Friday, January 31, 2014

Oreo Cake/Oreo Cupcakes


Serves 6 Cupcakes
For the Chocolate Cake;
Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder - 2 tbspns
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp 
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup 
Butter - 3 tbspns, melted
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp   
Water - 1 1/2 tbspn

For the Frosting
Ingredients:
Oreo Biscuits - 6
Butter - 6 tbspns(at room temperature)
Powdered Sugar/Icing Sugar - 12 tbspns
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

For  Garnishing;
Oreo Biscuits - 2, cut into quarters


Chocolate Sponge
Method: 
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl and keep aside.
Combine the condensed milk, butter, vanilla essence and 1½ tbspn of water in another bowl and whisk well.
Add the prepared flour mixture and mix gently with help of a spatula to make a batter of dropping consistency.
Pour equal quantity of the batter into 6 greased and dusted 68 mm. (2½”) diameter aluminum moulds.
Or use a small rectangle bowl (oven proof) and bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F for 5 minutes and then at 360F for 15 to 20 minutes or till done. The cake is done when it leaves the sides of the mould and is springy to touch.
Allow it to cool completely (approx. 30 minutes). Keep aside.

For the frosting;
Open each oreo biscuit, scrape and discard the cream middle creamy layer. You will need only the biscuits for this recipe.
Place the biscuits on a butter paper or a rolling board and crush them coarsely using a rolling pin. Keep aside. Put the butter in a deep bowl and beat it using a spatula.
Add the icing sugar and mix well. Add the coarsely powdered biscuits and vanilla essence, mix well and keep aside.

Fill the frosting in a piping bag and pipe out swirls of your choice on the cake.
Garnish the cake with the quartered oreo biscuits.

Inspired from here

Monday, January 27, 2014

Garlic Pull Apart Bread



Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour - 3 1/2 cups
Lukewarm Milk - 1 1/2 cups
Yeast - 2 tsps
Sugar - 2 tsps
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 4 tbspns
Salt - 2 tsps
Garlic Powder - 2 tsps
Butter - 1/4 cup, melted
Italian Herbs - 2 tsps
Garlic - 3 cloves, minced or Garlic Powder - 1 tsp
Chili Flakes - 1 tsp
Parmesan Cheese - 1/4 cup(optional)


Method:
Combine lukewarm warm milk and yeast in a mixing bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes, until it starts to foam up. Mix in the olive oil and sugar.

Combine the flour, garlic powder and salt in another mixing bowl. If you have a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, or until elastic. If you are doing this by hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until dough is elastic, 7-10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until dough is doubled in size.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, Italian herbs and minced garlic or garlic powder. Set aside.

Punch down the dough. Tear off small pieces of dough (roughly the size of the bowl of a medium spoon), coat in the butter mixture, and place in the bottom of a bundt pan. Repeat this process until you have one layer of dough balls. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese(if using). Continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have 3 layers. Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to sit until dough has doubled in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bread is golden brown. Serve hot with a side of marinara or tomato sauce. Warm it up before serving.

Store any remaining bread, cool to room temperature covered tightly in aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator. To reheat, throw the aluminum foil packet in the oven, preheated at 400 F and heat for 8-10 minutes. Covering the bread in foil while reheating will ensure your bread stays soft and doesn’t turn into croutons.  

Recipe adapted from here










Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tava Idli


Ingredients:
Leftover Idlis - 4, cut into cubes
Onion - 1 cup, chopped
Tomatoes - 1 cup, chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp, grated
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Pav Bhaji Masala - 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbspn
Oil - 1 tbspn

To garnish;
Cilantro/Corainder - 1 tbspn, finely chopped

Method:
Heat the oil and butter together, add the onions and fry till they soften. Add the tomatoes, ginger and turmeric powder and cook till the oil separates.
Add the pav bhaji masala, salt and lemon juice and mix together. Toss in the idlis and mix well.
Serve hot garnished with the coriander.



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Thayir Vadai/Curd Vadai/Dahi Vada


Inspired from here
Ingredients:
Thick Curd (Yogurt) - 2 cups
Carrot(grated) - 2 tbspns
Kara Boondi - 4 tbspns
Coriander leaves - 1 tbspn, finely chopped
Salt - to taste

To grind to a paste:
Coconut - 2 tbspns, grated
Green chili - 2 small
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece

To temper:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Hing - a  pinch


Method:
Grind all the ingredients listed under 'to grind' to a mixer to a coarse paste. Whisk the curd well and add required salt. Add the paste to the whisked curd and mix well. 
Heat the oil and temper the items listed under 'to temper'and transfer to the curd mixture. Give a quick stir. Make the other ingredients ready.
Now add the vadas to the hot water and wait for 10 seconds - this is to make the vadas soft and make it absorb the curd well. Remove the vadas from the water and transfer them to the curd mixture. Now transfer the vadas to the serving bowl and pour some curd over them. Garnish with grated carrot, boondi and coriander leaves.


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Instant Tomato Dosai/Instant Thakkali Dosai



Inspired from Sharmis Passion
Ingredients:
Dosa Batter - 2 cups
Tomato - 2, roughly chopped
Coconut - 1 tbspn
Red Chillies - 2
Jeera - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few torn into pieces
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp(optional)
Oil - as required for making dosa

Method:
Saute the tomatoes in a tsp of oil until mushy and raw smell leaves. Allow it to cool and grind the tomatoes with coconut and red chilies to a fine paste with little water.
Now add jeera, curry leaves, red chili powder and tomato coconut paste to the dosa batter and mix well.
Heat a dosa tawa, keeping in low medium flame take a laddle full of the batter and spread it evenly starting form the center slowly outwards in circular motion.
Drizzle some oil along the edges and cook for 2 mins. Flip on the other side and cook until done.
Serve hot with any Chutney!


Friday, January 3, 2014

Dhokla/Dhokla Chat


DHOKLA
Ingredients:
Besan Flour(Bengal gram flour) - 1 cup
Semolina (Rava) - 1 1/2 tbspns
Sugar - 3 1/2 tsps 

Ginger - 1 tsp, chopped finely or Ginger Powder - 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4 cup
Curd/Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Eno Fruit Salt - 1 tsp
Oil for greasing - 1/4 tsp


For Tempering;
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilies - 2, chopped finely (optional)
A pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
Curry Leaves - 2 to 3

For Garnishing;
Cilantro/Coriander - 2 tbspns, chopped


Method:
Combine all the ingredients together, except the fruit salt in a bowl and mix well to make a batter.

The batter should be of dropping consistency, neither too thin nor too thick. Just before steaming, add the fruit salt. When the bubbles form, mix gently. Keep the steamer ready.

Pour the batter immediately into a greased plate. Steam for 12 to 15 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds, green chilies and asafoetida, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for a second, while stirring continuously.
Remove from the flame and pour the tempering over the dhoklas. Cool slightly and cut into equal pieces. Serve it with green chili chutney garnished with coriander.


DHOKLA CHAT
Dhokla - 3 Cups, cut into cubes
Red Onion - 3/4 cup, chopped finely
Tomato - 1 cup, chopped finely
Cucumber - 1 cup, chopped finely
Mint Chutney - 1/4 cup
Tamarind Date Chutney - 1/4 cup
Chat Masala - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

For Garnishing;
Pomegranate - 1/2 cup
Plain Sev - 1/4 cup
Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped finely
Tortilla Chips 


Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, except the dhokla pieces. Mix it well and finally add the dhoklas. Garnish with pomegranate, plain sev and chopped cilantro.
Scoop it with Tortilla Chips!