Pain Aux Amandes/ Almond bread

I am always on the lookout for bread recipes which we can eat during breakfast with a little bit butter or jam and in the night if needed it can be used for making sandwiches. I am open to the idea of making various kinds of bread, as it is a sort of bread baking adventure. I was planning to bake baguette for a long time, and finally I did make it a few days ago. The result was a tasty bread, which looks like a sword. After baking it I realized baguette is a simple looking bread, which is tough even for a experienced baker . So I have dropped the idea of making it again in the short time, but plan to take it up again in a couple of month’s time. I have a strong determination left in some part of my brain, to conquer the baguette. 

Last week, in bread baking forum: the fresh loaf, I have seen a post on how to find out whether you are addicted to bread making. I guess I qualified with half of the questions yielding an answer that I am somewhat addicted to bread baking. I am always looking out for recipes on internet, reading bread baking books and looking out for gadgets needed for bread baking. When I am baking bread I keep looking through the glass window of the oven every once in a while to check how much oven spring the bread has. After baking  I  slice the bread to look how good is the crumb? How much crust the bread has got?

If you are baking sandwich breads, these questions are little bit forgiving, where as  in artisan bread, that part is more important. I need to train more to get all the essentials of bread baking right. After reading bread baking books, I found out that only a small amount of yeast is needed to work make a tasty bread, which means there is a lot more work for the yeast to do. With less yeast to start with, the bread will have a good taste and less of yeasty taste. Still I am in the learning phase, I will try to improve every step as it goes. 

In my house nut bread has more demand than the normal versions, so I am experimenting with nut bread now a day. This bread was adapted from French Pain Aux Noix (Walnut bread). I was planning to make Pain Aux Noix first, and even made the preferment. However the next morning, while gathering ingredients from pantry, I realize that I am out of walnuts? Oops then what ? searching  for another nut  and  luckily I found some chopped blanched almonds, so the bread becomes Pain Aux amandes. I used the recipe from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains . I wanted to incorporate Rye flour to the bread, so I adjusted the amount of whole wheat flour with Rye flour in the dough. Recipe asked for orange juice, why waste orange zest so added that also into the recipe. The bread turned out to be extremely tasty, nutty bread which  is wonderful with a little Jam or cream cheese. Here goes the recipe.

One year ago: Mutter Paneer /Green peas and cottage cheese gravy

Print recipe from Here

What you need
Pre ferment

Whole wheat flour: 1 ½ cup/ 170 g
Cool water: 2/3 cup/ 148g
Instant yeast: 1/8 teaspoon













Dough

Whole wheat flour: ¾ cup/ 85 g
Rye flour: ½ cup / 55 g
Bread flour: 1 ¾ cup/257g
Brown sugar: 1 ½ tablespoon/12g
Salt: 1 ½ teaspoon/7g
Instant yeast: 2 teaspoon/ 6 g
Chopped blanched almond: 1 1/4cup/ 158g
Butter: 4 tablespoon ( chopped cold butter into six or seven pieces)
Orange juice: ¼ cup/43g
Milk: ¾ cup/ 189g
Vital gluten: 1 ½ tablespoon/13.5g
Water: ½ tablespoon
Preferment: all the above


How I made

Night before baking in a bowl stir in whole wheat flour, yeast and water and mix everything with a wooden spoon and cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature ( around 70-80 F).

Zest the orange with zester and extract the juice and set aside. Warm milk for about 35 seconds on high heat and set aside. 

In a bowl of kitchen aid mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir in the rye , whole wheat and bread flour and yeast and mix well. Then add brown sugar, salt, chopped cold butter, orange juice and orange zest, milk and preferment and mix well for 3 minutes. Then change to dough hook and knead the dough for about 8 minutes or until the dough starts leaves from the sides and form a ball. In between add 1/ 2 tablespoon of water to form sticky dough. Then transfer the dough to well floured area and knead for another 5 minutes or until they become shiny, supple, non sticky dough. The dough should pass the window pane test and register 77 to 81 F. If you are kneading by hand it takes about 15 minutes of kneading. 

Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl and coat them with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for first rising or until they double in size. It took about 1 hour and 50 minutes. 

While the dough is fermenting, toast the chopped blanched almond until they are lightly brown. In stove top it takes about 2 minutes. If you are using oven toast them at 350 F for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Transfer the dough the well floured surface and gently degas and incorporate the toasted almonds into the dough. Divide the dough in half (into two 574.5 g pieces), and shape each half into a ball. Place the balls on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and let them rise, covered, for 45 minutes, until they're quite puffy, though not necessarily doubled in bulk. 

By the end of the second proofing preheat the oven to 425 F. Keep an empty broiler pan in the lower rack of oven. Add boiling hot water into the broiler pan when you are ready to bake the bread. (This will create steam, necessary to make the thick crust). Score the bread before putting into the oven. 

