Saffron & Pistachio Kulfi

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

My curious 5 yr old came back from the school yesterday afternoon with a beautiful handmade card that very lovingly said ‘Dear Mom and Dad………Happy Holi’. I found it adorable and before I could even sit down and decide where to display his work of art, (I know, I am a hopelessly obsessed mother) I was bombarded with a series a question….Why do we celebrate holi? Why do we put colors on everyone? Which God do we pray to in holi? Will we have to go to the temple tomorrow to ‘do holi’? And it continued....each answer leading to more questions and so it went on for a while.

I was not too sure of the answers myself, and told him was that Holi is a festival that helps us make friends and strengthen our bond with our loved ones.  But I guess he did not find the answer interesting enough and with a distracted look walked out on our little Q & A session. 

Holi, I feel is that one day where you can drop all inhibitions and just have fun; you can look and behave ridiculous, its all acceptable. There are no rituals to follow, no customs to adhere to, basically it’s all about having a good time...……..its a festival that celebrates the free spirit in all of us, you can just be yourself. No pretenses, whatsoever.

To sweeten the festival of colors .....here is some refreshing and calorie laden kulfi, studded with pistachios and that delicate flavor of saffron.

Happy holi people :)

Saffron and Pistachio Kulfi

500 ml                    Milk
250 gms                  Condensed milk
2 Tbsp                    Milk powder
1 Tbsp                    Cornflour
3-4 Tbsp                 Roasted pistachio (chopped )
a few strands          Saffron


!. In a heavy bottom pan, combine milk, milk powder, cornflour and condensed milk. Stir well to ensure no lumps are formed.

2. Bring to a boil stirring continuously.

3. Simmer and cook for 15- 20 mins, stirring continuously, till the mixture slightly thickens. Take it off the flame.

4. Add chopped pistachios and saffron strands.

5. Cool the kulfi mixture and fill up small earthen ware containers or kulfi moulds.

6. Wrap with cling film.

7. Freeze them overnight.

Wholewheat Cloverleaf Rolls

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard

Eating fresh bread, still slightly warm from the oven, with a generous dollop of butter, first thing in the morning. Sheer ecstasy! The house smells heavenly….. warm and very very inviting. Don’t blame me, I am warning you in advance, you are going to get a lot of unexpected visitors as your bread bakes in the oven. There is something almost magnetic about the aroma of freshly baking bread.

Each time I bake bread, it strengthens my resolve, never to put bread in my shopping cart. The homemade ones are so fresh and there are absolutely no preservatives, its sheer goodness ! These cloverleaf rolls are soft and have this nuttiness from the whole wheat and is good to eat even without any accompaniment. And they look so pretty.

Bread baking uses the most basic ingredients, it is a very satisfying experience, kneading the dough and then watching it swell up and being baked to golden perfection. I marvel at the process each time I bake bread.  A lot of people I know shy away from it, they are not comfortable handling yeast. 

Think of yeast as a living organism which has to be handled with care. To activate the yeast we put it in warm water and provide it with food, which is sugar. Whenever activating yeast ensure that the water is never too hot, it should just be warm enough, it should feel comfortable on our skin.

A lot of bread recipes call for the addition of yeast directly to the dough mixture. But if you are using Active dry yeast or fresh yeast, activate the yeast separately and then add to the flour.  One, fermenting it separately ensures it is dissolved well and is mixed evenly with the dough.  Two, you always know if the yeast is still active and good to use, beforehand and you can save yourself a lot of heartache, energy and ingredients.

These rolls taste best on the day they are baked. Though they will last for 2-3 days, if stored well. However, slightly warming them in the microwave or the oven will freshen them up greatly.

The recipe below yields 10 rolls, though when i actually started putting them in the cupcake tray I only had 9 left....only to discover that one portion had been sneaked out and put to a more creative use! 

Wholewheat Cloverleaf Rolls 

125 gms                      All purpose flour/ Maida

125 gms                      Whole wheat flour

10 gms                        Butter

10 gms                        Sugar
10 gms                        Fresh Yeast  or or 1 tsp instant yeast 
3 gms                          Salt
165 ml                        Water (Approx.)

