Pumpkin Puris

In early October we visited a pumpkin farm and bought this pie pumpkin with the idea of making something out of it during Halloween. In general everyone loves puris….so here is my attempt of making mildly sweet puris out of a pie pumpkin.

Happy Halloween to all!!!

Ingredients –

2 cups peeled and grated pumpkin,

1 cup grated jaggery,

2 tbsp sesame seeds,

1/2 tsp cardamom powder,

3 cups wheat flour,

Oil for deep frying the puris.

Method –

In a saucepan mix grated pumpkin, jaggery and sesame seeds. Keep on a medium flame and keep stirring the mixture till the jaggery melts and gets incorporated well with the pumpkin.

Pumpkin leaves a lot of water so this mixture will look a little watery.

Allow it to cool down completely.

Mix in the wheat flour and cardamom powder with the cooled pumpkin jaggery mixture. The dough should be firm than the chapati dough. Add very little water only if needed.

Allow the dough to rest for 20 mins.

Heat oil for deep frying the puris.

Take a portion of the dough on a oiled plastic sheet and using a rolling pin roll it out a bit thicker than chapati. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter and deep fry the puris in hot oil on a very low flame.

There puris last for 7 to 8 days.

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Garlic Cheese Bread

As typed by Milo…

This post is dedicated to my dear friend and office confidant Laura. She gifted me this bottle of authentic Olive oil which she got all the way from Spain to Norway to India. Thanks Laura. Yet another inspiration to keep cooking with my spouse.

Ingredients –

1.5 cups All-purpose flour/Maida,

1 tsp. active dry yeast,

½ tsp. sugar,

2 tbsp. olive oil,

Pepper powder,

Italian spice mix/pizza masala,

½ cup water,

2 cheese cubes,

4 tsp. garlic paste,

Salt to taste

Method –

Slightly warm ½ cup water and put sugar and yeast and let it stand for 15 minutes till the yeast bubbles up.

Take 1 cup flour and mix it with 1 tbsp. olive oil and the yeast solution. Knead it well and keep the dough covered in a warm place for an hour.

The dough will rise to double the quantity.

After an hour, punch the dough to remove the air and mix in ½ cup flour, salt to taste, pepper and Italian spice mix as per your taste. Knead the dough well for around 5 minutes.

Cover and keep it in a warm place to rise. It will take another 45 minutes to an hour.

Now knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes and divide it into 2 portions.

Take the first portion on a flat surface and roll it out into a circle using a rolling pin.

Apply 2 tsp. garlic paste evenly on the rolled surface and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Press the cheese lightly with your fingertips so that it sticks to the dough.

Now fold the rolled circle into half, press and seal the edges lightly.

Apply 1 tbsp. olive oil on the outer surface of the bread and sprinkle Italian seasoning over it.

Do the same steps for the other portion of the dough.

Preheat the oven at 220 degree Centigrade for 10 minutes.

Place the bread on the baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Cut it into 4 pieces using a knife and bake for around 10 to 15 minutes.

Relish it when its hot.

Cherry Almond Cake

Milo’s colleagues from Norway were down sometime last week, and we baked this cake for them. They enjoyed it with a cup of black coffee. Photo courtesy Oddlaug 🙂

This is Neeta Mehta’s recipe attempted by us.

Ingredients –

1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida,

1 tsp Baking powder,

1/2 cup Glazed Cherries cut into round slices,

1/2 cup Almonds chopped,

3/4th cup powdered sugar,

2 Eggs,

1/2 cup oil (vegetable/sunflower or any oil that does not smell),

1/2 tsp Almond essence (I used mixed fruit essence)

Method –

Sift together flour and baking powder and keep aside.

Beat together powdered sugar and eggs till frothy.

Add oil and beat it for a while.

Add the flour to the egg batter and mix well.

Add the essence, chopped cherries and almond and mix well again.Keep a few cherries and almond to put on top of the cake batter. The cake batter for this cake is quite thick.

Pour into a greased tin and bake in a preheated oven (175 degree centigrade) till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

If the top is browning too quickly,loosely cover the top with a foil.

Remove from oven,let it cool for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack.

Slice and serve.

Quick Chilly Mushroom

As must be evident from Varsha’s innumerable posts, Sunday meals at our house is always special, generally some authentic Goan fish preparation and seldom chicken. I have given up eating non-veg since a very long time. To compensate, Varsha always tries to make some vegetarian preparation for me.

This is an impromptu recipe that we came up with. Preparation time less than 15 minutes flat, therefore the name “Quick Chilly Mushroom”.

