Mutton Pulav

I have a friend Rose,  who keeps sharing inviting recipes on Facebook.  All of them are beautifully presented and very attractive to boot, literally enticing the viewer to fall prey to their mouthwatering seduction.  The other day she posted a video which was irresistible and I succumbed.  However I used my own measurements and ingredients as the recipe was a very basic one.  You have to be a versatile, experienced cook to be able to turn out a great dish from minimum instructions.  So then, here goes...

The Recipe:

1 kg Mutton with bones, cut into large chunks, washed and drained; 4 onions, sliced fine; 1 inch piece ginger, grated; 4 large cloves, garlic, minced; 2 tsp red chilli powder, adjust to taste; salt to taste; 3 tbsp olive oil;4 medium tomatoes, quartered ; 2 cups (500 ml) water.

For Rice:   3/4 cup curds; 1/2 kg basmathi rice; 4 green chillies, slit; 1 tsp ghee for aroma and flavour;  small bunch of mint leaves, washed and chopped; a small bunch of coriander leaves, washed and chopped;  1/2 vegetables of your choice, cut large; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 1 inch piece of cinnamon and 4 - 5 cloves

750 ml hot water to cook the rice; salt to taste

Heat the pressure cooker on meidum flame, add the oil and stir fry onions, ginger, garlic till onions are glazed.  Add the mutton, chilli powder, tomatoes, salt to taste (1 tsp), turmeric powder  and pressure cook mutton for 20 - 25 minutes.  Remove from fire, cool before you open the cooker.  Stir in the curds gently.

In a seperate non stick pan stir fry the washed and drained basmathi rice and spices in 1 tbsp ghee.  When all the grains are coated with the ghee add it to the mutton mixture.  Gently mix.  Add the rest of the ingredients and the hot water and salt to taste.  Pressure cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.  Remove and open the cooker.  Let the steam escape so that the Pulav cools down and has a dry consistency with the grains well seperated  (should not be mushy).  Garnish with boiled eggs and serve with Cucumber & Tomato Curd Pachdi.

Cucumber Tomato Curd Pachdi:  Mix together 1/2 cup curds with 1/4 cup sliced tomatoes and 1/4 cup cubed cucumbers and salt to taste.  Sliced green chillies optional.



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Focaccia Fancy

The smell of olive oil reminds me of my grandmother, the late Wilhelmina Soans ( nee Tholar), which is every day since I use olive oil in all my cooking.   One whiff is enough to take me back in time and I can see her gently  admonishing us to take good care of our complexions.  Every night, before we slept she would open her cabinet ( a source of great interest to me) and give each of us girls a ball of cotton dabbed with olive oil to clean our faces. Once done and we had passed muster, we were dismissed to our  bedrooms and fell asleep with the delicate smell of olive oil on the air.  

All of us love bread and I have been baking a lot of breads of late.  

This recipe is from  http://janessweets.blogspot.com and I am very grateful to her for sharing this recipe on https://www.pinterest.com I get most of my recipes from there. And I have also changed the recipe to include the ingredients that I have in my kitchen.

The Recipe:

Focaccia is a  flat Italian bread, that can be used as a base for pizzas, paninis, sandwiches and toast tips. The yeast-based wheat bread comes in flat rounds, brushed with olive oil and often dusted with herbs.

Prepare a 10" x 15" Swiss  roll pan by coating it liberally with olive oil.

I finally got to use my pan which I bought ages ago.

For the Dough: 2 tsp. salt;4 cups ubleached flour; 5 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 tsp. active dry yeast; 1 and 2/3 cups warm water (about 110 degrees); 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh coriander leaves; ¼ tsp  finely dried Mixed Herbs.

For finishing:

3 Tbsp. olive oil;  ¼ tsp salt which was more than enough; 1 tsp. chopped coriander leaves:

¼ tsp Mixed Herbs

In a large bowl, stir the salt into the flour and rub in the oil with your hands, making sure it is evenly absorbed by the flour.Add the chopped herbs in and mix them in with a fork.  ( Rubbing oil into flour with your hands, makes the flour absorbs it incredibly quickly and the flour still feels quite dry ).

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast into the water, and use a plastic spatula to stir it into the flour mixture.  Stir vigorously to make an evenly moistened dough that does not need to be very smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has doubled in bulk.   I usually place the dough to rise in my cooking area which is warm and dry.

