Delicioso Dishes

Basic Layer Cake with Ganache

2011-11-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

This year, Thanksgiving was just the two of us, so I thought I'd try a new dessert idea. First I thought of a yellow cake with an apricot preserves filling, topped with a chocolate ganache. Then I looked up the recipe for a yellow cake and was scared off by all the egg yolks (6!!) that went into the cake. Fast forward a few minutes, and I decided on this basic layer cake recipe by Martha Stewart. I followed the instructions to the letter, with the exception of the butter. I only used 1 stick instead of the 1.5 sticks in the recipe. The cake came out a little dry, but I think that can be solved by brushing a little sugar water on to the cake layers before adding the filling.

Ganache

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used the generic brand and it came out tasting delicious, so I don't think brand names matter)
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
1/2 cup skim milk
Double-boiler OR a pot -bowl combo with the bowl sitting 2-3 inches above the pot bottom.

A couple of ganache recipes I looked up called for 1 pint of cream to be added to the chocolate chips, but C can't handle full-fat dairy so I used butter and nonfat milk instead. It works out to the same ingredients, essentially...

1. Heat water in pot so that it is simmering, not boiling.
2. Place bowl in the pot. Add chocolate chips, butter and milk.
3. Stir continuously until ingredients are completely melted (5-7 minutes) and chocolate looks shiny.
4. Take chocolate off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Set up cake layers on wire rack over a baking pan with foil (to catch drips).
6. Pour ganache over cake. Use an offset spatula to evenly distribute ganache so that it drips down the sides.
7. Allow ganache to set for 10- 15 minutes. Transfer finished cake to serving plate and chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

'Til the next dish...

Jhatphat Dosa

2011-11-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

This is another childhood fave...I would get so excited to see this brown crispy, yet soft dosa on my plate. I attempted to make it a year ago, working on memory for a list of ingredients. It did not turn out well. C ate it, most likely because we were still in the honeymoon phase of our marriage and he felt obligated. I made it once more trying to perfect it, this time with help from the Konkani cooking goddess (a.k.a. my mom). It came out better, but C was not a fan. Then, inspiration struck and I added a lot more water and voila! It came out perfect! This time, I added too much salt, so C was just about done with this dosa but nevertheless, I persevered. I begged him to try it justonemoretimepleaseifyoureallylovemeyou'lljusteatitandstopbeingapain pretty please and he did and whaddaya know? It came out perfect. He is now a jhatphat dosa fan. Not as big a fan as I am, but I'll take it! :)

On to the recipe!

Serves: 3-4

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1.5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp freshly grated coconut
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 green chillies, chopped
4 curry leaves (karbev)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (sasam)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp oil

1. Place chopped chillies, coconut, ginger, salt, asafoetida and sugar in a bowl. Muddle until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add flour and stir. Gradually add water until batter has a thin consistency.
2. Add 1 tsp oil and mustard seeds to a pan on medium high. When mustard seeds start to pop, add curry leaves. Be careful, because the oil will splatter once you add the leaves.
3. Quickly take pan off heat and add oil/seeds/leaves (phan) to the batter. Stir until mixed evenly.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a hot, well-oiled pan. Batter should spread instantly and bubble. If it does not spread, add more water. Mix batter before pouring as some ingredients will settle to the bottom. Place a little oil at the circumference of the dosa to make it easier for removal. Flip dosa until both sides are browned to your satisfaction.
5. Put on a plate and serve!

'Til the next dish...

Bread Upkari (Spiced bread)

2011-05-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I would break the monotony of Indian/Konkani dishes by throwing in a Pad Thai dish. That didn't last too long because here I am again with a Konkani dish. For me, the point of this blog is to create an online recipe book for myself, so that I have a record of the winning recipes for my favorite dishes. :)

Bread upkari isn't a 'fixed' recipe and by that I mean there are tons of variations on the recipe I'm about to post. I've looked online for some and found that people add peas and carrots to theirs. I'm a purist (or rather, I grew up eating a purist recipe) and I don't like adding peas and carrots and whatnot to my bread upkari. Although, there's nothing to stop you from adding them if you prefer them. :)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound slightly stale bread (1/4 a sliced loaf), cubed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps plain non-fat yogurt*
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 green chillies, sliced
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
3 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup water

*Omit if using fresh bread

1. Place bread cubes in a large bowl and add the turmeric, salt and yogurt. The yogurt is used to soften the slightly stale bread, so do not use it if the bread is fresh. Mix until the turmeric is evenly distributed. The bread should have a slightly yellowish hue to it, so add a little turmeric and then increase if it looks very pale.

2. Heat oil and butter in a pan. Add mustard seeds until they start to pop. Then quickly add green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for about 10 seconds and add the sliced onions.

