Veggie Muffins

Yes...Its a recipe post after a long time. As I have always mentioned, baking to me is like magic. The mystic joy of seeing my pastries and muffins puff up through the oven glass door is something I always look forward to when I am baking. I know...silly me :)

Anyways, the recipe that I am sharing today is quite different. I am sorry I lost the link where I had read it long time ago. I was simply blog hopping when I came across this recipe for corn meal muffins. It just stayed with me and I thought to myself, I will try it someday. Well, I did and added few tweaks to it. Here it is:

For 10 to 11 medium sized muffins, you will need:

1 and 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1 and 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup cabbage
1 chopped green chilly
chopped coriander
1/2 cup green peas
shredded cheese
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Method -

In a skillet, just saute the green chilly, cabbage and green peas for 2 mins in oil. Add a little salt to taste.
In another bowl,  mix rest of the ingredients and whisk them together. I made buttermilk out of two spoons of plain yogurt and water blending it before adding it to the mixture. Now add the sauteed cabbage to the batter and mix it all well.

By the time you get all these ingredients ready, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (It can vary for different oven. This is the temperature at which my oven bakes the best!).  In a muffin tray, lightly butter the muffin cups so that muffins come out easily leaving one cup empty. Fill in the cups 3/4Th. of the original size with the batter and top it with shredded cheese (I used cheddar cheese. You may use what you like.). Fill the remaining one cup with water to assist baking well. I don't know the exact reason why it is done, I simply follow it :D. If anyone knows about it, please share it with me too!

Place the tray the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees F. After around 20 minutes, check the muffins by inserting a fork. It should come out clean. Yoohoo!! Our veggie muffins are ready to eat !

Veggie-muffins

Just to give you an idea, I would say it tastes a little like the indian Dhokla or idli but still has its own unique flavor. It could be ideal for breakfast or to carry it with you when in a hurry. Relish it with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Vegetable muffins

You may also add your favorite veggies to it. Next time, I would try adding diced carrots, beans and corn to add the veggie content. I loved the recipe totally and hope you like it too. I hope I come across the blog link again so that I can share my gratitude with the originator of the recipe. Its a must try recipe, believe me you will love it :).

Let's make some Bhadang!

Have you ever come across times when you are slightly bored, slightly hungry, want some munchies but there is simply nothing in your kitchen. You crave for something that tingels your taste buds and opens all your senses. Well, I was having this kind of craving today.So, I went into the kitchen and thought to myself "Let's make some bhadang!!"

Well, bhadang is the marathi name to the dry snack that is made out of puffed rice or murmura//mamara/moodi (all possible names I knew in our Indian languages). A very quick to make snack and quite mouth-watering. Its the kind of a snack that ones you start eating, you can eat a huge portion of it without even realizing how much you have already eaten. I think its a much healthier option than chips, pop corn, cookies or the likes.

For bhadang, you will need:

1 big bowlful of puffed rice (salad bowl size)
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup roasted split chana dal or dalwa (usually used in chiwda - optional)
8 to 10 curry leaves
2to 3 chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

In a wok or deep pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds are tempered, on a medium flame, put in the curry leaves and green chillies.  Add in the groundnuts and roasted chana dal. Cook it for a minute or two till it slightly changes color. Now add in the condiments turmeric and red chilly powder and immediately put in the puffed rice. Mix it all well. You may need 2 spoons to do that. Switch off the flame. Add in the sugar  and again mix it all well till the puffed rice is coated with the mixture and gets the nice turmeric color. Do not add the sugar in the oil itself otherwise it will get caramelized immediately. You may skip the green chillies if you don't like hot flavors. For me, the hotter it is, the better. Thus, our mouth watering snack is ready!

Keep your ingredients ready and handy or else the mixture gets burnt easily. Especially the peanuts. You may simply have it as is or to raise its taste value, temper it with a squeeze full of lemon juice and a little fresh chopped coriander. Like the way I had it -

Isn't it mouth watering!! It doesn't take more than ten minutes to make and you can store it in an air tight container for days together.  Enjoy this snack with a cup of masala chai. Perfect for an evening snack :)

You may add your comments right here!

Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes!!

CuppyCake Song Lyrics

I just fall in love with this cutie pie song whenever I hear it. Especially because my niece Shreya used to sing it exactly the way it is when she was just a 2 year toddler, and it reminds me of her every time I hear to this song.

