Which Wich - Tasty Sandwich Rolls

My new found love seems to be bread-making. The freshly made, warm, non-chemical infiltrated bread can't be beat. And who doesn't love the yeasty-toasty aroma the kitchen fills up with while baking? I've been enjoying trying out different recipes and practicing my techniques. Bread making is deeply therapeutic and satisfying. If you have any pent up frustration from work or whatever other things life throws at you, take it out on the dough and knead it out! After the first couple of failed attempts, I've got it down pretty well now. The most important thing to bread making are finding the right balance of flours, kneading the dough really well and giving it time! Yes, I used to get very impatient earlier and not let the dough rise enough or slice the bread too fast after baking - both of which will result in dense, sticky loaves. Once you get past that, you'll realize that the basic technique to making bread is pretty much the same - activate/proof the yeast, add flour, knead, let rise, knead again and bake. 

I had bought a copy of Homemade Bread - Popular Kitchen Series a few months back. It's a great little magazine that explains bread making techniques in detail and has some great recipes anyone can try at home. I've tried a few now, some with my variations, and they worked out great. A few days back, I took a recipe for a basic loaf and made smaller sandwich rolls with some oomph. Jalapeno-parmesan rolls were great to make quick sandwiches - especially for lunchbox. Husband likes them because sandwiches are are easy to eat at work. With a fried egg in between, they make for a great brunch. There's lots of flavor in the bread itself, so anything you stuff in between will taste great. The recipe is very adaptable - you can add a myriad of things to the dough, like olives, onions, sun-dried or regular tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, herbs, any other cheeses you like. Let your creativity go wild. 

Jalapeno-Parmesan Sandwich Rolls

Ingredients:
1 Cup warm water
1 Packet active dry yeast
2 Teaspoons sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour (APF)
1 + 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese
3-4 Tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno - adjust depending on your preference
Olive oil for greasing
Corn flour for dusting

• Add active dry yeast and sugar to warm water and set aside for 10 minutes or until the mixture is fully frothy. Don't heat the water too much else the yeast will just die.
• Once frothy, add salt, olive oil, APF, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, cheese and chopped jalapeno and start kneading. Add whole wheat flour little by little if the dough is too sticky. Only add enough so the dough doesn't stick. You want a soft, pliable dough ball. 
• To really get the gluten working, stretch the dough with the heel of your palm and fold it back. Knead so for 10 mins. Then cover the dough and let it sit for an hour or so or until the dough doubles in size. 
• Punch the risen dough and knead again for another 10 mins. Make 6 equal portions of the dough and roll them round or slightly oval. 
• I prefer using my giant dutch oven for bread baking, but use any thick bottom pan you have. Grease the bottom with some olive oil and dust with a little bit of corn flour. Place the dough balls with some space in between and brush them with oil. Cover and keep aside for another hour. They should rise.
• Preheat oven at 425F and bake the bread for 35-40 mins or until golden brown. 

Let the bread cool completely before cutting it.

My Favorite Kitchen Tool

When it comes to kitchen gadgets and tools, I find one-function use items quite cluttering. My kitchen is stocked with tools that get used more or less on a regular basis - a George Foreman grill, my beloved Ronald food processor and mixer, a small ice-cream maker for the hubs, and a not-so-techy stone mortar-pestle set. The last one being my ultimate favorite - as I mentioned here, here and here. If the world of technology were ever to crumble down, I would survive just fine in my kitchen with the use of my mortar and pestle (and that's about it :D).

Our ancestors have used mortar-pestles to grind and crush plant roots, leaves etc since the Vedic ages. But even with the passage of time and technological advances, we continue using them. I remember using/seeing various stone tools such as Pata-varvanta (batan) and Jaata (grain grinder) as a kid. While those are pretty obsolete now, mortar and pestle (called Khal-batta in Marathi) still get used every day to grind spices, ginger-garlic or green chilies-cilantro in my kitchen. All the women in my house wholeheartedly believe that anything ground in the mortar tastes different (and by that, I mean way better). It is true, because the pounding gets the oils in your food out in a way a mixy just can't. So even though it takes a little time and some muscle work, I prefer my good old mortar-pestle for certain things. Especially when it comes making chutneys! I love the rustic, un-even coarseness and the complete marriage of flavors mortar-pestle can achieve.

I made one of my most favorite (yes, I say that about a lot of things) chutneys the other day to go with savory Ghavan - Maharashtrian Shengdana chutney (peanut chutney). Now, there are several versions of this chutney - with or without garlic, coconut or sesame seeds. My favorite version is garlicky, slightly moist with very lightly roasted peanuts. This chutney reminds me of some of the funnest memories from childhood - mom would pack me a sandwich with generous spread of fresh butter and chutney, or roll parathas sprinkled with it, or mix some rice-batata bhaji-daal-chutney, as filling and easy to eat lunches. Shengdana chutney is extremely versatile and tastes great when mixed with some yogurt to go with roti or rice. Oh, there's nothing more comforting!

Shengdana Chutney - Maharashtrian Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:
1 Cup peanuts
3 Garlic cloves
1 Teaspoon tamarind concentrate/pulp
2 Teaspoons red chili powder (adjust according to taste)
Sugar to taste (I used ~ 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Salt to taste

• Lightly roast peanuts in a pan on low heat. I roast them just enough to get the skin off. Let them cool and peel the skin. I find taking a handful of peanuts and rubbing them between palms the easiest way to remove the skin. Then simply fan the skin lightly to separate the nuts from the peels. 
• Grind garlic cloves in mortar-pestle first so you don't end up with big chunks of it. 
• Add peanuts, tamarind pulp, red chili powder and grind coarsely. 
• Add sugar and salt and find the perfect combination of spicy-salty-tangy-sweet for you and grind slightly to mix everything well. 

The chutney will store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

What is your favorite kitchen tool and how do you use it?

Dumpling Party

The San Diego Food Bloggers (SDFB) community meet ups are always something to look forward to. Our leader Marie of Meandering Eats is popular for coming up with great themes for the get-togethers. A few of us SDFB ladies got together for a fun dumpling party at Marie's place this Saturday. We gobbled up a variety of dumplings, which, apart from the usual savory Asian kinds, included sweet blueberry dumplings - yum!

Veg Momos - steamed and pan-fried on one side (the other side ;)

When Marie first announced the event, I immediately thought of making Modak - my ultimate favorite dumplings. But then, modaks get made quite often in my house, thanks to my husband who will eat them any day. I could use a change and try something new. The next thing that came to mind was Nepali vegetable Momo - a savory dumpling very similar to its other Asian siblings but with some familiar spices to my Indian palate. Momos are native to Nepal and other Himalayan states/countries. I assume they were borrowed from the Chinese cuisine  Momos were a favorite thing to eat at my usual dine-out place in Utah - the Himalayan Kitchen. That's where I had momos for the first time and have been a fan ever since.

I found a whole lot of recipes online with some Tibetan or Bhutani variations. These dumplings have a simple covering of all purpose flour dough with filling of all sorts. The vegetarian dumplings have a variety of finely chopped vegetables sauteed with onion, ginger, garlic and some other spices. A few ingredients that struck me as unique were fenugreek seeds, and cumin and coriander powder. These are not the spices you would expect to find in a traditional Asian dumpling. And momos don't typically have soy sauce. This creates a unique dish that combines far east Asian and south Asian flavors. Momos can be simply steamed or pan-fried after steaming for some smokiness and sear, which is how I like them. They are traditionally served with a tangy tomato chutney, or 'tomato achaar'. I went for a quick combination of oil and Sriracha sauce. The shapes of momos are fun. You can shape them literally like modak. I attempted the half-moon shape with some degree of success.

Notes:

• The APF dough seizes while rolling so it's a little tedious work. But that's the maximum difficulty level!
• If you plan on making momos, steam them just before serving. As I realized, they start to dry out if kept for too long. 

Nepali Veg Momo

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
Water as needed
A pinch of salt

Filling:
2 Cups finely chopped vegetables - (Cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, spring onions, red & green bell peppers, spinach). Add more of cabbage and carrots than other veggies
2 Large garlic cloves - finely chopped (~1 tablespoon)
1/2 Inch piece of ginger - grated
1/4 Medium onion - finely chopped
Spices - ground fenugreek, cumin and coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon each
Handful of cilantro - finely chopped
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
2 Teaspoons sesame oil
Vegetable oil for pan-frying

• Form a stiff dough of APF with water and a pinch of salt. Some add a pinch of baking soda to the dough. I left it out. Cover and let it sit. 

• Heat sesame oil in a pan and add onion, ginger, garlic. Saute until onion is translucent. 
• Add the ground spice mix, red chili powder, all the veggies and cilantro and saute for a min or so just until the vegetables are tender. Do not overcook them. 
• Turn off heat and add salt at the very end so that the vegetables don't become watery. You want the filling to be dry. If it gets too watery, you can add a spoonful of APF mixed with a little bit of water to the filling and cook for a few seconds. That will hold the filling together. Let it cool before making the momos.

• To shape the momos, roll out the dough into a thin roti/sheet - thin enough to be able to see light from the other side but thick enough that it won't rip while shaping. 
• Cut out small rounds with either a katori or a cookie cutter (as shown in picture above). Place a spoonful of the filling at the center and press close both ends by folding the round in the center. 
• To give them that characteristic dumpling look, pinch the excess flour to make petal-like shapes where you closed the dumpling. If you have too much flour at the end, just cut it with a knife before pinching. 
• Steam these dumplings in a steamer for 5-6 mins. I don't have the bamboo steamer, so I just put them in a greased pressure cooker vessel and steamed them in the pressure cooker without the whistle. 
• You can serve them just like that or pan-fry them in a little bit of oil on one side only until lightly browned. 

All the goodies at the Dumpling party!

Back To The Kitchen

It's been 50 days to be specific since this blog saw the light of day; and my cooking has been more intermittent than ever all this while. What have I been up to? Mostly been buried under piles of work and other commitments. But things are starting to taper off (for now =/) and I'm back in the kitchen cooking hearty meals every night. Ah, it feels so good to be eating fresh meals and experimenting with different foods again!

One of the things I like to try is substituting ingredients in traditional Indian recipes with the groceries available here. We have a steady supply of zucchinis all year around and I try to use it in as many ways as I can - in parathas, cutlets (the Indian kind ;), or sambar. Zucchini lends itself to any flavor combination since it doesn't have any strong taste on its own. Yesterday, I used zucchini in a recipe that calls for cucumber - savory Ghavan. Ghavan is a Maharashtrian style instant Dosa commonly prepared in the coastal region of Konkan. It's a popular breakfast/brunch item that can be made sweet or savory. My mom always made both varieties at the same time since I preferred the sweet version while my sister liked the savory kind. But the savory ghavans are much quicker to make. They are simple crepes made with a basic batter of rice flour and yogurt/buttermilk. My grandma used to add grated cucumber for some body and texture in the savory ghavans. Zucchini seemed like a logical choice to replace cucumbers and they worked out perfectly. Plus a dose of nutritional veggies never hurts!

Zucchini Ghavan (Maharashtrian Style Instant Dosa)

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup grated zucchini
1 1/2 Cups rice flour
1 Cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup yogurt thinned with water
1 Large green chili (or more if you like) - chopped
Handful of cilantro - chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for greasing the pan

• Combine rice flour and buttermilk well until all the lumps dissolve.
• Add zucchini, chopped chili, chopped cilantro and salt to taste and mix well. The batter should not be too runny or too thick - somewhat like dosa batter. You can add some water to get the right consistency. Let the batter sit for 15-20 mins. 
• Heat a pan on medium-high flame. Drizzle a little bit of oil, pour a ladleful of batter and spread in a circular motion to make a crepe slightly thicker than dosa. 
• Cover the pan and let the ghavan cook on one side for a couple of mins until golden brown. Remove cover and cook the ghavan on the other side the same way. 

I made my favorite peanut-garlic chutney to go with these (recipe will be up soon) yummy ghavans. But a simple coconut chutney or cilantro chutney is perfect.

New Year Wishes

Wishing all my readers health, hopes and happiness in the year 2013!

2012 was tainted with all the turmoil going on around us - the most heartbreaking of all were the news of innocent people losing their lives for no fault of their own. Hope there is safety and solace for everyone in the new year. Even with all the disturbing events, we personally had lots to be thankful for in the past year - a new home, a lovely month with my parents, new friends, awesome travels and another beautiful year of togetherness. At the end of it, we should only remember the good things and try to turn any negatives into positives.

We hosted a few Holiday parties over the last couple of weeks. Two days after Christmas, I had invited all my colleagues and their families for dinner. After at least 50 mental revisions of the menu, I settled on the following -deviled eggs, yogurt-cucumber dip with chips and veggies, spinach and cream cheese crostini and quinoa-corn cakes for appetizers. The main course included a winter salad with cranberries and toasted almonds with honey-lemon dressing, herb-roasted potatoes, and orzo with roasted butternut squash and sage. The menu was simple, went well with adults as well as the kids and had items that could be made ahead of time. The food was a big hit. One of my colleagues' wife got two recipes and made at her New Year's party! (That certainly gave my ego a healthy boost :D).

My favorites among all were quinoa-corn cakes and the orzo. I tried both these dishes for the first time for the party. Call it holiday magic or whatever - both turned out really well. Unfortunately, in the rush of things, we forgot to take any pictures of the food at all. However, the recipes deserve to be shared.

The quinoa-corn cakes were my attempt at recreating an appetizer from the holiday buffet we had in Vegas. They were utterly delicious, and even without the chef's recipe, mine turned out more than decent.

I'm submitting this recipe to Priya's Quinoa-Ragi event hosted by Divya.

