Pakora Khuzambhu | Onion Fritters Curry

Kuzhambu  is a cherished curry dish in my home. Combining flavors of spicy, sweet, tart - it makes for the perfect curry. I blogged about my favorite Tomato Kuzhambhu a couple of years back. Today its a recipe for yet another delicious and tangy curry - Pakora Kuzhambu. Crispy onion pakoras, deep fried and golden, dipped in a spicy tamarind and coconut milk curry!! Could you ask for more?

Namkeen Kulkul | Karam Ghavalu | Spicy Crisp Shells

Namkeen Kulkul or Karam Ghavalu is a delicious snack that comes from Western India. My first introduction to Kulkul was in its sweet form. The spicy one I came to know of many years later. I love both forms of Kulkul and this Diwali I made the spicy one for family and friends. I love to add sesame seeds in Namkeens and I chose to add a good handful in this version of Kulkul. The result was really good - the Kulkul was crunchy with the seeds adding some extra flavor and texture to this snack.

Pithi | Peethi | Pitha | Lentil Filled Rice Flour Dumplings #Bihari Kitchen #Vegan

Its been ages since I made any steamed food. After our move, I had parked our steamer away in the back of my pantry. But with the coming of the festival season, we are all craving snacks! This year I decided to begin with making steamed snacks. I began with some Dhokla and the next on my list to make was Pithi | Peethi | Lentil Filled Rice Dumplings.

Thattai | Crispy Rice Flour Crackers

The first time I tasted Thattai was at a South Indian grocery store in my city! Crispy, crunchy, and a tongue tickling blend of spices just made it my instant favourite. Every time I head out for groceries I had to buy myself a batch. Back home I'd make a cup of hot tea and we would crunch them until they finished. One day I asked the owner of the store what exactly they were made of and she very kindly gave me the recipe. Since then, I have always made Thattai at home. Not because I did not like the one from the store, but because once you munch one Thattai you cannot stop. I decide that if I really was craving them then I could make them. If not, no unnecessary munching of snacks just because of a visit to the store!!

Kaju Pista Modak | Cashew Pistachio Modak (Sugar Free)

This morning I made Modaks for Ganesh Chaturthi. The last time I made these beauties, I had tried them with the traditional jaggery and coconut filling. This time I wanted to make something different. These modaks are sugar free, as they are made only with dried fruits and nuts, NO ADDED SUGAR!! They came out incredible well and the filling was mellow but delicious.

You may notice that some of the modaks are a deep brown. That's because that are made with a ragi flour covering! Both kinds turned out really well. I will post the Ragi Flour recipe shortly.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice flour
1 tbsp ghee
Warm water as needed

For Filling:
1/4 cup raw pistachios
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp ghee

Method:

1. Sift the rice flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the ghee, and rub into the flour.
3. Now pour the warm water, just a little at a time.
4. Using a wooden spoon bring together the flour and water.
5. Allow this mix to sit for 10 minutes, then using your hands, turn it into a soft but pliable dough.
6. If needed at this stage sprinkle a little extra rice flour or water on the dough to get the correct consistency.
7. Dry roast the pistachios and cashews, the grind them into a fine powder.
8. Pour the ghee into a pan, heat, then add the raisins. Fry on a low heat. The raising will puff up and become soft. Remove from the heat immediately, cool completely.
9. Give the raisins one spin in the food processor.
10. Combine them and any ghee remaining from the frying process to the nut powder.
11. To put the modaks together, divide the flour into 10 balls of equal size.
12. With a little ghee on the palms of your hands, pat one ball flat. Place a level tablespoonful of the fruit and nut mixture in the centre, then bring together the edges. Form a circle. 
13. Place this on a greased steaming tray. Repeat for remaining dough and filling.
14. Steam for 15-17 minutes. Remove and enjoy warm.

Vegan Substitute: Replace the ghee in this recipe with canola or raw sesame oil.