Bake for about 23 minutes or until the center become golden brown, and make a hollow sound when thumped in the bottom. If using instant thermometer, when it is done bread should register 185-190 F. Rotate the loaf pan at 180 degrees in between around 15 minutes of baking.

When the loaves is finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing and serving.

Serve in thin slices with butter and/or cheese. 

Preparation time: over night for preferment + 3 hours 30 minutes
Yield: Two 6- to 7-inch loaves
Verdict: Nutty, yummy
Will you make it again: Yes I will

I am sending this delicious nutty bread to
Yeastspotting hosted by Susan
AWED: French hosted by Priya originally started by DK.
Hearth and soul blog hop volume #25 hosted by Christy 

Spicy Crostata / Piccante Crostata/ Savory Pie for Daring Baker’s Challenge

Hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and as usual the countdown for the holidays starts with full swing. Enjoy the holidays and have fun.

This month daring baker’s challenge was to make crostata (tart), an Italian dessert. The base of a crostata is pasta frolla a sweet short crust pastry (or sweet tart dough) made of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Pasta frolla is versatile: it provides the base to make crostata with fruit preserves, pastry cream, fresh fruit, ricotta, and other ingredients, and, by itself as very nice cookies.

However the last two months there has been an overload of sweets in my kitchen. I am making them in the name of festivals, which I love. So when I discussed with my food critic about crostata as this month challenge, he told me why you don’t make a savory version if possible or otherwise skip this challenge. I had skipped a last few challenges, due to it being homemade ice creams, sweet cookies and donuts. I was not visible in the map of daring bakers. So this time I decide to give a savory twist to sweet pastry. Poor sweet pastry has to go through all the trouble and turbulence to become a savory one. If it can talk and cry it will be crying.

Simona from Briciole the hostess of this month has given two version of making pasta frolla (tart base). I used the second version of pasta frolla as it contains 4 variety of flour and skipped the egg and sugar part but added cumin, black pepper and gram masala. I made a filling similar to mixed veggie filling I use to make cutlets and veggie puffs. I made a small 5 inch tart by using half the amounts given in the recipe. This bizarre twist turned out to be sweet one. Now only I realize why I am watching bizarre foods by Andrew Zimmern and also Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations in Travel channel. I got a new recipe for an evening snack. It goes well with coffee and tea. Here goes the recipe.

One year ago : Kande Pohe
Print recipe from here

What you need

Unbleached all-purpose flour: ¼ cup
Whole wheat flour: ¼ cup
Almond meal: 1/8 cup
Barely flour: 1/8 cup
Salt: ¼ teaspoon or taste
Black pepper: ½ teaspoon
Cumin powder: ¼ teaspoon
Garam masala: ¼ teaspoon
Canola oil: 1 tablespoon
Water: 1/8 cup





For filling

 Onion: ¾ cup ( chopped)
Carrot:1/2 cup ( chopped)
Peas:1/2 cup
Beans: ½ cup
Mushroom: ¾ cup (chopped into bite size pieces)
Green chili: 1 tablespoon (chopped finely)
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
Potato: 1 no
Turmeric: ¼ teaspoon
Cumin powder: ½ teaspoon
Chili powder: ¼ teaspoon
Coriander powder: ¼ teaspoon
Garam masala: ¼ teaspoon
Fennel seeds: ¼ teaspoon
Coriander leaves: 1 tablespoon (chopped finely)
Pepper jack cheese: 1 tablespoon
Salt: 1 teaspoon or to taste
Water: 3 cup + 1/8 cup
Canola oil: 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon


How I made

Whisk together flours, black pepper, garam masala and salt in a bowl.

Add oil and water to mixture at first it has the consistency of coarse crumbs. Then knead lightly just until the dough comes together as a ball.

Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours. You can refrigerate the dough overnight.

Filling

Boil potato in a sauce pot with 3 cups of water for about 20 minutes until it get cooked well and set aside.

In a sauce pot add oil and fennel seeds and chopped onion once it become translucent for about 6 minutes add turmeric, ginger garlic paste and fry for another 1 minutes .

To the above mixture add gram masala, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and fry for 1 minutes and then rest of the vegetables, and fry for another 6 minutes or until everything gets cooked well. To this add 1/8 cup water and mix everything and cook for another 2 minutes and add lemon juice and coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Assembling and baking the crostata:

Heat the oven to 375ºF.

Take the pasta frolla out of the fridge, unwrap it and cut away ¼ of the dough. Reserve this dough to make the lattice top of the crostata. Refrigerate this dough while you work on the tart base.

To help roll the crostata dough, keep the dough on top of the plastic wrap that you had it wrapped in. This can help rolling the dough and can also help when transferring the dough to your pan. You can also use parchment paper for this. However, you can also roll the dough directly on a work surface if you prefer.

Lightly dust the top of the dough and your work surface (if you’re rolling directly on a work surface) with flour. Keep some flour handy to dust the dough as you go along.

