Rava Oats Dosa

We lived in Wadala ( Mumbai) and my (late) Grandmother lived in Thane. A small distance that involved traveling by local train. 

Every holiday, we would go to her home. The whole family would meet. My aunts lived within walking distance from my Grandmother and my Uncle, with her. It was an overflowing house when we all met. 

Just the way we liked it.

We would start out early and walk to the station and get in the line to take tickets and then walk to the platform to wait for the train. I would walk to the 'Ladies' compartment with my Mom and that meant passing the Paper and Magazine stall. 

I loved looking at the colorful books, papers and magazines,but what I used to be excited about was the story books and comics for children.

Some 30 plus years ago, Tinkle, Chandamama, Chacha Chaudhary, Phantom, Mandrake the Magician etc. were a rage and later Archie comics and of course Marvel comics. Though these (Archie and Marvel) were not so easily available on he station stands. 

If we had about 4-5 minutes until the train arrived, my mother would look at the magazines ( Femina, Women's Era, yes!yes! those were popular and of course the filmy stuff, Stardust, Filmfare and in cheap print, Mayapuri ). I would inch towards the comics and touch them reverently, then I'd sidle up to my mom's side and tug at her  saree pallav and gesture, smile and beg, beg, beg with my eyes. The tactic usually worked. she would usually buy me a comic I wanted.

To travel from Wadala to Thane, in those days, we used to change trains. Like a typical Bombay kid, I was used to traveling in the local trains and knew exactly what to do, I'd tuck the comic book under my arm ( if I was wearing a fancy frock) or into my jeans waist band ( not pocket, the waist  was safer)  and stand... waiting. As soon as the rain stopped ( and the ladies had exited) I'd JUMP in and scramble to get a seat, a window seat preferably, whip out my comic and place it either next to me or on the opposite seat to reserve it for my Mom. Once we were seated comfortably, I'd start reading and stop only when changing trains. 

This week, when I went to the library to pick up some books, I saw a flyer for a book sale and decided I had to! go .

After spending a good amount of time walking thru the aisles and then at the cook book shelf (more on that later), I wandered to the kids section and after looking (and reading) the books on the table nearby, I found, to my delight, some of my childhood favorites!  

I grabbed them and let me tell you, I'm still lovin' them! 

Busy days and end of school term next week means the little one will be home all day. To all those who say, YAY! it's summer! Let's go out. I invite you to Dallas. 

I'm going back to my safe, air conditioned, cocoon. Thank you. Enjoy your summer.

I have also decided to fatten up the little one. He is scrawny. when I see well nourished children, I sigh. When I see chubby kids, I often wonder, how? h-o-w?? 

He takes after his father. Scrawny. 

Humph! 

I try various things on the Scrawny ones. In between I started giving Little S, fulkas and a vegetable stir-fry. He protests, of course he does. But I am well prepared. This will invite criticism, but I switch on the T.V and feed him. Calories are calories. 

In all these after school snacks, I prefer making Dosas for him. Hot off the griddle , smeared with ghee (for him) sometimes I just spread cheese inside and serve it with some ketchup. He seems not to object.

Instant Dosas are a boon in such cases. I have loved Rava Dosa for as long as I remember. Lace like, crisp and paper thin. Oh! I recall eating them at restaurants ( my Mom used to order it and I'd 'share' with her). As I stand at the stove making these, there are a few things I have changed. My Rava dosa is not oily as those in restaurants and not as paper thin, as a result. And to kick up the health factor a bit, I add lightly roasted and powdered oats. These are more tummy filling than the original version.Ideal for a weekend breakfast or an after school snack.

You need:

2/3 cup Oats ( regular oats) , dry roast these- the color changes slightly and they smell toasty, cool and powder.
1/4 cup EACH Rice Flour and Rava / sooji
1/2  big or 1 medium Red Onion chopped, fine
Chiffonade a few Curry leaves
1 tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds
1-2 Tbsp finely chopped Cilantro
Salt to taste
1 tsp finely chopped Green chilies
3 Cups Water (or more as required to make a super thin batter)

Mix all the ingredients listed above and carefully add water, mixing well as you pour. This is important. dumping all the water in at once will lead to clumping, you can sort it out, but that s just a waste of time.

Taste and check the salt adequacy. Cover and keep aside for 10 mins.

When ready to make dosa, first heat the tawa / griddle , very well.  If you are using a non stick griddle, like I do, just spray oil (PAM or similar) and wipe off with a clean tissue.

Stir the dosa batter well ( by this time, the solid has sunk to the bottom and it looks like muddy water, a good stir  is needed) add more water if needed, while the batter is sitting, it absorbs water and becomes slightly thick. Remember you want a very thin batter.