3. Cook onions until they are translucent. Add the bread and stir. Once the bread and onions are well mixed, add two tbsp of water around the edge of the pan and quickly stir the bread. Continue to add water (sprinkling is better than pouring) until bread achieves soft and slightly moist texture.

4. Add coconut, cilantro and lime juice. Stir until well mixed and serve!

'Til the next dish..

Pad Thai

2011-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

I guess if I'm posting a recipe for Pad Thai, it's safe to say I love Pad Thai. :) I used to get by with using this premade Pad Thai sauce even though it tasted *nothing* like restaurant Pad Thai. I told myself that it was probably better than attempting to make the sauce myself. That is, until I happened to come across this website. It's still not restaurant Pad Thai quality, but it's a helluva lot better than the premade sauce that's for sure! So it's a keeper.

Sauce Recipe:

1/2 cup hot water
3-4 tsp tamarind paste
4 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp brown sugar (packed)
1 tbsp peanut butter (optional)

1. Boil rice noodles until they are almost cooked. My method of testing the 'doneness' of the noodle is to stop it when I think it needs a couple more minutes to get the perfect consistency. Once noodles are cooked, drain and separate into portions. I separate right away because once the noodles dry, they tend to stick in clumps that makes it hard to separate them.

2. Stir fry vegetables and 2 eggs (optional). Heat 2 tsps of oil in a wok and bring it to high heat. You can use any vegetables you like or would like to try with your Pad Thai. I usually add napa cabbage, mushrooms, green onions, and sliced carrots. Remove vegetables when done. I like my vegetables to have a slightly charred look. I think they taste better that way. Also, don't forget to lightly salt the veggies while they cook.

3. Prepare sauce by dissolving tamarind paste in hot water. Tamarind paste looks exactly like tar. It also has a very bitter (?) taste. If you've never eaten it before, add half the amount. Once the paste is dissolved, add the soy sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter. I use the crunchy peanut butter so that there are flecks of peanut in the final dish. Creamy peanut butter is an equally good alternative.

4. Pour enough sauce for a portion into the wok. Wait until it bubbles. Add noodles and stir until they are coated with the sauce. It will look like there is too much liquid, but keep stirring and it will thicken. Add the vegetables and stir until they are coated as well.

5. Serve and eat!! :)

'Til the next dish...

Spiced Corn

2011-05-14T02:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this is an Indian dish or something my mom invented...Regardless, it's yummy and oh-so-simple, so it's a quick go-to recipe if you're jonesing for a snack or a salad topping (my preferred use).

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen corn nibblets (Recommended: Steamfresh Green Giant brand. A little pricey, but amazingly fresh taste)

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

5-6 curry leaves (karbev)

3 green chillies, chopped (more, if you like it spicy)

Salt to taste

1. Thaw bag of corn.

2. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add chillies and curry leaves.

3. Add thawed corn. Salt to taste.

4. Stir until well mixed and serve!

See, super easy. Since this is a really easy and quick recipe, I'm including another recipe for today. :)

'Til the next dish...

Curried bell peppers and potatoes

2011-05-14T02:19:00.000-07:00

This one is a personal favorite of mine. Again, I'm not sure if this is my mom's invention or an Indian dish. I think it's my mom's invention because I haven't seen it served at other people's houses. Ever. Go Mom!

What makes this recipe even more attractive is how simple and quick it is. Don't you just love knowing you have one dish out of the way in 20 minutes? Love.this.

Ingredients:

1 medium potato*, chopped into bite size pieces

1 medium bell peppers, chopped into bite size pieces

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp jeera powder

1 tsp coriander/cilantro powder

Salt to taste

*boiled preferable as it's faster, but raw works too.

Side note: If you only have dhan jeera (a 1:1 combination of jeera and coriander powders, use 2 tsp instead of 1 tsp each of jeera and coriander powders)

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add potatoes and stir. Salt to taste. If using raw potatoes, put on low heat, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes (or until soft). If using boiled potatoes, cook for 3 minutes each side or until browned.

2. Add chilli, jeera, coriander and turmeric powders. Stir until potatoes are evenly coated with spices.

3. Add bell peppers and stir.

4. Put on low heat and cook for 10 minutes, or until bell peppers are soft. They will also turn a lighter shade of green than when they were raw.

Plate and serve!

'Til the next dish...