Ingredients –

Mushrooms (10-12 large bulbs),

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste,

Garlic cloves (7-10),

½ tsp Pepper powder,

1 large Lemon,

1 tsp Soya Sauce,

1 tsp Vinegar,

2 Green chilies,

½ dried curry leaves powder (dehydrate curry leaves in the oven, once cooled crush into powder. Can be stored for months in the refrigerator.)

1 tsp Corn flour,

Salt to taste,

2 tsp Clarified Butter (Ghee, preferably home made)

Method-

Wash and clean the mushrooms and cut them into 2-3 pieces each, length-wise, ensuring there is a little bit of stalk and bulb with every piece. Squeeze a lime and set aside.

In a small bowl mix ginger garlic paste, pepper powder, vinegar and Soya sauce. Apply this mixture to the already cut and lemon soaked mushrooms.

In a hot pan put the ghee. Once the ghee melts add the chillies (make only 2-3 pieces of a chilly) and the garlic cloves (whole cloves with the skin). Let the flavours start mixing. To this add the cut mushrooms. Cook initially on a slow flame for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Mushrooms tend to get cooked soon. To this add the corn flour. If you feel the preparation sticks excessively to the bottom of the pan, feel free to add some ghee.

Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve hot as a starter/side dish.

Roos Omlet – Goan style

As typed by Milo…

Mapusa my home town is a well known place in Goa for its authentic Goan style shopping offerings. Crowded Friday markets offering everything one would need, from herbs, spices, masalas to home made Goan sannas, dos, bebinca etc.

After tiring marathon shopping sprees in the markets nothing like a filling roos omlet at one of Mapusa’s famous cafe’s (by the side of the Taxi Stand).

We currently live far away from Mapusa, but recollecting its memories triggers sweet nostalgia. This post is dedicated to one such memory.

 

Mushroom Xacuti

Ingredients –

1 packet of button mushrooms cleaned and chopped,

1 cup freshly grated coconut,

2 tsp dry grated coconut,

1 small onion finely chopped,

1 small onion thinly sliced,

5 to 6 cloves garlic,

1 piece of ginger,

1 tsp coriander powder,

½ tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp red chili powder,

1 to 2 tsps. My mom’s garam masala powder or any other garam masala,

2 to 3 tsp tamarind extract,

Salt to taste,

2 tsp oil,

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method –

Heat 1 tsp oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry thinly sliced onions till golden brown.

Add the cut ginger pieces and garlic to the onions and fry for a while.

Add freshly grated coconut to the onions and continue frying till nutty brown color.

Mix in the dry grated coconut and fry for a minute or 2.

Add all the spices to the coconut mixture fry for a minute and switch off the gas, allow it to cool.

Grind the onion coconut mix with tamarind extract and little water to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the finely chopped onions for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and salt to the onion and fry for another minute or 2.

Mix in the ground masala, salt and sufficient water to make gravy.

Let the gray boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Adjust salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

Xacuti always tastes better the next day.

 

To make an Omelet, beat 2 eggs with salt and red chili powder. Mix in finely chopped onion, tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Heat a frying pan with little oil, pour the egg mixture in the pan. Cover the pan with a lid.

Gently flip the omelet and let it cook on the other side. Once dome remove it in a plate and pour Xacuti (roos) over the omelet.

Serve with bread.

Corn Broccoli Summer Salad

Hello everybody!!! We are back to blogging after a long hiatus. There is no particular reason for not updating the blog. There were lot of new recipes tried but did not click pictures due to sheer laziness, so will try our best to post at least one recipe weekly.

Here is one healthy salad recipe which we try and eat once a week mostly for weekend dinners along with homemade low fat pizzas.  You can exclude eggs if you don’t like it. We will post the recipe for pizza soon till then enjoy this healthy Corn Broccoli Summer Salad.

Ingredients –

1 cup boiled corn kernels,

1 cup soaked and boiled chick peas (garbanzo beans/kabuli chana),

1 cup broccoli florets,

1 big onion sliced,

2 big tomatoes sliced,

1 cucumber sliced,

½ cup purple or green cabbage shredded,

1 cup chopped lettuce,

½ cup grapes,

½ cup chopped boiled egg whites (optional),

1 big lime juice,

½ tsp pepper powder,

1 tsp butter,

Salt to taste.

Method –

Heat butter in a ban and stir fry broccoli florets for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add corn and chick peas to the broccoli and continue to stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Sprinkle salt, pepper powder and little lime juice. Switch off the gas and allow it to cool completely.

In a big salad bowl mix all the ingredients from onions to grapes.

Mix in the broccoli, corn and chick peas in the salad bowl.

Adjust salt, pepper and lime juice.

In the end gently mix in the boiled egg white. Serve along with soup or pizzas.