To make this dosa, unlike the regular dosa, you will NOT drop batter in the middle of the griddle and spread it out into a circle. No ! What you will do instead is, scoop the batter in the ladle, start on the outside of the griddle and just 'pour' the batter in a circle. Go from the outside of the griddle in the middle. The batter spreads well and because the griddle is super hot, it becomes lacy.

Drizzle some oil ( or spray)  / butter or ghee ( for the scrawny ones) as it cooks.
Most people stop the cooking as soon as the bottom is crisp and golden. I usually flip the dosa and cook briefly on the other side too.

These crisp golden lacy dosas are best served right off the griddle with a chutney of your choice and sambar. Sometimes I serve dosas with just chutney(s) and the second chutney usually is Molgha Podi with a drizzle of oil. To make these for dinner, stuff the dosa with potato masala.

NOTES:

- You can increase the amount of oats to 1 cup
- You can cook the onions before adding them to the batter. Heat a tsp oil, add some mustard seed , when they pop, add cumin, when the cumin sizzles, add the curry leaves, green chilies and onion and sprinkle a pinch of salt and cook till translucent. Add this to the batter and make dosas
-If you like, add 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder. Exclude for kids.
-You can skip the onion to make regular rava / rava-oats dosa.


Enjoy your Sunday, folks! Have a good week ahead.

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Egg less Chocolate cake / cupcakes

Last weekend we watched Captain America (2) movie. We all (little S included ) voted for it. 

I was thrilled. I grew up on a steady dose of Marvel Comics and all these superheroes were and are my favorites. At one time I desperately wanted to be a mutant, like the X-men and wished and wished for some strange power to manifest itself on every birthday. 

I could not let a spider bite me, I flee at the sight of anything that creeps, crawl or slithers. I was definitely no Asgardian. With hi-fi technology limited only to the multi-billionaires and only in the USA, I was left with just my imagination and the only option available to me, to be a mutant.

Years of disappointment only made me read all possible comic books I could lay my hands on.

Then there was the fairies stage, I wanted some fairy to grant me wishes. Or at least take me to fairy land ( just like in Enid Blyton's books).

After that came the detective stage ( this was after the adventurer stage, where I wanted to be that lucky kid who found some treasure or a gang of smugglers). I realized (after reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes, I as neither as intelligent or as intrepid as him) I was not quite cut out for that sort of a thing. 

While that sort of dream faded over time, the charm of comic books remained strong. And so, every super hero movie that is released is a visual treat for me. 

I was glued to the screen during the movie making sure that little S had his supply of popcorn and chips. After these were done, he got antsy and I transferred him to his father.

The movie was good. 

Just like my generation had their favorite super heroes, my son's generation has theirs. As of now, Power Rangers, Avengers, Spider-man and Ninjago rule.

A very special 4 year old (R), is a HUGE (yes, yes, in capitals) fan of Ninjago. He gets his from his elder brother.  So naturally, his birthday had to be a Ninjago themed celebration.

His Mom (Samta), wanted cupcakes to take and share with R's  pre-school friends. 

Kids love chocolate ( and so do most adults, chocolate is the universal language) and we fixed chocolate flavor. And Samta and her family are vegetarians and prefer egg less cakes. 

I decided to make egg less chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting and fondant decorations.

I found a Quick and Easy Chocolate cake recipe that I have tried with great success. this recipe makes two, 9 x 2 round layers or 24 cupcakes.

DeDe Wison's Quick n Easy Chocolate Cake

3 cups All Purpose Flour (APF)
2 cups Sugar
2/3 cup, sifted, Natural Cocoa
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2 cups Water at room temp.
2/3 cup Oil 
2 Tbsp. Apple cider Vinegar/ white vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Pre heat the oven to 350 F

Grease the cake pan or get the muffin pan lined and ready.

Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar and baking soda) and set aside.

Using a whisk/ had held mixer or your stand mixer, mix oil, water, vinegar and vanilla

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and mix until well combined and smooth.

Divide the batter evenly in the pans and bake for 30 mins. or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan over a rack for about 10 mins and then invert on to the rack to cool completely.

This cake is moist and very delicious. I was always apprehensive about egg less baking and that I would be a big flop at it. This recipe  has made me confident :) 

For the cupcakes, I used my butter cream recipe for frosting (the yellow part) and covered the cupcakes in fondant. The eyes and brows are made using fondant too.

I am not a fondant fan and can never eat it, but I cannot deny that it looks good on cakes. 

Coming up (soon) is another cake I had the opportunity to bake for a 7 year old! 

See you soon.

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Ulundu Sadham ( Black gram daal rice) : A quick lunch box option

"Oh look at that giant bug! hahahahaa! April Fool! "

"Look, Loooook, what is that?" hahahaha! April Fool!"

" Looooooook, a giant... monster ( animal/ bug/person).. hahahah! April Fool" chants Little S in a sing-song voice.

