Raw Papaya pickle

Raw Papaya in its texture and appearance mimics raw mango.
The papaya we bought was used to experiment one of the favorite south Indian pickles Manga Kari.☺.

Ingredients:

Raw Papaya                              -  1 medium size
Red chilli powder                       - 1-2 tsp
Salt                                             - as per taste
Turmeric powder                        - 1 tsp
Lime juice                                  - 1 small lime
Gingelly oil(refined sesame oil) - 1 tsp
Asoefatida .                                - 1 small pinch
Mustard seeds                           - 1 tsp

Chop papaya into small strips(julien) as shown in the picture below.

Then add salt and keep it closed in a cool place, not refrigerated. After a day add the chilli powder, lime juice and mix well and refrigerate for about   2-3 days until it softens.

Spices added 

Non

Ready to eat 🙂

Once it is softened, heat the oil , add mustard seeds and asoefatida. Once the mustard seeds splutter add this to the papaya and mix well. Bottle this in a sterilized container. Store in refrigerator. Stores well for 2 weeks.



Tips:
1. Mix the papaya well every few hours until it is bottled to avoid moisture retaining in one part of the bowl.
2. Store in a cool dark place away from too much heat and light.
3. You can try with half ripe papaya if you like a sweet and spicy pickle.
4. The red chili powder can be added to suit your taste.

Parmesan Grissini

This was our first attempt on making parmesan grissini.It was a little labor intensive but the energy and enthusiasm of my 7 year old in the holidays came in handy for this. We gave some sticks as part of the Christmas gift ot our neighbors and they loved it.


Ingredients:

All purpose flour                  - 2 cups
Gluten                                 - 2/3 cup
Cracked red pepper            - 1 tsp
Carraway seeds                  - 1 tsp
Active dry yeast                  - 3 tsp
Warm milk                           - 1 cup
Salt                                      - as per taste
Oil of choice                        - 3 tbsp( I used canola oil)
Parmesan cheese(grated) - 1/4 cup

Mix the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the oil and the milk and mix well until they all come together. Finally add the parmesan cheese to the dough until all of it blends into the dough well. Knead the dough for 3- 5 minutes on a floured surface until it forms a smooth dough.

Place the dough in a warm place covered until it doubles. It should take an hour to couple of hours depending on the temperature and moisture conditions.

Once it is doubled, knead for a minute. Roll the dough on a floured surface to a 1/4 inch thick rectangle with a rolling pin.
Meanwhile heat the oven to 400 F.
Cut the dough into long strips about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Roll these strips into the form of rounded sticks as in the picture below.

Dough rolled out into stciks before baking

 Place them on a baking sheet/tray. Bake them for about 10-15 minutes. Turn them over in between.
They should bake to a firm to hard consistency.
Serve with any dip or with soup.The whole wheat tastes great as a snack with coffee or tea too.
We had ours with a clear soup the next day.
 Merry Christmas!!

baked grissini

Grissini with chocolate barks

Whole wheat version

Tips:

1.You can use just  bread flour or part Whole wheat flour & all purpose flour instead of all purpose and gluten(the riginal recipe used bread flour).
2. Instead of kneading the dough by hand I placed the dough in my Ninja food processor and ran it in the dough mode for a couple of minutes.
3. Use alternative dry spices for different flavours.
4.I used to store grated parmesan cheese. The other option could be to buy a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it for the recipe.
5. I placed the dough covered in an Aluminium foil in the oven rack. It took a couple of hours for it to rise.
6. You can reduce the amount of oil to the recipe as we did with the whole wheat version.

Savory pumpkin bread

Happy New year to all. Starting this year with a pumpkin bread recipe.


Whole wheat flour.        - 3/4 cup
All purpose flour.           -3/4 cup
Pumpkin puree.             - 1 cup
Active dry yeast             -1 tbsp
Salt.                                - as needed.


Mix the flours, yeast and salt together. Add the pumpkin puree to this and mix well to form a sticky dough. Knead for about 15 minutes. Then place in a bowl and keep in a warm place until it doubles.

Pre heat oven to 425 F. Bake for 30- 40 minutes until done. Make sure to make a few cuts on the top to avoid cracking of the bread.

1.We made the pumpkin puree by steam cooking the leftover Halloween pumpkin and mashing it into a smooth paste. Store bought pumpkin puree could also be substituted for this.
2. If you want to avoid kneading, refrigerate dough for about 12-14 hours after mixing the ingredients together.

Oven roasted potatoes

 On Christmas tried a baked variation of my mother's stovetop potato recipe with regular potatoes and sweet potatoes. This with the dhokla provided a warm cozy breakfast though we had a very warm Christmas day this year, humid and a temperature of 75 F.