Brinjal Boats

I saw these brinjal boats on Sapna Sardessais Facebook page the other day. She is a well-known personality in Goa and has published many famous cook books. She keeps posting amazing photos of dishes cooked in her kitchen on her facebook page and are absolutely drool worthy. Thanks Sapna for this recipe.

These boats are very simple to make and are deliciously tasty. Do try them. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients –

4 long variety purple brinjals,

1 med sized onion finely chopped,

2 boiled and mashed potatoes,

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves,

1 tsp ginger garlic paste,

½ tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp red chili powder,

1 tsp coriander seeds powder,

½ tsp cumin seeds powder,

½ tsp garam masala powder,

½ tsp amchroor powder,

Salt to taste,

2 tsp oil

Method –

Cut the brinjal length wise and scoop out the center with spoon to make 8 hollow boats.

Chop the scoped brinjal into fine pieces and keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil and fry onions till light brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and all the masalas and stir fry for a minute.

Now add chopped brinjal and cook till the brinjal is cooked and is mushy. Add boiled potatoes, coriander leaves and salt. Mix well and switch off the gas.

Apply a little salt to the hollow brinjal boats and leave it for 5 minutes approx.

Stuff the brinjal potatoes stuffing in the hollow brinjal to make a boat. Stuff all the brinjals, coat them with fine semolina or bread crumbs and shallow fry on the both the sides till the brinjal skin gets cooked.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

 

 

 

Sweet Corn Soup

We ate a lot of sweet corn in this season and also corn being one of Anaya’s favorites we used to get it regularly. I tried this soup long back and it turned out delicious and creamy. In the above picture I just drizzled some soya sauce over it but it’s optional. You can also add oregano and chili flakes if you like.

Soups are also my dad’s favorite so I made this when my parents visited me recently and they too relished it. So give it a try and let me know your feedback…

Ingredients –

4 cups boiled sweet corn,

2 onions roughly chopped,

1 big tomato roughly chopped,

1 green chili,

Few spring of coriander leaves,

2 liters of water,

1 tsp ghee/butter,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

2 tsp ginger garlic paste,

Pepper powder,

Salt to taste.

Method –

Combine together onion, tomatoes, green chili, coriander leaves and water in a big vessel and allow it to boil for approx. 10 to 15 minutes.  Strain the stock and keep aside.

In the same cooked onion tomato mixture, put some water and blend it. Strain the juice and mix it with the above stock and keep aside.

Blend the boiled corn to a very smooth puree. Before grinding reserve some corn kernels aside to put in the soup later.

Heat some ghee or butter in a pan and crackle cumin seeds and fry the ginger garlic paste.

Add the corn puree to this and fry for 2 minutes.

Mix in the stock, pepper powder, salt and the corn that is kept aside before grinding.

Allow the soup to boil for a while.

Adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Simple Crab Masala

Going to the market on Sundays to buy fish and vegetables is a ritual for Milo and me and we both enjoy it. I love to go to the fish market and I go mad looking at the variety of fish there.

Last Sunday as usual we went to the fish market and I got 4 different types of fish and we headed out. At the exit, Milo saw some crabs and he wanted me to buy them. I didn’t want to buy them since I had already picked 4 types of fishes and this would be too much for 3 of us (in laws and I). Milo has quit eating fish but still forces me to buy a variety.  He kept persuading me to buy those crabs. I finally got tempted, went in and bought them and this is the simplest crab masala I made and my FIL and I relished it. Here is the recipe….

Ingredients –

3 big crabs cleaned,

1 onion thinly sliced,

4 to 5 flakes garlic,

2 tsp red chili powder,

½ tsp turmeric powder,

2 tsp oil,

Salt to taste,

Grind to a smooth paste the following ingredients –

6 to 7 garlic flakes,

A piece of ginger,

A handful coriander leaves,

A piece of tamarind

Method –

Heat oil in a pan and fry garlic till light brown. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder and onions and fry for a minute or 2.

Add the ground paste and fry for a minute.

Now add crabs, salt and little water. Mix well cover and cook till the crabs are done.

Eggless Chocolate Brownie

Ingredients –

1 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida,

½ cup coco powder,

3/4^th cup powdered sugar,

5 tbsp ghee (homemade clarified butter) (you can substitute ghee with 5 tbsp cooking oil),

1 cup buttermilk (you can substitute buttermilk with 1 cup water + 2 tsp yogurt and 1 tsp lime juice),

1 tsp coffee powder dissolved in 2 tsp warm water,

1 tsp Baking soda,

A pinch of salt,

A few chocolate chips (I used small chunks of dark chocolate),

A handful of dry fruits (I used cashew and almonds)

Method –

Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix gently till all the ingredients are mixed well.

Grease and dust a baking tray, pour this mixture in the tray and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degree centigrade for approx. 20 minutes.

Cut into pieces when cooled completely.