Homemade Paav

I have been searching  for good Paav (dinner roll/bun) recipe for quite some time now. The one that I came up with is my version of making Paav after several trials.The problem with store bought dinner rolls and buns is that they have too many calories and stuff that you don't want in your tummy. And the whole wheat version not only costs more, also has more calories. I am not talking about the light whole wheat  variety.
So I decided to bake my own dinner rolls. Below is my version of the recipe. You can substitute the whole wheat with just plain AP flour if you want all white buns.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

2 tbsp vital wheat gluten (optional)

1 1/2 cups warm water

4 tbsp vegetable oil (you can use butter if you want to)

Mix the sugar, 1/2 cup warm water and the yeast in a mixing bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to froth.
Sift both the whole wheat and white flour and baking soda into the bowl. Add oil, knead in a stand mixer or by hand for about 3 minutes,using about 1 cup of water until you have a dough that's smooth but slightly sticky. You can use more water if you think your dough is too tight.

Now place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside for 2 hours until the dough has doubled its size.

Punch down the dough and divide into 12 balls.

Roll each piece out in your palm to form a rounded shape (or rolls). Place them side by side on an oiled baking sheet taking care to leave about 1-1/2 to 2 inch space in the middle. Place them aside once again to double. Its fine if they don't look perfectly round.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pav in the oven and bake 20-30 minutes. until golden brown.

Brush the tops with a little ghee or butter,  for that glossy look.

Beet Greens Muthia with Buckwheat flour (veggie sausage/patty)

I have chosen today the beet greens and buckwheat flour for there nutritional properties.
Beet Greens are very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. They're also a good source of Protein, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a great source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
Buckwheat has a variety of healthful properties. It’s an excellent plant source of easily digestive protein and contains all eight essential amino acids, so it’s close to being a "complete" protein. Buckwheat is also high in fiber (a big bonus for celiacs), B vitamins and, according to a USDA study, keeps glucose levels in check better than other carbohydrates -- which is good news for celiacs who also have diabetes. It’s also said to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol.

For the muthias:
2 cup chopped beet greens
1-1/2 cup Buckwheat flour (also known as Kasha, in India it is called Kutti no daro in Gujarati and Kuttu in most other Indian language
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
5 tbsp low fat curds
1 tbsp chopped coriander
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
2 large cloves garlic, grated (optional)
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
a pinch of baking soda
sugar to taste (optional)
salt to taste

For the tempering:

1 tsp mustard seeds
1tsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp oil
2 tbsp chopped coriander For the garnish
oil for greasing

Combine all the ingredients for muthias in a bowl and knead to make a soft dough using very little water as needed. (Don't let the dough rest as it will get all watery and gooey because of the greens, they contain lot of moisture)
Divide the dough into a 3 equal parts and shape each portion into a cylindrical roll. Place the rolls on a greased steamer and steam for 10 to 12 minutes till firm. Remove, cool and cut into thick slices.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the sesame seeds and asafoetida . Add the sliced muthias and sauté over a low flame till they are lightly browned. Serve hot, garnished with the coriander.

P.S. Before you make the dough for muthias have all the ingredients ready and set water to boil in a big pot in which you will steam the muthias and grease the steamer so when your dough is ready you can steam the muthias.

Kiwi Margarita

This was pretty much an extempore thing. I had about 2 pounds of kiwis and was thinking about making something from it but due to the tartness involved with kiwis, nothing came up to my mind, when it striked me to make margaritas ! with a zippy kick-in-the pants, a great new way to enjoy an old favorite!!

I do not strictly follow the recipe or ingredients, I pretty much made with what I had.

1 jigger (1 1/2 ounces) tequila (Gold, Corzo- 100% agave blanco any)
1 jigger (1 1/2 ounces) fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon superfine granulated sugar , I used the agave nectar, better than sugar
1 pony (1-ounce) Triple Sec or Cointreau , I did not use triple sec or Cointreau as I find my drinks too sweet with their addition.
2 kiwis peeled and cubed.

Combine the sugar, tequila, triple sec, kiwis, and lime juice in a blender; fill with ice cubes; blend until smooth.

Enjoy!!

Nariyal Poori (coconut stuffed pooris)

I made this few days back but was too tied up to post it. True late afternoon snack to munch on and a totally different taste.I like the idea of stuffing the puri with this and frying it.And the idea of using semolina (sooji, rawa, cream of wheat) is nice instead of the plain flour, and it gives a nice crunch to poori.See for yourself , whether you like it or not!

Ingredients:

2 cups Fine semolina ( rava/suji)

2 tbsps Oil

Salt to taste

1 cup Coconut (scraped)

3-4 Green chillies (finely chopped)

4 tbsps Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

1/2 cup Gram flour (besan)

Whole wheat flour (atta)for dusting

Oil for frying

Method:

Take semolina in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, salt and enough water and knead into a dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for two hours.Take coconut in a bowl. Add green chillies, coriander leaves, gram flour and salt and mix well.Make small puris of the dough. Place a portion of coconut stuffing in the centre and close the edges and shape into a ball. Roll in atta and roll out into puris.Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry till light golden and crisp.Drain and place on an absorbent paper and serve hot.

