Creamy Kofta Curry

This is a curry that can please even the one with the staunchest dislike for bottle gourd. It is also a bonus that the koftas are not deep fried but can be ‘fried’ in an appam chatti. So there you go, you can actually afford to have almonds and cashews in the gravy, cos you saved all those calories by not deep frying the koftas, plus the cream is substituted for with milk – skimmed milk in my case! This is a curry that can come together real fast if you can multitask. if you dont like to have one eye on the koftas and one on the gravy, then it will take you a little more time. It will be worth the effort tho.

Creamy Kofta Curry

For the Koftas

2 cups grated bottle gourd (grate, sprinkle a bit of salt and place in a colander to drain for about 20 mins. Press out the water with the back of a round spoon)

2-3 tablespoons of chickpea flour

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger or 1/3 teaspoon ginger paste

1/2 – 1 teaspoon red chilly powder

2-3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped fine

a pinch of asafetida

1/4 teaspoon of cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

Put all of the ingredients together and mix with a spoon into a thick batter. it should look and feel like muffin batter, which should allow you to drop it into the appam chatti with two spoons. Heat the appam chatti, put a few drops of oil in each of the depressions. Spoon in one tablespoon of batter into each depression and cook till golden brown. Turn over and fry on the other side as well. You can drizzle a few drops of oil if needed. Set aside and cool. Add to the prepared gravy and serve with hot parathas, roti or pulav.

For the Creamy Gravy

8 whole almonds, soaked in warm water about 10 minutes and skinned

1-2 green chillies

1 large onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

a pinch of turmeric

2 teaspoons of poppy seeds (khus khus / gasa gasalu) soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1/2 cup milk

fresh coriander to garnish

1 teaspoon oil

Grind all the ingredients listed above except the milk and coriander leaves to a thick paste, add 1/2 cup water. Heat the oil in a pan, add the paste to this, add another 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil (about 3-4 minutes). Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Check for salt and adjust. Add the milk and stir well, heating through but not boiling. Add the fried koftas, gently mix. Garnish with fresh corainder leaves and serve hot with parathas, roti or pulav.

If making ahead, do not put the koftas into the gravy. store separately, heat the gravy a few minutes before serving, arrange the koftas into the serving bowl, pour the gravy over it and let stand about 5 minutes before serving. This makes for a nice party dish or a dish to take for a pot luck.

Healthier Route to a Sugar Craving – Eggless Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Yes that’s a mouthful and no I couldn’t help it. I was craving sugar and I knew that i had to be sensible about it. So I looked into Cyberspace and found this recipe which i tweaked a bit. I forgot to add the egg and realised I’d inadvertently made it eggless! I sold it to K telling him to think of it as a great way to eat Oats porridge! He loved it and i did too and this is my first attempt at baking with Oats. I’ve been reading and bookmarking so many recipes, but it took one hell of a sugar craving and a really rainy beautiful afternoon for me to make these. These muffins have a moist crumb and do not reek of healthy ingredients if you know what i mean. They do have a nutty taste from the peanut butter tho. I’m trying a new workout routine and am sore all over, so dont have the will to type out a story (there isnt one actually). So here you go with the recipe!

Eggless Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins (Makes 6 regular muffins)

1/2 cup flour (i used whole wheat, but you could sub with Maida / All purpose flour)

3/4 cup oats (i used quick cooking)

a pinch of baking soda

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 T vegetable oil

4 tablespoons brown sugar + 2 tablespoons for topping

i mashed banana (about 2/3 of a cup)

3-4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons unsweetened natural yogurt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

Preheat Oven to 375 F, line a muffin pan with paper liners

In a blender blend thoroughly the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Remove into a bowl.

Reserve 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. In the same blender jar, add the remaining ingredients and whisk till well blended and looks like a smoothie.

Make a well in the middle of the flours and add the wet ingredients. With a light hand and a wooden spoon, mix till just incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter should be like a drop cookie batter, moist but not runny.

Drop with spoons into the paper muffin liners filling till 2/3 full. Sprinkle the reserved brown sugar on top. Bake for 22-25 min or till a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. These are beat eaten warm. These muffins can be refrigerated for a week. lightly warm before serving.

Clean up Act ~ Pizza Nights!