If the dough is very firm, start by pressing the dough with the rolling pin from the middle to each end, moving the rolling pin by a pin's width each time; turn the dough 180 degrees and repeat; when it softens, start rolling.

Roll the dough into a circle about 1/8th inch (3 mm) thick.

If you used the plastic wrap or parchment paper as rolling surface, flip dough over the pan, centering it, and delicately press it all around so the corners are well covered. Peel away the plastic wrap.

Trim the excess dough hanging over the edges of the pan. Press the remaining dough around the border into the sides of the pan making sure the border is an even thickness all the way around.

Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.

Spread the vegetable filling evenly over the bottom of the crostata.

Put the tart in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, check the tart and continue baking until the tart is of a nice golden hue.

When done, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. If you have used a tart pan with a removable bottom, then release the tart base from the fluted tart ring. Make sure the tart is completely cool before slicing and serving.

Preparation time: 2 hours 15 minutes for crust + 30 minutes for filling+ 20 minutes for baking.
Yield: 5 inch pie
Verdict : Yummy
Will you make it again: yes I will


Swathi

Kurukku Kalan/ Yogurt Based Raw Banana Coconut Gravy

Kurukku kalan / kalan is an important dish for sadya menu. ‘Kurukku’ literally means concentrating. Here yogurt is concentrated to make this dish. Sadya is a traditional feast in my home state Kerala, where an array of exquisite vegetarian dishes, which differs in looks and taste from one another. It is served on a banana leaf and dishes are arranged and eaten in a particular order. Even though there are some regional differences in sadya menu, still it is cooked and served in same fashion for many years and perhaps for many more years to come. It is like our Thanksgiving turkey dinner which will be same as every year only people changes, the traditional dishes will remain. 

In Thiruvanthapuram region, from where I am, Kalan or pulissery is the main item in sadya, where as in Thrissur from my hubby’s place kurukku kalan is replaced by kalan or pulissery. Preparation of kalan and kurukku kalan differs slightly. First one is gravy whereas is like a thick curry. I was planning to make kalan for some time, then last week one of the readers of this blog " SN" asked me about the recipe of kurukku kalan to me. I thought why wait I need to make and post it immediately. If you are a fan of sour taste you are going to love this curry. My hubby likes to have anything contain with a little bit sour taste. He like yogurt that is slightly sour, the store bought yogurt doesn’t have the kick what he want, so we make homemade yogurt, he had bought a yogurt maker even before our marriage. 

Kurukku kalan contains vegetables like raw banana and Yam/Chena/Suran. The second one is available only in frozen form in Indian store; I don’t like them as it will be like ice rock, and doesn’t have any flavor, so I stopped buying them. We use Monthan kaya/ a type of raw green banana to make curries, last week on grocery shopping I spotted them in Fiesta and bought them. They are not good as ripe ones only good for making curries. I used one raw green banana for this kurukku kalan and rest for making Mezhukkupuratti. I used recipe from this YouTube video and scaled it down to 4 serving.
 

I made this curry less spicy, if you need more spiciness increase the amount of black pepper powder and green chilies. I prefer to make traditional curries as authentic as possible so used coconut oil. Kurukku kalan has long shelf life it can be remain unspoiled for about 2 weeks at room temperature. When you serve them it should remain in the same place not flowing everywhere, which is its consistency. If you wish you can add any other oil. Here goes the recipe

One year ago: Spicy Onion Barley crackers

Print recipe from here

What you need

 Raw green  banana/Monthan Kaya: 1 no (De skinned and chopped into cubes)
Yogurt: 1 ½ cup (preferably homemade with slightly sour taste)
Grated coconut: ½ cup
Green chili: 1 no ( I used Serrano Pepper, if you need spicier increase amount of chili)
Salt: ¾ teaspoon or to taste
Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon
Cumin seeds: ½ teaspoon
Water: 2 ½ cup
Black pepper: 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek powder: 1/8 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
Coconut oil: 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves: 2 sprig

How I made

Wash and peel the skin of banana and chopped into cubes and set aside.

In a sauce pot add banana pieces, turmeric powder , black pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 sprig of curry leaves and 2 cup of water and cook them for about 25 minutes or until the entire water is absorbed and banana pieces get cooked well with all flavors. 

To this add slightly beaten yogurt with ¼ cup of water and reduce the flame and cook again until almost yogurt gets thickened. it takes about 30 minutes, stir in between to prevent yogurt from cuddling. 

In the mean time grind coconut with green chili and cumin seeds into fine paste with ¼ cup of water and set aside. 

Add a ladle full of yogurt gravy into the ground coconut chili cumin paste and mix well. Add this mixture to yogurt gravy in the sauce pan and cook for another 2 minutes. 

