Samosa

Whenever you enter a restaurant the first thing that comes to your table is the menu card, you forget your hunger. You start browsing through the card and debating in the your mind whether to order this or that. This is exactly what happened to me when I was asked to pick a menu card and prepare three items from the card for the Blogging Marathon BM#47. I kept reading the cards and debating in mind what to prepare. After a lot of thinking I choose this one here. This is for the Day 1 of the Marathon, Samosa. 

Samosa is basically a fried pastry with savoury filling of spiced potatoes, peas or carrots.

Do you know that Samosa , is a popular brother the famous vada pav! The crisp outer crust of the samosa entices the person to have one more, and even one more!

As I was making these samosas it brought found memories, when my daughter was studying in school in the primary section, she would regularly make a demand for this and I use to make mini ones so that she could eat it without spilling and staining her school uniform. It also brought a another memory, when I recently visited my daughter in Brussels, I had made around fifty of these samosa's for a community lunch. The community people simply loved them, the children couldn't stop eating them. In the end, the incharge told me that I should stop making more of these or else this would continue till dinner time. The response was amazing. These were a novelty for them,  gave me great joy preparing it for them and making Mumbai Samosa famous ..... giving it an international status.

Ingredients
For The Dough

1 Cup All purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Ghee - melted
1/2 Teaspoon Carom seeds (ajwain)
Salt to taste

For The Stuffing
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Small Onion - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Mustard seeds

A pinch of Asafoetida
1 Teaspoon ginger-green chilli paste

A pinch of Turmeric powder
3 Medium sized Potatoes - boiled , peeled and cut into cubes
2 Tablespoon Green peas - boiled
1/4 tsp Dried Mango powder (amchur)
1/2 Teaspoon  Garam masala

1/2 Teaspoon Coriander - cumin powder
1 Tablespoon Coriander leaves - chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying

Method
For the dough
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a semi stiff dough using enough water. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Knead again till smooth and elastic and divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside.

For the stuffing

Heat the oil in a  kadhai and add the mustard seeds.When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida and ginger-green chilli paste and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds. Add the potatoes, green peas, coriander-cumin powder, dry mango powder, garam masala and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for a minute, while stirring continuously.
Remove from the flame, mash lightly using the back of a spoon and add chopped coriander, cool, divide the stuffing into equal portions. Keep aside.

How to proceed

 Roll out a portion of the dough into oval (see pic). 

 Cut the oval horizontally into 2 equal portions using a knife.

Take a portion and join the edges to make a cone (see pic)

Hold the cone and stuff it with a portion of the potato mixture.

Take a pleat in the center see pic.

 apply little water on the edges and fold to seal it.

Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing to make more samosas.

Heat the oil in a kadhai, and deep-fry the samosas on a slow flame till they turn golden brown in colour. Drain on absorbent paper. Keep aside.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doingBM#47.
Labels : Snack, Street food, Blogging Marathon 

Zebra Cake

The pattern of this cake makes it look spectacular. This is an easy to make cake. On Sunday just felt the need to bake a cake. Since all ingredients are always there in the pantry, it is easy to bake a cake just any time I feel like. I made 2 small cakes sent one to my friends house and this one we enjoyed. 

Ingredients
1 Cup Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla essence
2 Cups All purpose flour
2 Teaspoons Baking powder
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
A tablespoon Milk

Method
Sieve the all purpose flour and baking powder thrice, keep it aside.

Sieve cocoa powder separately to remove any lumps.

Grease a cake tin and then line it with butter paper then flour it. Remove any excess flour by tapping it.

Beat the eggs well with an electric hand mixer or wire whisk. Add sugar and beat until the mixture is creamy. Then add milk , oil , essence and beat well. Fold in flour gently. 

Divide the batter into two equal parts. Mix cocoa powder with a tablespoon milk and add it to one part,  mix well. 

How to bring Zebra stripe effect

Now pour a small ladle of plain batter in the center of the baking pan.

Then pour a ladle of cocoa batter on top of the vanilla batter in the center. Do not shake the tin or disturb it with a spoon. Just keep pouring the batter alternately with cocoa and plain in the center. It will spread automatically.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Try not to brown the cake too much on the top or else this pattern will not be visible.

The stripes look awesome isn't it.  We enjoyed to too try.

Labels : Cakes, Bake a thon.

Bake-a-thon 2014

An InLinkz Link-up

Cornmeal Curnchy Fruity Cake

A long delayed post, is at last being published.  Actually I had forgotten about this cake till this month Bake a thon event announced.

This cake is really crunchy, the cornmeal brings a crunchiness on each bite. The dried fruits and lemony tangy taste adds as a surprise.  During Christmas season last year  I found these fruits in the mall and could not resist buying them.  But now the question was what do I do with them.  So, I, Google and found this recipe.  Cornmeal ..... from where do I get, searched for it in various stores in Mumbai, did not find it anywhere.  So, again back to Google, on YouTube, found that you can make corn meal at home and that's how this cake was baked in my kitchen,  Its very easy to make cornmeal at home.  Look for videos on YouTube and will find many showing you the method. 

The one that I made was a little too big grainy so I, suggest that you make it like thick rawa/semolina. 

This is a great cake for tea time.  When fresh you get the lemony flavor and taste.  This cake, was especially made for our Easter party with my trekking friends.  

My friends enjoyed this cake, but, hubby dear did  not like this cornmeal cake, cause, the cornmeal  - coming on every bite under his teeth.  But, was very happy my friends gave Thumps Up for this cake.  So here is the recipe.  Do try this and you will definitely enjoy it. 

See these lovely, colorful fruits, who can resist them!

Ingredients

1/3 Cup butter softened 

1/2 cup  powdered sugar

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1/3 cup heaped self raising flour

1 Teaspoon Baking powder

2/3 cup cornmeal

1.1/3 cups Mixed dried fruits

1/4 cup Almonds

Grated rind of a lemon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla essence 

4 tablespoons Milk

Method

Grease a cake pan with a little butter and line the base with baking paper.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Add in the beaten eggs, one spoon at a time, continue whisking . Add the cornmeal into the mixture until well blended and let it get soaked for about 15 minutes ( This is essential since the cornmeal is made at home and is slightly more grainy then the one available in stores).  Then add the flour, baking powder and fold it gently.  Add the mixed fruit, nuts, grated lemon rind, lemon juice and milk. Spoon the mixture into the pan and level the surface.

Preheat oven to 180C. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool before cutting it. But let me tell you, I, had no patience till the cake is completely cooled just sliced it had it warm. I simply loved this cake. You can see the fruits in this cake.

Just delicious hmm.........  Enjoy!!!!!!!

Note :I used a silicon mould for this cake so I did not line it.  This cake you cannot unmold since its fruity and crunchy, hence I suggest, that a silicon mould or removable bottom baking cake pan be used.

Labels : Cakes, Bake a thon, Cornmeal

Bake-a-thon 2014

An InLinkz Link-up

A Combo Post - Kartoffelbrot - German Potato Bread & Oats Honey Loaf

This is a combo post for Blogging Marathon week two day 3.  Today I have do a post as to what was served for the breads that were baked on day 1 and day 2.

On day 1 I baked a Kartoffelbrot - German Potato Bread , we had it with Apple Sauce.

On day 2  a  Oats Honey Loaf , was baked we had it with
 Almond - ella Chocolate Spread

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doingBM#47.

Labels: Breads, Blogging Marathon 

Homemade Apple Sauce

In this Diwali vacation I had been to Himachal Pradesh for a holiday. In Himachal Pradesh one will find variety of apples and roasted ground nuts being sold at every junction and corner.   

Whenever we went sightseeing these two items would be a must in our bag. Here I found the golden apple so sweet and grainy could not resist picking up a few kilos back home. Some went in distribution to neighbours and friends. Still there was basket full remaining. I always wanted to make apple sauce, at last went ahead and prepared them from these apples. So here is the recipe very simple and hassle free.
This recipe is updated on May 14, 2021. For the update version I have ground the cinnamon to powder with a tablespoon of sugar.

Ingredients 

3 - 4 Medium Apples
1 Tablespoon  Sugar - optional
½ Cup Water
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder

Method  

Peel and chop the apple to small pieces. 

In pan place the apples and pour the water, keep it on medium flame, when it comes to a boil cover with a foil and cook it for 20 minutes on slow flame stirring in between till dry.  

When the water dries, switch off the flame taste add if ground cinnamon sugar and stir. Let is cool completely then blend it in a blender. Fill it in a airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 -3 days. If you want it to last longer store in freezer it will last for months. 

Homemade Apple Sauce is ready. 

This goes well with any bread.  

Labels: Jams & Sauces, Apple, Vegan, Gluten free, Homemade, International Cuisine