French yogurt cake with cardamom and pistachio

Makes 1 loaf cake

Granulated sugar- 1/2 cup

Eggs- 2 small

Vanilla extract- 1/4 tsp

Plain yoghurt- 1/4 cup

All purpose flour- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Salt- a pinch

Ground cardamom- 3/4th tsp

Flavourless oil- 1/4 cup

Pistachio nuts- 1/2 cup, lightly crushed

Preheat oven to 175C and line a small loaf pan with baking paper.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and yogurt till well combined and pale yellow..approx 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients (flour to cardamom) and mix well to combine.

Pour in the oil and fold lightly, don't have to whisk vigorously, but make sure its all mixed well

Pour the batter into the pan and top with the chopped nuts.

Bake for about 30 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean.

Take them out and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Slice and have with a cuppa.

South Indian garlic and coconut rice

Serves 4 as part of main meal (recipe adapted from here)

Oil- 1tsp

Curry leaves- 6 to 8 leaves

Garlic- 15 medium size pods, peeled and roughly chopped

Dried red chilli- 1 large (add more if you want it spicy)

Fennel seeds- 1/4 tsp

Grated coconut- 1 cup

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 tsp

Ghee- 1/2 tbsp

Oil- 1 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Urad dal- 1 tsp

Dried red chilli- 2

Cooked rice- 6 cups (could be basmati, or any leftover rice)

Heat the oil in a wok and keeping heat to medium low, add the curry leaves, garlic, dried red chilli, fennel seeds, grated coconut and chilli powder.

Roast till the coconut changes in colour a bit and all the spices are aromatic, for about 5 minutes or so. Keep stirring continuously or they will burn. 

Once cool, grind to a coarse mix.

Heat the ghee in the same wok and splutter mustard seeds.

Add curry leaves, urad dal and the dried red chilli to temper.

Add the ground mix and saute for a couple of minutes, just to warm it up.

Add cooked rice into the wok and mix it into the tempered ingredients and ground mix slowly, without breaking the rice.

Keep on heat just enough to warm the rice.

Serve with cold raita and pickle and papad.

Notes: Its a dish that is very strong on the garlic flavour. Reduce it if you want to mellow it down a bit.

Cold cooked rice, or rice that has stayed a couple of days in the fridge is best in this recipe.

You can ease the process by adding the ground mix with the rice in a bowl and then pouring the tempered ingredients on top of the rice and giving a good mix.

Harissa and garlic smashed potatoes

 

Serves 3 as part of side

Charlotte potatoes- 10

Olive oil- 4 tbsp

Harissa paste- 2 tsp

Garlic- 6 pods, peeled and finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese- 1/4 cup, finely grated

Chopped parsley- to garnish

Wash and scrub the potatoes and cook them in a pan of boiling water for about 20 minutes or till they are just about fork tender.  

Drain and keep aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, take a small bowl and pour in the olive oil.

Into it add the harissa paste, garlic pods and salt to taste.

Give a thorough mix and keep aside till ready to use.

Preheat oven grill/broiler to 200C and line a baking tray with kitchen foil.

Generously brush the foil with some of the olive oil (without any garlic bits). You can also use an oil spray if that's more convenient.

Place the potatoes on the tray, a few inches apart and using a potato masher, slightly smash them, without going all the way through, and by retaining the shape. If you mash it too much, the potatoes would break.

Douse or brush the smashed potatoes with the harissa paste and garlic olive oil, making sure there are a few garlic pieces on top of each of the potatoes. Be generous here and use up all the oil, as it adds to the flavour and also helps crisp up the potatoes a bit.

Place under the grill for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Take it out, top the grilled potatoes with the cheese and place it back under the grill for another 3 minutes or so, just until the cheese is melted.

Just before serving, sprinkle the chopped parsley, and serve warm.

Notes: We served this as a side to Roast pork and it was great.
You can use melted butter instead of olive oil for an enhanced taste.

Light brioche burger buns

Makes 6 medium size burger buns or about 5 large buns (Recipe adapted from here)

Bread flour- 1 1/4 cups + 3 1/2 tbsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Oil- 1 1/2 tbsp

Warm water- 1/2 cup

Whole milk- 1 1/2 tbsp
Active dry yeast- 1 tsp
Sugar- 1 1/4 tbsp
Egg- 1 large
Bread flour- 1 1/4 cups + 3 1/2 tbsp
Oil- 1 1/2 tbsp
Egg white- of one small egg for egg wash, lightly beated
Sesame seeds- around 1 tsp or so

Into the bowl of a free standing mixer add the flour and salt and rub in the oil with your finger tips so the flour resembles coarse bread crumbs. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the warm water, milk, yeast and sugar.
Beat at egg into it and pour this mix into the flour mix.
Using the dough hook of the mixer, start kneading the dough on medium speed for about 5 to 6 minutes, or till the dough comes together. If you are kneading by hand, lightly flour a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes till the dough is no longer sticky.

The dough should not be really sticky, but pliable without the use of more flour.

Oil the same mixing bowl and place the dough into it, spreading some oil on it to prevent drying.

Cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rise for a minimum of 1.30hrs or till doubled in size.

I preheated my oven to about 40C, turned it off but with the light on and left the dough in there to proof. If proofing in the oven make sure its not more than 50C as forcing the rising will result in a dense, dry bread.

After the dough has risen to double its size, punch it down and scoop out of the bowl (on to a lightly floured surface if needed. I didnt need to use any) on to your kitchen counter.

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. (I am a bit mental when it comes to sizes in baking so i actually measured out the portions each weighting approx 78 to 80gms)

Roughly roll each portion, flatten to a thick pancake size and bring the sides together to join in the middle and make a parcel of sorts. Then turn it over and using your palm, cup the ball and roll lightly to form a perfectly round bun.
Place all the buns on a tray lined with baking paper and keep aside to proof for another hour or till the buns have risen.
I placed them back into a warm oven with just the light on.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 200C
Brush the tops of the buns with egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds.
Pour boiling water into a baking dish or any oven proof dish and place on the oven floor. The steam created will ensure soft buns.
Place the tray with the buns on the middle shelf and bake for about 13 to 15 minutes (if they are medium size and for about 20 minutes if large).
Remove from oven once they are done, and transfer on to cooling racks.
Store in a bread bin or wrap in cling film and use as required.

Notes: The recipe can easily be doubled.
The same recipe makes about 8 mini brioche buns
I overdid the egg white a bit too much and i suspect that why the tops browned waay too much. Use sparingly. Even milk would do instead of egg white

Ground coconut chutney (for idli and dosa)

All my ground coconut woes have been sorted, thanks to the Philips mixer i got back from India this time, much to Ro's protests. I regret not having bought one earlier and suffering the last 9 years with all sorts of blenders from here where it would not grind the coconut to a smooth paste, and i used to hate having small bits floating around my curries. So those contemplating, just don't think twice, do yourself a favour and buy it.

Serves 3 (as a side to idli or dosa)

Desiccated coconut- 1 cup

Onion- 1 tbsp, roughly chopped

Dried red chilli- 1

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 tsp

Ginger- 1 tsp, peeled and roughly chopped

Salt- to taste

To temper

Coconut oil- 1/2 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Urad dal- 1/2 tsp

Dried red chilli- 1, broken in half

Curry leaves- 5 to 6 leaves

Onion- 1 heaped tbsp, finely chopped

Into a mixer bowl add the coconut, onion, dried red chilli, chilli powder and ginger.

(Add enough water to just cover the coconut. Please don't add a lot of water, as this would make the chutney too watery. That said, if the water is too less then that wont grind the coconut well enough. However, if in doubt, start with smaller quantities of water and then add more if required)

Grind everything together to a smooth paste.

Pour into a serving bowl and keep aside.

In a deep pan or kadai, heat the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds.

Once they start to splutter add the urad dal and stir till it begins to brown a wee bit. Take care not to burn it.

Throw in the dried red chilli and curry leaves followed by chopped onions.

Fry till the onions have turned a golden brown.

Immediately pour over the ground coconut mix and  it would sizzle a bit.

Stir the tadka into the coconut chutney and serve with idli or dosa.

Kerala Kozhi peralan

 

There are loads of ways to do the quintessential Kerala chicken peralan (a semi gravy of sorts), but i find this method the easiest. Sure its not a one pot prep, but a really quick one with the aid of pressure cooker. 

Serves 2 as part of main meal (Recipe loosely adapted from The Suriani Kitchen by Lathika George)

Chicken- 500 gms (Bone in pieces. Here I've used chicken thighs)

To marinate

Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp

Lime juice- 1/2 tsp

Salt- to taste

Curry leaves- a sprig

Oil- 2 tbsp

Curry leaves- a sprig

Onion- 1 medium, finely chopped

Garlic- 4 pods, finely chopped

Tomato- 1 small, finely chopped

Thick coconut milk- 1/4 cup

Garam masala- 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients under the marinate section for about half an hour.

