French Salad with Indian Mint Dressing

Recipe by my hubby Murali

Ingredients 

1.Lettuce - One bunch - Chopped
2.Grated Carrots - 2 Medium size
3.Cucumber -2 Medium sized (cubed)
4.Yellow/Red/Orange/Green Bell Pepper (Any or All, cubed, fried with little olive oil (1 tea spoon) on high heat for a minute)
5.Olives - Chopped - 2 tablespoon 
6.Tomatoes - 2 Medium Sized cut in to cubes
7.Apple - Cut it to Cubes
8.Pine Nuts and Walnuts - 1 table spoon (dry roasted and crushed)

Dressing:

 9. Mint leaves - 1 bunch
10. Green Chilly - 2

11.Coriander leaves - 1 cup

12.Olive oil - 2 table spoon

Procedure:

1. Dressing: Grind Mint leaves, green chilies and coriander leaves with little water into thin smooth paste, add Olive oil and mix well. Store in refrigerator for few minutes. 
2. In a large bowl, mix all vegetables and apple (1 to 7), 
3. For crunch, you can add Nuts (8), 
4. Add 2 tablespoon of mint dressing.
5. Add salt and pepper as per the taste.
6. Garnish with salad cream.(optional)

*Grated radish can be added if desired. 

Eggless Cinnamon Rolls

 

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 Cup Maida
1 Cup Wheat Flour (Instead of this you can chose to use 2 Cups of Maida)

Instant Yeast 6gms
1 Tspn Vanilla Extact
3 Tbspoons Butter

For Spread:
1/2 tspoon butter
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbl spoon Cinnamon powder

For Glazing:

2 Tblspoon Melted Butter

1 Cup of Icing Sugar
1 Tspoon of Vanilla Extract
Milk or Warm Water to make it soup consistency

Stage 1 :

Yeast Preparation:

For Instant Yeast: You may use it direcly by mixing 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, Vanilla Extract, 3/4 to 1 cup of milk and Butter and knead to make soft dough.

For Active Dry Yeast: Take 3/4 to 1 Cup luke warm milk (about 100 degrees, Add 1 Tbspoon of Yeast, 1 Tbspoon of Sugar, mix it and leave it for 15 minutes until the mixutre becomes frothy).

Always use Fresh yeast.

 

2. Dough Preparation:

1.Take 2 cups of flour, 1/3 cup of Sugar, 1 Tspoon of Salt and mix well.

2.To This dry mixture add melted butter and frothed yeast mixture.

3.Make a sticky, stiff dough.

4.Dust the flour on the counter and knead the dough on this until it becomes non-sticky and stiff dough like chapathi dough.

5.Take a large bowl, grease it and keep this dough covered in a sunny spot for an hour and allow it to raise to double its size.

 

3. Preparing Cinnamon Mixture:

Take a bowl, and mix in 1 Tbl  spoon of Cinnamon powder and 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar. You may chose to add powdered nuts as well.

4.Preparing the Rolls :

The dough size will double after 1 hr, knead it again nicely and spread it with a roller like chapatti and apply butter evenly and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar powder. Then roll in to a tube from the long side. At the end pinch and seal the edges well.Cut into 1 inch thick swirls.

Grease the baking tray and place them next to each other with enough space between each other.

Cover it and and rest it for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes allowing it to raise 2nd time. See below pictures.

 

5.Baking:
After it raises 2nd time, brush it with butter and bake it for 15-20 minutes until it turns light brown(duration varies on your oven, check closely last few minutes) at 200 degrees temp(350 D F).

6.Preparing Glaze:

Take 2 Tbspoons of melted butter, add 1 cup of icing sugar and mix well. To this mixture add milk or warm water until you get a thick soup consistency.

Once you remove the tray after baking, drizzle this glazing on top of all rolls in the desired shape.

Serve hot with a Cup of Coffee! Enjoy

 

(Note: I have not glazed my Rolls in this picture)

Nipattu - Baked

 

Ingredients:

1. 2 Cups Wholewheat

2. 4 tsp Peanuts (coarsely powdered), 1 tspoon of Sesame Seeds. 

