Chef Janani: December 2012

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas sweets

Sweets that cheer: Cakes are a must for Christmas.

Moushmikishore :The Hindu : 23 Dec 2012

Here are some favourite Christmas sweets you can try at home

The spirit of Christmas has caught on everywhere. Apart from the gifts and parties, a large part of Christmas celebrations is about food and eating. Traditional roast and yummy desserts make the season extra special. Here are some recipes that you can try out at home.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cake

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour (maida)

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp baking powder

Half tsp salt

4 tbsp milk

4 eggs

250 gm butter

250 gm sugar

100 gm Tutti-fruiti

4 cups of coarsely ground dry fruits

Method

Whisk sugar and butter to a fine paste. Whip eggs and milk together and add to the sugar-butter mixture. Now mix the flour, cinnamon powder and salt and blend. Add the dry fruits and Tutti-fruiti cherries. Line the cake container with greased paper around the sides and bottom, and pour the cake mixture into it. Bake in the oven at a temperature of 180 degree C. After 35 minutes, reduce heat to 150 degree C. Bake for around three minutes and then leave it to cool for another three minutes. Store in an air-tight container. To add Christmas flavour, decorate and drizzle your favourite syrup, fruits, cherries and nuts.

Christmas Pudding

Ingredients

Crumbs of half a loaf of white bread

2 cups mixed raisins and currants

1 1/4 cup sugar

Half tsp cinnamon powder

250 gm butter melted

4 eggs lightly beaten

Half tsp almond extract

Half cup orange marmalade

Half cup rum heated slightly before serving

Method

Put the crumbs in a large bowl along with the raisins, currants, sugar, mace, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then add the melted butter and all the remaining ingredients, except the rum. Pour the mixture into a container and cover with wax paper and a tight lid. Add about six inches of water in a pressure cooker and bring it to a boil. Now carefully place the pudding container in the boiling water. Make sure the water comes up one-third of the sides of pudding container. Cover cooker without the pressure and let the pudding steam till it turns dark brown and is quite firm to touch. Check the water level adding to it now and then. Bring the pudding to the table along with warmed rum, which should be poured around the pudding.

Strawberry Tart

Ingredients

300 gm butter

2 1/2 cup plain flour (maida)

1 tsp baking powder

Cold water for kneading

For the filling

250 gm strawberry

3 tbsp sugar

1 cup water

Method

Mix the flour and baking powder with the butter and blend roughly with your fingers until it is coarse. Add cold water and mix quickly with your hand to make the dough smooth. Let the dough rest in a cool place for an hour or two. Then, roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a large, even square about one-fourth inch thick and fold in like a letter. Roll the dough out in opposite direction, repeat the rolling and folding process several times to create the puff pastry. Let it rest in a cool place. Cut the strawberries into thin slices, add the water and sugar and cook on a low flame for 20-25 minutes. Let the filling cool down. Cut the pastry into three inch squares and place a mound of fillings in the centre of each square. Split each corner from the top to within half inch of the centre. Pinch sides to form a star shape. Moist the corners with water to keep it sealed. Brush eggs on tarts and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in an oven at 225 degree C until the surface is golden brown. This will take around 15-20 minutes. After cooling, you can sprinkle the tart with pink food colour mixed in powdered sugar taking care to see that the strawberry filling is seen in small circles with light pink coating surrounding it. You may also use your own creative ideas for decorating.

Sweet And Merry Cocktail

Ingredients

1 cup watermelon (chunks)

45 ml Tequila

1 tsp sugar syrup

2 tsp lemon juice

15 ml Cointreau

Method

Puree the watermelon chunks in a blender and strain it. Fill a glass with ice, pour everything, except the soda, into the glass and stir. Add soda and stir again. Squeeze lime on top and garnish with lime wheel.

Chicken Wings

A party at home seems incomplete without a bucket of spicy, succulent chicken wings to share.

Ingredients

1 cup barbeque sauce

2 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp honey

2 large egg whites

Half cup wheat flour

Half tsp salt

Half tsp freshly ground pepper

1 bowl bread crumbs

500 gm tender chicken cut lengthwise

Method

Mix barbeque sauce, mustard and honey in a large bowl. Marinate and refrigerate chicken tenders in the sauce for about 30 minutes to one hour. Add wheat flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly beat egg white in another shallow dish. Place bread crumbs in third shallow dish. Coat each tender chicken in flour dip in egg whites and roll in bread crumbs, shaking off any excess. Bake the tender for 10 minutes. Turn sides and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with sauce or chutney.

