Bhaji Masala

I like to cook bhaji's (dry vegetables) with the minimum of masalas - however, still keeping intact the Indian aromas and taste. My Mom had given me a bhaji masala few years ago when I was moving to the US - we used to cook beans and tindora and even plain potatoes in this masala and loved the aroma in the whole house. 

Well - I had to make this masala on my own as my stock got over. So, I remembered what my mom had used and made this. I am happy to say that this tastes just like my Mom's masala powder.

Ingredients

1 cup whole coriander seeds
1/4 cup mustard seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/2 cup split urad dal (black lentils)
1/2 cup split chana dal (bengal gram)
1/8 cup fenugreek seeds
4 tablespoons asafoetida (hing)
4 tablespoon turmeric powder
15 nos byadgi mirchi/chilli (dried)
15 nos kashmiri mirchi/chilli (dried)
2 tablespoons oil

Method

In a karahi dry roast the corinader seeds and remove them into a plate. Now dry roast the cumin and the fenugreek separately and remove them into a plate. Now add the dried chillies and dry roast them and remove them into the same plate which has the coriander seeds. In the same karahi, add the oil, when it gets hot add the bengal gram and roast it till it gets nice and golden, remove it into the same plate as all the other ingredients. Now add the urad dal to the same oil and fry till it gets a nice golden color, remove it into the same plate as all the other ingredients. Now add the mustard seeds to the remaining oil and let it splutter. Remove the mustard and the oil into the same plate as all other ingredients. Let it all stand together and cool. Now add the asafoetida and the turmeric powder to this mixture and grind it to a fine powder.
Mix the powder very well and let it get cold at room temperature. Store it in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer door. This stays for over a year.

Coconut (Narial) Barfi with Nuts

Today is Dussehra / Vijaya Dashmi - A day where good prevails evil - A day when Ravan was killed by Bhagwan Ram to restore peace. Overall a festive say with lots of fun, food, colors, puja's etc etc.

Was wondering what to make for prasad today - and then dear husband asked me to make his favorite Narial Barfi . Just added some toasted and ground nuts to make it a little rich. Turned out to be good. 

Ingredients

2 cups fresh coconut (grated) - I get frozen coconut here and I used 2 cups of that (thawed)
2 cups sugar
1 cup nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
1 tablespoon khuskhus (poppy seeds)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon rose water (optional)
pinch of saffron
3 to 4 drops of yellow food color (optional)
1 teaspoon ghee (for greasing the cookie sheet)

Method

Lightly toast the nuts either in the oven or in a karahi. Let them cool and them have them coarsely ground. In a non-stick karahi add the coconut, sugar and the khuskhus and let it cook on a medium flame. Keep stirring continuously as you do not want the sugar and the coconut to get burnt. You will see that the sugar starts to melt and you will get a faint cooked coconut smell. To this add the ground nuts mixture, saffron and the cardamom powder along with the rose water and yellow food color. Mix well. this takes about half hour to 40 minutes - you will see that the mixture leaves the sides of the karahi. Get this mixture off the heat. Pour this hot mixture on a greased cookie sheet or a greased plate and flatten the mixture to get it even on all sides. Cut it into cubes while it is hot. Now let it sit and cool completely. it will get into a nice hard/soft barfi consistency when cool. Remove the cubes from the cookie sheet and relish.

Oats & Carrots Thalipeeth

I have friend who is a foodie and she had made these thalipeeths yesterday - They looked so lovely and the ingredients were so healthy - well, I had to try them. 

Thanks Neelam Kane for this wonderful recipe - my husband who does not like heavy breakfasts was amazed by this and he ate 2 of them today. 

I did not use old fashioned oats as Neelam had used - well, thats because I did not have them and hence used the Quaker quick Oats.

To make it a bit more exciting - I added some kholamba masala to the mixture. You could use sambar masala too.