3. 1/3 cup oil

 

4. 4 Tbsp butter (melted)

 

5. 1 large sized finely chopped onion

 

6. 2 green chillies finely chopped

 

7. 2 Tbspoons chopped coriander leaves

8. 2 Tbspoons chopped Curry leaves 

9. 1 tsp Salt (to your taste), 1/2 tsp Sugar

 

10. Warm water - 4-5 spoons if needed only.

Method:

1.Take a large bowl and put in Wheat, Peanuts, sesame seeds, onions, salt, sugar, chopped coriander leaves, curry leaves, green chillies and mix well.

2.Add the oil and butter one after the other and mix well into a dough. If it get crumbly then add warm water little by little and make it to a soft dough.

3.Knead well for about 2 minutes and cover this with a damp cloth.

4.Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

5.Pre-heat the oven to 200 degee for 10 minutes.

6.Make small balls out of the dough, press them betwen your palms into thin discs and place them on a greased baking tray.

7.Poke them with a fork, to avoid puffing.

8.Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until they are brown.Watch it closely in last few minutes as the onions may over bake!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dil Pasand - Sweet Delicious Crunchy Sweet Puff

This is indeed my most favourite amongst everything else that is available @ Bangalore Iyengar Bakeries. Crispy and Flaky textured with yummy tutti futti filling.   Very easy puff to make. This yields about 4 rounds of Dil Pasand, which can be cut into decent sized 4 pieces.

Ingredients: 2 cups of fresh grated coconut (used frozen an alternative) 3/4 cup Sugar Mixture of Raisins, Cashews and Almonds (coarsely pwdrd) 1 tsp Cardamom powder 1/4 tspoon Nutmeg powder  Puff Pastry sheets 1/4 Cup of Tutti Fruitty (Colourful will look awesome)

Method:

1) Take a large pan, add grated coconut and fry over

medium heat for 3 to 4 mts just to remove the extra moisture.

 

2) Add sugar, mix well and cook for 3 to 4 mts.

 

3) Add cardamom powder, dry fruits, nutmeg, and mix well.

 

4) Finally add tutti fruity. Mix well and shut off the flame. Let this mixture cool to room temperature.

 

 

5) Take puff pastry sheets at room temperature.

Cut into in two rounds, one bigger and the other little

smaller in size(about an inch smaller than the other one)

 7) Put stuffing over a big one, spread evenly about an inch thickness and place another small round over filling and seal its edges using little milk.

 

8) Give it a milk wash. (Using pastry brush coat Dil pasand with milk to obtain crispy golden brown coating). You can choose to brush it with Butter or Ghee.

 

9) Now bake with edges covered facing up over 200 degrees for 30 mts.(Watch out as the timing for browning may vary from oven to oven)

 

10)After 30 minutes turn off the oven and leave it in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

 

Take it out! Cut, Bite and Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Let me know if you too like Dil Pasand and share your memories here...

 

 

 

 

Whole Wheat Sesame n Cumin Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups  Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds (White Hulled)
• 1 Tbl spoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
• 1/4 cup Oil (Non Hydrogenated)
• 8 to 9 tablespoons Water (adjust to Chapathi/Roti dough consistency)

 

 

 

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C for 15 minutes.
2. While the oven is preheating, in a medium bowl sift the flours and salt. Add the all ingredients except oil and mix well.
3. Add the oil. Add water little by little to form the dough into a ball and easy enough to roll.
4. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll each balls like rotis and cut into squares.  Repeat the same with the other half too. (thick and thin crackers both tastes good so go by your preference, i like the thin ones more) Dust some flour to roll easily.
5. Place the squares on a wax sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crackers are crisp. The baking time depends on the thickness of the squares.
6. Store in a tightly covered container up to 1 week.