A healthy start

Beetroot paratha

MOUSHMI KISHORE :The Hindu:dec 2012

Some easy-to-make and tasty breakfast options.

Power up the day with hearty breakfast recipes that will help keep you full and energized until lunch. It is the prevention meal because it heads off overeating and over snacking during the day and easy way to check you eat better and lose weight.

Make sure your breakfast is well rounded, meaning it packs produce, protein, and whole grains. These recipes are tempting enough to get you out of bed as most of these meals are ready in 15-20 minutes or less, so that they can be whipped up even on frantic mornings, others can be prepped the night before. Time to rise and dine your hearty breakfasts.

Broccoli And Cheese Omelet

Ingredients:

½ tsp olive oil

1 ¼ cups thinly sliced broccoli florets

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1tbspn grated cheese

1 egg, plus 2 egg whites

1tspn red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

Method: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook broccoli covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and some pepper. Transfer to plate. Add cheese to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until melted and golden in about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium low. Add egg and egg whites. Keeping egg yolk intact, drag a spatula through the whites to spread them evenly in the pan. Cook covered, until whites are set and yolk is still runny, 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Top with broccoli mixture and fold omelette over. Sprinkle red pepper flakes.

Banana Toast With Walnut, Dates And Honey

Ingredients:

2 tbsp cheese spread

1 slice whole wheat bread toasted

½ banana, sliced on the bias

1 medium pitted date, thinly sliced

1 tbsp coarsely chopped roasted walnuts

1tspn honey

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Method: Spread cheese spread on toast. Top with banana, date and walnut. Drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and some pepper.

Chickoo And Oat Shake

Ingredients:

2 ½ medium to large chickoos, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 ¾ cup skim milk

1 cup low fat butter milk

2/3 cup rolled or quick cooking oats

1/3 cup ice-cubes

2 tsp chocolate syrup

2 tsp white cream

1 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Sugar to taste

Method: Freeze chickoos in a single layer on a baking sheet overnight. Combine chickoo, milk, butter milk, oats, ice, chocolate syrup, cream, cinnamon and sugar in a blender. Blend on low speed, then gradually increase speed to high. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Pour into chilled glasses, and garnish with ground cinnamon. Serve Immediately.

Creamed Spinach Wrap

Ingredients:

4 flat out light original flat bread

2 bunch fresh spinach, washed thoroughly

3 tbsp unsalted butter

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1 ½ tbsp whipped reduced fat cream cheese spread

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method: Cook spinach in a large pot with ¼ inch water until steam has collapsed leaves, 8-10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out liquid. Coarsely chop. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Stir for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Fold in chopped spinach. Spread cheese spread over one side of flatbread. Top with creamed spinach. Roll flatbread to enclose filling.

Daal And Vegetable Idli

Ingredients:

1 cup urad daal

½ cup each of channa (black gram) and moong daal

1 small bunch of fenugreek leaves

125gm shelled green peas

1 carrot

½ coconut

1 big bunch coriander leaves

6 green chillies finely minced

1 onion minced

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafoetida, salt to taste.

Method: Soak the dals for 4 hours and grind a little coarsely after draining out water. Mince together green chillies, fenugreek and coriander leaves. Grate the coconut and carrot to fine bits. Half boil the peas and grind coarsely. Mix together dals, vegetables, coconut and onion. Heat 1 tbsp oil and put in mustard seeds and asafoetida. When seeds stop crackling put those into the dal mixture and mix well. Grease small round bowls of idli stand with ghee or oil and fill ¾ full. Steam till idlis are firm. Remove them from container and serve them hot with seasoned curd or sambhar or coconut chutney.

