Sourdough Fougasse Bread

With the last batch of the sourdough starter, thought to make something interesting and i came across beautiful Fougasse bread. This bread can be accompanied with soups or dips of your choice and it really taste heaven. Have a look below to the recipe and enjoy freshly baked Fougasse..

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Maida / All purpose flour
1/3 cup Sourdough Starter
1 tbsp Olive oil (and extra for greasing, and brushing)
3/4 cup and little more warm water
Salt to taste

For toppings..
Few slices of onions
3 Sliced Cherry Tomatoes
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp all mixed herbs
Salt to sprinkle a little

Method:

• In a large bowl, mix Maida or all purpose flour with salt and Olive Oil. 
• Now add sourdough starter and slowly slowly add warm water to the flour.
• Start gathering the flour around the bowl, to form a soft, smooth and a sticky dough.
• Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes or until smooth, soft and elastic. (can use extra flour if needed, if the dough is too much sticky to handle)
• Grease the dough with oil and place it in bowl, cover it with a plastic cling film and keep it at a warm place to rise.
• Allow it to rise for 2-3 hours or until it doubles in volume.
• Once it doubles in volume, punch back down and knead it again for few seconds.
• Lightly dust and sprinkle the baking sheet with a flour.
• Shape and spread the dough with your fingers in to irregular oval shape.
• Brush the shaped dough with olive oil and sprinkle oregano, mixed herbs and salt to taste.
• Sprinkle Sliced onions and place the sliced tomatoes on to it.
• Use sharp knife to make 3 slashes either side. 
• Open out the slashes slightly, and press onions and tomatoes a little.
• Cover it lightly with a cleaned tea towel and keep it aside.
• Allow to rise nearly about 1 to 1 1/2 hour.
• Once it rises pretty well, bake it for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven at 220 degree Celsius.
• Once baked, bring it out and allow it cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and serve it with your favorite dips or soup..

So here you enjoy your freshly baked Fougasse bread.!!!



Fougasse With Commercial Yeast.:

If you Do not have Sourdough starter, you can also make fougasse using commercial yeast. And the recipe of it is below.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Maida / All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Instant dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp Olive oil
Pinch of Salt

For toppings..(As return above)

Method:

• Dissolve Yeast and sugar in warm water. Allow it stand for 10 minutes, until mixture turns frothy.
• In a large bowl, mix maida or all purpose flour with salt and olive oil.
• Now add the frothy yeast mixture in to the flour. And gather all to form a smooth, sticky and soft dough.
• Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until soft and elastic but should not be sticky. (can use extra flour for dusting and kneading)
• Grease the dough ball with oil and place it in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a plastic cling film and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hour or until it doubles in volume.
• Once it doubles in volume, punch back down and knead it again for few seconds.
• Lightly dust and sprinkle the baking sheet with a flour.
• Shape and spread the dough with your fingers in to irregular oval shape.
• Brush the shaped dough with olive oil and sprinkle oregano, mixed herbs and salt to taste.
• Sprinkle Sliced onions and place the sliced tomatoes on to it.
• Use sharp knife to make 3 slashes either side. 
• Open out the slashes slightly, and press onions and tomatoes a little.
• Cover it lightly with a cleaned tea towel and keep it aside.
• Allow to rise nearly about 25-30 minutes
• Once it rises pretty well, bake it for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven at 220 degree Celsius.
• Once baked, bring it out and allow it cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and serve it with your favorite dips or soup..

And here your Freshly baked Yeasted Fougasse bread is ready!!!

Palak Kofta Curry In Green Gravy

Time for some change from regular Palak paneer to Palak kofta Curry in Green Gravy, prepared traditionally the same way my mother does.

Palak Kofta Curry In Green Gravy

Ingredients:

1)  For Koftas (Dumplings):

2 cups chopped Palak (Spinach)
3/4 cup Besan (Chick pea flour)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt to taste

2)  For Gravy:

(Here for gravy i have used my own home made Bhuna masala. As it is really helpful especially when you are running busy whole week. I store my Bhuna Masala for almost  4-5 days in refrigerator and use it for gravy based dishes like Paneer Makhni, Chicken Makhni,  Kofta curry, Rasewale Masala aloo, Matar Paneer and so on..But every time for surely you wont get the same repetitive taste..)

