Adai - Savory Indian pancakes



I love the taste of crisp, golden brown and flavourful adai.

I brings back memories of my grandma fussing over all the grand kids, sultry summer afternoons and carefree childhood days.

How time flies but I can still smell the aromas of crackling mustard seeds and ginger wafting over the house that would make our mouths water . This is savory and choc-a-bloc packed with protein, perfect for breakfast or dinner and requires hardly an time for the batter unlike idlis or dosas.

Toor dal 1 c

chana dal 1 c

urad dal 1 c

masoor dal (red lentils) 1 c

rice 1 c

asafoetida 1/4 tsp

dry red chillies 3

garlic crushed 1 tbsp

mustard seeds 1 tsp

curry leaves 2 strands

cumin seeds 2 tsp

oil

salt

Take a bowl and soak all the dals and rice, red chillies and 1 tsp of the cumin seeds for 4 hours or overnight.

Grind the mixture to a smooth pancake like consistency.

In another wok,add oil ,splutter mustard seeds and 1 tsp cumin, add ginger and asafoetida, saute well.

Add this to the batter,mix well and add salt.

Take a skillet/kadai and add 1 tsp oil, make pancakes with the batter and cook both sides till crispy. It does need a bit of oil to get them tasty and crisp.

Serve hot with chutney podi or tomato thokku. (Recipe here )

Saffron and Almond Panna Cotta

I was craving something sweet and decadent. All I could think of was my moms rice pudding but with a twist.
I found this pannacotta recipe with such a delicate blend of aromas that it swept me away, perfect to satiate that sweet tooth.
Adapted from the blog " Whats for lunch, honey?"  The recipe is  found  here  Do check out Meeta's blog for some culinary gratification. Beautiful site, she has a way with words that captures the readers heart.

                                                                                                                                    Serves 4-6
 heavy cream 1 1/4 cups

sugar 6 tsp (about 1/4 cup

salt pinch

cardamom pods  3 crushed

saffron strands - 1/4 tsp crushed

whole milk 1/2 cup

gelatin granules 1 1/2 tsp

almond ,chopped coarsely

Heat the cream, sugar, and salt in a small pan until hot and sugar is well dissolved. Stir well to prevent the cream from burning as that wreaks the dish

Add the cardamom  and remove from heat.


In the meantime pour the milk into a small bowl warm, sprinkle the  saffron strands and gelatin over it. Set aside - about 5 mins to allow the gelatin to soften.

Add the milk-gelatin mixture to the cream mixture and reheat to steaming, stirring well to dissolve the gelatin.


Divide the mixture evenly between 4 to 6 bowls


 Cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.


To serve: Sprinkle with chopped almonds and a few saffron strands.

Egg masala

This is a wonderful accompaniment for rice and can be whipped up in a jiffy. Takes about 20 mins, boil the eggs at the start so you can make the gravy while the eggs cook.Then peel the eggs and drop them into the prepared gravy.

Eggs are a wonderful sourse of protein and essential fatty acids.
Best to use organic or free range eggs.
Adjust the spice leve to suit your palatte.


Egg 6 nos

Oil 2 tbsp 

Curry Leaves 1 strand

Big Onion 2 nos ( medium )

Tomato 6 nos ( medium )

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Garlic paste 2 tsp

Chili Powder  1 tsp

Coriander Powder 1 tsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Water 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Tamarind pulp 2 tbsp


Cook the egg, boiling in water for 10 -15 min and remove the shell. With the knife just make  longitudinal slits in the egg.

 Chop Onion and tomato finely.

In a wok heat oil. When hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves, garlic and onion. Fry till the onion is translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and  saute for 5 mins.

Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Fry for 2 min.

Add tamarind pulp and water and allow it to boil.

Add the egg after gravy thickens and coat the eggs well.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Tomato thokku

This is a very quick and easy thokku very common in tamil homes.Can be make in large quantities and stored in the fridge.Use as a chutney for rotis,dosas,adai and idlis.Goes very with hot white rice and ghee.I even use it as a spread on bread instead of butter.

