Avaray Gaasu Uthaka

For the second day I took a side dish recipe from PJ's site. Avaray Gaasu Uthaka yes this name sounds different and little confused right. Don't get confused avaray gaasu uthaka is literally potato and dried beans curry in Badaga cuisine from Ooty. Badagas are the largest indigenous people of the Nilgiri's. Badagas worship Hindu god's and they speak Badaga language which didn't have script, sounds almost like Kannada.
                                                                               We lived in Ooty for three years, there we took a house for rent and the landlords were Badagas, such a wonderful people. They used to take care of me like their daughter, Aunty she is just like my mother I never met a lady like her. Even I visit Ooty today I have a home there. I have noted some recipes from her but I miss placed that note book. Moving here and there because of hubby's job most of my books and things I miss placed a lot. I must say a big thanks to PJ for this recipe this Uthaka taste just like what aunty used to make. If I started talking about Ooty the story will keep on going like this so I am stopping here and let's check the recipe..... 
INGREDIENTS:---
For Badaga masala powder :
Red chillies  ---   4
Coriander seeds  ---   3 tea sp
Cumin seeds  ---  1/2 tea sp
Fennal seeds  ---  1/2 tea sp
Black pepper  --- 1 tea sp
Roasted chana dal (dhalia) --  2 tea sp
Channa dal ---  1 tea sp
Toor dal ---  1 tea sp
Rice   ---  1 te asp
Turmeric powder  ---  1/4 tea sp
Fenugreek seeds  ---  1/4 tea sp
 Dry roast all above ingredients in a pan and grind in to a fine powder, store it in a air tight container.
INGREDIENTS FOR GRAVY:--
Potatoes  ---  3 peeled and cut in to big cubes
Dry green peas  ---  1 cup soaked in water for over night
Pearl onion  ---  10 peeled and chopped
Tomato   ---  1 big chopped
Green chillies ---   3 slit
Garlic   ----  3 cloves crushed
Ginger   ----  1 inch piece crushed
Badaga masala powder   ---  2 tea sp
Coriander powder   ---  1/2 tea sp
Turmeric powder  ---  a pinch
Mustard seeds  ---  1 tea sp
Coriander leaves   ---  2 tab sp chopped
Salt to taste
METHOD:---
1. Pressure cook soacked peas, potato cubes, crushed garlic and ginger, Badaga masala powder, coriander powder, cook for three whistles.
2. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds let them splutter then add chopped onion and fry till brown.
3. Now add tomato, turmeric powder,salt to taste and cook till tomatoes turn soft.
4. Take out the potatoes from pressure cooker and lightly mash the potatoes and add to onion and tomato mixture, again mash lightly and mix well.
5. Now add remaining cooked peas mix well and bring to a full boil, stir in between if gravy is too thick add little water cook for a while.
6. Add chopped coriander leaves and switch off the heat.
Serve with rice and a stir fry but we enjoyed it with roti.

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Millet Idli

For the final week of this month BM my theme is a special theme and I am paired with PJ of Seduce your Tastebuds  . When ever I visit her blog I find some thing interestingly healthy recipe,specially with oats and different millets. Being a dietician she explains so very well nutritional values in the ingredients. I have bookmarked a big list of recipes from her blog. When I saw Valli paired me with PJ for this week theme. I was in a big confusion what to select from the list which I have book marked from her. Then decided to make a breakfast recipe and tried her millet idli. 
                                                                                 I too use millets in my cooking but never tried a idli recipe. I have a doubt idli's may turn hard, but when I tried this recipe believe me they are super soft and much more healthy then normal idlis. Only one small change I made is PJ used red pressed rice I did't have them in hand so I used normal white pressed rice
So let's check the recipe..... 
INGREDIENTS:---
Foxtail millet   ---  2 cups (Korralu)
Barnyard millet  ---  2 cups ( varigelu)
Urad dal  ---     1 cup 
Pressed rice   ---  1/2 cup (atukulu)
Fenugreek seeds   ---  2 tea sp
Salt to taste
METHOD:---
1. Wash and soak urad dal and millets in separate bowls for four hours.
2. After four hours grind urad dal in to a smooth batter by adding little by little water. Remove from the grinder and set a side.
3. Before you start grinding urad dal, wash pressed rice for two times and soak in enough water. By the time you finish grinding urad dal.
4. Before you finish grinding urad dal this pressed rice will get soaked, if any extra water is there in pressed rice drain it.
5. Now grind rice and millets in to a smooth batter like how we grind rice for normal idli.
6. Remove and mix with urad dal batter, add salt to taste mix well and leave a side to ferment for 8 hour or for overnight.
7. After fermented for 8 hours the batter have risen with small bubbles, mix well once again and pour the batter in to greased idli molds and steam cook for 15 minutes or till idli's are done.
8. Switch off the heat and remove the idli's with a spoon from the idli molds.
Serve hot with chutney and sambar. I made peanut and coconut chutney and moongdal sambar..