Nevri/Karanji

2011-05-01T05:03:00.001-07:00

As a kid, one of my aunts would make this every so often and I loved them so much, I would call them "Ds" because of their shape. I never learned the actual name of the dessert, tsk tsk. Luckily, my mom knew what I was referring to, but would refuse to make it because it involved frying. *sigh*

I had a hankering for them a few days ago and found out that in Konkani, they're called Nevris. In Marathi, they're called Karanjis. I call them delicious. :) Funny story, I was in India having dinner with my parents and uncle before leaving for the airport when my uncle asked if I wanted dessert. I had an upset stomach, so I wasn't too keen on it but he insisted I would love it when it came out. I half-heartedly agreed and when it came out, I was SO excited (it had been years since I had one) that I dug in, tummy ache and all. Point being, nothing gets in between my nevris and me. :)

Alright, on to the recipe... (I made a few changes to the recipe for the filling)

Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup flour

2 tbsp warm oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

Oil for frying

Filling

1 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup jaggery

1/2 cup water

1 tsp ground cardamom (20 pods worth)

1. Make the dough by adding oil and salt to the flour. Once mixed, slowly add in a little water until the dough is formed. It should feel sticky, but not stick to the fingers. The description on the site said "stiff" dough, but I think a better word is dry dough. Stiff, to me, means a rock hard ball of flour, which is not what you want.

2. Cover the dough with plastic and keep aside for 1/2 hour. I usually make the dough first, and then make the filling.

3. Heat the water on a low flame until bubbly. Add jaggery (best if they're in small pieces). Stir until all the jaggery is dissolved, the liquid is golden brown and when you try to part the liquid it stays separate for 4-5 seconds. Basically, it should have the consistency of thick syrup.

4. Stir in the shredded coconut. Take the pan off the heat and add the ground cardamom. The amount of cardamom can be reduced if you're not a fan.

5. Keep aside to let it come to room temperature.

6. Divide the dough into 16 portions (or 8, if you want larger nevris). Roll out each portion into a thin circle (see pic). The thinner the better.

7. Add 1 tsp (twice for a larger nevri) of filling to the right side and fold the left half over the filling. Crimp edges using a fork or by hand. There are also molds available to give a uniform look to the nevris.

8. Fry and serve!

I can't get my nevris to be crispy the next day. I'm trying to figure out what I can add to the dough that will make them remain crispy. I also remember the nevris from my childhood have a rounded shape, like they ballooned during frying. I'll have to keep tinkering and find out the tricks to making them that way.

'Til the next dish...

Fish Biryani

2011-04-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

So this isn't a completely authentic recipe. It's something I slapped together based on C's biryani expertise (gained solely through eating and not by actually, you know, cooking it) and mom's recommendation of a good biryani mix.

I use Sanjeev Kapoor's Bombay biryani mix as the rub for the fish and the seasoning for the rice. It smells and tastes amazing, so it's going to stay until they decide to discontinue the brand. When that happens, I will cry. But until then, I will make full use of this recipe! :)

Ingredients:

2 tilapia fillets (fresh, thawed whatever), cut into bite size pieces

1 cup + 1 tbsp Bombay Biryani mix

4 tbsps plain yogurt (I use nonfat, but as long as it's plain, it's ok)

1/2 tsp salt (and some for the fish)

1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 tsp fennel seeds (jeera)

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp saffron (optional)

2.5 cups basmati rice

1 small onion, sliced

1 tbsp oil

1. Cut fish into Add 1 tbsp mix and some salt to the fish. Make sure all the fish is coated and salted. Put aside.

2. Mix 1 cup mix with yogurt and salt to taste.

3. Prepare rice. Add cinnamon, jeera, and cilantro leaves to the rice cooking water. Add saffron if you have it by crushing it in the rice water.

4. Drain rice when it is half cooked. To me, the rice is half cooked if the water is boiling and the rice is 'dancing' or bubbling in the water. Also, when you look at it, it does not have the fluffy look of cooked rice.

5. While the rice is cooking, add 2 tsp of oil to a pan and cook the onion until it is caramelized .

6. Place oil in the wok(a wok is ideal, but any heavy bottomed pan with high sides will do). Layer fish in the wok . Spread half the rice on top of the fish. Spread the paste on the rice. Distribute the remaining rice on top.

7. When the lid goes on, make sure it is airtight. There should be no steam leaking from the sides. That steam is needed for the rice to cook completely. I place two paper towels and the lid on top of them to create an airtight container.

8. Cook for 20 minutes on medium low heat.

9. When it's done, mix so that the rice and fish are evenly distributed. Sprinkle onions on top and serve!

'Til the next dish...

Set dosa

2011-04-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

There's a Hindu temple in Flushing, NY that has a canteen in the basement. When I used to live in NJ, and my parents would suggest a visit to the temple, I would jump at the chance because that meant I would get to eat at the canteen. Sounds irreverent, but I was never very religious, except when it comes to dosas. :)

The composition of the set dosa batter is slightly different from regular dosa batter in that the former has the addition of flattened rice. Regular dosa and masala dosa (posts to follow soon) batters have black gram (urad dal), rice (medium grain), fenugreek seeds (methi), split chick peas (channa dal), and pigeon peas (toor dal). Set dosas have urad dal, rice, fenugreek seeds, split chick peas and beaten rice. Almost the same, but not quite. In any case, it's supremely delicious!

