Roz Ka Khana

A blog about everyday food. Mostly Indian. All vegetarian.

07 Jun 2013
1 Comment

We Knead to Bake Project – Bialys with Caramelized Onions and Paneer

20130607-145951.jpgThis was a new one for me. I had not heard of Bialys before Aparna introduced it to me in this month’s We Knead to Bake Project.

Bialy, a Yiddish word short for bialystoker kuchen, from Białystok, a city in Poland, is a small roll that is a traditional dish in Polish Ashkenazi cuisine. In the early 1900s, many Eastern Eurpoeans, including the Polish, immigrated to the US and settled down in New York bringing their Bialy making skills with them. And that is how the New York Bialy became famous. There you go, that’s a mini history lesson on Bialys for you.

For those new to Bialys like me, they look and maybe taste close to a bagel, but there are some differences. For one, a Bialy doesn’t have a hole in the middle like a bagel but is depressed in the center with a filling (usually onions, garlic, poppy seeds etc). A Bagel is boiled and then baked while a Bialy is just baked. According to Aparna – a good Bialy should have a springy soft crumb but a chewy and floury crust.

I haven’t made bagels from scratch either so I wouldn’t know the actual differences in process but I was quite excited to try these out this past month. These were quite easy to make except for the rising time (still doesn’t beat the croissant process:) and of course, Aparna had Indianized it a bit by adding paneer and garam masala so I couldn’t wait to try this bread.

I added green chili (of course, for the spice), paneer, caramelized onions and stuffed paratha masala. It tasted like a paneer kulcha in a bagel form if you know what I mean. The paneer and stuffed paratha masala was a great combo and complimented each other quite well. Here’s the recipe (Adapted from King Arthur Flour)
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bialys-recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/4 cup water

3 cups all-purpose flour (use bread flour if you can find it or all-purpose flour + 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten)- I used 3 cups of wholemeal bread flour

1 tsp salt

Milk for brushing the dough

For the Onion Filling:

1 tbsp oil

3 medium onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 tsp stuffed paratha masala

3 green chili crushed or minced

Salt to taste

100gm paneer, crumbled (optional)

Method:

1. Put the yeast, sugar, salt and flour in a stand mixer or food processor bowl. Pulse a couple of times to mix and then add the warm water in a steady stream. Knead until the dough comes together as a mass and then let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This will help the dough absorb water. Knead again, adding a little more water or flour (not too much) if you need it, until your dough is smooth and elastic but not sticky.

2. Shape it into a ball and put it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough till it is well coated. Cover and let it rise till about double. This should take about 2 hours.

If you’re not making the Bialys right away, you can refrigerate the dough overnight at this point. When ready to make them, keep the dough at room temperature for about half an hour and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

3. In the meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the cumin seeds. When the crackle, add the onions, and sauté over low to medium heat. Sprinkle a little salt and continue sautéing until they become soft and turn golden brown in colour. Add the stuffed paratha masala and stir well. Keep the caramelised onions aside to cool.

4. Sprinkle your work surface lightly with flour and place the dough on it. Divide it into 8 equal pieces and shape each one into a roll by flattening it and then pinching the ends together to form a smooth ball.

(See this video for shaping rolls, if necessary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB908K3Kd6k )

5. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover them with a towel. Let them rise for about one hour (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for refrigerated dough) till pressing with a finger on the top leaves a dent.

6. Work on one piece at a time, while you keep the others covered so they don’t dry out. When the rolls are ready, pick them up one at a time and using your fingers, form the depression in the middle. Hold the roll like a steering wheel with your thumbs in the middle and your fingers around the edges. Pinch the dough between your thumb and fingers, rotating as you go and gradually making the depression wider without actually poking a hole through. The depression should be quite thin so the filling can stay in and not rise when the Bialy bakes.

Remember not to press on the edges, or they will flatten out. Once shaped, you should have a depression about 3” in diameter with 1” of puffy dough around the edge, so your Bialy should be about 4” in diameter. Prick the centre of the Bialy with a fork so the centre doesn’t rise when baking.

7. Place the shaped dough on a parchment lined (or greased) baking tray leaving about 2 inches space between them.

8. Place the caramelized onion filling in the depressions of each Bialy. Add some mined green chili to each as a topping. Brush the outer dough circle with milk. If you’re using crumbled paneer, add it to the Bialys in the last 5 minutes of baking or it will get burnt.

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Bake the Bialys at 230C (450F) for about 15 minutes till they’re golden brown in color. Cool them on a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. This recipe makes 8 largish Bialys.

Enjoy warm with butter or cream cheese.

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Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast Dishes, Eggless Baking and tagged , , ,
06 May 2013

Mango Coco Loco Smoothie

20130506-170115.jpgThis is a quick post and a quick way to use up all those juicy Alphonso mangoes filling up in my kitchen (and our tummies) this season. There are a gazillion mango dessert recipes out there that I’m dying to try, but what better way to use up some overripe mangoes than in a hearty and nutritious smoothie. Made with the goodness of coconut water and avocados and oranges , this one has a chock full of electrolytes, healthy fats, Vitamin C and is a filling smoothie and great breakfast by itself.

