Stuffed Poori (Fried Indian Bread)

This recipe is a nice alternative to the regular poori. The filling makes it a wholesome meal on its own.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For Poori

Wheat flour – 1 ½-2 cups

Salt – ¼ tsp

Water for making dough

Oil for deep frying

For Filling

Tofu – 1 cup

Chopped onion – ¼ cup

Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsps (optional)

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 – 1 ½ tsps

Method

Combine the flour, salt and oil. Make the dough (neither sticky nor dry - it should be moist and soft), while adding water gradually.  Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. As they splutter, add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn slightly brown. Add the tofu, salt, turmeric powder, and garam masala and mix well. Allow it to cook thoroughly (about 5 minutes), turn off the stove and add the coriander leaves.  Keep aside.

Coming back to the pooris now, make small, lemon-sized balls of dough. Roll out one ball into a small disc. Place ½-1 tbsp of the tofu mixture in the middle and fold in the sides to cover the filling completely. Dust it with some flour and roll out into a disc again. If it feels sticky, add some more flour. Deep fry in hot oil, until golden brown.

 The stuffing gives the pooris a lovely flavor so they don’t necessarily need a side dish. You can have it with curd or pickle or with a gravy of your choice. Bon Appétit. 

Crunchy Almond Cookies

A few weeks back, my local super market had almonds on sale and I grabbed some. They went straight to the freezer and have been lying there, neglected, for almost 2 weeks now. Earlier this week, I made plans to visit a friend and I decided to make these cookies for them. I have made these before with a mix of cashews and almonds, but this time it was an all almond affair.

Ingredients

Coarsely ground almonds – 1/2 cup
Aatta (wheat flour) – 1 cup
Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp
Olive oil – 1/3 cup
Light brown sugar – 1/2 cup (you can add more if you want sweeter cookies)

Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tsps
Baking Powder –1/4 tsp
Milk – 2-3 tbsps

Method
Roast the nuts and grind them coarsely. Add all the ingredients except milk to a bowl and mix well. If the dough feels tough, add milk, a tbsp at a time and knead to make soft dough. Refrigerate it for 20 minutes. Towards the end of the 20 minutes, start preheating the oven to 350 Degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet/baking tray with parchment paper or foil (takes the hassle out of cleaning burnt on stuff). Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out into small balls. Flatten the balls to make thin discs and bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Keep an eye on them though; the cookies might get done faster in your oven. Don’t worry if they feel soft when just out of the oven, they will harden a bit as they cool. Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee…or tea! Bon Appétit.

Pongal, Vada and a Happy Husband

My husband is a big fan of the pongal you get in restaurants in Chennai. Unfortunately, I have never worked in any of those restaurants nor do I know any person who does! I also had no idea why their pongal tasted so different from what I made at home. Well, last week, my mother told me that one of her colleagues had offered her pongal which tasted awesomely ‘hotel-like’. She of course asked her friend for the recipe and then gave it to me.

My father was the one who told me the recipe over the phone…he even dropped in a few tips of his own, showing his expertise upon having made it successfully, twice. 
I decided that Saturday was the day to do the honors and I was pretty amazed with the results. My husband graded it to be pretty close to restaurant quality…that’s more than I had hoped for.  

Another dish which I recently succeeded at was the urad dal vada. Until last week, I had never really mastered the art of making perfectly shaped vadas. I happened to find one recipe which made it really simple and clear, and the results? See for yourself.

Pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice – ½ cup

Moong dal – ⅛ cup
Water – 1½ cups

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin powder (optional) – ½ tsp

Whole peppercorns – 6-7

Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 + ¼ tbsps

Oil – 2 tbsps (I used canola)

Salt to taste

Cashew nuts for garnish

Method

Wash the rice and dal and cook them in a pressure cooker, along with some salt, pepper, and cumin powder (if using). I kept it for 6 whistles; you can gauge the time according to how quickly or slowly your rice cooks. The end product needs to be very well cooked. Keep aside.

Heat a thick bottomed vessel on medium heat and add 1 tbsp ghee and oil. (It is this oil-ghee combination that gives the pongal the highly desired hotel flavor). Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Once the sizzling reduces, add the cooked rice-dal mixture and stir thoroughly. The mixture should be mashed as much as possible. Heat the ¼ tbsp ghee in a small pan, add the cashew nuts and toast for a couple of minutes.  Add the toasted cashews to the mashed mixture and serve hot with coconut chutney/sambar, vada.