Thank you all for the response to my previous post on the rolls. Its been a long hiatus and this recipe has been in my drafts for almost a month. I am still going to be posting recipes that i have made using stuff long forgotten in the pantry or the fridge.  Since my last post, i turned a year older. Since i have been really busy with work, the celebrations were really small and low key, nothing compared to the last year….on the whole, older and hopefully wiser.

Onto the recipe for one of  my favourite comfort foods – Pizza. Making it from scratch is as enjoyable for me as sinking my teethe into a warm slice. And while I have been known to make  good pizza, it was not until a few weeks ago that K acknowledged it. What is it about getting the approval of a skeptic? I for one was determined to win him around. I ‘d made some extra yeast-ed dough with which i made the pesto rolls I’d posted previously. This dough was sitting in the fridge for about 10 days and i needed to finish it up quite literally. Thin crust does it for me and deep pan for K. So we always have our own separate versions with and without olives. Leftovers are always welcome to sit in the fridge for when snack pangs hit me. One of the many vices of working mostly from home!

It the simplest thing to do if you have pizza dough at hand. Even if you dont, it is very simple to make it in a snatch.

For the Pizza Base:

3 cups flour, you can use All Purpose, I used 2 cups Whole Wheat and 1 Cup APF

1 teaspoon dried yeast

1 cup water (warm)

1/2 cup milk (warm)

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the toppings:

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup halved yellow cherry tomatoes

1 medium sized regular tomato

1/2 cup of roasted and sliced red and yellow bell peppers

1 cup grated or thinly sliced mozarella cheese

For the base

Mix together the sugar, water and milk. Add the yeast, mix well and leave it on the counter top to bloom (about 15-30 mins). in a large bowl, add the flours, salt and mix. Add the milk- water mix and knead to a smooth dough. You can also do this in a food processor. Oil a bowl with the olive oil and place this dough in the bowl, turn to coat with the oil and cover and set aside till it doubles in size, about 1 hr.

Punch the dough down and knead it for 2-3 minutes till it is nice and elastic. divide into 4 equal tennis ball sized parts. This makes four 8 inch bases. I used just one and a half of the dough balls, and the rest were used to make pesto rolls.

For a deep pan pizza base, flatten one of the dough balls with your palm and fingers on a clean and floured surface till it is about 1/3 of an inch thick. Transfer this to an oiled baking sheet (i used a regular rectangular baking sheet). Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest about 20 mins while you go around doing other stuff. In a preheated oven, Bake it at 375 F for 12 mins or till it is puffed up, almost cooked, but still not changed colour.

Spread with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce (recipe given below) top with vegetables of your choice. I used sliced onions, cherry tomatoes and roasted red and yellow bell peppers on the deep pan pizza. Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes till the vegetables are cooked but not overcooked. Add the mozarella and bake another 4-5 minutes till it has just melted. Slice the pizza. Serve hot.

Easy Pizza Sauce

1 cup tomato puree (readymade, or homemade)

salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pod of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of italian seasoning or dried and crushed oregano and basil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

heat the olive oil in a deep pan, add the crushed garlic and wait 1/2 a minute till aromatic. add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes till it is thickening. cool and use. it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

Thin Crust Pizza

pinch off half of the dough from one of the tennis ball sized portions of dough. Flatten to about 1/3 centimeter with your palm and fingers or roll out with a rolling pin, using very little dry flour to dust it. Transfer onto a baking sheet (i used a rectangular baking pan). spread this with 2 tablespoons of the pizza sauce and add toppings and mozarella cheese. I used sliced red onion,, cherry tomatoes, red and yellow roasted bell peppers and sliced black olives from a bottle. drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil onto the pizza. Pop it into a preheated at 375 F oven and bake in for 15 minutes till the sides of the base are browning. Cool slightly, slice and serve.

Chocolate Making Class on 24th July, Saturday @ 11.a.m

12 kinds of handmade chocolate, all materials included and a recipe booklet and hamper as a takeaway. Email me at arundati.rao@gmail.com or leave a comment to know more.

Pumpkin – Red Bell Pepper Soup and Pesto Rolls

The rains, they have arrived in our part of the world. The last few weeks have been the most gorgeous weather. To celebrate this, I am posting a nice recipe for a simple soup and some fabulous pesto rolls.  Nupur’s BB#4: Whats lurking in your kitchen made me look at my fridge with renewed interest and even tho the last date for entries is over, with the amount of stuff i have hoarded both in the fridge and the pantry, i will be continuing to cook for the next couple of weeks with ingredients already here.