 

White Bread

Cook time: 25-30 Mins
Yields: 2 Loaves

Ingredients:

5 to 6 cups Maida (1 Cup = 250gms)

2 packets for Instant Yeast (I used DCL Instant Yeast) (for every 500gms of flour use 7 grams of instant yeast)

3 tablespoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Salt

1 and 1/2 cups Water

1/2 cup Milk

2 tablespoons Butter

 

Procedure:

1. In a  pan heat water, milk and butter until very warm. Use a candy thermometer and warm till the  temperature is between 120F-130F.
2. Mix  2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt in a large bowl.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the flour/yeast mix.
4. Use an electric mixer at medium speed and beat for about 2 minutes. Stir in another cup of flour, beat again for 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl as needed or hand mix it by adding flour until you get a nice stretchy dough.
5. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. (Qty of dough depends on its moisture contents in it, go by your instinct, until it forms a nice smooth dough.
6. Lightly flour the surface you will be working on and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
7. Cover; let rise 10 minutes.
8. Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 12×7 inch rectangle. Beginning at short end of each rectangle, roll up tightly. Pinch seams and ends to seal completely.
9. Grease two 8×4 inch loaf pans and place the dough seam sides down.
10. Cover using plastic wrap; let rise in warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. (See My Notes).
11. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 200C for about 15 minutes.
12. When the dough has doubled in size, using the pastry brush, smear the loaf by dipping it in milk. That's Milk Wash. This makes the bread layer to get golden brown colour.
13. Bake it for 25-30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.(You can chose to reduce the yeast amount and increase the time for rise, but make sure the dough is doubled in size before you bake.
14. Like always you have to wait for the bread to come to room temperature before you can cut it into slices. If you prefer eating warm bread then just apply some butter and tear it off and enjoy.

Try it with half a quantity mentioned above to get one loaf, it still works perfectly! Good Luck!

Masala Sandwich Dosa

Ingredients for Aloo/Potato Masala

Onions – 2

Aloo – 3 (boiled, peeled and mashed)

Coriander, Curry leaves

Green Chillies – 2 (depending on your spice levels)

Salt, ½ tsp, Sugar

Mustard - 1 tspoon

Channa Dal - 1 tspoon

Urad Dal - 1/2 tspoon

Ginger – Chopped to fine pieces (use paste if you don’t like the taste of ginger in bits)

 

Method to prepare Potato Masala

Heat the oil in the pan. Add Mustard once it splatters add Channa dal, Urad dal, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and Onions. Saute until Onion turns pink, add sugar, salt and mashed potatoes.

Saute for 3-4 minutes, sprinkle some water and garnish with coriander leaves.

 

Method to prepare Batter:

You can either buy or prepare dosa batter then add coriander, curry leaves, green chillies, to it.

 

Now prepare the dosa:

Now take two slices of bread fill in the masala and press it.

Dip this in the batter and roast on both sides in a high edged pan by smearing with oil.

Cut into triangles, garnish with coriander and Serve Hot!!!

 

P.S:If you like to prepare the batter, below is the recipe for the same:

Ingredients:

 

2 cups Rice

1 cup Black gram

2 tbsp. Bengal gram

2 tbsp. Toor dal

1 Cup Aval/Avalakki/Poha/Beaten Rice

Salt to taste

 

Method:

Soak rice, black gram, bengal gram, toor dal, Beaten rice together for 5 hours.

Grind to a fine paste with water. 

Add salt and keep covered for whole night in a warm place. So that it will ferment.

Next day beat the batter well and it is ready to make dosas.

Capsicum Masala Idli

Try this recipe, if you want to treat yourself or your family with a colourful breakfast.

Ingredients:   1 cup black gram2 cups idli rava 1/4 cup bengal gram 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut 2-3 green chillies, chopped 1/2 tsp. pepper corn, crushed 1 Tbspn curry leaves 1/2 cup Chopped onions 1 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves 1 tbsp. oil Salt to taste. Colourful Capsicum/Peppers : Cut to rings.

Method: Soak the black gram for 5 hours. Grind smoothly by adding little water and keep aside. (batter should be thick). Wash idli rave in warm water and strain, mix idli rave with ground paste. Add salt and mix well. Cover the lid and keep this mixture for whole night.Next day soak bengal gram for 2 hours and drain.Add this dal, onions, coriander, curry leaves Green Chillies and mix well.  Cut Capsicum into rings place them around the idly cups in greased idly plates and pour the batter. Repeat it with all the idli plates. Place idli stand in a pressure cooker and steam cook for 20-25 minutes, without putting vent in a medium flame. Serve hot with any Chutney.