The recipe isn't tedious, but it is time consuming. Most of it involves soaking the grains or letting the batter ferment. Nothing you can do about it other than let it happen.

Recipe:

2 cups medium grain rice

1 cup urad dal gota (black gram whole)

2 tsp chana dal

1/2 tsp methi seeds

1 cup beaten rice (poha)

1. Wash the rice a couple of times and cover with water. Place the urad dal, channa dal and methi seeds in another bowl, rinse and cover with water. Soak overnight (6-12 hours)

2. Reserve water in a measuring cup and place rice, urad dal, channa dal and methi seeds in a food processor. Grind to a fine paste while adding water to produce a batter with the consistency

of pancake batter (should be pretty thick, simple test: if you pour a spoonful in a pan, it should not rapidly increase in size, that's an indication it has too much water). At this point, add the poha and continue processing until the batter is smooth.

3. Pour out the batter into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in a warm place for 6-12 hours. If that's not possible, heat the oven to 100F, let it cool a little and place it in the oven overnight. The dosa batter ferments best in a temperature similar to a hot summer day so if the oven temperature feels very hot, it will probably cook the batter. Unfortunately, this is not a step you can skip since it produces a unique taste in set dosas.

4. Pour out 1/4 cup of batter onto a well-oiled/seasoned pan. Cover with a lid until set dosa has bubbles on the surface. Place a few drops of oil onto the top surface and flip to cook the other side. Once done, you're ready to serve (or eat).

Yum, I just finished the leftover batter tonight and these pictures are making me drool... :P

Enjoy!!

'Til the next dish...

I'm back!!

2011-04-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Geez, the last post on this blog was in Oct of '09. '09! That feels like a lifetime ago...

Well, back to blogging! My professional life is finally settling down and I can devote more time to this blog. It was fun working on it two years ago and I'm hoping I can get to my original goal of increasing my repertoire of recipes as well as perfecting them for posting. :)

Random note: I've imagined writing this post for months now. I can't believe it took me so long to get an apology post in here. Ha, talk about procrastination. I definitely take it to a whole new level. *sheepish grin*

Shevai usli

2009-10-24T06:19:00.001-07:00

Health-0-meter: 4/5 (5 being the healthiest)
Ease: 4/5 (5 being the easiest)

I love shevai and shevai usli. The form of shevai most often eaten by Konkanis is made from a rice and coconut paste of sorts that is cooked and then pressed through a dye to get long thin noodles. Shevai usli (usli meaning spiced mix) is made using wheat noodles. I'm not familiar with the process of making the wheat version, but I know it's sold in a dried form in India. My parents always buy packs and packs of them so it looks like this favorite runs in the family! :)

This is a perfect recipe if you're looking for a quick and hearty breakfast that doesn't require a lot of talent to make. The bulk of the prep lies in rehydrating the noodles.

Ingredients:

4 cups dried shevai noodles (will yield ~1 cup cooked shevai per person for 2 people)
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds
3-4 dried red chillies
3-4 curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder (heeng)
1 tsp shredded unsweetened coconut
salt

1. Rehydrate noodles in room temperature water. Place noodles in bowl and fill with water until noodles are completely covered. Noodles are ready when they feel flexible and feel soft enough to chew (usually about 30 minutes). They will also change color and become a lighter shade of brown.

rehydrated shevai

2. Place 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop, add dried red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 10 - 15 seconds and add noodles. Add salt and asafoetida powder. Stir until mixed. Garnish with shredded coconut.

Spices used (L-R): dried red chillies, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, shredded coconut

What did I tell you? Quick n' easy. Once the noodles are rehydrated, it's about 10 minutes to get to the fully cooked stage. So, in under an hour, you have a hearty and authentic breakfast for 2 or more!

'Til the next dish...

Spicy curried potatoes

2009-09-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Health-0-meter: 3/5 (5 being healthiest)
Ease: 1/5 (5 being difficult)

I love potatoes. Hand me a freshly baked, salted and peppered potato and I will be your friend forever. A little S&P goes a long way, but it can get boring, which is where our good friends the spices step in!

While in Vegas, I happened to eat at an Indian restaurant and tasted something similar to this dish. It was pretty bland in my opinion, but it inspired me to make a more flavorful version. So, here it is! This is incredibly simple to prepare. It really doesn't need any culinary skill at all, which is why it's in my go-to recipe box when I'm out of ideas for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

2-3 medium or large potatoes
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (available at any Indian grocery store)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp Cumin & Coriander powder (1 tsp of each if you have the individual powders; Coriander is also known as Cilantro)
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp finely chopped Cilantro
1/2 tsp salt (more or less, depending on your taste)
2.5 tsp vegetable oil

1. Boil potatoes until fork tender. Cut into bite size pieces.

2. Place the oil in a skillet or wok and heat to high temp. Olive oil isn't the best choice of oil here as it has a low boiling point, meaning that high heat will cause it to scorch. Once the oil is hot, place the mustard and cumin seeds in the oil. The mustard seeds should sputter; once they're mostly done, add the green chillies and saute for a few seconds.