Like this recipe. Tried it. Leave me a comment:) 

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Daring Bakers March 2012: Dutch Crunch Bread

Dutch Crunch Bread is the perfect sandwich roll!! Thanks to the Daring Bakers, I was able to enjoy creating another new bread at home. We loved the result and this recipe is will be a go to recipe for me every time I want to do home made burgers. I modified this recipe to suit our dietary requirements and taste. I used half all purpose and half whole wheat flour, added a tablespoon and a half of vital wheat gluten for the roll itself. For the crunch topping, I used dark Japanese style toasted sesame oil. It did wonders for the taste and the fragrance of the crunch!!

I loaded the crunch topping onto the roll 30 minutes after the second rise and baked the rolls for 45 minutes. The topping spread across my baking tray and I got of crunchy bits of topping to nibble on besides a delicious bread.

Once the rolls cooled down, I sliced them, gently toasted them in the oven topped with some butter and Muenster cheese, loaded them with sliced tomatoes, avocado, and cucumber, and topped the whole with a spicy black bean burger, and hot pickles. Delicious!!

Click here for the complete March 2012 Daring Bakers Challenge.

Post Script: Sara and Erica of Baking JDs were our March 2012 Daring Baker hostesses! Sara & Erica challenged us to make Dutch Crunch bread, a delicious sandwich bread with a unique, crunchy topping. Sara and Erica also challenged us to create a one of a kind sandwich with our bread!

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Masala Chana Dal Vadas | Spicy Lentil Fritters

This year I decided to make some typical and traditional treats for Diwali. Apart from the sakarparas and namakparas, I thought it might be a good idea to have some nice food from the South for Choti Diwali and something from Delhi for Diwali. So I made tamarind rice, masala vadas, and sambar on the 27th! And while I often make tamarind rice from scratch at home, I usually make my sambar using MTR sambar masala. I always plan to make the sambar masala at home but just never get round to it. So this time I decided I just had to make the masala at home and I did. And I have to confess - the sambar was the best I have ever tasted. Well, enough said about my adventures with masalas and onto the Masala Vadas!! (And of course, you might well ask: what did you make for Diwali? Keep tuned for some delicious Delhi Chaat!!)

Mini-Appams for Onam

I decided to make some appam for Onam this year. I had just bought a packet of double roasted rice flour to make Palappam or Vellaiappam!! Its the first time I saw it at my local desi store. I was really excited until I found that all the instructions for use were in Malyalam!!!! After much deliberation, I decided to experiment and here is the recipe I used to make some delicious Vellaiappam. To make sure the experiment would work, I made these a few days before Onam.

However, I had quite a bit of batter remaining, which I promptly refrigerated. I am happy to report that it did quite well under refrigeration. I could not do much cooking for the last few days, anyway, as I was completely out of action with my cut finger. This morning when I pulled the batter out, I was delighted to find it usable. I decided to go creative and make something different, and as it turned out, even more delicious with them. And so the Mini-Appams came into being. These turn out crispy on the outside and wonderfully spongy on the inside. They retain their ability to mop up any curry and have a great taste too. They are a treat on their own, and can be served as a heavy snack with chutney. But I think they will be perfect for a party where you have many guests - a sort of cross between an idli and an appam!!!!

For Appam Batter:2 cups rice flour
1 tsp yeast
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 cup coconut milk
Extra milk as needed

Method:

1. Warm the milk and water in a pan. Add sugar, dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes or until you see it frothing.
2. Mix well, and add it with the coconut milk into the rice flour. Add extra milk if needed to get a dropping consistency.
3. Let the batter sit overnight in a warm place.
4. The batter will rise and become frothy and will be ready to use in the morning
5. Keep tuned for the Appam method in a following post!

For the Mini-Appams:
2 cups appam batter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, minced
1 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
Oil, as needed
Salt to taste


Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients into the batter.
2. Heat the Uniappam pan. Pour a very small amount of oil into the cavaties.
3. Pour spoonfuls of batter till the rim.
4. Fry on medium heat.
5. Turn the mini-appams halfway through cooking.
6. When done, remove and place on a kitchen towel. This will help drain away any excess oil.
7. Serve hot with a curry of your choice.

These lovely Mini-Appams are my contrinution to Festival Food - Onam Celebrations, hosted this month by notyet100 of Asan Kahna. To read more about Onam and see the treat that's cooking in celebration for this colourful harvest festival, visit Asan Khana.







All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007-2013. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.