blueberry coffee cake

About 6 weeks ago, we went to pick some blueberries at Sauvie island farms. We go there pretty much every year for the last several years and this year was more fun as we had Ana help us pick berries with full gusto.

As always, we froze about 2 or 3 gallon bags full of blueberries to be used over the coming year, till next blueberry season. And I used up some of the fresh ones to bake some goodies. Plus I had canned several jars of blueberry jam last year and they needed to be used up as well. That's how this coffee cake came about.

As usual, I did not follow any particular recipe strictly or closely - and looks like coffee cakes are hard to mess up, even for me :-)

Note: if blueberry jam is not handy, just simmer some extra fresh blueberries with some sugar, stir in cornstarch to thicken into a spreadable consistency and use it instead.

Ingredients:

dry ingredients: 2/3 cup sugar 1½ cup all purpose flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda

wet ingredients: ½ cup buttermilk 4 Tbsp butter 1 egg beaten

fruit filling: 2 cups fresh blueberries 2 Tbsp blueberry jam

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking pan, keep handy.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the the dry ingredients: flour, ½ cup sugar, baking soda and baking powder.

Cut in 3 Tbsp butter to the above mixture until the mixture has the texture of fine breadcrumbs.

Combine the liquid ingredients: eggs and buttermilk; stir or beat a little to form a smooth liquid.

Gradually stir in the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until moistened, not too runny, not too thick either.

Spread half the batter at the bottom; add the fresh blueberries and blueberry jam over the batter layer; then, scoop the remaining batter and drop them in dollops or small mounds on top.

Mix the remaining sugar and butter together and sprinkle on top.

Bake in 350°F oven for about 30-45 minutes or until done - checking half way through.

Poori Masaal

"Poori Potato" is how my dad always refers to this classic breakfast/tiffin dish my mom used to make on and off when I was little. Pooris/Puris are whole wheat bread that are fried, and usually puff up in the process. Typical side dish it is served with where I grew up is a mildly spicy potato dish.

Pooris are usually made with whole wheat flour and are about 3-4 inches in diameter. Sometimes, I serve pooris with a hearty vegetable korma or curry.

Bathuras are made with all-purpose flour and about 6-8 inches in diameter. The mini bathuras, which are usually larger in size and served with Cholay/Chana, work just as well as pooris for a sumptuous weekend brunch.

Ingredients
1½ cups self-rising flour*
OR
1½ cups all-purpose flour + 1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp black cumin seeds
salt to taste
canola oil for frying
*(use whole wheat flour, if preferred)

For the potato masaal:
4 medium potatoes, cooked
1 medium onion, finely diced
2-3 green chilies, finely diced
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
cilantro for garnish
Tempering: 1 tsp canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds

Preparation:

Poori: combine the flour (baking powder, if using), nigella seeds, cumin seeds, and some salt, add a little buttermilk at a time and knead into a soft yet slightly stiff elastic dough.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan for deep frying.

Potato Masal: Start with the tempering - heat oil in a largish pan, when shimmering, add the mustard seeds, when they pop, add the cumin seeds, then the grated ginger, chilies and onion, plus turmeric powder and sauté till onions turn translucent; add the cooked potatoes, adjust salt to taste, add a little water as needed to adjust the dish to the consistency you like. I don't like it runny...

Divide the dough into one inch diameter balls, and roll them out flat with a rolling pin to about 2 millimeter thick. Deep fry each of these and drain in a paper-towel lined plate.

Serve pooris/mini-bhaturas warm with potato masal garnished with cilantro.

falafel pita pockets

Every once in a while, I soak a huge pot of chana/chick peas/garbanzo beans and cook them and freeze any unused portion. A few weeks ago, I had the last of the frozen batch I needed to use up and that's how this falafel pita pocket meal came about. Plus, there were fresh, sweet, juicy cherry and grape tomatoes from our garden that needed to be eaten up as well :-)

Falafel can be made with fava beans or chickpeas. I've always used chickpea batter of sorts, with some za'atar/dried herbs thrown in for home-made falafels. Also, used chickpeas to make a simple hummus.

Ingredients

For hummous:
2-3 cups firm cooked chick peas
3-4 garlic cloves
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sesame tahini
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp finely minced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
salt to taste

For falafel:
2 cups firm cooked chick peas
1 Tbsp za'atar spices (optional)
OR
1 Tbsp dried spices like parsley, dill, coriander
salt to taste
oil for frying

Other:
fresh romaine hearts or any lettuce of your choice
fresh tomatoes
kalamata olives
feta cheese
pocket pita bread, cut in half, warmed up and opened into a pocket for stuffing

Preparation

Combine the falafel ingredients in a blender of food processor and grind to a thick paste

Heat oil in a pan for frying the falafel balls

Meanwhile, combine the hummous ingredients in the blender and grind to a smooth dip consistency

drop a dollop/ball of the chickpea paste into the hot oil and deep fry to make the falafel balls; drain on a paper towel and keep handy

Assembly: Stuff each pita pocket as you like with falafel balls, lettuce, kalamata olives, feta, tomatoes, top with hummous and enjoy.

Swiss Chard Masiyal

Keerai (aka greens) masiyal was not a big favorite when I was little as it was mushy, thick, bland and usually served with some pickle or pappadam.

Over the years, I have fallen in love with this and have added a few variations to make it more appealing to me. So, this recipe is not quite traditional in that sense. This chard masiyal recipe is very simple, quick to whip up on a weeknight and quite nutritious.

My mom usually makes it with spinach, but I use a combination of spinach and chard here. We had a bunch of chard in our garden and I decided to use it up.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen chopped spinach (or fresh)
1 bunch swiss chard
3-4 green chilies, chopped
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2-3 Tbsp Madras Curry powder
salt to taste
¼ cup finely chopped fresh coconut for garnish (optional)
Tempering: 1 tsp canola oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 1 Tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp urad dal

Preparation

Chop and wash the chard and spinach (if using fresh) well. Drain. Steam in the microwave till wilted and tender, using very little water. Squeeze out excess water. Allow to cool a little.