He loves April Fools and refuses to believe that we fool others only on the first day of April. 

It's been a long 3 weeks of April fooling in our car and home.

It reminds me of all the silly pranks I pulled on my parents, mind you, some were good.

And so, just as my dad participated in all my pranks (whether he fell for them or not) I do the same for Li'll S. All the way back from school, going for karate and on the way back. 

It's been a long 3 weeks......

I have been cooking a good deal, jut not posting. It's weird, I want to but something holds me back. It isn't lack of time, just motivation, I guess and that I am reading books and watching TV. 

On my last trip to the library, I picked up Climbing the mango trees by Madhur Jaffrey  and am thoroughly enjoying reading about her memories of growing up in India. It also brings back a surge of memories of my childhood and how some things do not change with time.

I am also watching a series on Netflix, 'Midsomer Murders' which Nupur mentioned on her blog and I find them very engrossing. 

I mentioned the series to some friends here and they are thrilled to have something to watch in the afternoons (one friend and I share our liking for Brit books as well as TV series, as she rightly put it, "English  drama is so classy..." I agree, there is a quiet dignity to how everything is portrayed). 

And now we move on the topic of cooking ( which is the reason, this blog exists) I must add, we have cut down on white rice, significantly. Earlier no meal was complete without rice. Many a times, rice and daal were our meal, but that has changed now. And when I do make rice, there is always some left over. This left over rice is usually sauteed with vegetables and converted to fried rice or a quick Lemon rice for M's lunch box.

There are so many variations to transform plain ol' white rice into a spectacular dish with layers of flavors. 

I prefer working with left over rice, it's quick and easy.

For my recipe today, I use left over rice and the recipe is adapted from Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan.

I used:

approx. 2 Cups Cooked Rice

approx. 10-12 Cashew Nut pieces 

1 Green chili, slit ( seeds removed)

In a pan, dry roast, 2 tbsp. Urad daal, 1 tsp. Black Peppercorns (kali miri), 2 tbsp. Sesame seeds and 1 1/2 tbsp dry flaked Coconut.

Cool the roasted spices and grind to a powder in the coffee mill.

Heat oil in  wok / kadhai/ saute pan. Add 1 tsp. mustard seeds and 1 tsp each urad and chana daal ( I usually have this mix in my spice container and never measure, I just add it, eyeballing the amount) As the mustard seeds pop and the daals turn golden, sprinkle in a couple of hefty pinches of Asafetida and then add one (halved) dry red chili, the green chili  and a few curry leaves.

Stir the tempering and then add the rice and the spice powder and salt to taste. Mix well, be gentle though, don't break the rice. Taste to check salt. Switch off the flame and serve.

NOTES: 

-If you cannot tolerate heat, reduce the amount of peppercorn to half or as less as you prefer, ( that is a safer and better option in case kids are going to eat it) but do not skip it.

-This rice is best served warm, however it keeps well and tastes good at room temperature too. 

- The original recipe uses fresh cooked rice

- You can use fresh coconut, however that means the shelf life of the rice is short. 

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Basbousa ( Libyan Semolina Cake)

I always thought my father was missing out on a lot where his birthday was concerned. He did not eat cake. I don't remember getting an egg less cake , did we even get one in the late 70's or 80's in India?

A traditional sweet was the highlight of the day.

How disappointing! Not having a (cream) cake, not blowing out the candles and cutting the cake with a chorus singing "happy birthday to you.... (and then trailing off with ) may God, bless you..." 

No paper plates with the customary slice of (cream) cake and wafers (chips) and Rasna. 

But Baba cannot tolerate the idea of a cake with eggs. When ever I bake, he always asks, " kaccha anda ghatlis ka?" (did you add eggs?). My answer is mostly yes. Though that is changing now! More on that later.

So, about 6 years ago, when my parents were visiting me, my father celebrated is birthday with us. I decided to bake a cake. An egg less one. This was an intimidating task, for one, I was scared ----less where baking was concerned and two, I was a new mother, my little S was about 2 weeks old. 

To cut a long story short, I made a Rava Cake, which at that time, seemed like a good (and the only idea). I made the cake, he cut the cake, we all ate the cake. We declared it 'baked Sheera' and that was it! I shoved the idea of egg less cakes in the deepest recesses of my mind and kept them locked.

Years later, a few weeks ago, in fact, a friend e-mailed me and we discussed some menu items for some guests she had invited. We mailed back and forth and she mentioned that she was making Basbousa for dessert. 

I could not help but laugh and think of my desperate attempt at making a cake for my dad and ending up with a pan of 'baked sheera'.

But Basbousa sounded so unlike baked sheera and was definitely on my 'must try' list.  

I made this for a small potluck we Bus Stop Moms had planned and it was very well received! I have this picture only because I saved a piece for M.

