Fruit cake cookies - eggless

Dear foodies,

Happy Birthday !

Fruit Cake Cookie! Isn't that like the most perfect set of words that can be put to together...whats not to love in that combination! I saw this recipe on Ina Garten's show Barefoot Contessa and knew I had to try it out soon. I love fruit cake, but haven't been super successful in perfecting a recipe for it. But to have a cookie that tastes just like it is just wonderful! I like most of IG's recipes, atleast watching them :D She does make a huge quantity of everything though and uses quite a bit of butter, but its her technique & cooking style that I like.

My main attraction towards this particular recipe, (apart from the name :D), was that it called for just one egg, now that could easily be substituted. I wanted to make them the very next day but then I hesitated. Making a whole batch of these decadent cookies with just me around wouldn't be good news for my weighing scale. So I waited for the perfect occasion and it came by earlier than expected. Its my brother's birthday today (Happy Birthday!) and I went to visit him this past weekend. I made a huge batch of these cookies and took them along with me. Trust me, a recipe cannot get any easier and also give such splendid results. A few of my brother's friends tasted it too and they only had compliments for me. *blush*

For those who are familiar with the famous Karachi bakery's fruit biscuits in Hyderabad, these cookies taste very similar to them, actually even better! I now can't wait to try the other biscuits that the bakery sells using this recipe as a base. woohoo! Another advantage with this recipe is that the dough freezes very well. It needs to be refrigerated for 1-2hrs before baking, but you can easily freeze and store it for a couple of weeks in there. Whenever you are in the mood for decadence, bring the dough out, cut a few cookies to bake and send the rest of the dough back to the freezer, soo convenient! Perfect for weekday parties too, and psst, the dough is delicious on its own too :D

For once I thought I will follow the recipe as is, but ended up tweaking it a little since the dough turned out to be really wet. I used a different combination of fruits and also used lesser sugar. I did not have brown sugar and used regular sugar instead. The fruits also contribute to the sweetness of the cookies, so adjust the amount of sugar to suit your needs. Below are the measurements I used, for the original recipe click here.

Fruit Cake Cookies (40-45 small cookies)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup, packed - mixed fruits and nuts, chopped
I used a combination of prunes, raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries & cherries. For the nuts, I choose unsalted roasted pecans (cashews will be great too)
• 1 Tbsp - Sherry or Red wine
• 1/2 Tbsp - lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp - Honey

• 1 stick - unsalted Butter (~ 8 Tbsp), at room temperature
• 1/3 cup - sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp - powdered Cloves
• 1/4 tsp - powdered nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp - Orange zest
  
• 1/2 tsp - pure Vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp - ground Flax seeds + 1.5 Tbsp - water
• 1 1/3 + 2/3 cup - All purpose flour

Method:

1. Place the chopped fruits and nuts in a bowl and mix in the sherry/wine, honey and lemon juice. Cover the bowl and let them soak overnight at room temperature.
2. The next day, microwave the ground flax seeds along with the water for 30secs. Using a fork beat the mixture and microwave again for 15secs & beat. Set aside and allow it to cool.
3. In a wide glass bowl (or electric mixer) cream the butter, sugar, salt, orange zest, vanilla extract, clove and nutmeg powders until you get a smooth consistency. It took me 3-4mins using a hand mixer on low speed.
4. Sift the flour to remove lumps. Add all the flax seed mixture and the flour in 1/3rd portions. Mix at a low speed. The dough was really sticky even after the 11/3 cups were added, so I added an additional 1/2 cup of flour and mixed it in with a spatula. Don't over mix the dough since it will develop gluten and you will end up with really tough cookies.
5. Next add the fruits along with any leftover soaking liquid and fold it onto the dough. I added a couple of Tbsps of flour along with it.
6. Divide the dough in half and place each half on the longer end of a 15" wax/parchment paper. Shape and roll it into a log. The cross-section will give you the final shape/size of your cookie. (These cookies do not spread while cooking. I moistened my palms lightly with water to help me shape the logs, or roll the paper on the dough and use it to help shape). Repeat with the other half of the dough and refrigerate for 1-2hrs or until firm. If not using immediately move them to the freezer.
   
7. When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350deg. With a sharp knife cut the log into 1/2 inch rounds. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange them, 1/2 inch apart.
   
8. Bake for 15-20mins, checking on them every minute after the 15 minute point. When the edges start to turn a light golden take them out. They will continue to cook for a few more minutes outside the oven. Lift the foil and place it on the counter-top so the residual heat in the pan does not burn them.

These cookies are dotted with fruits all along and their sweet wine soaked flavor really comes through. I am in love with them. They taste a lot like a fruit cake but in a smaller, more flavorful package, and you cannot have just one. They crumble in your mouth and slowly melt away as you chew on the bits of fruit...bliss!

Last Sunday I made a tiny batch of 6 cookies and the rest of the dough was stashed in the freezer. I kept going back to the kitchen with excuses to have a bite or two and in no time all 6 cookies vanished :D On Thursday evening, all I had to do was slice them, pop them into the oven and pack before heading to the airport. My brother and his friends loved the cookies, and they could not believe it was home made. Did I tell you how gorgeous the weather in Houston is...aah, my heart craved for the sunshine and did not want to come back to this igloo of a place! hmph

When I started out with the recipe I had soaked 2 cups of the fruits & nuts. I refrigerated the unused cup and made another batch of cookie dough on Wednesday. They will be off to a few friends this week. These cookies are soo good that you will want to share it with everyone (and get tonnes of compliments in exchange :-P) I wanted to dip half of each cookie in some tempered chocolate, but I was soo in love with the fruity flavor that I let them be that way. May be you can try that out and let me know how it is ? Deal ?

Vegetable Corn Chowder

Dear foodies,

After enjoying a pleasant 'coldest' day ever in India at about 18.3C, I got back to a -25C weather here. Which is still not the coldest day ever this season, it was -32C the day I was leaving! It has been snowing every day since and the snow is piling on n on n on. We had 12 inches of snow in the last 24hrs. A -5C or 0C feels warm these days. If nothing else, living in this place is surely giving me a thick skin!

My sleep routine settled in perfectly despite the change in time zones, but its my cooking that suffered a jet lag. I got back on a Monday night and the next day I made aloo parathas and tomato-onion fry for dinner! I haven't made paratha's in ages...I've wanted too, but was always too lazy. And there I was in the kitchen making fresh parathas, and a side dish too! My brother was shocked when I told him that, he was buying sandwiches and hadn't even stocked his kitchen yet. It had to be a jetlag of sorts :) And oh, if you are wondering why I did not unpack instead, you see my luggage never travels with me, it has its own itinerary. It took almost 3 days for me to get them, but I am glad they made it to me unlike the last time, huh! So well, after that first few days of passionate cooking, the routine kicked in and I've totally lost my appetite. I still crave the food my mom made..., I wish I could be on vacation at home for ever :P

So with the dreary weather outside, and a craving for warm food, combined with immense laziness, soups have been the perfect only solution. I think I've repeated this a million times, but I like the soups in Panera bread, and one of my favorites is their summer corn chowder, and well, its offered only in the summer! I had that more than a couple of times, but with a pinch of guilt. I knew it was loaded with butter and heavy cream :( As I was flipping through the recipes in my soup cookbooks the other night, I found a recipe for vegetable chowder, yayy! I had all the ingredients, so why not make some at home then. So here it is, summer corn chowder to drive out the winter night blues ...

Vegetable Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 11/2 cups - Sweet corn kernels
• 1 cup - Potatoes, scrubbed well & cubed
• 1/2 cup - Carrots, peeled & diced
• 1/2 cup - Onions, diced
• 1/2 cup -Bell pepper, diced (red, green or yellow)
• 8-10 - Broccoli florets (optional)
  
• 3/4 tsp - Garlic, minced
• A pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  
• 11/2 Tbsp - All purpose flour
• 2 cups - Milk, I used reduced fat.
• 1 cup - Vegetable stock or water
  
• 1/2 Tbsp each - Butter & olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
  

Method:

1. Heat olive oil/butter in a deep sauce pan. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, carrots, bell pepper and cubed potatoes. Cook on medium heat and allow the vegetables to soften a bit, ~4-5mins.
   
2. Warm the milk in another pan or in the microwave. Sprinkle the flour evenly on the vegetables and stir, I used a tea filter to dust the flour. Stir well for 1-2 mins to cook away the rawness in the flour.
3. Gradually add the milk & stock to the vegetables, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Add the corn (and broccoli). Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20mins or until the vegetables are tender. If you think its too thick, add some warm milk or stock.
   
4. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir-in some cheese at this point, if using. Serve warm with a light garnish of cilantro or parsley and some cracked pepper on top.
   

And thats' comfort served in a bowl, ready for you to wrap your hands around and sink into that couch. This felt like a rich and creamy indulgence with soft potatoes that melt in your mouth and the juicy sweet corn dotting it. I retained the skin on the potatoes since I like them that way. I was also using baby fingerling potatoes which are really easy to clean. The only heat in the soup is from the black pepper, all the rest just add up to the creamy goodness. I found the flour to do a really good job with thickening the soup and making it creamy. Using reduced fat milk did not hurt the consistency much. May be if I used whole milk or cream it would have been much more richer, but I surely did not miss it a bit with this recipe; reduced fat works just fine. So go ahead, make yourself a huge pot of it and disappear into your couch :) Here are more options!

Indo-Chinese Fried Rice

Dear foodies,

One of top things in my 'to eat' list during my trip to India was veg manchurian :) There is something soo addictive about Indo-Chinese cuisine and I can never have enough of it. Sweet corn soup, hot n sour soup, gobi/veg manchuria, fried rice, noodles, all of them are super delicious. And when I have left over rice, fried rice is the first thing that comes to my mind. The addition of tofu just makes it perfect, paneer does not make a good substitute here.

Indo-Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups - Rice, cooked and cooled (any short grain rice) [brown rice would be a nice substitute]
  
• 3/4 cup - Vegetables - Carrots, French style green beans, capsicum (red, green, yellow) cut into thick matchsticks. Other choices are mushrooms, water chestnuts, baby corn, broccoli florets, bean sprouts
  
• 1/2 cup - Onions, cubed
• 10-12 nos - super firm Tofu, cubed (I used Sproutofu)
  
• 2 nos - Indian green chillies/ thai bird chillies, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp - Garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp - Ginger, minced
• 1/4 tsp - Red pepper flakes (optional)
  
• 2 Tbsp - Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp - Vinegar
  
• 3/4 Tsp - Black pepper, freshly ground
• 1.5 Tbsp - Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Drain the tofu, pat it dry and cut it into cubes. Drizzle some soy sauce over them and let it sit for 10-15mins. With the oven set to broil, spritz it with some oil and line the tofu cubes on a sheet pan and broil for 5-6 mins, flip them and broil for 5 more mins. Do keep an eye on them though, since oven temperatures vary.
2. Heat oil in a wide pan/wok. When hot, add the finely chopped green chillies, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Give it 5 secs and add the cubed onions. Saute until they turn translucent.
   
3. On medium high heat, add the vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 mins. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and freshly ground black pepper next. Saute until the vegetables are slightly tender but still retain crunch.
4. Add the tofu cubes along with the rice and very carefully stir to combine with the vegetables. Taste to see if it needs more salt/pepper and season accordingly. Toss lightly without breaking the rice grains.

Left over rice gets a brilliant make over with this dish. Its so flavorful and crunchy from the vegetables, and I love the heat from the black pepper. To me that defines the dish. I also add sprouts to it when I have them on hand. Tofu adds bulk to the dish, making it extremely filling. I've also grown to favor the brown rice version of the same dish, the nuttiness of the rice goes really well with the soy sauce.

Happy Sankranthi

Dear foodies,

~Sankranthi Shubhakankshalu~

to all of you!

I just got back from a short, hectic yet extremely enjoyable and satisfying trip to India. And as has become the norm with me, my luggage did not make it back! Fortunately, this time it has been tracked down and is on its way. Once I spot all the goodies that I bought I will come back to share them with you :)

Enjoy this Festival of Harvest !

P.S: The first photograph was taken at the Hyderabad airport at a store called 'the Bombay store'. They had a very good collection of handicraft items from around India at very reasonable costs. I was tempted to buy many of them if not for my already heavy hand baggage. There was another store called 'Empower' that exclusively sold handicraft items from Andhra Pradesh like - Kondapalli dolls, Kalamkari paintings, lace products, Etikoppaka toys, and leather puppets.

The second is of my brother flying a kite on the day we were leaving Hyd. Though it was a few days before the festival we had to give it a try! We were up on the terrace only for an hour since we had packing left to do :(. Luckily though, we managed to scratch our his memory enough (with some help from my aunt) to get the kite to fly and successfully cut another kite tooo! yippieeee! woo hooo! This was taken under the bright afternoon sun, but I played with the exposure to get this shot.

