Karanji

Ghughra/Karanji

This is a traditional sweet made especially for Diwali by one and all with a little bit of variation in the recipe. Ghughras are flour dumplings which are stuffed with a sweet mixture of fresh or dry cocunut, sugar, cardomom powder, ground cashews and almonds, and raisins and then deep fried. The health conscious often bake them instead of frying.

As you bite into each ghughra, its crunchy texture along with the subtle sweet flavor of dried coconut and sugar laced with the aroma of cardamom stretches into every bite and leaves you craving for more.

Ingredients:

For Dumpling:

2 ½ cup maida

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoon hot oil

Water as needed for kneading the dough

For filling:

3 cup dry coconut

2 cup powdered sugar

½ cup dry fruit powder (Almond, cashew nut, Pistachios)

2 tsp Charoli/chironji (Other names: Cudpah Nut or Buchanania latifolia)

2 tsp cardmom powder

Raisins (I like to put lots of it)

Ghee for frying Ghughras

Process:

For Filling: Take the dry coconut and roast it in a pan till it turns brown. When it is cool, grate it and keep aside. In a mixing bowl, mix in the grated coconut, powdered sugar, cardamom, dry fruit powder, and charoli. There your filling is ready. This filling can be made in advance. It stays well for upto 10-15 days as all the ingredients used are dry, just be sure not to add the charoli and the raisins because the filling will not stay for long if these two ingredients are added.

For Dumpling:

Sieve the flour. Add salt. Add hot oil to the maida. Mix it well. Now add some water and knead lightly. Keep adding water as required and knead into a soft but pliable dough, not too soft. Set aside and cover with a damp cloth. Let it remain for an hour or so. Divide the dough into small equal sized balls and roll each ball with the rolling pin into a thin puri. Place a spoonful of filling on one side, fold over, and pinch it down into half-moons. For a proper ghugra, the twisted edge is key to traditional presentation. This takes practice and patience. Also it means longer time to prepare them. I learnt this watching my mom make it during Diwali (and also eagerly helping her out thereby ruining many of her ghughras in the process). Prepare all the ghughras and cover it with a damp muslin cloth.

Heat enough ghee in a wide vessel to deep fry the stuffed ghughras. Drop 3-4 ghughras into the ghee slowly and deep fry them till golden brown turning them carefully to the other side so that it cooks on all sides. Deep fry on medium heat. Cool and store in air tight containers.

They can be stored for upto two weeks or so.

Tips:
1. The correct frying medium is oil for all savouries and ghee for all things sweet.
2. The pinching of the dumpling is very very important prior to twisting it as this thins the dough. If you do not do this, the final edge will be thick and will stay under-cooked or it may taste too doughy.
3. Ghughra moulds can be used (they are available in any indian store or market). When using moulds, place the rolled dough ball in a greased ghughra mould and fill it up with a tblsp of filling mixture on one side. Moisten the edges of the round and fold one side of the mould over the other. Remove the excess edges and reuse.

Aloo methi sabji

Here is a recipe with methi and aloo that goes really well with chapatis or as a side with rice and dal n best of all it can be prepared in a jiffy. I got this recipe from one of my friends and made this yesterday for the first time. It turned out really well. The slightly bitter methi taste goes well with the crispiness of the potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes, boiled (peeling optional) and cubed

2 cups methi,washed and chopped

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

For tempering:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp urad dal

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Process:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the chopped methi to it. Stir fry on high heat until it has wilted and then remove from the heat and keep aside. In another pan, heat the remaining 1 tsp of oil and add the tempering ingredients. Then put in the boiled and cubed potatoes and stir carefully at regular intervals to mix the ingredients taking care not to break the potatoes. Add salt to taste. Let the potatoes fry over medium heat until they begin to crisp a little. Add some oil to the pan if required. When the potatoes are done to your liking add the methi and mix in carefully. Serve hot with chapaties or as a side dish with rice.

Palmiers

Palmiers, a centuries-old French recipe with many many layers of dough and 100% butter that makes each bite of the petite Palmiers irresistibly flaky. It's an enticing and unique pastry that tastes even better with whipped cream or just a touch of honey.






