauce pan. Pour it over the croissant mixture and set it aside for five minutes or until the croissant mixture absorbs the maximum of the liquid.
* Place whipping cream in a piping bag and pipe the cream over the mixture. (I didn't use a piping bag and just spooned the cream into the bowls.)
* Place the baking dish in the preheated oven using the grilling part of the oven and grill for 5 minutes or until the cream topping is golden in color. (I turned off the oven and forgot to remove the bowls immediately and hence the darker hue of the cream.)
* Serve it immediately.
This goes to BM #48 for under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" - Arabian Cuisine theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.
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Mujaddara was on my 'to do' list when I participated in 'Around the World' themed blogging marathon last September. However some other tempting dishes took precedence and this humble treat had to wait up until now. Don't judge this simple yet flavorful Arabian pilaf by my presentation above there. I was hungry and there was zero sunlight when I captured that image. :)
Mujaddara is the Arabian version of rice-lentil pilaf sans vegetables and is generously garnished with crisp fried onion slices. It is alternatively also called as mudardara (Lebanon) and majadra (Israel). Some regions keep the dish to the basic minimum using just rice, lentils, onion and salt, while some flavor the dish with cumin and pepper. This simple one pot meal is very popular in Arabian countries and I now completely understand why. It is delicious, healthy and a filling meal on it's own. It is one of those dishes that prove that you can create magic even using the ingredients from a humble pantry.
The first recorded meat version of this recipe was found in an Iraqi book, during 13th century. The basic vegetarian version was mostly considered a poor man's food since it is a frugal meal. Mujaddara is equally popular among Arab Christian and Jewish communities. Traditionally, Jewish ate this dish twice a week while it is eaten during Lent by Christians. (From wiki.) Mujaddara is served along with yogurt and plain cucumber salad or as a part of an Arabic feast.
Ingredients: (3 servings)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup brown lentils / green lentils (I used brown lentils)
1/2 cup long grain rice
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add onion slices. Stir onion slices to coat them well with the oil. Spread the onion slices evenly in the pan and keep stirring them intermittently until they brown. (I cooked them on medium flame). Don't allow the onions to burn. If they appear dry, sprinkle some salt or add a little oil / water and continue. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
2. To the same pan, add cumin seeds. (If there is no oil left in the pan, add a tsp of oil and heat it before adding cumin seeds.) When cumin seeds start to brown, add cumin powder and pepper powder to the pan and stir. Then add rinsed rice and lentil mixture, half of the fried onion mixture and about 1 cup water + 2 tbsp water (I used the same measuring cups used for the dry ingredients and didn't add the fried onions in this step).
3. Cover and let cook on low medium flame until done. (I poured the mixture into a steel container and steamed in the pressure cooker without the whistle on. The brown lentils were turning mushy when cooked in the pressure cooker even for 1 whistle and so I choose to just steam it without using the whistle. One can transfer the contents to the rice cooker as well and cook. When properly done, the rice must be cooked well and the lentils should still hold the shape.)
4. Add salt to the cooked mujaddara and just stir to mix. Garnish with fried onions and serve with plain yogurt if desired.
This goes to BM #48 for under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" - Arabian Cuisine theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.
Comments
This red lentil soup happens to be one of the traditional and common soups in Turkish cuisine and goes by the name Ezogelin soup. The origin of the soup is attributed to Ezo, a legendary beauty and an unhappy bride from Gaziantep in the Southeastern Turkey region, while the word 'gelin' means bride in Turkish. This soup is supposedly one of her favorite dishes and she lovingly used to cook it for her family. Irrespective of whether the Ezo story is true or not, this is one simple, home style dish that everyone in the family going to love. I served this delicious and hearty soup with some bread croutons.
Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 small tomato, finely chopped
About 6 cups vegetable stock / water
1/4 cup red lentils (Masoor Dal)
2 Tbsp. rice (I used brown rice.)
2 tbsp. fine bulgur
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp dried mint
Lemon wedges to serve
Method:
* Heat oil in a medium sized pot, preferably a non stick one. Add onion and fry until it softens. Next add garlic and cook for about a couple of minutes. Then add tomatoes and cook until it turns mushy. Ad tomato paste and saute for few seconds.