Combine the steamed greens, chilies and ginger and grind to a fine smooth paste, adding very little water, preferably none.

gently simmer this greens paste, adding a Tbsp of water at a time as needed, add the curry powder, adjust salt to taste

Tempering: In a small pan heat the oil, when it shimmers, add the chana dal, when it turns golden brown add the urad dal, lower the heat, and when urad dal turns golden brown add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the cumin seeds, and turn off the heat. Throw in the chopped coconut ,if using.

Garnish with the tempering. Serve warm with warm rice, papapdam, vegetable curry, or even rasam and indian pickle.

p.s: thanks to Ashaji's comment, I am now aware of the Green Blog Project event (GBP) and this will be an entry for my Summer 2007 GBP event hosted by Deepz.

A few plant facts: The chard in our garden were from a local nursery, we just transplanted the seedlings in  early summer. This is Zone 5, with an average of 200+ days of growing season.

Cut off the outer leaves 1 1/2 inches above the ground when they are young and tender (about 8-12 inches long). Be careful not to damage the terminal bud, at the center of the bottom of the growing rosette of foliage. Maintain sufficient soil moisture to keep plants growing well.

Nutritional facts

Chard packs a huge amount of vitamin A and it is naturally high in sodium. One cup chopped chards contains Vitamin C 32 mg, Folate 15 mcg, Calories 35
Protein 3 grams, Carbohydrates 7 grams, Calcium 102 mg, Iron 4 mg among other goodies

Lychee

My earliest memory of Lychee is when I was about 6 or 7 years old: It was summer holidays  in Calcutta when I got my first taste of this fruit.

Lychee was a strange fruit for me as the flavor was very strong, but the flesh was sort of like the fruit of the palm tree (nungu), and unlike nungu, it had a pit...

And over the last several years, I had not touched Lychee, not so much as thought about it and didn't really miss it much... Until, that is, I saw Sig's announcement that this edition of AFAM, A Fruit A Month, features the exotic Lychee!

We managed to find some fresh lychees as well as canned ones. While shelling/peeling the fresh ones is a pain, I found that pitting it was manageable with a cherry pitter. Of course the juice kind of flows out and the lychee-pits are more intimately bonded to the lychee-flesh compared to cherries, but, hey, it worked!

I decided to go all the way and satisfy my long-dormant Lychee craving thanks to this AFAM event:

1. Chicken Breast in Lychee Chilli Sauce: The sweetness of the lychee and the fire of the chillies made this sauce quite delicious, if I may say so :-)

2. Lychee Strawberry Frozen Yogurt: Now, having become a fan of the Cuisinart® Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Maker, I had to make a lychee dessert, naturally...

3. Flaming Lychee Daiquirí : This is entirely D's idea, he enjoys this drink more than me and is a fairly good mixer of drinks!

Chicken Breast in Lychee Chilli Sauce

D likes chicken and fish, especially when served with some interesting sauce. Nothing special about the chicken breast: I used a couple of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed, brined for 30 minutes and then rubbed with a spice rub made of ground pancha phoron; pan-seared it on both sides in a stainless steel pan^‡ and finished off cooking in a 375°F oven till the thickest part registered about 165°F, so that it is fully cooked, yet juicy (about 10-12 minutes).
^‡ Non-stick pan does not develop the fond that is great for making such a reduction pan sauce

The sauce, now that was the interesting part for me. After pan-searing the chicken, I made the sauce in the same pan so as not to lose any of the fond at the bottom.

Lychee Chilli Sauce:
2 shallots, diced finely (or red onion, if shallots are not handy)
8-10 canned lychee, drained and minced finely
2-3 fresh lychee, if available, or canned is fine, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp red miso paste
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
6-8 fresh green chilies^†, chopped
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
¼ cup chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbsp lychee syrup from the canned lychee
1 Tbsp butter
1 tbsp canola oil
^†I used some green and red kung pao chilies from my garden :-)

In a blender or food processor, combine the lychees (reserving some), miso, sambal oelek, white vinegar and green chilies and grind to a fine smooth paste

Add the oil to the pan in which the chicken breast was pan-seared, then the shallots, grated ginger and garlic, and let the shallots cook a bit; then add the chicken stock to deglaze and then the ground lychee paste from above and let it simmer gently

Add the reserved chopped lychee, brown sugar (if using), stir the butter in and simmer till the sauce is reduced

Adjust salt to taste - miso is salty enough that I didn't need to add any more...

Smother the chicken breast in the lychee chilli sauce and serve warm.

(Am sure this sauce would be good with fish as well...)

Lychee Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Lychee Strawberry Frozen Yogurt recipe is pretty much the same as my Mango-Strawberry Frozen Yogurt recipe, just substitute lychee and lychee syrup in place of mango ;-)

Flaming Lychee Daiquirí

1½ shots Bacardi 151 Rum
1 shot lychee syrup
¼ tsp superfine sugar (optional)

Mix in a shaker filled with ice, strain and pour into a martini glass. Then carefully set it on fire :-)

Blow out the fire after about 15-20 seconds, and enjoy!

(overproof rum is best to get it flaming...)

Dalma: Oriya Cuisine

The only Oriyan dish I learnt to make (and that too am not sure is very authentic) is this Dalma. What attracted me to this dish was its simplicity, nutritive value, but most of all the combination of spices.

The spices here are standard in most Indian kitchen, but, the combination was new to me - I had never combined cumin and fennel until I saw it in this dish.

And, after making this a few times over the years, I started dry roasting the Pancha Phoron spices (Cumin, Mustard, Fennel, Fenugreek, Nigella sativa) in larger batches and grinding them to fine powder and using them to spice many dals and curries and even use as rub on chicken and turkey.