OK enough now… onto the recipe….

For the Pesto Rolls, the recipe inspiration was from these gorgeous rolls. So the pesto sauce is the same that i used for the Spaghetti. And of course I had to make changes to the recipe for the roll. Swapping the All purpose Flour with whole wheat etc. I also skipped the cheese (I know cheese makes everything more awesome, but really, I do not need cheese in my life… not at this point).

For the Pesto Rolls (makes 24 small rolls)

1/2 Cup Pesto from this recipe

3 cups flour, you can use All Purpose, I used 2 cups Whole Wheat and 1 Cup APF

1 teaspoon dried yeast

1 cup water (warm)

1/2 cup milk (warm)

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together the sugar, water and milk. Add the yeast, mix well and leave it on the counter top to bloom (about 15-30 mins). in a large bowl, add the flours, salt and mix. Add the milk- water mix and knead to a smooth dough. You can also do this in a food processor. Oil a bowl with the olive oil and place this dough in the bowl, turn to coat with the oil and cover and set aside till it doubles in size, about 1 hr.

Punch the dough down and knead it for 2-3 minutes till it is nice and elastic. divide into two large portions and shape into a ball rolling it between your palms.

Flour a clean rolling surface with a little bit of dry flour. I use my stone counter top. With a rolling pin, roll out to a 1/4th of an inch thickness. you can roll into a rectangular shape, i just rolled it out round.

Spread the pesto with a blunt knife in a thin even layer. Pick up one end of the dough and roll it into a spiral. with both your palms, make a roll like a swiss roll. gently move it onto a chopping board and slice into 11/2 inch pieces. (they can be frozen at this point and baked straight out of the freezer when needed) Place on a baking tray and leave them to rise for about 45 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 375degrees F and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. When done and still hot, brush with some melted butter. I shaped a few into croissants just for fun and ended up with about 24 small rolls. enjoy while still warm with a hot bowl of soup.

Pumpkin and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup (serves 3)

1 medium sized red bell pepper

1 cup yellow pumpkin,skinned and cubed

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 ripe red tomato, chopped

1 teablespoon olive oil or butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup of milk (i used skimmed milk)

Roast the Red bell pepper on and open flame till charred, keep it in a tightly closed container (or a zip lock bag) to sweat. scrape off the charred skin, seeds and stalk and chop up the flesh into small pieces.

Heat the butter/ oil in a pressure cooker. Add the chopped garlic and saute till aromatic. Add the chopped onions, pumpkin pieces and saute for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and red bell peppers, salt and 3 cups of hot water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. When the pressure releases, open the cooker, pour into the blender jar and pulse till everything is incorporated. Strain with a soup strainer to remove the skins of tomato etc. pour it back into the pressure cooker, add the milk , oregano and pepper and heat through, stirring constantly. Taste to check for seasoning and adjust. Serve hot or cold.

Cooking with relics ~ Spaghetti with Basil Walnut Pesto

Yesterday we got back from a short trip to Madanapalle a town on the Andhra Karnataka border and Bangalore.

My cousinP’s son was baptised in the native place of his paternal grandparents and i got to be his God mother. I was present in the labour room at the time of his birth, coaching his mother through a really painful delivery. So it seems that I did score some brownie points and his parents honoured me by asking me to be his God mother. So i got myself a son! err did i mention i was so scared myself that i thought i would faint? i did appear to be the pillar of strength tho… i told you i was a good actress!

The small town church was all festooned up for Rohan Joshua and he did ofcourse yell his lungs out when the priest took him in his arms… but other than that it was all delightful. Complete with a traditional meal laid out on a banana leaf to celebrate afterwards (of which i do not have any pictures to share since i was so busy eating).

Coming back home is always a lovely thing, no matter how beautiful and enjoyable your trip is. the only thing is that the fridge is almost bare, sans the stuff that can make it through 4-5 days or however long you are planning to be away. Here comes the part where i believe nothing happens without good reason.  A few weeks ago, Nupur called out to us to see whats in the fridge, i felt she’d heard my voice karmically… turns out i am not the only hoarder… going by the response she’s had with comments. I did peek into my fridge and honestly, I am shocked! I am not shocked easily… but I am… Lets start with the freezer….from half used cartons of cream and coconut milk, dry fruit, pesto rolls (unbaked), cookie dough to 2 batches of basil pesto! Down in the fridge section, there are three kinds of jams, peanut butter and nutella… i am now going on a blanket ban of grocery purchasing till i get this stuff used up. Lets not even mention the dying veggies i throw out with alarming regularity.