Pal Payasam, make way for the King

Dear foodies,


It's been a year since this post and the festivities are in full swing. We had our floor Christmas luncheon/potluck last week, and yet again I was confused. We usually have multiple tables set-up for each individual course - entree', salads n dips, desserts, chips n drinks, cos there is tonnes of food with everybody pitching in. There aren't any vegetarian entrees at this gathering though, even the salads have meat in them. The dessert section is my only solace and the variety is awesome [and most have chocolate in them :)] Chocolate coated nuts, cheesecakes, cakes, truffles, assorted chocolate, toffee and then there are pies, many pies! and almost all of them are home-made! I initially planned on making a curry and puris to go along with it. But the thought of making the quantity I needed on a weeknight totally scared me from it. So I took the easy route again and made dessert. I find making desserts and sweet dishes easy, or may be I've done the easy ones only ;)

Pal payasam - an enticing combination of rice, milk and sugar that can never go wrong. Indian rice pudding is what I called it at the potluck :) Its my favorite payasam of all, one of the few sweets you'll never find me saying no to. It has simple beginings, but the end product is exotic and can in no way be called ordinary. Its lusciously creamy and decadent and will demand attention in any festive spread that it becomes part of. I remember being told a story about this payasam's greatness, it goes something like this - " A great King in southern India once held a grand feast inviting all his subjects and holy men. There was one Brahmin amongst them who was known for his huge appetite. He emptied huge bowls of rice drowned in sambar and rasam and the numerous curries prepared for the occasion. And just as the cooks started to worry about running out of food, the brahmin stopped, claiming that he was satisfied and could not have even a single extra grain of rice. Right then one of the people serving the dessert walks in with pal payasam. The King, who was watching the Brahmin devour his meal, expected him to decline the dessert, but to his astonishment the Brahmin called for a second serving! The puzzled King questions the Brahmin on his false claim of being 'full'. To that the Brahmin replies, 'Oh King, no matter how full the great hall is with your subjects, when you walk in, people will always make way for you, similar is the case with the pal payasam, the King of desserts". Now don't come asking me about the history and authenticity of this story. I heard it somewhere and it stuck to my mind!

Anita and Manisha have already given detailed therapeutic recipes for making pal payasam. I was in no mood for therapy or meditation on a week night and so used condensed milk. Though it does a really good job in the tasting dept, if you are going to make a small quantity, I would recommend their method. A reader of this blog suggested we could also use a slow cooker. I totally miscalculated the amount of rice I needed to use and had a LOT of payasam for the potluck, I could have served the entire block and not just the people on my floor!

Pal Payasam

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups - long grain Rice (I used basmati)
• 3/4 gallon - Whole milk (that's how much I had)
  
• 3/4 gallon - 2% milk
• 2 cans - Condensed milk
• 1/2 -1 cup - Sugar

optional garnishes:

• 1/4 tsp - Saffron strands, soaked in 2 Tbsp of warm milk
• 3 nos - Cardamom pods, seeds crushed
  
• or 2 Tbsp - toasted, slivered Almonds
  

Method:

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clean and soak it for about an hour.
2. In a deep saucepan (I used the vessel of my pressure cooker), bring the milk to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the milk to reduce fow a while ~ 20-30mins. In the meanwhile I microwaved the 2% milk to heat it through.
3. Drain the rice and carefully add it to the milk in the pot. Allow it to cook, stirring continuously. In about 10 mins most of the milk would have been absorbed by the rice, now add the 2% milk and cook until the rice grains become soft and can easily be turned to a mush between your fingers.
4. Slowly drizzle in the condensed milk, stirring all the while. Simmer for about 15-20 mins, giving the payasam time to thicken and turn a creamy color (don't forget to stir). Taste to check for sweetness and add sugar as needed, cook for few more minutes.
5. Remove from the stove and drizzle the saffron milk (along with the pretty strands) over the payasam and stir in the cardamom powder. Serve it warm or chilled and droooll.

