Appam and Stew

Diwali came with much excitement and enthusiasm. The house was cleaned spic and span. There was a sprawling rangoli at my door step and all the diyas glimmering away.  And then, all of a sudden, diwali came to an end with a lot of noise and air pollution.

Right now, we have bright sunny days in Bangalore. But, there is a chill wind indicating the onset of winter.  November is ticking away with only a few days left for everyone to start updating their new year's resolution. Can't believe that 2012 too is coming to a close. Wow! That was fast.  But, I'm looking forward to all the excitement coming up in December with Christmas and New year's and can't wait to try out some new restaurants this the festive season.

Coming to my recipe for today.  Appam and stew is a breakfast dish served in Kerala. It is a high calorie meal, but I or in fact we love it. Some folks like serving appam with milk an d sugar. But, i think that appam is best served with stew.  Click here for stew recipe.

Ingredients:( Makes 16 appams)

• Rice flour - 1-1/2 cups
• Cooked rice - 1 cup
• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Water - 3 cups
• Coconut milk - 1/4 cup (optional)
• Yeast - 1/2 tspn
• Sugar - 2 tspns
• Salt - to taste
• Milk - 1/4 cup (optional)

Directions:

•  In 1/2 cup of warm water, add yeast and sugar and set aside for 5 mins.
• Other than salt and milk, grind the rest of the ingredients together. Add proofed yeast mixture and let ferment for 5-6 hours. 
• Just before making the appams, add salt and milk to the batter.
• To make appam, pour one ladle of batter in a hot appam pan and rotate the pan so the batter coats the sides of the pan. Cover and let cook for 2-3 mins. And serve hot (Appams are cooked only on one side)
• I have demonstrated how to make appam with pics.
• Best served with stew. Click here for stew recipe.

Tomato soup

I had a lot of tomatos in my refrigerator and right away, I knew what to make off it. Tomato soup of course and with the start of the cold season, what's better than some piping hot soup.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate packaged soups. They taste horrid. I tried a few brands a few years ago and I have never bought a packet ever since. Some are so gummy from all the corn starch used. Some are too sweet from the abundance sugar added. The worst part is the addition  of Monosodium glutamate or  MSG, also known as the "infamous" Ajinomoto. Ugh! Makes me lose my appetite.

So, instead of cribbing about bad soup, why not make some good soup at home.

I use cashew paste as a substitute for corn starch to thicken my soup. The depth of tomato flavor in this soup is very refreshing.

I would have loved some croutons as a garnish on them as well. But, I had run out of bread :(

Ingredients:

• Butter – 2 tspns
• Oil- 1 tbspn
• Onion – 1medium
• Peppercorns –7-8
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cloves- 3
• Garlic – 4 large cloves
• Carrot – 1/4 of a medium sized carrot
• Cumin seeds – 1 tspn
• Chilli powder – 2 tspns
• Tomatoes – 8 large
• Water – 2 &1/2 cups
• Raw cashews - 5 (ground to a smooth paste)
• Sugar –  1 tspn ( I used brown sugar)
• Salt - to taste
• Cracked pepper – to taste
• Coriander leaves – to garnish
• Cream – 4 tspns (optional) 

Directions: 

• Heat 1 tspn butter and oil in pressure cooker pan. Add onions,  bay leaf, cloves, pepper corns and garlic. Saute till transparent . 
• Add cumin, carrots, chilli powder and salt. Add tomatoes and sauté for 2 mins. 
• Now add water and close pressure cooker . Cook for 3 whistles.
• Then remove the bay leaf and cloves and discard. Puree the rest of the mixture in a juicer and sieve.
• Now, on a low heat, add remaining 1 tspn butter in a  pan. Add the cashew paste and saute for a minute. (Cashew paste acts as a thickening agent)
•  Add the extracted tomato puree. Add sugar . Stir well. for a few mins. till the soup thickens.
• Add pepper  and salt to taste.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and cream.

Paneer paratta

I get fresh paneer from a vendor near my home. It's so fresh and has a crumbly texture to it, quite similar to home-made paneer and very unlike the perfect squares of packaged processed paneer that you get on store shelves. I was sure to put it to good use.  Hubby dear said paneer paratta .