Of course if you’re like me, don’t bother chopping the mangoes – just squeeze the heck out of them with your fingers into the blender – then enjoy savoring the sweet goodness of the seed with bits of the pulp and juice trickling down your fingers:). That is by far my favorite way to enjoy a mango.

Ingredients: (makes 6 cups)

  • Aphonso mangoes (or you can use any sweet ripe mango) – peeled and chopped into chunks – 2
  • Avocado – 2
  • Oranges – peeled and cut into big chunks – 2
  • Coconut water from one tender coconut – 1 to 1 1/2 cups
  • Coconut meat – 1/4 – 12/ cup (optional)
  • Whey protein powder (optional) – 1 tbsp
  • Ice cubes – 1 cup
  • Water as needed
  • Vanilla paste or pod or essence – 1/2 tsp

Method:

Add all the ingredients in the order listed into a Vitamix or other high powered blender and blend first at a low speed then on high for 1-2 minutes. Add the water as needed to reach the desired consistency.

Posted in Breakfast Dishes, Raw foods, Smoothies, Vitamix recipes and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
03 May 2013

Pachai Milagu Kuzhambu (Spicy Green Peppercorn Soup)


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After a bout of crazy baking (yes, crazy is the right word when you are waiting for the bread dough to rise at midnight:), it was good to get Girish in the kitchen for some traditional fare.

You can tell by his previous recipes that he is kind of a “Kuzhambu King”  - Karuveppalai Kuzhambu, Vetha Kuzhambu, Kaara Kuzhambu are all his staple recipes. The names may be a tongue twister to the unorthodox ear but as any lover of Indian cuisine knows, they are distinctly different and unique to different regions of the South.

Pachai Milagu Kuzhambu is similar to the Karuveppalai Kuzhambu (curry leaves tamarind soup), but the green peppercorns give it a different kind of “burn”. That wasn’t meant to sound scary to newbies to Kuzhambu, but if you don’t know our recipes already, Kuzhambus are meant to have that tangy spice, which provide the perfect antidote to white rice and clarified butter (ghee) or the most famous combination of yoghurt rice and Kuzhambu, very lovingly known as “Thachi Mammu” in our home:)

As I have said this earlier, Singapore is a veggie and fruit haven and fresh green peppercorns, though seasonal are available (something I wouldn’t have dreamed of finding easily in the US). A trip to the local vegetable market (Tekka) and a 10 minute hunt to find a speacialty Thai store was all it took to find green peppercorns by the kilos! Of course we picked up about 300 grams which will probably last us a month or two. Green peppercorns have an extra bite to it and taste tangier than their black counterparts, which makes it a perfect accompaniment for Kuzhambu. Amma is already in the process of pickling the remaining peppercorns in brine the recipe of which I will share later.

Recipe for Pachai Milagu Kuzhambu:

Ingredients:

  • Green Peppercorns – 125 grams or about 1 1/2 cups
  • Curry leaves – 1/2 cup
  • Dry red chilies – 4-5
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Tamarind, a lemon sized ball soaked in warm water
  • Salt to taste
  • Asafetida (hing) – a pinch
  • Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp

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Method:

1. Take a kadai or heavy bottom vessel and add half the green peppercorns, add red chilies and cumin seeds and dry roast for about 3-4 minutes. The peppercorns will begin to pop. Turn off the heat.

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2. Now take this mixture and put it in the blender container. Add the remaining peppercorns (minus about 2 tbsp), tamarind and curry leaves to the blender container. Blend these to a smooth paste adding some water little by little so the consistency is that of a thick sauce.
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3. Now heat another heavy bottom vessel (or kachitti, a stoneware vessel), add about 2 tbsp of gingelly oil. Add asfetida to the oil. Heat for about 2-3 minutes till oil begins to smoke a bit.

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4. Now add the paste and stir to mix.

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Add about 1/2 cup water (to 1 cup, depending on consistency needed) and stir again. Now add the remaining 2 tbsp of fresh green peppercorns to this mixture.

5. Bring this mixture to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes till you get an aroma of the peppercorn curry leaves mixture.

6. Serve hot with rice and pappadums or with Thachi Mammu:).

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Posted in Comfort Food, Contributions, Girish's recipes, Rasam, Kuzhambu and Sambar, Soups, Traditional South Indian dishes and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
23 Apr 2013
6 Comments

Hokkaido Milk Bread – We Knead to Bake Project March 2013

20130424-105247.jpgDespite all the talk about needing a push, the blog prompt, blah blah, I’m late..again. This post is exactly a month late for the “We Knead to Bake Project” for March .

I didn’t get to make it by the 24th last month (the deadline for each monthly post) for all sorts of reasons. But I wasn’t going to miss baking it entirely too – I’d always wanted to try “soft, pillowy bread” as Aparna describes this.

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Keep in mind that though the milk bread is the traditional “white bread” made with AP flour or bread flour, this can be easily made with wholemeal or whole wheat flour as well. I tried them all and the texture may not be as soft but it will make for a great toasting bread.

Coincidentally I had come across a Hokkaido bakery in Singapore just last month and this place called Pullman bakery is apparently famous for its curry bun from Hokkaido, Japan. I’m not sure if this is the same technique they use as this Hokkaido bread but there’s got to be a connection, and clearly a sign for me to absolutely try it this month:)
This Hokkaido bread gets its texture due to the use of an interesting ingredient called Tangzhong which involves cooking bread flour with water at 65°C (149 °F) to form what’s called a “roux”. Scientifically speaking, the gluten in the bread flour and water mixture absorb the moisture and create a “leavening” action. This Tangzhong when added into other ingredients produces light, fluffy bread.