Why am I talking about cupcakes, my niece and her cute singing and so on.becaaaause..I successfully baked the most delicious, most yummiest chocolate cupcakes ever!! and it is not an overstatement! I was actually thrilled when I saw the small mass of batter rising up and turn beautifully into ever so delicious chocolate cupcakes :). The best part is, they are eggless and just so easy to make. I always feared baking because its very disappointing when it doesn't turn out the way its expected and you cannot even do anything to correct it. I tried quite a few recipes and the final outcome always found it place in the trash bin. But this time, it just went perfect. I followed the recipe thats here(Show me the curry.com). Honestly, I never found their recipes as good as those of Vah chef, but for this recipe, these girls win hands down. 

I used the exact measurements as shown in the recipe. I mean I actually used a teaspoon and tablespoon without being lazy or casual about it. The only tweaks I did were I used half teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder instead of just baking soda, and I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder . And I made cupcakes instead of a slab of cake. Baked them exactly for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F and they came out nice, light and fluffy. Here are the pictures!

The rich delicious batter!

Ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven!

On my plate ready to be gobbled :)

Dear all, for sure you should try it!  Its utterly delicious  and very easy to make with simple ingredients.  Soon I will be trying different flavors and icings.  It tastes best when warmed up for 10 seconds in the microwave just before eating. One mouth full and 'my dil goes mmm...mmm..mmm!!' :). I am surely going to make these for my niece next time I meet her and I will make her sing the cuppycake song for me!

Rumbaa Tasty - Palak Dal (Spinach lentil soup)

Spinach is one vegetable that I like in any form. May it be in Palak paneer, paratha or even salad for that matter. In my household, Spinach would be made almost every week. We 3 sisters just loved it and our favorite used to be the palak daal aka Spinach lentil soup. I started cooking when I was in my final year engineering, that goes back in the year 2005. I used to stay with my friends and we shared an apartment. My friends had never heard about Palak daal till then and when I made it for them the first time, they all fell in love with it. Till date, we all cherish the memories of staying together and eating together. Its this one recipe, my blog would be incomplete without..

To serve four, you will need:

1 medium bowl of chopped spinach
2 medium sized tomatoes diced
1 cup arhar daal/tur daal/ yellow split lentils
1 teaspoon red chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 or 2 dried red chillies (optional)
curry leaves (optional)
3 to 4 garlic petals (Optional)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups water
Salt to taste

 

To make spinach daal, first soak a cup of lentils in water while you make rest of the ingredients ready. To save time, I usually do the sauteing in the pressure cooker itself.  In the pressure pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter,  add curry leaves and the whole red chillies. At this point, you may add mashed garlic petals (best way to do is using the mortar and pestle). It gives a very good flavor to the daal. Its optional and it is perfectly alright f you do not use it. Then add the diced tomatoes and chopped spinach. Cook it for around 10 seconds. Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder,the lentils and salt, and mix it all well. Now add water and put on the lid. After 2 pressure cooker whistles on high flame and 2 whistles on low flame, switch off the flame. Once your kitchen is filled with a beautiful aroma,  you know the daal is ready. Wait till the pressure cooker cools down. Open the lid, mix the daal well so that its slightly mashed up.  Spinach daal is ready to be served.

Spinach Daal goes excellent with roti, paratha, bhakri (bread made out of jowar/bajra flour) or rice. If you are having it with roti or paratha, the best way to have it is, make small pieces of the roti, soak it all in daal for a minute or two, top it with a generous serving of ghee (clear butter), mix it all well and then have it. Trust me, its heavenly. I even eat it like soup. During college days, we used to eat it with bread toasted in lots of butter (Amul butter for that matter - utterly butterly delicious!)..Yummy! Do try it..its an excellent dish, really mouth watering and as a friend of mine would say after a mouthful -"ummm..Rumbaa tasty !!!"

my meal today-spinach daal,brown rice and papad! yumm!

Stuffed Eggplant curry Maharashtrian Style!

Since a long time I wanted to try a classic authentic curry. I usually make the dry veggies as they are easier to make and lighter on the tummy too. But, once in a while you really crave for something hot and spicy especially when the weather is cold and drizzly like the way it is in LA now a days.

This time at the Indian store, I found fresh brinjals(small eggplants in American english) to my pleasure and I instantly knew what I wanted to make. The authentic Maharashtrian recipe - bharli vangi or stuffed eggplants in rich peanut curry. The best kind of eggplants to use is the striped white and purple small sized with thorny green crowns. Those taste the best and are usually seedless. But in US you got to compromise with what you get at the Indian grocery stores. But they do the need full, so its alright.

To Serve 4 people,  you need:
6 to 8 small sized eggplants
1/2 cup roasted peanut powder(coarsely ground)
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red chilly powder
1 teaspoon goda masala (you may use garam masala)
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
Cooking Oil
Salt to taste.

Method:

In a bowl, mix the peanut powder, goda masala, red chilly powder, onions, salt and turmeric together. This mixture should be enough to stuff the eggplants and remaining of it is used to make the curry. Add a spoon or two of water to bind the masala together. I used a wedge full of lemon juice instead of water to give it a tangier taste.

 

Wash the eggplants thoroughly. You may keep the crown of the eggplant but I prefer to remove it. Slit the eggplants just up to the edge in two perpendicular cuts. Make sure you don't slit them through and through. Remember, we need to stuff them. Keep them in a bowl of water to prevent them from turning black until you are ready to use them. Stuff the eggplants with the mixture prepared and keep them aside.

To make the curry, in a deep pan, pour oil generously (around two tablespoons). Add the ginger garlic paste. Cook it for a while and add the remaining mixture. Keep it on a medium flame and keep stirring the mixture, otherwise the peanut powder tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook the mixture till the oil oozes from the sides. It is a sign that the mixture is well cooked.

Now add the stuffed eggplants in the pan and stir them in order to coat them in the mixture. Put on the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Now, open the lid and add half a glass of water to the pan if you want a thick curry or else you may add more for a thinner gravy. Put the lid back and cook for 10 minutes. Add a little salt to the curry after adding water. Remember we already had salt in the mixture. Keep turning the eggplants in between so that they cook from all the sides.  In order to check if the eggplants are cooked, try to pierce them with a fork. The fork should get easily pierced in. Thus, the delicious curry is ready. You will come to know about it once your home smells great with the aroma from the curry.

 

It goes excellent with paratha, roti or rice. I especially like it with the rice.Bharli vangi is a classic maharasthrian dish and every family has its own staple recipe. Some people even add dried coconut, or sesame powder to the stuffing. My mom does not use onions in her curry but uses dried coconut. It all depends on your taste buds. But peanuts is the main taste maker.  So, next time when you go to the Indian store, and you see brinjals, you know what you got to try! Happy cooking :)

Corn Cheese Chilly Toast

I know..I know..I was supposed to post a complicated recipe. But I just couldn't help myself from posting this one. Very easy and ready to eat in ten minutes. Perfect for breakfast with a glass of cold coffee!

To make 4 toasts, all you need is:

  1/2 cup of yellow corn kernels
  4 Slices of bread, brown or white as per preference
  Chilly flakes
  Salt to taste
  4 Cheese Slices.

Method:

While you are getting the stuff ready, start preheating the oven at 450 degrees F. Now, simply arrange the 4 slices in a plate, cover it with corn, sprinkle a little chilly flakes and salt as per taste. Top it with the cheese slice. Done! Put them in the oven for 5-6 minutes to bake. Once you see the cheese melting at the top, change the oven settings to broil for a minute or two. Its better to broil for one-two minutes as only baking it will burn the toast from the bottom. Voila!  Your corn cheese chilly toasts are ready. You may use finely chopped green peppers and cilantro for a different flavor instead of chilly flakes.  Even french bread would be a good option.  It reminds me of the corn cheese chilly toasts we get in Smokin' Joes in India. Yumm! Do try it and let me know your opinion. :)

Onion Chilly Cheese Sandwiches

I think I should change the name of my blog. Its only recipes that I keep sharing with you all. But you never know when I get bored of it and turn to something else and start writing about it. For now, I will stick to same name. I have been a foodie since I was a kid. Good food really cheers me up. My father-in-law teases me "Revati ke har dard ki ek dawa - accha khana" :) :) I have been lucky with people around me too. Everyone has been a foodie like me or I have turned them into one :).

Ok, enough of my love for food. Lets get back to the main subject of this post - Onion chilly cheese sandwiches. This is a very simple recipe and obviously tasty too. Anyone can make it, even someone who has never even tried cooking. I made this one when I was making  the regular tom n cheese sandwiches but was short of tomatoes. I substituted it with onion and capsicum. And it turned out awesome.So, here is the recipe.


Ingredients:
Finely chopped onionFinely chopped green bell pepper (Capsicum)
American cheese slice or any cheese slice of your preference
White or brown bread
Black Pepper Powder
Salt
Butter

Method: Very Simple! Finely chop capsicum and onion. Mix them together. Take a slice of bread, spread the onion and capsicum evenly, sprinkle some salt and pepper, add a cheese slice and close the sandwich with another slice of bread. Grease the pan with little butter and toast the sandwiches on both sides. While toasting, press the sandwich with a flat spatula so that the cheese melts and the breads bind well.And the sandwich is ready!  If you have the sandwich maker, it makes it all the more easy!  Eat it with tomato ketchup...Yummmy! Here are a few pictures for clear idea-

.

