Saturday, March 6
Garlic Butter Naan - Simply delicious
NAAN' , a leavened Indian flatbread, is made with yeast and all purpose flour with/without flavorings and is made in tandoor. It bears a resemblance to pita, but is softer in texture. In Persia the word 'Naan' literally means "Bread".
Though i wanted to post this recipe for a long time, but as i could never click the step by step pictures, so couldn't post it till now. This time too ; its not all perfect but still better. First time before making these delicious garlic naan's ,I browsed the net a lot for all the possible ways of cooking them; in tandoor, oven or stove top. Tandoor one is obviously the best and the correct way, but that couldn't be done at home. And out of the other two, i felt that stove top one gave better results, more softer and more tandoor like cooked. So i made these naan over the stove and believe me, they come out perfect everytime.
I sticked to yeast as I simply love the dough getting double in volume and the aroma of yeast that fills the whole house. Also i wanted to make it as perfect as possible, we don't make them often at home , so whenever we make it should be a treat, all perfect... isin't it.
Ingredients:
All purpose flour 3 cups
Active dry yeast 1 tsp
Warm water 2/3 cup
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves(cilantro)
1/2 tsp Kalonji (onion seeds)
Salt to taste
Garlic-butter topping:
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
Method:
Take warm water; mix yeast, salt and sugar in it until the yeast has dissolved. Set aside for 10mins till the yeast gets activated(forms a froth).
Sift the flour and add coriander leaves , mix well.
Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture.
Mix well to make a soft dough. Add more warm water if required.
Knead for 3-4mins. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for about 2 to 3 hrs till the dough doubles in volume.
Now punch the dough again for 2- 3 more minutes .
Make balls from the dough and roll them. Roll them into a oblong with a rolling pin dusting with flour.
Sprinkle kalonji over it, press a bit.(optional)
Cooking over stove top:
Heat the pan on high.
Apply a little water on one side of the naan (uncooked naan only) .
Put the naan on the tava(avoid non stick pan), with the wet side down. Press it slighly with a cloth or a napkin, so as to stick it on the pan.
Within seconds , you can see small bubbles, turn the pan upside down, so as the naan is over the direct fire.
Cook it rotating the pan a bit , so as to cook the naan uniformally all over.
Check for brown spots. The naan starts to fall down by its own when cooked.
Turn the pan again and apply garlic butter mixture over the charred cooked side.
Serve hot with any curry of your choice.
Tips:
Do not make them too thick as they puff up when baked.
For oblong shape, roll it circular and while putting on the hot griddle pull it from one side to get the shape.
If using oven, set to broiler and place the Naan on a baking sheet, top the naan with some butter and put it inside the broiler. Check for dark spots, turn and repeat the procedure.
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Wednesday, October 21
Moong Daal Halwa
Moong ki dal ka seera or halwa is a diwali special sweet, as its made as a bhog for prayers of divas on the eve of Deepawali in our marwari customs. This authentic Rajasthani recipe is very popular in winter in wedding dinners too. This was the first time i made it, as till now i never ever dared to make this labour intensive and high in calories sweet. I remember my mom making it, and her hands, red, after stirring it continously for so long (she used to make the delicious halwa in huge quantity, as we as kids used to love it, and needn't to be calorie consicious then)..
Every year i used to make the easy one, Aate ka halwa, in its place, but this year somehow decided to give it a try, though in a very small quantity. And believe me, all the effort it takes is worth it. It came out really delicious, and as i made it in less quantity, so it wasn't so much work too.. :)
Warning: This recipe needs a high amount of ghee and therefore ,should not be eaten in large amount.
Ingredients:
1 cup Dhuli Moong Daal (split yellow lentils without skin)
1 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 pods green cardamom split
1/2 tsp Saffron, soaked in a little milk
1/2 cup khoya (/mava)
1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruits
Method:
Wash the moong daal and soak it in plenty of water overnight.(or atleast 3-4 hours)
Grind the daal into a coarse paste without adding any water while grinding.
Prepare a sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency and add saffron strands and cardamom pods to the syrup. Cover and set aside.
Now, warm the ghee in a heavy-bottomed (can use non-stick) pan on a medium flame.
Add the moong daal paste to this ghee and stir to mix. Cook the moong daal, stirring frequently (almost continously) on a medium flame to avoid sticking at the bottom till it begins to turn golden brown and the aroma eludes.
This step takes time and energy, and one needs to be patient..;)
Now add the khoya (/mava) and mix well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Finally add the sugar syrup (cardamom pods removed) and mix thoroughly. It gets softer after this.
Cook on a medium flame for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Lastly add the dried fruits and switch it off.
Garnish with chopped nuts and serve.