Apparently this popular South Asian technique was made popular by Yvonne Chen, in her book which translates to “65C Bread Doctor”.
Since the recipe called for using half of the Tangzhong each time, I made this twice, once with bread flour for the first half and then with all purpose flour. The one with the AP flour was amazingly soft and fluffy and pillowy as promised. The one with bread flour was equally good, a tad less soft but great for toast with toppings/dips etc. Great for bruschetta:)
So once again, Aparna thanks for showing us a new technique this month. Here’s the link to her original post.
I plan to try this Tanzhong method in all my bread baking experiments, with whole wheat, multigrain flour etc. Will keep you posted on how they turn out. I think these will make for great substitute to pav breads as well so the next time I make these I will try making them smaller and probably with a bhaji (curried vegetable) filling:)

Ingredients:
For The Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
For The Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1tsp salt
2 tbsp powdered milk
2 tsp instant dried yeast
1/2 cup milk (and a little more if needed)
1/8 cup cream (25% fat)
1/3 cup tangzhong (use HALF of the tangzhong from above)
25gm or about 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)
1/2 to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips if making the chocolate chip rolls (optional – I didn’t use this)
Method:
The Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux):
  • Whisk the flour, water and milk in a saucepan until smooth and there are no lumps.
  • Place the saucepan on the stove, and over medium heat, let the roux cook till it starts thickening. Keep stirring/ whisking constantly so no lumps form and the roux is smooth.
  • If you have a thermometer, cook the roux/ tangzhong till it reaches 65C (150F) and take it off the heat. If you don’t have a thermometer (like me), then watch the roux/ tangzhong until you start seeing “lines” forming in the roux/ tangzhong as you whisk/ stir it. Take the pan off the heat at this point.
  • Let the roux/ tangzhong cool completely and rest for about 2 to 3 hours at least. It will have the consistency of a soft and creamy pudding (or like thick cooked oatmeal:).
  • If not using immediately, transfer the roux to a bowl and cover using plastic wrap. It can be stored in the fridge for about a day, but not any further as it may spoil.
The Bread Dough:
I used my stand mixer for this part but you could also use a food processor or your hands. Keep in mind that this dough is a bit sticky and can take some time and effort to knead by hand. And do not add more flour to make it less sticky either!
  • Put the flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk and instant yeast in the stand mixer bowl with the dough hook attachment and pulse a couple of times to mix.
  • In another small bowl mix the milk, cream and Tangzhong till smooth and ensure there are no lumps.
  • Add this tangzhong mixture to the processor bowl. Run on slow speed until the dough comes together.
  • Now add the butter and process till you have a smooth and elastic dough which is just short of sticky.
  • The dough will start out sticky but kneading for about 5 minutes will make it smooth. If the dough feels firm and not soft to touch, add a couple of tsps of milk till it becomes soft and elastic. To check if the dough is done, try to break the dough. You should be able to stretch the dough without it breaking right away. When it does break, the break should be form a circle at the end.
  • Make a ball of the dough and place it in a well-oiled bowl turning it so it is well coated. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or till almost double in volume. This is the proofing stage.
  • Once it’s risen, place the dough on your working surface. You don’t need flour to work or shape this dough. This recipe makes enough dough to make one loaf (9” by 5” tin), 2 small loaves (6” by 4” tins) or 1 small loaf (6” by 4”) and 6 small rolls (muffin tins). Depending on what you are making, divide your dough. If you are making 1 loaf, divide your dough in 3 equal pieces. If you are making two smaller loaves, divide your dough into 6 equal pieces.
  • I made 3 small loaves in one 9′x5′ tin first with the half Tangzhong and with bread flour for the dough. I divided the dough into three pieces.
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Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape, approximately about 1/8” thick.20130423-171333.jpg Take one end of the dough from the shorter side of the oval and fold it to the middle of the oval. Take the other end and fold so it slightly overlaps the other fold.20130424-105147.jpg
Roll this folded dough with the rolling pin so the unfolded edges are stretched out to form a rectangle.
20130424-105156.jpgRoll the rectangle from one short edge to the other, pinching the edges to seal well. Do this with each of the three larger pieces and place them, sealed edges down, in a well-oiled loaf tin.
20130424-105204.jpgCover with a towel and leave the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.20130424-105223.jpg
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Carefully brush the tops of the rolls and the loaf with milk (or cream) and bake them at 170C (325F) for about 20 to 30 minutes till they are done (if you tap them they’ll sound hollow) and beautifully browned on top. Let them cool in the tins for about 5 minutes and then un-mould and transfer to a rack till slightly warm or cool.
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Posted in Baking, Bread, Eggless Baking and tagged , , , , , , ,
11 Apr 2013
7 Comments

Paneer Tikka Masala Naanza

20130411-173426.jpgI can almost see this dish being featured on the Indian version of the CopyKat recipes website – the community that posts popular recipes from key chain restaurants in the US- even if I say so myself:).