3. Add potato cubes to the oil. Gently stir potatoes so that they are all covered in the oil. Fry for 30 seconds, before gently stirring again. Once potatoes have browned on one side, add the remaining spices, except for the minced cilantro. Make sure the spices are evenly distributed; let potatoes sit for 4-5 minutes.

4. Add minced cilantro and gently stir to distribute. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Serve warm with rice or roti/naan.

Tips & Tricks: I cook potatoes in a pressure cooker (30 minutes total cooking time, 5 - 7 minutes on high heat, with the remainder at medium heat). After the potatoes are cooked, place them in the fridge for 5 - 10 minutes. When they are a little cooler, it is easier to remove the skins without getting potato flesh all over your hands. Potatoes cooked this way keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If mustard seeds are unavailable, they can be omitted. The flavor will be slightly different, but still delicious.

Calories:

*Calculations made with 2 medium and 1 large Russet potatoes. This makes enough for three generous 1/2 cup servings.

Potatoes: 625
Canola oil: 100
Spices: 25
Total: 750 calories, one serving: 250 calories

Pizza!

2009-09-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

Health-0-meter: 3/5 (5 being healthiest)
Ease: 3/5 (5 being difficult)

Man, do I love me some pizza! I never realized how much of a pizza-holic I was until I moved to NC. Not only do we buy a couple of frozen pizzas (individual sized only because our freezer isn't big enough) but I make pizza once a week. Actually, I make pizza if my basil plant is being good and grows enough leaves to make fresh pesto (another post). Alright, so I love pizza. Let's get into the recipe...

Ingredients:

1.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup warm water

*For a slightly thicker crust pizza, use the following recipe (same instructions as below):

2 cups flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup warm water

You have to arrange your ingredients like so, or it won't turn out right. I keed, I keed.

1. Place flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Mix well.

This is not mixed well, but it will be.

2. Make a well in the middle of the flour mix and pour olive oil and warm water. I don't use a thermometer, so I say the water is warm when I feel the warmth but it doesn't turn my palm red. If the water is too hot, you'll know because your dough will refuse to rise since you killed all the yeast.

3. Once it's all mixed together (you might need a tbsp or so more of flour if the dough is really wet), sprinkle flour on the counter and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Not long. You'll get your workout after it has risen.

Sticky dough.

4. Oil the bowl in which you made the dough. It shouldn't have lots of pizza dough stuck to the inside because that means your dough is too sticky and needs some flour.

Place your dough into the bowl and roll it around a few times to get a light film of oil over it. Cover with a towel and let it sit for 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Like so:

5. Place your palm on the surface and gently press on the dough to release the air. Also called "punching" the dough. Sprinkle flour on your work surface (counter) and knead the dough for a good 5 minutes. At this point, I like to sprinkle a good bit of finely minced fresh rosemary, dried basil or oregano. That way you get a spiced dough. Really quite good!

6. After the dough has been kneaded, shape it into a round ball and cover it with the towel again for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 550 for brick oven-style pizza or 450 for a slightly softer pizza, chop up your veggies and make your sauce.

Ready to roll.

7. Roll out the dough to approximately 10" if you want a thin crust or 8" if you want a thicker crust. Spread your sauce, sprinkle your toppings and place it on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. For brick oven style (550F), bake for 8 minutes. For a slightly softer crust (450F), bake for 10 - 12 minutes and then broil until the crust turns golden brown.

Enjoy! 'Til the next dish...

Sheera

2009-07-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Health-0-meter: 2/5 (5 being healthiest)
Ease: 1/5 (5 being difficult)

Sheera is my favorite Indian dessert of all time. It's served at religious rites (pujas) as well. The ingredients change depending on the rite (e.g chopped bananas). I always thought it was this intensely caloric comfort food, which it can be, but I did the nutritional analysis on my version and it wasn't too bad! Yay! More for me... :)

Ingredients:

Sooji/Rava - 1 cup
Ghee/butter - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom pods - 3*
Milk - 1 cup
Raisins - 1/4 cup
Almonds - 10 or 12, sliced or chopped into pieces
Cashews - 10 or 12, sliced or chopped into pieces

Almonds and cashews can be added in whatever quantity you like. I'm not a big fan of either in the raw form, but hubby loves them so I added the quantity called for in the recipe. If I was making it for myself, I would probably just put a couple of almonds.