1. In a small bowl add half a cup warm water. Dissolve sugar and fresh yeast in the water. Cover and leave it aside for the yeast to activate, the mixture starts bubbling and will get frothy, takes about 5-10 mins. 

If this doesn't happen then either the yeast is too old and you need fresh yeast or the water was either too hot or too cold.

(Note: if using instant yeast directly add to the flour mix and knead)

2. In the bowl of a food processor, using the dough attachment, add both the flours, butter, salt and the activated yeast and gradually add water. As you pulse the mixture it will all start coming together. The dough should be soft and not stiff. 

Or 

Put both the flours in a mixing bowl add the activated yeast mixture and the remaining water, gradually. Mix using a wooden spoon or your hands, till it all comes together. Then add the butter and salt. Mix.

3. Get the dough out on a work surface to knead with your hands.

Note: The dough might be a little sticky at this stage, do not add any more flour to the dough, it will result in a heavier texture. Instead grease your hand and the work surface a little and start kneading.


4. The correct way to knead is by putting it on the work surface and with the heels of the hands stretching the dough out and then folding it back and giving it a quarter turn.  

5. Knead the dough till its smooth and elastic. Should take about 8-10 minutes. Round up  the dough in a smooth ball, pushing the creases down.

6. Put the dough in a big bowl and cover with cling film or a damp kitchen towel and leave it till it doubles in size. 

7. Once the dough doubles, gently punch it down to take the air out and cut out 10 equal portions of the dough. And keep them under a damp kitchen towel. This is to prevent the formation of a crust over the dough and to keep it soft. 

8. Take out one portion at a time and divide it into 3 equal parts. 

9. Now roll each small part into a small ball, ensuring to keep the tops smooth and pinching down the creases at the bottom.

10. In a lightly greased cupcake tray arrange the 3 balls of dough as seen in the picture.

 

11. Cover and leave the trays till it doubles in size. This should take roughly 30 mins. Also, preheat your oven 230 ° C.

12. Bake the rolls at 230°C for about 10-12 mins.  


13. Once they are done, take the trays out of the oven and immediately brush the tops with some melted butter. 

14. Let them cool on a wire rack.

15. Serve with some butter, soup or they are good to eat on their own too.

Low Fat Brownies

“Everything in moderation…including moderation.”   ~ Julia Child

Can there be a better way to eat chocolate than brownies. Rich, dense and undisputedly the scrumptious way to indulge in a cocoa treat.

Notoriously high in fat content, brownies are not something that can be indulged in very frequently. They were my 'special treat', before I started making the low fat version. One of the most popular ways to reduce the fat content in a recipe is by replacing it with a cooked fruit puree. And since beetroots are my latest food obsession, I used cooked and pureed beetroot to reduce the butter. 

These are actually a cross between a brownie and a very moist chocolate cake. It has a  beautiful crust, they are soft, gooey with an intense chocolate flavour. They are perfect with a glass of cold milk. The only thought in mind as I eat these........ Blissss

Skinny/ Low fat brownies

125 gms                  Dark chocolate

50 gms                    Butter

125 gms                  Cooked and pureed beetroot

1                            Egg

1                            Egg white

125 gms                  Sugar ( you can replace half the quantity of sugar with brown sugar)

75 gms                    Flour / Maida

1 tbsp                     Cocoa powder    

1 tsp                       Baking powder

2-3 tbsp                  Chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven 180 C

2. Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler or in a microwave.    

3. Cook beetroot till fork tender. Cool and puree it in a blender.

4. Add the beetroot puree to the chocolate mixture and stir well.

5. Add the egg, egg white  and the sugar to the chocolate mixture and mix well.

6. Sieve all the dry things together.

7. Add the dry ingredients and walnuts, if using, to the choco mixture and gently fold them together.

8. Bake in a lined tin for 30 mins. Do not overcook. (A skewer inserted should come out clean but sticky, with a few crumbs attached)

9. Remove from the oven and let it cool before taking it out of the pan. 

10. Once cool, cut into squares and serve with cold milk or vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh cream. 

Stuffed green chilly pickle

 

Can an Indian meal ever be complete without good homemade pickle? I am talking of the kind, which is soaked in mustard oil and is so full of flavors that the moment the jar is opened you are enveloped in the heady aromas of all the spices and the pungency of the mustard oil.

It took me the longest time to start pickling myself; I was always so scared of the enormity of the whole process. But once you get the hang of it, you can pickle almost any vegetable. The first pickle that I successfully made was this stuffed green chilly pickle.

After many failed attempts and subsequent heartache, I have figured out the most common mistakes for pickles getting spoilt. First, it’s crucial to dry the vegetables well post washing them. I generally wash them at night and leave them spread out under a fan overnight.

Second, once your pickle is ready, immediately put it in an air tight container and ensure you never put a wet or used spoon in it. Using your fingers to scoop out the veggies is also a big no! I always cut the stalks off the chilies, to prevent any chances of spoilage. For some it might be a futile effort but trust me, it ensures a better success rate.

Lastly, always try to use the freshest and best quality vegetables available, remember, you are preserving the vegetables by pickling them so if the quality is not good it definitely would affect the taste and the shelf life. 

Stuffed Green chilly Pickle

1 Kg                                   Green chilies (big ones)   

50 gms                               Methi daana/ Fenugreek seed powder

50 gms                               Sauf/ Fennel seeds powder

50 gms                               Amchoor/ Dried mango powder

40 gms                               Rai / Mustard seeds, Coarsely ground 

50 gms                               Haldi/ turmeric powder

40 gms                               Garam masala (use a variant without coriander seeds) 

30 gms                               Red chili powder

500 gms                             Mustard Oil

150 gms                             Salt

1. Heat oil in a pan. 

2. Take out the oil in a bowl and cool.

3. Add all the masalas, except salt to the cooled oil and mix well.

4. Slit the chilies and fill up the masala paste.  

5. Sprinkle the salt over the chilies and mix lightly. 

6. Pour the remaining masala paste, if any, over the pickle.

7. Put in an airtight jar and leave aside for 10- 15 days. 

Serve as a meal accompaniment to spice up your meals......

Moroccan Beetroot Salad

“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.”  ~ Adelle Davis

Beetroot definitely has to be one of the most under rated vegetables of all times. Its a very average looking vegetable when raw, but, wait, that’s only a cover. The moment it is peeled you are greeted to the ruby red richness of the beets, which is surreal .

Beetroots are a very healthy addition to our everyday diet . A powerhouse of nutrients and antioxidants, they are a source of potassium, magnesium, folic acid and iron. Its juice is regarded as a natural remedy for lowering high BP, is very helpful for people struggling anemia  with and also excellent for building stamina. 

Ideally, the best way to consume beets is to eat them raw but if the metallic after-taste of the raw vegetable has been a deterrent, try cooking it before consuming. Beets are naturally sweet and very versatile. Right from the starters to the deserts, they can be used in a variety of recipes to add that extra burst of color, taste and health.

This beetroot salad is simple and refreshing . It is quick to fix and can be a great accompaniment  to any meal or even be a perfect starter.

Moroccan Beetroot Salad

3                           Beetroots

1                           Onion,  grated (medium sized)

¼ C                       Coriander leaves, chopped

1 tbsp                    lemon juice

½ tbsp                   extra virgin olive oil

Mint leaves, just a handful

Salt & pepper, to taste

1. Wash and scrub the beetroot.

2. Cook the beets whole, without cutting the stalk or the tail off. this will help retain their color. Cook till fork tender. 

I pressure cooked them for 3 -4 whistles. Alternatively, they can be boiled in a pan with water for about 35- 40 mins or till they are done.

3. Slice a lemon in half and add to the pan/pressure cooker.Cooking beets with lemon enhances both, its flavor and color.

4. Once cooked, let them cool slightly. Then peel and chop into bite sized pieces.

5. In a bowl add the grated onion, chopped beet, chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves  and all the remaining ingredients.

6. Check for seasoning.

7. Chill before serving.