I would have loved to do this the whole month long. cook from stuff i need to use up from the fridge/ pantry, but real life takes over, kicks my behind and leaves me breathless. Bringing us back to what I was saying. I stood there wondering what to make for lunch as I had only myself to feed. K went to work with a lunch of rice, dal and a bottle of beef pickle my mother sent back for him. (did I tell you they feel sad for him because i dont eat / cook meat anymore? no? this was part of the comfort package!)

readers of this blog are familiar with my love for pasta. And there isn’t an iota of doubt what i would cook for myself if I am eating alone. Digging out a box of frozen pesto I’d made a few months ago, i set it on the counter to thaw and had visions of the most satisfying lunch driving me nuts. There was a small piece of zucchini which also made its way into the pasta, and in less than 10 minutes, lunch was served.this pasta is off to Nupur who’s hosting BB4: Whats Lurking in the Kitchen. egads! just in time because i realised the last date is tomorrow.

Spaghetti with Basil and Walnut Pesto

see Nupur’s post here the recipe is originally from here

for the pesto (makes 1 cup)

4 packed cups of italian basil, stalks removed, leaves washed and drained on a kitchen towel (the original recipe calls for blanching, i skipped this step)

1/2 cup walnuts (the original uses pine nuts)

2 cloves of peeled garlic (adjust according to your preference)

1/3 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste (i omitted the pepper)

in a hot dry pan, toast the walnuts for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently. Cool completely. Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil into a mixer jar and pulse till everything resembles finely chopped greens. if you are using a food processor, add the olive oil in a steady stream while continuing to pulse the pesto. i used a jar, so added a tablespoon at a time. check for texture and pulse a little more. The pesto can be frozen now for later use, or used immediately. If freezing, leave to defrost at room temperature for 15-20 mins or nuke in the microwave oven for 30 sec blasts till thawed.

for the spaghetti

2 tablespoons basil walnut pesto

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (remember the pesto has EVOO already, so go easy)

2 cups cooked spaghetti (or any other pasta of choice, cook with salt according to the instructions on the packet)

1/2 cup zucchini slivers

in a pan, heat the olive oil and toss in the zucchini slices. saute for a couple of minutes till they are wilting yet retain their crunch.

in another bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the pesto sauce and swirl it around till well coated. add this to the sauteed zuchini and swirl some more till well incorporated. check for salt and adjust as needed. Serve warm with a sprinkling of grated cheese or as is.

Beat the Heat Series – Easy Nibbles

While there’s hope on the horizon with the monsoons apparently on their way to my side of the world, this easy snack will make life easy if you are throwing a party or even looking for a quick evening snack, this is easy to put together. Infact this isnt so much a recipe as just an assembling job. All you need is a few slices of bread and a few other ingredients.

Easy Nibbles – makes 18 pieces

3 slices sandwich bread ( i used multi grain mediterranean bread, but anything will do) if using smaller slices, use 4 slices.

18 slices of cucumber

18 slices of tomato

a few sprigs of fresh coriander

1-2 tablespoons cheese spread

1/2 cup yogurt- cream dip (recipe below)

1/2 tablespoon tabasco sauce

for the dip

2 tablespoons yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh cream

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

1/2 teaspoon green chilli sauce

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon mustard sauce

add all of the above to a small bowl and whisk well. add a dash of pepper. set aside.

to assemble:

cut the slices into about 2 inch squares. toast them on low heat till golden brown and crispy. spread the cheese spread onto the toasted pieces of bread. top with one slice each of cucumber and tomato. spoon about 1/4 spoon of yogurt cream dip onto each, add a drop of tabasco sauce, garnish with a small bit of fresh coriander, serve.

Beat the Heat Series ~ Summer Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Fresh cooling foods with minimum time spent in the kitchen, preferably fresh fruit and vegetables are my choice for this scorching summer. I made this salad on the spur of the moment, throwing in all the stuff i had in the vegetable tray and excited about finally getting myself a bottle of balsamic vinegar. It was light and so refreshing, the flavours and textures of the different fruit and vegetables giving the salad so many layers… it was a chilled treat.