So, paneer paratta it was.

 
This paratta tastes great by itself. It does not need any heavy gravies to accompany it. The best side-dish would be a light raita or pickles. An easy high protein meal, but paneer has high fat content too :(

 Ingredients for paratta dough: (makes 10)

• Whole wheat flour - 3 cups
• Olive oil - 2 tspns
• Salt - 1tspn
• Water - as needed

For filling :

• Grated or crumbled paneer - 200 gms
• Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
• Green chilies - 3-4 (finely chopped)
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped) -  5 tbspns
• Garam masala - 1 tspn
• Salt - to taste

Directions for making dough: 

• Mix salt and flour.
• To the flour, add oil and enough water . Knead to a soft, pliable dough.(Knead for about 5-8 mins)
• Make a ball of the dough, cover and keep aside for 15-20 mins.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal sized balls.

For the filling: 

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Keep aside.

Directions for making the stuffed parattas:

• Flatten and roll out each ball of dough to about 2 inch diameter.
• Place a tbsp of the filling in the centre. 
• Cover the filling by gathering the edges and making it into a pouch. 
• Press and roll out ,using little flour, into a small round parathas. (these 4 steps are portrayed in my collage)
• Cook the parattas on a hot tava, using little olive oil. Cook on both sides, till brown spots appear.
• Serve hot.

Banana fritters/ Pazham pori

Today, I'm going to confess my weakness. When we used to travel to Kerala for our vacations, the train journey was what we looked forward to. Not for anything else, but the banana fritters sold at the Shornur and Palghat stations. They are called pazham pori literally meaning banana fry. Oh boy, were they delicious!  
Hence, here I am, shamelessly admitting to eating unhygienic, Indian railway station food. I confess to still loving them, but, don't eat them at the station anymore, as I prefer homemade.

 

When I first made these fritters at home, a few years ago, I did a shabby job. (I'm sure that it is all in the game for beginners). When I dipped the sliced bananas in batter and fried them, most of the fritters had extensions, which I used to call hands, legs and fingers and they almost looked like tadpoles. But these days I do a better job and make a batter of better consistency. 

This snack is made rarely at home, since it involves deep frying. So, this treat is thoroughly enjoyed as it is an occasional one. It is a great tea-time snack and a wonderful comfort food for the  monsoons.

Ingredients: (Makes 6 fritters)

• Ripe plaintains (nendran) - 2
• All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Sugar - 1 tspn
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
• Water - 1 cup
• Oil - for deep frying.

Directions :

• Heat oil in a deep pan to a temperature of 375°F.
• In the mean time, make a batter with the flour, sugar, salt, turmeric and water. Whisk well to avoid lumps.
• Peel and slice each plantain lengthwise into 3 pieces.
• Dip each slice in batter separately and deep fry till golden.

Potato Stew

 HAPPY ONAM everyone.

Posting the recipe for a kerala-style potato stew. This stew is usually served with appam and it is also served as an item on the sadhya ela (authentic kerala lunch) . I make my stew in a pressure cooker and I feel it is the easiest way to go about, without consuming much time. Very easy recipe.

Ingredients: ( serves 4)

• Potatoes - 4 medium (each cut into 6 pieces)
• Onions - 2 (sliced)
• Ginger - 2 tbspns (chopped)
• Green chilies - 3 (slit)
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Pepper corns -  1 tspn
• Coconut milk - 200 ml
• Water - 2 cups
• Coconut oil - 1 tspn (optional)
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• In the pressure cooker, take 100 ml of coconut milk and add the water

• Add the potatoes, onions, ginger, chilies, pepper corns and salt

• Cook for 3 whistles and turn off the heat.  

• When the pressure has released from the cooker, open it and add the remaining coconut milk, curry leaves and coconut oil and simmer for 5 mins.

Here are some recipes which you might find useful this onam.

Sambar

Moru kootaan

Avial

Cabbage thoran

Chammandi 

Sambaaram

Paruppu payasam / paruppu pradhaman

Ela ada

Sprouts salad with pomegranate

Yum, yum and yum is all I can say about this salad.