Once the dough has risen,  spread it evenly on the swiss roll pan with the palms of your hand. I used my right hand only.  The dough should be elastic and very easy to spread out.  If you cannot do it let it rest for another 10 minutes before you spread it out. Cover the dough on the pan with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise in the pan until it is puffy, for approximately 30 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to bake the focaccia, set a tray in the lowest level of your oven, and preheat the oven to 220 Degrees C.

Use your fore finger to press the dough at 1 and 1/2" intervals. Drizzle olive oil all over the bread (it will puddle in the indentations) and sprinkle the herbs and salt.

Bake the focaccia until it is deep golden in color, about 30 minutes. Check the bottom by lifting a corner up carefully with a spatula before removing it from the oven, to make sure the bottom is well-colored as well.

Slide the focaccia off of the pan and onto a rack to cool.  Cut into squares and serve warm.  Wrap the leftovers in foil and heat it up another day.  

I must say this turned out really good and we all enjoyed eating it.  

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Baked Cheesy Fish

Baked Fish And Rice

This is a delicious, quick recipe that I found on the internet.  It's great when time is running away and all you want is a meal that makes you feel full and satisfied.  It is a slight variation of the  original recipe I found on www.tasteofhome.com 

 I tweaked it to suit our tastes and used ingredients in my refrigerator.  As long as you follow the steps, the ingredents could be whatever you choose.  Since fish is a big favourite in our household this was an instant hit.

The Recipe:
2 soup cubes; 1/2 cup basmathi rice, washed and drained; 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 3 cloves garlic, minced fine; 3 cups mixed, cooked vegetables ( I used broccoli, peas and onions); 1 tbsp cheese, grated; 3 large onions, sliced and fried golden brown; 500 gms boneless fish, washed and drained completely; 1 tsp chilli flakes; 125 gms mozzarella cheese, grated; 1/1/2 cups water.

Mix the water, soup cubes, rice, Italian seasoning and minced garlic in a large wok.  Bring to the  boil. Transfer to a greased rectangular 11" by 7 " pyrex dish. Cover and bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables, cheese and  half  the onions in a layer on top of the rice.  Top with fish fillets and sprinkle with chilli flakes;  

Cover and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, remaining onions and more chilli flakes if desired.  Serve as soon as the cheese is melted.  

This is a great dish for holidays when you want to spend a minimal time in the kitchen.

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Herbed Rolls

Pull Apart Rolls

One of my favourite past times is browsing the internet in search of recipes.  I love looking at Pinterest every day.  The colourful photographs just beg to be  tried and the step by step instructions make cooking a joy and a guaranteed success.  My family loves bread and although I do possess a bread maker, this can be baked in an ordinary oven.  And again this recipe is a combination of a couple of recipes I found on Pinterest -  Garlic Herb & Cheese Bread found on chewtown.com  and Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls found  momontimeout.com  coupled with my ingenuity and love of good food.  This is an easy recipe and even a beginner will be pleased with the result.

The Recipe:

500g plain flour:  15 gms dried yeast granules; 1 tsp salt; 3 tsp sugar;  325 ml water at room temperature;  3 tsp olive oil; 1 large clove garlic, minced fine;  1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped; 1/2 cup spring onions, minced fine;  1 tbsp butter; 100 gms Mozzarella cheese, grated ; 100 gms Cheddar Cheese.

Mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar together in a large bowl. Add half of the water to the dry ingredients and then mix, slowly adding the remaining water whilst mixing. When  mixed together the ingredients should come together in a ball.  Transfer to a large floured board.

Add the olive oil to the dough and knead it in. If required, add extra flour  (if it becomes too sticky)  and continue working the dough. The kneading is extremely important as it is a necessary technique to ensure the dough will rise and be fluffy. Knead the dough till the texture is smooth and elastic. 

Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with glad wrap and then a tea towel and keep warm until the mixture doubles in size – this can take 1 – 1.5 hours depending on the weather).

When risen, knock the dough back in the bowl and then take it out, cut it in half and roll each half out to a large rectangle about 50cm x 25cm.  Trim the edges to straighten.

Spread the top of each with 1/2 the  butter then scatter the crushed garlic, herb mixture and grated cheeses over both rectangles.

Cut the rectangles into strips and roll each strip into a pinwheel.  Place in a greased 9 inch square pan and cover with cling wrap.  Keep aside for 30 minutes.   Bake in a preheated oven at 190 Celcius for 55 minutes until golden brown.   Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving warm with roast chicken and a delicious salad.

