Baked Moong Dal Masala Poori

Hey all, sorry for not posting much since few months, a news to share with all my dear readers, we have shifted here to Hong Kong🎊🎉 , a beautiful city known for its beautiful skyline with all tall corporate buildings, high end fashion brands to typical Chinese brands, variety of cuisines, a foodies hub😍 all in all a lovely place with beautiful people. Loving it..:)

With such beautiful place to stay in, I was thrilled to bake something (my first love) and nonetheless I planned to bake an Indian snack, moong dal masala poori. In India this pooris are deep fried with proper crisp texture, mostly we pair it with our masala tea for evening snack. But as I said earlier,  I was thrilled to bake and this is what the best opportunity was. So here is my healthy and baked version of crispy moong dal masala pooris...:)

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow moong dal flour (you can also soak yellow moong dal in water for 2-3 hours and later with a little water, grind it in to a fine paste like texture) 

1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1/4 cup of chickpea flour (besan)

2 tbsp of olive oil or sunflower oil

2 tsp white sesame seeds

1 1/2 tsp red chilly powder 

1 /2 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp dry mango powder (aamchur powder)

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp chaat masala powder (optional)

2 tsp of hand crushed kasuri methi ( dry fenugreek leaves)

Salt to taste and 

Water at room temperature to knead into a stiff dough..!!

Method:

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Add water, make sure to add little at time, we need stiff and firm dough and not soft at all ( it should be rolled without dusting flour).  

Note: If you are using soaked moong dal, make sure, water is already added while pulsing it, so be careful with water when kneading the poori dough.

Once the dough is kneaded, divide it into 5-6 equal portions.

Roll each portion in to round semi thin rotis.

Use cookie cutter for equal size and shape of pooris. Place the cut pooris in to slightly greased baking tray.

Preheat oven at 180degree Celsius for 20 minutes.

Once preheating is done, bake the pooris at 180 degree Celsius for 10-12 minutes until crisp and slight golden brown on outside.

Note: keep a close check after 9 minutes of baking. You don't want to burn them.

Once done allow it to cool on wire rack and store it in air tight container.

Yayyy, it's ready to munch...

Jam Filled Croissants

Recently we had a freshly baked croissants on our holiday. Me and My husband is very much fond of it and thus i wanted to try the same at home. Came across so many recipes, but was finding it little complex to work on as i was unable to understand the procedure. But few picture inscrutable for shaping croissants made little easy to understand..Here i have tried my best to make all you viewers to get proper understanding.
As this summer i stored mango jam in a large qty so thought to make Jam filled Croissants for breakfast...
But to be honest, i was little disappointed with the color crust as i myself forgot to Egg wash the Croissants that gives a nice glaze and golden crust.
Please be careful and don't forget to egg wash before baking...I have mentioned below for the same.

Ingredients:

For Dough:
3 cups Maida / All purpose flour
3/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp Instant dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup cold grated butter

1 beaten egg for egg washing the croissants.

For Filling:
1 cup home made or store bought Mango Jam (Click on the link for the jam recipe)

Note: I used mango jam but feel free to use Jams or preserves of your choice. For filling Per croissant, you will need 1 tsp of jams/preserve that you will use. Best part is,  you can play with the fillings inside and create your own version...Dough measurements will remains same.
Try the one Savoury croissants.


Recipe:

• In a small bowl, pour milk and sprinkle sugar and yeast. Let the yeast mixture stand until frothy, about 15 minutes.
•  In a large bowl, Mix Maida / All purpose flour with salt and olive oil. Now pour frothy yeast milk mixture in to it, pour water and accumulate all into a sticky dough mixture. (You may need extra flour for dusting and kneading the dough to form a smooth, soft and elastic dough)
• Keep Kneading for 5 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic. Grease the dough with olive oil, cover it with a plastic cling film and allow it rise until doubles in volume, about 30-35 minutes. 
• 
  
• Mean while tear a cling film and grate cold butter on to it. Disperse a little and cover it with the cling film. Refrigerate the butter in a cling film about 40 minutes or an hour, until again hard and stiff. 