 

Eggless Banana Pound Cake

Ingredients:
 
A. Dry Ingredients
 

2 and 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour (1Cup is 250ml)

3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Salt

 

B.

 

1/2 cup Melted Butter

 

C.

 

1/2 cup Yogurt

1 teaspoon Vanilla Flavour

1 cup Mashed Bananas - 2 Large Size

 

Method:

 

Preheat the oven to 180C-200C for 15 minutes.

 

Take a cake tin, line wax paper and grease it with oil and sprinkle some flour.

 

Melt the butter and allow it to cool to room temperature.

 

In a blender blend yoghurt, mashed bananas and vanilla flavour. To this  mixture add the butter when it is completely cool.

 

In another large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

 

Pour the batter to greased Cake Tin, tap it to make it even and sprinkle almond slices.

 

Bake it for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

 

Allow the cake to cool, remove from the pan and slice.

 

Khara Buns

Khara Buns or Spicy buns are a speciality in Bangalore's(Karnataka to be precise) Iyengar Bakeries . We have grown up eating these. Before Marriage it used to my grandfather who used to bring these home so often and later it was my father-In-Law who is so fond of these buns and used to insist us to eat it hot as soon as he gets them from a nearby Bakery.

I baked these using my little cute Black & Decker OTG. I used both up and down heating for baking these buns @ the temperature setting between 180 to 200 Degree C for about 23 minutes. The Aroma while baking these were divine. I hope you try them too.

Ingredients: -

For the dough: -

1 and a 1/2 cups Maida

1 1/2 tsp Instant or Active dried Yeast

1/4 cup Milk

1 1/2 tsp Sugar

1/2 cup Water

2tbsp Ghee dough preparation

Salt

Keep extra 1 Tbstp Milk for Milk wash

After baking:

1 tbsp for brushing the buns after baking

For Masala: -

2 Onions(approximately 3/4 cup) Finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Mustard

2 Sprigs of Curry Leaves

A pinch Asafoetida

Salt to taste

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

3-4 Green Chillies(to your spice level)

1 Teaspoon Oil

Coriander leaves Finely Chopped

To Prepare Onion Masala:

1. In a hot pan add a teaspoon of oil.

2. Add a pinch of asafoetida & mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add curry leaves, green chilies & turmeric. Roast for a few seconds.

3. Add finely chopped onion & little salt. Saute till the onion becomes transparent. Shut off the flame.

4. Garnish with finely chopped coriander & Transfer the contents to another bowl from the pan and  keep aside for cooling.

To Prepare the dough:

1. Mix water & milk & microwave till Luke warm.

2. Blend in sugar & yeast to the luke warm milk. Set it aside for 10 - 15 minutes till the milk mixture becomes frothy. This activates the yeast.

3. In a large bowl add 2 tbsp of ghee first, then 1 and a half cup of maida, salt and  activted yeast mixture.

4. Knead the dough well and add more of Maida if required to adjust the dough. The dough should be sticky.

5. Take dough out of the bowl on to a clean working area either on directly on to the cleaned platform for a board. Knead the dough well to make it non-sticky by dusting maida.

7. In the centre of the dough make a pit and place the onion mixture.

8. Knead well so that the masala mixes evenly into the dough. Usually it turns moist dust it with maida to adjust the dough.

10. Transfer to a steel bowl, keep the dough covered by a dry towel or paper  in a warm place for a minimum of 2-3 hours. The dough doubles in quantity.

11. Punch the dough down & knead well for 5-6 minutes..

12. Pre-heat the oven for around 10 minutes at 180-200 Deg C.

14. Divide the dough into equal portions.

15. Give each portion a bun shape & place it on a on a baking tray.

16. Using a pastry brush, brush each portion with Milk for the browning reaction.This gives bun golden brown colour.

17. Place the baking tray into the oven & let the buns bake for 20 - 30 minutes.

19. Once the buns turn golden brown, remove from the oven & brush each one with the remaining table spoon of ghee. This helps bun in retaining soft crust and brown colour.

20. Serve warm or cold with a cup of coffee or Tea.