In small pan add 1 teaspoon coconut oil and mustard seeds and curry leaves when mustard starts popping add fenugreek powder and switch off the flame. Transfer everything to yogurt banana coconut mixture and mix well to incorporate.

Enjoy with hot rice as much as you wish.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 serving
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again: Yes I will

Swathi

Pori Urundai/Karthika Pori/ Sweetened Puffed Rice Balls

Thrikarthika / Kartika Vilaku / Karthika deepam is Festival of lights in Kerala and was celebrated yesterday. It is one of festival coming after Deepavali and falls either in the month of November or December every year, this year it was on November 21st. Entire house, streets and temples are lit with oil lamps. We light the lamps for three days in a row, on the second day, which is thirkarthika day, we light more lamps. Nowadays electric lights and candle lights are also used to avoid the cleaning before and after lightening ceremony in the case of oil lamps. 

As usual this festival is also accompanied by a lot of goodies like, Karthika Pori , Unniappam and Adai. This time I made Pori and Unniappam, but not adai. It was really a hard task with little one and my hubby who wants to watch Sunday day and night football on TV. He is my photographer, and I need photographer’s cooperation to shoot my episode of making the goodies. In addition to that my little princess had caught a bad cold. Poor girl don’t know how to sneeze and a runny nose makes it really bad for her. 

Amma used to make all the goodies for every festival, and we two sisters so obedient that we don’t do any work and only waiting for Karthika pori and unniappam in our plate. Yesterday, I realized how much efforts she puts into while making all the sweets. 

For making unniappam I pounded rice at home and did not add any all purpose flour as the rice flour, is wet compared to store bought rice flour. It came out really nice. 

Karthika pori/ puffed rice balls are usually made with beaten rice. However, here we get only one type of Puffed rice, not the one amma used to make. I used the puffed rice which is available here. Last time for Deepavali I bought some roasted chana dal, and since then I have found some ways to use them. I added some roasted chana dal, along with coconut pieces, cardamom to the Pori. The sweetener I used is jaggery, they are traditional one. You can try with sugar also. Here goes the recipe.

One year ago: Beet Carrot Ginger Soup

Print Recipe  from here

What you need

 Puffed rice: 2 cup
Jaggery: ¼ cup
Roasted chana dal/ Dalia: 1/5 cup
Coconut pieces: 2 ½ tablespoon
Cardamom: 1 no
Water: 1/3 cup
Ghee/Clarified butter : 1 teaspoon










How I made

Heat Jaggery with 1/3 cup water until it gets melted. Remove from fire and strain for impurities and set aside.

In a sauce pot heat ½ teaspoon ghee/clarified butter and add coconut pieces fry them for about 3 minutes. To this add jaggery water and heat again until it becomes soft ball stage it takes about 6 minutes. (You can check this by adding a drop of melted jaggery in glass of water, it starts to form ball, which is consistency).

Add, cardamom powder, roasted chana dal and puffed rice, mix everything until jaggery gets coated to all the mixture. 

Apply remaining ghee in your both hands and make ball out of puffed rice-chana dal-jaggery-coconut mixture, still they are warm. I made sweetened puffed rice about a size of small lemon/lime. You have to do it immediately once it gets cold; it is difficult to make the balls. ( Instead ghee you can use rice flour to dust both hands, to prevent sticking balls to hand while shaping).

After offering to God, enjoy as much as you like.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 16 no
Verdict: Crispy, yummy
Will you make it again: yes I will


This delicious sweet puffed rice is going to   Hearth and Soul Hop-Volume 24


Swathi

Gobi Methi Aloo Sabzi/ Cauliflower Fenugreek leaves potato curry

I have a love and hate relationship with some leafy vegetables. I love to eat them, but hate to pluck them. The list includes moringa leaves and methi leaves. It is healthy, so my love wins over hate. I bought methi leaves thinking that I will make methi paratha. It didn’t happen as we went to our favorite Middle Eastern store we picked up some Tannour bread. This is similar to our Nan except that it does not contain fat (oil, butter etc) and is yeasted. I love to see them as they are coming out of oven and through conveyer belt to packing section. If you go to that store from 9 A.M to 4.P.M you will get fresh ones. My hubby likes that store, he likes to shop there unlike in Indian stores, as soon as entering the store he will say what you need? Pick up fast, result I will forget one or two items I was planning to buy from there. 

One evening I asked my dear hubby shall we can have methi paratha for our dinner. He told we have that Tannour bread, make a curry with methi leaves. First I thought of making dal with methi leaves, because I love to add leafy vegetables in lentil dish, but then dropped that idea. 

