chopped green chilly - 5 (adjust as per your taste)
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp
sugar - 1 tsp
lemon juice - 1/2 tbs
chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbs
bread crumbs - 100 g
maida - 4-5 tbs
Method
heat up 4 tbs oil in a pan
add ginger and chilly and saute for 1 minute
add the veggies exept potato
add salt and stir for 1 minute
cover and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes
open the lid and add lemon juie,pepper,garam masala, cumin powder and sugar and mix well
add mashed potato and combine well
turn off the heat and add coriander leaves and 2 tbs bread flour
the mix should be non - sticky
allow this to cool completely
when the mix is cool give them desired shape
in a separate bowl put maida and mix a few salt and pepper powder;add water to make a loose batter
dip the shaped cutlet in the batter first,then coat with bread crumbs and repeat this process one more time;double coating gives an extra crispiness to the cutlets
fry them in hot oil on medium flame until golden brown
rinse the rice thoroughly for 3-4 times and soak in enough water for 4 hours
rinse the dal once and soak for 4 hours ( I usually refrigerate the dal for the last 2 hours because it helps to grind the dal without getting hot )
similarly soak the fenugreek seeds also
then grind the dal along with salt and enough water until soft and fluffy (I use the dal soaked water for grinding dal and rice as it speeds up the fermentation ) While grinding the dal, don't allow it to become too hot .You can add some ice cubes also .
grind the rice and fenugreek seeds using the dal soaked water into a fine paste
mix this with the ground dal and stir with your hands for 10 minutes .
the batter must be of correct consistency ,not too thin,not too thick.
let the batter ferment for 10-12 hours .
do not use an air tight container for fermenting the batter
stir the fermented batter very gently
ladle out the batter into a greased idli tray and steam cook for 10 minutes .
after removing from the steamer allow them to cool for a couple of minutes and then remove from the tray
once everything is combined well knead for at least 8 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic
place the dough in a greased bowl
cover with a plastic wrap and let this sit until doubled in size
once ready, punch the air out and transfer on to a lightly floured surface
roll into 1/3 inch thickness
cut the circles using a 2.5 inch cutter and cut the holes with 1/2 inch cutter
transfer them onto a floured tray
let them rest for 20 minutes
then fry them in moderately hot oil;
once ready drain and let them cool for 10 minutes
meanwhile prepare the glaze by combining powdered sugar, butter ,vanilla, and milk as needed; I have used 1/4 cup of milk to get the desired consistency
dip the warm donuts in the glaze and arrange in a wire rack until dry
Let's see how to make pillowy soft and delicious dinner rolls.
Ingredients
all purpose flour / maida - 350g [2 1/2 cups]
warm milk - 235ml
instant yeast - 1tsp
sugar - 2tbs
salt -1tsp
soft butter -1/4cup[50g]
Method
Add warm milk, yeast and sugar into a bowl and let the yeast dissolve.Remember very hot millk will kill the yeast,and the yeast will not be active if the milk is too cold.
Add sugar,and butter into it
Mix flour and salt and add into the above mix
Knead the dough very well for ten minutes.The dough may be sticky in the beginning,but as you knead it will become non sticky.
After ten minutes of kneading let the dough rest for ten minutes.
Again knead for another five minutes and again let the dough rest for ten minutes.
Now the dough will be soft,non-sticky and elastic.
Divide and shape the dough into equal sized balls
Arrange them on a greased baking tin
Cover and let these balls rise until double in size [one hour]
When they are proofed,brush their top with egg or milk
Place the tin in a preheated oven.Bake them at 190 degree Celsius for18 - 20 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.
into a clean bowl add in water,yeast,sugar,salt and butter/ghee
add in the flour and combine very well
transfer the dough into a clean work surface and begin to knead;after about one minute of kneading you can feel that the dough is very sticky;you may tempted to add more flour,but don't do that;because whatever flour you add,the dough will absorb it,then you will add more and more flour;eventually the bread won't be that soft;instead of adding extra flour continue kneading,in between scrape and turn the dough
after about 10minutes of kneading cover the dough and let it rest for 10minutes
to check whether the dough has been kneaded enough you can do the window pane test;if the dough is ready you can stretch it into a thin mebrane without tearing;if there is break continue kneading for another 5-6 minutes,until the dough has become soft and elastic;repeat the window pane test after 10minutes of rest;the bread will be soft even if does not pass this test,but if it passes the test ,it is guaranteed that the bread will be super soft and fluffy.