Palmier (pal-mee-ay) is the French word for a palm tree and these cookies are said to resemble palm leaf (I don't see the resemblance though). They are made from a rich, buttery, and flaky dough n sprinkled with sugar n nuts. In French, puff pastry dough is called "pâte feuilletée".

Traditionally the recipe is time consuming and labor intensive (I cheated with the frozen puff pastry though as I'm always searching for shortcuts :D). The commercially available puff pastry sheets are a good substitute.


These quick and easy pastries make a lovely wonderful snack with "une tasse de café " or "une tasse de thé ". Palmiers can be made upto two days in advance and kept in a tightly sealed container. They should be served at room temperature or reheated in a 300 degree oven before serving.


I kind of followed the Pepperidge Farms recipe though made a few changes.

http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeID=26056



You can keep the prepared frozen puff pastry in the freezer. Then, whenever you want to bake, remove the roll from the freezer. Thaw for 15 minutes before you slice it to keep the dough from crumbling and bake as directed below.


Ingredients: One Pepperidge farm puff pastry sheet
Sugar (per taste)
Powdered nuts (Almonds, cashews)
Coconut powder

Process:
Thaw the puff pastry. In a bowl combine the coconut powder, almond n cashews powder, and sugar. Unfold 1 sheet of the pastry. Spread 1/2 of the combined powder mixture on a clean surface and roll the pastry sheet into a rectangle. Repeat the same for the other side too. Roll it to an even thickness.


Starting at the short side of the rectangle, roll the pastry toward the center of the sheet stopping at the middle. Then repeat so the rolls meet in the middle. Trim the ends with a knife.

I forgot to take photos when rolling the sheet. So I googled n found one site where u can see step by step photos for folding the pastry. Here is the link. Click the link The changes I did to the folding procedure was that I rolled it a bit and sprinked more of the combined mixture after each fold.


After the thrid step as shown in the pic, cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate it for an hour or so. Then, when you are ready to bake, preheat the oven at 425F. Take the pastry sheet out from the fridge, thaw it for around 15 minutes and then proceed the fourth step of cutting the sheet into 1/2 inch slices. Press each slice gently with your palm and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet(or lined with parchment paper). Keep 1 1/2 inch space between each slice.

Bake them for 7-8 minutes (time varies depending upon the oven) so its better to check them in between as they tend to be brown very fast due to the sugar. Remove from the oven and turn the pastries over. Bake for 5-7 minutes more or until golden. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. Serve hot or at room temperature.









I like to call them Little Hearts as they are heart shaped. Perfect in time for Valentine's Day.

Jaggery

Gudh







Description:
This coarse unrefined sugar is made from the sap of various palm trees or from sugarcane juice. Jaggery is not purified and therefore has all the quality of the juice itself. It comes in several forms; the two most popular being a soft honeybutter texture and a dark solid cakelike form.

Flavor/Aroma:
Jaggery has a sweet winey fragrance and flavor that lends distinction to whatever food it embellishes. It has a heady aroma and delicious flavour somewhere between brown sugar and molasses. Jaggery has a heavy caramel-like aroma which is slightly alcoholic. The taste is very sweet and mushy.

Jaggery has a special flavour that cannot really be substituted by sugar although brown or demerara sugar is the closest equivalent.

How to select:
Jaggery ranges from mustard yellow to deep amber in colour depending on the quality of sugarcane juice. The former is used to spread on breads and confections while the dark solid version serves to make candies and granola bars called chikki in India.

Use:
Jaggery is used in many dishes. You need small amounts of it for most dishes. The following are some of the examples: For the South Indian "payasam", jaggery is simmered with cooked rice and a variety of condiments and nuts. "Chikki" is made by adding nuts to melted jaggery and cooling the mixture in thin slabs. In rural India, tea is sweetened with jaggery instead of sugar. It is added to vegetables along with spices for the sweet and sour taste found especially in Gujarati dishes. It adds the necessary touch of sweetness to hot curries. It is added along with lentils to make a dough which is stuffed inside whole wheat flour dough to make a heavenly flat griddle bread known as puranpoli. Also, used in Indian sweet dishes like "Kheer"and several deserts instead of sugar because of its nutritious value.