This particular recipe has been inspired from a food court style restaurant called Eatopia at India Habitat center in New Delhi. We recently returned from a whirlwind but memorable trip to Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi (in that order) with the family. Besides the breathtaking locales and the cherished monument sightings, this was also meant to be a food sighting and savoring trip – a gastronomic experience of sorts. While we couldn’t savor all that north India had to offer in 7 days with a tight schedule and a few Delhi bellies:) we did manage to cram in some key food experiences which I will save for a separate post.

Eatopia was our last food stop in Delhi. Decent food at affordable prices and a good sampling of cuisines to choose from – Nepali, Indo Chinese, Pizza, street food/chat, Punjabi Dhaba and so on. Good one to visit if you have limited time and want to try/taste all that Delhi restaurants would have to offer, well almost:).

This particular entree stood out for me for its flavor and uniqueness. An Indian inspired pizza or rather Naan smothered with tikka masala with chunks of paneer and cheese topping. The tikka masala flavor was so flavorful and distinct (and a great alternative to the usual tomato basil pizza sauce) that it left me wanting to lick the masala off the pizza along with my fingers. Of course I didn’t get to a second piece of that pizza thanks to our ravenous tween/teenagers with us (my son and nephew) who polished it off before we could say “please”:).

So is it a naan, is it a pizza, a Nizza? Naanza was the original name so Naanza it is. Perfect name for a naan pizza. A Paneer Tikka Masala Naanza.

So last weekend, as we were toying with dinner ideas, (keep in mind weekend dish requests are complicated at our home – Girish would rather eat Indian what with all the travelling over the week and noshing on greasy restaurant food, and Nikhil’s usually craving something in between an enchilada, burrito or a pizza) we very amicably settled on the Naanza, a pizza with an Indian twist.:)

Ingredients: (serves 5)

For the tikka masala paste: (Sanjeev Kapoor recipe adapted from the blog Indian Healthy Recipes)

¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1-2 bay leaves

½ tsp black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

2-3 green or black cardamom (black cardamom has a better flavor)

¾ cup of finely chopped onions (about 1 medium sized red onion)

2-3 green chilies slit or crushed

½ can tomato paste (original recipe called for fresh tomatoes pureed which is fine too)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1-2 tsp olive oil

1-2 tsp red chili powder (depending on your spice tolerance:))

1 tsp garam masala powder (available at Indian food stores or homemade)

1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, available at Indian food stores)

¼ cup cashew paste (soak ¼ cup raw cashews in about ½ cup water for 30 mins to an hour. Blend to a smooth paste.)

Other ingredients:

½ cup cilantro chopped

1 ½ cups Paneer (Indian cottage cheese store bought or home made) – sliced into ½ to 1 inch cubes

Tandoori Naans (store bought or home made). You may use frozen store bought naans as well. – 5

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Method:

For tikka masala paste:

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan or kadai.
  2. Add the cumin first and when it starts to sizzle, add the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns. Saute for about 2 minutes till they start to lightly brown.
  3. Add the chopped onions, and green chilies. Fry till the onions turn golden brown.
  4. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for another minute.
  5. Add the tomato paste, red chili powder and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
  6. Pour about ¼ cup water, add the kasuri methi, garam masala powder and fry again for 3-5 minutes.
  7. Add the cashew paste and mix well. Continue to cook till the mixture starts to boil.
  8. Cook till the gravy becomes thick and almost paste like. Ensure that the mixture is not too watery as it will not stick well to the naan base. For this do make sure you add water to just the right consistency in Step 6, and adjust water quantity as needed.
  9. You may now add half of the paneer pieces to this paste and set it aside until you assemble the naan. This allows the paneer to soak in the tikka masala “juices”.
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You may also try this recipe for paneer no butter masala I posted earlier. I wanted to try this Sanjeev Kapoor version for kicks (and licks:) and also since this was supposedly the original “tikka” recipe, but I’m sure either would work.

For the Naanza:

  1. Preheat oven to 375-400F. (190-200C)
  2. Lightly grease and flour a pizza tray. Alternatively if you have a pizza stone, heat the stone at the required temperature for about 10 minutes.
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  4. Using a blunt knife, spread the tikka paste on one naan base till it is completely covered.
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  6. Now add some of the paneer pieces that are soaking in the masala paste on top. You may also add some of the fresh un-soaked paneer pieces as a topping at this stage. This gives the naanza a good balance of the gravy and paneer.
  7. Top this with some grated cheese ( 1-2 tbsp) and chopped cilantro. For those who like it spicy, add some crushed green chili as well.
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  9. Place the naanza on the pizza stone or baking tray and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the base is lightly browned. Since the naan is already cooked, you may not need to wait very long for the base to cook.

Verdict : This recipe came very close to the Eatopia version. Finger licking good and extra credits for the amazing aroma in the kitchen from the tikka masala baking in the oven:). I’m still experimenting with the right pizza cheese to use in Singapore so that’s the only thing I would change since I used an Indian mozzarella cheese. I also tried this with grated Amul cheese which didn’t give it the right consistency either, so I would probably use regular American grated mozzarella cheese the next time for that gooey pizza consistency.

