I hated cooked carrots while growing up, they were mushy and soggy and tasteless. These carrots are jammy, slightly charred and sweet and very addictive. I first saw the carrot- coriander combination in a purple carrot recipe and I’ve cooked these once a week since then
4 carrots- peeled and chopped into equal pieces
1-2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp coriander powder
Toss together, roast at 400 F for 20-25 minutes
Recipe is 9 year old approved!
Karanji (in Marathi or gujiya in Hindi) is a sweet or savory stuffed mostly deep fried pastry traditionally made on Diwali day in the state of Maharashtra.
Traditional karanji recipes call for a mix of all purpose flour and semolina flour and are deep fried. I really hate deep frying ! I used an empanada dough recipe for my karanjis and baked them. The empanada recipe gives me a wonderfully flaky and sturdy pastry shell.
Dough: Melt 7 tbsp of butter, add 1/2 cup of really hot water with 1 tsp of salt. Add butter and hot water to 3 cups all purpose flour. Knead. Add upto 1/4 -1/3 cup of additional hot water to make a smooth pliable dough. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
Sweet filling: Melt 3 tbsp of ghee, add 1 cup of grated fresh coconut ( I use frozen). Roast till coconut dries out a little and just starts browning. Take off the heat. Add 1/4 cup of jaggery, 3 tbsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of sesame seeds, 1 tbsp of poppy seeds, 1/4 cup roasted cashews, 1/4 cup raisins, 1 tsp of ground cardamon powder.
Divide dough into 4s and then into 8s. Use a rolling pin or flatten each dough ball into a 3 inch diameter circle. Add 1 tbsp of filling and crimp into half moon shapes and make a slit on top for the steam to escape. Can be frozen at this stage (freeze flat on a baking sheet and add 5-6 minutes to bake time)
Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. Continue reading
I was introduced to Ragi vermicelli by a Tamilian friend of mine in the USA
. Ragi is a millet, rich in calcium and gluten free (but don’t quote me on that). It is also easily available as flour and vermicelli in the Indian store and is delicious. It is important to prepare the ragi noodles according to the instructions on the packet to avoid the vermicelli clump from hell. This particular brand wanted me to soak the noodles for 3 minutes in salted water and steam for 5 minutes.
I prepare these 2 ways:
Coconut and ghee- For my American non-spice loving kid, I roast some frozen coconut in ghee and add some frozen corn and 1-2 tsp of sugar. Add the ragi noodles, cover and steam on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Serve.
Spiced ragi noodles: Start as you would with a poha recipe- for me that is 2 tbsp of oil, 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds- heat till they sputter, add a pinch of asafetida, 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1 dried chilly, 3-4 chopped curry leaves, 1/2 a chopped preserved lemon (can be omitted) and 2-3 crushed stuffed dried chillies (also found in Indian store but can also be omitted). Add one onion finely chopped and cook till golden brown with some salt, pepper and a tsp of sugar. Add frozen corn, frozen coconut and the cooked ragi noodles. Cover and steam for 5-10 minutes till everything is heated through and the corn is cooked. Add chopped cilantro. Serve with a squeeze of lime.
My post thanksgiving pie shenanigans. I had only 3 eggs and 2 and half sticks of butter and a bag of frozen raspberries and no whipped cream. It was almost a Chopped episode.
Crust: Shortcrust pastry dough: I used this David Tanis recipe. I cup flour (145 gm), 1 stick butter with 1 tsp salt- whiz in food processor and add 2-3 tbsp ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time till the dough just comes together. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness for a 8 inch pie pan- refrigerate again for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.
Add parchment paper and bean or pie weights and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes till very pale brown (you may need foil on the edges if they start browning too soon)
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12884-basic-short-crust-pastry
Pastry Cream: After much research, I settled on this Mark Bittman easy recipe. It is slightly runny for pie though- it definitely needs at least 1 hour to set. I halved it.
In a saucepan- add 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp of flour, 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 1 cup of whole milk and 1 beaten egg. Whisk over low-moderate heat fairly continuously till the custard comes together (you know- when you can draw a line on the back of the spoon). Add a tsp of vanilla and a tbsp of butter. Resist the temptation to lick all of it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes with cling film over the top so it doesn’t form a skin
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015881-mark-bittmans-pastry-cream
Rasberries: Frozen raspberries, heat with sugar (3-4 tbsp) and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Some grand marnier and some orange zest will be excellent in this too.
Cool everything and then assemble. Wait for at least 1-2 hours. We didn’t and it was delicious but slightly runny.
Yorkshire pudding with malai paneer
While doing the stream of consciousness internet browsing thing, I came across Jamie Oliver’s video on Yorkshire pudding. I have no idea why I haven’t made this before. Hot oil, batter that puffs up, crisp outside, doughy interior – sounds so beautiful. Jamie paired his with salmon and creme fraiche. I’ve paired mine with a paneer curry, mint chutney and raw onions
Yorkshire pudding
I’ve linked to Jamie’s video below. Whisk 4 eggs, 200 ml milk and 200 g all purpose flour together with a pinch of salt. Heat oven to 425F. Pour a cm of vegetable oil in 12 muffin tins. Heat the oil for 15 min. Pour the batter in cups 2/3 full (I overfilled mine and had only 9 puddings). Shut the door and do not open till 20-25 min have passed and the puddings have puffed up gloriously
Malai paneer: my easy go-to paneer recipe
Heat 2 tbsp butter or ghee, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 dried chillies and half a cup of sliced onions till onions are pale gold.
Add 3 chopped garlic cloves and 100 gm of chopped paneer. Sauté for 2-3 min. Add frozen corn, green beans, raisins, cashews (I added pine nuts today). Add half a cup of cream and 1 tsp cumin powder and 1 tsp coriander powder. Cook for 10 min. Adjust consistency with more cream if needed, add ½ tsp of garam masala powder and ½ tsp of crushed kasoori methi.
Mint chutney: blend ½ cup of yogurt with ½ cup mint leaves, ½ cup cilantro and 2 jalapeños and salt
Assemble: tear open popover, add paneer, top with sliced raw onions and chutney. Find your happy place !
Fresh Homemade Pasta with Vegetarian puttanesca
It’s easier than it sounds and tremendous fun! You do need a pasta maker. I make it enough that I have a kitchen aid attachment but a hand cranked pasta maker is available for less than a $100. My kid did well in her piano recital and I asked her what she wanted for dinner and the answer is always “let’s make pasta”
Recipe: I use Michael Ruhlman’s recipe – 3 parts flour to 2 parts egg. It’s easy – I crack the eggs required (1 for each portion of pasta), weigh them and add 1.5 times the amount of all purpose flour and a tsp of salt. A large egg is approximately 50 g.
I use the dough hook of my stand mixer to knead – it will look tacky but have faith in the recipe and keep at it for 5 min- it will come together. Now let it rest for at least 30 min ! This is vital- I’ve skipped this step once to my great regret and never done it again.
Divide the dough into manageable quarters or eights. Start at the largest setting on your pasta machine- pass the dough through. I flour the dough frequently. Fold into thirds, turn it and pass through it again. Do this 3 times and then consecutively pass through thinner settings. For fettuccine, which I made today – the 2nd or 3rd last setting is good. For ravioli, I go to the thinnest. Switch the attachments for the cutting attachment – cut the sheets to manageable lengths and pass the pass through. Flour liberally – you have a nest of pasta. Cook in salted boiling water for 3 min !
Puttanesca
My daughter is reading Lemony Snicket and wanted a vegetarian puttanesca. Here is my version
3 tbsp butter, add 5 chopped garlic cloves, about ¼ cup chopped olives, 2-3 tbsp capers. Cook for a minute. Add 2 small cans of crushed San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz) and 1 tbsp of gochuang (to replace the umami of the anchovies). Simmer for the 30 minutes you are making the pasta.
Toss pasta with warm sauce, top with some good olive oil and Parmesan. Well worthy of a 9 year old piano maestro 🙂
Inspired by a FB video I saw with Malai paneer. This tastes like a very outstanding desi version of an Alfredo sauce
2 tbsp oil- add 1 tsp jeera – Brown
Add turmeric, one red chili and half an onion- sliced
Lightly brown onion
Add 2 cloves of garlic chopped and 1 packet of paneer chopped into 1 inch squares
Add corn and green beans
Add 1 tsp of jeera powder, 1 tsp of coriander powder and ½ cup of heavy cream and 2 tbsp sour cream
Add 1 tsp of garam masala powder and 1 tsp of Kasuri methi
Cumin-Black Pepper-Lemon shortbread
These are all my all time favorite cookies. I only make them when I expect company or else I finish all of them myself. The butter trips up the cumin and the pepper and the lemon and vanilla bring up the after notes and enhance the salty sweet taste. Also they are insanely simple
Recipe adapted (very slightly) from NYT recipe below
Heat oven to 350 F
In a food processor, add 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 stick unsalted butter cut into pieces, 3 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp cracked tasted cumin seeds, ½ tsp cracked toasted whole peppercorns, ½ tsp vanilla, ½ tsp kosher salt, grated zest of one lemon (1 tsp)
Whiz till mixture still crumbly but hold together when you squeeze it.
Dump out of food processor and shape into a rectangle. Either roll into 2 one inch diameter logs, refrigerate and slice into 16 cookies per log or divide rectangle to 16s and then into 32 and roll the cookies and flatten with your palm
Bake for 15-20 minutes till barely golden brown.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1088-pepper-cumin-cookies
Ah! Happiness is when an Ottolenghi recipe (Book: Sweet) looks exactly like the picture – well except without the black sesame seeds. The taste ? Well imagine every sesame laddoo, Burfi or chikki you’ve ever had- this is better
Oven at 375, dissolve 100 g light corn syrup, 100g sugar, 3.5 tbsp butter and pinch of salt on the stovetop. Add 125 g of toasted sesame seeds and mix
Divide the mixture into 2 blobs on silpats or parchment cut to fit half baking sheets. Put another parchment sheet on top and roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Wait for a minute to cool and peel off top parchment. Slide on baking sheet and bake for around 15 min ( I burnt one batch because the instructions said 20 min)
Wait for them to cool – shatter into shards. Use as a garnish or just to eat. The recipe laughably says these will last for a week- it’s going to be tough to have them last for a day at the rate they are disappearing
Vegetarian Pozole
I love all varieties of corn and all varieties of soups with toppings and when I came across Rick Bayless’ episode on pozole with pork, I knew I had to try it. Pozole corn is the nixmatalized corn (say that five times fast) that is used to make hominy ( boiled), dried masa (ground) or wet masa(cooked and ground) for tamales, tortillas etc. The flavor difference between dried Pozole and canned hominy is worth the effort of soaking and cooking it. I get my pozole from amazon or the Mexican grocery
I cup Pozole grains- soaked for 24 hours, discard the water, pressure cook for 1 hour till they “bloom” like pop corn and drain
1 cup kidney beans – soak for 24 hours.
Add one tbsp oil and 6-7 crushed cloves of garlic to a pressure cooker (I used my Cuisinart). Add beans and enough water to get about 2 inches above bean height. Pressure cook for 20 minutes. The garlic disintegrates to a flavorful stock,
Add Pozole, 2 cups of vegetable stock (I used better than bouillon after serious eats kept talking about how good it was and they were of course right)
Oh – before you started cooking stuff in the pressure cooker, you should have dry roasted some aromatic Mexican chillies (I used 4 pasillas) and soaked them in warm water for 2 hours. Now blend that to a paste
Add chili paste to soup, 1 tbsp cumin powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, thin with water, add salt (this soup needs a lot of seasoning)
Cook everything on a slow simmer for 30-40 minutes.
The toppings make the Pozole
Radish shaved thin is my favorite (didn’t have any today), thinly sliced cabbage, onions, cilantro, avocado and so on and on.
The only essential topping is a huge squeeze of lime and some crushed Mexican oregano
Very good and smoky and healthy (1 tbsp of oil in the whole soup) and so worth the effort. It’s even better the next day
Delhi Girl Meets Food 