Notes:

• Since I had no option of serving it warm, I stored it in the fridge overnight. I covered it with a plastic wrap that sat right on the surface of the kheer, so a skin does not form over it.
• My pictures show the raisins and cashews, but those were only for the photos :D I did not add them to the final dish that I took to the office, just topped it whith a few toasted, slivered almonds. It is the creaminess of this payasam that is addictive and the change in texture due to the raisins/cashews is a spoiler.
• You can further shorten the cooking/stirring time by cooking the rice in a 1:3, rice to milk ratio in the pressure cooker. Once the pressure is released, add more milk if needed and simmer for 15 mins, then proceed with adding the sweetener. Adding sugar to the rice grains in the first step will stop its cooking, so save it for the end.
• Mine was more like a pudding and less like a payasam, that has more liquid in it. I had to take it to work the next day in the car, and a thicker payasam can be easily managed.
  

Everyone in the office who tried it, complimented me! It was creamy, rich and delicious, everything you want in a festive dessert. I had a lot of leftovers though, but a few of my colleagues suggested I store it in the office fridge so it can be served the next day too :) I also shared some of it with my neighbors and saved a little for myself :)) Having a lot of it on hand might be a good thing, but don't go overboard like I did :D When made in smaller quantities you can easily devote the time it takes to make it without the shortcuts.

I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and ending it on a sweet note with family and friends. My brother and I are off to spend the New Year with my parents at home, can't wait to be back, its been a really long wait. A Merry Christmas and joyous New Year to all of you.

Caramelized onions & mushroom gravy with crispy polenta

Dear foodies,

The past few weeks, every time I land on Food network while surfing through channels, all I see is one of the chefs taking apart a turkey or cooking squash or baking a green bean casserole or potato gratin or well, discussing stuffings and dressings these days! Should it be corn bread or sour dough or muffins they ask ? The first few times I watched them to get to know the traditional fare, but now I simply change channels, its too boring now. But you guys don't have that option here as I share this recipe for a mushroom gravy adorning my new found fav, polenta!

I used to eat mushrooms quite often, my mom cooked them at home in Hyd too. When I got here most places that carry vegetarian options use mushrooms as a meat substitute. But somewhere along the line I developed an allergy of sorts. I would get a really bad stomach ache whenever I had mushrooms. I did not know which kind was causing it and did not want to experiment either. 'No meat, no eggs' then became, 'no meat, no eggs, no mushrooms', you can imagine how weird that gets when I have to order!! And I like mushrooms, so it was even more difficult to avoid them. So now I've finally started doing tiny trials, I buy a small batch of mushrooms and cook them at home to on a Friday or Sat night (so I have time to recuperate :D) Button mushrooms and baby bellas are now off the list, yayy! And this is one of the dishes I made,

Ingredients:

• 10-12 - baby portabellos (or any assortment of mushrooms shud work)
• 1/2 cup - sliced Onions
• 1/8 tsp - dried Rosemary
• 1/8 tsp - dried Thyme
• 2 tsp - Olive oil
• 1 tsp - butter
• 1 tsp - all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup - milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add the sliced onions. Sprinkle some salt over them and let the soften and caramelize gently.
2. Add the dried herbs and sliced mushrooms next and spread them in a even layer, trying to get all of them to be in contact with the pan's surface. Cook for 2-3mins, turn them around and cook for an additional 2-3 mins so they brown evenly on both sides. Salt them at this stage, adding salt beforehand brings out the water and ends up steaming them instead of browning them.
3. In the meantime warm the milk in a microwave. Move the browned mushrooms and onions to a corner of the pan, add butter and, as it melts sprinkle the flour and stir well. Cook for a minute until the flour gives out a nutty aroma and slightly changes color.
4. Slowly add the warm milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps and blend with the veggies. You do not have to use up the entire amount of milk, stop when it reaches a consistency you like. Grind some pepper and check for salt. Simmer the gravy for a 1-2mins allowing it to thicken and transfer it to a serving bowl (it will continue to thicken in the residual heat in the pan otherwise)
5. Spoon it over some pan-crisped polenta and enjoy!

The extent to which you allow the flour to brown will effect the flavor and color of your gravy. Don't go too far for this one, a slight browning will do, the gravy gets it final dark color from the onions and mushrooms.


Doesn't that look elegant ? And it took me about 15-20mins tops! The earthiness of the sauteed mushrooms accentuated by rosemary and thyme was fantastic. And the slight sweetness from the caramelized onions is delicious. I am sure you are going to finish some off right from the pan. I reserved some of the onions and mushrooms mix before making the gravy and used them as a pizza topping, yummy! You could also use it along with the gravy as a white sauce base. Paired with the crisp polenta though, this mushroom gravy was a perfect meal, filling and extremely flavorful.