Posted in Baking, Bread, Eggless Baking and tagged , , , , ,
04 Apr 2013
7 Comments

Lunchbox Series – Vegetarian Black Bean Burger

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This is another Vitamix recipe, though you can make this burger mix in any food processor as well. It’s just that I love to talk about the Vitamix’s versatility and of course put it to all sorts of tests. And it almost always wins me over. I know I’m gushing and it’s silly.  Yes, pity that the Vitamix cannot actually make the patties and sauté them as well, as a friend jokingly asked me:). Well, those are the few things it can’t do (yet) but if Vitamix is truly listening, we may just about have another innovation to make this a true all round kitchen machine.

I sent this for Nikhil’s lunch and let me just say that I now make a batch of beans and freeze them regularly (black or garbanzo or any bean variety soaked and boiled), as this is another lunch box staple and a keeper recipe.

Ingredients:

Small red onion – 1 (cut in half)

Green chili (Thai or serrano) – 1 -2 depending on spice level

Cilantro  with some stem– a small bunch

Soaked and boiled black beans – ¾-1 cup (You may also use 1 can of black beans)

Cumin powder – ¾  tsp or to taste

Garlic – 1 pod

Ginger – 1/2 – 1 inch

Garam masala (available in Indian grocery stores) – ½ tsp

1 tsp olive oil

Corn flour or rice flour – 1tbsp (you may also use 1 tbsp flax seed meal whisked in ½ cup water. The idea is to have some sort of a binding agent and flax seed meal is a good substitute for eggs)

Method:

  1. Start the blender on variable speed 1, then add the red onion, green chili, a fistful of cilantro, ginger and garlic and blend till the onions are very finely chopped.
  2. Add the boiled beans and continue to blend on variable speed 3-5. Use the tamper to mix the ingredients well.
  3. Now add a dash of cumin powder, salt and garam masala.
  4. Add the binding agent (corn flour or flax seed meal). Blend again on variable speed. The mix should resemble a coarse yet blended paste. You can keep this in the refrigerator for a while to help bind the ingredients.
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  6. Shape into patties and cook on a skillet until brown on all sides. You may use 1 tsp olive oil to cook it till it browns well.
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  8. Add your favorite burger condiments and the patty to wheat or multigrain sub bread. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and pack it away for a healthy lunch:). You can see a green apple, goldfish and a cupcake in this lunch box which is yeah, still quite healthy (depends on the type of cupcake:)
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Posted in Beans, Burgers, Lunchbox series, Vitamix recipes and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
03 Apr 2013

Taste and Create – Eggless Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

This is my first month participating in Taste and Create, a community that encourages sharing, tasting and blogging. The idea behind Taste and Create is that you get paired with a blog each month, and you each choose a recipe, make it, taste it and share it. It’s that simple. And yes, adds to the list of my blogging prompts for the month:)

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I was paired with 3sidesofCrazy for the month of March. This is such a neat concept as I love browsing new food blogs. She has a lovely blog with some amazing recipes and so many that I was quite overwhelmed. The only thing was that many of the recipes were meat dishes so I had to restrict myself to the desserts and the breakfast dishes, not that it was a real issue, given the notorious sweet tooth I have:).

Her recipe for fluffy buttermilk pancakes was very tempting and very timely as Nikhil had been complaining that he hadn’t eaten a decent pancake since our move to Singapore:). I did modify the recipe a bit to add flax seeds instead of eggs and used a mixture of milk and vinegar as I was out of buttermilk. I also used 3/4 cup wholemeal flour and 3/4 cup all purpose instead of 1 1/2 cup all purpose that the original recipe required. The result – pancakes as fluffy as those with eggs and all purpose flour:).

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup wholemeal and 3/4 cup all purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten ( I used 1 tbsp flax seed meal whisked in 1/2 cup water till frothy)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (1 1/4 cups milk plus 1 tbsp white vinegar)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:

  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar into a medium bowl.
  • Add flax seed mixture, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
  • Using a 1/2 cup measure, pour pancake batter about 2 inches away from each other on a heated griddle or fry pan.
  • When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over.
  • Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
  • Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes warm.
  • Top with bananas, walnuts and pure maple syrup.

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Posted in Breakfast Dishes and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
18 Mar 2013
1 Comment

Guava Greens Juice

This is my #firstpost using #Vine, the new video app from Twitter. Vine allows you to create quick 6 second videos that can be shared via Vine or through Twitter. You do have to have your Twitter account connected to it, so it can also be shared via your Twitter feed. I think it’s the perfect medium for recipes and “how-to” videos. And the simplest recipes are for juices and smoothies of course which is why I chose to use a juicer recipe as my first Vine post. All you need are a few fresh and raw ingredients and that blender or juicer to do the trick.

So here’s the first one for Guava Greens – a juice with a chock full of greens and what I like to call “liquid gold” as it’s so good for you:)

Ingredients:

2 Guavas
1 green apple
1 medium bunch spinach
1 lemon (peeled) – optional
1/2 inch ginger – optional

Method:
Chop the fruits into bite sized pieces. Turn the juicer on and slowly add the pieces to the mouth of the juicer. Drink it fresh or store in a glass bottle or mason jar with a lid in the refrigerator.

With green juices it’s best to drink it as soon as possible. Storing it in a mason jar filled to the top and with a lid helps keep it for a few hours in the refrigerator without oxidizing too much. If you are using a centrifugal juicer, do make sure you drink it quickly to prevent quicker oxidation.

