June 27, 2010

Green Tomato Chutney

I tried this recipe given by our friend Anil. This recipe of Green Tomato Chutney was tangy and lip smacking.



Ingredients:

Green Tomatoes - 2 big roughly chopped
Onion - 1 chopped
Green chillies - 4
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Cilantro leaves - 2 tblsp chopped
Seasoning - Mustard, curry leaves
Oil -3 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Saute onions and green tomatoes in 2 tsp of oil
2. Blend with green chillies, ginger, cilantro to a coarse consistency
3. Add salt to taste
4. Make a seasoning of mustard and curry leaves in a tsp of oil and pour over the chutney.

June 14, 2010

Pani Puri for Indian Cooking Challenge

Srivalli is the host of Indian Cooking Challenge. The challenge for May is Pani Puri. It is my all time favorite snack. I love different chaats and my favorite place for chaats was Alankar Fruit Juice and Chaat Place in Bangalore.



Pani Puri

Ingredients:

Puri:

Sooji 1/2 cup
Maida 1/2 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Oil for Frying

For Spicy Pani

Mint Leaves 1½ tblsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves 1 tbsp.
Tamarind 1/3 cup
Ginger 1"
Green Chillies 4 to 5
Ground Cumin Seed (roasted) 1 tsp
Kala Namak (Black Salt ) 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Potato Filling

Boiled Potatoes
Red chilly powder
Salt to taste

For Red Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind 1 cup
Jaggery 1/2 cup
Sugar 2 tbsp.
Red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
Roasted cumin powder 1 tsp
Kali Micrch (Black pepper) powder 1/4 tsp.
Cloves 2
Warm water 2 cups
Oil 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method:

For making Puri:

1. Mix semolina, plain flour, cooking soda, salt, and knead well to make a stiff dough
2. Cover it with saran wrap and let it rest for 15 mins.
3. Make small balls and roll/press them into small circles.
4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, and deep fry
5. The puris will puff up.
6. Cool and store in airtight container.

For making spicy Pani

1. Blend tamarind, mint leaves, coriander, ginger, chillies and dry roasted cumin seed .
2. Add little water and blend to a smooth paste.
3. Add salt and black rock salt to taste.
4. Cool and mix water as required.

For Red Tamarind Chutney

1. Extract the pulp from tamarind or use tamarind paste
2. Dry roast the cumin seeds and the cloves and powder to a coarse powder.
3. To the tamarind pulp/paste add jaggery, sugar, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, cloves and salt.
4. Heat the mixture for five minutes on medium heat.
5. Remove from heat and let it cool .
6. Add water it is too thick to bring it to the required consistency
7. Blend the contents to a smooth paste.

Assembling the Pani Puri

1. Make a small hole in the center of the puris
2. Add a tsp of mashed boiled potato in the middle of the puri.
3. Add a little of the tamarind Chutney.
4. Fill the puri with spicy water in it and serve.

June 12, 2010

Mysore Pak - Video Demonstration


Mysore Pak in 20 minutes
Demonstration by Uma
Mysore Pak is a favorite sweet dish of Karnataka, India, usually served as dessert. It is made of generous amounts of ghee (clarified butter), sugar, and chick pea (besan) flour. As per Wikipedia, Mysore Pak was first created in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakasura Madappa out of the above ingredients. Here is a demonstration by my friend Uma.

Video Demonstration -Part 1




Video Demonstration -Part 2






Ingredients:
1 cup besan
2 cups sugar
2 cups ghee
1 cup water

1. Mix half cup of melted ghee with one cup of besan flour, mix lightly and set aside
2. In a pan, add two cups of sugar and half cup of water.
3. When is dissolves add the besan flour and ghee mixture to pancake dough consistency
4. Add half cup more water to this. Adding water increases the porosity of the Mysore Pak.
6. Keep stirring continuously adding ghee gradually until all the ghee is used
7. When the besan mixture becomes light brown and porus it will leave the sides of the pan
8. Pour the cooked mixture on to a greased plate
9. It will harden in a few minutes.
10. Cut to desired shapes pieces when it is still warm.


June 8, 2010

Jackfruit Idly

I tried my mom's receipe of Jackfruit idly and created this delectable creation. This was my favorite dish and now my girls are crazy for this dish.

Ingredients:

Jackfruit peeled - 1 cup
Long grain rice soaked - 2 cups
Jaggery or brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Fresh or dry coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Banana leaves to steam

Method:

1. Blend the soaked rice with jackfruit, jaggery/brown sugar, salt, and coconut to coarse consistency.
2. Cut banana leaves to square pieces.
3. Pour the dough in the banana leaves and fold it.
4. Steam it for 15 minutes till done.




This recipe goes to Gayathri's "Walking thorugh Memory Lane Event".

June 4, 2010

Jalapeno Cheese Bread



Jalapeño Cheese Bread
(Bread machine recipe)

This bread recipe goes for Chaitra's Bread Mania Event

Ingredients:
Skim milk – 1 cup
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Cheese - ¾ cup (either Mexican cheese, or mozzarella cheese or grated jalapeño cheese)
Salt - ½ tsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Yeast – 3 tsp
Chopped jalapeño – 1

Method:
1. Add all the ingredients except jalapeños in the bread machine
2. Set the setting to mix bread and light crust
3. Start the bread machine
4. Make sure the dough is soft elastic ball, if necessary add a tsp of oil if the dough is tight or a tsp of flour if the dough is sticky
5. When the machine beeps add the chopped jalapeños
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces