Choco Walnut Brownie

 

Ever since I changed my old microwave and bought a new one with Convection facility, I've been telling myself that I would bake soon (a.k.a tomorrow). Well, it was really a case of If tomorrow comes! I had one reason after the other to put it off... first I said I did not have baking utensils... so S took me to a store and I purchased all of that. Then I said I don't have the ingredients... and well, in the last 2-3 visit to the supermarkets and BrownTree (a store similar to Nuts and Spices) I managed to get more ingredients than required , then I said I was researching on good recipes, kept searching online, ordered for a Sanjeev Kapoor book from Landmark and then my chant was that I did not have time.. finally, S started taunting me about the baking, so I decided to shut his mouth by baking something. I decided to make a brownie, as it was the easiest and it is something I love the most. This recipe is from Sanjeev Kapoor's Cakes and Bakes and I have followed it religiously because I read somewhere that the success to baking lies in using the exact quantity and measure of ingredients.

So here is how this brownie is made:


Ingredients:

• Dark Cooking Chocolate - 100gms
• Refined Flour - 1 cup
• Baking Powder - 1 tsp
• Butter - 90 gms
• Caster Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Eggs - 2
• Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
• Walnut - Peeled and chopped - 1/2 cup
• Butter for greasing the tray

Method:

• Sift the flour and baking powder together
• Double boil the chocolate and butter together (Here is how I did it - I used one huge vessel to boil water, placed the chocolate and butter in a smaller vessel and lowered it inside the vessel of boiling water. Make sure that the water does not enter the smaller container with the chocolate and butter. It should take around 10 minutes for the chocolate to get melted)
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla essence to blend well.
• Mix the sifted flour and walnuts to this mixture.
• Add the melted chocolate and butter and fold in well.
• Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.
• Grease the baking tray with butter and pour the batter in it.
• Bake at 180 ° for 40-45 minutes.
• Place on a wire rack to cool.
• Upturn into a plate, cut and serve.

And that is how my first baking attempt was :-). The biggest credit I received is that my young daughter loved it and had one piece fully (its otherwise a huge challenge to get her to eat). So I am guessing I made it pretty well :)

That's it from me for now. Please leave notes/tips on baking so that I can use it to hone this side of my culinary instinct.

Mushroom Biryani

This is a combination of the Malabar Egg Biryani recipe I'd posted earlier (which itself was taken from Mishmash's post Egg Biryani Finally Makes It to the Hall of Fame ) and the Brinji Rice that my cook makes when we are out of other options. I made a variation of the elaborate biryani masala (in a not so elaborate way). Here is how I made this afternoon's mushroom biryani.
For the Rice 


Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Water - 3 cups
• Coconut Milk - 1 cup

(Add water/coconut milk in a 1:2 ratio; if the coconut milk is too thick, adjust the water accordingly)

• Shajeera - 2 tsp
• Bayleaf - 2
• Cloves - 3-4
• Star Anise - 2
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Chilly Paste - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste 
• Yellow Food Color - a pinch 
• Ghee - 3tbsp

Method:

• Wash the basmati rice well and soak it in water for 20 mins.
• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan (I used my pressure cooker itself)
• Splutter the shajeera (you could use normal jeera if you dont have this), add the bay leaf, cloves and star anise and fry for 30 seconds. 
• Add the ginger garlic paste and the green chilly paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
• Add the rice and fry for 1 min.
• Add salt and the food color.
• Add 3 glasses of water and 1 glass of coconut milk and cook uncovered till the rice is almost done (By now the water would have evaporated and the rice would have been 80% cooked) - Take care not to add too much water;esp if the coconut milk is thick, you may want to reduce the water. The taste of the biryani is lost if the rice is over or under cooked.
• Set aside

For the Biriyani Masala:


Ingredients

• Onions - 2 large ones thinly sliced
• Tomatoes- 3 big ones (I had very small ones, so I used 5)
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
• Green Chilly Paste - as per taste (I made it out of 8 green chillies as I like it spicy)
• Biriyani Masala - 3 tbsp (a coarsely ground powder of the below ingredients)