(see the picture below)

• Once the dough rises, deflate it by punching down. 
• Again tear a cling film and place it on a work surface, sprinkle it with some flour and bring the dough on the dusted cling film, knead the dough for 2 minutes. Roll the dough with a rolling pin in a rectangular shape.

Bring out the dispersed chilled butter from fridge. Unwrap it and place it on the rolled dough and make 2 folds of the dough. Roll it again with a rolling pin and again make 2-3 folds out of it. Wrap the dough with the film and refrigerate for atleast 30 minutes.
(see the picture below)

• After 30 minutes bring the dough out, unwrap the dough and roll. Fold it as shown above, Re-wrap and refrigerate again for 30 minutes. Repeat the procedure for total 4 times. (i know its little time consuming but for achieving something good and best it does takes time and the end seeing the results you will feel worth doing this, infact i enjoyed the whole process and i am sure you too will)
• Now once you finish the rolling and wrapping procedure four times, its time for making croissants and its filling...( Alas Finallyy...;) 

For shaping Croissants:

(Follow the step-by-step pic below)

• Unwrap the dough, roll it in a large rectangular shape about 16"x7"
• Cut the rectangular dough in half diagonally forming 7-8 triangle. 
• Take one triangle of the dough, pull on the corners of  a triangle unlike a little stretching. 
• Take a tsp of Mango jam or preserves of your choice and place it on a triangle dough, fold it till the end carefully..Like wise make croissants of each triangle and line it on a greased baking tray.
• Cover the tray with a tea towel and allow the croissants to rise for about an hour.
• Once it rises, egg wash the top of all the croissants before baking. 
• Pre-heat oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• Bake the rised croissants for 20 minutes and after that reduce the temperature at 160 degree Celsius and allow to bake more for 15 minutes, or until you get nice golden crust on top. (place a bowl of water in lower rack of oven and croissants on top rack, keep a check on the crust to avoid over baking and burning)
• Once Baked allow all the croissants to cool on wire rack.

Here you are ready with your freshly baked Jam Filled Croissants for breakfast..
Enjoy...:)

Eggless Mawa Wheat Cake

Mawa cake, a perfect tea time cake. I never had this before, but heard a lot about Mumbai's and pune's Irani cafe serving mawa cake. Mawa sweets are my favorite and so the mawa cake by now on.. I was just looking for traditional irani mawa cake's recipe but all traditional recipes that i saw was having eggs in it. And i wanted to make eggless version of it, so here i have made eggless wheat mawa cake, not whole wheat but a mixture of maida and  regular wheat flour.
In India you easily get mawa/khoya but in outside some countries you don't easily get, so what you can do here is you can substitute with milk cake, the one which we generally have during fasting. Or one more option is to make mawa at home. So here i' ll be posting  both mawa recipe along with its cake too.

Ingredients:
For Mawa/Khoya:
4 cups Full Fat milk
1 cup full fat cream

For Mawa Cake
Dry Ingerdients:
1 cup Maida
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup brown sugar (or white powdered sugar)

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup Clarified butter (Ghee) / Melted butter (I prefer using Clarified butter (Ghee) to give it little more of traditional taste to it)
1/2 Milk (Full fat or low fat up to you)
3/4 cup Grated Mawa/Khoya
2 tsp Full Rose water
4-5 saffron threads soaked in 1 tsp milk for 15-20 minutes

Dried fruits:
1 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder (remove its seed and powder it)
3 tbsp chopped Pistachios (2 tbsp in cake and 1 tbsp for Garnishing)
3 tbsp chopped Roasted Almond (2 tbsp in cake and 1 tbsp for Garnishing)
3 tbsp chopped cashew nuts (2 tbsp in cake and 1 tbsp for Garnishing)

Recipe:

For Mawa:
In a heavy bottom non stick pan Mix full fat milk with cream. On a high flame bring it to boil thrice. Stir and cook the mixture on medium flame for about 15 minutes. Now turn the flame from medium to low, keep stirring. Now cook for about 30-35 minutes or more and keep stirring in between. Slowly you'll start seeing a little grainy like texture in the mixture. Keep cooking and stirring further for 35-40 minutes more on low flame, until it becomes semi solid, dense and much like halwa. Turn the flame off and let it cool completely to room temperature (will become little more solid once it cools down and that is what you want). The total cooking time will be around 1 hr 20 minutes.

Yields: 1 cup full and 200 gms of Mawa/khoya (Once cool completely, it can be refrigerate for 4 days. Or you can freeze it in freezer for 1 month, whenever you want to use, let it come to room temperature, grate and than use to avoid lumps)

Home Made Mawa / Khoya

 For Mawa/ Khoya Cake:

• Preheat Oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• In a large bowl, Grate Mawa and mix with all the wet ingredients. Use hand blender to mix all of them nicely in to thick paste like consistency.
• Now in another small bowl mix all dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Mixture of the cake batter should be lump free (use hand blender if required).
• Now fold in green cardamom powder with 2 tbsp chopped each (Pistachios, Almonds and Cashew nuts) in the mixture.
• Pour the batter in the greased cake pan and spread all over evenly. For Garnishing Sprinkle on top 1 tbsp chopped each (Pistachios, almonds and Cashew nuts).

• Now Bake the cake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in, comes out clean.

• Serve Hot with a cup of Tea or Coffee and Enjoy :)

HomeMade Oats Ice-Cream (Eggless)

With left over rolled oats packet i made this. I was wondering to make muffins, later i thought no muffins, will make cake, will make cookies, will make bread loaf....so on and many thoughts came one by one. But do not wanted to bake this time. So thought for some chilled dessert out of it, and  ice cream with it was the best thought i guess. Heard very little? An oats ice cream? But believe me it was good,,, very creamy, thick and soft in texture. And with oats, it is healthy as always....:)

Mostly kids love ice creams but don't like oats and every mother wants their kid to eat oats, why not to give in form of ice creams than...fun for them and happy mommies.....
This can be garnished in different ways. Below i have shared some garnishing ideas, do have a look to it as well.......

This Ice cream can be made with different flavors using mango pulp, chocolate, strawberry or any other flavour..

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup finely powdered rolled oats (Use mixer grinder)

2 cups low fat milk
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp Raisins/sultanas
3 tbsp sliced Pistachios
3 tbsp sliced roasted almonds
4 tbsp Dark choco chips (can use semi sweet also)

Recipe:

• In a large bowl, Mix (Cold or room temperature) milk, powdered sugar and water. 
• Meanwhile in mixer grinder jar, grind rolled oats into very thin fine powder. (you'll see some oat chunks, so sieve it and use or can still use as it is)
• Add this grind oats slowly in milk mixture (Keep mixing continuously or else it will start forming lumps, you can even use hand blender to break lumps if any).
• Mixture should be, smooth and lump free. Now mix vanilla extract, Raisins/sultanas, sliced pistachios roasted sliced almonds and dark choco chips to it. Pour this mixture in freezer safe container cover and allowed it to freeze overnight without disturbing. After 2-3 hrs scrap in between (do this twice).
• Scoop and serve..

Garnishing Ideas:
1) Garnish it with toasted muesli and Dust cinnamon powder
2) Garnish it with with sliced pistachios, sliced almonds and with choco chips..
3) Or simply drizzle strawberry or chocolate syrup by adding dried fruits and choco chips...
4) Or scoop ice cream between two chocolate biscuits or any flavor of biscuits that you like and sandwich it. Serve the same with berries that you are have at home..

Note: For a perfect soft scoop add 1 tbsp of vodka to your ice cream mixture and Beat  for about a 2-3 minute. Than freeze your ice cream. This gives nice soft texture to ice cream and not the firm one. (But its optional and totally up to your choice)

Too much of alcohol in ice cream will not allow it to freeze so make sure you use little qty of it.

Luscious Jamun Frozen Yogurt (Java Plum)

Since childhood i am very much fond of yogurt and fruits. I remember, i always use to mix all available fruits at my place and mix in curd with little sugar and enjoy. Since than i have came across to flavored yogurts and than frozen yogurt. Take any favorite fruit of your choice and you can make frozen yogurt out of it. I initially thought to make it with mangoes but later when i checked it was not in a sufficient qty, but in one corner of my kitchen i saw jamun (Java Plum) in large qty, i jumped with joy and quickly pulled out and made this.
Check its recipe below. Lets beat this scorching heat with icey, creamy and luscious frozen yogurt.

Ingredients:
500 gms Jamun (Java Plum)
450 ml thick & creamy full fat yogurt
1/2 cup Honey (Can use powdered sugar, i used honey)
2 tsp fresh lime juice

Recipe:

• Wash Jamun (java plum)
• Remove its seeds (My jamuns were riped and so it was easy for me to pull out its seeds, if its not same with you than use knife)
• In mixer jar beat thick and creamy curd until slightly fluffy. Now add seedless jamuns, fresh lime juice and honey. Beat until smooth.
• Pour in a Freezer safe container. Cover it with plastic cling film. 
• After 1-2 hr bring out and scrap for a minute.(Do this twice).
• And than after freeze it thoroughly in freezer. (Mine was ready to serve in 5 hrs)
• Scoop and enjoy luscious Jamun frozen yogurt. :)

Famous Udupi Temple Style Sambhar/Hulli Recipe

Udupi temple Sambhar is so very famous and hallmark recipe that is made with local and easily available ingredients. It is not only famous amongst south indians but mostly all indians love it. Udupi Dishes mainly have grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. Sambhar there is also known as Hulli. Moreover today many of us call this as vegetable and lentil stew too. So lets begin:

Ingredients:

Famous Udupi Sambhar Recipe

Dry Roasting:
6 whole red Chilly
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp white urad dal
1 tsp Chana dal (Gram dal)
5 Springs Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp whole fenugreek seeds (Methi)
1 cup coconut grated

For Sambhar:
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1 cup Toor Dal
1 small chopped green chilly
1 tsp urad dal
3-4 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 cup vegetables (french beans, carrot, drumstick, pumpkin and brinjals)
1 medium chopped onion (about more than half cup)
1 medium chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tamarind paste
2 tsp jaggery
Salt to taste


Recipe:

Dry Roasting
In a non stick pan, Dry roast coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, Urad dal and Chana dal till all turns light pink in color. Now add whole Red chilly and keep sauteing for 1 minute. Add shredded coconut and curry leaves. Cook for 2 minutes further and keep sauteing in between.
Put off the flame. Allow it to cool. Pour this dry roasted ingredients in mixer grinder jar and grind in to nice Masala. And here is your Masala ready to use in sambhar. Keep it aside for now.

For Sambhar
Pressure cook toor dal with water until boiled properly and easy to mash.
In a pan, heat oil with mustard seeds, once it splutters, add asafoetida and curry leaves. Now add chopped onion, saute it with pinch of salt until translucent. Now add chopped tomatoes, vegetable (carrot, french beans, drumstick, brinjals and pumpkin) and about 1/2 cup water. Cover it and let all vegetables cook properly. See the picture below.

Now once veggies are cooked properly, add tamarind paste, jaggery, dry roasted sambhar masala, salt and boiled toor dal. Add water and mix all well. Now on low flame let sambhar simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves. And serve hot with Soft Idlis or dosa's and uttapam accompanying it with Nariyal/ Coconut Chutney.  (Click on this highlighted links to get idli and coconut chutney  recipes)

Sambhar And Coconut Chutney

Vegetable and Herbed Cheese Cake

When it comes to cheese cake, first thought that comes is sweet and delicious creamy heavy dessert. But here is a twist, I used veggies along with few dried herbs. This veggie Cheese cake is made up of three cheeses. For more details see the recipe below :)...and you too can enjoy this easy delicious veggie cake.

Vegetable & Herbed Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup finely grated carrot

2 1/2 cup finely grated zuchhini (Tori/Turai)

1/2 cup finely grated brocolli

1 cup finelly chopped onion

1 medium tomato sliced in rings

1 tsp garlic paste (I used garlic chunks)

3 tbsp Butter

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1 tsp mixed herbs

1 to 1 1/2 tsp grounded black pepper

3 tbsp Maida/all pupose flour

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

2 1/2 cup Italian Ricotta Cheese (Click on the links for the recipe of ricotta cheese that I shared earlier)

1 cup Grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated processed cheese

4 large eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

Recipe:

1) Grease spring form pan with butter or olive oil and spread bread crumbs all over. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Mean while, grate zuchhini (Tori/turai), salt lightly and let its excess moisture strained ( keep aside for about 15 minutes).

2) In a pan saute chopped onions in  butter with pinch of salt, until translucent.

3) Now add Grated carrots, brocooli, zuchhini(Tori/turai), garlic paste, oregano, parsley, basil, Mixed herbs, lemon juice and flour. Stir for 8-10 minutes. Let it cool and come to room temperature.

4) Beat eggs, and slowly  fold in all grated chesses (I use mixer for this) . Keep beating in mixer until all is mixed well and bit fluffy.

5) Now in this cheese mixture, fold all veggie mixture (make sure, veggies are cooled down, else eggs in cheese mixture will scramble).

6) Add grounded black pepper and salt to taste. Pour this whole mixture in spring form pan.

Now bake this for 30 minutes at 200 degree Celsius in preheated oven.

7) After 30 minutes bring out for a minute and decorate cheese cake's top with tomatoes sliced in rings. Sprinkle bread crumbs on it.

8) Now reduce oven temperature to 180 degree Celsius and again bake for 30 minutes.

9) Once baked, let it stand for 15 minutes in oven. Than after Remove out and let it stand for further 10 minutes before serving. 

Cheesy-Herbed Pizza Pull Apart Bread (Eggless)

Cheesy-Herbed Pizza Pull Apart Bread (Eggless)

Ingredients:

For Dough:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour / maida
1 tsp garlic chunks or paste (i used chunks)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
20-25 gms olive oil
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
3/4 cup milk at room temperature

For Filling:
15-20 gms olive oil (for brushing rolled dough)
2 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp red chilly flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

Recipe:

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm milk. Keep aside for 5 minutes till it dissolves and yeast mixture bubbles up. Mean time in a large bowl, mix maida / all purpose flour with salt, olive oil, and garlic chunks or paste (I used garlic chunks). 

Once yeast mixture dissolved in 1/2 cup warm milk bubbles up, add the same into the flour mixture. Now start gathering flour and use 3/4 cup milk more to form a non-sticky, soft and elastic dough. If its sticky take extra flour but only as per the requirement. Now cover the dough with tea towel or plastic cling film. Now allow it to prove for 1 to 1 1/2 hour or until it doubles in volume. Once doubles in size, punch down.

On your working surface sprinkle some dry flour for further workout. Place dough here and start rolling in to large rectangle shape that is about 12' by 12'.

Brush rolled dough with olive oil, sprinkle mixed herb, cumin powder, red chilly flakes, oregano flakes all over. Now spread finely grated cheddar cheese on top. And roll slightly again to lightly press all the toppings.

Cut the Dough in to 6 long strips by pizza cutter or with a knife. And lift all strips and lay all over other, with topping facing upwards. 

Now start cutting those layered strips  into 7-8 square stacks unevenly and not neatly. Out of this stacks you can cut some of them diagonally in to two parts. Now grease a baking tray or any loaf pan with olive oil. And start placing and layering all stacks of the strips as shown in the picture below, in a baking tray or loaf pan that you are using. (That shouldn't be much even). Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 1 hour or more.

Once rises, brush the dough with little olive oil. Bake the dough in an 180 degree Celsius preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until it forms light golden brown crust on top with a hollow sound on tapping.