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Murmura Chivda-- Maramarala Mixture

For the final day of this Movie date snack my choice was a typical spicy Andhra snack. This sounds like jalmuri or bhel puri but this is a different one. In bhel puri we add chutneys and veges, in this murmura chivda we don't add any chutneys. This is a dry snack and can store for a month or so. This is very light on tummy but a very perfect snack for movie time. I have added fried peanuts, dalia, and mixture to this you can also add fried cashew nuts, almonds to make this more interesting. I don't have curry leaves in hand so could't add you can add curry leaves at the time of ading crushed garlic to the ghee. Ghee will give a wonderful flavor if you don't like ghee then use oil.
So let's check the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:---
Maramaralu (puffed rice)  ----   2 cups
Peanuts   ----    1/4 cup
Putnalu (fried dal, dalia) ---   1/4 cup
Mixture ----   1/4 cup
Garlic cloves  ---  3 crushed
Chilli powder  ---   1 tea sp
Turmeric powder  --- a big pinch
Ghee   ----  1 tea sp
salt to taste
METHOD:---
1. Heat a deep frying pan and dry roast peanuts till golden and set a side. 
2. Next dry roast putnalu (dalia) just for a half minute remove and set a side.
3. Now heat ghee in the same pan add crushed garlic fry for a while then add red chilli powder and turmeric powder immediately switch off the heat and add puffed rice, salt to taste and mix well.
4. Add fried peanuts, dalia, mixture to puffed rice mix well.
Serve with a cup of tea

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Masala Sweet Corn

Now coming to the second day of snack for a movie date theme. Like yesterday I said I do watch movies but not all movies. I like to watch suspense thrillers and comedy movies,I don't like those family dramas with lot's of problems. Even I don't like Action movies, but now a days most of the movies are action movies. May be that is the reason I stopped watching movies very often no offence please this is totally my opinion. When ever I find a movie interesting I don't like any disturbance in between the movie. In the brake I ran to the kitchen and pick my food are snack and get back in front of the TV before the movie starts.. :). But if my hubby is at home he will keep on changing the channels and I will miss half of the movie.
Any way now let's check today's recipe...
INGREDIENTS:--
Sweet corn   ---  1 cup
Red chilli powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Cumin powder  ---  1/4 tea sp
Chat masala  ---   1/4 tea sp
Salt to taste
Butter   -----   1 tea sp
Coriander leaves  ----   1 tab sp chopped
Lemon juice  ---   1 tea sp
METHOD:---
1. Boil sweet corn kernels in enough water for ten minutes or till they become soft.
2. Switch off the heat and drain the water and take sweet corn kernels in to a big bowl.
3. All all other ingredients mix well and serve warm...          

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Masala peanuts

Third week of this month Blogging marathon, my theme for this week is snack for a movie date First I just signed up for this theme with out any idea. Because watching movie in a theater is a big deal for us. Spending two to three hours for a movie is waste of time that is my husbands opinion. He didn't even watch movies on TV, his favorite channel is BBC or National geography, Travel channels. For me other then watching movies I like to spend time in a temple I think all my friends know this about me. But I do watch movies only week days, Sunday my TV shows only those three channels.
                                              This masala peanuts are my to do list from long time. I miss placed that recipe book which I noted this recipe from my mother, finely I got it again from my mother. Now a days these popcorn and chips are becoming very popular in the theaters. When I was a child my grandfather used to take us every weekend for a movie. In the interval (in the middle of the movie break) one person use to come inside the theater with a tray filled with batani (fried white peas) and masala peanuts or fried peanuts. Those days are golden days, any way now let's check the recipe......
INGREDIENTS:--
Peanuts  ---   1 cup
Besan (chickpea flour) -- 1/4 cup
Rice flour  ----     1 tab sp
Red chilli powder  ---   1 and half tea sp
Kashmiri red chilli powder  ---  1 tea sp (This is to give a nice red color to the peanuts  so it is optional)
Salt  -----    1/2 tea sp
Garlic  ---  3 cloves
Poppy seeds ----  1 tea sp
Cumin seeds  ---  1 tea sp
Water  ---   3 tab sp
Oil for deep frying.
METHOD:----
1. In a frying pan roast peanuts till they split. remove from heat and spread peanuts in a plate to cool.
2. Roast poppy seeds and cumin seeds for two minutes and grind in to a fine powder.
3. Then add garlic cloves to the poppy seed and cumin powder add a tab sp water and grind in to a fine paste.
4. In a mixing bowl take roasted peanuts, ground masala, red chilli powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, besan, rice flour mix well.
5. Sprinkle little water and gently mix with your fingers to coat the masala on peanuts well.
6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop this masala coated peanuts like how we drop pakodis slowly in to the hot oil.
7. Fry in a medium heat till golden, remove from oil and transfer to an absorbent paper.
Enjoy with a cup of tea...                                        

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Pattanam Pakoda

Pattanam pakoda Yes I heard this word in my early age that my grandfather used to say. And that was his favorite snack. My grandmother makes this pakodas very well.  I got the recipe from my grandmother. I don't know why the name came pattanam pakoda, but the taste and texture is very different from normal pakodas. This is a old recipe, which is not very popular like other pakoda recipes.
 I had this recipe in my draft from long time but did not get the time to post. Here I would like to remember my dear grandmother. She is a great cook, and specialist in making recipes like Mysorepak, Badam puri, pulibongaralu( uraddal and rice flour fritters), Pindi miriyam and the list will be going on like this. She likes cooking very much, she used to watch each and every cookery show in TV. Then she used to give instruction to me how to make the recipe. That's how I got interest in cooking I think. Ok now let's check the recipe. This pattanam pakoda recipe is our challenge for this month ICC.

INGREDIENTS:---
Rice flour  --- 1 cup
Fried gram( putnalu, daliya, pottukadalai) powder --- 1/4 cup
Bengal gram flour (besan, senaga pindi, kadala mavu) -- 1 tab sp
Ghee  ----  6 tea sps
Cooking soda  --  1 tea sp
Cumin seeds --  1 tea sp
Finely chopped onions ---  1/4 cup (optional)
Finely chopped ginger  --- 1 tea sp (optional)
Finely chopped cashewnuts --- 1 tab sp
Finely chopped curry leaves  --- 1 tab sp
Finely chopped green chilies  ----  2
Salt ---   1/2 tea sp
Red chilli powder  --- 1/2 tea sp
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:---
1. Take ghee in a mixing bowl add cooking soda and rub with hand till it turn in to frothy.
2. Mix flours, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, salt mix well to combine every thing.
3. Now add finely choped onion, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, cashew nuts.
4. Sprinkle little water and make a dough to make balls, make balls and set a side
5. In the mean while heat oil in a deep frying pan.
6. Drop the pakodas slowly and fry in a medium heat till they turn in to golden .
Remove from oil and serve hot with coconut chuthey or onion chutney.
Instead of making balls you can make them like normal pakodas
Fry this pakodas in a medium heat only other wise they remain raw in side.

Apple Fritters

Now my second recipe in this fritters theme is a fruit fritter. First thing is we don't cook any fruit at home because no body like to eat cooked fruit. I am the only person in the family who likes fruits in baking or as deep fried snack. Specially Apple pie, apple cakes are my all time favorites, even I can enjoy pazlam pori (battered and deep fried banana in Kerala cuisine). when I was searching recipes for this theme. I suddenly remember that I have book marked this recipe long back. Actually this fruit fritters are served as an accompaniment with fish and chips in England. These fruit fritters are generally made with apples, pineapples and bananas. But to day I made it only with apple, because apple is my all time favorite fruit..
So let's check the recipe...   
INGREDIENTS:--
All purpose flour  --- 3/4 cup
Custard powder  --  5 tab sp (you can use cornflour also)
Baking powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Salt a pinch
Sugar   ---    1 tab sp
Apples  ---  2
Lemon juice  --  1 tab sp
Oil for deep frying
Milk for mixing the batter
Cinnamon sugar  ---  1 tab sp for topping.
METHOD:--
1. Peel, core and cut the apples in to 1cm thick rings, toss with lemon juice and little flour set a side.
2. Take flour, custard powder, sugar, salt, baking powder mix well to combine them add milk and make batter. This batter should be little thin then bajji batter, set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, dip the apple rounds in the batter and drop in to the hot oil, fry till golden.
4. Remove from the oil and drain on an absorbent paper.
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar serve immediately.
Can serve this Apple fritters with ice cream as a dessert.

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Onion And Cashew Pakodi

The second week of this month Blogging Marathon and my theme for this week is fritters. First recipe I have decided for this theme is pakodis. All time favorite for every one, I make a few varieties of pakodis with mixed vegetables or just with sliced onion. When ever I didn't find any side dish for rice and sambar or rice and rasam or with any gravy I make pakodis. I don't know some how making pakodis is a very easy for me and pakodis are a favorite at home.. 
Valli and Veena This recipe is specially for you both
Let's check the recipe 
INGRIDENTS:---

Cashew nuts --- 100 gms

Onion  --  1 big sliced

Chick pea flour --- 1 cup

Rice flour --- 1 tab sp

Green chilies -- 6

Coriander seeds -- 1 tab sp

Cumin seeds -- 1 tea sp

Ginger --- 1 inch piece
Curry leaves  ---  2 springs chopped

Salt to taste

Ghee -- 1 tab sp

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:----

1. Grind green chilies, ginger, coriander and cumin seeds in to a coarse paste.

2.  Broke cashew nuts (if you are using full) and take them into a mixing bowl and add sliced onion ground paste,chopped curry leaves and salt mix well with your hand.

3. Now add chick pea flour, rice flour again mix well,heat  ghee till it smokes and add this to cashew and flour mixture and mix with a spoon (because ghee is very hot). 

4. Now add water little by little and mix like a pakodi batter(like dumplings) .This batter should be little thick then normal pakodi batter means just sprinkle water and make the dough till it holds.

5. Heat oil in adeep frying pan and droop this pakodi mixture with hand in to hot oil and fry till light golden color.

Serve hot with a cup of tea or coffee...

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Broken Wheat And Moong Sprouts Khichdi

My second recipe in this guilt free theme is a khichdi. Most of the people don't like to have khichdi. But I feel that khichdi is a delicious and heathy food. It can be served for breakfast, lunch  or for dinner. Normally khichdi is made with rice and moong dal or tuar dal and with vegetables or with out vegetables. But in this recipe I used moong sprouts and broken wheat to make this khichdi more healthy.
So let's check the recipe...
INGREDIENTS:-----
 Broken wheat --- 1 cup
Moong sprouts  ---   1/2 cup
Moong dal  ---  1/4 cup
Onion ---- 1 small chopped
Carrot and beans --- 1/2 cup cut in to small pieces
Green peas --- 1 tab sp
Ginger, garlic and green chilli paste  ---  2 tea sp
Cloves --- 2no.
Cinamon --- 1 inch piece broken
Cumin seeds --- 1/2 tea sp

Turmeric powder --  1/4 tea sp

Ghee  --- 1 tab sp

Asafoetida  --  1/4 tea spSalt to taste

METHOD :---- 

1. Soak broken wheat in enough water for 15 mintes set a side.

2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker add cinamon, cloves, cumin seeds an asafoetida let them crackle.

3. Now add all remaining ingredients mix well and add 4 cups of water mix well and pressure cook for 4 whistles.

4. Switch off the heat let the steam escape before opening the lid.

5. Open the lid and mix the khichdi well, garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with plain curds or cucumber raita.

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Broccoli And Carrot Stir Fry

After that Mega Baking Marathon I took a break for one month that is unexpected . This month again we have started 53rd edition of Blogging Marathon with different themes. For this month my first week theme is Guilt free recipes. After taking this them I have done some research, really what is guilt free food, this research took a long time then searching recipes for this theme. Finally what I understood is guilt free food means the food what we eat is with low calories  and with all original ingredients means not refined ingredients like maida, fine polished rice, white sugar, refined oil, means more natural ingredients.
                                                                   For the first day I started my theme with a vegetable dish which is a stir fry but you can serve it as a salad too. I used fennel seeds to give flavor to this dish but you can use cumin seeds. Actually my husband started his salad diet so he had it with a whole wheat bread slice. But I feel that only this stir fry with a slice of bread makes me hungry so fast I had my portion with those pulkas. Actually one portion of this vegetable with three pulkas and a cup of yogurt or a glass of buttermilk will be a perfect balanced meal for me that's my choice, what do you say?  

So let's check the recipe......
INGREDIENTS:---
Broccoli  --- 1 medium flower
Carrot  ---  2 medium size
Onion  ---  1 medium
Garlic  ---  6 cloves
Fennel seeds  ---  1/2 tea sp crushed
Black pepper powder  ---   1/2 tea sp 
Salt to taste 
Olive oil  ---  1 tab sp
Lemon juice  --  1 tab sp (optional)
METHOD:---
1. Trim the broccoli, discard the thick stems and leaves and cut in to bite size flowerets.
2. Boil water in a pan bring to a full boil then add broccoli to the boiling water and switch off the heat. Let it sit for five minutes and drain the water, set broccoli a side.
3. Now peal the carrot and cut in to one inch pieces set a side, cut onion in to small pieces set a side, fine chop the garlic and set a side.
4. Heat olive oil in a pan add crushed fennel seeds, onion pieces, chopped garlic and fry for a while then add carrot pieces, sprinkle two tab sp of water cover and cook for few seconds.
5. Add broccoli and salt to taste, black pepper powder give a good stir and switch off the heat.
6. Sprinkle lemon juice mix well.
Serve hot with Pulkas or whole wheat bread or you can just have it like that as a salad..

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Mango And Apple Salad

It's already middle of the summer!!! in this sizzling summer I don't feel like eating a heavy lunch. Fruit or vegetable salads are always my choice. This yogurt dressing salads are really my favorites with any fruits I can enjoy them. Actually I wanted to post a recipe like mango rasam or mango rice in this theme for final post. I was little busy with my personal work so couldn't make it. Finally decided to post what I have for my lunch to day.
                                                         This is a simple fruit salad but very filling, that you can serve as a meal in your diet plan or as a dessert. I used low fat curd (yogurt, I removed the cream from milk and made curd with that milk) and honey with cinnamon powder for dressing. That gives a rich and delicious flavor to the salad..

Let's check the recipe....
INGREDIENTS:----- 
For dressing:----
 yogurt --- 1 cup
Honey 1 tab sp
Cinnamon powder  --- 1/2 tea sp
For salad:----
Apple --- 1 cut in to small cubes
Mango --- 1 cup small cubes
Walnuts – chopped 1 tab sp
You can use any other fruits you like 
METHOD:---
1. Take both fruits in a mixing bowl, Mix yogurt, honey and cinnamon powder mix well and add to the fruit pieces.
2. Mix well and top with chopped walnuts and serve chilled
Let's check the Blogging Marathon page

Instant Mango Pickle

Instant Mango pickle is one ready to use pickle which we make with first mangoes in the season. With those small raw mangoes which are not ready to make avakaya. This pickle won't stay for long time means it will stay for two to three days. You can store it in the fridge for one week. This pickle you can use on the same day you made it. This will be a great combination with curd rice and pongal...

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INGREDIENTS:----

Mangoes  ---  2 big

Red chilli powder   --- 2 tabsp

Salt   ---  2 tab sp

Turmeric powder  ---  1 tea sp

Fenugreek seed powder  ---  1/2 tea sp

Mustard seed powder  ---  1 tab sp

Oil  ---  1/2 cup

Mustard seeds --  1/2 tea sp

Asafoetida  ---  a big pinch

METHOD:---

1. Chop mangoes in to small pieces take the mango pieces in to a big mixing bowl 

2. Add turmeric powder, redchilli powder,salt, fenugreek powder, mustard powder mix well and set a side.

3. Now heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds let them crackle then add asafoetida remove from heat and lat it cool to room temperature.

4. After the oil is completely cooled add it to mango pieces mix well.

Store it in a glass jar.

Serve with curd rice or pongal.

Note:--  for mustard and fenugreek powder dry roast the both seeds separately and grind in to a coarse powder..  

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Amba Khatta (Sweet and Sour Mango Curry)

This is my first recipe for this month BM under Season fruit/ vegetable, My choice for this theme is a very favorite and very popular summer special Mango. I am using raw mango for today recipe, In Andhra cuisine we make a lot of dishes with raw mango. We make a huge number of pickles with raw mango. But for a little change today I am posting a Oriya recipe with raw mango. This is a sweet sour and delicious raw mango curry.
Amba Khatta is a typical Oriya dish, which is a side dish served with rice and dal or with kichidi. In odisy cuisine they make different varieties of Khattas like Tomato - Khajuri khatta, Tomato khatta, Amba Khatta. Amba Khatta is a sweet tangy dish made with raw mangoes so this is also known as Kancha Amba Khatta. This is one of the dishes which they offer lord Jagannath along with Chappan bhog as a mid day meal to God. Use totapuri variety mangoes for this curry, cut with seed and remove the in side seed and make the curry. Along with punch phutana you can add crushed garlic but in Puri Jagannath temple they don't use garlic but they use ginger in the recipe.  

INGREDIENTS:---
Mangoes  ---   2 (totapuri)
Jaggery  ---  1/2 cup grated
Red chilli powder  ---- 1 tea sp
Turmeric powder  ---  1/4 tea sp
Salt to taste
Oil or ghee  ---  4 tea sp
Pancha Phutana  ---  1 tea sp ( mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, Kaloungi).
Ginger paste  ---  1 tea sp
Dry red chillies  ---  2 broken
Curry leaves few
Asafoetida  ---  a big pinch
Roasted fennel seeds  ---  1 tea sp
Roasted fenugreek seeds  --  1/2 tea sp
Water   ----   1 cup
                                                                   

METHOD:---
1. Wash and wipe mangoes and cut in to bite size pieces.
2. Make a coarse powder of roasted fennel and fenugreek seeds and set a side.
3. Heat oil in a pan add pancha phutana, dry red chillies, curry leaves, ginger paste and asafoetida fry for a while then add mango pieces.
4. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste, stir well and cover and cook for five minutes.
5. Then add grated jaggery mix well and add 1 cup water mix well cover and cook for 8 minutes in a low flame.
6. Add roasted fennel and fenugreek powder mix well and  switch off the heat.
Allow it to cool then serve.
This curry will be a good combination with khichdi, pongali, paratha, dosa, even with curd rice.. 
Let's check the Blogging Marathon page 

Custard Bread

This bread I wanted to try from long time, when I tasted cream stuffed bun I got this idea. Instated of cream I wanted to use custard but I didn't have any idea how to do. I was thinking that how the custard will stay in side the bread with out coming out while baking or rolling the bread. Then I search for a recipe and finally reached this recipe. There are lots of recipes for custard bread with different bread dough recipes most of them were Japanese style sweet bun recipes. So I used our tangzong style pav bun recipe for the bread. We liked it a lot with the sweet and creamy bread with a cup of green tea..
Recipe adopted from here
For tangzong...
All purpose flour (maida)  ---  1/6 cup (2 tab sp and 2 tea sp Thanks for this measuring Idea Valli) 
Milk  ---   1/2 cup
For dough...
All purpose flour(maida)  ---   2 and half cups
Sugar  ---  3 and half tab sp
Salt   ---  1 tea sp
Curd or yogurt  ---  1/4 cup
Baking soda  ---  a pinch
Instant yeast   --  2 tea sp
Butter   ---   3 tab sp
METHOD:--
1. I a sauce pan mix milk and flour till you get a lump free mixture.
2. Heat this milk and flour mixture, keep stirring till you get a sticky dough.
3. Remove from heat and cover with a cling wrap, set a side to cool.
NOW START MIXING THE DOUGH...
1. Mix curd with baking soda mix well and set a side.
2. In a big mixing bowl take flour, sugar, yeast, salt,  prepared tangzong, curd and baking soda,  add 1/2 cup water and knead in to a sticky dough.
3. Now add butter and knead well to incorporate the butter, Then keep kneading for 10 minutes.
The dough should pass the window pane test, that means if you take a small piece of dough and stretch between your fingers like a square and the dough should be thin enough to pass the light and that should not brake. If the dough breaks start kneading again, mostly this process will take 10  minutes for me...
4. Now make a big ball out of this dough, grease a big bowl with oil and lightly rotate the dought in the bowl so that dough should coat with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap and set a side to raise this will take 1 hour to 2 hours. Mine took 1 and half hour to 2 hours some times depends on climate. The dough should become double in size and when you press the the dough with your finger that hole should stay like that.
                                                                    

FOR CUSTARD:---
Custard powder ---- 60 grams
Milk  ---  100 ml
Tuti fruti  ----  50 grams
For glaze 
1 tab sp custard powder
2 tab sp milk
Combine both milk and custard powder mix well and set a side.
Now prepare the custard...
Now mix custard powder with little milk, pour the remaining milk and cook till it become like a thick pudding like batter.
Cool it completely then add tuti fruti mix well and set a side.
Now punch down the dough and place it on a floured working surface and roll the dough in to 15"x 11" rectangle shape.
Now spread the custard on the dough and rol lup the dough tightly make sure the custard contain in side.
Pinch the edges and place this roll in a greased round cake tin cover and set a side for second raise.
Pre heat the oven at 180 degree C. for 10 minutes.
Now place the custard bread in the pre heated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or it turn in to golden on top.
Cool the bread completely on a wire rack cut and enjoy this sweet creamy bread with a cup of green tea.. 
This bread won't stay in room temperature so leave it tin the fridge and in fridge it will stay good for two days because of custard in side..... 

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Grissini (Bread Sticks)

Bread stick normally served with soup in India also well known as soup stick. Bread stick is also known as grissini or dipping sticks are generally serve with soup or with a dip. This bread sticks are generally in a pencil size but also some times longer then a pencil. Made with bread dough only but in a dry form. This bread sticks are originated from Italy which also served as a appetizer in some regions.
                                                Normally these are made with all purpose flour but I changed it to whole wheat flour and gave a masala flavor. I have added cumin green chilli paste to the dough to go with a less spicy soup like sweet corn vegetable soup. 
Let's check the recipe....
Recipe adopted from here
  INGREDIENTS:---
Whole wheat flour  --  225 grams
Luke warm water ---  135 ml
Sugar --  1 tea sp
Olive oil  ---  2 tab sp
Salt  ---  1 tea sp
Yeast   ----  1 and half tea sp
Cumin and green chilli paste --  2 tab sp
A little bit more olive oil for brushing.
METHOD:---
1. In 1/2 cup warm water add yeast and 1 tea sp sugar and mix well and leave in a warm place for 10 min. to rise and become creamy and bubbly.
2. Now mix all ingredients in a big mixing bowl and make a stiff dough.
3. Then place this dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or till dough become smooth and elastic.
4. Roll the dough about 15cm x 20 cm place it on a floured tray brush with olive oil cover and leave it to double in a warm place about one hour.
5. After one hour half the dough  and cut each half in to 10 strips from shorter side.
6. Stretch the strips little bit and roll them to make 12" long sticks.
7. Grease a cookie tray with olive oil and place this sticks on it, brush with olive oil.
8. Now leave this sticks tray in a warm place, uncovered and leave about 15 minutes to raise a little again.
9. After 15 minutes bake grissini in a pre heated oven at 200 degree C. for 15 minutes or grissini turn in to golden.
10. Remove from oven and cool them on a wire rack.
Serve with soup or with  a dip..

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Overnight Bread

For this week last bread I wanted to try sourdough bread. But I was a bit confused in making sour dough starter. Not only confused but little scared to try my hands on sourdough starter especially for this BM. . Because I don't want to waste time, I have very less time to finish all my bakes. And now I still have to bake my last four bakes. So I decided to make a overnight bread, this also very new to me. I don't know whether I get a perfect texture and shape or not. My first attempt was a big flop the bread turned out heard and dense, we felt very difficult to finish that bread. Were I made a mistake I didn't remember I have to recollect my memory. May be I have added a very less amount of yeast!!! may be I don't know. But the second time I was very much happy with the bread it is soft and not much dense. But one thing I realize is  making overnight bread is much easy then normal bread, if you like that flavor.
Let's check the recipe..
INGREDIENTS:----
Whole wheat flour  ----  1 cup
All purpose flour  ----  2 cups
Yeast   ----  1/4 teasp
Sugar   ----  1/2 tea sp
Salt   ----  1/2 tea sp
Milk   ----  1/4 cup
Water  ---  3/4 cup
Method :---
1. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl.
2. Knead this dough for 10 to 15 minutes make a soft and stiff dough.
3. Give a loaf shape grease a loaf tin and place the dough in the loaf tin cover with a cling wrap and leave it a side for half an hour .In the original recipe they give 1 to 2 hours time before keeping it in the fridge but in Chennai humid climate I think in one hour the first rise will be finish so I kept it out side for half an hour out side so that the raising process will start in the dough.
4. Keep the loaf tin in the fridge for over night.
5. Next morning take it out and leave it a side for 45 minutes to carry on the raise.
6. Pre heat the oven at 200 degree C. and reduce the heat to 180 degree C.
7. Bake the bread in pre heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or till golden on top...