• Cloves - 4-5
• Green Cardamom - 2
• Black Cardamom - 1
• Cinnamon Stick - 2
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Shajeera - 2 tsp
• Star Anise - 2
• Nutmeg - 1/2
• Nutmace - 1/2
• Saunf (Perunjeeragam) - 1 tsp
• Peppercorns - 4-5
• Mushroom - Cut into 2
• Peas - 1 cup
• Potatoes - 2 or 3
• Sour Curd/Yogurt - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Mint Leaves - a handful
• Curry Leaves - 2-3 sprigs
• I also added 1 tsp of Sakthi Biryani Masala as I had an opened packet
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Gingelly Oil - 2 tsp (it enhances the flavour)
• Any other veggies you want

Method:

• Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan.
• Fry the onions till translucent
• Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears
• Add the chilly paste and fry well
• Add the tomatoes and cook till they are mushy.
• Add the biryani masala, salt, mushrooms and other vegetables along with the mint and curry leaves and cook covered (You may want to add a little water here-not too much as the veggies and tomatoes will bring out water on their own)
• When the mushrooms and veggies are cooked, add sour curd and cook till dry.

 For the Seasoning (Deep fry all the above individually in ghee/oil and set aside)

• Onions - 2 big thinly sliced
• Brown Raisins
• Cashew Nuts
• Ghee/Oil - for frying

Finally, making the biriyani

• This is a fairly simple step. All you have to do is layer it in a thick bottomed vessel. 
• Add a little ghee , place one layer of the masala, sprinkle some masala powder and fried seasoning and then layer it with the almost cooked basmati rice.
• Then  repeat the process (Veggie masala, masala powder, seasoning and then rice).
• Cover the vessel with a lid and then wrap it with a piece of cloth so that the steam does not escape (I had to use the help of my heavy chapati rolling stone and roller for this). 
• Cook this biryani on Dum for 15-20 minutes on low flame. 
• After setting it aside for another 20 minutes, open the lid and mix the biryani.
• It is now ready to serve.

Pasta Quickie ( with Capsicum and Onions in a creamy tomato base)

You could prepare an elaborate pasta or a fairly quick one like this one. The original recipe from my friend G is yummy and elaborate... includes cheese, cream, milk and the works. What happens when you don't have some of the ingredients??? You make a quickie pasta like the one I made. I had no clue what to make for dinner last night. I then remembered seeing some elbow pasta stowed away in one of my containers. I sold the idea of pasta for dinner to my dearest husband (he is not too fond of pasta). After convincing him, a bigger problem arose... I did not have any other ingredients (like veggies, cheese etc). I still braved the hardships and made this quickie with whatever I could find. Here is how I made this.

Ingredients:

•  Pasta of your choice (Penne or Fusille are my favs) - 100 gms
• Tomato Puree - 100 ml
• Fresh Cream - 100 ml
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Capsicum - 1 cut into long pieces
• Onion - 1 cut into long slices
• Seasoning of your choice
• Any other veggies you may want to add (Corn, Peas, Olives, Mushrooms are my favs again)
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Boil the pasta and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic paste.
• Add capsicum and onions and toss well.
• Add the tomato puree and cook covered for 2-3 mins
• Add the cream and mix well.
• Add the seasoning, salt and pepper and cook covered for another 2 mins.
• Add the pasta and mix well.
• Your pasta is ready to be served.

Variations - You could add cheese, milk and a host of other veggies. Regulating the amount of cream or tomato puree will give you the kind of sauce you prefer. If you are not too fond of cream or are health conscious(unlike me),  you could cut out the cream and the cheese and add a bit of skimmed milk to the tomato puree and garlic paste and cook.

Malabar Style Kayi Vattan

This recipe probably got its name because the Raw plantain(Kayi) is cut into circular pieces (Vattan). The only reasoning I can think of, probably its the truth too. This is an accompaniment prepared in our parts of Kerala for Kanji (Rice Gruel) along with Cheru payar Puzhuku and Chammanthi. (I'll post those recipes when I take pics of them)

Plantain tree's are grown everywhere in Kerala. You cannot find a house that does not have one. The tree itself is one of the most used utility by Keralites (We use the stem, the flower, the raw fruit, the ripe fruit and the leaves). The only thing we've probably spared is the root.