Vada

Ingredients

Urad Dal – 1 cup

Corn flour – 2-3 tbsps

Chopped onion – ¼ cup

Green chilies – 2 (according to heat level)

Chopped ginger – ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt – to taste

Oil – for deep frying
Water

Soak the urad dal for at least 30 minutes. Moisten the inside of the blender jar, add the soaked dal and grind using no more that 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Once the dal is fully ground, add the corn flour and let the blender run for another 1-2 min, allowing the corn flour to get incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai and keep ready. Remove the batter form the freezer/fridge, add the green chilies, onion, ginger, and salt and mix well. Take a zip lock bag, wet it with a little bit of water and keep ready. Moisten your hand, grab a ball of batter (lemon sized), and pat it down onto the zip lock bag. Moisten your fingers again, poke a hole in the middle of the vada, shape the edges and slide into the hot oil.

Do not overcrowd the pan, otherwise the vadas will not cook evenly. Also, do not overheat the oil else the outside will burn while the inside will remain uncooked.

Fry the vadas until they turn dark golden brown, remove onto a paper towel and serve hot. Bon Appétit.

Link to original recipe - http://ticklingpalates.blogspot.in/2012/04/medhu-vadai-ulundhu-vadai-hotel-style.html

Thank you Renuka  from Pinch of Salt for this fabulous award.

Here are the rules for the award

• Thank the person who nominated you for this Award and link them back
• Then state some 5 random facts about you.
• Spread the joy by nominating fellow bloggers, as a way of appreciation.
• Finally inform the bloggers about the awards.

5 Random Facts About Me (Aparna)

• Cooking and Baking are my top passions
• Photographing the food I make comes in next
• There are times when I am absolutely clueless of what to blog about (a cook’s block if you will)
• I love listening to music while cooking/writing/reading.
• I am always on the look out for new recipes to try (so thank you, fellow bloggers, for posting such amazing recipes)

Bloggers nominated by me

• Julie from http://erivumpuliyumm.blogspot.com/
• Niv Mani from http://www.panfusine.com/
• Sobha from http://sobha-goodfood.blogspot.com/
• Michelle from http://foodfootballandababy.blogspot.com/
• Vardhini from http://cooksjoy.com/blog/
• Ruchira from http://thegreatcookaroo.blogspot.com/
• Ashwini from http://indulge-ashscorner.blogspot.com/

Microwave Semiya Kesari

Semiya (vermicelli) or rava upma has always been once-in-a-blue-moon tiffin items at my home. And even on such rare days, these dishes were had with a lot of frowns. Yesterday was one such day. I was starting to make semiya upma when my husband suggested making semiya kesari instead of upma. I wasn’t too keen on doing the kesari, but gave in to make my husband happy.

My mother-in-law told me sometime back that she had done rava kesari in the microwave a few days back and had also mentioned that it was a real fast job. I wanted to try out the method and asked her for instructions. You would be amazed at how fast this dish can be done. So the next time you want to make a dessert in a jiffy, try this out :-)

Ingredients

Semiya – 1 cup (roasted)

Water/ milk – 2 cups

Sugar – 1-1 ½ cups (adjust according to your taste levels)

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Cahews – 1tsp

Raisins – 1 tsp

Saffron/ Food colour – a pinch (soaked in a little milk)

Method

Boil water or milk in a microwave safe bowl for about 2-3 minutes. Add the roasted semiya to the boiling water and cook in the microwave for 2 ½ minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir in sugar and saffron or food colour. Mix well and cook in the microwave for another 1 ½ minutes. Remove from the microwave and garnish with cashews and raisins sautéed in ghee.

Serve hot or chilled.

French Toast with an Indian Twist

I have never really liked French toast because they are too sweet. In my opinion, the French toast served in American restaurants should be under the dessert menu instead of breakfast. Well that’s just me, I am sure there are many of you who don’t agree.

So, here is a savory twist to suit my palate. I used a spicy jalapeno cheese bread to add to the flavor, you can of course use any bread of your choice.

Ingredients

Jalapeno cheese bread – 2-3 slices

Eggs – 2

Chopped onion – 3 tbsps

Cilantro chutney (optional)

Crushed mint – 1 tsp

Milk – 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Method

Grind together cilantro leaves, a pinch of tamarind, green chilies and salt to make chutney.