Suddenly I remembered that Priya of Priya’s easy N tasty recipes had cooked a delicious masala  with methi leaves, potato and cauliflower last week. She makes very easy simple tasty recipes in a short span of time. I decide to make that masala; I have to add some extra ingredients like half red bell pepper and one carrot that hubby had kept after his salad making expedition, which needed to be used up. I increased the quantity of methi leaves and reduced one potato from original recipe as my hubby will worry about carbohydrates. I also added cumin, fennel seeds, and mace and cumin powder to the curry. I love cumin and fennel flavor in my curries (slightly on higher side). It turned out be very delicious curry and good with that bread. Even my little one had some bites. Priya is right that the bitterness of methi leaves is masked by potato, cauliflower, carrot and red bell pepper. Here is the recipe.

One year ago : Moru curry/Yogurt gravy 

Print recipe from here

What you need

Potato: 1 cup (chopped into bit size cubes)
Carrot: ½ cup (chopped into bit size cubes)
Cauliflower: 2 cups (Individual florets)
Red bell pepper: ½ cup (chopped into bite sizes)
Methi leaves/Fenugreek leaves: 1 ½ cup (washed and chopped finely)
Onion: 1 no
Tomato: 2 no
Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
Cumin seeds: ½ teaspoon
Fennel seeds: ¼ teaspoon
Cinnamon: two 1 inch pieces
Cardamom: 2 no
Cloves: 3 no
Mace: ¼ teaspoon
Cumin powder: ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder: ½ teaspoon
Gram masala: ½ teaspoon
Chili powder: ½ teaspoon
Green chili: ½ of one
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
Salt; 1 ½ teaspoon or to taste
Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Coriander leaves: 2 tablespoon

How I made

In a sauce pot boil potato and carrot for 20 minutes or until they ¾ the done. Then add rests of chopped vegetables expect methi leaves, onion and tomato and cook for another 7 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt before last 5 minutes of cooking. Once cooked, remove from the fire and drain them in a colander and set aside.

In the mean time heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add cinnamon, cardamom, mace , cloves, cumin and fennel seeds once cumin seeds starts splutter add onion, green chili , curry leaves and fry them until onion become translucent or change color. To this add chopped tomato and ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. To this add turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, rest of salt, red chili powder and gram masala fry for 2 minutes. Then add methi leaves and cook until they get wilted and cooked for about 2 minutes. To this add cooked vegetables and mix for 3 minutes or until the flavors gets incorporated into the all vegetables. Check salt.

Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. 

Enjoy with Rice or Nan or Tannour bread.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 serving
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again: yes I will

I am sending this delicious curry to Tried and tested event hosted by PJ of seduce taste buds  started by  Lakshmi of kitchen chronicles.

also to Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #27.

Swathi

Zucchini Pineapple Ginger Cup Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this cup cake yesterday. For a long time I was debating whether to make a cupcake with zucchini. Finally I did it. Zucchini is happy go lucky vegetable, and is ready to mingle with everything, whether it is savory or dessert. However, I am not fully convinced of its ability in the dessert. I want to add Muscovado sugar  for my cupcake, after reading a dessert book. However, buying this sugar turned out to be two day project. When we went to Wal-Mart I saw Turbinado sugar, thinking that this is Muscovado sugar we bought them. Then I realize after researching with Google friend, That both Muscovado sugar and Turbinado sugar is different, the first one is used in tea and coffee, however for baking you need Muscovado sugar, and finally I got it from a specialty store at 1lb for $3. It is expensive, so experiment should to limited to cupcakes and muffins. I was convinced with result, Muscovado sugar imparts golden brown color and taste awesome. 

Then comes searching for right recipe, I have seen zucchini chocolate cakes. However I am not chocolate cake die hard fan, I am fine if I have them or not. So I decided to skip the chocolate part. This recipe is minimally adapted from zucchini cupcakes form here. I had some chopped pineapple pieces in the refrigerator which I incorporated. Then I added some freshly grated ginger, orange zest, orange juice, pineapple juice, almond extract, crushed cardamom, ground cloves and ground cinnamon. Trust me this is a one of the highly aromatic best cup cake I have tasted, my little one started eating them before I even frosted the cupcakes. 

Furthermore I have seen an e-mail in my inbox challenging about making cupcake using squash from Key ingredient. If I win I will get a Demy. Normally I won’t win any contest. My hubby told me doesn’t worry about contest, if you bake a nice cupcake that is fine. If we can enjoy them then you have won (there have been times when we have dumped the entire dish, as it tasted awful). I am really happy that this turned out to be the best cupcake that is easy to put together. 

One year ago: Cabbage thoran

Print recipe from here

What you need. 