I adapted it from here

Tomato 12 nos ,finely chopped

Sesame Oil 6 tbsp

Mustard 1 tsp

Dry red Chillies 3 ,broken

Red Chili powder 2 or 3 tsp ( as per taste )

Turmeric 1 tsp

Hing /Asefoetida 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves 10 no's

Salt to taste

Fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp ( Optional )

Jaggery 1 tsp ( Optional )

Fry and Grind fenugreek in to fine powder

In a nonstick pan, pour oil, add mustard & wait till mustard crackles, add curry leaves, asafoetida, fenugreek powder, red chillies , red chili powder, turmeric and saute well.

Add tomato. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt if required . Allow this to cook  for about 30 mins, till the oil separates from the mixture and no moisture remains.

Adding jaggery is optional.I never tried it, but it does balance out the flavours

Note.Can be stored for upto 2 weeks in an air tight bottle in the fridge but make sure you add a lot of sesame oil while cooking and top off the bottle with more oil before storing to increase the shelf life. Also use a dry spoon while serving the thokku.

Flourless peanut butter cookies

All I can say is that you like peanut butter cookies you have to try these.
The flavour is so intense you need a glass of cold milk to complement it. I loved the flaky chewiness.The lack of flour makes it healthy too.( If I may say so, hehe)


Recipe was adapted or rather followed from here
Joy is one talented baker from LA and I love browsing her site, this recipe I assure you is a keeper.

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter (I used smooth,organic peanut butter)

1/2 cup castor sugar( use lesser if you please)

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda






Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter and set aside. In a bowl combine peanut butter and sugar until well combined, add egg and baking soda and mix well.
 Roll into walnut sized balls and create a criss-cross pattern with a fork. If you’d like, add a few chocolate pieces to the top of the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.
 Cool on a baking sheet.

Note: you can add about 3 tbsp plain flour if you want them a bit harder.These are very delicate and crumble easily even after cooling.

Turkish carrot dip

This is a simple carrot dip very common in turkish mezze platters, I love how the simple flavours combine in this dish.
I normally have this with falafels and pita bread.
Even S,who normally hates veges or salad asked for seconds.
I came across this recipe on Food Safari featuring Turkish food and I tried it the same night..
Of course,Baba Ghanoush is still my fav but this one is so quick to whip up on those crazy week days.


Ingredients


carrots,  4 medium sized, peeled and finely grated

 olive oil 1 tbsp

 salt , to taste

natural yoghurt 1 c

garlic cloves, 2-3 finely grated

squeeze of lemon juice from 1/2 lemon


Method

In a large skillet, cook the carrot with the oil until just cooked through. Set aside to cool down a bit.

Mix the carrot with the yoghurt and garlic. Add salt and lemon juice.

Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with warm pita bread and falafel as a side.
It can also be served as a side for bbq meat and bread rolls.

A beautiful baby shower!

                                             
I had a baby shower this weekend and it was none others than my gorgeous friend and colleague,Caroline.
It was a sunny saturday with lots of good food,friends and beautiful presents to un wrap.Carolines mom mad e a lovely dessert ,I really dont know what its called exactly but it was a lovely layered jelley with fruits through the jelly base, topped with loads of crean and topped with some succulent seasonal friuts,blueberries and strawberries.

Thats with the cream, I thought it was ready to be served and started clicking away.Oops, theres more to come



                                             


Topped with some slivered almondno,we not done yet

All adorned and ready to be devoured...

 And this is my friend C, all glowing with the signs of motherhood....I will miss her at work but here's wishing her love and happiness as she enters a very special phase in a womans life.

Couscous cakes with sun dried tomatoes and feta.

This is one protein packed dish.Can be served with a salad or a meat stew for a heavier meal. very versatile and flavourful.

couscous 1 c

water 1 cup

salt 1 t

red chillies, 3 minced

garlic clove 3

eggs, 2 beaten

sundried tomatoes in oil,1/2 c, drained and chopped

crumbled feta 1/2 c

raisins, 2 tbsp (optional)

olive oil, for frying

In a saucepan bring water and salt to a boil. Stir in couscous, remove from heat and let it sit for five minutes. Fluff with a fork to separate grains.



In the bowl add garlic,chillies,sun dried tomatoes,feta and raisins. Add to the couscous and mix well. Add salt to taste and break 2 eggs into the couscous, mix thoroughly.



In a wok, heat olive oil until it is very hot. Put cakes into oil and gently cook for 4-5 mins. Flip cakes and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side.
You can also bake these at 350 F for about 20-30 mins.
Serve hot with a spinach salad or meat main dish..