Ingredients

1 cup instant oats (coarsely powdered)
1/2 cup rava/semolina
1 carrot - grated
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 medium onion - finely chopped
2 teaspoons kholamba masala (recipe for the masala - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/kholamba-konkani-sambar-masala.html)
salt to taste
1/2 cup yogurt
oil to grease thalipeeth

Method

Add the powdered oats, rava, carrots, onions, cilantro, kholamba masala and yogurt and mix well. If you feel that the batter is too thick, then you may add some water. The dough should be more watery than chapati dough but not as runny as dosa/pancake batter.
Heat a non stick pan. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil over it. Take a tennis ball sized dough in your hand and place it in the centre of the pan. Spread the dough into a circle using your fingers. Dip your fingers in water to help with spreading. The disc should be even and not too thick. Be careful while doing this and do not burn your fingers :)
Add a little oil along the sides of the thalipeeth and fry on medium high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Drizzle some oil on the top and then flip it over and cook the other side for about 4 minutes.  The thalipeeth should get a couple of brown patches. Serve with butter or chutney.

Kerala Mutton Fry Biryani

Ingredients

1 cup Kerala mutton fry
   recipe for the same here - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/kerala-mutton-fry.html
1 cup basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon jeera
few curry leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coconut oil (you can use any other oil of your choice too - but, it would not do justice)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method

Wash the rice 4 to 5 times. Soak it in 2 cups of water for an hour. Drain the water after an hour, and cook the rice in 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt till its 3/4 th cooked. Drain any excess water from the rice and let it sit.
In a karahi take the coconut oil and heat it. When it gets hot add the jeera and the curry leaves and saute for about 20 seconds. Now add the 3/4th cooked rice and mix well but gently till each grain of rice is coated in the oil.
Now add the Kerala mutton fry and mix the whole dish very gently taking care as to not break any strand of rice. Cover and cook this dish on a low flame for about 20 to 25 minutes. The rice will be cooked and the mutton fry will mix well with the rice here. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Kerala Mutton Fry

I had made the Kerala Beef fry a few months ago. Hubby eats beef sometimes and I am not a fan of beef at all. So, to make it a tasty treat for both of us, I though of making it Kerala mutton fry. It turned out nice. Followed the same recipe as the beef fry - except the choice of meat - used goat meat here instead of beef.

The recipe is here

http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/kerala-beef-fry.html

Roasted Sweet Peppers and Zucchini Soup

Ingredients

1 onion - roughly chopped
1 green zucchini - roughly chopped
1 yellow squash (zucchini) - roughly chopped
1 red pepper - roughly chopped
1 yellow pepper - roughly chopped
1 tomato - roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic - chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
croutons for garnish

Method

Mix all the ingredients, except for the crutons and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Lay them in one layer on a cookie sheet and let it roast in a 375 degrees fahrenheit oven for about 30 minutes. Let all the roasted veggies cool down. Blend these roasted vegetables in a blender to a smooth soup consistency. Use even the water that is accumulated on the cookie sheet. You can sieve this mixture if you want to or just use it the way it is.
In a saucepan, add this soup and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Add more salt if you want to. You can add some chilli powder here if you want it a bit spicy. Garnish with croutons and serve.

Boiled Eggs Stir Fry

Ingredients

5 hard boiled eggs
1 large onion - thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder
salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil

Method

slice the hard boiled eggs into 1/8 inch slices (rounds). In a karahi, add the oil and heat. Once the oil gets hot, add the onions. Fry the onions till they get translucent. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania jeera powder and salt and mix well. Now add the sliced eggs and gently mix everything together. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with rotis or dal & rice or even with maggie noodles

Phirni (Rice Pudding)

Ingredients

1/4 cup any fragrant rice (basmati would do fine - I used ambemohar)
1/2 gallon milk (whole milk is best - I used fat free milk)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
pinch of saffron

Method

Wash the rice very well about 4 times. Then let it soak in enough water for about an hour. Drain the water from the rice and coarsely ground the rice in a mixer/grinder. In a saucepan, add the milk and the rice and mix well. to this add the cinnamon stick and the cloves and let the mixture heat on low flame. Let the rice cook fully, you will have to take care to stir the mixture ever so often so as not to burn the milk at the bottom. Once the rice is fully cooked - it takes about 2 to 3 hours (I never said its a quick process), you can discard the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Now add the cardamom powder, the saffron, the pistachios, raisins and the sugar. Mix everything well and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
Refrigerate the phirni for about 2 to 3 before serving. Ideally, this is served in earthen bowls.