Let me know how you find these bite sized videos. If you like these, follow me on Twitter as well @rozkakhana

Posted in Juices, Raw foods and tagged , , , , ,
15 Mar 2013
4 Comments

Raw Almond Milk and Almond Meal recipe — Date Almond Pooran Poli

I did tell you about my fetish for all things juicing didn’t I? It’s become a habit now, starting every single morning breakfast with a fresh squeezed fruit and veggie juice followed by a late morning smoothie. And I pack a mason jar of juice to work as well for that 3pm “juice in leiu of tea” break. It’s working! I don’t feel the need for that cup of chai or joe anymore and the green juice or pomegranate juice does the trick. Fact is, I cannot think of a store bought carton of juice these days…and buying a smoothie at a cafe feels like sacrilege:) The Vitamix and Hurom now occupy a very prime position on my counter in the kitchen. I’m not sure if I can do a 100% raw and vegan diet but I am convinced that eating more raw veggies and fruits gives me that energy boost and keeps me going. So I guess I’m a 50-50 raw vegetarian:)

And so I have tried several juice and smoothie combinations that I hope to post on a more regular basis but something I have been meaning to try with my new juicer was making raw almond milk. Again, thanks to The Rawsome Life, and her inspiring Facebook posts, I finally got around to remembering to soak 1 cup of almonds last week to make fresh almond milk for the next day.

The method was so easy and the Hurom juicer makes it even more effortless. No need to peel the almonds and no need to filter. What you get is creamy, fresh, raw almond milk with powdery, dry almond meal. No mess, no fuss:)

And the best part, it yields almost 3-4 cups of almond milk, not bad for just 1 cup of almonds. And over 1 1/2 cups of almond meal.

As I mentioned earlier I’m also always looking for ideas to deal with juicer pulp. Amma made an amazing carrot, beetroot pulp halwa/barfi dessert the recipe of which I will post soon. With the almond milk, Amma had another brilliant idea. She used some of the almond meal with some dates to make Date Almond Puran Poli (stuffed wheat tortillas or parathas).

Here are the recipes for the above.

Raw Almond Milk:

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Ingredients for almond milk:

1 cup raw almonds (with skin intact)

2-3 cups water.

1 tsp vanilla essence (raw vanilla bean is preferable but I didn’t have that in stock)

1 tsp agave syrup (or any sweetener of your choice. This is optional)

Method:

1. Soak 1 cup of almonds in about 2 cups water overnight.

2. The next morning, discard the water and add another 2 cups of fresh water.

3. Turn the juicer on and pour a ladle of almonds and water into it. Continue till all the almonds are ground.

4. Add the vanilla essence and any sweetener of your choice and stir well. Fresh almond milk is ready to serve!

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Note – You can choose to peel the almonds as well. The skin will peel right off when you soak the almonds overnight. If not, you can also add some warm water in the morning and this will help peel the skin off.

You may also use the Vitamix blender to make fresh almond milk. Again peeling the almonds is preferable here.

You may also choose to filter the almond milk using a cheese cloth or milk strainer. I liked mine just the way it was as it gave a thicker creamier consistency.

Almond Meal Recipe – Date Almond Pooran Poli

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1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup dates

1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

1/4 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour

Salt to taste

Water 1/2 cup

Oil – 2 tsp

Method:

1. Take the almond meal and dates in a Vitamix jar and blend with Variable speed. use the tamper to mix the ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse paste. Set this aside.

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2. Now take a heavy bottom vessel and add 1 tbsp ghee to coat the sides of the pan.

2. Add the almond date mixture and heat for a few minutes, keep stirring in the pan until the mixture starts to concentrate in the center, and doesn’t stick much to the sides or the ladle.

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3. Meanwhile, mix the wheat and all purpose flour in a mixing bowl, add salt and then add water and oil little by little until it forms a dough much like chapathi dough. Doesn’t stick to your fingers and is easy to pinch and form round balls.

4. Pinch of a piece of dough and make round balls about an inch to 1 1/2″ in diameter. This mixture should make about 6-8 pooran polis.

5. If the almond date mixture is cool enough, make small round balls (about 1/2-1″ in diameter depending on how big you want your polis) and keep aside.

6. Take a rolling pin and roll the balls into small flat tortilla shapes or rotis.

7. Place one small round of the almond date ball in the center of the small chapati and close the dough around it to form a roundish shape. Seal the edges.

8. Now take the almond date stuffed dough rounds and using wheat flour to dust the surface and a rolling pin, roll out the dough into circles about 3-4″ in diameter. The chapathis or polis should be thin enough but ensure that the stuffing doesn’t start to seep out too much.

10. Preheat a frying pan, place the poli on it, switch to low heat and cook on one side for 1 -2 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side till lightly browned. Apply a little ghee (optional) on both sides and remove immediately.