I had some extra dough left so I made the plain crisy pooris (small ones) for my son.
I love the plain crunchy pooris with achar, mmmmmmmmm my favorite afternoon snack.

Potato Choka with Pepper Jack Cheese /Coconut -Cilantro Rice

This is going to "Tried and Tasted" event hosted by Zlamushka of Zlamushka's spicy kitchen.

The event is to cook dishes from other blogs. This month it is Cynthia's blog "Tastes like home".

I have tried two of her recipes. One is the Potato choka and the other one is Coconut-Cilantro Rice.
I have modified the recipes and tried to experiment going with the concept of fusion food.


I made Potato choka with Pepper Jack cheese. I wanted to see how this cheese blends with potatoes and it was amazing.

I have followed Cynthia's recipe, but omitted the green onions and skimped on the hot pepper as the cheese already had peppers in it.

Potato Choka

Yield: 1½ cups

Ingredients

1 pound potatoes, peeled
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot pepper to taste, minced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons finely diced mixture of red and white onions

Method

1. Add potatoes, water and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil, covered
2. Cook potatoes until fork tender
3. Fire-roast the potatoes on the open flames of your gas stove or outdoor grill, using tongs (let the potatoes get a little charred)
4. Mash potatoes in a bowl with the oil
5. Add pepper to taste and mix in green, white and red onions. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary
6. Serve with roti or rice

The other dish I made was Coconut- Cilantro rice:

I have modified this recipe also.

I did not use green onions. I did not make paste of coconut, cilantro, nor did I toasted the coconut. I used coconut milk to cook the rice instead of water and then I fried the fresh scraped coconut along with ginger and green chilies. And the best thing I did was I squeezed some fresh lime over the rice and boy it added a refreshing flavor to the rice.

Cynthia's recipe:
Coconut-Cilantro Rice

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
(1st use – 1 tbsp to sauté ginger and chillies)
(2nd use – 2 tbsp to make coconut-cilantro paste)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped chili
3 cups basmati rice, washed
4 ¼ cups water
Salt to taste
1 cup freshly grated coconut, toasted
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
4 green onions sliced thinly (white and green parts)

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in sauce pot and gently cook the ginger and chili stirring until softened (about 1 minute)
2. Add rice to pot and stir (about 30 seconds)
3. Add water and salt to taste, cover and bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat to simmer when you begin to see the surface of the rice (within 5 – 6 mins). Cook covered for 20 minutes or until all the moisture is absorbed.
5. Meanwhile, heat a pan on medium heat and toast the grated coconut until golden brown (about 10 – 12 minutes)
6. Remove pan from heat and let coconut cool completely
7. Place cilantro, coconut and remaining oil in a food processor or pound and grind to a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add salt to taste

Chocolate Cinnamon Mousse

Ya, ya, ya. I know, after a prolonged hibernation I am back in the blogging world.
I was in India for three months, yes you read that right. I went after 6 years and my little sister was getting married, so thought about taking a nice long vacation.

So! I am back!

Here is dessert recipe which I tried out few days back. This is such a decadent tasting dessert. It has few ingredients and takes no time to make it.
Plus I personally love it as it does not have eggs.

Ingredients:

8 ounces dark chocolate, grated or crushed

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Place grated chocolate in bowl. Pour 1/3 of whipping cream in a small pan and cook on low heat almost to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and cinnamon and blend gently and well. Set aside. In an electric mixer, add the remaining whipping cream until firm consistency. Incorporate the chocolate mixture using a wooden spoon. Add cocoa blend gently and well. Refrigerate the mousse for several hours.

Ginger-Jalapeño Semifreddo

I have never posted any good dessert recipe on my blog, because I don't have that kind of a sweet tooth. I hate ice-creams,but at the same time I love frozen yogurt, sorbets, slush, granita, Italian ice etc. And the thing that tops above all is the Indian Kulfi. I just love that. I can never say no to it. I came across the Ginger-Jalapeño Semifreddo recipe long time back and wanted to make it but never really got a chance, until yesterday. My son wanted something for dessert and I had this heavy whipping cream in the refrigerator and other ingredients too so thought why not make the semifreddo. And the good thing about this Semifreddo is it doesn't have eggs in it.

This is really a very good combination. When I tasted this, the ginger jumps right out at you and the jalapeño gives you a little background heat and spicyness. You can add more jalapeño while boiling the milk to have more heat in the dessert.

Here is the recipe:

1 jalapeno, halved lengthwise

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup superfine sugar

2-inch piece ginger

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a small loaf pan or other mold with plastic wrap, leaving some plastic wrap hanging over the edges.
Combine jalapeno, whole milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a saucepan and heat until steaming, stirring often. Remove milk from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Peel and grate ginger and squeeze the gratings to release ginger juice. Stir into milk mixture.
Combine heavy cream, remaining sugar and vanilla extract and whip to soft peaks. Fold into milk mixture.
Transfer to prepared pan and freeze until set.
Remove semifreddo by pulling evenly on opposite ends of the plastic wrap lining.

You can make this well ahead of time, even days. Just make sure to keep tightly covered or sealed in plastic bag so no freezer flavors are absorbed.

I could not take good pictures as this thing started melting. Actually I forgot to freeze the plate I was serving this on to. So make sure you freeze the plate when you serve this, that way it won't start melting right away.