Source: here

1.5  Cup Semolina ( I used the regular coarse Sooji, next time I will use the Fine variety)

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup  Sugar

1 tsp. Baking pwd

3/4 Cup Oil ( I used Canola)

1/2 Cup Milk ( I used Whole milk)

FOR SYRUP

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Sugar

1 Wedge lemon

Heat water in a pot and add sugar, dissolve to mix squeeze lemon. 

Once it boils, turn down heat to low and simmer for 15 min. Remove from the heat and cool syrup.

Drop almonds in hot water to blanch and remove the skin, set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Lightly grease a 9" pan, keep aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients- semolina, flour, baking powder and mix well, then add sugar, stir to combine- add oil and milk- mix until smooth

Pour into greased pan and tap gently on the counter top to make it smooth.

Carefully, score the batter in the pan (make square or diamonds) place a blanched almond on each square

Bake at 350 F  for about 30 mins until edges are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and once again, run a knife thru the already scored batter marks

Cut right thru with a sharp serrated knife and bake again for about 15 mins

Remove the basbousa from the oven and pour the syrup evenly on the top to cover it completely.(You should have about 3/4 cup of thick syrup)

Let the syrup soak in and  then cut the squares and serve! 

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Muffiins, Bran Muffins for breakfast-on-the-go.

I am a picky eater. I have issues with textures. 

When I was little, I would peer into the yogurt bowl ( home made yogurt) and squint painfully to check if there was any 'malai' and if there was, I'd reject the whole thing. My parents wold strain the milk and set the yogurt. I would again squint painfully and with a spoon in hand, scrape off the top layer of yogurt to reveal the silky smooth yogurt below. 

As my tea cooled, a film would cover it. Arrgh! I'd run into the kitchen and get a super fine tea- strainer and a fresh cup, strain my tea and drink it. 

I could do all this at home but it was not so easy when I was visiting someone. I'd politely decline tea or coffee even though I was in sore need of the much needed four o'clock cuppa. Sometimes I'd fake and say I am allergic.

M does not see eye-to-eye with my picky nature. He tsk-tsks every time I pick and trash the plasticky film from the top of milk (when I need to boil it). He wonders why I run miles from food that is slimy-ish (like eggplant or oats). He loves oats, eats them for his breakfast, everyday. No sugar needed. GULP!

I prefer these oatmeal bars.
Then one day, M comes home from Sprouts and has bag of  wheat bran. I slapped my forehead and in the very 'wifey way' asked, " arey ha bhusa kashala anlay ata?"He went on and on about this stuff.  I huffed and I puffed.
Then one day, M actually tried to eat the bran like he ate oats. I could not take my eyes off the the rhythmic way his jaws were working and also noticing that he was not gulping. I nodded approvingly, "Bran is good. Loads of fiber. Loads of benefits. Very good" I added, rubbing it in.

I am perverse that way.

Finally, he decided that good or not, bran was better used in some other form. He mentioned it to me, in passing that, bran muffins were good for health.

The idea of a muffin was a good one though. And it would finish up the bran. This recipe caught my attention. 
I made a few changes to the recipe (not the measurement, of course), substitution, really. The changes worked very well and we all enjoyed the muffins, M shared some with his colleagues too. 
These muffins are very moist and slightly sweet making them a treat. They are good for breakfast-on-the-go.

Here is the recipe with my substitutions:

• 2 cups  Wheat Bran
• 1 cup date and nut snack  or just dates- pureed
• 1/2 cup  dark raisins
• 1 cup, plus 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup  buttermilk ( if you do not have store brought buttermilk, use 1/2 cup milk and add 1/2 tsp Vinegar, let it stand for a few mins, then use it)  or plain low- or non-fat yogurt
• a few swipes of fresh orange zest (unsprayed) (I did not have any, I left it out)
• 1/2 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup  vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup  flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin 
• 
  
•  Spread the wheat bran on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for six to eight minutes, stirring a few times so it cooks evenly. Let cool.
• 
  
• Meanwhile, heat 1 cup of the date snack / dates with 1/2 cup of the water. Simmer for ten minutes, or until the water is all absorbed. Puree the date snack / dates until smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together the toasted bran, buttermilk or yogurt, 1 cup water, then mix in the date puree, orange zest, and brown sugar.

Stir in the oil, egg and egg white.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift directly into the wet ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, then mix in the 1/2 cup raisins.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, making sure the batter is mounded slightly in each one. 
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the muffins feel set in the center.

Have a great weekend! With the weather clearing up, it is splendid outside! Pack these muffins in your picnic basket and enjoy the weather.

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Curry Leaf Bread in a Bread Maker

Every Sunday, we go to the Hindu Temple and our little one attends classes that teach him about the various Gods and Goddesses we worship. It is more like story time and that is what we would like to keep it at. After this class, he toddles off to the regional Language class. 