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Tantalising Plum Jam

PLUM JAM

As children, we just loved jam and each of us could finish a bottle in a day or so.  My Mum seldom bought jam from the shop as she was an expert at making jams of all kinds and we children revelled in it.  Each of us had our favourites and Plum Jam was top on the list.  Home made jam is one of the easiest things to do and the result is very satisfying.  Recently, I bought some plums at the super market and they were so sour that the only option was to convert them into jam.  That's what I did and one bottle is nearly over in just three days.

The Recipe:

8 Plums- choose good quality fruit; 2 cups water; sugar to taste; 1 tsp vinegar.

Wash and cut the plums into bite sized pieces discarding the stone.  Pressure cook for 10 minutes in 2 cups water.  Cool and measure the cooked plums.  For every cup of plums add 1/2 cup sugar or to taste.  Add the vinegar , return to the stove and bring to boiling point.  Lower flame and simmer till desired consistency is reached- thick or like a jelly.  It's up to you.  We like our jams slightly runny (like honey).  Keep stirring the jam with a wooden spoon every once in a while to prevent sticking at the bottom.  Cool and bottle.  Serve with cold meats, salads or toast.  

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Indianised Bacon And Egg Pie

Low Calorie Bacon And Egg Pie

Low Calorie Bacon And Egg Pie

Reading Enid Blyton story books as children introduced us to a world of fascinating food- sausage rolls; gooey macaroons fresh from the oven, pies, tarts and a host of other goodies.  I have always wanted to bake a Bacon And Egg Pie and cam across many while googleing for recipes.  After numerous tries and feedback I came up with this version which is low calorie, quick to assemble and tastes heavenly hot or cold.


The Recipe:

200 gms bacon, washed and diced; 7 medium eggs; 250 gms low fat cream cheese (instead of the usual cheese);  250 gms curds (instead of heavy cream); 3 green chillies, minced (my addition); 1 large onion, minced; 1 spring onion, chopped; 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (my addition);  1 tbsp garlic, fried golden brown;  2 tbsp onions, fried caramel brown; salt to taste.

Topping:  2 tbsp mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Oil pyrex dish.

Beat the eggs with the cream cheese and curds.

Add salt to taste.

Add the rest of the ingredients and  mix well.

Pour into the pyrex dish.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Take out from oven and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.   It will melt in minutes.   Let stand for 20 minutes and serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

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Birthday Apple Pie

Apple Pie

This is the first time I'm attempting an Apple Pie and no one was more surprised than I when it turned out so well.  To cut a long story short, it was Ranita's  22nd birthday last week and I was looking through various recipes wondering what to bake when she requested I make her an Apple Pie.  

So I looked up various versions and then remembered a rcipe given by Jayanthi Pichamuthu which we had eaten  at her house and which she also made for us while visiting us here.  Checked out various roses I had seen on Pinterest and combined a few techniques together.  The result was a visual and culinary delight.

The Recipe:

400gms flour; 175 gms caster sugar; 250gms cold butter; 100gms golden raisins; 100 ml orange juice; 1 yolk ( optional); 1 kg red apples, cored and sliced; 2 tbsp custard powder; 2 tsp cinnamon powder; 2 tbsp brown sugar.

Honey for glazing

Mix flour and sugar in a deep bowl.  Cut the butter into pieces and add to the flour along with the yolk of 1 egg.  Knead together until smooth and the mixture becomes a firm ball.  Divide into two pieces.  Grease a 9 inch cake pan with a collapsible bottom and press one piece with your fingers over the bottom and the sides evenly. Cover the pan, wrap the remaining dough in cling film and keep in the frig until required.

Put the raisins and orange juice in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer until the raisins are plumped up and the liquid evaporates.  This takes about 5 minutes.

Mix the chopped apples, custard powder, cinnamon, sugar and raisins and place in the pan.  Cut the remaining  dough into two and roll out one portion  into a thin circle large enough to fit  on top of the apples, pressing the edges together with your fingers.   Take a fork and prick a few holes in the top of the pastry for the steam to escape.  Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle, cut into strips and arrange in a criss cross pattern over the pastry pinching the edges together.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175 Celcius for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Insert a metal skewer to check if done.  Remove from oven and glaze (brush) - use a pastry brush- with 1 tbsp honey.  Decorate with Roses.

How To Make The Roses:  See the video on how to make the roses.  It's pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgetvGCoEFQ&list=FL6DSUpL_0eJvs5jBwg33_Kw

 For Roses:  1 red apple; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp water.

