Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry with Random Rants :)

Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry

Missed participating in blog events - Check.
Missed visiting blogger friends – Check.
Missed leaving comments in their blog – Check.
Missed posting recipes twice a week – Check.
Missed writing new post for Beyond Curries – Check.
Missed cooking recipes from other blogs (at least 2 recipes per month) – Check.
Missed taking photographs of new recipe I cooked and loved for blog – Check!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I can understand the first six things happening now and then when I am buried till my nose with all new projects and meeting deadlines. But I am still scratching my head thinking how I could have missed taking photos for my blog??? Looks like I am not only busy with hectic work schedule but may be little stressed also. HELP… Anybody?!

Few days back I found few interesting replies from friends on FB when I mentioned that my blog honeymoon period seems to be finally over after 2½+ years of blogging. Some said they too are sailing in the same boat with me and others said this too shall pass! But there was this dear friend of mine who mentioned as far as she was concerned, her relationship with her blog is over and they are divorced! :) I couldn’t help but wonder what will happen to my blog in few months time? Will I ever reach that stage and stop blogging for good? Hopefully not for a while… Yes, not yet!!!! I hope that dear friend of mine resumes blogging as I really miss visiting her witty, humorous and delicious blog. And at the same time I wonder will I be missed by readers of my blog if I decide to stop blogging? :) Looks like I have some food for thought ;)

And not to forget, I also have some recipe for all you lovely people. Today we have this simple, delicious and flavourful Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry to please all your senses! I am quite fond of coloured bell peppers and baby corns and I use them quite often in Indo-Chinese cuisines. Using these two veggies in Indian cuisine has got nothing to do with my creative brain cells or unusual taste buds. It was the result of lack of vegetables in fridge and also laziness to go out for shopping. But I am not here to complain as the chemistry between bell peppers and baby corns was quite hot and sizzling and they literally set our taste buds on fire! ;) While creamy onion and almond gravy tasted superb, the crunch from capsicum and baby corns were very pleasing to our palettes. When served with soft and warm Phulkas and simple Cumin Rice, it was nothing short of touching the stars! Try this curry when you are tired of eating same combination of vegetables or pulses and see this colourful Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry winning positive approval from everyone sitting around your dining table. :) And off this goes to dear Vysh who has spiced up all our blogs by asking us to cook some spicy dishes for her JFI: Chilli, an event initiated by dear Indira of Mahanandi and dear Priya who is guest hosting AFAM-Bell Peppers, an event started by Maheshwari of Beyond Usual.

Capsicums & Baby Corns

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Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry (Tender Baby Con and peppery Bell Peppers cooked in creamy gravy of Onion, Tomato and Almonds)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Serves: 4-6
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium to Hot
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked rice

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Ingredients:
15 Baby Corns, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 large Capsicums/Bell Peppers (I used 1 red and 1 green)
3 large Tomatoes, pureed
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Sugar (Optional but recommended)
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Onion-Almond Paste:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 large Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
2 Green Cardamoms
2 Cloves
10 Almonds, soaked in warm water for 10 mins and skinned
½ tbsp Oil

Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry

Method:
For Onion-Almond Paste:
Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick, cloves and green cardamoms. Cook for a minute, on medium heat, and then add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add roughly chopped onions and fry till they turn transparent, about 2 mins.
Next add ginger-garlic paste and stir for a minute or two till raw smell disappears. Switch off the flame and transfer the content to food processor or mixer jar. Let it cool slightly.
Add skinned almonds and grind the mixture to smooth paste without adding any water.

Proceed to Make Curry:
Heat tbsp of oil in a pan and add ground onion-almond paste. Saute on medium flame till the paste turns light golden brown in colour and becomes one dry mass, about 5-6 mins.
Add garam masala, kitchen king masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir for 30 seconds.
Mix in pureed tomatoes and give it a good stir, about 3 mins. Add 1-1½ cups of water, amchur powder, sugar and mix in salt to taste. Keep the flame on medium and bring the whole gravy to gentle boil, about 5 mins.
Add baby corn pieces and cover and cook for 5 mins. After 5 mins, add peppers/capsicums and cook uncovered for another 5-7 minutes till vegetables are cooked through but retain their crunch.
Serve this delicious Baby Corn-Capsicum Curry hot, garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves, with any Indian flat bread or flavoured rice and enjoy.

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Tofu Matar: Why Not Try Something New Today?

Tofu Matar

Last week I was here, staying at one of the picturesque places of England. Our little cottage was tucked in between soothing sound of flowing river, breath taking landscape of mountains and miles of green fields. For once we were away from everyday hustle bustle and running around chasing deadlines and never ending word loads and I couldn’t help but feel blessed to be surrounded by Mother Nature in her warm bosom!

Every morning we woke up to tweeting birds and oh yes, braying sheep which was music to our ears compared to deafening alarm clock or noise from traffic. The weather God was unbelievably kind to us during our stay and everyday I felt the warmth of bright sun and his rays dancing on my face. As the puffy marshmallow-ey clouds floated on clear blue sky, puffy and soft bundle of woolly sheep were lazily munching the emerald green grass. And those little, cute lambs hopping and jumping around merrily were the constant reminder of my own childhood days! While buzzing bumble bees were soothing music to ears, the burst of colourful wild flowers were joy to eyes, and even the smell of earth was much better than the aroma of any expensive and exotic perfumes on my dressing table. Nature, free of all man made things, is a soothing balm to ones troubled spirit and heart! It was nothing short of heaven! It’s amazing to see how Mother Nature takes care of all her children, including us, by embracing us in her warm bosom. I, after a long time, felt at peace with my inner self…

Fast forward and I am back to reality of daily routine life! As much as I enjoyed my break; it feels good to be back to some kind of routine! After one week of indulgence in peaceful countryside retreat, I felt good to be back in familiar surrounding and especially to be cooking in my little kitchen. Since our fridge was almost empty except for few herbs, I used the ingredients in hand and prepared this delicious Tofu Matar by giving a twist to much loved Matar Paneer. Creamy tofu and lively and bouncy green peas literally dunked in creamy gravy of onion, tomato, cashew and almonds was match made in heaven! Addition of Kasuri Methi gave that ‘oomph’ factor to the curry and made it all the more enjoyable. Don’t be chuffed off by the list of ingredients as close inspection will show how simple this recipe is. Cook it for your Vegan friends or people like me who are fond of tofu and see them lick their plate clean! :)

Tofu Matar

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Tofu Matar (Tofu and sweet Green Peas cooked in creamy gravy of Almonds & Cashews)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
1 pack Tofu (approx 5X5 inch), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 heaped cup Green Peas, fresh/frozen
3 large Tomatoes or 1 canned Tomato, pureed
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Sun dried Fenugreek Leaves (Optional)
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Juice of ¼ Lime/Lemon
Salt to taste

For Onion Paste:
1 large Onion, roughly chopped
¾ inch Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large cloves of Garlic
½ inch Cinnamon Stick
2 Green Cardamoms
2 Cloves
½ Star Aniseeds

For Almond-Cashew Paste:
8-10 Almonds, soaked in warm water for 10 mins and peeled
4-6 Cashews, soaked in warm water for 10 mins

Tofu Matar

Method:

Grind all the ingredients listed under onion and almond-cashew paste separately, with out adding any water, to smooth paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add onion paste. Keep stirring for 6-8 mins till onion paste turns light golden brown and becomes one dry mass. Make sure that you cook this onion paste thoroughly or else the gravy will taste bitter.
Mix in sugar and kasuri methi leaves and stir for another minute or two. Next, add pureed tomatoes and mix well. Bring the mixture to gentle boil, about 4-5 mins.
Mix in garam masala, kitchen king masala and salt to taste and add about 1-1½ cups of water.
Reduce the heat to low and add tofu cubes and green peas and cover the lid. Let it cook undisturbed for 5 mins.
Mix in almond and cashew paste and stir well. Increase the heat to medium and let the curry cook uncovered for another 5-7 mins. The gravy will start to thicken at this stage. Adjust the seasoning and add little more water if you prefer little thin gravy.
Switch off the flame and squeeze in lime juice. Serve this delicious Tofu Matar garnished with coriander leaves and enjoy!

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Notes:

Those who don’t like Tofu can simply substitute it with Paneer. Shallow fry Paneer cubes in little ghee till both the sides turn golden red in colour. Keep them in a bowl of warm water till needed and proceed with the recipe.
And if you are not fond of Paneer and Tofu, simply substitute them with boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes.
Green peas can be substituted with black or Kabuli channa or chickpeas.

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Chocolate-Almond Biscotti: Daring Baker...At Last

Chocolate-Almond Biscotti

Please don’t get confused with the title. I haven’t turned out to be a wonderful bakers like the ones in Daring Bakers overnight and I have no plans of joining that group for many more days (read years;) But still I am pleased to say that I did a daring thing during weekend and I actually baked!!!

The idea of baking used to scare the hell out of me! I always felt the oven staring at me icily (mmm… of course it feels cold when its ‘never’ used right;) as I walked back and forth past it. I did try my level best to ignore its threatening look. It demanded me not to use it as my extended kitchen cabinets to store few more vessels and Dabbas. It coughed and twisted its nose when we popped frozen pizzas and chips into it and turned itself into one agonising aunty when I used it to ‘ferment’ Dosa and Idli batter. It almost went into strike when I, err, used it to heat my kitchen when our central boiler conked off. Gosh, isn’t it easy and quicker to walk to a nearest bakery, buy and gorge that bread or baked goodies than actually measure that cup of self raising flour!!! Well, ahem, I do think so or rather used to think so that now I actually have baked and found some pleasure in it.

I always felt that I am not a person with enough patience when it came to baking. First, I never managed to follow the instructions to the word as I like changing and modifying ingredients to suit my taste and preference. Unfortunately it’s a big no-no in baking. You see the rebellious cook in me wouldn’t budge an inch and transform herself into a baking fairy. Well, you better follow the recipe step-by-step, cup-by-cup, spoon-by-spoon if you really don’t want to end up baking soggy cake, flat muffin or hard to bite cookies.

Next, I couldn’t simply stop myself from opening the oven door to take a quick peek to check if my cake is baking well or not. It took me sometime to realise it is another big no-no in baking world. Well, with my ancient gas burner with dark oven I have no option of actually seeing from outside if it’s baking well or not. And my hubby dear is not to ready to stick a bulb inside our oven which is plugged from out. Men, what more can you expect!!!

Other thing I had to keep in my mind is not to try to be too creative, especially when you are a newbie. Last time I used condensed milk in place of milk and egg thinking it will work beautifully and ended up one sad looking cake which stuck to my mouth top and was damn difficult to swallow. And no prizes for guessing that it ended up in waste bin. Well, I have come to terms with the bakers that there is a damn good reason as why milk and egg is used in baking.

Armed with all these tips from my previous failed attempts at baking, I decided to follow step-by-step instructions and used proper cups and spoons to measure each and every ingredient. The result is this wicked looking Chocolate & Almond Biscotti baked following the recipe posted at The Joy of Baking. This website has wonderful collection of baked goodies which are simple to follow and you actually end up baking something that look like the one photo posted there. I have already tried few recipes from this site and none of them have failed to impress me. I would highly suggest this site for any foodie, especially amateur like myself, who wants to try their hand at baking.

The Italians use the term biscotti to refer to any type of cookie. In North America, biscotti is used to describe a long, dry, hard twice-baked cookie with a curved top and flat bottom designed for dunking into wine or coffee. The name biscotti is derived from 'bis' meaning twice in Italian and 'cotto' meaning baked or cooked.

(Source: The Joy of Baking)

I chose Chocolate-Almond Biscotti to try first as it has two of my favourite ingredients, chocolate and almonds. There are two things I tweaked a bit. One I didn’t de-skin the almonds as I didn’t have patience to do so. I simply roasted them with skins and chopped them. Next I used half-half of chocolate chips and dark chocolate as I had these chocolate chips which I was reaching its expiry date. Initially, I was hesitant to make changes to the original recipe but went ahead with these modifications and it worked quite well ;) The end result was simply amazing and we have a big canister of these wonderfully ‘twice baked’ biscotti sitting proudly on our kitchen counter.