We have enrolled him for Marathi. 

I usually sit with him in the class and help him to write Marathi alphabets ( and thorough;y enjoy myself  over the pronunciations) . 

Over the past few months, these classroom sessions have been fun and also helped me make some friends.

With most Mom's with Kindergartners, we all bond well and have the same complaints and funny anecdotes to share. The teachers are also a lot of fun and keep the atmosphere light and easy going, which helps the instruction.

The class lasts an hour and by noon, all the little ones (and the parent attending with the child) are hungry. A little bite is always welcome!

Just last month, I made a small investment and added, to the already large amount of gadgets in my tiny and cramped kitchen, a Bread Maker Machine.

Source: Google Search

I found this on craigslist. I was a bit skeptical when I went to see it, but the person assured me it was in working order. Of course, the couple also added they used it only to make roti dough. I bought it. For the price, it was a good deal.

I came home and Little S and I looked at it carefully and decided to go ahead and bake a loaf of fresh bread.

It couldn't be simpler. And the results were great! I was dancing! No more kneading. Oh yes! I could live with that.

And so, 2 weeks ago, I made this fantastic and fragrant Curry Leaf Bread in my Bread Machine and shared it with the Marathi Class Teachers and friends. 

the loaf was sliced in to slightly thick slices and slathered with butter. Everyone loved it and all the pieces were quickly polished off. I was thrilled to bits.

This recipe is a keeper and here is my slightly tweaked version: ( for use with a Bread Machine) 

In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups All Purpose flour, 1 tsp. Turmeric powder, 1 tsp. crushed Cumin Seeds, 2 Tbsp. Finely chopped Fresh Curry Leaves.

In a microwave safe bowl, add 11/4 cup Water, 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter and microwave for 50-60 seconds, until the butter has melted.

The Water + Butter mixture must not too hot (about 110 F) 

Add this Water + Butter mixture to the bread pan, to this, add 1.5 tsp. Kosher Salt and 2 Tbsp. Sugar.

Carefully add the Flour Mixture on top of the liquid.

Make a shallow well on top of the flour mixture and add 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) Active Dry Yeast.

Close the lid and set the machine for White bread, 2 Lb. Loaf with a Medium Dark crust.

That's it. Really...

A fresh, fragrant loaf will be ready in 3 hours.

Un-mold and cool completely on a rack. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut slices and smear butter  and serve.

NOTES:

- I used only Water in this recipe, the original recipe calls for Water and Evaporated milk. I am planning on trying it  the next time I make this loaf.

- The original recipe is for baking the loaf in a regular oven. Read the instructions carefully ( the original recipe link is provided above)  and follow it.

- I have observed that the bread maker makes wonderful loaves, but they tend to be a bit dry on the second day. This reminds me of the fresh loaf or Paav we get in India. These are preservative free and have a short shelf life. So if you make this bread, share it with family and friends and enjoy it while it is fresh. 

- I plan on making this bread again and the next time around, I plan of increasing the liquid and fat amount a bit more. If this experiment is successful, it will be updated here :)

- For a bread maker, add the liquids at the bottom, top with flour and make a well in the flour ( shallow well, do not let the liquid show) and add yeast to the well. Select the right cycle and relax The machine does all the work.

Spring break is almost over  and we are back from a small relaxing and fun holiday and schools are all set to open. The weather is still misbehaving at our end and has even more mood swings than a pms'ing woman. We had a disappointing Holi and played indoors with just some dry color, thanks to my friend Sujata who dropped in and added some color into the dull day! 

How did you celebrate Holi? Do share some colorful tidbits from your part of the world, I'd love to know!

ETA: I made this loaf yesterday with Evaporated milk and water ( as per original recipe) and the bread was moister and oh! So tasty! the last slice was eaten today morning. Not a crumb left.

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Black Beans Rice

I was a whiner when it came to doing homework. 

I would fling my backpack, I know not where, as soon as I got home from school. Grab a quick bite to eat and rush out to play. I would come home when it was dark, tired and happy.

Homework was a distant memory and it's revival brought on waves of nausea and related symptoms. I would shove it in the background and promptly forget all about it.

I did that right up until my MBA, Lisa (my BFF) would shrug her shoulders comically and tolerate my whining until she could bear no more, but being my best friend, she did not desert me, she stood by me and joined in. We would then drown our sorrows in Chocos biscuits ( a Kelloggs brand) or paani-puri. 

Why is this relevant here? Because some habits die hard......

The last time we had snowfall, it felt as if the city had braked suddenly and had come to a screeching halt. With that rude awakening, we planned on being well prepared for the next time.

Here's what happened, we were not prepared for snow, neither were most people and at the last moment, everyone panicked and hit the stores, the shelves were wiped clean of anything and everything edible and some non-edible.

