Kodbale

Kodbale is our this month's Indian Cooking Challenge. Kodbale is a popular snack from Karnataka. There are different versions of this snack. I chose Suma's version from Veggie Platter.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups
All-purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Salt and chili powder to taste

For tempering
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
a pinch of asafoetida
Oil to deep fry


For the dough:

1. Steam the all purpose flour in pressure cooker for 10 minutes without the whistle.
2. Cool the flour and sieve.
3. Toast and skin the peanuts and grind them finely.
4. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds start to splutter, remove from heat.
5. Combine the flour, peanut powder, rice flour, salt and chili powder. Add the seasoning and mix well. Then slowly add water and form firm dough.

Making kodbales:

1. Take out a small ball, place it on a greased surface, roll as a roll and coil it around in the shape shown. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

2. Heat enough oil for deep frying.
2. Drop the rings into the oil with out overcrowding and fry them on low to medium heat till they turn golden brown both sides.
3. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen towel.

Store in a tight container

Karagadabu

Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesha, is celebrated with great pomp and show in India. This festival is incomplete without karagadabu for Ganesha. This year me and my friend Arathi made karagadabus for the festival.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Cream of wheat - 3/4 cup
Salt a pinch
Sugar - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp

Filling:
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
Coconut powder - 1/4 cup
Saffron - few strands
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Powdered cashews - 1/4 cup (optional)

Oil to fry

Method:
1. Mix all purpose flour, salt, cream of wheat, sugar, ghee to a stiff but pliable dough.
2. Rest the dough covered for half an hour
3. Knead well so it is soft and easy and to work with. Add a tsp of olive oil if necessary.
4. Mix all the filling ingredients.
5. Make small balls from the dough and roll it or press it with a tortilla press
6. Keep the rolled dough in the mould and spread the filling and seal the edges.
7. Remove from the mould and deep fry in medium heat till crisp.

Quinoa Akki Roti

My latest experiment with quinoa - quinoa akki roti. I tried this recipe by making quinoa flour in the blender. Then I added a little rice flour and proceeded the same way as the regular akki roti by add the onions, grated carrots, cilantro, curry leaves in the dough.

Ingredients:
Quinoa flour - 2 cups
Rice flour - 1/2 cups
Carrot - 1 small grated
Onion - 1 medium chopped
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp chopped
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 chopped
Salt to taste
Olive oil - few tsp to cook

Hot boiling water - to mix

Method:
1. Mix quinoa and rice flour with grated carrots, chopped onion, chopped curry leaves, corriander leaves, cumin seeds, chopped green chillies, chopped and salt.
2. Add just enough boiling water to this and knead.
3. Make it to tennis size balls.
4. Flatten the dough on a plastic sheet with your hand
5. Gently transfer the flattened roti to a cast iron griddle or skillet
6. Add a tsp of olive oil around it and cover it
7. Cook on medium flame till done
8. Serve with chutney.

Besan Masala Roti

The cooking challenge for the month of August is "Besan ki Masala roti". This is a flat bread made with chick pea flour and whole wheat flour. These rotis are stuffed with mixed spices. This recipe is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's "Marwari Vegetarian Cooking". This recipe post is for "Indian Cooking Challenge". This event is hosted by Srivalli of "Spicing Your Life".

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Strawberry Shortcake cookies baked by Samantha. She adapted the recipe from this website "Two peas and their pod".

Ingredients:
2 cups diced fresh strawberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sugar, for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl.
4. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, 5. Stir in strawberry mixture.
6. Using a ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly apart.
7. Sprinkle cookies with sugar, and bake until golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes. 8 Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

Mango Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup - All purpose flour
1 cup - Sugar
1 tsp - Baking powder
1/2 tsp - Baking soda
1/4 tsp - nutmeg powder
1/4 cup - unsalted butter
1 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 and 1/2 cups - chopped mango
1/2 tsp - cinnamon

Frosting:
4 tbsp mango pulp
Cool whip as required
2 tsp Jello cheesecake pudding mix

Method:

1. Set butter to room temperature.
2. Beat eggs and mix sugar. baking powder, soda, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla essence
3. Add flour to this and mix gently.
4. Finally add the chopped mangos.
5. Pour in a greased cake pan and bake 40-45 minutes till the toothpick comes clean

Puliogre Bread

Puliogre is a south is a South Indian rice preparation. It is traditionally made by mixing steamed rice mixed with puliogre gravy made with tamarind pulp, peanuts, dry coconut, red chili, curry leaves, jaggery, pepper, mustard seeds, fenugreek, turmeric, asafoetida, sesame, urad dal, and cumin. I tried making this in the form of bread adding puliogre mix, crushed peanuts, sauteed curry leaves in the raisin cycle. The bread was very aromatic with the taste of puliogre in every bite.