*A note on cardamoms: They seeds you want are in the pods (see pics below). Use a rolling pin and crush the pods so that they open. Once open, take out the seeds within and discard the husks. Use the rolling pin to crush the seeds into a fine powder. Doesn't take more than a couple of minutes. Another option - you can leave the seeds as is, but I don't like it whole, so I tend to add the powdered version.

Raw sooji available in any Indian grocery store. This is the fine version, best used in sheera.

Cashews, almonds and cardamoms.

This little guy was naturally opened, giving us a peek into his heart. That's what the seeds look like.

Method:

1. Toast the nuts in a frying pan. No oil is needed. Keep stirring the nuts for 1 -2 minutes. You shouldn't have them turn a golden brown - that means they're too well done. It doesn't look very different from the raw form, but the taste between raw and toasted makes a world of a difference!

Toasted almonds and cashews (sorry for the blurry pic).

2. Add the tbsp of ghee or butter to the pan. As soon as it is done melting, add the sooji. Stir so that the ghee is completely mixed with the sooji. It will have the appearance of wet sand. Keep stirring for 4-5 minutes until it is toasted, at which point it will smell slightly nutty. Can't describe it, but you will get a faint [delicious] aroma. Toasting is very important! If the sooji isn't toasted, it could result in soggy sheera (blech).

While the sooji is toasting, bring the cup of milk to a low boil in a pot on another burner. It should not bubble, but it should be warm.

Toasty, toasty.

4. Add the cardamom powder or the whole seeds to the toasted sooji and stir until fully incorporated. The recipe I used added raisins to the sooji. I like raisins to be plump and juicy in the sheera so I added them to the milk while it was heating.

Almost there!

5. Add the milk to the pan containing the sooji. It will sputter at first, but will calm down in a minute. Mix thoroughly and stir in the sugar at this point. If the sugar is added before the milk, then it might caramelize due to the heat of the pan. Keep stirring until the mixture looks like raw cookie dough. Then take it off the burner and let it sit.

All done!

One serving of sheera right into my gaping maw. Yum!

And you're done! The whole process took me 20 minutes, so it's definitely easy to make and delicious to eat.

On to the nutritional analysis. The original recipe called for 3 tbsp of ghee and 3/4 cup of sugar. I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup and the ghee to 1 tbsp. I'm glad I did because it came out to the exact consistency that I love. :) I'm also the only Indian I know of who doesn't like her desserts on the sweet side. I'd like to take this opportunity to blame my mom as she brought my sis and me up with lo-everything - low fat, low sugar. I guess that's why I just couldn't accept the 3 tbsp even though I insist on following recipes to the letter when I make them for the first time. Hehehe... thanks Mom. :)

This recipe makes 2.75 cups of sheera. A serving size was designated as 1/2 cup.

Raisins, 1/4 cup (130)
Skim Milk, 1 cup (90)
Sugar, 1/2 cup (360)
Ghee, 1 tbsp (123)
Sooji, 1 cup (330)
Almonds & Cashews (170)
Cardamoms, 3 crushed (6)

Total calories: 1215

Calories per serving: 220 (see, not bad huh?)

'Til the next dish...

Pancakes!

2009-06-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

Health-o-meter:3/5 (5 being healthiest)

Ease: 1/5 (5 being difficult)

Ahhhh, pancakes. Fluffy, pillowy cakes dripping with sweet maple syrup. It's The American Breakfast. I've always used a pancake mix to make pancakes. I tried to make them from scratch once and they were rubbery and awful. I have since stuck to the mix...until now. I've been inspired by all these other blogs that I read to make my food from scratch. So...I've decided to start with the easiest, although a little tricky, recipe: Pancakes.

I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. It received 5-star reviews with almost all the reviewers saying this was the best-tasting and fluffiest pancake. I did a little additional research on making pancakes, that I believe made them come out as fluffy as can be. I'll share those tips as we make our way through the recipe.

Supposedly, this recipe made 8 pancakes. I got 12. Next time, I'll cut the recipe in half since I have some extra that no doubt will get inedible by the time we are in the mood to snack on pancakes.

First, the dry ingredients (this will make 12):

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
3.5 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

The wet ingredients:

1.25 cups milk, slightly warmed
1 egg (room temperature)
1.5 tbsp butter (melted)
1 tsp vanilla

The original recipe called for 3 tbsp of butter. When I saw how much that was, I cut it down to half. I think next time I'll omit it all together and see what happens. I didn't feel like it tasted buttery or needed that butter flavor.

1. In a standard mixing bowl, whisk all dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. If possible, sift all ingredients. This has been suggested as a tip to make pancakes fluffy. I just whisked the dry ingredients for a couple of minutes and made sure it was all mixed and ours came out fluffy.