Sourdough Bread

We have always loved sourdough bread for making paninis as they have a wonderful texture and can hold all the heavy stuff that you put into a panini and can hold its shape with the panini press - I know I know..... thats a lot of panini talk :)

I have been baking bread for a long long time - but, never attempted a sourdough bread............. main reason being the time it takes. Its a long process, a few days actually. But, then finally I just decided one fine day that this bread needs to be baked by me. So, then the process of getting the sourdough starter started and rest as they say is history.

I had found this sourdough bread recipe on the internet a long time ago - this was a couple of years back when I wanted to bake a sourdough bread. However, I never got to baking it. I had noted the recipe on notepad and never saved the site url - so the credit to this recipe goes to the internet.

Sourdough Starter


Ingredients

1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Method

In a ceramic / glass bowl add warm water and yeast. Mix with wooden spoon until the yeast is dissolved.
Stir in the milk, sugar and flour. Mix until there are no lumps and its a smooth mixture.
Cover with a plastic wrap and make some small holes in the plastic wrap so that the yeast can breathe. Let it stand in a warm and draft free area to get fermented.
After about 24 hours - you should have a bubbly frothy mixture - thats when you know your starter is getting started. If it does not foam, then discard and start all over again.
If fermentation has begun, then stir it well and cover tightly with a plastic wrap - no need to pierce holes this time. Let it stand in a warm and draft free place for 2 days.
When the starter has become foamy, stir well and pour into a 1 quart glass container and refrigerate - Starter is ready to use when a clear liquid has risen to the top.
Stir this before using in bread.
Use starter as required in the recipe and reserve the remaining in the refrigerator.
Use starter regularly - every week or so. If bread baking reduces then replenish with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup of flour to the remaining starter and mix well and refrigerate - This is to keep the yeast alive.


Sourdough Bread

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

In a bowl, mix the sourdough starter, water and 2 1/2 cups flour and mix well till its a smooth batter. Cover and let it stand in a warm place for about 8 hours.
Then add 4 cups of flour, sugar, salt and oil to this mixture and mix well to form a firm dough. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes to get it smooth and springy. Grease a large bowl with oil and  place the dough in the bowl covering it on all sides with oil. Cover and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour or untill the dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready when indentation on it remains when touched.
Grease a large cookie sheet with oil. Gently push  fist into the dough several times to get all air bubbles out. Divide dough into half. Shape each half into a round, slightly flat loaf. Be careful as to not the tear the dough by pulling. Place loaves on opposite corners of the cookie sheet. Cover and let it rise for 45 minutes or untill it has doubled in size.
Heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Brush loaves with cold water. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes untill the loaves get a nice golden color - and are hollow when gently tapped. Cool on a wire rack and slice when its cold.

Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup lump crab meat (I used tinned crab)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon tobasco
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 egg - beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs ( you can use regular bread crumbs too )

Method

In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients, except the panko bread crumbs. Mix well till everything is nicely incorporated. Make small cutlet shapes of this mixture and cover with panko bread crumbs. Line them on a greased cookie tray. Spray some cooking oil on top of these crab cakes to get a nice crispy sear. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 15 minutes - now flip the cakes to cook the other side for another fifteen minutes. Crab cakes are ready to be served with coleslaw and french fries.

Bengali Comfort Food Thali

There is this foodie group on facebook that I am a part of. An amazing group of people who know their food and are willing to share. There was this week when everyone there was practically cooking Bengali food or talking about Bengali food. And thats it..... I started craving for some Bengali food myself.

I have never tasted Bengali food in my life - except the famous roshgollas :) - so cooking Bengali food was never done by me before. It was a challenge and I thought lets start small and make some comfort food.

