Whole Wheat Milk Bread

August 24, 2014

Ingredients
1 Cup All purpose flour

1 ½ Cups Chappati flour
2 ½ Teaspoons dry active yeast
½ Teaspoon salt
¾ Cup milk
¼ Cup water
¼ Cup butter
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Method

Heat milk, water, honey and butter until butter melts. Transfer to a bowl and cool to luke warm temperature. Add yeast and give it a quick stir. Leave it until yeast is foamy.

In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, salt and ½ cup of the wheat flour. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the flour little by little and knead it until you have a soft and elastic dough.

Place in a  greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size.

Brush a loaf pan with oil.

Punch out air. Divide dough in two halves.

On a lightly floured board, roll each half into a rectangle.

Starting at the narrow end, roll up rectangle. 

Place seam side down in the prepared  pan. Place the two rolls side by side in the loaf pan. 

Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Brush melted butter over the top of the loaf.

Remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

This bread was an easy and spongy bread. I made this bread with home ground chappathi flour, you can also use ready made whole wheat flour. My theme for this week's blogging marathon is Tame the yeast. This bread was baked and suggested by Mireille of East West Realm.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#43.

Labels: Blogging Marathon, Breads, Eggless 

Skoudehkaris

September 10, 2014

This month's in Mena Cooking Club, we are making Djibouti food.  Our host Amira chose two different recipes one sweet and one savory.  In the savory she gave us a choice a Somali Soup or Skoudehkaris. I chose to make the National dish of Djibouti - Skoudehkaris. The original recipe is taken from here, with step by step pictures and method.

Skoudehkaris is basically a seasoned meat and classic one-pot stew of lamb or beef cooked in a spiced tomato-based sauce with rice, that would be traditionally be cooked over a fire nomadic style.

A little information about Djibouti. Facing, as it does, the narrowest point of the Persian Gulf, Djibouti lies in a strategic position. It has been used as a landing point for vessels following the Spice Trade for many centuries. As a result, as well as native cuisines (which are very similar to those of neighbouring Ethiopia) Djibouti also has strong Arabic, Indian and British influences. The Portugese also brought the techniques of roasting and marinating foods to this country. Arabs introduced saffron, cinnamon, pomegranate juice and other spices to the country and exotic Asian fruit like pineapple, lemon, orange and limes as well as New World foods like bell peppers, chillies, tomatoes and maize are common. The Djiboutienne staple is a flatbread called Injeera, which is used to wrap various meat and vegetable dishes.

When Mena emailed that I, could participate in this event with the details is was very excited.  When I checked the dish that had to prepare,  all childhood memories came to my mind.  I started telling my husband, childhood stories about eating mutton.  I use not eat mutton and did  not like the smell of it being cooked in the house.  My mother use to cook the mutton and the broth she used to give me, which I disliked, hence I used to get punished for not having it. I never ate mutton till I got married.  How I started eating it after my marriage is big story which I, will definitely tell you in another post. 

Since the recipe was already given to us I, decided not make any changes and use it as given.  I only reduced the quantity of mutton and rice since I, am the only one eating mutton in the house.  Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

2oo Grams Mutton with bones  -  cubed
1  Large Onion -  chopped
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1/2 Teaspoon  Cumin seeds
4 Cloves
2 Cardamom
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne powder or Chilly powder

2 Inch Stick of Cinnamon
2 Large  Ripe Tomatoes - Skinned and diced
800 Ml  Water

A cube of soup seasoning
1/4  Cup Long-grain Rice - washed
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method 

In a griddle lightly roast the cumin, cloves, cardamon and cinnamon.  Grind this to a fine powder.

Heat a large pan with oil, add onions and cook till they are translucent.  Add in the lamb and push the onions to the sides of the pan so that the meat can get contact with the pan, brown it a little. Add the ground spices, cayenne powder and stir fry it for a second. Now, add in the tomatoes and water. Cover and simmer for an hour or until the meat is tender.

After an hour add the rice and again cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

This brothy stew is ready.  Taste, then add salt and pepper.  Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

The aroma of this stew while cooking is awesome.  I just covered the pan with aluminium foil and left it on slow flame to simmer.   It does not require any attention. After I, added the rice,  gave it a quick stir, covered it foil and  left it to simmer on slow flame until the rice is tender.  This serves as a meal for 2.  As I was enjoying this stew, remembered all the trouble I gave my mother and said "Sorry Mummy". 

The remaining  I, had next day with 2 slices of garlic bread and it tasted even more delicious.  So enjoy this dish, or as they say in Djibouti, بالهنا والشفا! (bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā') or Bon appétit!

 
Check Out Other Members Recipes Here.


Labels: Mutton, Continental Cuisine, Mena Cooking Club, Djibouti, Soup

Instant Semolina (Rava) Dosa

Rava dosa is a crispy dosa and can be prepared instantly, without fermentation. A quick mix-in of chopped onions, coriander, curry leaves and green chillies adds excellent flavor to a batter. This dosa is a good option for breakfast, dinner, snack or a sudden meal for an unexpected guest. Whenever I, go to a hotel for breakfast, will always order this dosa, love it so much.  

Ingredients
1/4 Cup Semolina (Rava)
1/4 Cup All purpose flour
1/4 Cup Rice flour
1/4 Cup Curds

1 Cup Water
salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
A Spring of curry leaves
2 Tablespoons Coriander leaves - finely chopped
2 Green chillies - finely chopped
1 Onion - finely chopped
Oil / Butter for greasing

Method

Combine the semolina, all purpose flour, rice flour, salt, curd and water in a bowl and mix very well to make a smooth batter.  Add the asafoetida and curry leaves,coriander, green chilies and onion, mix well.
Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and grease it lightly with oil and sprinkle little water on it and wipe it with a cloth.

Use a pourer  (see pic above) to pour the batter in a circular manner starting from the outer side and then coming in the inner side to complete the circle. Pour little oil in the holes of the dosa and cook until crisp.

Repeat the process and prepare more rava dosas.  This is a very tasty dosa.

Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Note:  This dosa takes a little more time than the regular dosa to get cooked, so have patience and do not try to lift this dosa till it is crisp. 

Linking this post "Come, join us for Breakfast" event .

Labels: Breakfast, Come join us for Breakfast, Dosa, South Indian

Vegetable Poha

Poha is a popular Maharashtrian breakfast recipe. My mom used to make poha often for breakfast or for evening tea. Either it used to be made with onions only or with onions and potato.

Poha is the Maharashtrian word for flattened or beaten rice. In Marathi it often said Kande Pohe cha beth - it is understood that a boy coming to see a girl at her house.

This is an easy and quick breakfast to prepare.

Ingredients
1 1/2 Cup Poha
2 Potatoes - cubed
2 Teaspoons Green Peas
2 Teaspoons Peanuts
2 Teaspoons French Beans
2 Teaspoons Carrot - finely chopped
2 Teaspoons Cabbage - finely chopped
1 Capsicum - chopped
2 Onions - sliced
2 Green Chilies - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
3 Tablespoons Coriander Leaves - finely chopped
1 Lemon juice
3 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
A spring Curry leaves
Salt to taste
2 Tablespoons Coconut grated

Method
Wash the poha nicely and strain all the water out. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in kadai. Add mustard seeds and peanuts.
When they splutter add onions, chilies, potatoes, carrot, green peas, capsicum, cabbage and curry leaves.

Fry them till the onions turn pink and the vegetables become soft. Add turmeric powder, salt.

Add the poha and stir well and allow it to simmer for five minutes.

Add lemon juice, grated coconut and garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Linking this post "Come, join us for Breakfast" event .

Labels: Breakfast, Poha, Come join us for Breakfast 

Banana Fritters - Whole wheat

September 10, 2014

This month's in Mena Cooking Club, we are making Djibouti food.  Our host Amira chose two different recipes one sweet and one savory.  This is the sweet recipe.

Ingredients:
4 Ripened Bananas
1/4 Cup Wheat flour
1 Teaspoon full sugar

2 Tablespoons water
1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg powder

A pinch Cardamon powder

Oil for frying

Method

Mash bananas in a blender,  add the flour, sugar, water, and nutmeg. Add water, if needed, to make batter of pancake consistency. Mix well and fry like pancakes in an oiled frying pan until golden brown. 

We had this for breakfast they tasted nice but were very dense.

Makes 8 large fritters since I used a ring mould to make them round.

Check out other members recipes here.

Linking this post "Come, join us for Breakfast" event .

Labels: Breakfast, Come join us for Breakfast, Djibouti, Mena Cooking Club, Continental Cuisine, Eggless

You might also like to look at Jamaican Banana Fritters.