Also, instead of just regular cumin seeds, I use a mix of cumin and black cumin (kala jeera/ shahi jeera) seeds which is a good carminative, and complements the dals well - as dals do tend to cause gas if one is not used to it:-)

The recommended ratio of pancha phoron as tempering and garnish is 4:4:2:2:1. But to make the spice powder, I use equal measures of cumin (jeera), black cumin (kala jeera), mustard (brown or black) and fennel(saunf), half a measure of nigella (kalonji) seeds, quarter measure of fenugreek (methi) seeds, and leave out the chilli seeds as I can add chilli powder and adjust to taste as desired when cooking...

Ingredients
1 cup each of diced green plantain, pumpkin or squash, potatoes
1 cup toor dal
½ cup chana dal
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dry roasted and ground ground cumin seeds (i use a combination of black cumin + regular cumin seeds)
Tempering: 1 Tbsp canola oil (or ghee), 2 Tbsp Pancha Phoron spices

Preparation

Cook the dal in a saucepan; meanwhile, also cook the vegetables in another saucepan with a pinch of salt

When the dal and vegetables are mostly cooked, combine them and add the spices - turmeric, ginger, garlic, brown sugar and adjust salt to taste and let it simmer gently

Tempering: In a small pan, heat the oil and add the Pancha Phoron spices, allow the mustard seeds to pop and the rest of the ingredients to crackle and brown, but not burn

Add the tempering to the dal, sprinkle the dry roasted cumin powder and serve warm with hot rice and ghee. (It is probably wonderful with hot rotis as well...)

And this is my post for the RCI: Regional Cuisine of India event started by Lakshmi at Veggie Cuisine, with RCI:Orissa hosted this month by Swapna at Swad

sautéed garden eggplant

Anytime I feel a little under the weather, my favorite comfort food is rasam and rice with some vegetable curry on the side. I had a bit of a stomach flu last week and didn't cook anything much as I couldn't stomach anything much, and a simple pepper-cumin-garlic rasam was all I could stand.

Finally, when I felt strong enough to have some solids, I wanted to have rasam+rice with some vegetable curry. The dozen Ichiban and Neon eggplants we harvested from our garden last week came in handy to make this sautéed eggplant side dish...

Nothing could be simpler, really - this eggplant curry is easy to make, yet tasty.



Ingredients:
6 Ichiban eggplants, chopped (or any other favorite variety, adjust quantity as needed)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
salt to taste
1-2 Tbsp cayenne pepper powder or red chili powder (lesser if preferred)
2 Tbsp canola oil
Tempering: 1 tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 5-6 curry leaves (optional)

Preparation

Heat the oil in a pan, when it shimmers add the mustard seeds, when they pop, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, then the onions; sauté till onions turn translucent; then, add the eggplant, salt, chili powder, toss around a bit, leave on medium high and stir every once in a while till eggplant is cooked and gets a little crispy on the skin.

Serve with hot rice and pepper rasam.

---

p.s: thanks to Ashaji's comment in another post, I am now aware of the Green Blog Project event (GBP) and this will be an entry for my Summer 2007 GBP event hosted by Deepz.

A few plant facts: The eggplant varieties in the picture are Ichiban and Neon, long fruits - about 6-7 inches long and about 1½ inches wide. This is Zone 5, in Portland Wilamette Valley, with an average of 200+ days of growing season.

We planted it early Summer/late Spring after the frost was gone. We still had some chilly nights, but warmer days, so these survived. It takes about 70 days to harvest, but this seems an early variety so we started getting a few fruits within 8 weeks of planting. Here is some information that helped us decide on when to plant these in our garden.

Eggplant is a cold-sensitive vegetable that requires a long warm season for best yields. The culture of eggplant is similar to that of bell pepper, with transplants being set in the garden after all danger of frost is past. Eggplants are slightly larger plants than peppers and are spaced slightly farther apart. Eggplant requires careful attention for a good harvest. Small-fruited, exotic-colored and ornamental varieties can be grown in containers and used for decorations.

cooking précisions

Being a food enthusiast, how can I let this pass by unmentioned?

Hervé This (pronounced Tees/Tiss) formulated the delectable chocolat chantilly over a dozen years ago.

Following his Grandes Écoles diploma in physical chemistry, he apparently was intrigued by what he calls "cooking précisions" when

One night, he invited friends to dinner and made a cheese soufflé from a recipe that said to add the egg yolks two at a time. "Because I was a rational man," he says, "I decided to put in all of the yolks together. It was a failure."

He then started testing these "cooking precisions" — rules he gleaned from disparate sources like 19th- century cookbooks, old wives' tales, and the tricks of modern chefs — to see which ones held up (the skin on a suckling pig really does crackle more if you chop off its head right after roasting) and which didn't (a menstruating cook won't ruin mayonnaise).

The standard way to hard-boil eggs in Europe and America—10 minutes in boiling water—is not ideal, says Hervé This. The trouble, he notes clinically, is that 212 degrees Fahrenheit is far higher than the temperature at which the egg whites and the yolks coagulate. Egg whites are made up of protein and water (yolks contain fat as well). As eggs cook, their balled-up proteins uncoil into strands, and the strands bind together to form an intricate mesh that traps water. In essence, the proteins form a gel, a liquid dispersed in a solid. Boiling causes too many egg proteins to bind and form dense meshes, "so there is less sensation of water in the mouth," says This. Voilà: rubbery egg whites and sandy, grayish yolks.

Molecular Gastronomy as a field of study, pioneered by Hervé This, has been around for a while. Especially with my baking fiascos, I started getting very curious about it. I haven't begun to even scratch the surface and already I find it quite fascinating. While my experiments in the kitchen are not so scientific, at least it is helping me pay attention to some "old-wives tales" passed on by my mom :-)

Enough of the rambling... today I just have a very simple yet wholesome recipe I enjoyed making, especially because it is the garden bounty:

Roasted Grape and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe is very simple. Toss the tomatoes with some olive oil, sliced garlic, some chopped herbs (rosemary, marjoram, basil), some salt and roast it in a 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes till skin blisters and the aroma is irresistible :-)

Our garden has started fruiting tomatoes in bunches and there was only so much of fresh, sweet, raw cherry and grape tomatoes we can share (and consume), so, I decided to roast some for an afternoon snack. The sample red chili in the picture is a paprika, the long green ones are kung pao chilies, and the light green one is some kind of large wax pepper, plus the yellow pear tomatoes...

Chaenai Elavan Koottu

One of my favorite sides when I was little was this Chaenai-Elavan koottu.

Chaenai ('ch' as in chair), aka Elephant foot yam, is a yam that seemed ubiquitous in India, which is not quite the same as the yam sold here. This Chaenai (Suran) has thick dark brown muddy skin, with slightly hard yellowish flesh and is a bugger to clean up and chop. So naturally my mom did not make it often.

Elavan is ash gourd or white pumpkin with spongy/watery white flesh, light green rind and lots of seeds inside. It is about the size of a water melon and is sold in wedges. It is fairly bland and cooks up fast.

I hadn't had this yummy chaenai-elavan koottu in many years until my mom managed to make it last year when I visited India. Imagine my thrill when the other adult came home one day from Indian store with this frozen cleaned-and-par-cooked chaenai!

I *had* to cook up my favorite koottu and share the recipe here - except, I didn't have elavan handy, so, substituted opo squash instead.



Now, one pot meals like red beans and rice make the best quick and simple meals on weeknights, especially if all the ingredients are handy and all you have to do is come home from work, start it on the pot, go play with the baby as you missed her all day, and in about 20-30 minutes yummy dinner is served!

What feels even better is presenting a typical homely comfort meal with a couple of dishes that complement each other and be able to cook and serve them in about 20-30 minutes.

A few short-cuts that I try to remember for Indian recipes:

• cook larger batch of toor dal/moong dal/chana dal and store 2 or 3 cup portions (for a family of 2 adults) in the freezer; so, when ready to cook, just thaw the small 3-cup-frozen-batch and cook it up as desired
• when making paruppusili, soak and steam a largish batch of toor dal balls, freeze the unused portion, again in small batches; thaw the frozen steamed lentil balls in the microwave for a quick approach, or leave it in the fridge overnight, and cook it up with favorite vegetable
• when making ground masala at home, make a larger batch and store the extra - like for arachu vitta sambar, I make a larger batch of the ground paste and freeze it; or, if it is powdered spices, even better, simply store it in air tight container

Why am going on and on about this? Well, I came across Mallugirl's Summer Express Cooking Event and thought I must dedicate a post for it since Quick and Easy yet Delectable Victuals are what this blog is all about (at least most of the time).

The menu is yam koottu served with pepper-garlic rasam and plain hot rice.

Ingredients:

1 packet frozen yam (chaenai/suran)
½ medium opo squash
2/3 cup chana dal
For rasam spices: 1 Tbsp whole black pepper, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 6-8 garlic cloves
1 tsp tamarind paste
4 Tbsp brown sugar (some for rasam, some for the koottu)
½ cup grated coconut
salt to taste
a few tsp canola oil
2 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)
For tempering: 1 tsp oil (canola or coconut), 1 tsp mustard seeds, curry leaves

And this simple menu can be cooked and served in under 30 minutes with a little bit of multi-tasking: (Ready? Set the timer to 30 minutes and Go!)

• Start the rice in a rice cooker.


• Set the microwave timer and thaw the frozen chaenai/suran a.k.a yam in the microwave.


• Add ½ to 2/3rd cup of chana dal to about 2 cups of water in a pan and allow the dal to cook in the back burner.


• Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle, add a tsp of cumin seeds, a tablespoon of whole black pepper and 6-8 cloves of garlic and pound it to a nice powdery paste.


• Chop up a few tomatoes for the rasam.


• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pot in the back burner, add the pounded paste and the tomatoes, 4-5 cups of water, some salt, tamarind paste, 1 Tbsp brown sugar and leave it on medium-low to come to a boil and simmer gently.


• Chop up elavan a.k.a white pumpkin/ash gourd or opo squash.


• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add the opo squash, some salt and water and start cooking; part-way through, add the thawed yam pieces and 3 Tbsp brown sugar - these frozen yam pieces are par cooked so they don't need to cook for long to be done - and allow them to cook through.


• (By now, the timer should be close to 18-20 minutes if you work at a fairly normal-to-brisk pace)


• The chana dal should be cooked through but not mushy by now; drain it and add it to the yam and opo squash cooking in the pan. Stir well and adjust salt to taste. leave it on low heat.


• Right about now, rasam should be done as well - the rawness should be gone, and it should have reduced a bit - taste and adjust salt. Off heat.


• Tempering: In a small pan heat 1 Tbsp oil, when it shimmers, add the mustard seeds and when they begin to pop add the curry leaves (if handy), remove from heat and garnish the rasam and koottu with the tempering.


• Then, in the same small pan, add the coconut oil and the grated coconut, toast the coconut till it is golden brown and aromatic, don't let it burn; off heat.


• Garnish the koottu with this toasted coconut.

By now the rice should be done and the timer close to going "beep" - just in time to serve the yummy wholesome meal!

Enjoy!

Eggplant and Summer Squash

Ichiban and Neon eggplants in the garden are fruiting about half-a-dozen or so every few days and am frantically trying to use them up. If the sun decides to blaze down this weekend, I would like to slice and dry some of them and make what are called "vatthal" in Tamil - sun dried anything is a vatthal,I believe - and eggplant vatthal would make a wonderful vatthal kuzhambu, I am sure... we'll see... it has been quite cloudy and mild here for the last several days.

