Jordanian Tomato Rice Soup

My wish to see Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, will be fulfilled God only knows when. But this month Mena's Cooking Club, I am travelling to Jordan, our host Evelyne from Cheap Ethnic Eatz choose this recipe.

Ingredients
1/3 Cup Rice - I used brown rice 

1 Tablespoon Butter
1  Onion - chopped
4  Tomatoes - peeled and chopped
1 Teaspoon Tomato paste
1  Cinnamon stick
A pinch of black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt

Method

Wash and soak the brown rice for at least an hour. Do not skip this step because brown rice takes a long to cook.  If you are using white rice then skip this soaking step.

In a pan, melt the butter and fry in it the onions over medium heat until tender.Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, black pepper, cinnamon stick and salt along with 2 liters of water.
When the mix begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour with lid on.

Add in the rice and check if you need to add more water. Leave to simmer for half an hour or so.  Serve hot.

We enjoyed this soup as our dinner, this was so warm and comforting.

Labels: Soup, Mena Cooking Club, Continental Cuisine, Jordan

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Bhadang (Puffed Rice Chivda)

This is a very common and tasty snack that is always prepared in every Maharashtrian house.It is very simple and requires little oil. Its a very good snack. When garnished with finely chopped onion,tomatoes, coriander leaves and lemon juice, sev its converted into  bhel. You can prepare this snack and store it in airtight box for a month.  We love this snack and is prepared often in my  house. When I prepared this Bhadang my beta could not stop eating, as he was watching TV he kept on eating it, he loved it so much. 

Ingredients
5 Cups Murmura / Puffed Rice
1/2 Cup Peanuts
1/4 Cup Dalia
1/4 Cup Dry Coconut pieces

1/2 Cup Mixed dry fruits ( Almonds, Cashewnuts, Raisins)

3 Sprigs Curry Leaves
1 Teaspoon Mustard seed

1/4 Teaspoon Asafoetida

1 Teaspoon  Citric acid crystals

 25 Grams Chivda Masala

1 Teaspoon Chilly powder

Salt to Taste

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1/2 Cup Oil 

Method
Roast Puffed rice in a big pan till they crisp or microwave  it for a minute.

Heat oil in a big pan on medium flame  add the mustard seeds, when they crackle add the asafoetida then add the peanuts and fry till done , then add the coconut pieces and fry till brown. When they are fried, add the dry fruits, dalia , curry leaves and fry till the curry leaves are crisp. 

Add the chivda masala, chilly powder and fry well.  Add Puffed rice and mix well. Take off the heat. Add Salt, sugar and citric acid crystals mix well.  When it completely cools, store in an air tight container.  

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Kid's Delight - Holiday Special Recipes. 
Labels: Festival Sweets, Kids delight, Blogging Marathon, Chivda  

Khari Biscuits or Puff Biscuits

As I was making these biscuits, all fond memories came to my mind. When I was young and stayed in a village in Mumbai which is now a concrete jungle, twice a week the biscuit man would come to our compound with a big aluminum box on his head and sell variety of biscuits. But the first thing we would tell our mother is to pick these biscuits for us. I simply loved these khari biscuits, as an accompaniment to afternoon chai.

These are all time favorite of my hubby and daughter too. If I buy a 1/2 kg packet these get over in 2 to 3 days.

Puffed salted biscuits often known as Khari biscuits,are a common hit as a tea-time snack. They are also known as namkeen biscuits as they are crispy, flaky, fluffy, salty and mouth-melting. They are baked calorie-rich biscuits, which are made using all purpose flour. Several layers of dough are kept on each other with a layer of ghee or vanaspati in between each layer.Then they are baked to perfection. These khari biscuits are perfect accompaniment for tea/coffee.

Ingredients
1 sheet Puff Pastry dough

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200° C and line a baking tray with butter paper.
Lay out the puff pastry sheet onto it a board.  Cut the dough into little rectangles about 2″x 1/2″ or so, using a pizza cutter. You can also twist the pastry rectangles to give them a different look.
Lay out the rectangles onto the lined tray.
Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, until golden brown and flaky. Check them after 15 minutes or they will get too brown and the taste changes.  Enjoy them with a cup of chai.

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Kid's Delight - Holiday Special Recipes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48.

Labels : Biscuits & Cookies, Blogging Marathon.

Sourdough Pizza Pie

After reading Varada's sourdough French loaf I wanted to try the sourdough starter. Goggled and found this site, from where I made the sourdough starter using pineapple juice. After 15 days I used this starter to make the Pizza Pie. When I made this Pizza pie and sent it for my beta, he was trilled since he loves pizza and cheese, to top it all it was made of chicken he was even more happy.

What made me happy is that I tried and succeeded in making a sourdough starter. So here goes the recipe.


Ingredients for the dough
½ Cup Sourdough starter - well fed
1.1/2 Cup Flour or may a little more
1 Teaspoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Sugar

Water if required

For the filling
1 Teaspoon Butter
1 Teaspoon Oil
1/2 Cup Chicken - cut into small pieces
1 Tablespoon Peas - boiled
1 Tablespoon Carrot - cut into pieces and boiled
1 Teaspoon All purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 Teaspoon Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cheese for topping

Method for the filling

In a pan heat the butter and oil add the chicken and saute for 2 -3 minutes on medium flame, then add the peas, carrot and saute for another 2 -3 then add the flour and saute till flour is cooked.  Add the milk, stir continuously till sauce is smooth and lump free. Add all seasonings and let it cook stirring till the sauce thickens slightly. Bring down from flame and cool.

Method for the Pie:
Mix together flours, salt, and sugar.
Place dry ingredients and starter in the fridge for 30 minutes. I wanted them to be very cold. Stir starter into dry ingredients add the oil and mix until it just comes together in to a ball. Since your starter may be more or less liquid than mine, you may need to add a little ice water or slightly more flour. Use a bench scrapper to brin  the dough together  since this dough is sticky. Refrigerate dough overnight ( I kneaded the dough at 6 pm). Next day in the afternoon I rolled out dough and placed into pie pans, prick the pie with a fork and bake at 180 degrees for 10 minutes, remove and cool.

Then add the filling make a lattice pattern and again bake for 20 - 25 minutes till the crust is brown on top. 

Note:
This amount of dough makes at least two medium pie crusts.
The thickness of your sourdough starter can determine how much water or additional flour needs to be used. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same, if the dough is looking dry. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time). I did not have to add water as I had a fairly thick starter.

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Kid's Delight - Holiday Special Recipes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48.

Labels : Pie & Quiche, Breads,  Blogging Marathon, Sourdough

Kerala Beef Curry

Beef Curry is quite popular in the Indian state of Kerala, this spicy curry tastes best with Kerala Porotta. This is a very tasty and easy to make.

Ingredients
250 gms Beef – cubed
1 Medium Tomato – chopped
1 Large Onion – sliced
2 Green chillies – slit
3 Cardamoms
3 Cloves
4 Black Peppercorns
1 Bay leaves
1 Stick Cinnamon
1/2 Star anise
1 Teaspoon Ginger - Garlic paste
2 Tablespoons Oil -
1 Teaspoon Chilli powder
1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric powder

A sprig Curry leaves 

Coriander leaves – for garnishing 

Method
Roast the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, star anise lightly and powder it.

Heat oil in a pan add onion, curry leaves and saute till brown.
Now add the ginger- garlic paste, saute till oil leaves the sides. To this add chilli , coriander and turmeric powder, again saute for 2 minutes, add water a little to cook the masala and then add the tomatoes, green chillies and beef. Fry the beef till the water is all absorbed, and the beef is brown in color.

Transfer this to a cooker and add water till the level of the meat and mix. Pressure-cook it till on high flame for a whistle reduce, keep it on slow flame and cook till done. Now add the garam masala (the ground powder) and salt , check if the meat is cooked properly, if the meat is not cooked add a little water if necessary and cook till it becomes tender. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve it with rice, porotta or chapattis.

Labels: Beef, Kerala, Main course, Pressure Cooker