   

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Spinach Swirl Bread

I wanted to make a colored bread with natural colors from vegetables. Like a beautiful pink from Beetroot and green color from spinach. But some how I for got to buy beet root and I don't have time for market.So I skipped that idea and made plain dough and spinach dough. I got a very light green color because I added 1 tab sp of spinach paste but I gave 2 tab sp spinach paste in ingredients so you can get a nice dark color. I made the dough egg less if you like can add one egg to the dough.. 
INGREDIENTS:---
Wheat flour – 2 cups
Yeast – 1 teasp
Sugar – 1 tea sp
Cumin seeds – 1 teasp (lightly roasted and crushed)
Spinach paste – 2 tab sp
Garlic – 1 tab sp crushed
Salt – 1/4 tea sp
 Gluten powder  ---  1 tea sp
Milk powder – 1 tab sp (optional)
Butter – 1 tab sp softened 
METHOD:---
1. In 1/2 cup warm water add yeast and 1 tea sp sugar and mix well and leave in a warm place for 10 min. to rise and become creamy and bubbly.
2. Now in a big bowl add butter, flour and salt and rub well then add gluten powder, milk powder, spinach paste, crushed garlic, crushed cumin seeds and yeast mixture and make soft dough.
3. Then place this dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 min. or till dough become smooth and elastic.
4. And place the dough again in a big bowl grease little butter on top and cover and leave in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours or till it become double in size.
FOR THE PLAIN DOUGH:--
Wheat flour – 2 cups
Warm water  ---  1/2 cup
Yeast – 1 teasp
Sugar – 1 tea sp
Gluten powder  ---  1 tea sp
 Warm milk  ----  1/2 cup
Salt – 1/4 tea sp
Milk powder – 1 tab sp (optional)
Butter – 1 tab sp softened
To knead the dough:--
1. In 1/2 cup warm water add yeast and 1 tea sp sugar and mix well and leave in a warm place for 10 min. to rise and become creamy and bubbly.
2. Now in a big bowl add butter, flour and salt and rub well then add gluten powder, milk powder and yeast mixture and make soft dough with 1/2 cup warm milk.
3. Then place this dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 min. or till dough become smooth and elastic.
4. And place the dough again in a big bowl grease little butter on top and cover and leave in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours or till it become double in size.
NOW LET'S CHECK HOW TO MAKE SWIRL BREAD:---
5. After the first raise punch down both dough s and knead for 2 min on a floured surface.
6. Now take the spinach dough on a floured surface and roll in to a thick circle.
7. Then take the plain dough on a floured surface and make same sized thick circle like spinach dough.
8. Now place the both circles on top of the other and roll like a swirl (like a Swiss roll) and close the both ends with little milk.
9. Place this roll in a greased loaf pan in a warm place till it became double in size.
10. In the same time pre heat the oven at 175 degree C. or 10 min.
11. After the second raise brush the roll with milk on top and bake it on a pre heated oven for 40 minutes or till it turn golden color on top then remove from oven and leave it a side and let it cool before serving.
12. Slice the Spinach swirl bread after it cool down and enjoy as a breakfast with peanut butter or jam or cheese.
If you want you can use All purpose flour in the place of wheat flour.

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Fruit And Nut Loaf

Today is the fourth day of my loaf theme in Mega Blogging marathon. We already posted 20 baking recipes! for this month long marathon. First I don't want to do this mega bm because this is all about baking. I started baking just 15 days before the marathon starts. Because i was not prepared and had just four pictures.But somehow posted 20 recipes in BM.
                                                                For this loaf theme I decided all bread loaf first, but last movement I changed this recipe in to a cake loaf with lot's of caned and dry fruits in it. Actually this is inspired by x'mas fruit cake. In this I replaced eggs with curd with baking powder and baking soda. It taste almost like a x'mas cake with all those spice flavors.
Let's check the recipe... 
INGREDIENTS:---
All purpose flour  ---  1 and half cup
Sugar   ----    1 cup (better use fine sugar or make sugar powder)
Curd or yogurt  ---  1 cup
Sunflower oil   ---  1/2 cup
Cinnamon powder   ----  1/2 tea sp
Nutmeg  powder  ---  1/4 tea sp
Baking powder   ----  1 tea sp
Baking soda  ----  1/2 tea sp
Tutti frutti ---  1/2 cup
Raisins  ---  2 tab sp
Dried blue berries --- 2 tab sp
Cashew nuts ---  1/4 cup
                                                               

METHOD :---
1. In a bowl take all dry fruits add two tea sp of flour mix well to coat and set a side.
2. In a big mixing bowl take one cup curd add baking powder and sods to it and whisk well and set a side for 5 minutes, by the time you can see the bubbles init and it will become frothy.
3. Take sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg powder mix well and add this sugar mixture to curd mixture mix well, don't over beat it.
4. Now add 1/2 cup oil to this mixture and mix lightly to combine.
5. Shift the flour for two times and add little by little to the batter and fold gently.
6. After you finish adding the flour add dry fruits and fold gently.
7. Pre heat the oven at 180 degree C. for 10 minutes.
8. Grease the loaf pan with little butter and dust with little flour.
9. Pour the fruit and nut loaf mixture in to the loaf pan.
10. Bake in a pre heated oven for 40 minutes in the middle rack...
This one is a multi purpose bake I must say because you can serve this as a breakfast with marmalade and with a cup of green tea or you can serve with a scope of ice cream on it as a dessert.   

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Green Garlic Swirl Loaf

For today recipe I gave a wonderful flavor what we usually don't get in South India. That is Green garlic, yes we get fresh garlic cloves but not the green part. When Vaishali ask me that any thing I need from Ahmadabad, The first thing I ask her is green channa and green garlic. So sweet of her she brought two bags of green channa and lot's of green garlic. That green garlic we all shared,I got a big bunch in my share. My first try with green garlic is paratha's they are super hit. Now I don't want to finish it off so saute some in ghee and stored in the freezer. Some I crushed and mix with olive oil like pesto. Trust me this crushed green garlic in olive oil is  perfect with freshly baked bread. When I dip my bread in this green garlic olive oil then only I got this idea of baking a bread with this. Then I thought of mixing with flour but changed my idea with spreading it over the dough and roll. Ahh when I was baking the bread the, house is filled with beautiful garlic aroma. Thank you so much for the Green garlic and green channa Vaishali:).
Lets check the recipe
INGREDIENTS:---
All purpose flour ---- 3 cups
Luke warm water ---- 1 cup
Active dry yeast ---- 2 tea sp
Salt to taste
Sugar --- 2 tab sp
Milk powder ---- 1 cup
Melted butter --- 1 tab sp
Flour for dusting
FOR FILLING :--
Green garlic  -----  1/4 cup crushed with fresh garlic clove
Red chilli flacks --- 1 tab sp
Olive oil  ----   2 tab sp
                                                     

METHOD:---
1.Mix warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and mix well to dissolve.Then leave a side for 5- 10 min. to turn yeast foamy.

2.  In a other large bowl take All purpose flour, salt to taste, milk powder, melted butter rub with hand then add the foamy yeast and make a dough.

3.  Make a soft dough then take this on to a floured surface and knead well for 8- 10 min.

Now bring this back to a big bowl cover with cling wrap and leave in a warm place to rise it will take 1 to 2 hours.

4. Mix crushed green garlic, red chilli flacks in olive oil mix well to combine and set a side.

5. After the first raise punch down the dough and take it to a floured surface, roll the dough in to a thick circle.

6. Spread the green garlic mixture over the circle evenly and roll the dough in to a tight loaf.

7. Grease a loaf tin and place this green garlic loaf, cover with a cling wrap and leave it in a warm place for second raise this will take 15 to 20 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven at 175 degree C. for 10 minutes.

9. After the second raise place the green garlic loaf  in the oven and bake at 175 degree C. for 30 minutes or till it turn brown on top.

10 Remove from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack then cut in to slices..

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Ragi Bread (Finger Millet Bread)

Now a days I started using whole grains in my bakes, not only in baking in regular cooking also. Still we are not used to them but we are trying to include them in our diet. I was influenced by Nandhini who is a fellow blogger and she bakes very good breads with whole grains. I can say she is one of the expert baker in our BM group. When I thought of using whole grains in baking I was little scared. Because I not an expert baker, some times I spoil my bakes with all purpose flour itself. And I thought this whole grains in baking will be little tricky. 
                                                      Yes baking with whole grains is little tricky with extra work out;). I think but when  you taste the bread you can forgot about that all extra work out. I found them much tasty then normal breads. For this recipe I used whole wheat flour that was coarse grounded and Ragi and barley lightly roasted till they turn warn and grind in to coarse powder so that I can get a grainy texture in the bread. Don't over roast the grains they will loose there properties. Just heat them so that we can grind them in the mixee or coffee blender. We like that grainy texture if you don't like then grind all three, wheat, ragi and barley in the mill in to a smooth powder. This bread crust was little hard, crumb was soft mostly bread taste like a country bread. For Ragi flour Mix 1 cup ragi with 1 tab sp barley lightly heat them in a pan and grind.
                                                                                  

INGREDIENTS:---
Whole wheat flour :---  1 cup
Ragi flour   ----  1 and half cups
All purpose flour  ---  1/4 cup
Yeast   ---   2 tea sp ( I used instant yeast)
Salt  ---  1 tea sp
Jaggery  ---  2 tab sp grated
Gluten   ---   1 tea sp
Olive oil   ----  2 tab sp
Luke warm water   ---  3/4 cup
                                                          

INGREDIENTS:---
1. Mix all flours, jaggery, yeast, salt, gluten and one tab sp olive oil and make a sticky dough with luke warm water.
This dough should be little more sticky then normal bread dough. don't worry when you knead it, that will turn in to soft and pliable dough.
2. place this sticky dough on the counter top, apply little olive oil in your hands and start kneading the dough.
3.  Knead the dough for 15 minutes to 20 minutes, place the dough in a greased bowl and glaze with olive oil, cover with a cling wrap and set a side to raise.
This will take long time to raise mine took 2 and half hours..
4. Punch down the dough and take it out from the bowl and give a loaf shape.
5. Place the ragi loaf in a greased bread loaf pan, cover with a cling wrap ans set a side for second raise.
 The second raise is also took 45 minutes for me..
6. Pre heat the oven at 180 degree C. for 10 minutes..
7. Bake this ragi bread at 180 degree C. for 45 to 50 minutes or till it turns brown on top.
8. Remove from oven and cool the bread on a wire rack...
Slice and enjoy...

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