Quinoa-Corn Cakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups quinoa
1/3 - 1/2 Cup frozen corn
1/2 White onion
1 Large garlic clove
1/2 Teaspoon dried Italian herbs
Salt & Pepper & Paprika to taste
1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Rice flour as needed
1 Tablespoon Olive oil + more for shallow frying

• Cook quinoa according to instructions on the package.
• Chop onion and garlic finely.
• Heat oil in a pan and saute onion and garlic. Once translucent, add corn, quinoa, cheese and the seasoning and mix well. Turn the heat off
• Add a rice flour little by little to the mixture just enough to bind everything together. 
• Make small round patties/cakes about 3/4 inch thick. Pan fry the cakes in olive oil until golden brown.

Warm cakes with melted cheese taste just fantastic by themselves or even with a little bit of hot sauce!

I made butternut squash orzo loosely using Ina Garten's recipe for risotto. I made a vegetarian version by excluding pancetta and chicken stock, using vegetable broth instead. One important change I made was adding fresh julienned sage to the orzo by sauteing it with the onions. The aroma was heavenly! This is going to be added to my 'favorites' recipes.

Happy eats in 2013 to you all!

It's Looking a Lot Like Christmas!

I don't know if it's just me or the holidays season is going by too fast. Christmas is only a week away! I was so consumed in my work after the vacation, I thought there wouldn't be any holiday fun for me. So I packed all that I could in the last weekend. I hosted some San Diego food bloggers for a holiday potluck. Who doesn't want to eat with a bunch of great cooks? There were a few appetizers, a wonderful winter salad with lemon-tahini dressing (yum!), two kinds of chili and a pecan pie, and some bubbly mimosas to down it all. I made two of the appetizers - pesto pinwheels and fig compote bruschetta. I used store bought pesto and pastry sheets to make the pinwheels.  The fig compote was home-made using the figs in my garden! Lightly grilled baguette topped with fig compote, goat cheese and chopped walnuts made for a perfect appetizer. I like these kind of finger foods for parties. You can hold your drink, eat and have a conversation all at the same time.

For more holiday cheer, hubs and I went to see some amazing holiday decoration displays in a nearby neighborhood. It almost felt like we were in the north pole - except there was no snow. Oh, the decorations were lovely! Every single house in the Christmas Card Lane was decked out and you couldn't pick a favorite if you had to. It was all so magical. The pictures hardly do it any justice.



I also attended another holiday party at a friend's place. It was nice not to worry about hosting and cleaning the place and cooking for a change.

Although nothing holiday related, I tried two new things over the weekend. Some simple white bread - since husband was tired of being the Guinea pig for my whole-wheat or multi-grain bread making trials. I did sneak in 1/3 of whole wheat flour but this version was loved a lot more than my previous attempts. You know what I love on top of a slice of bread? Poached eggs! That's right - I poached not one, but two eggs without having any disasters! I'm so proud of myself and so very thankful to Anne Burrell for showing the perfect technique. I know what I'll be making for brunch the next several weekends.

A few more days of work and we'll be off on a mini getaway to celebrate Christmas. If I don't get to wish you before that, hope you have a fantastic holiday in the company of your near and dear ones. Do eat lots of food without worrying about the calories. There's always the new year to make resolutions!

Pumpkin Bharta

While most blogs are exploding with sinful holiday goodies, I'm sharing a very healthy and simple side dish today. Why? Just because I thought the blogosphere needed some variety. Not really, it just makes me feel good about healthy eats before the holiday mania begins ;).

Bharta or Bharit, as we call in Marathi, is a typical Indian side dish made with mashed vegetables. Yes, the description is not very appetizing. But who doesn't like baingan bharta? Mom made a variety of bhartas in my house, all just as tasty and nutritious- doodhi/bottle gourd, green bell pepper, even okra. This particular recipe is a favorite of mine and is great since it uses the season's best. One of the reasons I love it so much, other than the taste, is because of the vibrant color it adds to the plate.

Pumpkin Bharta/Bhopalyache Bharit

Ingredients:
3 Cups pumpkin cubes (~2 Cups cooked & mashed pumpkin)
2 Teaspoons oil/ghee
1/2 Teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 Teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds
2 Pinches asafoetida
3-4 Dry red chilies - broken in half/2 Small green chilies - chopped
1 Sprig curry leaves
1 Cup yogurt
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnishing

• Steam/pressure cook pumpkin cubes. Don't worry about peeling the skin before cooking. It comes right off after the pumpkin is cooked. Just make sure you wash it before cooking.
• Scoop out the flesh and mash it slightly with the back of the spoon or a fork. I like my bharta chunky.
• Heat oil/ghee in a kadhai (or if you have those small tadka kadhais), add mustard and fenugreek seeds. 
• Once they splutter, add asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilies. If you like green chilies instead, feel free to use them. I prefer the smokiness of red chilies. 
• Add this tempering to the mashed pumpkin and mix well. 
• Add yogurt and season with salt. 

Garnish the bharta with chopped cilantro and serve with hot roti.