Green gram sprouts (Moong sprouts) are super yum and easy to make at home. Wash and soak a cup of green gram in water overnight. Next morning, discard excess water and tie the gram up in a wet cloth for about 12-16 hours. Your green gram sprouts are ready.

The dressing was a simple mix of lime juice, salt and powdered cumin. The ruby-like pomegranate seeds added sweetness. This salad is a power house of protein and anti-oxidants. 

Ingredients: ( serves 2)

• Green gram sprouts - 1 cup
• Pomegranate arils - 1 cup
• Onions - 1/2 of a small onion
• Tomatoes - 1 medium sized
• Green chilli - 1
• Coriander leaves - few sprigs
• Lime juice - from 2 limes
• Powdered cumin - 1/4 tspn
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• Finely dice onions, tomatoes and chillies. 
• In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients and toss.
• Serve immediately.

Tip :

• Grated carrot also can be added to this salad.

Penne in marinara sauce with spinach and mushroom

 I have been so engrossed in revamping my web page that I forget my meals. It is such a fantastic learning experience for me, that I feel so irritated to move away from my laptop to even cook. Now that mommy dearest has left, I hurry to make quick meals. That way, I can spend more time trying out nerdy stuff that can give my blog a new look .

So the easiest meal I could think of for this day was pasta. Hubby always wants veggies included in his meals. Hates carbohydrate-only meals. So, I think...................Penne with veggies in a marinara sauce. This he really  loves and so it is a win-win situation. Very easy for me to cook and meets his requirements too. It needs less prep time in the kitchen. 

To this day, I make a mean marinara sauce. Marinara is a sauce made from tomatoes, onions and herbs.

I learned to make good marinara sauce from my friend Katrin,  when we lived in Germany. She was gracious enough to let me in on 3 secrets to the most delicious and flavorful pasta sauce. As you read on you will know what they are.

It is essential to use a good, extra virgin olive oil to make a good sauce.
I have added spinach and mushrooms to my pasta sauce because I love the combination of these veggies with my pasta . Hmmmm! I just remembered that I could tell you something about mushrooms. There is a trick to know if your mushrooms are fresh or not.

Freshness of mushrooms can be seen and felt. They should look a healthy white, plump and firm to touch . But more than anything, mushrooms should always be closed at the bottom near the stalk. If they are open and show brown veins it means they are not very fresh. But, this doesn't mean that they are bad or unusable,  but, it is always better to buy closed mushrooms, which means freshness intact.

Now, here are the 3 little secrets to a good pasta sauce :

1.  Add tomato paste to the sauce.
2. Add a splash of good red wine.
3.  Let the sauce simmer for atleast 25 mins, but at best 30-45 mins.

Some people as scared or wary of using wine and alcoholic beverages in their cooking. But fact is, that the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process and leaves only a hint of the wine back.

 

I have used ripe, country tomatoes in my sauce beause they disintegrate easily into the sauce while cooking.  

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• Penne pasta - 2 cups (cooked as per package instructions)
• Olive oil - 2 tbspns
• Onions - 2 (sliced)
• Garlic - 10 large cloves
• Tomatoes -5-6 (cut in halves)
• Sun-dried tomato paste - 2 tspns
• Chili powder - 1/2 tspn
• Sugar - 1 tspn
  
• Salt  to taste
• Water - 2 cups
• Wine - 1/4 cup (optional)
• Mushrooms - 5-6 (sliced)
• Spinach - 1 small bunch (chopped)
• Dried oregano -  1/2 tspn
• Basil - 5-6 leaves (chopped)
• Parmesan cheese - Optional ( I did not use it)

Method:

• Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute till transparent.
• Add tomatoes and sun-dried tomato paste. Saute well.
• Add chili powder, salt and sugar. Saute for 2 mins.
• Add water and wine and cover and simmer for at least 30 mins. 
• Stir the sauce occasionally (about every 10 mins)
• Add mushrooms. Cover and cook for 6-8 mins.
• Add the spinach and cook for 2-3 mins
• Finally, add the herbs and serve with the penne.
• Grate a little parmesan cheese over the plate after serving. (optional)

 

Mom's sun-dried tomatoes

 

In the USA, I did not find the opportunity to make homemade sun-dried tomatoes, because, there just wasn't enough sun. Another reason was that we stayed in an apartment. So, I always had to opt for making oven-dried tomatoes. 