For the polenta, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a deep bottomed saucepan since the polenta has a tendency to bubble violently as it cooks, so be extremely cautious. Salt the water and add spices/herbs if you choose, I used red chilli flakes. Gradually add 1 cup corn meal/polenta and stir continuously, cooking on medium heat. As it cooks and thickens add 1/2 cup of warm milk to make it extra creamy, you could also add a pat of butter or drizzle some olive oil at this stage, but stirring all the time. When the polenta starts to move away from the sides of the pan, its your hint that its done. The cornmeal should be soft to touch without a raw interior. Transfer it onto a plate and spread evenly. When cooled it will firm up and you should be able to easily slice it. This gives me a 10" dia, 1/2" thick round of polenta. For creamy polenta, add a little extra milk/cream/water and cook for the same amount of time.

To serve crisp, add a few drops of oil to a saute pan, and crisp the polenta slices on both sides, about 3mins each side. I tried broiling the pieces instead but did not like the end product. You can store the unused polenta in the fridge wrapped in foil or in the air tight container for a few days.

Winter oatmeal, made festive!

Dear foodies,

Now that I am back again, lets start form the top! All of you must already know that breakfast is your *most important* meal of the day, and unfortunately for me, the meal I dislike the most. After so many years, I am still not used to eating something that early in the day :( It was a little easier when I was at home with my mom cooking, cos her breakfast spreads were delicious. Idli's, dosa's, upma, chapati, bread and many more. But here its cereals most days, and it does not help that they are on the sweeter side. I hate waking up early too, so making something else in the morning is totally out of the question. So boringgg cereal it is, interspersed with apples/bread toast/cereal bars on a few days.

This worked well for the summer, but to have something cold during the freezing winter mornings is painful! So I switched to oatmeal, and not the instant kind that comes in sachets, it is old fashioned rolled oats, good gal naa :D The few times I cooked oatmeal in the past, it was on the stove top, but I chose to use the microwave in the morning to avoid having dishes to wash. The first few days, I used milk to cook the oats and that ended up with a very messy microwave from the milk spilling over. It took me a couple of days to make the switch to water, my brain needs some time to warm up in the mornings you see :D To increase the interestingness of the oatmeal I use honey(plain, orange blossom) or maple syrup as a sweetner, and usually stock dried fruits (blackberries, cherries or goji berries) and nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistacios), that I add to it based on my mood that morning.

This new strategy has been working for me the last few weeks. But with Thanksgiving fever in full throttle in this part of the world, even my oatmeal is not spared. Here is an interesting twist to make it special....

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup - old fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 -1 cup - Apple cider
• 1/4 cup - milk/soy milk
• 1-2 Tbsp - honey/maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp - dried fruit/berries/nuts

Method:

1. Add the oats and apple cider to a microwave safe bowl and cook for 2 1/2 mins. The oats must be completely soaked in the cider, so add as needed.
2. The oats should now be a little mushy since they break open while cooked. Add the milk, your choice of sweetener and stir it in.
   
3. Top with dry fruits and enjoy! If its too hot for you, then step outside onto the patio and place the bowl on the closest mound of snow and watch it sink into the melting snow ;)

The apple cider gives the oatmeal an exquisite flavor! I've become a fan of warm apple cider recently, it has even replaced my cup of tea in the evenings. I did not know it could be warmed and my first can of apple cider did not move that quickly. A recent trip I made included an overnight stay in the Marriott and their breakfast table had a huge pot of apple cider slowly warming up, one sip and I was hooked.

Oatmeal is a really good breakfast option as they have complex carbs with fiber, protein, iron and minerals in them. When eaten regularly they help lower your cholesterol by removing LDL. It also helps reduce your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and also is your friend for weight loss. But apart from all this, I think the most important fact is they are quick and delicious and keep you feeling full for a long time!

So whats your spin on oatmeal? And your favorite weekday breakfast? Please fill up this space with your ideas as I really really need them!

Chutneys, and more chutneys

Dear foodies,

Chutneys are one of my most favorite condiments in a meal and also one of the things I rarely seem to make! They can be spicy, tangy, nutty and just the perfect accompaniment to a multitude of dishes. From adorning your breakfast plates, to being part of a rice meal, chutneys are a delight to have enhancing the entire experience and sometimes spicing up an otherwise bland dish as well (idli or rice for instance). There is always a chutney/pachadi/thogayal served as part of a festive full course meal and it has its spot reserved on the banana leaf. They are also the answer to that lone vegetable sitting on your counter which will no be enough for a curry, but as a chutney, its just right.