Ingredients:

Regular baking potatoes - 2 (medium size)

Sweet potatoes                  - 1 (medium size)

Salt.                                      - as needed

Turmeric powder.              - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder.             - 1/2 tsp

Garlic powder.                    - 1/4 tsp

Fresh ginger (chopped)     - 1 tsp

Asoefatida.                          - a small pinch

Black pepper.                      - 1 tsp

Lime                                     - 1/2

Oil of choice.                       - 2-3 tsps

Chop the potatoes to small cubes. Preheat oven to 375 F. Marinate the sweet potatoes and potatoes separately with spices and oil for about 15-20 minutes.

 Do not add the lime juice. Bake the potatoes in an oven safe dish for 20-30 minutes or until well done.  Squeeze lime over the potatoes once they cool a little ( about 5-10 minutes after removing from oven).

Serve with dhokla, dosa, rice,chapathi on the side. It can used with cheese or egg for as a filling for a sandwich.

Tips:

1. You can use your choice of spices.

2. Can be done on stove top also if you do not have the option of baking.

3. Bake it longer if you need it crispier.

4. You can marinate for longer for a stronger flavour.

Vegetable flat rice cakes ( Nombu adai)

These rice cakes are made on the occasion of "Kaadayain nombu". This is celebrated in relation to an ancient Indian tale of a princess who prayed to the God of death to bring her husband back from death - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savitri_and_Satyavan.
The sweet and savory cakes are made for this occasion. These cakes are made from rice flour and dal(lentils or black eyed peas). We added a few veggies to our savory ones to make it a complete meal.

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour           - 1 cup
Carrots               - 1/4 cup(finely chopped or grated)
Celery                - 1/4 cup(finely chopped)
curry leaves       - 4-5 
Ginger                - 1/4 inch(finely chopped)
Green chillies     - 1-2 (finely chopped) - optional
Black eyed peas - 1/2 cup (soaked for 2-3 hours and pressure cooked)
Water                  - about  2 cups
Salt                     - as per taste

In a pot boil about 2 cups of water. Once the water starts boiling lower the heat to low and add chopped veggies, ginger, chillies,salt and cooked black eyed peas. Slowly add the rice flour and keep stirring to avoid lump formation. Switch off the heat once all the rice flour is mixed well with the water and the color changes to off-white.

Make small balls about 1.5 to 2 inches in size. Then flatten them on your palm or on plastic or wax paper to thin circles and place a hole in the center. Wet your hands while flattening the flour mixture to avoid it from sticking to your hands.

Steam them until done. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Serve them with chutney.

Rice cakes before steaming

Steamed rice cakes

Tips

1. You can use an idli steamer or rice steamer to cook these. I used idiyappam plates to steam them.

2. You can  avoid black eyed peas and add chopped nuts if you prefer.

 

Red quinoa savory crackers

Ingredients:
Red quinoa flour       - 1 1/2 cups
Whole wheat flour     - 1/2 cup
Oil of choice              - 1/4 cup
Salt                             - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder           - 1 tsp
Paprika powder          - 1 tsp
Dry Oregano              - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Water                          - 1/4 to 1/2 cup


Mix all the ingredients in the food processor until it forms a soft dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Roll the dough on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place them on the baking tray. Bake them for about 20 - 30 minutes. My five year old helped me with cutting them into shapes and placing them on the tray.

Baked crackers

Baked crackers

 Tips
1.I toasted quinoa and powdered for the quinoa flour.
2. Baking soda could be used instead of baking powder.
3. You could avoid using whole wheat flour and use only quinoa flour.

Recipe source :
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/quinoa-salt-and-pepper-crackers-with-almond-cheese

Thattai(baked)

Ingredients
Rice flour                          - 2 cups
Urad dal powder               - 1tbsp*
Red chilli powder              - 1 tsp
asoefatida                         - a small pinch
Sesame seeds                   - 2 tsps
dry thyme                         - 1/2 tsp
Gram/Channa dal             - 2 tbsps
Butter                               - 2 tbsps
Salt                                   - as per taste
Oil                                    - 1 tbsp or as required
water as required.

* toast the urad dal and powder it fine.
Soak the gram dal in water for half to one hour.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the melted butter to the flour.Drain the water from the soaked dal and add it to the flour mixture. Mix them into a soft dough by adding water.

Cover the dough so that it does not get dry and roll them into small balls. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425 F.

Layer each ball on a parchment paper and flatten them into thin circles. Place them on an aluminium foil coated with a thin layer of oil.Brush the top of the dough with some oil.