Ingredients:
Puliogre powder or paste - 3 tblsp
Water - 8 oz
Salt - 1 tsp
Brown Sugar - 2 tsp
Olive Oil – 3 tbsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Dessicated Coconut powder - 1 tbsp

Yeast – 3 tsp

To be added during during the mixed bread cycle when the machine beeps

1 tsp - seasoning of mustard and asafoetida
3/4 cup - curry leaves sauteed in a tsp of oil
1/2 cup - roasted peanuts crushed
1 tsp - sesame seeds roasted

Method for the Bread:

1. Mix the puliogre powder or paste in luke warm water and place in the bread machine.
2. Add all the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine in the order given above.
3. Set the setting to mix bread and light crust
4. Start the bread machine
5. 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
6. When the machine beeps add the seasoning, sauteed curry leaves, crushed peanuts, and roasted sesame seeds.
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces.

Vangi Bhath flavored Bread

Vangi Bhath is a famous South Indian dish made with fried egg plant, and a combination of other vegetables flavored with spices. I tried to use the same spices and vegetables and tried making bread with this flavor. All my friends loved the authentic taste of Vangi Bhath in the form of bread.

Ingredients:
Yogurt - 3 oz
Whey - 5 oz
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Olive Oil – 3 tbsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Yeast – 3 tsp
Dessicated Coconut powder - 1 tbsp
Vangi bhath powder - 2 tbsp


To be added during during the mixed bread cycle when the machine beeps

Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric - 1 pinch
Finely Chopped Carrots - 2 inch piece
Chopped potatoes - 1/4 of a small potato
Methi leaves chopped - 2 tblsp
Bell pepper chopped - 2 tblsp
Egg plant - a small piece
Cilantro leaves - 2 tbsp
Olive oil to saute - 2 tsp
All the vegetables and cilantro leaves should not exceed half cup after sauteed.

Method:
1. In a pan take 2 tsp of olive oil add asafoetida and turmeric.
2. Saute the vegetables and methi leaves to be added during the mixed bread cycle.
3. Add the chopped cilantro and set aside.


For the Bread:

1. Add all the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine in the order given above.
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 sauteed vegetables.
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces.

Mango Rasayana

"Rasayana" is served as a dessert and an accompaniment to meals. Mango Rasayana is made by mixing of fruit pulp with milk, coconut cream, and jaggery. It is a good accompaniment to Neer Dosa, Chapati or meals. Rasayana helps to beat the heat of Indian summer. I tried this recipe substituting with evaporated milk and coconut milk.

Ingredients Needed:

Mango - 5 No. chopped to pieces
Evaporated milk - 4 oz
Coconut milk - 4 oz
Milk - 8 oz
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Powdered jaggery - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Chop mangoes finely.
2. Mix evaporated milk, milk, coconut milk, jaggery, and cardamom powder.
3. Cool in the refrigerator and serve.

Chenna Poda (Paneer Cake) - Oriya Special

Chenna Poda is a quintessential cheese dessert from Orissa. It is made with home made cheese, mixed with sugar, soji, sugar, cardamom, raisins, and cashew nuts and baked in the oven. The flavor for this dessert is predominantly derived from the caramelization of sugar.

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer / Chenna - made from 5 cups of milk
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Soji - 4 tsp
Cardamom a small pinch
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Raisins and Cashew nuts few

1. In a bowl mash Chenna thoroughly. Add Soji, sugar and rest of the ingredients and mix it well.

2. For the caramelized effect on the top. Take a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add a sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar and heat till it turns brown. Spread the melted sugar evenly.

3. Pour the chenna mix over the caramelized sugar in a baking dish or individual ramekins.

4. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degree Farenheit for one hour. If using individual ramekins it will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check that it comes out clean.

5. Cool it for an hour and then turn it upside down. Slice and serve.

The Indian Cooking Challenge for March is Chenna Poda. This event is hosted by Srivalli of "Spicing Your Life" and the recipe was provided by Shibani of "Any one can cook".