 Unbleached All purpose flour: 1 1/3 cup
Grated Zucchini: 1 ¼ cup
Pineapple: ½ cup (chopped finely, I used fresh one)
Muscovado sugar: ¾ cup ( I used Belington Natural Muscovado sugar)
Eggs: 2 no (Bring to room temperature before mixing)
Grated ginger: 1 teaspoon
Grated orange zest: 1 teaspoon
Orange juice: ½ cup
Pineapple juice: 1 tablespoon
Baking powder: 1 teaspoon

Baking soda: ½ teaspoon
Ground cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
Ground cloves: ¼ teaspoon
Crushed cardamom: 3 no
Almond extract: ¼ teaspoon
Salt: ½ teaspoon

For frosting

Unsalted butter: ½ stick
Cream cheese: 4 oz
Powdered sugar: 1 cup
Maple syrup: 3 tablespoon
Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Heavy cream: ¼ cup (optional, skip this if you want thick frosting)
Coconut: ¼ cup (I used shredded)
Food coloring: 3 drops yellow and 2 drops of red






How I made

Preheat oven 350 degree Fahrenheit. Line the muffin tin with muffin cups or cup cake liner and set aside. 

Grate the zucchini using a box grater and chop the pineapple into small pieces and set aside.

Zest the orange and extract the juice from them and set aside. Grate ginger using a micro plane or a zester and set aside. 

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and salt and set aside. 

In a bowl mix oil and sugar and beat them until everything gets incorporated well. To this add orange juice, pineapple juice, almond extract and mix again for 30 seconds, to this gradually add one egg at time and combine everything well during each addition. 

To this add dry ingredients as two addition, mix well during every addition. 

Finally fold in grated zucchini and chopped pineapples gently in to the batter and set aside.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins.

Bake for 20minutes or until skewer comes out clean. 

Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes and remove it and cool in the wire rack for another 1 hour.

To make frosting, bring butter and cream cheese into room temperature and beat well with powdered sugar and maple syrup, heavy cream and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes smooth and shiny. Add food coloring if using at this time. Gently fold in desiccated coconut and mix everything.

Once the cake is completely cooled spread the frosting over the cake and decorate with shredded coconut.

Enjoy!

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Serving: 14 no
Verdict: Yummy. Keeper recipe
Will you make it again: I will

 This is  also going to   Culinary smack down battle Zucchini hosted by Ananda of  a pinch of love
Swathi

Manga Achar/Mango Pickle

Manga Achar is one of my favorite pickles. I loved mango pickle even when I was young; I used to eat them after washing all the spicy chilly coating and eating as such. My hubby too is a fan of mango pickle; however his version is Bedeker brand. He is not satisfied with any other brands available in the market. Nowadays the shops around our place do not stock Baedeker brand of pickle, and we tried other brands and came to the conclusion it was better homemade mango pickle. 

Among the pickle you can call this pickle as the princess. It is easy to make, and is tasty, and can be made in different version. You want an instant version, yes that is possible too. In our home state a meal without pickle is unthinkable. Especially during marriages and festivals you will see different varieties of pickles, made with mango, lemon, gooseberry, vegetables etc. Even non-vegetarian version of pickles is also available, made of fish, shrimp and meat. Pickles are part of our culture, so that one of our famous movie heroes (Mohanlal) has his own brand of Pickles. I think along with acting he makes money by selling these pickle. 

Amma and grandma made mango pickle in two ways, one version was adding all the ingredients at same time, other one is adding after marinating mango with salt for one day. I love both version, here I made second version. I didn’t add any vinegar to this pickle. If you want to keep the pickle for a long time you may think of adding vinegar or soaking them with a pool of gingerly oil. I conserved that part too. Since my pickle don’t last too long and I will keep them in the refrigerator. I used both paprika and hot chili powder. If you want milder version try only with paprika, here goes the recipe.

One year ago: Spicy Spinach Mushroom Frittata

Print recipe from here


What you need

 Green mango: 1 no (chopped into fine cubes)
Paprika: 3 tablespoon
Hot chili powder: 2 tablespoon
Gingerly oil: ¼ cup
Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds powder: ½ teaspoon
Asafetodia: ¼ teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
Red chilies: 2no (halved into two pieces)
Salt: 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves: 2 sprig.
Water: 2 tablespoon (Boiled cooled water)



How I made

Wash and chop the mango into fine bite size pieces and add 3/4 tablespoon of salt and set aside for one day. 

Next day heat oil in a pan and when it becomes hot add mustard seeds, chilies halves, curry leaves and when mustard starts spluttering switch off the flame and add chili powder, paprika, asafetodia, fenugreek powder and turmeric powder and stir them until everything gets mixed well. 

Add mango pieces to this chili-turmeric-asafetodia-fenugreek powder mixture and stir until everything gets mixed well. If the mixture is thick then loosen with water. Use only boiled cold water. Check the salt if needed add at this time.

Enjoy with any curry and rice. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes + 24 hours soaking time
Yield: 1 cup (one bottle)
Verdict: Spicy, tasty
Will you make it again: Yes I will

This delicious Mango pickle is going to Hearth and soul vol; 23  hosted by A Moderate life  and also  to  Food palette event: red hosted by  Torviewtoronto.