Meanwhile, I decided to use the current yield and make a favorite: Eggplant in Miso Sauce. This recipe is pretty much the same as my older recipe, but, I used home grown summer squash in addition to eggplant. Also, this time I made a little more sauce so it doesn't just coat the vegetables lightly, but, sort of lets the vegetables float in it :-)

Eggplant recipes happen to dominate my recipe index... possibly because I have a variety of eggplant handy in my backyard, I suppose...

mango-strawberrry frozen yogurt

The Cuisinart® Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt maker is quite a handy apparatus. Especially now that warmer days are here, I try to make small batches of wholesome "healthy" stuff with it. That's how this mango-strawberry frozen yogurt happened.

I had 2 ripe juicy mangoes to be used up. (I was sick, else mangoes would not have had a chance to sit for long and wait to be used up). We had some non-fat strawberry yogurt handy. It takes about 20 minutes to get it ready using the super-duper Cuisinart® frozen yogurt maker. The basic recipe came with the book, I just improvised a bit.

Ingredients:
½ cup 2% milk
¼ cup sugar
2 cups strawberry yogurt
2 ripe mangoes, pulp only

Throw them all together in the machine and let it go for 20 minutes and voila! yummy guilt-free health-friendly frozen yogurt is ready. This makes about eight ½ cup servings (but who has ½ cup servings at a time, right?)

Ordinarily, I wouldn't dream of pairing two strong flavors like strawberry and mango, but, this time, I wanted to make mango flavored dessert, and the recipe called for yogurt but we only had strawberry yogurt... and what a wonderful stroke of serendipity that was!

Plus, our little strawberry patch in the backyard is yielding alright, and I managed to throw in a few fresh strawberries as well, and, save one for garnish for the picture!

Fortunately Ana doesn't know the difference between full fat rich ice cream and this leaner version of frozen yogurt. She loved this mango strawberry frozen yogurt and I had to ration it to make sure she doesn't overindulge.

The mango was the stronger of the flavors we could taste right away, and it didn't clash with the pleasant strawberry at all. All in all a good experimental flavor that I would certainly repeat, hopefully soon...

zucchini eggplant parmesan

This is the "diet" version of my Eggplant Parmesan recipe. I like it because it is easy to throw together on a weeknight and is filling, yet not heavy.

Ingredients
¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan
2 cups bread crumbs with herbs and any other flavoring of choice
2 eggs well-beaten, handy in a shallow dish
few Tbsp canola oil as needed
1 medium globe eggplant
1 large zucchini
salt to taste
1 cup grated part-skim, low-fat mozzarella
store-bought or home-made tomato sauce
some grated Parmesan for garnish

Preparation

Slice the eggplant and zucchini, salt them and let them sit for about 5-8 minutes, then drain and pat dry really well.

Combine the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and keep handy in a shallow dish; keep the beaten eggs handy in another shallow dish

Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet to medium heat; heat oven to 350°F; lightly grease a casserole or oven-safe dish and keep handy

Dip the eggplant/zucchini slices in egg first and then in bread crumbs; press to coat well and place on the hot pan, in batches; cook both sides till golden brown and the vegetables are cooked through, add a few teaspoon of oil at a time as needed

When all eggplant and zucchini are pan-fried as above, in the prepared oven-safe dish assemble the layers: eggplant/zucchini slices, tomato sauce, cheese; bake in the 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes till cheese melts, the sauce bubbles and the dish comes together

Serve warm with extra tomato sauce and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Capsicum Paruppusili

Last year, when my mom visited us, our garden was bursting with peppers, squash, eggplant and tomatoes. My mom was frantically trying to find different ways to cook up these veggies. That's how capsicum paruppusili came about.

And since this qualifies as the JFI ingredient this time around, I am dedicating this post to the same. JFI:Chilli Peppers event is hosted this month by my dear pal, the lovely and talented Nandita of SaffronTrail

Capsicum is a genus of plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to Mexico, and now cultivated worldwide. Some of the members of Capsicum are used as spices, vegetables, and medicines. The fruit of Capsicum plants have a variety of names depending on place and type. They are commonly called chili pepper, red or green pepper, or just pepper in Britain and the US; the large mild form is called bell pepper in the US, capsicum in Australian English and Indian English...
...
The chili pepper, or more simply just "chili", is the fruit of species of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family, Solanaceae.
The name, which is spelled differently in many regions (chili, chile or chilli), comes from Nahuatl via the Spanish word chile. The term chili in most of the world refers exclusively to the smaller, hot types of capsicum. The mild larger types are called bell pepper in the USA, simply pepper in Britain and Ireland, capsicum in Australasia and paprika in many European countries. -- Wikipedia

Paruppusili is basically, red gram lentils soaked with some dry red chilies, ground into a paste, steam-cooked and then pan fried and added to vegetable of choice, which in this recipe happens to be Capsicum. The procedure is the same as my Kovakkai Paruppusili. The only difference is, instead of Tindora/Kovakkai, substitute your favorite chilli peppers - in this case, it happens to be mild and sweet green and yellow bell peppers.

chilli thokku

Chillies - green or red, fresh or dry - have always been an integral part of my mom's kitchen. And now, chillies have a special place in my kitchen as well.

When I was growing up, there was very rarely a period when we didn't have home-made pickles and chutneys handy. In addition to regular food, that is.

Thokku is a form of pickle where the main ingredients are ground into a paste and preserved in oil and spices. The most common ones at home are tomato thokku, ginger thokku and chilli thokku.

This chilli thokku recipe is a bit different from how my mom usually makes it. The primary ingredient is, of course, chillies - both green and red - plus, I decided to throw in some dry hibiscus flowers that I had handy as I like the color and the mild flavor it adds. Now, I love the deep rich color and the smoky flavor of dry ancho-pasilla chilies, so, I went with them here. But, if this is not readily available, substitute any favorite dry red chilies - adjust quantity based on heat.



I usually make fairly small batches and store it in the fridge. It lasts for about 2 weeks (if we don't eat it all up, that is). But, sometimes, I can them and put them away for later. It tastes even better when it has had time to age gracefully and develop deep flavors.