But now, in India, it is opportunities galore. The sun just shines and shines and shines. Especially, in my home-town. So, I asked mommy-dearest to sun-dry some tomatoes for me. And voila, beautiful sun-dried tomatoes.

Mom has come over to stay with us for a while and she has brought me some of these wonderful homemade sun-dried beauties. She had to dry about 10 kgs. of tomatoes to make me 1.5 kgs of dried tomatoes. She said that they dried in 4 days, so, just imagine the  heat.

Sun-dried tomatoes have an intense tomato flavor to them. It has that zing as well as a hint of natural sweetness.

 I chop these tomatoes and use then as toppings for pizza. That's  yummo! They work well in salads too.

I make a paste of these tomatoes to make my own pizza and pasta sauce.

To make sun-dried tomatoes.  All you need is some ripe tomatoes and salt. Cut each tomato into 5 slices and lay them out, in a single layer, on a large tray to dry. Sprinkle a dash of salt on them and cover with a net to keep dust and insects at bay. 4 days in the sun and the tomatoes are ready.

To make my tomato paste, I blend the sun-dried tomatoes in a grinder jar with a splash of hot water. Simple and yummy.

Apple Raisin Walnut Muffins (Eggless)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BELOVED READERS.
The Holiday Season......This is the time of the year when baking is at an all-time high. It is not surprising because baked goodies taste delectable. Homemade baked treats are a good gift idea. Baking gets you being creative. It's fun and it is such a good hobby for a number of reasons. So, last week the baking bug bit me too. But, I did some low profile baking. Made some Apple Raisin Walnut Muffins. The highlight of this trial was that it was an eggless muffin recipe. I have never tried baking cakes or muffins without eggs, so, I was a little sceptical about the outcome. But, it was a big success story and the muffins were so moist too. And so, if you ask me if I would bake this eggless muffin again.......................Yes, definitely. It is a very easy recipe and I would recommend it to a beginner as well. Prep time - 10 mins.

The recipe is adapted from Paula Deen's Apple Raisin Muffin recipe.

I spiked the recipe by adding walnuts and a dash of rum. My recipe is provided below.
Ingredients (makes 10 muffins)

• 1/3 cup water


• 1 cup sugar


• 1 cup grated apple


• 1/4 cup raisin


• 1/2 cup (1 stick/ 115 gms) butter


• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


• 3/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves


• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 1/8 tspn salt


• 1 tspn vanilla extract


• 1 tspn rum

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) .


• Combine the water, sugar, apples, raisins, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely.


• Add vanilla extract and rum.


• In a large bowl, stir the nuts, salt and baking soda into the flour.


• Add the cooled mixture to the bowl, and stir until blended.


• Fill greased or parchment lined miniature muffin tins with batter to the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Luv 'n' luc'

Smitha

Vegetable patty/cutlets burger

There is a vast misconception among very many foreigners that all Indians are vegetarians. They are surprised to see us eat meat. I have had to answer many queries regarding this when I lived in Germany.

Anyway, even though we do have vegetarians and non-veggies,in India, we, ultimately, have the most number of vegetarian dishes than any other country in the world. I am sure, that is a fact.

I have an interesting tale that I want to share. Katrin, my German friend, had a male friend( who I will be referring to here as "HE") who accompanied her to India on a job transfer. It was a long term project of 2 years. German's are voracious pork eaters. Most of you would have heard of the famous German "WURST" and "WIENERS".

"HE" happened to stuff himself with all the pork, sausages and meat he could before he left Germany, and tom-tom-ed around that he was doing that because he was going to India. And because it was a country of vegetarians, he would not be able to eat meat for 2 long years. He doubted his survival in a country of vegetarians and was vexed at the thought of tasteless bland vegetarian food.

They landed in India and guess the surprise in store for him. Not one surprise, but two.
One, that there were meat eaters in India and secondly, "HE" was surprised at the variety of vegetarian foods available. " HE" absolutely, fell head over heels in love with India and Indian food. And here is a surprise for all of us............. "HE" returned to Germany, after his 2-year project, converted into a pure vegetarian since. " HE has learnt to play with spices and learned alot about Indian cuisine. He is as happy as ever.