Swathi

Navratan Korma/Nine Gems Curry

If you happened to see bollywood movies, you will be amazed to see the singing, dancing and colorful dresses and settings. Usually the movies have lots of songs and dance. There are songs for every happy or sad event that take place in the movie. Furthermore dance sequences are very colorful. You will be wondering why I am talking about all singing and dance in food blog. Don’t worry I am not deviating from my path. Just like that colorful dances this curry is also colorful with all the veggies. Like the songs which go with dance, there is rich creamy cashew gravy also in this curry. 

This is the one of mildest curry you can think about in Indian cuisine. It has only heat from the green chili and pepper powder used. It has sweetness from the fruits and raisins as well as nuttiness and creaminess from the cashew. It is one of the contributions of Mughlai cuisine. Navratan Korma is a vegetarian korma made with vegetables and either paneer (a cottage cheese) or nuts  or sometimes both. Navratan means nine gems,   as this curry include mix of 9 different vegetables; fruits and nuts.It is one of staple dish of Indian restaurants cater outside India. 

Whenever, I ask my hubby can I make it. He will say no. Because he doesn’t like fruits (especially pineapple and grapes in his curry), so my Navartan kurma making story has been extended so long. Last week on a grocery shopping spree I bought a pineapple. Which was sitting in my kitchen counter for last 4 days finally its starts giving so much intoxicating smell that every time I pass through the counter my nose start detecting? My mind is worried about thinking whether this pineapple is giving some clue that I am going to rotten. So decide to cut yesterday afternoon. It was so delicious pineapple that both mom and daughter eat one fourth of it at one stretch. Then I kept some for my cake and some for so called navartan korma. I didn’t add any Paneer to it. This time when we visited Noida, every restaurant that  we went to was adding paneer in everything. Making us paneer-phobic for some time, I think it will change after some time. 

Then comes search of the recipe, if you Google you will find tons of Navaratan korma recipes, some is adding tomato puree, some without it. Some is frying onion; some is boiling onion and cashew. Then I decide to give my own take on this Navartan korma. I made like this, I don’t know how authentic it is. It came out really tasty we enjoyed with our Whole wheat pita bread. Here goes my recipe.

One year ago: Gulabjamun
Print recipe from here
What you need

Cauliflower: 2 cups (chopped into cubes)
Capsicum: ¾ cup( chopped into cubes)
Red bell pepper: ½ cup
Onion: 1 no
Potato: 1 cup ( chopped into cubes)
Carrot: 1 no
Green peas: 1/3 cup( I used frozen one)
Green beans: 1/3 cup( I used French cut beans, frozen)
Tomato: 2 no ( chopped finely, deseeded)
Green chili: 1 no ( I used Serrano pepper)
Cashew : 15 no
Golden Raisins: 1 ½ tablespoon
Ghee/clarified butter: 1 tablespoon
Oil:1 tablespoon
Milk: 1/3 cup
Pineapple: ¼ cup (chopped into cubes)
Grapes: 20 no (I used red grapes)
Ginger: 1 inch
Garlic: 2 cloves
Spices
Cloves: 5 no
Cinnamon: 1 inch ( 4 pieces)
Cardamom: 3 no
Mace: ¼ teaspoon
Bay leaves: 2 no
Cumin: ½ teaspoon
Garam masala: ½ teaspoon
Turmeric: ¼ teaspoon
Cumin Powder: ¼ teaspoon
Coriander powder: ¼ teaspoon
Caraway seeds: ¼ teaspoon
Coriander leaves: 2 tablespoon
Water: 4 ½ cup

How I made

In a sauce pot boil potato and carrot for 20 minutes or until they ¾ the done. Then add rests of chopped vegetables expect peas and tomato and cook for another 7 minutes. Add salt before last 5 minutes of cooking. Once cooked, remove from the fire and drain them in a colander and set aside.

In the mean time heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add onion, green chili , garlic and ginger and cashew about 10 no ( keep rest for final garnish) fry them until onion become translucent or change color along with other ingredients also gets fried. Switch off the flame, set aside for 10 minutes to cool little bit. Then grind them into fine paste with adding ¼ cup of water. Set aside.

Heat ghee/clarified butter in a skillet and add cashew which kept for garnish along with raisins until cashew becomes golden color and raisins become plums up. Remove them from fire and set aside. In the same pan heat, caraway, cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and mace. Once cumin starts splutter add cashew onion gravy and cook until the oil oozes out. Then add peas and cook for another 3 minutes. 

To this add turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, salt ,gram masala and add boiled vegetables and rest of water and let it cook for 3 minutes or until the flavors get incorporated into them in a slow flame. Then add Milk and simmer for 1 minute and add black pepper powder. Let it simmer for another 2 minutes. Add pineapple, grapes and ghee roasted cashew, raisins and coriander leaves and switch off the flame. After adding the fruit  no further cooking is needed. 

Enjoy with Rice or Nan or whole wheat pita bread. 