First proofing
grease a bowl with oil
place the dough in it and turn it so that the dough is coated with oil
cover the bowl with a plastic wrap
keep this in a warm place until the dough has become double in size;it may take around 1 1/2- 2 hours
Shaping
transfer the fermented dough into a lightly floured surface;press gently to degas the dough
then roll into a rectangle shape;then fold the bottom third towards the center and bring upper third over it
now spread into a long rectangle;then roll it tightly and seal the edges
Second proofing
grease the loaf tin and place the shaped dough in it;[tin size 9x4x3 inches]
cover it and let it rise for about 45 minutes or until 90% of the tin is filled
Baking
bake in a preheated oven at 190 degree Celsius for 32-35minutes;after about 25minutes of baking the top of the bread may become brown;you can cover the top with an anumilium foil to prevent over browning and continue baking
after baking remove from oven and take the bread out from the tin
to check the doneness of bread tap or scratch the bottom of it, and you can hear a hollow sound;underbaked bread will have an yeasty smell
to make the crust soft you can brush some butter on it
now transfer this on to a clean work surface and knead well
after 10 minutes of kneading add 1 tbs of oil and again knead for another 5 minutes
the final dough should be smooth and elastic
transfer this into a greased bowl and cover with a wet towel or cling wrap
rest this dough for 2 hours
in a small bowl mix together oil and ghee and keep aside
after 2hours of rest, divide the dough into equal sized balls
brush oil-ghee on each balls and rest them for 20 - 30minutes;this resting period is to allow the gluten to relax and thereby make it easy to roll out and shape the dough
now apply some oil on your counter top
roll the ball using a rolling pin into a very thin sheet
brush oil-ghee and then sprinkle some flour which will prevent the pleats from sticking together
cut the sheet using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter leaving one end intact
lift the sheet and pleat lengthwise from one end to another[please refer the video] and make a spiral
brush some oil to prevent drying and repeat the same with the remaining balls
then take a spiral ball onto a greased surface and flaten it using rolling pin;do not make it too thick or too thin
place this on hot tawa and cook this on medium flame;cook each side for one minute;then apply some ghee - oil mix and cook for a couple of minutes more;the outside should have a golden colour and the inside should be cooked properly
keep the cooked parotta warm until you finish all the parottas
when 3 -4 parottas are ready,arrange in a pile and press with your hands to separate the layers
mix initially with a spoon;when it is cool enough to touch knead with your hand until the dough come together and becomes smooth[for 2-3 minutes]
divide the dough into small balls[40g each];cover properly and let them rest for 15 minutes
after that,dust your work surface with some flour and roll each ball into thin disc[18-20 cm in size]
heat a pan on medium heat;if the pan is not hot enough chapati will become crisp;if it it is too hot,chappati will start to get burn spots,so maintain medium heat
place rolled out disc on hot pan;when wet spot dissappear[approx 20sec],flip it;when it starts to appear bubbles on top turn it again;within a few seconds chappati will begin to puff up.
remove the cooked chapati from pan and keep it well covered and warm until you finish rest of the chapatis.
drain and grind into a very fine paste along with salt
use minimum water to grind;I have used 2 table spooons of water to grind it
transfer the ground batter into a wide vessel ;add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
beat with your hand for 5 minutes to aerate the batter
transfer the batter into a piping bag
step 2 : prepare sugar syrup
add sugar into a sauce pan
add 3 / 4cup of water and lemon juice
add 1/2tsp turmeric powder
heat up and stir well until sugar get dissolved
bring to a good boil
lower the flame and continue heating until the syrup gets half string consistency,when you test with your fingers the syrup strings and cut off immediately
turn off the flame and stir in cardamom powder
keep this aside
step : shaping and frying
pour oil into a shallow wide frying pan;the height of oil should be less than 1 inch
when oil becomes medium hot press the dough into it
fry on medium - high flame until they are crisp
step : soaking
when the jangiris are crisp,drain from oil and quicky dip them in the sugar syrup
do not allow the jangiris to cool or else they won't absorb the syrup
take out them from the syrup roughly after 3 minutes
repeat the same with the remaining dough
crispy and juicy jangiri/imarti/jalebi are ready to sarve
Kappalndi mittai using jaggery is a healthy sweet for our sweet kids. Recognising the consistency of jaggery syrup is the key to make perfect kadala mittai.