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Chocolate-Almond Biscotti
Prep Time: 20-30 mins
Baking Time: 60-90 mins (depends on Oven type)
Makes: 16-18 Biscotti
Recipe Source: The Joy of Baking

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Ingredients:
¾ cups (110 gms) blanched whole Almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
4 ounces (110 gms) Semi-sweet or Bitter Chocolate, chopped in ½ inch pieces (I used semi-sweet Chocolate Chips and Dark Bitter Chocolate in equal quantity)
1¾ cups (245 gms) All Purpose Flour
2/3 cup (135 gms) Granulated White Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¾ tsp Baking Powder
1/8 tsp Salt

Chocolate & Almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Meanwhile, toast almonds for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let them cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside.
In bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the sugar and eggs on high speed until thick, pale, and fluffy (about 5 minutes. With my hand mixer it took little longer). Make sure that when you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons. At this point beat in the vanilla extract so that it is blended well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until they are well combined. Next, gently fold in the chopped almonds and chocolate.
Transfer the dough to your parchment lined baking sheet and form into a log, about 12 inches (30 cm) long and 3½ inches (9 cm) wide. Dip your fingers in a cold water if you find it too sticky and difficult to manage.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Once it’s baked, remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Transfer log to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut log into slices of 3/4 inch (2 cm) thickness on the diagonal.
Place these biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container. Serve them with hot cup of coffee and enjoy.

Chocolate-Almond Biscotti

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Final Call for WBB-Summer Feast (Just one more day to go)

Friends,

If you have already posted an entry for WBB-Summer Feast and yet to mail me, please make sure you do it by tomorrow. This is a final call for all you lovely bloggers to participate in WBB-Summer Feast.

For this edition of WBB, your challenge is to cook anything with summer fruits and vegetables. Yes, the theme is WBB-Summer Feast. Go to your town/city’s Farmer’s Market and pick fresh season’s produce and make your favourite breakfast or brunch and join in the Summer Feast.

Deadline: 31st July, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

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Reminder for JFI-Soya:

I invite you all to celebrate Jihva for Ingredients with this month’s theme JFI-Soya. Choice of Soya products, the recipe, ingredients, method etc is entirely left to you. I would greatly appreciate if you can send me any Vegan or Vegetarian recipes but I leave it to your choice. Soya foods include tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (chunks, mince etc), miso, soya sauces, soya oil and margarine, and soya dairy alternatives.

Deadline: 31st August, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish, and Perm Link of the entry along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.
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Bihari Thali

Title: Food Blogger’s Kitchen
Characters: He (Hubby Dear), Me (Food Blogger)

Scene 1: Weekends at He & Me’s Home
He: What are we gonna have for lunch?
Me: Mmmm… Give me few mins and I’ll tell you.
~after Few+ mins~
He: Err… Have you decided on our lunch menu?
Me: Yeah, We are having XYZ cuisine.
He: Sounds interesting… I never knew you could cook XYZ dish.
Me: ~Chuckles~ Me neither ;) I got to Google for the recipes.
Me: ~Smiling sweetly~ I need few ingredients which are not in our pantry. We’ll need to shop for them NOW!
He: Why don’t we just cook something we know?
Me: ~Shaking her head~ Oh No!!! It’s for one of the Food Blog Events.
He: ~Rolls his eyes~ OK as you say.

Scene 2: For Super Market Scene, Click this Link;)

Scene 3: Back at Home
He: ~Puzzled~ Why are you adding XXX ingredient? It’s not listed in the ingredients list here!!!
Me: Oh!!! This ABC event calls for this XXX ingredient. That’s why I HAVE to add this ingredient.
He: ~More Puzzled and Confused~ I thought you were cooking XYZ cuisine.
Me: Of course I am cooking XYZ cuisine along with the ingredient required for ABC event. Mmm… Let me see if I can add DEF ingredient for DEF event and make it 3 in 1 post!!!
He: ~Screams and Faints~ SOS

If you are among those people who are laughing at my so called joke, then you surely belong to Food Blogger community. And the one’s who are still confused about ABC, DEF, XYZ etc just forget it and check out the recipes. Today I am presenting my humble Bihari Thali containing Phulka, Aloo Choka, Subziyon Ka Panchranga Korma and Kheera Raita. This one obviously goes to this month’s RCI-Bihar hosted by lovely Sangeeta of Ghar Ka Khana. If it was not for Lakshmi’s Regional Cuisines of India I would have undoubtedly missed cooking and tasting fabulous food from different states of India. Apart from cooking and eating, RCI is one event which makes me do little research on that region and learn little about its amazing culture, wonderful people, and colourful history.