* Now add about 3 cups of vegetable stock / water, lentils, rice and bulgur and cook on low medium flame until rice and lentils are cooked well, stirring intermittently. The liquid tends to get absorbed by the grains while cooking and the grains may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if attention is not paid. Keep adding extra liquid as needed. (I added about 3 cups more.)
* Add mint and seasonings to the pot. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Cook until the soup reaches a creamy consistency or coarsely puree in a blender. It took me around 30 minutes to cook the lentils and grains.
* Divide the mixture in two soup bowls and serve with lemon wedges.
This goes to BM #48 for 'Arabian Cuisine' under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #48.
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I am ending this week's marathon with a favorite dish of ours, batata poha. This simple and quick dish is one of the staple breakfast dishes from Maharashtrian kitchens and can be served for breakfast, brunch or as an evening snack.
Ingredients: (For 3 servings)
3 cups of beaten rice flakes / poha (Use thick variety.)
1 Tbsp. to 2 Tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. peanuts
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chillies, finely chopped (adjust the quantity as needed.)
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
Few curry leaves
1 big or 2 small onions, finely chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar (optional. I don't usually use it.)
Minced cilantro to garnish
Lemon juice to taste
Method:
* Add poha to a colander and rinse well. Drain and leave the poha aside in the colander.
* Heat oil in a kadai / saute pan. Add peanuts, mustard and cumin seeds.When peanuts start turning golden brown, add green chillies and saute for few seconds. Then add onion, curry leaves and turmeric powder.
* Cover and cook until onions turn translucent, stirring intermittently. In the mean time, potato cubes can be cooked in the microwave adding a little water. If not, then add potatoes to the pan, sprinkle some water and cover the pan. Cook until the potatoes are done.
* Next add the soaked poha, salt and sugar if using. Mix well,cover and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes until the poha is done. Add cilantro and lemon juice as needed. Mix once and serve warm.
Notes:
1. Use thick variety poha to prepare this. Thin variety poha is good for snacks like chivda and not suitable for this dish. It turns mushy if soaked in water.
2. Lemon juice and sugar are optional. Leave them out if you don't prefer those flavors in poha.
3. Skipping potatoes from the recipe would give you the plain poha recipe. To make the dish more wholesome, you can add other vegetables like finely chopped carrots, green beans and carrots along with potatoes.
4. Even some fresh, shredded coconut can be added to this poha. Add along with poha at the final stages of the cooking.
Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #48.
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It is snowing outside my window as I am writing this post. In fact, we woke up to a temperature of about negative 30 deg C, the day I made these idlis. The weather we have right now is not the kind that is conducive for idli and dosa batter fermentation. The subzero temperatures and wind chills are not however stopping me from trying out these south Indian signature dishes in my kitchen. A warm oven and longer hours of fermentation (than usual) are yielding me somewhat "close to perfect" kind of batters in this harsh climate. And so I am here with a 'idli' based evening snack for this week's blogging marathon with the theme of Indian Tiffin dishes.
Usually I prepare a large batch of idlis and freeze them to use later during time constraints, either as a breakfast or to prepare an evening snack. Recently I had some leftover mini idlis and used them to prepare this podi idli. Podi idli is a dish inspired from Tamilian kitchens and uses leftover idlis and milagai podi to create a quick and yummy snack. It tastes altogether different from it's base dish 'idli' and hence provides a variety to taste buds for those who are tired of eating idlis.
Ingredients:
Button Idlis / Mini Idlis (About 25)
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. Idli milagai podi
Salt to taste
Minced cilantro to garnish
Method:
* Heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to crackle, add onion and fry them until translucent.
* Add the mini idlis, salt, milagai powder and chili powder if using and mix well until all the idlis are coated well with the powder.
* Turn off the stove, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes:
* I used this idli milagai podi, that also had some grated dry coconut added to it.
* Regular sized idlis can be substituted instead of mini ones. Cube them and use as needed.
* To make the dish wholesome, vegetables can be added in this recipe. After onions are fried, add finely chopped vegetables and saute them.
* Add about 1/2 tsp chili powder if you want the dish to be more spicier or reduce the quantity of milagai powder if serving kids.
This 'podi idli' is going to be a part of this week's BM theme of 'Tiffin / Nasta'. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #48.
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