I am at a loss over here though, since I only see cauliflowers, capsicum, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, beans at the stores and these are not typical chutney'able veggies, not in my mind. Ripe tomatoes are a favorite, but it takes a lot of time for it to cook down to a chutney. So you are forced to get creative and innovative with the veggies you find here - Like this one that uses the light green portions of a watermelon,

Ingredients:

• 3 cups - roughly cubed light green portion of watermelon, with the hard green exterior and red pulp carefully separated
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• 1 tsp - Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp - Cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp - Chana dal
• 1 Tbsp - Urad dal
• 3 nos - Dried red chillies
• 2 nos - Green chilies
• 1 Tbsp - Oil
• a pinch of asafoetida
• Salt to taste
Peanuts, Tamarind, coriander leaves (optional)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Method:

1. Heat oil in a cast iron pan, pop the mustard and cumin seeds, add the dals next and roast. As they start turning orange add the chillies and toast. Remove from heat when the dals turn a deep orange, add asafoetida and empty them to a plate, allowing them to cool.
2. To the same pan add the cubed melon skin and roast for 5-7 mins until it looses part of its moisture and starts to brown a little. Turn off the heat and cool to room temperature.
3. Pulse all the ingredients together in the blender, the melon peel will still have some water left in it so decide as you go on the amount of water needed to get the consistency you desire in the chutney. I prefer it slightly on the coarser side.
   

Check my remixed version here!

The ingredients listed between the two lines can be considered a standard set and just by substituting the melon peel for a another veggie you can create a new chutney.

Roast diced red bell peppers instead, until they char a little, skip the green chillies and add a couple of pieces of tamarind to make a mildly spicy, sweet and tangy chutney that will impress your taste-buds.

Using red tomatoes for a chutney is usual, but saute some chopped raw green tomatoes, add a few roasted peanuts, coriander leaves and you have yet another tantalizing chutney. Add some cubed onions while sauteing the tomatoes for a variation.

Chow chow or banglore vankaya, ridge gourd ( and its peels), roasted eggplant are other sought after chutney vegetables that come to my mind. Here are other chutneys I've made. Help me add to this list, how do you make your chutney ? Any veggies that you give an interesting spin too ?

Food for memories - Idli & Peanut chutney

Dear foodies,

While I was browsing through blog posts today, I landed on ISG's post where she linked to a video on Southern India and its food. The video is very well taken and the scenes immediately made me miss home deeply :( The kolams/muggu, the busy streets, family and neighbors dropping by and the food, aah, the food! And just like ISG sought to make a comfort meal to repair her mood, I did the same for myself. It was also 1' in the afternoon and I had just a cup of coffee in the morning! ~ the video zooms into the Shoba Narayan's father making filter coffee and I cannot tell how much I missed my mom's coffee watching that!

The video spends a good amount of time showing steaming idlis served with delicious coconut chutney and that was exactly what I wanted. I did not have any idli batter ( or insurance, as Shoba states in the video) and reached for the next best thing, Anita's instant gratification. I have made these idli's countless times since she posted the recipe. It has always been a hit and rescues me from my weekend comfort breakfast cravings. To go along with it I made some peanut chutney, the kind that has everything that I could throw into the blender, everything that I like, I know this rule does not apply to all dishes, but it worked here :) Oddly, peanut chutney, an Andhra specialty, was not something that I grew up with, it was only after I came here for my MS that I learnt it from my room mates. Now I make it all the time instead of the coconut chutney I have been used to, grated coconut is something that's not always stocked in my kitchen and this peanut chutney is just too good to pass up.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup - Peanuts
• 2 tsp - Dalia/putnalu
• 2 tsp - Sesame seeds/nuvvulu
• 1 tsp - Coriander seeds/dhania
• 2 nos - Green chillies ; 1 red chilli
• 2 Tbsp - grated Coconut
• 1 Tbsp - chopped, Cilantro/coriander leaves
• 2-3 pieces of tamarind or 1 tsp - Tamarind extract
• Salt to taste
• ~ 1/4 cup - Water

Method:

1. Place a saute pan on medium heat along with the peanuts and dry roast them until they turn a light golden color. Roast them slowly on medium heat so they cook evenly. Toss occasionally to avoid burning them.
2. Empty them onto a plate and allow to cool. You can remove the outer skins if you want by slightly rubbing the peanuts between your palms and blowing the skins off them. I rarely do this, cos its messy, and to me it does not make any difference. Roast the dalia next and as they start to change color, add the sesame seeds as these take very little time to toast. Once these are toasted move them to the plate as well.
   