I always thought making Kayi Vattan was rocket science. I couldn't understand how they made it. Recently, I had my brother in law over for lunch. I wanted to prepare something absolutely mallu, so I called my mother for this recipe. And needless to say, its very simple. Here is how we make it.


Ingredients

• Raw Plantain - 2
• Garlic - 5-8 cloves
• Red Chilly - 2-3
• Curry Leaves - a handful
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 shell
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilly Powder - 1 or 2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Method

• Peel the plantain in a way that only the outer layer of the peel is removed. You should not peel it completely. Just remove the fibrous part of the peel and let the remaining stay on.
• Cut the plantain into circular pieces.
• Cook it with very little water, turmeric, chilly powder and salt till done.
• When done, dry it completely to drain the water.
• Crush grated coconut and curry leaves coarsely with your hand. Add salt to this and add this mixture to the cooked plantains.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds fry the garlic and then add red chilly and curry leaves.
• Add this tadka to the boiled plantain and coconut mix and your accompaniment is ready.

Spicy Kerala Prawn Curry

I got this recipe from my friend Smita. She had posted a photo of this prawn curry on her album and the next instant I was asking her for the recipe. She gave me a fairly simple recipe and I was sure it was not it... The curry looked way too tempting to be this simple a preparation.

Ingredients:

• Prawns - De veined and cleaned - 500 gms

For the marinade:

• Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp
• Corriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste

For the gravy

• Shallots - 300 gms
• Green Chillies - 2-3 (as per taste)
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
• Grated Coconut - 4-5 tbsp
• Tamarind - size of a lemon (or as per taste)
• Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp
• Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Curry Leaves - a handful
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Coconut Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

• Marinate the cleaned and deveined prawns with the masala mentioned above and set aside for an hour.
• Soak tamarind in water and extract pulp.
• Grind the coconut to a fine paste and set aside.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan and splutter mustards.
• Add shallots, chilly and fry till translucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
• Add tamarind pulp, ground coconut and bring to boil.
• Add the prawns, and the remaining dry masalas and cook till prawns are soft and tender.
• Add curry leaves and remove from the stove.

The spicy prawn curry is ready.  Serve hot with rice or dosa.

Chammanthi Podi - Spicy Coconut Powder

This is the mallu equivalent for Andhra Pappu Podi - yeah, when it is the mallu equivalent, it goes without saying that it is loaded with coconut. This podi, called the Chammanthi Podi is made from coconuts and other spices. Chammanthi is the mallu term for Chutney/Thogayal in Tamil. We make varieties of Chammanthi's to go along with rice and Kanji (rice gruel - a staple mallu food). If I am not mistaken, we have one Chammanthi made out of every seasonal veggie that we know of. My favourite ones are the ones made with Ginger, Garlic and Raw Mango. I can have Rice and that Chammanthi for days together without getting bored. Add a papadam to it and it becomes a wholesome meal :-)

This Chammanthi Podi though is predominantly a south Kerala preparation (that's what I was led to believe as my parents are not too aware of this yet). I googled and borrowed this recipe from various blogs and prepared my desired concoction yday. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut - 1 shell
• Red Chilly - 15 nos.
• Ginger - 2" piece
• Garlic - 5-6 cloves
• Shallots - 15-20
• Curry Leaves- a handful
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Split Urud Dal - 1 tsp
• Channa Dal - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut oil - 2 tsp
• Tamarind - small ball
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Heat coconut oil in a pan.
• Add red chillies and fry.
• Slowly add all other ingredients one by one and finally add the coconut.
• Fry till all items are brown and crispy.
• Set aside to cool.

                          

• Dry grind them with salt.
• Preserve in an airtight container.

Note: You could fry and grind the items separately but you need to make a larger quantity to be able to do that. The problem when you grind them together is that the shallots, garlic and ginger bring out moisture that makes this look more of a chutney than a chutney powder.

Malabar Prawn Curry

My husband loves prawns, but we rarely buy them because of the smell they emit when being cooked and the tedious proceedue of deveining them and cleaning them up. The last time we went to the supermarket, I found a packet of freshly cleaned prawns for sale. So I picked it up and tried my hand at the prawn curry that my mother and mother in law make so deliciously (BTW, my father and father in law are better cooks than their respective spouses).