2. In a second mixing bowl, whisk all wet ingredients - egg, milk, butter and vanilla. To bring the egg to room temperature quickly, run it under warm tap water for a minute or so. Microwave the milk for 30 sec. Melt the butter using the microwave as well. Whisk all wet ingredients very well. I start out beating the egg and making sure there are lots of air bubbles. Then I add milk and vanilla, with the melted butter added last.

3. After the wet ingredients are mixed well, pour into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. This may seem like a waste of time, but the separation of wet and dry ingredients is what makes pancakes an "easy" recipe as opposed to "tricky". If the wet ingredients are directly added to the dry ingredients, and then whisked, the batter will end up tough because of the gluten that has formed. To minimize gluten formation, whisk the wet ingredients separately and then add it to the dry ingredients, whisking gently until the batter comes together. I whisked the batter for 2-3 minutes, even though there were lumps. Lumps in pancake batter are not an issue, apparently. Mine was very lumpy (I did NOT want rubbery pancakes) and they came out totally fine.

When your batter looks like this:

Closeup of batter

it's ready to go. Let it sit uncovered for 30 minutes at room temperature.

4. Bring a griddle or frying pan to medium-high heat. I use a nonstick griddle so I didn't need oil or butter before pouring batter onto the pan. If you don't have a nonstick griddle - invest in one! - add about 1/2 tsp of oil before pouring batter. Once batter is poured I put a few drops around the edge of the pancake to crisp it up even further. When your pancake looks like this:

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble...

it's ready to be flipped. After flipping, do NOT press down on it - this will remove any fluffiness that was created! Let it cook for another 30 seconds and then transfer to a plate.

And there you go!! Fabulous, fluffy pancakes. Drizzle with warm maple syrup. For an extra touch of decadence, add a pat of butter on top of the stack. I don't like the taste so I don't add it. Plus, I wanted to keep the health-o-meter within my scale. :)

'Til the next dish...

Gobi Manchurian

2009-06-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

Health-0-meter: 2/5 (5 being healthiest)
Ease: 2/5 (5 being difficult)

I first tasted this dish in India, and found out that it was invented in India for Indians who wanted Chinese food, but with an Indian taste. Sounds weird, but really it's quite a delicious combination!

Last night, I was feeling lazy and not in the mood to cook so we went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. They're one of the few restaurants I know of that have dinner buffets and on a Friday no less! Lucky for us, they decided to feature gobi manchurian on their menu, and I got really excited! Too bad it tasted awful - the cauliflower tasted gummy and the sauce was too thin and had a strong tomato taste. Ugh.

This is the second gobi dish in the last two weeks, so you might be thinking I love this veggie. Well, yes and no. I do love a good cauli dish, for sure, but I had half a head of cauli sitting in the frig and I didn't want it to go bad. Plus, my sis-in-law makes *great* gobi manchu and I had to make good use of the recipe I begged for and got. :)

On to the recipe!

Sauce (traditional):

Soy Sauce 1/4 cup
Ketchup 1/4 cup

*We didn't have ketchup at home and the hubs was grossed out at the thought of ketchup in his main dish, so we got steak sauce instead. We used 1/2 cup of the steak sauce.

The steak sauce we used

Try it on chicken, steaks, burgers... and indochinese food!

For the rest:

Cauliflower, split into florets*
6 green chillies, medium sized**
1 tbsp garlic, grated
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp corn oil (or vegetable oil)

*Make sure florets are not too big as they will not cook all the way through when fried. The smaller the better, but that can get too time consuming if there are too many florets.

**Chillies can be added/subtracted according to taste. We found 6 chillies to be perfect. If you want it spicier, add more. If you're not too fond of spice, cut down on the number of chillies.

Garlic/ginger paste can be used, but fresh always tastes better.

Batter:

All purpose flour, 1/4 cup
Cornstarch, 2 tbsp
Salt, to taste
Water, 1/4 cup
Oil for frying

The ratio of flour to cornstarch is 2:1, if the recipe needs to be scaled up.

1. To make the batter, mix the flour and cornstarch and salt with a whisk. When thoroughly mixed, add the water and use a fork to mix. Batter shouldn't be too thick, i.e. should be able to coat the cauliflower florets without too much of the cauliflower peeking through.

2. Wash the florets and dry them thoroughly. If even slightly wet, they will either not stick to the batter, or will splatter in the oil (bad, BAD situation).

My florets are ready to be dipped and fried!

3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok. Make sure oil is at 350F (use a candy thermometer). If you don't have a thermometer (like me), place a drop of batter into the oil. The oil should bubble furiously around it - that's when it's ready to go. Use a metal slotted spoon with a long handle when frying. Placed fried florets on paper towels to drain while the sauce is made.

Yummy, delicious fried cauliflower

4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Placed the chopped chillies, grated ginger and garlic into the oil and cook until the ginger/garlic is almost brown, but not quite. When it looks like the picture below, it's ready.