There is much more to Bihar than its colourful politicians. This is the state which had one of the greatest universities in recorded history, Nalanda University. It is the same sacred region where Buddha and Mahavira attained enlightenment and the birthplace of Sikh’s tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. With such glorious history, no wonder Bihar also boasts rich and colourful cuisine. Starting from Indus Valley civilization Bihari cuisine has evolved through Maurya Empire, Middle Kingdoms, Islamic Sultanates and Mughal Empire. Each and every Kingdom/Empires have left their marks on this rich Bihari cuisine and yet its simplicity makes it all the more enjoyable. For more information on Bihari Cuisine, click here, here and here.

Bihari Thali: (R-L) Subziyon Ka Panchranga Korma, Aloo Chokha,
Kheera Raita, Gulab Jamoon, Phulka

Aloo Choka is a simple dry dish adapted from here. Chhonkna means tadka and here I have used Paanchforan/Paanchphoran (a mix of 5 spices: Saunf/Fennel Seeds, Sarson/Mustard Seeds, Methi/Fenugreek Seeds, Kalonji/Black Onion Seeds/Nigella Seeds and Jeera/Cumin Seeds). Cubed Potatoes are lightly fried (bhoonjana) with onions and whole spices to give it a distinct flavour.

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Aloo Chokha
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
3 medium Potatoes, peeled and diced to 1 cm cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Chokha(Tempering):
1 tbsp Oil (Preferably Mustard Oil)
1 tsp Paanchforan
2 Dry Red Chillies, broken

Aloo Chokha

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add broken dry red chillies and paanchforan. Sauté till the spices starts to pop and splutter.
To this add chopped onions and sauté for a minute and half.
Now add chopped garlic and green chillies and sauté till onions turn golden brown.
Mix in cubed potatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes till they turn light brown.
Add ½-¾ cups of water, salt to taste. Cover and cook till potatoes are cooked well. Keep mixing the potato pieces in between so that they don’t stick to the bottom of pan. Add little more water in between till potatoes are well cooked but take care not to add more water as it is a dry curry/subji.
Mix in amchur and chopped coriander leaves and cook uncovered for another 4-5 minutes. Serve hot with rice or roties and enjoy.

Subziyon Ka Panchranga Korma is another wonderful, aromatic dish adapted from here. Colourful mixed vegetables are simmered in sinfully delicious sweet, spicy and creamy gravy of cashews, almond, coriander leaves and coconut just leaves one craving for more.

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Subziyon Ka Panchranga Korma
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:

4-5 cups Mixed Vegetables (I used Carrot, Cauliflower, Potato, Beans & Peas)
1 large Tomato/Tomato Puree
1 tsp Ginger & Garlic Paste
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Oil (Preferably Mustard Oil)
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Ground to Paste:
2½-3 tbsp Fresh/Frozen Coconut gratings
½ tbsp Poppy Seeds/Posta Daana
10 Cashew Nuts
5 Almonds
1 tsp Sugar
2-3 Green Chillies
¾-1 Packed Cup Coriander Leaves

Subziyon Ka Panchranga Korma

Method:
Cook mixed vegetables in enough water and salt to taste for about 10 minutes and keep aside. Vegetables should be just tender. Drain the water from vegetables and keep aside. Also save 2-3 cups of drained water.
Heat oil in a pan and to this add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for about 30 seconds till the raw smell disappears.
Now add ground paste and sauté continuously for about 2-3 minutes.
To this mix in chopped tomato or tomato puree, turmeric powder and chilli powder and sauté for another minute or two.
Mix cooked vegetables and drained water (vegetable stock) and mix well. Cook at a medium to low heat. Bring the korma to boil and simmer for another 5 minutes till the flavours blend well.
Serve hot garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves with rice or roties.


Refreshing cool-cool Kheera/Cucumber Raita is adapted from here.

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Kheera/Cucumber Raita
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
1 cup Cucumber, grated
2 cups Yogurt, beaten
¼ tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
¼ tsp Chat Masala
A big Pinch of Kashmiri Chilli Powder
A big Pinch of Kaala Namak/Black Salt
A small Pinch Garam Masala (optional)
1 tsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

Kheera Raita

Method:
Wash, peel and grate the cucumber. I usually leave the peel as I like its crunchiness.
Squeeze excess water from grated cucumber and place it in a mixing bowl.
Put all the ingredients and mix them well.
Refrigerate raita for around 15 minutes before serving it garnished with coriander leaves.

Phulkas are light puffed up unleavended Indian bread. Although they look like Chapatties, Phulkas are very light in texture and are usually made and served at the time of the meal.

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Phulkas
Prep Time: 10-15 mins (excluding resting time)
Cooking Time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
2 cups Wheat Flour or 3:1 Wheat to Plain Flour
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Ghee/Oil
Warm Water to knead

Fluffy and Light Phulkas

Method:
Place the flour, oil and salt in a large bowl.
Adding just enough warm water knead well to make a soft, pliable dough. Keep kneading the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Make golf sized balls and roll each ball into a 6 inch diameter by 1/8th inch thickness discs.
Heat griddle/skillet on a medium flame. Place the Phulkas and cook for about 45 secs, until the top starts to look dry and small bubbles are formed on the surface. Flip and cook the other side similarly.
Now Take the Phulka off the tawa and place it directly on the gas flame. The Phulka will start to balloon and puff up.
Take it off the flame and serve immediately smeared with little ghee if desired.

Bihari Thali: (R-L) Subziyon Ka Panchranga Korma, Aloo Chokha,
Kheera Raita, Gulab Jamoon, Phulka

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Tips:
For fluffy, light Phulkas knead the dough 2-3 hrs before to soft and pliable dough with a smooth texture.
Use gar burner if possible as they help in making fluffy and light phulkas.
Don’t lose heart if it don’t fluff up nicely at first attempt. Practice and patience is needed to get a fluffy, ballooned phulkas.

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Update:

I never knew I thought till Camille of L’Assiette de Mimosa mailed me saying she has nominated me for Thinking Blogger Award. I am thrilled and honoured because there is someone who believes I do have tiny-mini anatomy called brain ;) Well, according to my dear ones I have been known to think a time or two in my life but never made a habit of it till now. Grr… This award will surely make them stop and think again ;)


Thank you Mimosa for this award. What can I say! I always felt French is one of the most romantic and beautiful languages and it felt really great to see nice things about my blog in your beautiful blog :) I am flattered. Now following the strict tradition/rules, I am supposed to pass this award to five bloggers who make me think (read who give me enough brain strain;). And believe me it took quite some time to think as whom I should nominate because everyone in my blogroll is a 'Thinking Blogger'. It was extremely difficult to choose just five bloggers. Well, if you have captured my attention enough to make it to my blogroll then there is a high chance of me thinking you as a Thinking Blogger right? Jokes(or PJ's?!) apart here are the 5 bloggers whom I would like to pass this awards (in alphabetical order).

1. Arun Shanbhag: Every time I visit his blog he has never failed me to provide me with very useful information covering wide range of topics. With his new book ‘Prarthana’ being published recently, he has got some of the most incredible and outstanding posts. And moreover he helps his lovely wife M in cooking ;)
2. Bee & Jai: Their provocative and insightful posts along with much needed dose of wit and humour is what we need in this busy world. They make it a point that I just don’t read but read, re-read and think before leaving a comment. So surely they are the Thinking Bloggers ;)
3. Desi Mom’s Club: Some of their posts did make me think of unthinkable ;) They make me laugh, makes me wonder and amaze me with their write-ups. If you haven’t already lurked around their site, be sure to swing by on a lazy afternoon with a cup of coffee and enjoy all there is to read. Each and every mommies rock!
4. Lotus Reads: Lotus is one of the most original and enjoyable writers in blogsphere. She has an incredible blog giving a great overview of the most happening books, movies and many more things. Visiting her blog has always impressed and amazed me. And darling, your blog header rocks ;)
5. VKN: VKN is a dreamer who not just dreams but works towards making it a reality. It’s his noble thought and hard work which made Feed A Hungry Child Campaign (FAHC) a huge success.