When ready to cook, transfer to a pressure cooker , add a sprig of curry leaves and 1/2 cup water and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. 

You basically pre-cook the chicken till done (its also OK if its not completely cooked, as you can finish off the cooking in the next few steps, but it would help cut down on time significantly if the chicken is fully cooked).

Open the cooker lid once the pressure has released and keep aside. There should be about 1/2+ cup of gravy in the cooker. 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the curry leaves for a couple of seconds.

Into it add the onion and garlic and continue cooking till the onion has wilted and turns golden brown.

Toss in the tomato and cook till the oils start to surface.

Pour in the gravy from the chicken along with the coconut milk and bring to a good boil. If you do think the gravy is too much, then cook to almost 1/2 a cup and then only add the chicken.

Once it becomes thick, like it coats the back of a spoon consistency, add the cooked chicken and mix it all well. 

Cook for a further 5 to 7 minutes, or till the gravy completely coats the chicken pieces. Keep doing this on medium heat without the gravy getting burnt or stuck to the base of the pan. If you feel the chicken hasn't been completely cooked in the pressure cooker, then of course keep cooking till its done at this point.

Sprinkle the garam masala and freshly ground black pepper, give one final stir, and take it off the heat.

Cover and keep till ready to serve.

This chicken preparation is best with steamed rice, thoran and parippu curry.

Notes: You can of course do the entire prep in the frying pan without precooking the chicken. Add the chicken after the tomato along cook till done. Then add the coconut milk and cook till the you get the semi gravy consistency. 

This dish doesn't have a lot of gravy and so best had with a gravy accompaniment.

That said, if you did want a little more gravy, then don't dry off almost all of the liquid, but keep enough to use as gravy. You can add more coconut milk also to get a thick gravy.

Super soft dinner rolls

 

These rolls are really soft and so easy to make. You'd have most of these in your pantry and even with prooving time, you still can sort this out within 2.30 hrs or so. I decided at around 4pm that i needed to make dinner rolls and these were out of the oven before 7, and just in time for dinner.

Makes 12 rolls (Recipe adapted from here)

Whole milk- 1 cup, warm

Active dry yeast- 1 tbsp

Caster sugar- 2 tbsp

Salt- 1 tsp

Oil- 3 tbsp

Egg- 1, medium

Bread flour- 3 cups (plus 2 or 3 tbsp more)

Egg- 1 ,small beaten (or milk is also fine)

Butter- 1 tbsp, melted

Into the bowl of a free standing mixer add the warm milk, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and egg. 

Whisk lightly to incorporate it all together.

Add about 2 1/2 cups of flour and using the dough hook attachment for the mixer start kneading on low speed.

Once the initial mixing is done, turn the speed on to medium and add the remaining half of the flour and continue kneading on medium speed for about 5 minutes.

The humidity of the place will determine if you need more flour. In all likeliness you'd need the extra 2 or 3 tbsp of flour to get a dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but take a call and add accordingly.

The dough is on the wetter side, but definitely not sticky, so aim to get a consistency like that. Dust your palms with some flour if needed to tackle the dough.

Oil the same mixing bowl and place the dough into it, spreading some oil on it to prevent drying.

Cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rise for about an hour and half.

I preheated my oven to 25C, turned it off but with the light on and left the dough in there.

After about an hour or when the dough has risen to double its size, punch it down and scoop out of the bowl (on to a lightly floured surface if needed. I didnt need to use any) on to your kitchen counter.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. (I am a bit mental when it comes to sizes in baking so i actually measured out the portions each weighting approx 65gms)

Make a smooth ball out each portion and transfer them into a lightly greased baking tray and leave covered for another hour or till doubled in size. I placed them back into a warm oven with just the light on.

They will touch each other when they rise, and that's absolutely fine.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 175C.

Brush the tops of each roll with an egg wash or milk wash and bake for 16 minutes. 

Make sure you dont over bake them.

Remove from oven and immediately brush with some melted butter.

Serve warm with some butter on the side

Notes: Cool completely on a cooling rack and store in plastic bags or cling wrap the rolls if using it the next day.

Store at room temperature, but microwave for about 20 seconds on high before using.

You can do the entire kneading process by hand, just make sure you knead till you get the desired non-sticky consistency.