5. Add the florets and stir on a low flame. Once the ginger/garlic/chilli mix has sufficiently coated the florets, add the sauce. Make sure the florets are thoroughly coated with the sauce. This is the "dry" version of this dish. More sauce can be added according to personal taste.

And voila! You are done and ready to eat! They came out absolutely perfect and delicious. Try it, you'll love it!

'Til the next dish...

Alu Gobi

2009-06-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Health-0-meter: 4/5 (5 being healthiest)
Ease: 2/5 (5 being difficult)

In Hindi, Alu means potato and Gobi means cauliflower. We Indian folk like to name our foods after what it contains. Makes it easier when planning dinner "Hey you guys want alu gobi?" versus "Would you lot care for black pudding?" See what I mean about knowing what's in your food?

Most Indian dishes begin with the trifecta of onions, garlic and ginger. This one is no different. The combined flavors give each curry their distinctive taste that makes them so yummy! The important part is to make sure that the ratio of garlic and ginger is 1:1 and that the onions are cooked thoroughly. Too much of one will overpower the other and will make the dish taste different. Uncooked onions will be noticed, trust me. I was impatient the first time I made it and it tasted really off.

On to the recipe!

You will need:

A wok or a pan with at least 2" high sides
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium potato, diced (bite size pieces)
1/2 lb cauliflower florets (broken into individual florets)
5-6 baby carrots, sliced into rounds
1 medium onion, finely diced
1.5 tsp (2 cloves) garlic, finely minced
1.5 tsp Ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2.5 cups of water
Salt
1 tsbp of corn oil (or vegetable oil)

A note on ingredients: Everytime I've made this dish, I've used fresh veggies. I'm not sure how frozen veggies would work; I'm guessing they would need to be completely thawed and microwaved to remove any water and then added to the curry for 10-15 minutes before serving for them to take in the spices.

These spices are common in Indian cooking and can be purchased at any Indian store. Eyeballing is key in Indian cooking. If the amounts of ginger and garlic look about the same, it will work out fine. Exact measurements were provided for those incredibly anal-retentive cooks like me.

1. Measure out garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and cumin seeds. Mince garlic and grate ginger. Finely chop onion. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in wok/frying pan. Add garlic and ginger and stir rapidly for 20 - 30 seconds. They should NOT turn brown, that means the garlic is burnt and it will impart a bitter taste to the curry.
3. At this point, add the onions. Here's the tricky part. The oil might not seem like it will be enough to cook the onions, however do NOT add any extra oil or your curry will taste oily. Make sure the onions are mixed well enough that the garlic and ginger and oil are evenly distributed. Keep the heat to a medium-high and stir every 2-3 minutes until the onion looks caramelized. Like so:

See how the volume has decreased (water loss) and more importantly, see how they're shiny in the second pic? That's the oil re-appearing! It's a good indication that the onions are done. When they look like the pic above (right), turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the spices - garam masala, cumin seeds, turmeric and chilli powder. Mix until all the onions are coated with them. Keep stirring for another 2-3 minutes. The spices need the heat of the pan to release their flavor and to get into the onions.

5. Add the tomato and the tomato paste. If stirring is difficult, add about 1/2 cup of water to help stir the mixture. If the onions are well cooked, then adding the water and stirring should result in a paste.

6. Add the vegetables and make sure they are well coated with the paste. Stir for 1 minute.

7. Add water to cover all the veggies (see pic below). At this point, add the salt. Potatoes can absorb a lot of salt, so add a little more than necessary. Leave on medium low for 30 - 40 minutes without a lid to cook. Stir every 5 minutes or so until vegetables are tender and liquid has reduced to half the original volume.

Enjoy! Til the next dish...

The beginning...

2009-06-22T17:08:00.001-07:00

My love of cooking started at a young age. As a small child, I remember waking up one night and trotting into the kitchen to make "icing". I took a bowl, dumped sugar, yogurt and ice into it and began mixing furiously. In my naivete, I thought this is what made up icing as it matched the sweetness, texture and temperature. My mom woke up with the noise and asked me what I was doing, to which I replied "I'm making icing!" Needless to say, she wasn't happy. She promised to teach me how to make it in the morning and threw out the mess. I still don't know how to make icing without looking at a recipe, so suffice to say she never taught me how to make it - thanks Mom.

Fast forward a decade or so later, and here I am - newly married and unemployed, with a kitchen all to myself! Paradise! I've decided to start a blog documenting my trials, tribulations and successes on my road to culinary expertise. I have grand plans for this blog. I'm hoping to take beautiful pictures that will provide step-by-step instructions that will help those interested in recreating dishes that I have made. I'm also going to include my mistakes and possible corrections. Maybe include healthier substitutions? Told you my plans were grand.

Til the next dish...

P.S: My sis just sent me a screenshot of my blog as seen in the U.A.E. What do you think?