Sarvapindi (Rice flour pancakes from Andhra Pradesh)

A traditional Telingana dish almost similar to the "Akki Roti" of Karnataka. "Sarva" means deep hallow cooking bowl, and "Pindi" means snack. It is made of rice flour which is mixed with salt and water and kneaded well to make a soft dough with onions, spcies, herbs, peanuts and sesame.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Sesame Seeds - 1/4 cup
Roasted Peanuts, soaked - 2 tbsp
Green Chilies - 5
Green Chili Paste - 3/4 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 medium size clove
Onion, finely chopped - 1/3
Green Onion, chopped - 1 / 2 tbsp (heaps)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
curry leaves, chopped - 1 strand
Salt to taste
Water - 1/3 cup, may need little less than this
Oil - 2- 3 tsps. per pancake

Method:

1. Soak sesame seeds in warm water.
2. Roast the peanuts, peel the skin and soak the peanuts in water. 3
3. Coarsely grind green chilies.
4. Blend 3/4 of the chopped onion, garlic, cumin and salt to fine paste.
5. Wash and chop the herbs finely.
6. Take the rice flour in a bowl, add chili and onion mixture to the flour.
7. Add crushed peanuts, remaining chopped onions, herbs and mix well.
8. Add a pinch of chili powder to adjust to your spice level.
9. Gradually add water to make soft dough.
10.Divide the dough into 3 equal parts.
11.Flatten the dough on a plastic sheet with your hand.
12.Gently transfer the flattened roti to a cast iron griddle or skillet
13.Make holes on the roti with your fingers.
14.Add a tsp of oil around it and cover it
15.Cook on medium flame and flip to the other side and cook till done.

The cooking challenge selected for February is Sarva pindi. This event is hosted by Srivalli of "Spicing your Life" and the recipe provided by Usha of "My Spicy Kitchen".

Ragda Patties

Ragda Patties is a chaat recipe. It is served with aloo tikkis, curried dried yellow peas, topped with the onion, chutneys, sev, crushed puris and chopped cilantro. I tried this recipe the past weekend and used Tarla Dalal's recipe but changed the ingredients as per my taste.

Ingredients:

For the Ragda:
Dried yellow peas - 1 cup soaked overnight
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander chutney - 2-4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind date chutney - 4 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Brown sugar/jaggery - 2 tsp
Ginger grated - 1/2 inch
Black salt - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 2 tsp
Cumin & Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Aloo Tikkis:

Potatoes - 4 big
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro chopped - 4 tsp
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste
Oil - to shallow fry

To serve:
Green chutney
Tamarind Date chutney
Sev - 1 cup
Chopped onions - 1
Crushed papdis - 1 cup

For the ragdas:
1. Pressure cook the soaked peas with 3 cups of water for 4 whistles.
2. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, green chutney,garam masala powder, tamarind date chutney, tamarind paste, brown sugar, grated ginger grated, black salt, chopped mint leaves, cumin powder, corriander powder, and salt. Add 3 cups of water and simmer in a crock pot for 2 hours in low heat.

For the Aloo Tikkis:
1. Boil the potatoes and mash.
2. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, chopped cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste.
3. Divide into 12 equal portions and flatten the ball to make a patty.
4. Shallow fry on a non stick skillet with a few drops of oil till brown and crisp.

To Serve:
1. Pace the aloo tikki on plate and pour ragda over.
2. Top with chutneys, onions, sev, crushed puris and serve.

Beets Pulav

I tried beets pulav for Valentines Day. This is a colorful dish as the beets give a pinkish color. The sweet taste of beets and the mild spices blend in to make it very flavorful.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Extra virgin olive oil - 1tblsp
Beets - 1 chopped
Mixed vegetables of your choice- 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato - 1 medium
Green chillies - 2 slit lengthwise
Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped
Mint - 2 tbsp chopped
Salt - to taste
Juice of half lime
Whole spices - 2 cloves, 2 cardamom, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 inch cinnamon
Water to cook - 2 cups
Cashew nuts - few to garnish

Method:
1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Over medium heat, sauté the whole spices, green chilies for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the beets; mixed vegetables, tomato, cover and sauté 5 minutes.
3. Add basmati rice, salt, chopped mint, and cilantro and water.
4. Bake at 350 degree F for 45 minutes in a oven safe dish or alternatively cook on stove till done.
5. Add lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro and cashew nuts