3. Next add a few drops of oil to the pan and roast the coriander seeds, fresh tamarind and chillies. Allow all the ingredients to cool for a while.
4. Blend them together adding water slowly to get the desired consistency. Also add the coconut and coriander leaves while blending. I usually stop when the chutney is still a little coarse. You can either top it with a tadka or serve it as is with idli/dosa/kuzhi paniyaram/pesarattu/upma/undrallu.
   

For the usual regular chutney, skip the coconut, dalia and coriander leaves. For a coconut chutney,take the peanuts/sesame seeds/dhania/red chillies/tamarind off the list and simply use more grated coconut and dalia instead. I just used this chutney as a base sauce for a pizza and topped it with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions, sounds crazy I agree, but it was surely yummy :)

Meanwhile make the rava idli's. While roasting the rava keep stirring it as it burns very fast on the hot pan, been there done that! :D I added some cornmeal to the batter this time and also added some grated carrots to the idli molds before ladling the batter. Peas and corn are other additions I have tried.
While the idli's are getting cooked you might already be slightly hungry, so make a crispy polenta-peanut chutney sandwich and kill time taking photos :D

Other chutneys that I have blogged about are here, two more coming up.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cauliflower stir fry

Dear foodies,

Though NaBloWriMo is successfully out of the way I still feel a slight urge to blog every night, the routine got stuck, but only part of my brain was going through that hangover though, the other half was really tired and lazy to do anything :) I have been peacefully going around blogs and trying to catch up on the recipes posted by all of you. I don't comment much because quite often I arrive really late at the entries and then just skip the comment form and get to the next post. Cauliflower was one veggie I saw in multiple blogs and it made me realize that it has been ages since I cooked with it. The last I remember was a roasted cauliflower soup that I made earlier this year when the cold weather was still sticking around , may be it was an overdose of this yummy kheema I was making then. Oh no, there was this pav-bhaji in between.

I went straight from work to the store a few days back, and brought home a tiny cauliflower and set out to make a simple curry/bhaji that my mom often made, its simple and flavorful. Here's how you do it...

Ingredients:

• 1 tiny cauliflower ~25-30 florets
-- Start off with bigger florets so you have decently sized ones after you are done stirring and cooking them :)

• 1 nos - medium sized, Tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup - sliced Onions
• 6-7 slivers of sliced ginger
  
• 1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds/ jeera
• 1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp - red Chili powder
• 1 tsp - Garam masala
• 2 tsp - lime juice (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wide, non-stick pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add the turmeric and 1/4 tsp of chilli powder to the oil, this gives the curry a nice red color. Next add the sliced onions immediately and saute until they turn a light brown color, add the ginger.
2. The chopped tomatoes go in next and cook until they soften and loose shape. Mix in the rest of the red chilli powder and garam masala and saute till the spices loose their raw smell ~5mins
3. Meanwhile wash and soak the cauliflower florets in water with some vinegar added to it (helps kill any insects/worms in them, salting the water is another way, as Anita mentioned in the comments.). Drain and place them on a plate and microwave for 3mins.
4. Once the onion-tomato mix is fully cooked, add about 1-2Tbsp of water and the florets. Mix to coat them evenly with the spices, add salt, cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15mins, stirring in between to avoid charring.Keep the stirring to a minimum to keep the florets intact, toss the pan carefully instead.
   
5. Once they turn tender, uncover and cook on high heat for 2-3mins to evaporate any left over water. Garnish with coriander leaves and lime juice (if tomatoes aren't tangy enough) and serve with warm chapthi's or rice.

I love the simple spices in this curry and its the cauliflower that shines through against the tanginess from the tomatoes (or lime juice). When I was at the store I also picked up some whole wheat pita bread to use instead of chapathi's, I was so not in a mood to make some that night. I used them as a filling in my pita pockets making it fun to eat too. You can surely pair it with a simple pulao or plain rice. I went back to the store y'day to get another cauliflower because the curry got over well before my tastebuds could be satisfied :)