Ingredients :
kappalandi/peanut roasted and skin removed - 1.5cups[250g]
jaggery - 1cup[185g]
water - 1/4 cup
oil - 2 tbs
Method :
- dry roast the peanuts till become crisp and brown spots appear on them
- remove from fire and let them cool
- remove the skin and keep aside
line a tray with aluminium foil and brush oil on it and keep aside
- boil jaggery along with water till the jaggery get melted
- strain it to remove the impurities
- pour the jaggery syrup into a heavy bottomed vessel
when it begin to boil add oil
heat this on low heat till get soft crack stage *
- if you add peanuts before soft crack stage, mittai will become sticky
when it is ready immediately add in the peanuts and stir well as fast as possible
- immediately transfer them to the prepared foil and press with rolling pin
- it help to avoid floating of peanuts over jaggery
- before become completely cool, mark the portions with a knife
- let them cool completely before serving
Note : stages of jaggery
1. frothing : it become thick like honey
2. soft ball stage : stirring occasionally on medium flame; after a few seconds it reaches soft ball stage. when you drop it in cold water, you will be able to make soft ball without any shape.
3 hard all stage : after a few seconds it reaches the hard all stage; when drop in cold water immediately it thickens with well defined edges; you can make a hard ball and if you through it on a steel plate you can hear a "ting" sound;if you bite it, it will stick to your teeth.
4. soft crack stage :after about 45 seconds is the soft crack stage;drop a liitle syrup in cold water;it thickens quickly and if you bite it you can break it easily without sticking; and this is the time to add peanuts.
For making craquelin choux pasrty we need to prepare for three parts
the craquein
the choux pastry
the custrad cream
Ingredients for craquelin
softened butter - 3 tbs[45g]
sugar -50g
all purpose flour -50g
pinch of salt
How to make craquelin?
in bowl combine together sugar, butter and salt
then add flour and mix well
transfer this into a baking paper and roll into cm thickness
keep this in freezer until needed
Inredients for choux pastry
butter -56g[1/4cup]
all purpose flour -1/2cup[65g]
salt -1/4tsp
water -1/2tsp
eggs -3
How to make choux pastry?
boil together water,butter and salt
reduce flame to low and add flour into it and mix thouroghly
cook for another 2 minutes on low flame until the dough become soft and leaves from the pan
transfer this into a bowl and let it cool for2-3 miutes
now add eggs one at a time
add the second egg only after the previous egg has been completely incorporated
after adding the second egg if you find the dough is too thick whisk another egg and add a little at a time until you get the right consistency
to check the consistency , scoop a small portion of the dough with a wooden spoon; when lift it up ,the dough should be able to fall from it on its own after around seconds; the dough should be shiny and it should not be too wet so that it cant hold its shape
trasfer the pastry dough into a piping bag
pipe this into a baking tray lined with baking paper
pipe1.5 inches mounds at least 3 inches apart
take out the craquelin from the freezer
cut them using a cookie cutter of 1.5 inches size
for baking, preheat your oven at 230degree Celsius
reduce the temperature to180 degree Celsius after placing the tray
bake this for 35-40minutes
take out from oven and allow them to cool
Ingredients for custard cream
egg yolks -3
sugar -5tbs
corn flour -2tbs
vailla extract -1tsp
milk 250ml
butter -1tbs
condensed milk -1tbs
How to prepare custard cream?