M braved the icy streets and went grocery shopping only to be bitterly disappointed. No milk, no yogurt and left over bruised fruit. So he rummaged about and piled his cart with lactose free milk, one avocado and then tins of beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans. 

I gulped and silently bit back a smart retort and stocked the cans in the pantry, on the top most shelf, at the back. 

Shoved it out of sight, just like homework I did not want to tackle.

I remembered the stocked up cans the next time the temps dipped ....I decided to go for it, one can at a time. I had to use up those cans. I picked the black beans. 

A couple of months ago, I picked up Lakshmi Diabetes Rice. It is a low glycemic index rice. A friend on FB has used it and recommended it.
I made this simple, tasty and nutritious Black Bean Rice.
Makes a great lunch box option.

Adapted from here, with changes made to suit my taste.

1 cup Rice ( I used this Low GI Rice- cheaper at the Indian store)
1 can Black Beans (  I used slightly less as I had used the beans in another recipe)
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 large Carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup (or a bit more, I eyeballed this) frozen Corn, thawed
1 tsp dry Oregano

3-4 hefty pinches of Red Chili Flakes (or just shake the container and add the flakes by approximation)
1 tsp Cumin powder
2 cloves Garlic, smashed / pounded roughly using a mortar and pestle or chopped finely
Salt to taste
2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3-4 cups Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
Parsley, chopped , for garnish.

Wash the rice in several changes of water. Soak the washed rice in plenty of water and set aside for 20-30 mins.
In the meantime, dice the vegetables.
To cook rice:
Drain the water that the rice is soaked in.
I use my electric rice cooker, so I add the rice and the broth to the rice cooker and set it to cook. 

If using the stove top  method, combine the broth and rice and cook, covered, until the broth is absorbed and rice is cooked.
Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork.
Heat a large pan/ wok , add the oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
Add the garlic, oregano and the chili flakes, cumin powder and salt. Mix well and saute till the raw garlic smell goes away.
Add the carrots and saute, add the remaining vegetables and cook until the veges are tender.
Add the beans and mix well, taking care not to mash the beans. Cook for a couple of minutes more.
Add the cooked rice and carefully mix it all together.
Cover and let the flavors mingle.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Notes:

The Rice: Broth ratio is high because I am using Low GI rice. This rice, no matter how much water I add, manages to absorb it all and still cook up fluffy and each grain separate every time.

The grain is thicker and chewier, but resembles Basmati.

IMO, this rice does not soak up flavors like Sona Masoori or regular Basmati does.

Chicken broth can be substituted for Vegetable Broth if you are non-vegetarian.

I rarely have parsley on hand, I skip the garnish part.

That's it for now. Stay warm and stay safe! Take care.

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Ragi Masala Dosa

My kitchen has been seeing a lot of activity in January, the blog not so much. I am still in limbo about getting a new camera. Till then I am relying on my iPhone. 

And then I also realized something more this month, when I was reading Nupur's OHS, I have been reading only cookbooks or about baking. I haven't gone through the regular fiction at all, picked up books from a rack and enjoyed reading it at all. 

I have read cook books ( and I do love reading those, no complaints) and getting hooked to Netflix and watching some good and some senseless stuff. 

And I don't want that anymore. I'm going back to good ol' reading. Go back to reading page after page, chapter after chapter an turning pages , smelling the book... okay, that dd not come out right... creepy! 

But, you get the point.

This month I also experimented with baking an egg less cake and I am thrilled that it was a success! I am overcoming that hurdle too. It feels great. 

And after a long time, I made dosas. I really did. We love dosas but the grinding  daal and rice on a small mixie jar is no fun. I take shortcuts, a small one. I soak and grind the daal and just add flour to the daal paste. 

This time around, I used Ragi (Finger Millet) flour. The dosas are perfect. 

You need

1 cup skinned Urad Daal

2 cups Ragi flour ( easily available at the Indian store)

1 tsp Fennugreek seeds

Water as needed

Salt, to taste

Wash thoroughly and soak the Urad Daal, add the fenugreek seeds in plenty of water for 8 hours.

Drain the water and grind the daal to a smooth paste (to ensure a smooth paste, add fresh water as required).

Add the Ragi Flour and mix, adding water as required to get a pancake like batter.

At this stage, those who prefer to add salt to the batter, stir it in, mix well and leave the batter to ferment in a warm place.

If you haven't added salt tot he batter, add it at this stage and give the batter a quick stir, to incorporate. Do not stir too much.

To make dosa, heat a non stick griddle / tawa on medium high.

Take a ladle of batter and pour it in the middle of the tawa.

Applying gentle pressure, from the center, spread the batter in a large circle, to make a thin and even crepe.