 

These sandwiches are so simple to make and are ready within 10 minutes. This recipe post is for  all my friends, who do not like elaborate cooking. Do try it and let me know.  Makes an excellent breakfast or brunch on a lazy Saturday noon with a cup of coffee! Enjoy!

kachori - learn from my mistake!

Last week it had been raining almost everyday in Los Angeles and the weather was simply awesome. That reminded me,  I hadn't put up my frying pan to use since a long time. The weather was just right to get it out and make something mouth watering to go with a cup of masala chai.

The recipe  that I am going to share with you all is a gujarati style kachori. It is not the kind you get in the market or the chat homes. As usual I followed Mr. Vah chef. Here is the recipe. In the video, the chef has used some different beans called 'lilva' in gujarati for the filling which I am not aware about. (and my Gujju Husband didn't know either :-)).  I used tender green chana instead. You can use whole moong daal, green peas or any other kind of green lentils for that matter. And rest I followed the chef exactly. However, everything usually doesn't  go right the first time I make it.

Here is the pic of the perfect kachoris. Nothing went wrong with these. It tasted perfect too.

 

Now, I don't exactly know what went wrong with these as you can see below. 

Ain't they look funny? Like upside down mushrooms. I don't know what went wrong with these exactly. I presume, I put less oil in the frying pan and my bigger sized kachoris weren't fully immersed in it. Hence, the air captured inside rose like a bubble, because of which I couldn't even turn them in the pan once cooked at one side. Because of the air bubble, It would topple back to the same side again. If anyone of you knows the reason for this blooper, do let me know. I would really appreciate it.

Now, I would certainly not throw them away. Working in an IT company has taught me some brilliant ways of hiding your mistake. Its always better to package them in attractive wrapping :). And that is what I did. I removed the top uncooked part. Topped the kachori with finely chopped onion, green chatni, tamarind chatni, a little sweetened yogurt and chat masala. Here is the pic-

And here is my mini kachori chat! Perfect in taste. Infact my husband loved it more than the plain ones. Made me make more of it with the other kachoris. What more could I ask for!

Honestly, I never ever imagined I would make these kind of dishes which I always thought would be too complicated to make and I could never get them right. But, trust me its not that difficult at all. And I made mistakes too. But, that is how we learn, isn't it?

Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny    
Hot cross buns!

A nursery rhyme I used to really like when I was a kid. The reason was the illustration in the poem book showing a fatso baker with the baker's hat and a tray full of buns calling at the kids. Well, this nursery rhyme is on my head since morning. The reason is absurd; my husband wanted me to make pav bhaji today. Pav bhaji is something he really enjoys. But we used to always crave for the buns i.e. pav that we get in India. The buns in US are a little sweeter. So I decided to bake the buns myself. And that is why the rhyme playing continuously in my head since I started making them.

 Now a days, baking is my new found craze. Its like magic to me. I keep putting on the oven light, to see whats happening inside. So don't be surprised if you see more of baking recipes on my blog.This post is for all my readers who like to experiment with their culinary skills. Well, I simply followed the recipe on youtube by my favourite the vah chef. He truly inspires me to cook and whenever I have tried his dishes, they have really come out well.

So, here is the link for all of you:
Vah chef's Pav Recipe

Now let me share with you my experience during baking these buns.  Firstly, its a long process (almost 4 hours) so be patient. The second important thing is to make sure to  knead the dough really well. I must say play with it for at least 10 minutes before adding the butter and then again for 5 to 10 minutes. And even if the shape of the bun is not exactly as that of the chef's, don't worry, they still come out well when done. Thirdly, I used milk wash for the buns. After the baking time is over, if you do not see the slight golden color on the top, just put the oven on broil for one minute and it will do the job.( Thanks to Patty, he gave me this idea.). Here are a few pictures!

 

I will not say that mine came out the best of its kind, but not bad for the first time . They were soft and fluffy. And the best and important part is I enjoyed making them and yes eating them too. Trust me, the aroma of freshly baked bread intoxicates you. If ever you try making them, do send me pictures and share your experience. Happy baking!

 

Thetcha!

Yesterday, I was talking to my friend Shveta from engineering days. And we both were getting all nostalgic about our hostel days. Bunking lectures, eating vada pav and chai from anna's canteen, spending hours simply sitting at the amphitheater, late mid night snacks during submissions and many more such memories. Hostel days was so much fun.

Considering the girls' hostel schedule, the gates used to close at 9.00 pm and we weren't allowed to step out after that. Hence, we had to stock up our rooms with food. Our mid night snacks included a lot of bizarre stuff, maggi cooked in small electric water boilers, marie biscuits with jam, bhel, and various tit-bit snacks from everyone's home. And our all time favorite was bread,butter and thetcha!