warm up the milk in a sauce pan until you start to see bubbles on the sides;you don't need to boil the milk
in a bowl mix togeher eggs,sugar,cornflour and vanilla very well
pour hot milk little by little, whiking continuously
now pour this mix back into the saucepan
cook this on low heat with continuous stir until you get thick creamy pudding like consistency
turn off the heat and add butter, condensed milk and salt and combine well
transfer into a bowl and cover it with a plastic wrap
allow it to cool completely
Fill the custard cream into the choux pastry
fill the custsrd cream into a piping bag
pierce the bottom of choux puff pastry and pipe the cream into it until full
sugar - 8 tbs [ 4 tbs for caramel and 4 tbs for pudding]
eggs -2
unsalted butter/ghee -1tbs
vanilla essence -1/2tsp
pinch of salt
Method
add 1/2cup milk into the rice flour;mix without any lumps and keep aside;this process will prevent clumping of rice flour later while adding into the hot milk
take 4 tbs sugar into a sauce pan and add 2tbs water into it
heat this up until the sugar caramalised into a deep golden colour
now transfer this into a greased mould and keep aside
add remaing milk into a heavy bottomed pan and bring to boil
reduce the flame to low
add butter and mix well
add the milk-flour mix slowly into this, stirring continuously
add 4 tbs sugar
cook this on low flame until the mix become very thick
allow this to cool for 5 minutes
crack the eggs into a bowl
combine them using a fork without forming froth
add the cooked mix slowly into the eggs
add salt and vanilla
pour this over the caramel
cover the tin and steam this for40-45 minutes
once done, allow it to cool
when it cools down to room temperature refirigerate for 2 hours or overnight
cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
raisins - 1/4 cup
onion - 2 cups (thinly sliced)
For chicken masala
chicken - 1 kg
green chillies - 6-7 (adjust as per taste)
garlic - 30g
ginger - 15g
onion - 2
biriyani masala powder (previously made) - 2 tbsp
tomatoes - 2
curd - 2 tbs
lemon juice -1 tbs
coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
mint leaves - 1/4 cup
salt
For rice
jeerakasala rice - 4 cups
whole spices ( cinnamon -1"stick,cloves -4, 3 cardamom,1 small star anise )
ghee - 2 tbs
water 7 cups
salt
Method
step 1 : making biriyani masala powder
dry roast the spices [listed under 'for biryani masala'] except chilly and poppy seeds for two minutes on medium heat
after two minutes add chilly and poppy seeds and roast for one minute more
turn off the heat and powder them when cool
step 2 : frying the toping
- fry cashews till get a golden shade and then drain and keep aside
- fry raisins till they puffed up and then drain and keep aside
- fry thinly sliced onions in batches till get pretty golden colour then drain and keep aside
step 3 : chicken masala
- crush ginger-garlic-green chilly into a paste and keep aside
- saute sliced onions till become very soft
- add in the crushed ginger-garlic-green chilly paste
- saute till the raw smell gone
- add in the biriyani masala powder and turmeric powder and saute for 1 minute
- add in the cleaned and drained chicken pieces
- stir well till the colour of the chiccken pieces turned white (5 minutes)
- add in chopped tomatoes,coriander leaves mint leaves and salt
- mix well
- cover it and cook on low flame till the chicken pieces are done (10-12 minutes)
- no need to add extra water; moisture released from chicken is enough to cook them well
- stir in between to prevent burning
- once the chicken pieces are cooked add in curd and lemon juice
- cook without putting lid until the gravy become thick
- turn off the flame
- crush 3/4 of fried onion with your hands and add into the gravy
- mix well
- chicken masala is ready now; keep this aside
step 4 : rice preparation
- heat up 2 tbs ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel
- saute the whole spices for 1 minute
- add the washed and drained rice and stir for 2 minutes (no need to soak the rice)
- then pour 7 cups of hot boiling water
- add in enough salt
- add in 1 tbs lemon juice
- mix well
- cook it covered on medium flame till the rice absorbed entire water.
step 5 : dum
- in a small bowl mix together tbs rose water and tsp turmeric powder and keep aside
- take a heavy bottomed vessel
- layer the chicken masala first
- then layer half of the rice
- add some of the fried cashews,raisins and fried onions
- sprinkle some biriyani msasala powder
- sprinkle the rose water mix
- add some coriander leaves
- then layer the remaining rice
- add in the cashews,raisins,fried onions
- sprinkle biriyani masala powder and 1 tbs rose water
- add in 1 tbs ghee
- cover the top with aluminium foil and seel the edjes and then place the lid
- heat up an old tawa
- place the biriani pot over it
- cook in low flame for 10 minutes and then switch off the flame.
- open it after 10 minutes .
- when serving make sure that each portion get equal amount of gravy and rice
crush ginger,garlic and green chilly together and add into the beef
add chilly powder, turmeric powder, sliced onion,curry leaves and salt and mix everything well
pressure cook the beef until cooked well [ I usually cook this on high flame until the first whistle and then cook for another 10 minutes on low flame ]
open the cooker when the pressure has been settled
if stock is there cook without lid until dry
for frying heat up oil in a pan
add fennel seeds and fry for a few seconds
deep fry the ginger until crisp
add sliced onion , green chilly and curry leaves and drain when they are soft
deep fry until the beef become dark brown and almost 80%crisp
drain and mix with fried ginger,onion and curry leaves
sprinkle pepper powder, salt and garam masala as per your taste;serve hot