Note: If you’d like you may also add about a tbsp of Demerara or brown sugar to the date mixture, if you like your polis sweeter. We opted not to just to keep sugar out of this recipe:)

Posted in Amma's recipes, Desserts, Raw foods, Vitamix recipes and tagged , , , , , , ,
05 Mar 2013
6 Comments

Classic Croissants – We Knead to Bake Project February 2013

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I would probably call this challenge the ultimate in baking challenges, at least for me:). After the first pull apart bread, I was all set to turn in my entry to this challenge “on time”, only to discover that Aparna had truly made this a sequel to the “Daring Baker’s Challenge”:). For the uninitiated, that is another group of bakers and as the title suggests the recipes are quite challenging. The recipe for making these croissants is all of 3 pages long and the process takes 3 days. Intimidating and definitely not something I would’ve even bothered to give a second look – those who know me well know how much I love to “cook and get out” – of the kitchen, I mean. But much as I would’ve been rigid in that rule of mine, there does come a time when you know that getting out of that comfort zone and pushing yourself once in a while is what makes life interesting – gives you that rush, that sense of fulfillment. Kinda like managing to finish a 10k. For someone like me who just 14 months ago hated the thought of running – outdoors or indoors. I know, I digress. But to me the two situations were quite similar, and coincidentally happened around the same time, a week apart from each other.

And someone or something does play a major role in pushing all of us. For the run it happened to be my husband Girish who started to run two years ago and got reluctant me into the habit. Now I feel like it has become an addiction of sorts and I’m signing us up for all the running events in the city:). Well sort of.

And Aparna’s group has been that someone and something for pushing me to bake more . I joined the Daring Bakers a year ago and for some reason couldn’t really get into it. It probably didn’t push me enough even if the recipes were equally or more daunting. What’s worked for me here has been Aparna’s concept of a (closed) Facebook group, the daily updates from the 100 or so members, the drooling pictures that make you feel a tad guilty that you are yet another day behind on the challenge – all this has driven me to bake something I would never have dreamed
 of a year ago.

In both cases I did learn one thing – nothing is daunting if you plan well and work steadily towards your goal. This recipe looks long but if you read it well and plan it, it’s not all that bad. Yeah I know that sounds cliched. And even if I didn’t think that for a minute while baking them or running those miles, I do now, after I managed to get past the finish line, in both cases:)

Here’s the step by step recipe for Classic Croissants. They were a hit – flaky, soft, layered and just right. Enough to make me feel like a Nigella Lawson, even for a day:)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour, and a little more for dusting/ rolling out dough

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp ice water

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp cold milk

1/4 cup sugar

40gm soft/melted unsalted butter (about 3 tbsps)

1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt

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For the butter layer:

250 gm cold unsalted butter (~2 sticks + 2 tablespoons)

1/4 cup of milk or mix of milk & heavy cream to brush the rolled croissants

Method:

Day 1:

Make the dough (and refrigerate overnight)

  1. Combine all the ingredients for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. You can also use a food processor with the plastic blade, or do this by hand.
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  3. Mix everything on low speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl once if necessary. Then mix further on medium speed for 3 minutes. Lightly flour a 10-inch pie pan or a dinner plate. And place the ball of dough on this.
  4. Gently shape the dough into a flat ball by pressing it down before storing it in the fridge, this makes rolling out next morning easier. Making a tight ball will strengthen the gluten which you do not need. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and wrap well with plastic so it doesn’t dry out. Refrigerate overnight.
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Day 2:

Make the butter layer

  1. The next day, cut out 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper into 10” squares each. Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch-thick slabs. Place these pieces on one piece of parchment/ waxed paper so they form a 5- to 6-inch square. Cut the butter further into pieces as required to fit the square. Top with the other piece of parchment/ waxed paper.
  2. Using a rolling pin, pound the butter with light, even strokes. As the pieces begin to stick together, use more force. Pound the butter until it flattens out evenly into a square that’s approximately 7-1/2”. Trim the edges of the butter to make a neat square. Put the trimmings on top of the square and pound them in lightly with the rolling pin. Refrigerate this while you roll out the dough.

Laminate the dough

Note – I don’t have great pictures for this as this was the most important step and I really wanted to focus and yes it was also the most messy with the butter and dough:)

  1. Unwrap and lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out to a 10-1/2-inch square, and brush off the excess flour. Take the butter out from the refrigerator —it should be cold but pliable. If it isn’t refrigerate it till it is. This so that when you roll out the dough with the butter in ti, neither should it be soft enough to melt, or hard enough to break. Unwrap the butter and place it on the square of dough in the center, so that it forms a “diamond” shape on the dough.
  2. Fold one flap of dough over the butter toward you, stretching it slightly so that the point just reaches the middle of the butter square. Bring the opposite flap to the middle, slightly overlapping the previous one. Similarly repeat with the other two so that the dough forms an envelope around the butter. Lightly press the edges together to completely seal the butter inside the dough to ensure the butter doesn’t escape when you roll out the dough later.
  3. Lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough. With the rolling pin, firmly press along the dough uniformly to elongate it slightly. Now begin rolling instead of pressing, focusing on lengthening rather than widening the dough and keeping the edges straight.
  4. Roll the dough into an 8” by 24” rectangle. If the ends lose their square shape, gently reshape the corners with your hands. Brush off the excess flour.Mark the dough lightly equally into three along the long side. Using this as a guideline, pick up one short end of the dough and fold 1/3rd of it back over the dough, so that 1/3rd of the other end of dough is exposed. Now fold the 1/3rd exposed dough over the folded side. Basically, the dough is folded like 3-fold letter before it goes into an envelope (letter fold). Put the folded dough on a floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 15 to 20 minutes to relax and chill the dough.
  5. Repeat the rolling and folding, this time rolling in the direction of the two open ends (from the shorter sides to lengthen the longer sides) until the dough is about 8” by 24”. Once again fold the dough in thirds, brushing off excess flour and turning under any rounded edges or short ends with exposed or smeared layers. Cover once again with plastic wrap and freeze for another 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Roll and fold the dough exactly in the same way for the third time and put it baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, tucking the plastic under all four sides and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3:

Divide the dough

  1. The next day, unwrap and lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough. Cut the dough along the longer side into halves. Cover one half with plastic wrap and refrigerate it while working on the other half.
  2. “Wake up the dough up” by pressing firmly along its length with the rolling pin. Don’t widen the dough but simply begin to lengthen it with these first strokes. Slowly roll the dough into a long and narrow strip, approximately 8” by 22”. If the dough sticks as you roll, sprinkle with flour.
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  4. Once the dough is about half to two-thirds of its final length, it may start to resist rolling and even shrink back. If this happens, fold the dough in thirds, cover, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes; then unfold the dough and finish rolling.
  5. Lift the dough an inch or so off the table at its midpoint and allow it to shrink from both sides and prevent the dough from shrinking when it’s cut. Check that there’s enough excess dough on either end so that when you trim the edges to straighten them, you have a strip of dough that is 20’ inches long. Now trim the edges so they’re straight.
  6. If you’re good at “eyeballing” and cutting the dough into triangles, then forget the measuring rule, marking and cutting instructions. Otherwise, lay a measuring rule or tape measure lengthwise along the top length of the dough. With a knife, mark the top of the dough at 5-inch intervals along the length (there will be 3 marks in all). Now place the rule or tape measure along the bottom length of the dough. Make a mark 2-1/2 inches in from the end of the dough. Make marks at 5-inch intervals from this point all along the bottom of the dough. You’ll have 4 marks that fall halfway between the marks at the top.
  7. Make diagonal cuts by positioning the yardstick at the top corner and the first bottom mark. Use a pizza wheel/ pie wheel or a bench scraper and cut the dough along this line which connects each top mark to the next bottom mark and then back to the next top mark and so on. This way you will have 7 triangles and a scrap of dough at each end.
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Shape the croissants

  1. Now work with one piece of triangular dough at a time. Using your rolling pin, very lightly roll (do not make it thin but only stretch it slightly) the triangle to stretch it a little, until it is about 10” long. This will give your croissants height and layers. You can stretch it by hand too, but if you don’t have the practice, your stretching could be uneven.
  2. Using a sharp small knife, make a 1/2- to 3/4-inch-long notch in the center of the short side of each triangle. The notch helps the rolled croissant curl into a crescent.
  3. Place the triangle on the work surface with the notched side closest to you. With one hand on each side of the notch, begin to roll the dough away from you, towards the pointed end.
  4. Flare your hands outward as you roll so that the notched “legs” become longer. Roll the triangle tight enough but not too tight to compress it, until you reach the “pointy” end which should be under the croissant.
  5. Now bend the two legs towards you to form a tight crescent shape and gently press the tips of the legs together (they’ll come apart while proofing but keep their crescent shape).
  6. Shape all the triangles like this into croissants and place them on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet leaving as much space between them as they will rise quite a bit.
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Proof the croissants

  1. Brush the croissants with milk (or a mix of milk and cream). If you use eggs, make an egg wash by whisking one egg with 1 tsp water in a small bowl until very smooth. Lightly brush this on each croissant.
  2. Refrigerate the remaining milk/ milk+cream (or egg wash) for brushing the croissants again later. Place the croissants in a cool and draft-free place (the butter should not melt) for proofing/ rising for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. They might need longer than 2 hours to proof, maybe as much as 3 hours, so make sure to let croissants take the time to proof. The croissants will be distinctly larger but not doubled in size. They’re ready if you can see the layers of dough from the side, and if you lightly shake the sheets, the croissants will wiggle.
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Bake the croissants

  1. Just before the croissants are fully proofed, pre-heat your oven to 200C (400F) in a convection oven or 220C (425F) in a regular oven. Brush the croissants with milk/ milk+cream (or egg wash) a second time, and place your baking sheets on the top and lower thirds of your oven (if regular) or bake one tray at a time in the convection oven.
  2. Bake them for about 15 to 20 minutes till they’re done and golden brown on top and just beginning to brown at the sides. In a regular oven, remember to turn your baking sheets halfway through. If they seem to be darkening too quickly during baking, lower the oven temperature by 10C (25F). Cool the croissants on the baking sheets on racks.
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Serve warm. This recipe makes 15 croissants. I used only half (7) and added some filling to the other half and baked it the next day. I filled some with Punjabi Samosa filling, nutella, and PB&J. PBJ was Nikhil’s creation and it oozed a bit but was yummy nevertheless.

Will post those pictures soon and update this post.

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Here’s a link to a great video that gives you the step by step recipe for more clarity.

Link to video on making croissants –

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Pain Au Samosa

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Pain Au PBJ

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Proofing in the oven

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An assortment

 

 

Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast Dishes, Eggless Baking and tagged , , , , ,

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