I was never too fond of the prawns curry till before my marriage. I always prefered Prawn prepared in the "Thoran" style with lots of onions and coconut. Husband dear on the other hand is an ardent lover of the prawn curry. So now, everytime there is prawns at my mom's place, its this preparation that my better half so loves. Here is the recipe I picked from my mom.

Ingredients:

• Prawns - 1/2 kg, deveined & cleaned
• Raw Mango - 1/2 piece
• Tamarind - the size of a lemon
• Coconut - 1/2 shell grated
• Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilly Powder - 2 1/2 tsp
• Onion - 1 cut into long slices
• Tomato (optional) - 1
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Green Chilly - 3-4 slit lengthwise
• Sour Curd - 3 tbsp
• Curry Leaves - a handful
• Salt - to taste
• Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

• Marinate the prawns with turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt
• Add onion, ginger. raw mango and green chilly to the marinated prawns and set aside for 2 hours.
• Soak the tamarind in water to extract the pulp.
• Grind grated coconut with the curd and cumin seeds to a fine paste (It is this consistency that decides how good your curry is going to be - so take care!)
• Cook the marinated prawns in the tamarind pulp till soft.
• Add the ground cocunut and curd mix and bring to boil. 
• Add salt to taste, curry leaves and a little bit of coconut oil and remove from stove.
• Serve with Rice or Dosa.

Kadala Curry (Black Chickpeas in coconut gravy)

Puttu and Kadala Curry is one of the most prominent breakfast items in Kerala. Puttu is made by steaming Rice Flour along with grated coconut and salt. There is a special mould available in the market. I picked mine from Guruvayoor. The success of your puttu lies in the consistency in which you mix salt, water and rice flour. It should not be too dry or too watery. To be frank, I do not know the consistency yet. I got my mother to mix the flour. All I had to do is put copious amount of coconut and flour in the mould and steam it.

Well, the Kadala curry is my preparation though. I undertook a laborious method of preparation today. (My mother does it in a jiffy). Here is how I prepared the Kadala Curry this morning.

Ingredients:

• Black Kadala (Black Chickpeas/Channa) - soaked overnight - 2 cups
• Potato - 1 (optional)
• Onion - 1 big
• Shallots - 10-15
• Tomato - 1 big
• Green Chilly - 2
• Corriander Powder - 2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp (or as per taste)
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Peppercorn - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - a handful
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup
• Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp
• Coconut Milk - 200 ml (thick)
• Salt to taste
• Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

• Soak Kadala (black chickpeas / channa) overnight.
• Pressure cook Channa, potatp(optional) with half an onion cut into thin slices and 2 green chillies slit vertically. Add a pinch of turmeric powder before you pressure cook it.
• Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a pan.
• Splutter Cumin seeds (jeera) and add the grated coconut. Fry till brown,
• Add corriander powder, red chilly powder, garam masala, pepper, ginger garlic paste and fry till the aroma of cooked masala arises.
• Add the other half of the onion and half of the tomato and saute well.
• Cool and grind to a fine paste with some boiled chick peas.
• Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.

• Add the chopped coconut slices and fry till brown.
• Add half the curry leaves and shallots and fry well.
• Add the tomatoes and cook till done.
• Add the ground paste to this and fry well.
• Add boiled chickpease and potato mixture without their stock.
• Add sufficient water, curry leaves and salt and bring to boil.
• Add coconut milk and bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Remove from flame and serve with Puttu or Appam.

Sweet and Spicy Chutney

                         

Let me start with how I thought of this chutney in the first place. My colleague N who hails from Andhra Pradesh, brought to office one day, a ginger chutney that was out of this world. Promptly I asked for the recipe and she just replied saying grind ginger, chilly and jaggery together. That inspired me to add jaggery to the next chutney I made and it so happened that we had Rava Idli's for breakfast yesterday. So it was the ideal time to try this chutney. I'll let you in on what all I used for this.

Ingredients:

• Shallots - 15
• Tomato - 1
• Green Chilly - 2
• Red Chilly - 2
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Corriander Leaves - 1/4 bunch (2-3 stalks)
• Tamarind - i inch piece
• Garlic - 10 cloves
• Ginger - 2 inch piece
• Jaggery - the size of a tennis ball
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• 
  
  Heat oil in a pan.
• Add shallots, curry leaves, green and red chillies, ginger and garlic and fry well.
• Add tomato, salt and cook covered till the tomatoes are mushy.
• Add curry leaves and corriander leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Cool, grind with tamarind and jaggery.
• 
  
  Add more salt if requred and serve.