Now thetcha is a kind of hot green chatni or dip famous amongst maharashtrians, and I used to get it from my Nani every time I would visit her. Well coming back to the point (before I write pages drifting away in memories), Shveta wanted me to post the recipe of it on my blog. Instantly I called up my granny and she shared the recipe with me. And here it is for all of you, specially dedicated to all my hostel friends!!

For thetcha, you need:

Green Chillies - 4 to 5(for my American residing friends, use more as the chillies we get here are not very hot.)
Garlic - 8 to 10 petals
Coriander or Cilantro-  one bunch
Turmeric
Salt
Cooking oil

Method: Pour around 4 to 5 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. On a medium-high flame let it heat up for a minute or two. Now, we need to fry the cilantro. I know it sounds weird  but that's the main taste maker. Make sure that the cilantro is dry. It should not be crispy fried. The right way is to just dip the leaves in the hot oil, keep it in for 5 to 6 seconds and remove it so that it retains the green color.

Once done with the cilantro, in the remaining oil, put the garlic and green chillies. You may put a lid on, as chillies tend to splutter the oil a lot. Let it cook for one minute or till they are all slight brown.

Once all the frying is done, grind it all in the mixer to a fine paste. Add salt to taste and a pinch of turmeric so it retains the green color for long. Add the remaining oil to the mixture as it acts as a preservative. And the thetcha is ready!!

Thetcha lasts at least for a week or two when stored in the refrigerator. You can mix a spoonful with butter or plain cheese  and it makes an awesome spread for breads, toasts, parathas etc. Its an excellent salad dressing. Get the lettuce, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes out of the fridge, dice them, add a dollop of thetcha, squeeze in a lemon, mix it well and yummy salad is ready. Also, for working folks, thetcha is a quick fix taste maker  for all dry sabzis like potatoes, okra, cabbage, cauliflower etc.

I hope you all enjoy reading my post as much as I did while arranging it for you. Do try it and let me know how it comes out. Finally its friday! Have a happy weekend!

Stuffed Okra (Bhindi)

I know I know..what you must be thinking! Well, Its not really my invention :p. Invention is the wrong word. I should have written good old recipes with a twist. Well, I generally mix the procedures of different recipes into one and try my hand at it. There haven't been any disasters till date. You can be rest assured about the taste as it is tried and tested on my husband and our two friends :)

Ingredients would be:

Fresh tender okra - Try to get the ones which are smaller in size. Test for tender and fresh okra as taught by my mom - try bending the tip - it should snip off easily. If it lousily bends, its not fresh! After washing it dry it completely with a cloth as it will be sticky when cooked if not dried well. Cut the head and make a slit lengthwise. Be careful not to slit it through and through, remember we need to stuff it. For a meal of 4, you will need around 400 gms.

green chillies - one or two as per the hotness desired.
Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves - two handfuls!
one garlic petal(Not really necessary. Only for garlic lovers)
Cumin seeds - half tsp (teaspoon)
Sesame Seeds -one fistful
Roasted Coriander seeds - half tsp
Roasted Peanuts - one fistful
Salt to taste
Cooking oil


Method: To prepare the stuffing, take the green chillies, coriander leaves, garlic, sesame seeds, peanuts and churn them in the food processor or blender. Just churn for 5 to 10 seconds. It should be slightly coarse and not a fine paste. If you have a mortar and pestle (khalbatta in marathi and musli in Hindi, I had to google this :P), using it freshly grind the roasted coriander seeds and cumin seeds. If you don't have it, you may add these in the blender itself before. However, I prefer the mortar and pestle as it gives out the true aroma and taste of the coriander seeds. Mix it with the rest of mixture. Now taste the mixture. The salt should be slightly high as we aren't adding any salt separately.

Stuff the okras carefully with stuffing. Take a wide pan and add  very thin layer of oil covering the pan. Now, if you like it nice and slight crispy, don't be thrifty in adding oil. Place the stuffed okras keeping the slit side facing you and not the pan. Well, the mistake I made was I placed the okra with slitted side on the pan the first time. The stuffing cooks faster than the okras. So if placed the first time with the slit side down, the stuffing starts burning. So take note of my tip. Cook it on the other side first on a medium flame till it is slightly brown and then turn all of them and cook on the other side. Do NOT put a lid on the pan as the steam accumulating in the pan will make the okras moist.

Garnish it with chopped coriander. Goes well with chapatis and I like it as a side dish with plain dal rice too. Trust me, its an awesome dish and it made my husband start eating okras. Do try it and let me know how did it come out. Enjoy!