Tips:
If halwa is dry , as per ur taste, can add more water while making sugar syrup.
At last, if you feel its still a bit dry, can add milk to it too to get the desired consistency.
If initially the ghee is too hot, lumps may get formed, don't worry keep stirring and break the lumps.
In this recipe sugar is on a bit lesser side, can add more if u have a sweet tooth.
Since i didn't had the khoya i added 3-4 pieces of Haldiram's kesari peda(grated) into it. It gave a nice taste as well as color to it. But yep sugar needs to be adjusted accordingly..
It takes a long time and lot of patience to saute the dal and prepare this halwa, so don't rush up.
You can make a larger quantity of this recipe and store it refrigerated for several weeks. Just add a little milk to the halwa before reheating it.
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These are few other Diwali Farsans ,that i did made.. Chiwda, Mathri's, Nimki(or salted sakarparee), Dahi wade, Besan ke ladoo, Moong daal Halwa and lastly Haldiram's Kesari peda's..(ofcourse i can't make something so perfect)
Wishing all my readers a very Happy and prosperous Diwali ...
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Sending this to Diwali Dhamaka at Purva's Daawat.
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Tuesday, October 13
Yogurt Salad
For a healthy balanced diet we do need to incorporate some salad varieties in our diet. Having same salad daily too won't help us much. And as, nowadays we do eat a lot of spicy as well as junk food, so a great way to cool our stomach is a Yogurt based salad, and that too with a combination of cucumbers, is the best to cool ourselves. This salad goes perfectly with our indian food. We can say its a sort of Tzatziki , a Greek starter dish, which basically contains cucumber with yogurt, olive and herb dressing as its main ingredients...It itself is quite filling, so can be made for light meals too.
Ingredients:
Fresh Yogurt 1/2 cup
Tomato 1
Onions diced 1
Cucumber, deseeded 1
Fresh corn kernels 1/3 cup
Lettuce(/Cubed cabbage leaves)
Capsicum 1 small
Mixed herbs
Feta cheese(/ crumbled paneer) 1 tbsp
lemon juice 1 tsp
Extra Virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
Crushed fresh pepper 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Method:
Firstly make hung curd. Simply put the curd in a muslin cloth and hang it at some convinient location, so as all the water drips, needs to be done for atleast about 15-20 minutes.
Next chop the tomato into small cubes, remove all the seeds and the juice .
Deseed cucumber with the help of spoon and chop it too into small cubes.
Chop capsicum into small pieces.
Also shred 3-4 lettuce leaves( or can make big squares of cabbage leaves instead).
Take fresh corn and cut corn kernels out of it with a knief( better don't use canned ones, it makes a huge difference in taste)
Now, mix all the other salad dressing ingredients(except salt), and toss gently.
Chill in refrigerator till the time of serving.
Before serving add salt to taste.
Tips:
DO NOT add salt beforehand , as the whole salad gets watery, and looses its texture.
Do remove all the water from tomato , as well as washed lettuce leaves(better dry it with paper towel, as it may contain lots of water after washing)
Best served chilled.
Sending this to
EC of simple indian Food for WYF: Light meals Event.
Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes for No Croutons required.
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Wednesday, October 7
Pickled onions
Whenever i used to go to resturants , was always fascinated by these red small cute onions, and liked them a lot. By tasting it i could only understand that they are vinegar soaked, but how??, Can i do it at home?? howa'z the color so bright red?? So just browsed , and got to know that as simple they look, they are as simple to make, and can be stored for later use too...
The seasonings can also be varied as per your taste, so enjoy these pickled onions...
Ingredients:
Shallots 10 -15 in number
Sugar 2 tsp
Whole black pepper 10-12
Bay leaves 2-3
Cinnamon 1 piece
White rice vinegar 1/2 cup
Beetroot, small cubes 3-4
Salt to taste
Method:
Simply peel the small onions, set aside.
In a small non reactive bowl add vinegar, sugar, whole black peppers, bay leaves, cinnamom and bring it to a boil.
Add small onions and salt to taste.
Add canned cubed beetroot, and let it simmer for some time(4-5 minutes).( Your whole house would be filled with the aroma of vinegar...)
Switch off the gas and allow it to cool.
Have it as side dish with your daily menu.
Tips:
You can store it it fridge for upto a month in sirtight jar
If beetroot is not there , you will get a slight pink color, and not much difference in taste. For red color , you can add etable red color to it.
These vinegar soaked pickled onions can also be made with thinly sliced onions rings in a similar fashion.
Can be done with red wine vinegar too..
Also read somewhere , you can also make pickled red beet egg , by replacing onions with hard boiled eggs. I shall also try it out soon..
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