And this chilli thokku recipe is my post for JFI: Jihva For Ingredients, started by Indira of Mahanandi fame, hosted this month by a dear pal, the lovely and talented Nandita of SaffronTrail
.

Ingredients:
6-8 dry ancho-pasilla chilies
15-20 green chillies
a handful of dry hibiscus flowers
--------------
plain white vinegar
brown sugar
salt
oil

Preparation

Soak the dry red chilies and hibiscus in some warm water for about 15 minutes.

Remove the stem and some of the seeds, if preferred, and coarsely chop the soaked chillies; in a blender or food processor, grind the three ingredients together.

Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a pan, add some mustard seeds and when they splutter, add the ground chilli paste. Add about ¼ cup plain white vinegar, about 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar, and some salt to taste.

Stir well, and keep stirring till the rawness of the chillies go away, all the liquid is evaporated, the oil starts separating and the thokku comes together. Taste and adjust flavors.

The tang from the vinegar and the sweetness of the brown sugar counter-balance the heat from the chillies and make this a wonderful condiment to have handy at home. The heat is not overpowering, killing the taste buds, so-to-speak...

How to use this chilli thokku?

1. mix a small amount with cream cheese and use it as a sandwich spread
2. spread a thin layer of this wonderful thokku on rotis or parathas (or even tortillas), roll them up and munch as a quick snack
3. mix a small amount with fresh hot rice and ghee and enjoy!

Gobi (Cauliflower) Manchurian

This is one of my favorite Indo-Chinese adaptations. The dish is usually prepared fairly dry, with just a coating of sauce tossed together right before serving to prevent sogginess.

The recipe here is sort of made-up, so, adjust to taste as you like. And, usually, I vary the proportions a bit each time to see if it can get any better, and also because I may not have all the ingredients handy, so I improvise. I happen to like all the variations I have made so far. But, this recipe is fairly standard when I make Gobi Manchurian and thought I'll share it here.

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup rice flour
salt to taste
1 cup oil for shallow frying

for the sauce:
2-3 green chilies, sliced thin
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp plain white vinegar
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
¼ cup water
corn starch as needed for thickening

Preparation

par-cook the cauliflower florets in the microwave, pat dry, sprinkle some salt and keep handy

heat oil in a medium shallow pan for shallow frying the cauliflower florets

add some salt to the rice flour, dredge the cauliflower florets with the flour and shallow fry in batches till golden brown on the outside; remove with slotted spoon and place in a paper-towel lined plate

sauce: heat a few tablespoon of oil in a large sauce pan, sauté the onions and garlic, add the bell peppers, then all the sauce ingredients and let them simmer till flavors combine and sauce thickens

combine the shallow-fried cauliflower with the sauce, stir well, garnish with some slit chilies

Serve hot with hot rice.

mini bagels

Warm, fresh savory bagels (onion, garlic, herb) with some fluffy roasted garlic and vegetables cream cheese is one of my favorite breakfast items. When I am in the mood for it, that is.

I don't bake bagels and breads often as the good breads take a lot of TLC and time, plus, they are readily available baked fresh daily at the bakeries all across town.

However, every once in a while, I decide to whip up a batch just for fun. That's how this batch of mini bagels came into existence. And, I managed to take step-by-step photos (more or less)!

The bagel recipe I used here came with the bread machine. Rather than rolling the dough into a rope and shape it into a ring, as I was making mini bagels, I did what I usually do for "vada", an Indian fried snack: roll the dough into a 2"-3" diameter ball, flatten it like a patty, and make a largish hole in the center by poking with the back of a wooden spoon or just the finger. The trick is to make this hole fairly large, or it will close up on boiling, as I found out the hard way.

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 Tbsp honey
1 cup wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp rapid rise dry yeast

Preparation

Combine the ingredients and knead to a smooth elastic dough. If preferred, activate the yeast in lukewarm water first before adding it to the dry ingredients. Cover and let it rise till doubled in size.

Divide into approximately 16-20 little balls - the size of the mini bagel is up to you - so, the number of bagels you end up with can vary depending on the size of each bagel. Flatten each ball a little and make a large hole in the center. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let it rise for another 15-20 minutes.

Heat oven to 350°F. Also, heat about 2 quarts of water to boiling in a pan. Keep a second cookie sheet handy for baking - line it with parchment paper if preferred.

Gently place 3 or 4 bagels into the boiling water. They will sink to the bottom, and then gradually rise to the top within a minute or so. Turn them once when they are in the water. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon when they float to the top, and place them on the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, or poppy seeds or both, or even minced garlic, or dry garlic chunks, anything you like.

Bake in the 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes, checking half way through to see if they are done. The "skin" should be golden brown and inside should be cooked through. Usually, I "sacrifice" one of the bagels to be sure they are done: I remove one from the oven and dissect it - depending on how doughy the inside looks, I adjust the baking time - just trial and error...

Small is cute :-) Mini bagel sandwich, while not necessarily a complete meal, makes a filling breakfast: a slice of onion, a slice of cucumber, a slice of tomato, a slice of swiss cheese, maybe a couple of pickled jalapeños, some roasted red bell pepper if handy... Mmmmm... If only I could fit the stack in my mouth to get a yummy bite... However, D did eat this sandwich in about 2 bites, while I meticulously disassembled mine and ate the parts :-)

chicken mewn saws oren-mwstard

You are probably thinking either I fell asleep on the keyboard, or, am stuck with a keyboard with more w's than normal, right?

Well, the name is D's creation. I made this dish for him, going purely by what he was in the mood for (even though I wasn't), and since I didn't really have a name for it as I wasn't following any particular recipe, I let D name this dish. Which, as you can see, was not such a smart idea, as he chose to name it in Welsh :-)

Simply put, the name of this dish translates to chicken with a sauce orange-mustard.