Beetroot Parathas

Ingredients:

250gms sifted whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp ghee

1 cup water

2 cups grated beetroot

1 tbsp crushed pomegranate seeds

2 green chillies minced

Handful of chopped coriander leaves

½ piece chopped ginger

½ tsp jeera powder

½ tsp chilli powder

Method: Mix salt and rub ghee in the flour. Add water gradually, knead well and mix the flour. See that dough formed is uniform, smooth, soft and pliable. Mix all spiced ingredients in grated beetroot. Now take a piece of dough and roll it flat like a chapatti. Spread a little ghee or butter and then fill in the grated, spiced beetroot. Seal the edges nicely, sprinkle a little dry flour on top and then roll out the parathas as thinly and as roundly as you can, being careful not to break it. Grease a smoking tava or a girdle with ghee and place the paratha over it. When underside turns a little golden coloured, apply ghee on top side and turn over. Press gently and cover this side also with some ghee keep on turning until paratha turns golden coloured. Serve it hot with 1 tbsp of fresh butter and a bowl of fresh curd seasoned with desirable condiments.

In search of DAVANGERE BENNE DOSE

Davangere Benne Dose. Photo: Neha Mujumdar

The Hindu :Neha Majumdhar :22 Dec 2012

Who first decided to douse a dosa — one that was made not just from rice but also maida — in butter? Neha Mujumdar goes on a tasting tour while searching for an answer.

“You made the right choice, by coming in the afternoon... sikkapatte rushu,saayankala (the evenings are very crowded).” That is the rickshaw driver in Davangere, commending my choice to visit Sri Guru Kottureshwara Benne Dose Hotel at 2 pm, just after the lunch crowd and before the snack-time rush.

Is there another place he recommends? No. “There is no place better than this.”

Davangere lends its name to a famously rich variety of dosa; indeed, several eateries in Bangalore invoke the central Karnataka town to lend credibility to their butter-rich dosas; “camps” devoted to the specific Davangere Benne Dose spring up every so often. But once you hit the central Karnataka town itself, you’ll find that Davangere, the centre of the eponymous district, isn’t chock-full with over-commercialised dosa joints (like the big-city ones which have varieties like paneer dosa, cheese dosa, chinese dosa). Here, there are some hubs, each with a scattering of tiny establishments. And these hotels, with their typically short menus, manage to provide dosa nirvana in a way no newfangled combination can.

“Yen ide?” (What’s available?)

That is a stupid question to ask in an establishment labelled “Benne Dose Hotel”. But I ask anyway, to find out what the other offerings are.

“Benne dose, khali dose.” (Butter dosa, empty dosa).

“Ondu single benne dose.” (One single butter dosa).

It’s the same story at all the restaurants I visit. And everywhere, this word — single — is crucial. If you let the staff get away with ordering you a “plate”, you will be served not one but two dosas — hardly instructive if one is on a tasting tour, of course.

On IB Road, in quick succession, sit a bewildering multitude of restaurants, all named some version of Sagar Benne Dose Hotel. These establishments offer unabashed celebrations of grease. The fare here is palatable enough if what you’re indulging in is a deliberate exercise in gluttony — and artery-clogging, of course. The fluffy, flabby dosas served in these tiny rooms are so buttered that the piece of newspaper they give you to wipe your hands just will not do.

It is at the Sri Guru Kottureshwara Benne Dose Hotel that I first realise that maybe, just maybe, two dosas wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Credit for that possibility goes not to an expanded appetite, but to the lightness and restraint in the benne dose served here.

First of all, they’ve made a choice about texture: dosas here tend to be crisp and thin rather than fluffy, a proposition that suited me eminently. The single dosa that arrives, minutes after I order, is chocolate-brown, paper-thin. Its surface is marked by attractively large holes, the result of perhaps a liberal hand with the soda (as in baking; soda causes a release of carbon dioxide in the shape of bubbles, allowing the batter to expand).

And of course, there’s the butter. Perhaps the deciding factor is that butter is present more in aroma and spirit rather than in the actual dosa itself, which doesn’t suffer from an overdose. The dosa is so flavourful that you don’t need too much of the accompanying chutney and palya, except as contrast.

The crisp, thin dosa is gone in minutes.

A process standardised to almost mechanical routine is responsible for the sublimity of this particular dosa. Revanasiddiah, who has run the hotel for nearly 20 years, tells me that the process begins daily at 8.30 a.m. Seventy to 80 kgs of rice (IR 64 variety, he says) are soaked in water. Late at night, at 10.30 p.m., they grind and mix in maida, mandakki (puffed rice), urad dal and salt.

Next morning, they add soda and water, and run test batches to get the perfect consistency for the batter. A hot surface is the meeting point for butter and batter. Mornings are also when they make the accompaniments — boiled, mashed potatoes, and a coconut chutney, fiery with green chillies. Curiously, the chutney here is boiled, not fried with a tempering as is typical. It’s a simple mix of coconut, green chillies, salt, and just a pinch of cardamom. “We don’t use oil.” he says.

But as expert as the town may be in the art of the dosa, getting to the origin of the Davangere Benne Dose is surprisingly difficult. Why is it so famous? Who first decided to douse a dosa — one that was made not just from rice but also maida — in butter?

M.R. Vijayashankar, who runs Shree Sagar Benne Dose hotel, says it’s impossible to trace the dosa’s history. “Even though I make them, I don’t know where it came from,” laughs Revanasiddiah. “I only remember that my maternal uncles used to buy butter and add it to their dosas.” In the nearby village where he grew up, his uncles decided that they wouldn’t get many customers in the village, and moved to Davangere town. Revanasiddiah would accompany his mother when she would visit them, and decided, as an adult, to set up a hotel.

The open flame at his hotel is roaring now, with nearly six or seven butter-dotted dosas cooking. “I don’t count the number of dosas made per day.” he says. “I can’t.”

HOW IT’S MADE

Ingredients

One kg rice

1/4 kg urad dal

2 tablespoons maida

1/2 kg puffed rice

Salt

Method

Soak rice for 10 to 12 hours; grind, add puffed rice, maida, urad dal and salt, and grind again. Allow it to sit overnight. In the morning, add soda and water to desired consistency. Cook in butter, on a cast-iron pan.

Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Mushroom Story

mushroominfo

Flavor

They have a fairly mild taste and blend well with almost anything. Their flavor intensifies when cooked.

Preparation

They can be sautéed or cooked any way or enjoyed raw in salads.

Uses

Try them sliced and sautéed on pizza, in pasta, on quesadillas or cheeseburgers.

Nutrition

A serving of 4-5 white mushrooms provides 18 calories, 0 grams of fat and 3 grams of carbohydrates, yet is a good source of the antioxidant selenium; the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid; and copper. And mushrooms have close to 300 mg of potassium per serving, an important nutrient that many Americans do not get enough of. White buttons also contain 2.8 mg of the antioxidant ergothioneine and 15 IU of vitamin D.

Please check back for new information.

View beech mushroom growing info >>

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Fresh Mushrooms

http://mushroominfo.com/

Dr. Greger's Notes

If you were thinking, “What's an intramitochondrial antioxidant?” seeMitochondrial Theory of Aging. Other examples of the magic of mushrooms can be found in Making Our Arteries Less Sticky, Vegetables Versus Breast Cancer, and Breast Cancer Prevention: Which Mushroom Is Best?. Probably best to cook them though, see Toxins in Raw Mushrooms?. Plants are powerful!

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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Time for tea in the kitchen

PRIYA BALA, TNN | Dec 2, 2012, 12.00 AM IST

The Chinese so love their tea, they haven't just turned the art of tea-drinking into a refined social ritual; they've also perfected techniques and recipes for cooking with tea.

And various types of leaves can indeed bring their unique flavours — grassy, leafy or smoky — to a range of dishes from simple snacks like tea eggs to elaborate dishes like smoked poultry and braised meats.

I remember vividly a meal at a tea room in Singapore's carefully restored Chinatown. First, there were the various teas to be tasted in delicate porcelain cups. Then came the meal, a simple dish of steamed chicken, served with pokchoy and steamed rice, no more, and it was delightful. The chicken had been rubbed with tea leaves, scattered with Chinese spices and herbs, foil-wrapped and steamed. The meat, golden-hued from the tea, was moist and fragrant. And the broth which it had exuded tasted so good. It's one of those meals you never forget.

And chefs in other parts of the world have also picked up those cues, serving exotica like tea-smoked duck breast and putting tea leaves into their rubs, and marinades. Desserts like Oolong jellies and tea-soaked fruit concoctions are finding their way into menus.

To use tea in your cooking, you can steam, braise or stir-fry by adding a brew to the other ingredients. For cooking purposes, tea has to be brewed a little differently. You should leave the tea to infuse for about 30 minutes in pure water that is at room temperature. Then strain and use in dishes. For instance, you can stir-fry green beans with garlic, and finish with a couple of tablespoons of tea brew and season with salt.

You can also marinate lamb chops or other cuts of meat in a tea liquid. Or, roll meats in crushed tea leaves and have it turn into an aromatic crust while grilling. You will have to use ultra tender leaves for this, though.

As in wine, you don't have to use your best Darjeeling for cooking. But use good quality teas, both black and green, experiment and find out what flavours you like.

Tea Eggs
Take 6 eggs and boil them in three cups of water for 10 minutes. Lift them out and when cool enough to handle, tap the shells all over with a spoon to crack them without breaking entirely. Place the eggs back in the water with a tablespoon of sea salt and two tablespoons of good black or green tea leaves. Allow to simmer for an hour. Let the eggs steep in the liquid for another half and hour. Then lift out and peel the shells. You will have eggs with a pretty marbled effect and a unique flavour. Slice in halves and eat as a snack; these make great picnic foods too.

4 Comfort drinks to stay warm in winter

By Arunima Mazumdar, TNN | Dec 2, 2012, 12.00 AM IST

Not everyone is fond of the nippy, winter season but everyone's game when it comes to delicious, hot drinks. While some dread going to work in the chilly mornings, others complain about the cold, windy nights.

How about beginning or ending your day with a warm and soothing beverage to take your mind off the chill outside?

Celebrity anchor-chef Vicky Ratnani brings to you four exclusive hot drinks that'll help you kick the nip out of winter nights and mornings. Cuddle up with a blanket, invite friends for a sleep over, put on a movie, or simply warm up with your family over the comforting brews.

1. Saffron and Apricot Milk

A warm glass of saffron milk topped with the goodness of apricots is ideal for people who are wary of the caffeine in coffee or nicotine in teabefore bedtime. It's cent per cent healthy and has no element that'll awaken you in the middle of the night.

Ingredients
250 ml Milk
A big pinch of saffron
1 tbsp Dried apricots (soaked to soften and pureed)
1 ½ tbsp Sugar
1 stalk of lemon grass bashed
1 Cinnamon stick
A big pinch of masala milk powder

Method:
1. Bring the milk to a steady boil. Infuse the saffron, cinnamon and lemon grass into it.
2. After some time, add the apricot puree and sugar.
3. Let it infuse for 30 minutes.
4. Garnish with masala milk powder and chopped apricots

2. Jasmine Ginger and Citrus Blanket

Tea is quintessential to winter. Infusing the aromatic flavour of Jasmine into the warm beverage calms your fidgety nerves and relaxes the mind to comfort. Make yourself a cup of 'Jasmine ginger and citrus blanket' before going to bed and get ready for an uninterrupted, sound sleep. Alternatively, you could choose to begin your day with a cup of this warm mixture!

Ingredients
250 ml Water
2 Jasmine tea bags
1 tsp Fresh ginger, sliced
1 slice Lemon peel
1 slice Orange peel
2 Black peppercorns
1 tbsp Honey

Method:
1. Heat water and add the flavourings.
2. Infuse the tea bags for about 12 minutes.
3. Serve piping hot.

3. Cookies and soy cream

Chocolate brings comfort to those in distress and its effect doubles when dissolved in healthy soy milk. Cookies and soy cream is a delicious hot drink for kids and adults alike!

Ingredients
250 ml Soy milk
2 Chocolate chip biscuits
1 tsp Hazelnut flavoured syrup
1 tsp Dark chocolate, grated

Method:
1. Heat the milk and then add the cookies to it. Stir till they dissolve.
2. Then, add the hazelnut syrup and mix well.
3. Serve with grated chocolate shavings.

4. High on coffee

This one's for those who need more than just a cup of coffee to obliterate the day's stress. 'High on coffee' is an invigorating mix of caffeine and liquor that adds an extra punch to your drink.

Ingredients
1 Large mug of strong coffee
30 ml Baileys liquor or whiskey
1 tsp Caramel flavour syrup
1 tbsp Whipped cream

Method:
1. Make a strong cup/mug of coffee. Add the liquor and the caramel flavour to it.
2. Top it up with whipped cream and serve hot!

Monday, December 24, 2012