Rava Idli (Semilona Idli/Pancake)

Till date I've made Rava Idli's with the ready made MTR mix that is available in the stores. This time around, I decided to try making the batter myself based on a recipe I'd read earlier in some blog. So here is how I made it.

Ingredients

• Rava (Semilona) - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Green Chilly - 2
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Corriander Leaves - 1 small bunch
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Split Urud Dal - 1 tsp
• Channa Dal - 1 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Curd (Yogurt)- 200 ml (maybe lesser, ensure the batter is not too thick or too watery)
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Splutter mustards, urud dal and channa dal.
• When cooked, add curry leaves and finely chopped green chillies.
• Add finely chopped onions and fry till translucent.
• Add cashew nuts and fry them till brown.
• Add the rava and roast till it starts browning.
• Add corriander leaves and remove.
• Let it cool. Add curd (yogurt) and mix well till the batter is in a slightly thick consistency.
• Ensure the batter does not run too much, else idli's will not get cooked.
• Set this batter for 60-90 minutes.
• Steam in your regular idli cooker for 15-20 minutes (depends on the type of cooker you  have).
• Garnish with shredded carrots and serve with Chutney.

Bread Masala

Let me start with a confession. I did not make this dish this time. This time around, it was my husband who made it. But I still shamelessly clicked the pictures. It makes an interesting blog entry you see.This is apparently a street food item that is sold in his native home town Manipal.

Manipal is loaded with students - it boasts of the finest medical, engineering and management schools. It is a favored destination by NRI students. Though it sounds like a sleepy hamlet, its abuzz with such kind of activities, stalls and night life. I've not yet tasted the bread masala sold on the streets, but my husband always makes a close replica (as certified by his family), so I am assuming the street food is yum as well. Here is how it is made.

Ingredients

• Bread - 6-8 slices
• Egg - 2
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomato - 2
• Green Chilly - 2-3
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger (Chopped) - 1 tsp
• Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Corriander Leaf - 1 handful chopped
• Salt - to taste
• Oil -  2 tbsp

Method:

• Remove the sides from the bread and cut into squares
• Beat the egg till fluffy,
• Chop onions, tomatoes, chillies into fine pieces
• Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add the ginger and green chilly and fry well.
• Add the onions and fry till translucent
• Add the tomatoes and cook covered till tomatoes are done.
• Heat the dish till all the water from the tomatoes has evaporated.
• Add the beaten egg, turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt and scramble till half done.
• Add the cut bread slices and mix well.
• Cook till the eggs are fully done.
• Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy your Bread Masala! You could try variations in this by adding veggies of ur choice or Corn n Peas (My favorites). You could also try variations with the masala used - maybe chaat masala or Pav Bhaji Masala available in the market would be good as well. Not sure, haven't tried that yet!

Salsa Scrambled Eggs Salad

I

I could not think of any better name for this. I had some egg yolks remaining from the omlet I made last night. I did not have the heart to throw it. I had frozen corn and peas in my freezer. I also had a nice spicy salsa sauce. So I did the obvious - tossed them all together in Olive Oil. Added some spring onions and cilantro to it with a dash of seasoning. Thats it. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

• Egg Yolk - 2
• Sweet Corn - 1 cup
• Peas - 1 cup
• Salsa Sauce - 3 tbsp
• Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
• Paparika Powder - 2 tsp
• Oregano - 2 tsp
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Corriander Leaves - 1 small bunch
• Spring Onions - 2 bulbs with greens
• Shallots - 3-4

Method:

• Thaw the corn and peas.
• Heat olive oil in a pan.
• Toss the corn and peas in it.
• Beat the egg yolk well and mix to this.
• Add Salsa sauce, shallots, spring onions and corriander leaves.
• Add the seasoning and salt.
• Toss well and remove from flame.
• You may add shredded cheese or a dollop of butter to it (I did not add this to mine)

Serve the salad hot!