Preparation time: 60 minutes
Yield: 6 serving
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again: yes I will

This delicious curry is going to Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #26



Swathi

Rye Oat meal Raisin Bread

Yesterday I made Rye Oat meal Raisin bread. I felt like it had been a long time since I had baked bread. Bread baking is more like my obsession now. It gives me so much pleasure which is difficult to put in words. Further I have to test the oven in my new gas stove. We like rye; it is like either you like rye or hates it. Hubby wanted me to try rye flour in the bread. I love bread for breakfast rather than oatmeal. But then oatmeal is healthy, so I decide to use oatmeal and also added some raisin to get the extra flavor and it become Rye oat meal raisin bread. 

Next my biggest confusion was which spices to add, I know caraway goes well with rye, so incorporated that one into this bread, and then added Fennel too. Fennel has a sweet strong aroma which I love. I was planning to use rolled oatmeal, but when I opened the bottle it has been spoiled, so used quick oats. This bread has hardness from rye, sweetness of raisin and honey and nuttiness from oats along with aroma from caraway and fennel. If you don’t like caraway or fennel you can skip them too.

My initial plan was to make breakfast toast with slice of bread smothered with butter. But the bread tasted really good that I forgot to use butter and start eating them as such. This recipe is inspired from all my favorite bread baking books like Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads: Revised and Expanded and Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman also from this The New York Times article. I took ideas and step from all these three and made this recipe. This time I made an overnight poolish too. I think it may enhance the flavor of rye flour in this bread. We love this bread, going to make this one more often.

One year ago Kuih dadar/coconut crepe/ coconut pancakes

Print Recipe from here

What you need

For poolish

Rye flour: ¾ cup (3.00 oz)
Unbleached Bread flour: ¼ cup (1.30 oz)
Instant yeast: 1 teaspoon (0.05 oz)
Water: 1 cup (8 oz)












For Dough

Rye flour: 1 ¼ cup( 6.5 oz)
Unbleached Bread flour: 1 ¼ cup (3.00 oz)
Unbleached Whole wheat flour: ½ cup (2.55 oz)
Oat meal: ½ cup (1.55 oz) I used quick oats
Raisin: ½ cup (2.5 oz) I used golden raisin (If you wish you can double the amount)
Water: ¾ cup
Honey: 1 tablespoon
Canola oil: 1 tablespoon
Salt: 1 ½ teaspoon
Fennel seeds: ¾ teaspoon
Caraway seeds: 1 ¼ teaspoon
Cornmeal: 1 teaspoon (sprinkling, optional)
Egg wash: (1 egg + 2 tablespoon of water) (optional)
Poolish: all the above

How I made

Night before baking in a bowl stir in Rye flour, bread flour, yeast and water and mix everything with a wooden spoon and cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature ( around 70-76 F).

One hour before baking soak raisin in ½ cup warm water and set aside. This soaking will prevent burning of raisin while baking. After 40 minutes of soaking, drain the raisin in kitchen towel to remove extra moisture. Don’t throw the water set aside for mixing dough if needed.

In a small bowl soak oats in ¼ cup water for 15 minutes and set aside.

In a bowl of kitchen aid mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir in the flour and yeast and mix well. Then add honey, salt, oil, oat meal, caraway seeds and fennel seeds( set aside ¼ teaspoon each for sprinkling on the top) and poolish and mix well for 3 minutes. Then add soaked raisin and mix very well to incorporate into the dough. Then change to dough hook and knead the dough for about 8 minutes or until the dough starts leaves from the sides and form a ball. In between add 2 tablespoon of raisin soaked water to form sticky dough. Then transfer the dough to well floured area and knead for another 5 minutes or until they become shiny, supple, non sticky dough. The dough should pass the window pane test and register 77 to 81 F. If you are kneading by hand it takes about 15 minutes of kneading. 

Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl and coat them with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for first rising or until they double in size. It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes. 

Transfer the dough the well floured surface and gently degas and shape the dough into loaf. Place them in well oiled loaf pan. Mist the top with oil and sprinkle caraway seeds and Fennel seeds. (Skip this step if you are using egg wash). If using egg wash then brush them with egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds and Fennel seeds and cover with oiled plastic wrap and set aside for second rising. It took about 45 minutes.

By the end of the second proofing preheat the oven to 400 F. Keep an empty broiler pan in the lower rack of oven. Add boiling hot water into the broiler pan when you are ready to bake the bread. (This will create steam, necessary to make the thick crust).

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the center become golden brown, and make a hollow sound when thumped in the bottom. If using instant thermometer, when it is done bread should register 185-190 F. Rotate the loaf pan at 180 degrees in between around 20 minutes of baking.

When the loaf is finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing and serving.

Enjoy as much as you wish. 

Preparation time: Over night for poolish + 4 hours and 15 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
Verdict: Yummy
Will you make it again

This gorgeous bread is going to Bread baking Day event: 34 hosted by me originally started by Zorra.

 It also going to Susan's  Yeast spotting

Swathi