Drizzle a scant tsp of oil, butter or ghee around the dosa and let it cook till crisp and brown (in this case, the shade in the picture above, the nutella like shade). Flip and cook on the other side for a minute ( I like my dosa well made- cooked on both sides)

If you are making masala dosa, flip the dosa over again ( because we have cooked it on both sides) add masala bhaji in the middle and roll into a log. If you prefer serving masala on the side, make a triangle ( or a cone- I can never do that) with the dosa and serve with chutney ( or this one or this ) and sambar.

For the MASALA: ( and you can eyeball the ingredients here)

1 large Russet Potato or 3-4 medium Red Potatoes , boiled, peeled and roughly mashed

1 medium Red Onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 fresh Green Chile

1 dry Red Chile, broken into two

1 tsp. each, Chana Daal and Urad daal

Few Curry Leaves

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Asafetida/ Hing

1 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Cilantro, finely chopped to garnish

A few Cashew nuts (optional)

1/4 cup frozen Green peas, thawed ( optional)

Heat oil in a pan.

Add mustard seeds, Chana and Urad daal.

As the mustard pops and the daals turn a golden brown, add cashew - if using and let it turn a light honey color.

Add the asafetida, chilies, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Add the sliced onion. Mix and cover until the onion is well cooked. adding a dash of salt when cooking the onion will speed up the cooking time. 

Once the onion is cooked, add the green peas and mashed potato. Add salt.

Mix well, cover and let cook for a couple of minutes. 

Take off the heat and garnish with cilantro.

The masala is ready to be stuffed ( or serve on the side) with the dosa.

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A baking adventure and Butter Cream Icing Recipe.

So! How is the new year treating you all? We are already in the third week of January and here I am.. a little late to be sure, but back, where I love being.
The weather has been good (though a little confused, I guess! I mean, this is Winter but, Dallas seems to think it's Spring already). We don't mind. 

It's too late for me to do a re-cap on 2013, so I will let that be, but I to want to highlight one thing.

2013 saw me baking and trying to decorate cakes. It started with a baby shower cake for an acquaintance who was expecting a little Princess and wanted a cake with flowers, almost like a bed of flowers with Mom and Baby in it.

I made the cake with 5 layers and with whipped and cream cheese frosting and a ton of royal icing flowers I made a cake topper ( The Mom and Baby in the stroller) out of gum paste and used flood icing  technique to color the cake topper.

The second cake was also a baby shower cake for a close friend who was due in September and was expecting a little Prince.

This was a layered chocolate cake with whipped cream in the layers and Whipped cream and cream cheese frosting. The cake was designed just like her baby shower invitation. I carefully cut the animal silhouette and traced it on parchment paper and then used it to make the animals. These were decorated using royal icing flooding technique. 

And in addition, a few more birthday cakes for friends or their spouses.I enjoyed that and in some remote corner of my mind, I started day-dreaming. Day-dreaming of doing this kind of thing often.
Then one day, I saw Sandra Lee do a show on some bake sale. Of course I day-dreamed of participating in one. Of course, I realized that it would not be as glamorous as hers, but that idea had taken root in my head.

Months passed, things happened and I fretted and fumed and cursed (a good bit) and life went on... school, homework, cooking and cleaning and some song-and-dance practice sessions thrown in between. Yes, you read right, song-and-dance, but for the son. It was a group performance for the DFW Maharashtra Mandal Sankrant Festival.
That was last Sunday.

But what made everything just, like.... like a dream come true was, an email I got from one of the Mom's in the group, she encouraged me to set up or participate in setting up a 'cupcake stall'. I was jumping around and biting my nails, all at once. After a bit of back and forth with her ( and constantly whatsapping M at work) I agreed.
I made my trusty vanilla and butter cupcakes. This time around, I made butter cream frosting (recipe below), which though on the sweeter side is a dream to decorate with and guess what? Everyone loved the frosting! 
I made regular cupcakes and then, as an experiment, I made 'cone cakes'. I made these using flat base ice-cream cones and filling them with the cake batter and baking them. They were a hit! They were sold out in minutes and  a few children were disappointed that they did not get any. (note to self: next time, whenever that is, make more 'cone cakes')

The regular cupcakes had a rose swirled on them (using the Wilton 1M tip) and then Sujata and I had made some pink butter cream roses, the night earlier, which were added on top.These were a hit with the little misses. 

My friend, Sonali, was a big help in coming to my aid on the day of the bake-sale, she helped me pack and sort and kept me motivated. 
M helped me haul everything to the venue and help set up and my Li'll S was my cashier. He was just perfect! A little over enthusiastic, maybe, but perfectly charming! 
He demanded tokens for the cupcakes people were just looking at, as I was decorating them, LOL! 

Overall, I am just so happy that everything went off so smoothly and was such a success. This little adventure has given me a bit of confidence in my abilities and that I can do something.
It has been a while since I felt like that. I have Smita, the mom from the group, to thank for it. I am glad she encouraged me to get into this.