Which says it all, basically. D had this beer-mustard sauce he wanted to try, and was in the mood for chicken with citrus/orange flavor, and that's how this dish came about.

Basically, D thawed a few frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, and brined them overnight, then chopped them to bite-size pieces. I had chopped up some green chilies, garlic, capers finely and let D embed this in the chicken pieces, and let them sit while oil was heating up.



Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 Tbsp small capers, finely chopped
1 cup fine rice flour (more or less)
1 cup oil for shallow-frying (more or less)

For the sauce:
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
1-2 serrano chilies, sliced thin
¼ cup beer-mustard sauce (or, dijon mustard)
1 medium orange, juiced fully, (save some orange zest for garnish)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (optional)
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
2-4 Tbsp tomato sauce (adjust to taste)

Preparation

encrust the chicken pieces with the capers, chilies, garlic mixture

heat the oil in a medium shallow pan

dredge the chicken pieces with some rice flour, just enough to counter the moisture - just sprinkle the flour and toss gently

heat the oven to 250°F and keep a sheet pan handy

shallow fry the chicken pieces in small batches, turn them around so they get browned and cooked evenly; drain and transfer to sheet pan and leave it in the oven till all the chicken pieces are fried, and the sauce is ready — I usually have a small meat thermometer handy and pull the largest piece out of the oil and check its temperature - if it is about 165-170°F I am happy :-)

sauce: once the chicken are all fried, in the same pan (remove any excess oil), add the onion, tomatoes and chilies, sauté a bit, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients, adjust to taste and let it thicken

transfer a portion of the sauce to a serving bowl - to ensure that chicken doesn't get too soggy; add the chicken pieces to the rest of the sauce in the pan and stir well to coat; if it feels too dry, add more sauce as needed

Serve warm with jasmine rice, with the extra sauce on the side.

ciabatta olive bread

The smell of fresh warm bread, just finishing baking, especially in the lazy weekends, feels like heaven, doesn't it?

I love artisan breads - the ones where all ingredients are recognizable - like flour, water, maybe yeast, some milk, herbs, nuts perhaps...(no added chemicals), and usually not mass produced, where flavor comes from "proper control of the fermentation and the action of natural bacteria leading to anything from a light delicate flavor to a deep, strong, rustic flavor".

Artisan bread is best described by thinking about the person who makes the bread. An artisan baker is a craftsperson who is trained to the highest ability to mix, ferment, shape and bake a hand crafted loaf of bread. They understand the science behind the chemical reactions of the ingredients and know how to provide the best environment for the bread to develop.
-- from http://www.artisanbakers.com/

Just like it takes years of practice to be a successful carpenter or jeweler, it takes a lot of practice to bake good artisan breads.

But, I was curious about trying a good hearty artisan bread recipe so, I borrowed my mum-in-law's book, Artisan Baking by Maggie Glezer, to try out this ciabatta recipe which brings out the rustic and hearty flavors of artisan breads.

The recipe in the book, of course, is plain and simple, but, following my mum-in-law's suggestion, I added some kalamata olives and it turned out to be a superb ciabatta olive bread, if I may say so myself :-)

The catch of course is that one cannot rush these things. So, the total time it took from getting the Biga ready and baking the bread was about 31 hours. Yep, you read it right, 31 hours! Most of which is waiting, folding, rising... not a lot of work, really.

So, sort of like sourdough breads, we start with what is called Biga, except, we use yeast to help out (whereas sourdough grabs the natural yeast from the environment): activate the yeast in warm water, then mix a specified amount of it with some flour, stir well, and leave it overnight or up to 12 hours.

Then, add the measured amounts of flour, water etc. (listed below) and make a sticky, runny dough. Knead well, let it sit. Every 20 mins or so, for the first hour, take it out and fold it and put it back in the oiled bowl. Then, let it rise, and every hour or so, take it out fold it and put it back. And so on... this develops lots of air pockets (try not to punch the dough down) which when baked gives the nice holes and texture.

Bake in a really hot oven (400°F), on a pizza stone for about 20-30 mins till outside is really brown and crusty, while inside is moist, chewy and cooked through.

Biga: ¼tsp yeast in 1 cup warm water, activate first; then, take ½ tsp of this yeast+water mixture (throw out the rest), mix it with about ½ cup flour, cover and leave in a warm place overnight.

Bread: 1 Tbsp gluten flour, 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 cup all-purpose four, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2¼ tsp salt, 1½ cup water, chopped kalamata olives (optional, say about a cup chopped) plus the Biga from above.

When all the rising, folding, rising is done, divide the dough roughly into two portions and shape into flat-ish, rectangular loaves.

Overall, this was a fun bread to bake. I have made it twice since and it came out quite fine. But, am not sure I will be making this every day... I'd rather leave it to the masters.

Not too far from where I live there is a Grand Central Bakery store, and not too far from my work, there is a Great Harvest Breads store as well, so, I feel spoilt:-)

gooseberry pickle

I remember two varieties of gooseberries from my childhood - one was about the size of regular playing marbles, bright green, smooth skin, soft flesh and incredibly sour, the other was bigger about the size of chestnut, not as sour, firm flesh, with stripes on the skin (like the picture here) and sort of dull sage green. I used to like the latter more.

The only form in which I have relished gooseberries is as a spicy Indian pickle. I've had some raw gooseberries straight off the tree spiced with some salt and chili powder when I was little. My mom used to brine and sun-dry the larger variety firm green mildly sour gooseberries that was abundant in summers.

For about two decades now I have not had gooseberries as it was not available in any of the stores near where I lived. Imagine my thrill when I spied boxes and boxes of crisp, bright green, tempting little gooseberries at New Seasons Market! I love shopping at the New Seasons, even if it is a bit pricey, as I love their philosophy and service (any store that says, "if you spill or drop or break something, oh well, accidents happens, we'll clean it up, you go on shopping", has my business).

These were not quite the same variety I remember from India - the flesh was not as firm and sour - must be a nicer hybrid... so, right away I got down and pickled a batch.