Beat together the eggs, onion, milk, salt, and mint. Add the cilantro chutney (if using). Heat a small pan on medium heat and keep ready. Dip one slice of bread in the egg mixture and place in the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, flip and cook the other side. Repeat with the other slices and serve hot with ketchup. Bon appétit.

Happy Vishu

Vishu marks the New Year according to the Malayalam Calendar. The day begins with opening your eyes to a wonderful ‘Vishukani’ comprised of all things yellow. The ‘Vishukani’ should be the first thing you see as soon as you wake up and that means you have to get out of bed with your eyes closed and make your way to the kani.  

The traditional kani comprises yellow cucumbers, jackfruit, bananas, rice, coconut, a traditional dhoti, a mirror, any form of gold, ‘konna’ flowers and a lit lamp. Being in the USA, it is difficult to find some of the traditional ingredients and I have learned to make do whatever is available here. After all it is the thought that counts, isn’t it?

Another aspect of Vishu is the ‘kaineettam’…the money you get from the elders in the house. I remember receiving ‘kaineettam’ from my parents, grand parents and others in the family and then saving up for buying something special. And finally, of course there is the food. Even though the Vishu lunch is not as elaborate as the one on Onam, it still calls for a few special dishes.

Here’s to many more lovely Vishu celebrations. 

Click here for a few Kerala specialties.

Avocado Tartine

This recipe was sent in by a friend who had tasted the dish at a restaurant. Even though I have made a few changes, the final result was delicious.

All the ingredients except the onions are from the original recipe and the options in the brackets are what I used.

Ingredients

Bread of your choice (I used regular whole wheat slices)

Avocado

Julienned cucumber (I did not use this)

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped onions

Cooked chickpeas (I used black beans instead)

Tahini Sauce (I used hot sauce instead)

Lemon juice to taste

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

Method

Mix in lemon juice, salt and pepper to the peeled and pitted avocado, and mash into a slightly chunky consistency. Spread the avocado mix onto a slice of toasted wheat bread. Sprinkle julienned cucumber, tomatoes and onions, a few chickpeas/beans, top off with tahini/hot sauce, and cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Change the ingredients around to suit your taste buds. Bon Appétit. 

Note 1) Adding lemon to the avocado keeps it from browning.

        2) Thick yogurt flavored with cumin powder could be a substitute for  tahini.

Cone Dosa

I have always been fascinated by the cone shaped dosas served in restaurants in India. I think it was one of my mother’s aunts who taught her how to do it. I learned it from my mother and have made it quite a few times. Make this for your kids and you will never have to go out for dosas again.  

Ingredients

Dosa Batter

Chutney of your choice 

Method

Watch the video for the demo. Bon Appétit. 

Rice Dumplings - Indian Style

My husband and I are always on the lookout for good Indo-Chinese food. The other day when my husband suggested we make some Chinese snack, my mother-in-law and I decided to make dumplings. Both of us did not know how to make dumplings, but we decided to experiment on what little we know.

The result was a warm surprise for all of us. Though, I would make some variations the next time the basic idea is as follows. 
Ingredients

Rice flour – 1 cup

Carrots – 1 cup finely grated

Potatoes – 1 cup chopped finely

Bell Peppers – 1 cup chopped finely

Green peas – ¼ cup

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Black salt – ¼ tsp

Chaat masala – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Method

In a big pan boil 1½ cups of water. Mix the rice flour slowly while stirring continuously. Add oil if necessary and make sure to avoid lump formation. As soon as the rice flour and water blend completely, remove from stove and mix the rice dough nicely. Allow it cool while you make the filling.

In a pan, heat a little oil, add all the vegetables, and mix well. Add salt, chilli powder, black salt, and chaat masala and mix well. Cook until all the water is absorbed.

Divide the rice flour dough and the vegetables into equal parts. Keep an idly steamer or your pressure cooker ready with water boiling on the stove. Grease the idly plates with some oil and keep it ready. Roll out the rice dough into a thin sheet. Keep the vegetable filling inside and close the corners. You can make it in whichever shape you desire – I made it into round balls, but you can also make crescent shapes or squares. 

Steam the filled dumplings for about 15 minutes and serve it hot with chutney or tomato sauce :-)