Summer Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing (serves 2)

Dressing

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

whisk all of the above together till the sugar dissolves and set aside

8 sections of sweet lime, peeled and seeds removed

1/2 cup chopped green apple

1 large red tomato chopped

1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped

10-12 yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup beetroot, boiled, skinned and chopped

8-10 strawberries, quartered

6-8 basil leaves, torn to small bits

10-12 mint leaves torn to small bits

Take all of the above in a large bowl and toss together. Chill in the refrigerator for atleast 20-30 minutes. Before serving, pour the dressing on top and toss it all up. Serve chilled.

Spicy Whole Red Lentils (masoor ki dal)

I am trying to eat more varieties of lentils and went searching for stuff in the supermarket aisles that i generally dont buy. i found a bag of whole red lentils (masoor ki dal) and while i love the skinned version of it, common sense told me the whole skin intact one would have a nice nutty flavour and would be more nutritious as well. so in it went into my grocery bag. once home, it was put into the pantry and promptly forgotten. One morning, hunting for coffee powder amongst the pantry supplies, i found this bag and soaked about 2/3 cup of it. i had a full 3-4 hours to decide what to do with it. having never cooked with it before, and not sure if K would eat it at all, i trawled the net to find a recipe. I saw a few, read thru and decided to do my own thing. I’d already made the mixed dal which turned out to be a hit and so i had the mind to dump everything in the cooker and cook it to submission what i would do. I added coconut milk and a tablespoon of some meat masala that was sitting in my kitchen shelf and that really made all the difference to this dal. It was finger licking good and K even woke up around midnight to eat some plain dal straight from the fridge. this is a spicy dal, goes well with rotis and plain rice.

Spicy Whole Red Lentils

2/3 cup whole masoor dal / red lentils with skin soaked for 3 hrs

1 large red onion chopped roughly

pinch of asafetida

pinch of turmeric

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

2 slit green chillies

1 cup water

a few curry leaves

1 tomato chopped or 2 tablespoons tomato puree

Pressure cook all of the above for 3-4 whistles and turn off the heat. allow the steam to escape and open the cooker, stir the contents well.

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

1 1/2 teaspoon everest meat masala (or any other sucyh as kitchen king masala) you can substitute this with 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon jeera powder

2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves

salt to taste

Add the above to the pressure cooker and heat through, stirring well. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes till everything is well incorporated. check for spice and seasoning and adjust accordingly. the consistency should not be too thick or thin, rather like a thick soup.

for the tadka

1 teaspoon ghee

1-2 dry red chillies

1/2 teaspoon whole cumin / jeera

Heat the ghee in a small pan. splutter the mustard, add the dried red chillies and wait for a couple of seconds till they change colour. add this to the cooked lentils, bring to a boil.Take off from heat  and serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.

Easy Mushroom Masala

When I see fresh mushrooms in the vegetable aisles anywhere, my hands automatically reach out and i grab not one, but two bags of them. A few days ago i was making a weekend dinner, and we had guests over and so i was wanting to quickly add another dish to the pulav, raitha & bottle gourd kurma spread i was serving. i decided, something on the lines of mushroon do piyaza would be good, with a dash of spice.

This was possibly the best mushroom dish i have made. It was done in no time and was the first to disappear from the table. the addition of kerala egg roast masala made all the difference. This will be good as a side for rotis / chapathis too.

Easy Mushroom Masala (makes 3 -4 servings)

200 gms button (or any other variety) mushrooms, washed, dried and cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups sliced red onion

1 large tomato chopped

2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

10-12 curry leaves

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder

1 tablespoon egg roast masala from a packet (substitute with 1/2 teaspoon garam masala +11/2 teaspoon corianger powder)

a pinch of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon whole jeera/ cumin seeds

1 tablespoon oil

1/4 cup water

in a pan, heat the oil and splutter the cumin seeds / jeera. add the slit chillies, curry leaves and onions and saute till the onions turn golden, stirring frequently to ensure they are evenly cooked. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell leaves the pan, add the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes covered, till the tomatoes are soft. add the red chilly powder, egg roast masala and turmeric and saute the masalas for a minute. Add the mushrooms and mix well, stir fry for a minute, add the water and salt cover and cook for 5 minutes, till the mushrooms are cooked. remove the lid, dry the water till the gravy has no runny water, but is moist. garnish with coriander leaves. remove from heat. Serve hot with rice or rotis.