Congratulations to all you Thinking Bloggers. Please give them huge round of right mouse-clicks ;)
Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules. You don’t have to think a lot as thankfully the participation rules are quite simple.
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

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Eggless Rich Scones

Yes…I did it. At last, I managed to overcome my phobia of baking(Is there a thing called Bake-phobia?;). Some what, I have always stayed away from baking cakes or cookies. I have discovered that when things don’t work out the way I want, they really get to me. My first attempt of baking goes back to my teenage year which was a complete disaster, where I ended up almost setting the house on fire. Since then I have kept myself away from oven until now.

Eggless Rich Scones

Few days back I watched cookery show where queen of baking Lesley Waters made these rustic looking scones. It looked quite simple and easy to make them and I had all the ingredients except eggs in my pantry which didn’t hinder my enthusiasm. First thing I did before I started baking was switch off the fire alarm;) Then with all courage and determination I started making scones from scratch. I omitted eggs and added more butter and lessened the amount of sugar the original recipe called for. Here is my version of Egg less Rich Scones.

Eggless Rich Scones

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Eggless Rich Scones
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
2 cups Self Raising Flour + extra for Dusting
¾ cup Butter, diced + extra for Greasing
¼ cup Caster Sugar (According to one’s taste)
½ cup Ground Almonds
¼ cup Raisins
¾ cup Warm Milk
2 tbsp Natural Yougurt/Curds
Pinch of Salt

Eggless Rich Scones

Method:
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees/Gas mark 7
Take flour and butter in a large mixing bowl and add pinch of salt to it.
Using your finger tips, rub the butter into flour till it looks like bread crumbs.
To this add caster sugar, ground almonds and raisins and mix well.
In another bowl mix the wet ingredients. i.e., warm milk and yogurt. (You can also add one egg) and mix them properly.
Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients and pour 2/3rd of wet ingredient and mix well.
Add the remaining wet ingredients to get the required consistency. Quickly mix together the ingredients to form a soft dough.
Transfer this dough into a floured surface and shape it into rough circular shape using your palm about 1 inch thickness. You can also use rolling pin for this.
Cut this into wedges using sharp knife(use some flour to stop the knife from sticking).
Place these wedges into greased baking tray and sprinkle them with little flour.
Bake the scones for 10-15 minutes until the scones are risen and golden.
Serve them warm with the fruits of your choice or thick clotted cream and jam.

Eggless Rich Scones

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What are Scones?
Scones are a type of rich, slightly savory pastry which is often served at breakfast or tea, especially in Britain. Traditional English scones slightly resemble American biscuits, as both use a flaky, dense pastry, but scones tend to be a bit sweeter, and also incorporate ingredients like dried fruit. Delicious when eaten warm, scones are also served cold with a variety of toppings including clotted cream, marmalade, jams, honey, and butters. Scones are also made highly savory with ingredients like potato flour and cheese.
The term “scone” in reference to a pastry has been in use in Scotland since 1513, and is probably related to the Dutch word for bread. Scones are the most highly evolved in Scotland as well, suggesting that the food originates there. Scottish scones come in a number of guises including soda scones, made with a savory mixture of flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt. The Scottish also make treacle scones, potato scones, and griddle scones; scones cooked on a griddle rather than baked.
(Source: www.wisegeek.com)

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Eggless Rich Scones

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Badam(Almond) Halwa

Badam Halwa is a traditional dish from the northern region of India delicacy that does full justice to the creamy texture and flavor of almonds.

Lip Smacking Badam Halwa

Ingredients:
1 cup Badam/Almonds
11/2 cups Sugar
30 gms Ghee
3-4 Cardamom
1/4 cup Milk
Few stings of Saffron

Badam Halwa

Method:
Soak the Badam for 1/2 hour in hot water and peel the skin off.
Grind them to smooth paste with milk and keep it aside.
Take sugar in a kadai, add some water to it and boil it until you get a thin string.
To this add ground paste and mix it well.
Then add the ghee little by little and stir it well. Keep the gas in medium flame.
After 8 minutes switch off the gas and remove the kadai from heat and keep on stirring.
As it starts getting cold it will become solid.
Then spread it in a plate and sprinkle almond flakes.

Badam Halwa

Tip:
While stirring, the halwa will become thick and it will come along with the spatula you are stirring with without sticking to the bottom, that is the sign for the halwa being done.
If stirred for a longer duration, you will be able to enjoy delicious almond barfi pieces.

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