Jaggery is used in traditional and cultural events as a gift to mark sweetness and auspiciousness.

How to store:
Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Health benefits:
Jaggery is believed to have great nutritive and medicinal value and it has the reputation of being a 'medicinal sugar'. It is prescribed for use in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Jaggery contains proteins, minerals, and vitamins which are essential constituents for the body. It is also a potent source of iron and has a higher iron and copper content than white sugar. Also, it is a superior product among natural sweeteners with regards to the vitamin contents. It is said to purify blood, regulate liver function, and keep the body healthy. It is also very useful in health problems like dry cough, cough with sputum, indigestion, constipation etc. It purifies the blood, prevents rheumatic afflictions and disorders of bile and possesses nutritive properties of high order. Being a completely natural product it's keeping quality is very poor and needs very specific conditions.

Tips:
Tired of using the hammer and knife method to break down large chunks of jaggery, follow the easy breezy method of using the microwave. Microwave large chunks of jaggery in a bowl for 20-25 seconds or so and they are soft enough to be crumbled easily.

Spring onion besan pancakes

Pudla/Dhirde


Pudlas in Gujarati or dhirde in Marathi is a quick and simple snack. It can be made as a snack or even as a light dinner. There are days when you are just too tired to cook anything elaborate. At that time pudlas are a convenient option.

There are quite a few kinds of Pudlas using different ingredients and different flours. I like the spring onion ones. So here is the recipe for it. It tastes fabulous when served with ketchup.

Ingredients:
2 cups gram flour (besan)
Spring onions one bunch
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp dhaniajeera powder (optional)
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Oil
Salt (to taste)

Process:
Mix all the ingredients together. Add water little by little to avoid lumps and make a thick batter like pancakes. Keep this aside for an hour or so. Smear a little oil on a heated tava. Pour out a large spoonful of batter on the tava and spread it with the back of a spoon. Let it cook. When done turn and cook the other side. Remove when crisp. Serve hot with ketchup.

Garlic

Description:
Garlic is used in cuisines throughout the world. It is indispensable in Chinese, Italian, and Mexican foods. Garlic looks pretty similar to onion except that the bulb is segmented into cloves seemed to be covered with what looks like tissue paper ;) It has been used for both culinary and medical reasons. The plant has been used to protect against infections, to lower blood cholesterol and fat levels, and to help with digestion and modern research has confirmed these effects.

Storing:
Store fresh garlic in an open container (away from other foods) in a cool dark place. When properly stored unbroken bulbs can be kept up to 8 weeks though they will begin to dry out toward the end of that time. Once broken from the bulb, individual cloves will keep from 3 to 10 days. It is kept in an open container as it "breathe" and allowing correct air circulation will extend its shelf life.

Do not store garlic heads and cloves in your kitchen fridge. If garlic is refrigerated then it is likely to go soft and mouldy. The same problem can occur if garlic is stored in a sealed plastic container.

Freezing:
If you are making garlic paste, then add a tablespoon of hot vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil to the paste and mix well. This ensures that it stays fresh for longer. Spread the garlic out in a ziploc bag in a thin layer so that its easier to remove and lay it flat in the freezer. When needed, just break off the amount needed and re-zip the bag.

Curry leaves

Appearance: Small, green leaves.







Flavour/Aroma : They have an aroma reminiscent of curry and citrus fruit with a slight, very mild, bitter after taste.

Description:
Curry leaves look like somewhat small leaves from a lemon tree. Fresh curry leaves are shiny dark green with no yellow spots on them nor are they wilted. They are sold with the branch and stems attached. Remove from the branch and discard the stems. You can find packets of fresh curry leaves in the fresh vegetable section or in the refrigerated area of your local Indian grocery shop. They are mainly used as an aromatic flavoring for most curries and dals. The leaves when lightly fried in oil or ghee release a wonderful fragrance and when used in dals/kadhi enriches them by its unique appetizing aroma.

Storing:
For extended use, place stems in between paper towels and seal in a zipper bag. Store in the crisper for as long as 2 weeks. Change the paper towels in between if it becomes too moist/damp.