Here is its Recipe : Bhuna Masala (Do have a look at once, Thank you :) )

If you do not have bhuna masala handy than below is the Recipe for Palak Kofta Gravy:

1 tsp Oil
11/2 tsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
2 Medium onion Puree
1 Large Tomato Puree
1/3 cup Bolied Palak Puree
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste each
1 1/2 tsp Fennel Powder (Saunf)
1 tsp Kasuri methi slightly crushed
1/4 cup beaten Dahi/Yogurt
1 tsp Red Chilly Powder (adjust the spice suitable to your taste buds)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
Salt to taste



Recipe:

For Koftas (Dumplings)

• In a bowl mix all the ingredients listed above in For Koftas.
• Add Little water, to make a sticky dough and not the batter. Make sure here the Binding agent is only flour and not boiled or smashed potatoes (which many other recipes use, but traditionally my mother do not use the same and so i have'nt too) So be careful with water part. Or else see the picture below. 

• Now with your oil greased palm make a round lemon size ball out of this sticky dough and deep fry on medium flame  in hot oil until light golden brown from outside.

• This quantity yields about 14-15 Koftas/dumplings.

• Keep this fried Koftas aside and lets start with a gravy.

For Gravy

• As i said earlier, I used my own homemade Bhuna Masala for this gravy so within 20 minutes i was ready with whole Palak Kofta Curry sabji. If its not handy, below i have posted the gravy recipe as well.

Bhuna Masala Mix-Curry Masala

• In a Non stick wok or Kadai, heat oil and add cumin and mustard seeds, as soon as it splutters add pinch of asafoetida powder. Saute Onion Puree with pinch of salt in it until light pink. 
• Now add Tomato Puree, Boiled Palak puree, ginger-garlic paste and other spice powder. Let it cook for about 2 minutes with little water in it.

• Add Beaten cold curd and mix (Use cold curd to avoid curdling) and cook for few minutes more.

• Time for Koftas...:) 
• Add those koftas now in a gravy and mix all well. Cook for a 2 minute on low flame. 
• Add water if required. Gravy should be little thick. And here it is ready to serve with Rotis.

Palak Kofta Curry In Green Gravy

Layered Vegetable Biryani (Middle Eastern Style)

This recipe of biryani is now one of my favorites. Actual recipe calls for goat meat but here i have used vegetables instead. (Feel free to use goat meat or chicken pcs, totally up to you and rest of the procedure remains same). Few days back i was looking for authentic middle eastern biryani and i came across to chef Sonia Kayani's recipe. I saw this recipe and it was so very tempting that i pulled up my sleeves and just made it. It turned out very well with vegetables too and all guest who visited me enjoyed it a lot with lots of appreciation. My husband is now big fan of this biryani.
Usually this layer biryani is middle eastern daawat biryani on every festive occasion they make this. Which is very much packed with full of middle eastern spice and flavour. Must must try this, all biryani lovers will definitely enjoy.

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
Pinch of Heeng powder (Asafoetida)
3 onions sliced (2 medium & 1 small)
1 large ripe sliced Tomato
1 large potato sliced
1/2 cup chopped french beans
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/3 cup boiled green peas
1/3 cup creamy full fat curd
1 cup Fresh Mint Leaves
1 cup Fresh Coriander Leaves
1 whole large green chilly
1 whole bay leaf
3-4 whole black cloves
3-4 whole black pepper
1 whole black cardamom
3 whole green cardamom
1 whole cinnamon stick
11/2 tbsp saffron soaked in 3 tbsp milk (for about 30-40 minutes before using)
2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp dry Mango Powder
2 tsp Saunf powder (fennel powder)
1 tsp dry methi powder (dry fenugreek powder)
1 tsp punjabi garam masala powder
11/2 tsp kashmiri red chilly powder (its not very spicy but gives nice red color)
1/2 to 1 tsp spicy red paprika (feel free to adjust the spiciness to your taste)
Salt to taste

For Garnishing:
1/2 sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
4 tbsp sultanas
4 tbsp sliced almonds
3 tbsp small chopped walnuts
4 tbsp roughly chopped fried cashew nuts
4 tbsp fried onion (till brown)

For Rice:
2 cups / 300 gms  Basmati rice (Wash and soaked for about 1 hr)
2 whole black cloves
2 whole green cardamoms


Recipe:

• Cover lid and cook washed and soaked rice with enough water. Once cooked drain extra water and let it cool. After it cools down color half of the rice with saffron mixture soaked in milk. So now on we are having yellow rice and uncolored white rice.
• By now in a deep non stick pan, heat ghee with cumin seeds, as soon as cumins seeds splutters add hing powder and Onions with very little salt. Saute sliced onions until translucent.
• Now add and use 1/2 cup tomato out of 1 cup which i mentioned earlier in ingredients with sliced potato, french beans, carrots, ginger- garlic paste, 1/2 cup mint leaves (use remaining 1/2 cup later), fresh coriander leaves, beaten curd, whole black cloves, bay leaf, whole black pepper, green and black cardamoms, cinnamon stick, salt and all dry powdered spices (Coriander, cumin, dry mango, fennel, methi, punjabi garam masala, red paprika, kashmiri chilly powders). Mix all nicely add water & whole one green chilly.
• Now cover the lid and on low flame cook for about 20-25 minute or until all vegetables are cooked.
• Open the lid, now use the remaining 1/2 cup of sliced tomatoes mixed with remaining 1/2 cup of mint leaves. Just sprinkle this on top of cooked rice and do not mix. Again cover the lid and cook further for another 10 minutes and later than turn off the flame.
• Now in big plate make first layer of white rice and layer this cooked vegetables on it, on top of this now layer yellow rice and again vegetables and sprinkle tomatoes and mint leaves, again follow the same procedure (white rice than vegetables, than yellow rice and lastly tomatoes and mint leaves)
• Now garnish it with sultanas, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts and chopped & fried cashew nuts and fried onions. 
• Here it is ready now. serve it with fried papad and Pudina raita as i did or any raita of your choice.

Kairi Ki Sabji (Raw Mango Curry)

My favourite Vacation Recipe. Vacation Recipe-because you get Raw mangoes in summer and my grandmother who is specialists in this kairi ki sabji always use to make this sabji whenever i visit her in vacations and this recalls my those childhood days. This is for her.
This Sabji is tangy sweet and with full of flavors.

Ingredients:

Kairi Ki Sabji (Raw Mango Curry)

1 1/2 cup Kairi Cut in to Cube shape (Raw Mango)
5 tbsp Jagerry
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Dry Fenugreek powder
1 tsp Fennel Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp " Panch Phoran Masala Mix " *(Click on the link to get its recipe)
1 Bay Leaf
Pinch Of Asafoetida Powder
Salt to taste


Recipe: 

• In a pan pour 2 tbsp of oil. Add Panch Phoran Masala Mix with bay leaf and Asafoetida powder.
• Once it splutters add raw mango. Mix and add all dry spices- Red Chilly Powder, Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, coriander powder, Garam masala powder, Fenugreek powder, Fennel Powder and salt to taste. 
• Mix All well and simmer it on a low flame for about 5-6 minutes or until mangoes are soft. (sprinkle water if require).
• After mangoes go soft, add jagerry and mix.
• Stir again for 4-5 minutes or until jaggery is nicely melted in to it. Add water a little only if required than.

Note: Instead of Jaggery you can even use white sugar or brown sugar...

Serves : 2
Total Time 15 Minutes

Punjabi Chole Bhature

Chole, a famous North Indian dish. Which is often served with plain / stuffed kulchas or with bhature and puri. Check its recipe below

For Plain kulcha (Without & with Yeast) recipe- click on link below:

http://cookandbite.blogspot.in/2014/04/kulchakulche-recipe-without-with-yeast.html

Punjabi Chole

1) Chole

Ingredients:

250 gms White Chickpea (Chole) (soaked overnight in water)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tea bag

1 cinnamon stick (medium)

1 Bay leaf

For Gravy:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp whole Cumin seeds (Jeera)

1/4 tsp Asfoetida (Hing)

3 medium onion puree                                                                                  

2 medium tomato puree

1 tsp ginger paste

1 1/2 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp Garam masala powder

1 tsp red chilly powder (or as per taste)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

11/2 tsp cumin powder

1 1/2 tsp corriander powder

1 tsp dry mango powder (aamchur)

2 tsp Fennel powder (saunf)

1 tsp dry fenugreek powder (methi)

1/2 tsp grounded black pepper (kali mirch)

1/2 tsp grounded cloves (laung)

1 whole black cardomom crushed

Recipe:

 Pressure cook overnight soaked Chole in 2-3 cups of water with  bay leaf, cinnamon stick, baking soda and pinch of salt. Pressure cooked Chole  should be soft and not overcooked. Drain Chole by removing tea bag, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Do not throw drained Chole water, keep it aside (use same water while cooking).

Heat oil in a pan with whole cumin seeds, once it splutters add asfoetida and Onion puree. Saute till light pink in colour. Now add tomato puree, and ginger-garlic paste. Keep stirring for a minute. Add garam masala powder, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin-coriander powder, dry mango powder, fennel powder, dry fenugreek powder, grounded black pepper-cloves, grounded black cardamom seeds and salt to taste. Add chole water little and stir for a while.

Now add Chole to this gravy. Mix it well inside. Add water to it. Cook for 15-20 minutes on a  low flame or till you get little thick gravy. Keep stirring in between. 

Turn off the flame and garnish with small chopped onion, small chopped tomatoes, Fresh corinader leaves and 1/2 lemon, sliced on it.  

Serve it with kulche or bhature or poori. See bhature recipe below

2) Bhature:

In 2 Cups Maida (or all purpose flour), add 1/2 cup wheat flour, 2 tbsp oil, 3-4 tbsp curd and salt to taste. Knead Dough with water. It should not be sticky at all. Oil it and Cover. Keep aside for 2-3 hours. After than knead it again. Roll it to give a round shape and deep fry in hot oil. 

Bhuna Masala -Mix curry masala

Bhuna Masala or Mix curry masala is a convenience in kitchen for those running short of time. Bhuna Masala can be used to make various curries for both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. I am sure this will be very useful to many of you. A very little changes can be done while making various curries with the same bhuna masala and there is no chance of the taste and the flavour getting repeated even when you use the same masala every time.
Veg Dishes: Quick Rajma  (bhuna masala with 1-2 extra tomato puree and butter will require and your work is done) same its with Quick chole, Methi malai matar, Matar paneer/aloo matar paneer: (with bhuna masala add a 1-2 tbsp of fresh cream and ready to serve), Curried soya chunk, other curried vegetable like lauki, tori and so on...
Non veg dishes: Bhuna Lamb, Chicken bhuna masla, butter chicken and so on..
This will be real honest friend in kitchen which will save your time leaving behind some Delicious, flavorful, healthy and Tasty recipes. So here it goes:

Ingredients:

Bhuna Masala

Paste & Puree                                    
3 (2large & 1Small) Onion Puree
3  Large riped tomatoes Puree
10-15 Garlic paste
2 inch piece Ginger paste

Spices:
3 tbsp Corrainder Powder
2 tbsp Cumin powder
2 tbsp Whole Cumin seeds
1-2 tbsp Dry mango powder (aamchur)
1 tbsp Fenugreek powder (methi)

Dry Spices

2 tbsp Fennel powder (Saunf)
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
1 1/2 tbsp Red chilly powder
1 tbsp Black pepper powder
1/2 tbsp Black cloves powder
1 tbsp Khas Khas powder
10-12 Cashew nut (Crushed & powdered)
4 black Cardamoms seeds ( crushed and powdered)
4 green Cardamoms seeds ( crushed and powdered)
10 Bay leaves ( scissored and powdered)
Salt to taste

Oil:
4 tbsp mustard seeds (For flavor and aroma)
5 tbsp Olive oil

Recipe:
In a large non stick pan pour mustard and olive oil with whole cumin seeds, while it splutters, add Onion puree. Saute till light golden brown by adding pinch of salt. Once puree turns light brown, add ginger-garlic paste and start adding all spices mentioned above one by one (make sure all spices mentioned above are properly grind). Add a little amount of water and let it stand on a medium to slow flame for about 15-20 minute. In between keep check on masala that it doesn't stick to your pan if using other than non stick pan.
Now add tomato puree, again stir and keep on simmer to low flame for 5 minute. After this 5 minutes cover your pan and cook more for 2-3 minutes (if require add little water). Once you open the lid you will visualize a glaze on masala and separation of oil on sides of your pan. This Indicates of  Masala is now ready and put off the flame.
Once cooled store in a large air tight container. Keeps well  for about 2 weeks if refrigerated properly.
While making any dishes with bhuna masala, add salt accordingly as the bhuna masala paste has its own.