Recipe for this pickle is very simple: heat some oil, pop some mustard seeds, add the gooseberries and spices*, some brown sugar and some salt, cook a bit, adjust to taste, and can immediately; or, allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

*spices: I dry roasted and ground some fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, coriander seeds, brown mustard seeds and khus-khus (white poppy seeds)

Tortellini with fresh herbs

This year, just like last year, we have some perennials and some nice annuals in our garden, as usual. The strawberries and raspberries are yielding moderately (they are only one year old), the currants are alright, the veggies are just starting to flower, and the herbs are doing fine.

The fresh herbs are a treat - just to be able to walk into the garden and pick some fresh mint leaves, cilantro, basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, even lavender is such a blessing. I marvel at Mother Nature and never want to take all of this for granted.

Fresh herbs always inspire me to make a simple pasta. And, to dedicate a special post for WHB: Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen fame, hosted this week by Susan from Food Blogga (her lobster post is quite informative and funny, lots of pictures and video too).

This pasta recipe here is very simple. Some tortellini, andouille (mock) chicken sausage, tofurkey kielbasa, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, spring onions and fresh herbs is all that is needed. Of course, feel free to substitute real meat instead of soy-based mock-meats that I usually prefer ;-)

Preparation: Cook pasta per package directions. Chop up the fresh herbs, spring onions, sausages and anything else you'd like to toss in the dish. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add the sausage chunks and sauté a bit. Then throw in the herbs and the rest of the ingredients, adjust salt to taste, maybe a few turns of the pepper mill for some bite and there you have it.

The fresh herbs I used for this dish are pictured at the top - rosemary, oregano, chives and basil - picked fresh from the garden. They really bring out this dish, nothing fancy is needed. And, I used a whopping 2 cups of loosely packed chopped herbs for 2 cups of dry pasta.

Vegetable Tempura

Tempura is a wonderful snack on a lazy weekend afternoon. With a few simple dipping sauces, and served with some tea, they make a filling meal. I like to fry up green beans, carrots, squash, eggplant, zucchini, tofu and onions usually.

While I do like the packaged tempura batter, when I try to make tempura these days, I meddle around with the batter to see if I can get a light and crispy batter from scratch. This tempura batter here was all right, not too bad - easy to make, light, not lumpy. The oil temperature needs to be quite high so it crisps up right away.

Ingredients
Tempura Batter:
½ cup fine rice flour
¼ cup cornstarch (plus some more, separately to dredge the tofu)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp soy sauce
½ cup water (more or less)

plus, oil for frying

Vegetables for frying: carrots, green beans, squash, onion, eggplant, zucchini, tofu

Preparation

cut the vegetables into slices or cubes as desired, keep handy

heat canola oil, or peanut oil (peanut oil gets to a higher temperature than canola) in a pan for frying; keep some paper towel-lined plate handy

mix the batter just before ready to fry: combine the dry batter ingredients and add a little water at a time, beat lightly till the batter is fairly thin and runny, no lumps; keep a plate with some cornstarch handy to dredge the tofu before coating with batter - this helps remove excess moisture that tofu usually has

deep fry till golden brown and transfer to the paper towel lined plate

Serve warm with sweet chili sauce, or soy sauce or a few spicy dipping sauces.

The Seven Wonders

Ha! I wish!

City Palace, Jaipur

No, you are right, the picture has nothing to do with food or the theme of this post...

Fellow foodie and pal Sig figures there might be a whopping seven random things about me worth recording, and memed (sure it's a word) me, no pressure. So, here's to you, Sig The Optimist:

1. While not really a neat freak or a compulsive organizer, I have always insisted on things being in their allotted spot around the house. For instance, the orange-handled kitchen scissors has to be stowed away in the kitchen drawer by the microwave; the green-handled utility scissors needs to be stowed (with the other utility tools like Phillips screwdriver, Utility Knives, Candles, Matchbox and such) in the drawer by the dining area; the blue-handled sewing scissors better not be touched by anyone but me...

And they better all get back in their respective abode right after use... God-forbid, if D accidentally switches them and I find the orange-handled kitchen scissors in the dining area drawer, there is some really juicy talking-to on the works.

Having said that, I am sure you'll understand if I recorded the seven random facts about me(me) at my other blog (rarelythere).

(See, the thing is, this is not really a food related post and the neurons are firing away in my head telling me that the proper drawer where this post should reside is where I collect non-Baby, non-Recipe stuff about my Life).

mac and cheese

Mac and Cheese has never been my favorite until I tried the ATK's (America's Test Kitchen) version, with my own little modifications.

I had Mac and Cheese for the first time in my life only around my late teens, my mom never made it, and I didn't really care for it.

This is a nice & easy mid-week dinner as Baby and D love it. And, I like it as this is not out of a box with powdered processed cheese, and it does not have much cheese either. Besides, it takes about 15 minutes to put together (roughly the time it takes pasta to cook).

Ingredients: flour, oil, butter, herbs, salt, milk, low fat cheddar (use the freshly grated chunk of cheddar, the pre-grated ones from the store have additives to keep them from sticking)

Boil your favorite pasta, (i use macaroni or small shells), in salted water and drain, keep handy.

Make a simple roux of sorts with 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp flour: simply melt the butter a bit, add the oil and the flour and sauté till the flour loses the raw smell

Make the cheese sauce with the roux started above: add 1 cup freshly grated low fat cheddar, 1 cup milk, some salt and spices/herbs (I like fresh rosemary or chives from my garden, but, this is optional), bring it to a gentle simmer till cheese melts and the sauce thickens.

Add the cooked pasta a little at a time till the mac-and-cheese acquires the desired thickness. I like the cheese sauce flowing & silky, not runny, and not lumped tight either... picky, picky, I know ;-)

If preferred, pour the pasta-in-cheese-sauce made above into an over-proof dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake in a 350°F oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Serve warm.