I would not call this authentic Bengali food - firstly cos its not cooked in mustard oil and secondly, cos I have tweaked the recipes a lil bit to make it mustardy and my style too.

We had - Begun Bhaja, Fish in Mustard sauce, Bhaat and Masoor Dal tempered with Panch Poran.

Panch Poran is the mix of spices that is used in most Bengali cooking - its equal parts of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds & fenugreek seeds all mixed up and stored in an airtight container.

Recipes for all the above food is here
Begun Bhaja - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/begun-bhaja.html
Masoor Dal - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/masoor-dal-with-panch-poran-seasoning.html
Fish in mustard Sauce - http://merakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/fish-cod-in-mustard-sauce.html

Fish (Cod) in mustard sauce

Ingredients

500 grams Cod fillets (boneless)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 big onion - roughly chopped
1 tomato - roughly chopped
4 green chillis - roughly chopped
1 inch ginger - roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ajwain /carom seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon dhania jeera powder
salt to taste
2 tablespoons mustard oil (I used vegetable oil)

Method

Cut the cod fillets into 1 inch pieces. Marinate in the next three ingredients and let it stand for 15 minutes. In a frying pan, add 1/2 tablespoon oil and fry the cod pieces till you get a nice sear on the outside. Remove and let it sit in a plate.
In the same frying pan, add the rest of the oil. When it gets hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the onions and fry till they turn a nice golden in color. To this add the ajwain, tomoato, green chillis and ginger and saute for about 10 to 15 minutes till the tomatoes get all mushed up. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhania jeera powder and salt and cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes. Let this mixture cool. Once the mixture is cooled, bled it to a paste in a grinder/blender. Add it to the frying pan along with 1/2 cup water and let the mixture boil. Be careful to keep the pan covered as this mixture will splutter. After about 5 minutes, lower the heat and add the seared fish pieces. Mix carefully and cover and let the mixture simmer on medium heat for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve hot with phulkas / lucchis (puris)/ Dal & Bhaat (Rice)

I do not know if this is the most authentic way of making the famous Bengali fish in mustard sauce, but this was my quick version. 
Moreover, Bengali's, use Rohu/Hilsa or other river fish to make their curries. I had cod in my fridge and hence used that.

Masoor dal with panch poran seasoning

Ingredients

1 cup masoor dal (the red/orange colored lentils)
1 onion - thinly sliced
1 dried red chilli
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons panch poran
2 tablespoon mustard oil (I used vegetable oil)
salt to taste

Method

Wash the lentil in warm water about 4 times. Add 2 cups of water and the turmeric powder and pressure cook the lentils for about 3 whistles. Once the pressure is released, mash the cooked dal and keep aside.
In a sauce pan, add the oil. When it gets hot, bring the heat to a medium and add the panch poran and let the mustard splutter, be careful not to burn it. Add the dried red chilli and sauce for 10 to 20 seconds till it puffs up. Add the sliced onions and fry till they turn a nice golden color. To this add the cooked dal and salt and let the mixture come to a boil. Garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy with warm white basmati rice.

Begun Bhaja

Ingredients

1 big eggplant/brinjal (the one used in making bharta)
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
oil for frying

Method

Cut the eggplant in about 1/4 inch rounds. In a spice grinder, mix the salt, turmeric and mustard seeds and make a fine powder. Cover each eggplant slice with the spice powder made. let it sit for about 1/2 hour. In a frying pan, add oil to fill about 1/4 inch. When it gets hot, add eggplant slices one by one, do not overlap them. Fry till they become a nice golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel and they are ready to eat.
If you are conscious about the oil, you can shallow fry them too.
These should be consumed as soon as they are made - if you let them sit after frying, they become soggy.

Authentic Begun Bhaja is fried in mustard oil and the eggplant is just coated with turmeric and salt before frying. Since I was not using mustard oil - I ground mustard seeds and covered the eggplant with it to get the pungent taste of mustard oil.