Bake them for 25 minutes or until light brown. Once done switch off the oven and let it cool on the oven rack for half hour before taking them out.

  

Tips -

1.My first batch was very low on salt, so I brushed oil mixed with salt over the dough to correct this.

2. You can also use a flat bottom vessel to flatten the balls between two sheets of parchment paper or ziploc bags or thick plastic sheets.(as adviced in the link below).

3.After 10-15 minutes of baking you can flip the thattai and brush the other side with oil.

Recipe source - Raks kitchen 

Red Bean Kozhakattai

Ingredients

For the outer covering:

Raw rice(sticky variety preferable) - 1 cup 

Water as required

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Stuffing :

Red beans                            - 1 cup (soaked overnight or for 6-8 hours)

grated coconut(fresh or dry) - 1 tbsp

mustard seeds                      - 1 tsp

red chillies                            - 2 

oil of choice                         - 2 tsps 

turmeric powder                  - 1/2 tsp

asoefatida                            - a small pinch

salt as per taste

Black sesame seeds             - 1 tsp

Directions:

Soak rice for 2 -4 hours and grind it into a fine batter after draining the excess water.  Heat a pan and pour the batter in it. Keep stirring to avoid lumps until the batter thickens to dough consistency. Take off heat and keep it closed.

Drain the soaked water from the beans. Pressure cook the soaked beans with water. Be careful not to overcook the beans.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter add two red chillies and saute for a minute. Drain the excess water from the cooked beans. Add the beans to the pan and saute with salt, turmeric and asoefatida for a couple of minutes. Switch off the stove and add the grated coconut.

Divide the dough into equal size balls of desired size. Apply some oil on your hand and knead the balls in your hand when the dough is cold enough to handle. Flatten the ball and place a spoonful of the cooked beans in the center of the ball. Close the ball all around the beans stuffing completely.Repeat the same with the other balls.

Steam the balls in a steamer for 10-15 minutes or until done. Decorate the top with black sesame seeds.

It can be served fresh with chutney of choice or freeze them for later.

Cranberry thokku

Cranberry thokku aka Cranberry spicy jam

Ingredients:

Cranberry(frozen or fresh)*  -  1 1/2 cups
Turmeric powder                    -  1 tsp
Chilly powder                        -  1 tsp
Sambar powder                     -  1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds                    -  1/2 tsp
(or)  Fenugreek seed powder 1 tsp  
Mustard seeds                        - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves(optional)            -  7-10 leaves
Oil of choice(I used Canola) - 1 to 1 1/2 tbsps
Salt according to taste

* I used freshly bought cranberries from last Thanksgiving season(November) which was stored in the freezer.

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.

 Once the mustard seeds splutters add the cranberries, turmeric powder and saute for a few minutes until the cranberries start to soften. Then add the spice powders and salt. If you are using fenugreek powder instead of fenugreek seeds add it at this point.

Saute it in medium flame until the cranberries are softened and form a paste.

Keep adding the rest of the oil as the cranberry paste starts getting a little dry. Cook in low flame until most of the oil is absorbed and switch off. The remaining oil can help preserve the thokku.
Once cool can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days.

Cranberry thokku has a spicy, sour taste and goes well with chapathi(Indian bread), rice or serves as a spread on top of breads. It could also be used to spice up gravies. You could add more chilly powder or sambar powder depending on the amount of spice you want.

 “Sending this to Berry Merry Summer June 2013 event hosted by Jayanthi”
http://kuttybear-toddlerfoodideas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-berry-merry-summer-june-2013-event.html

deepavali 2012

navarathiri 2012

Oats appam

Inspired from a recipe link for oats appam

Old fashioned oats - 1 cup

Rice flour                 - 1/2 cup

Shredded/finely chopped vegetables

( I used carrots, cilantro)

Finely chopped ginger

A pinch of Asoefatida

Curd(yogurt) - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Salt to taste

For tempering ( optional)

Oil 1 tsp

Mustard seeds

Mix all ingredients to form a thick batter(idli batter). Heat oil and let the mustard seeds splutter.add this to batter.Let it soak for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil in appa kaaral(Looks like a muffin maker)or regular vessel.Pour batter into each hole of kaaral or use a small scoop to pour batter in regular vessel. Take off oil once done.

 "Sending this to Priya's May 2013 edition of Healthy me and Healthy Us event hosted by Jayanthi"

http://kuttybear-toddlerfoodideas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/healthy-me-healthy-us-may-2013-edition.html

Pattani sundal

white bean sundal

pasi paruppu sundal

pasta uppuma and kozhakattai

Pasta Uppuma

Vegetable kozhakattai

Medu vadai