I am looking forward to some more adventures like this! 

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

2 sticks Unsalted Butter (at room temp.)
1 lb. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 Tbsp Milk / Water

In a deep bowl or in the stand mixer bowl, add the butter sticks  and  beat on medium speed until the butter is soft and smooth.
With the beaters still going, slowly add the powdered sugar and combine.
Increase the speed a little and add the vanilla extract add milk / water (1 T at a time)
I sometimes add a hefty pinch of salt when I am making the icing. 
Beat until the whole thing comes together and looks smooth.
This icing has stiff consistency, perfect to pipe roses or other decorative flowers.

By adding water (a few drops at a time) you can change the consistency to medium which makes it perfect for swirling roses on top of the cupcake directly ( the white icing on the cupcakes in the picture above) or piping borders on cakes.

To make a thin consistency icing, add few drops of water, this is perfect to write on top of the cake.

That's it for this week and for my first post in 2014. Stay tuned for more, take care and keep smiling! 

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A city under siege......

The city is under a siege. A sudden drop in the temperatures and the city seems to have collapsed under it.

It all started on Thursday evening, when my friend and I had to pick up the kids after school. It was cold, very cold and a drizzle started, just as the car hit the main street. The kind of rain that hurts, when it hits you, sharp and icy, icy cold. A matter of 5 miles, which is covered in about 20 mins. (driving  normally and getting caught at some signals) took us about an hour. 

Driving home was about the same. 

Dallas, is afraid of such weather.

By evening, whatsapp was buzzing with questions, 'is our school closed tomorrow?'  No one knew the answer to that, but everyone seemed to have an opinion about how foul the weather was just about now and how it would worsen by the time the sun was up. 

The kids, however, were sure, there was no school on Friday. They stuck to that. 

Well, whaddya know? The kids were right! By 9:00 pm there was an IVR broadcast announcing that the school was closed due to inclement weather.

We woke up to a dazzling white morning. To people living in places where there is regular snowfall, this seems like nothing, and it is, nothing, but for a city, that knows little to nothing about snow, it comes as  a rude awakening. 

Men and women work from home, stores are swept clean of any and every vegetable, dairy, water and snack. Heaters are cranked up and the roads are clear, of cars, that is. 

Not many want to brave the snow and even worse, the icy streets. It's the icy streets that kept us indoors too. 

It is difficult, to sit at home and play and do stuff with an active 5 year old, who never seems to tire.

2 play dates and playing about in the scanty snow and freezing our axxxx toes  outside and the little one still showed NO signs of wear and tear. 

It was time to involve him in some activity that required minimal effort but good results and most importantly, kept him in one place for a few minutes.

On my last trip to the grocery store, I had, on a whim, picked up a roll of Crescent Rolls dough, the kind that comes in a tube. 

When it is as cold as it was outside ( it was about -7 deg. C, by the by, Celsius in the negative is so much more impressive then 2 digit Fahrenheit, no?), something warm, sweet hits the spot. Like Cinnamon Pull- Apart Bread.

I pulled out the tube of Crescent rolls (the one that makes 8 rolls, I think) from the fridge.

Pre-heat the oven t 375 deg. F ( as per tube instructions)

Melted about 2 tbsp butter

Ina  small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar, approximately 1 tsp Cinnamon powder  and 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder

Clean and prep the work surface.

Pop the tube and pull out the dough. 

Roll out the dough on the clean work surface and pinch together the triangles to make one big rectangle

Brush the surface of the rectangle with the melted butter

Sprinkle the cinna-nutmeg- sugar evenly all over the rectangle, covering the entire surface. 

Here comes the part when you start the cutting and arranging.

It helps to have  loaf pan ready, greased and all.

Now, using a pizza cutter (which is the best way to cut it) or a sharp knife, cut 3 horizontal lines in the dough.

Now, carefully, lift one strip and place it on top of the other. 

3 strips piled on top of one another, think 3 mattresses piled on top of the other , just so we are clear.

Using the pizza cutter, cut the piled on strips in 4-6 squares, vertically, so they look like stacked pillows in a line.

Now pick up one stack at a time and place it in the pan, like soldiers in a line, not piled on top of one another. Just so we are clear on the placement.

Sprinkle any left over sugar on top and bake in the oven.

The tube says bake for 15 -17 minutes, but I took longer, about 25 minutes. 

At the 15 minute mark, the first pull apart was done, but inside, the rest was all soft and doughy, so I had to bung it in the oven longer. 

It may be my oven, so keep an eye after the 17 minute mark. 

Remove the pan from from the oven, click a picture while it cools and then devour.

It has the child's seal of approval.

Mission accomplished.

We still have a school shutdown and so it's time to do more stuff, indoors.

Stay warm folks! See you soon.

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