So, the possibilities with vegetables are endless and here is one more item to prove that.

Ingredients:

• Boiled vegetables - 6 cups ( I've used 4 large potatoes, 3 large carrots, 15 green beans, 1-1/2 cup of peas, 1/2 cup chopped beetroot. You can use a few fresh baby spinach leaves too)
• Chopped Onions - 1/2 cup
• Chopped ginger and garlic- 4 tspns
• Chopped green chillis - to taste
• Garam masala- 2 tspns
• Coriander leaves (chopped)- 1 cup
• Turmeric - 1/8 tspn
• Salt- to taste
• Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup( plus an additional 2 cups for coating the cutlets before pan searing)
• Oil - scant 10 tbspns ( or more if shallow frying)
• Buns- as required
• Onion rings, tomato rings, fresh baby spinach leaves nad cheese slice-for assembling

Directions:

• In a pan, saute ginger, garlic and green chillis in 4 tbspns of oil over a low flame.
• Add onions and saute till translucent
• Add garam masala, turmeric, salt and saute for a couple of mins.
• Add the boiled vegetables and and mash lightly.
• Once the veggies and the spices are mixed well turn off the stove and add half a cup of bread crumbs to the mixture. Mix well and let the mixture cool.
• Once cooled, shape the veggie mixture into patties coating the patties with bread crumbs and pan sear them on a with a few drops of oil on each side. (If you prefer shallow frying the patties/cutlets you will need more oil)

Assembly:

• I like a double burger. So, this is how I assemble my burger. Cut buns into halves. Place one half on a platter, top it with a veggie patty, a ring of onion, a ring of tomato, a few leaves of fresh baby spinach, cheese, another patty and top it with the other half of the bun.
• I usually opt for whole wheat buns, but the white buns made it picture perfect :)
• Bon appetit
  

Note:
Here is another secret. Since, I hate ketchup, I use guacamole in my burgers instead. Believe me, it tastes scrumptious. Click here for a Guacamole recipe .
Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha

An eye on your waist.........Guacamole with oven baked tortilla bites

I never make resolutions because they are hard to keep. All you strong-willed folks may be smirking at me. But, I do plan to stay active and fit this year. How about you guys? What have you planned for 2010? (Maybe, I'm too late in asking you this question, but just inquisitive)


These days , we hear so much about staying fit, eating healthy, reducing fat and sugar intake and so on. All this is important for the kind of stressful lifestyle we lead.

But, where do you start? And, how do you follow all the rules? You have to figure it out yourself. Personally, for me, it's all about portion control. I don't deprive myself of good food. But, I try to understand what's on my plate and how it will affect me. So, when I see cake, I don't run and hide. I enjoy a small slice rather than a large one. Similarly, fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains point fingers to good health. So, I opt for that kind of food too now a days.


With all due respect to those of you who have resolved to live healthy, here is the recipe for a very healthy snack.It is very comforting and helps you stay on track. It's scrumptious too. Avacadoes are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and monounsaturated fat that helps lower bad cholesterol.Guacamole is a mexican avacado dip.



Stay fit, stay healthy and Happy 2010.


Ingredients :(Serves 2)

• Whole wheat tortillas - 2 ( can substitute with chapatis)
• Ripe avacado - 1 ( avacado will be dark green when raw and black when ripe)
• Onions - 2 tbspns(fine chopped)
• Tomatoes - 1 tspn(fine chopped)
• Coriander leaves - 2 tsps
• Lemon juice - 1 tspn
• Low-fat yogurt - 1 tbspn
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tspn
• Salt and pepper - to taste.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F(149 C)
• Place tortillas or chapatis side by side on a tray. Do not let them overlap. Bake for 10 mins or till they are crisp like chips.
• Remove from oven.Let cool. They will be completely crisp. Break them into bite size pieces and set them aside on a serving platter.
• Peel and cut the avacado into small peices and coarsely mash with a fork.
• In a small mixing bowl, add the avacado and all the other ingredients and mix well.
• Transfer to a dipping bowl and serve.

Note: Never cook an avacado.Because of its high tannin content, the flesh turns bitter.
Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha