Berry Good

Several months ago my friend A lent me her cast iron skillet; one which she hardly used at all. I'm seriously in love with this skillet. I've used it so often for so many things that unless A explicitly asks for the skillet it is mine.

The first thing I baked in the skillet was a whole wheat-semolina bread. It was to die for. The recipe needs some fine tuning before it is ready for prime time (on this blog).

Meanwhile here is a muffin-cake that I recently baked. This is Vaishali's recipe for blueberry muffins baked in a skillet instead of a muffin pan. They take longer to bake than regular muffins but I think the results are absolutely worth the extra time.

We loved this muffin-cake. The grainy raw sugar added a nice crunch and the oats provided the nuttiness.

I had to make some minor changes to the original recipe because I did not have some of the ingredients (milk) on hand.
Here is the recipe with my modifications.
The original recipe is here.

Berry Muffins
(makes one large or 11 medium muffins)
Ingredients
1½ cups flour (I used a mixture of whole wheat, oat, and quinoa flours)
½ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup raw sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
zest of 1 lemon
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup lemon juice
¾ cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1½ cups berries

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Mix all the wet ingredients and add to the dry ingredients.
Combine well.
Add in the berries.
Pour the batter in the skillet and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the skillet comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Gooey Goodness

For as long as I remember my son's birthday cake has been the same: chocolate cake, chocolate filling, chocolate frosting. Sure there are times when he deviated slightly but those were rare occasions.

My daughter, on the other hand, firmly believes that variety is the spice of life.
Earlier this month when I asked her what cake she wanted for her birthday, pat came the answer 'chocolate lava cake'. The little to no time she took to reply told me that the little minx had thought about it earlier and was probably waiting for me to ask her.

While we've enjoyed such a cake on several occasions I've never tried to make one at home.
The only reason for that is because ingredients for most recipes I've seen called for
x egg yolks.
What do I do with the x egg whites?

Fortunately for me, I found this recipe!

The cakes turned out really well.
A tad sweet for me even after I had reduced the sugar slightly; but that's just me. The other good thing about the recipe was that it did not make me look for ways to dispose off any remaining egg whites.

The look on my daughter's face when the gooey goodness came gushing out of the cake was priceless!
At that instant I was crowned The Best Aai (mother) in the Whole Wide World.

The hot cakes go to One Hot Stove where Nupur is hosting Blog Bites: the Copycat Edition.

Constant Craving

You know how sometimes a tune gets stuck in your head and keeping on playing. You can't get it out of your head. This is particularly vexing if it is a cheesy tune and it gets stuck in the early hours of the day.

Something similar happened last week; instead of a tune, the voices kept saying 'muthia, muthia'.

This was surprising since muthias are not something I make often. So where was this craving coming from? Weird!
Anyway since the craving wasn't for something like pound cake or some deep fried goody I gave in.

Muthias usually have a fair amount of flour, cooked rice, or both.
Since I usually don't have any leftover rice on hand, I used leftover quinoa instead. The quinoa has to be warmed and pounded (into submission) before adding it to the dough. Otherwise the quinoa grains stay apart and don't bind the greens and the rest of the ingredients together.

Here is my take on the very traditional muthias.

Chard Quinoa Muthias
Ingredients
The proportions are a mere guideline.

1 bunch chard leaves. Set aside the stems, see notes below
1 tsp grated ginger
1 (or more) green chillies
1 tsp owa (ajwain, bishop's weed), lightly roasted
½ whole wheat flour
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tsp oil
a generous pinch baking soda
salt, to taste

Tempering
6-7 kadhilimba (curry leaves)
1 tbsp brown sesame seeds
kothimbir (coriander leaves, cilantro) for garnishing
Phodni kit (oil, mustard, turmeric, asafoetida)

Method
Wash and finely chop the greens. Set aside. Drain/ wipe much of the water.
Grind the chillies and the ginger to make a paste.
Slightly warm the quinoa and run it through the food processor/ blender to get a pulpy mass.
Mix together the greens, ginger-chilli paste, quinoa pulp, flour, owa, oil and the baking soda to make a soft dough.
Do not over mix but make sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed in.
You may need to add more flour if the greens are too moist.

Divide the mixture in 4-5 parts and form each part into a long oval.
Steam (in a pressure cooker) for about 15 minutes or till a glaze appears.
Or your could insert a tooth pick, if it comes out turn off the heat.

Cool completely before slicing.

Prepare the tempering
Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When they start crackling add the turmeric and then the asfoetida.
Add the curry leaves and then the sesame seeds. Toss them around for a bit and turn off the heat.
After about a minute add the lemon juice.
Pour the tempering over the muthias.
Devour!

Notes
This is how I used the stems: chopped them finely, added a bit of yogurt, salt, a pinch of sugar and topped with a bit of phodni (tempering) made for the muthia. Fantastic!

For more muthia variations, see this and this.

A Renewed Taste Reference

There are many foods for which I do not have a taste reference; either I never had one or have forgotten it.

Mawa cake is one such food. This cake is available in most bakeries across India but I do not remember the last time I ate one.
A friend had recently baked mawa cupcakes which she shared hoping to know how close they were to the real thing; for she too had no taste reference! Though the cupcakes were good no doubt, we couldn't vouch for the authenticity of the taste.

Moog daal halwa falls in the same category. I no longer remember how it is supposed to taste.
This halwa started showing up in wedding buffets in the lates 80s and was usually served with vanilla ice-cream. This trend of serving gajar halwa, moong dal halwa, or gulab jam with vanilla ice-cream was quite annoying.
Why would you want to mix gulab jam with vanilla ice-cream? Enjoy them separately. Clearly I'm in the minority here as several have (unsuccessfully) tried to convince me that they taste fantastic together. Oh well!

As I had lost the taste reference, how would I know if it turned out right? Fortunately my Aai (mom) is here with me right now and it turns out that is halwa is a favourite of hers. My great grandparents lived in Jaipur for several years and as a child Aai enjoyed this halwa when visiting them.

Armed with the recipe (courtesy Simran and Lata) we set out to make it. While I planned to stick to the recommended proportions of sugar and ghee I chickened at the last minute: ¼ cup ghee!
I roasted the daal before soaking which I think resulted in a nuttier taste.
The halwa was rich and needless to say rather tasty and was enjoyed by everyone at home.

Here is the recipe that I followed:
Ingredients
1 cup moog daal
½ cup ghee (I didn't use as much ghee.)
1 cup (or less) sugar
½ cup milk
Cashews/ raisins roasted in ghee for garnish. (I skipped these and instead added a pinch of powdered cardamom.)

Method
Roast the moog daal till it browns just slightly.
Soak in water.
Grind the soaked daal to make a smooth-ish paste.
Heat a heavy pan add half the quantity of ghee and the moog daal paste.
Stir continuously. The daal eventually thickens.
Start adding the rest of the ghee, a little at a time.
After a while, the ghee will will start separating from the daal.
Heat the sugar and milk and stir till the sugar dissolves.
Add the sugar & milk to the (still cooking) daal.
Continue cooking till the colour of the daal changes and acquires a distinctly dark hue.
Stir in the cardamom (or raisins and cashes, if using).
Enjoy!

More information on Indian Cooking challange (ICC), see this.

The Plated Dressing

Last week I had met some friends for a potluck lunch. Along with a few other things I had volunteered to take along a salad. The main reason for offering to bring along a salad was the hope that I'd venture to make something other than my usual basil dressing. Unfortunately the days leading up to the potluck were rather hectic and I ended up taking along my same boring dressing.

As I was getting ready to get a picture of the dressing my daughter asked if she could plate the dressing for me! (Clearly too much food tv). Talk about an offer one can't refuse.
So here is her handiwork:

Basil Dressing
Ingredients
The proportions are a mere guideline.
1 cup basil leaves, packed
¼ cup olive oil
¼ white balsamic vinegar
4 large garlic cloves
¼ tsp (or more) red pepper flakes
¼ tsp (or more) crushed pepper
Salt, to taste
pinch of sugar (not optional)
water, if you want to thin the dressing

Method
With the food processor motor running drop in the garlic cloves.
When they are roughly chopped, slowly pour in the oil and then the vinegar.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Enjoy!

This dressing stays well in the fridge for up to 10 days, more if you freeze it.

Variations/ Additions
Too many!
Here are some of my favourite:

• sauteed onions.
  
• nuts always welcome! Any kind as long as they are lightly toasted.
  
• zest of one lemon.
  
• one tbsp peanut butter.
  

Boring it may be to me (only because I make it too often), it's versatility cannot be denied.
We've enjoyed it with just about everything: salad, pasta, sandwiches, parathas, you get the drift.

Flop! Flop!

A double flop.

The recipe for the cupcakes was from a favourite blogger. Maybe there is nothing wrong with the recipe. Maybe it was a bad idea to substitute cake flour for all purpose flour (the box of cake flour said it was ok to do so).
The result were these cupcakes which looked good and smelt great but tasted horrible. Extremely pasty to taste and very doughy.

The recipe for the frosting was from a favourite magazine. For once I followed the recipe to the letter. The result, nonetheless, was terrible. The recipe was unusual. Sugar, milk, and flour (yes, flour) was cooked to create a goopy consistency. Butter was beaten into the cooled goop to create something nasty.

I have baked plenty of disastrous. But so far everything that I've tried from this blogger or the magazine have always turned out just right and so the disappointment is greatly magnified.

The cupcake was intentionally harmed while taking this picture.

What makes this mishap blogworthy is Malar's event, Kitchen Mishaps, that I can participate in!

An Agreeable Afternoon

It is a truth universally known that an invigorating afternoon cup of tea is enjoyed much more in the company of gentle ladies than when one is solitary.

Thus read the invitation. Truer words were never spoken, depend upon it.
A cup of excellent tea and amiable company; the proposed afternoon seeked to unite the two with great promise.

Confirmations were made and plans put in place without any exertions on the concerned parties; and the anticipation began.

The day arrived accompanied by a bright sunshine. We met in high spirits and good humour; eager to be in the company of like minded individuals.

Who can be in doubt of what followed? A most agreeable afternoon, delightful conversation, and considerable food. All that was now needed was a turn in the shrubbery.

My character forbade me to join company empty handed. This recipe provided the inspiration. Minor alterations were made to suits our tastes. The results were entirely satisfying.

Rout Cake
Makes about 24 small cakes
Ingredients
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup) sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp rose-water (not extract)
¼ cup raisins

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease a baking sheet and set it aside.
Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Add the butter and make a crumbly mixture.
Mix together the egg, orange juice, and rose water.
Add in parts to the flour-butter mixture till combined. Do not overmix.
Add in the raisins.
Drop mounds of the mixture on the baking sheet. (I used my hands to form small balls of the dough).
Bake for about 15 mins or till the edges just start to brown.
Cook on a wire rack.
Enjoy with a dish of tea!

Loving Lentils

The lentil rice was described as 'Seasoned rice, whole lentils, macaroni.'
Macaroni? But this wasn't the kids' menu.
So I asked the owner of the cafe about it and was told that macaroni was a common addition to lentil rice in his native Egypt.
He went on to say that it adds an interesting texture to the rice.
And so it did!
I rarely muster courage to ask for the recipe. The one time I do, all I get is the most vague response "Oh nothing fancy, lots of sauteed onions, roasted cumin, salt, lentils, rice, and macaroni."

Back home I took a shot at making said rice.
So did the rice taste the way it did at the restaurant. Absolutely not!
But does it taste good? You betcha! Also, it is vegan and no, it is not a salad.

Masoor Rice with Pasta
Ingredients
1 cup masoor
1 cup rice, uncooked
½ cup elbow or any small macaroni
2 large onions, sliced
1 tbsp cumin (jeera), roasted
2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
cilantro, for garnishing (optional)

Method
Cook the macaroni the usual way; set aside.

Wash the masoor and add it to a pot of water (about 1 ½ cups).
Add a tsp of salt and mix well.
Cook till the masoor retains a bite. Add more water if necessary.
Drain and set aside.

Wash the rice and cook it the usual way in slightly salted water.
When almost done, drain the water and set aside the rice.

Heat oil and add the sliced onions.
Sauté over low to medium heat till brown. This takes a while but do not rush through it.
Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, and a pinch of salt. Stir well.

Assemble the rice
Grease the bottom of the serving dish with a bit of oil.
Spread half the rice, masoor, pasta, rest of the rice, and lastly the onions.
(Or you could do what I did: just mix it all together.)

The rice can be assembled ahead of time and warmed in the microwave just before serving.
Enjoy!

The is my entry to My Legume Love Affair#17 hosted this month by Sra. This long running blog event was started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Complicating Things

Whenever I prepare something for the first time, I often don't have the cookbook (or the laptop if the recipe came from a blog) with me in the kitchen; unless I'm baking. Once I get the general idea, I skip/ modify the ingredients as needed. The modifications are usually to simplify things. This takes the notion of making it my own to a whole new level.

But that is not what happened yesterday when I set out to make a spread. This spread required just four ingredients not counting the capers which where optional. The major ingredients were figs and olives. When I actually started making the spread I realised that the recipe called for fresh figs (I had dried) and Klamata olives (I had green and black). I was forced to make things work just as they where.
A pinch of this and a smidgen of that later I had more than doubled the number of ingredients!
The ends certainly justified the means!

Fig-Olive Spread
Ingredients
The proportions are a mere guideline.

6 dried figs, remove stems
½ cup green olives
½ cup black olives
1 tbsp olive oil
a pinch each of dried oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes
2 tbsp capers
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup roasted almonds (optional, but recommended)
1 little lemon zest (optional)

Method
Mix the oil with ½ cup water and bring it to a boil.
Add the oregano, rosemary, and the lemon zest (if using).
Add the figs and turn off the heat.

Let the fig-spice mixture sit for a couple of hours.

With the motor of the food processor running drop in the garlic.
Add the almonds (if using), olives and the fig-spice mixture along with the liquid.
Pulse the food processor till you have a coarse-ish mixture.
Mix in the capers.
Add salt if necessary; the olives are usually briny enough.
Enjoy!

The bread in the above picture is Vaishali's whole wheat french bread. This fail-proof recipe is my current favourite.

Economy of Instructions & Ingredients

Browse through the food and drink section of any book store in India and you'll come across stacks of cook booklets. These booklets cover a mind boggling range: Microwave Party Cooking, No Sugar/Oil/Salt recipes, Fast foods (that is, food that is allowed when observing a religious fast!), Blood Pressure Cooking (?) etc.
Most of these booklets are the size of a largish postcard and have one recipe per page. While one can't take short cuts when listing ingredients, brevity comes in when providing cooking instructions.
Take this one for example:
Grind the first 5 ingredients to make a paste. Prepare the tempering and pour over the paste. Cook the rice. Create layers of the rice and the paste. Serve hot.

Clearly these recipes are not for the novice cook as they seem to assume that the reader has some basic knowledge of cooking.
Come to think of it, these recipes are absolutely tweet-ready.

Ask my Aai for a recipe and you get a list of ingredients. She (correctly) assumes that I have the smarts to estimate the quantity of said ingredients. Since I have watched her cook for years she also assumes that I have learned something by osmosis. Correct, once again!

After sampling some of the late-summer sweet corn, she suggested we make corn pulao by 'adding corn to our usual party pulao'. Economy of instructions!

Do not let the pale appearance fool you. This flavourful pulao is fantastic on its own but is a simple and uncomplicated part of any party menu where everything else is vying for ones attention.

Corn Pulao
Ingredients
1 cup rice, wash and set aside
1 cup fresh corn kernels
5 cloves
2 leaves tamaalpatra (tej patta)
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 tbsp oil
salt, to taste
2 cups (or more) hot water

Method
Heat the oil and when hot add the spices.
Saute till they start to darken (about a minute).
Add the rice and corn and saute for another minute.
Stir in the water and cook uncovered still most of the water is absorbed.
Add the salt and give it a good stir.
Put the lid on and cover till the rice cooks through.
Enjoy!

Five ingredients, not counting salt and oil. Economy of ingredients!
The pulao is making it way to Anita's party.