Spicy Dinner Rolls/ Khara Bun

Food is a big part of our vacation and specially if it is India..I can spend days discovering and re discovering different flavors to tickle my senses...and then there are all time favorites ....!! I wish I was a camel ...I could store all the delicacies :) Well since I am not a camel, I was absolutely overjoyed to see the recipe of "khara bread" on "My Food Blog"

Khara bun (almost the same taste as khara bread but in the form of dinner roll ) is an absolute 'must eat' from VB bakery -Bangalore. So when I discovered the recipe on " My Food Blog" there was no time to waste ....I got on the job instantly ...with one difference- instead of bread I made buns/dinner rolls- the recipe being the same. The verdict : finger licking !!

Recipe - Thanks Arundathi for this wonderful recipe :)

Quick Snacks- Under 15 min

One of the things I cherish is to snug in a blanky on a warm sunny afternoon and read, followed by a little snooze. It is a feeling of such bliss. It is amazing how naps make me hungry...!!  A quick snack that could me made and eaten under 15 min, was what I wanted.

Crackers topped with pepper jack cheese, salsa and sour cream..!!

It took me longer to capture these sweet n savory crackers on my camera than it took me to make and devour them. :) The beauty of crackers is its versatility and adaptability...u can get as creative as you want with the toppings.

 At its most basic, salsa is simply chopped or pureed tomatoes, chiles, onions, and cilantro, flavored with salt and a squeeze of lime juice.....but again you can get creative ...try adding some ripe mangoes and/or ripe peaches...adds a nice sweet n savory taste to it. 
 

Beet slices topped with savory beet salad.

I was never so crazy about beets...because of its color....it was too strong of a color to be eaten......well that was childhood and this is now...enjoying every bit of this colorful root :)

 Grate some beetroot, to it add chopped tomatoes,  carrots, cucumber, onions, assorted sprouts...toss it with some apple cider ,salt and pepper add some roasted peanuts for added crunch!!

Gobi-Paneer Paratha

It has been getting cooler and thou I really enjoy the nip in the air, am not ready for the first frost. The flowers are doing so well, and then who is going to clean the yard after the first frost.:( I am going to miss my rabbit, whom is not scared to chew on my flowers. I almost caught him red handed the other day peeking from my flower bush with a red petal sticking out of its mouth ...he didn't seem to care.

Colors in nature, "rainbow cauliflowers"- orange, purple and green. I believe they taste the same as the normal varieties ( never tasted one myself). Sure they add a splash of colour to the dinner table as they retain the color even after cooking.  Are these colorful cauliflowers really natural? Well if not rainbow, good old white for my paratha here.

Ingredients:

For Dough
2 cups whole wheat flour
water

For stuffing
Cauliflower: 1 cup grated
Paneer: 3/4 cup grated
Green chillies: 2-3
Cilantro: handful finely chopped
Cumin: 1tsp
Salt to taste
oil to shallow fry

Make a dough with wheat flour and water. Keep aside. Grate 3-4 big florets of white cauliflower, add mashed panner to it (a little less then the amount of cauliflower) add cumin, salt, finely chopped green chillies and cilantro. Make sure the grated cauliflower has no water and is dry before you mix in the ingredients. Note: add salt just when u are ready to roll the paratha, as cauliflower has the tendency to leave water when salt added to it

On a lightly floured surface, roll a ball of dough into a round, like you do for a roti.  Keep aside. Repeat and make another roti. Spread the filling over the first roti smear water around the edges of the roti and place the second roti over it and seal the edges by pressing on it. The water will ensure perfect sealed edges. Heat a pan, preferably a cast iron and roast the paratha on both sides, you can add ghee/oil for roasting. Serve hot with plain yogurt.

We have been planning to host an event for the longest time now...just getting cold feet. Any suggestions, dos and donts.

Hul-tové & Majgehuli

  Rice growing began in the coastal wetlands of eastern China  7,700 years ago. Reading about the rice fields in China during the Stone Age set me thinking about the history of food and our own traditional recipes that have been passed on for generations. Wonder when the oldest recipe was documented in written form?

A family favorite, this combo has been a weekend super hit for multiple generations now.

Hul-tové

Sweet pumpkin : chopped in cubes

Arhar daal: 1 cup boiled

For the masala:

 Dhaniya Seeds: 2 tsp

Cinnamon: 1/3 os a stick

Peppercorn: 8-10

Cumin: 1 tsp

Red chili: 4-5

Asafoetida: 1/4th tsp

Chana Daal: 1 tbsp

Coconut fresh grated: handful

Roast the above (except coconut) in 1/4 tsp oil till it leaves aroma. Let it cool for a bit, add coconut and grind  to fine paste.

Cook the pumpkin and daal (separately), to it add the above ground masala, lemon size jaggery, tamarind paste ( juice of a lemon size tamarind) and salt . Bring to a boil.

For tempering: In heat 1 tsp of ghee add mustard seed, after it splatters add asafoetida and curry leaves.

Majgehuli

Grind the below into fine paste

Coconut: 3/4 cup

Cilantro leaves: small bunch

Green Chili/Thai pepper: 3-4

Peppercorn: 4-5

Jeera: 1 tsp

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

Mustard seed: 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Add the above paste to 2 cups of yogurt (preferably sour yogurt). Do not heat.

For tempering: In heat 1 tsp of ghee add mustard seed, after it splatters add asafoetida and curry leaves. Enjoy the combo with steaming rice and ghee.

We would love to hear about recipes that have been part of your family for generations, please leave a link. :)

Muruku

We are back... hope you guys missed us. We did! So much changed in a month...nip in the air...changing colors of foliage along with  glorious sunsets..perfect time for some hot chai on a cool fall evening and some crunchy muruku....u r invited :)

Dalia: 1 cup (Fine powder)
Rice Flour: 2 cup
Jeera/cumin: 1&1/2 tbsp
Hing/Asafetida: 1/4th tsp
Red chili flakes: (optional)
Salt: to taste
Oil: 1 tbsp (hot)


Oil: for deep frying

Mix dalia powder, rice flour, cumin, asafetida and salt. Add 1 tbsp of hot oil and mix it up,  form a dough by adding water. Heat oil in a kadai ( deep bottom pan) Put the dough in the murukku press, and press the dough directly into the hot oil. Fry on medium flame till it turns golden brown. Using a strainer, remove it on a paper towel. Repeat with rest of the dough. Store in an airtight container.