Wash and cut the apple.  Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half very thin.  Place in a small saucepan with the sugar, honey and water.  Bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the slices are soft.  Take out the slices and cool on a plate.

For the Pastry:  1 cup plain flour, sifted; 1/2 stick butter- 55 gms approx; 3 tbsp cooked apple water.

Knead the sifted flour, apple water and cut butter until smooth.  Shape into a ball and cut into two pieces.  Roll out each piece into a rectangle.  Cut into strips 1 inch in width and 8-10 inches in length.  Take a strip and place 5 to 6 cooked apple slices on it overlapping each other.  Roll from one end to another into a rose.  Repeat with all the strips until the cooked apple slices are used up.  Make a few leaves too.    Place the roses  in  cup cake cases.  Arrange leaves on baking paper  and bake  both together in a preheated oven at  175 Celcius for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and glaze with honey using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.   Arrange on Apple Pie when cool.  

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

For The Sugarless Version: Made For My Mum's 80th Birthday 2-7-2015

400gms flour; 1 1/2 cups sugarless Apple juice;  250gms cold butter; 100 gms golden raisins; 100 ml sugarless orange juice; 1 yolk ( optional); 1 kg red apples, cored and sliced; 3 tbsp cornflour; 2 tsp cinnamon powder.

Honey for glazing

Make the Roses first.

How To Make The Roses:  See the video on how to make the roses.  It's pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgetvGCoEFQ&list=FL6DSUpL_0eJvs5jBwg33_Kw

 For Roses:  1 red apple; 2 tbsp real honey; 4 tbsp water.

Wash and cut the apple.  Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half very thin.  Place in a small saucepan with the  honey and water.  Bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the slices are soft.  Take out the slices and cool on a plate.

Reserve the water.

For the Pastry:  1 cup plain flour, sifted; 1/2 stick butter- 55 gms approx; 3 tbsp cooked apple water.

Knead the sifted flour, apple water and cut butter until smooth.  Shape into a ball and cut into two pieces.  Roll out each piece into a rectangle.  Cut into strips 1 inch in width and 8-10 inches in length.  Take a strip and place 5 to 6 cooked apple slices on it overlapping each other.  Roll from one end to another into a rose.  Repeat with all the strips until the cooked apple slices are used up.  Make a few leaves too.    Place the roses  in  cup cake cases.  Arrange leaves on baking paper  and bake  both together in a preheated oven at  175 Celcius for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and glaze with honey using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.   Arrange on Apple Pie when cool.  

For The Pie Base:

  Cut cold butter into pieces and add to the flour along with the yolk of 1 egg in a deep bowl.    Knead with about 5 - 6 tbsp apple water.  If it is less add water by the tbsp. together until smooth and the mixture becomes a soft consistency.   Divide into two pieces.  Grease a 9 inch cake pan with a collapsible bottom and press one piece of dough with your fingers over the bottom and the sides of the pan evenly. Cover the pan, wrap the remaining dough in cling film and keep in the frig until required.

Put the raisins and orange juice in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer until the raisins are plumped up and the liquid evaporates.  This takes about 5 minutes.

Mix the corn flour, cinnamon and 1/4 cup of the apple juice to a smooth consistence.  Simmer the chopped apples in the remaining apple juice ( 1 1/4 cups) on a medium flame in a deep saucepan till soft.  Add the raisins and gently stir in the cornflour and cinnamon mixture until thick and gooey.  Cool ( about 20 minutes).  Pour into the pie crust.

  Cut the remaining  dough into two and roll out one portion  into a thin circle large enough to fit  on top of the apples, pressing the edges together with your fingers.   Take a fork and prick a few holes in the top of the pastry for the steam to escape.  Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle, cut into strips and arrange in a criss cross pattern over the pastry pinching the edges together.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 Celcius for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Insert a metal skewer to check if done.  Remove from oven and glaze (brush) - use a pastry brush- with 1 tbsp honey.  Decorate with Roses.

How To Make The Roses:  See the video on how to make the roses.  It's pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgetvGCoEFQ&list=FL6DSUpL_0eJvs5jBwg33_Kw

 For Roses:  1 red apple; 2 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp water.

Wash and cut the apple.  Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half very thin.  Place in a small saucepan with the honey and water.  Bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the slices are soft.  Take out the slices and cool on a plate.

For the Pastry:  1 cup plain flour, sifted; 1/2 stick butter- 55 gms approx; 3 tbsp cooked apple water.

Knead the sifted flour, apple water and cut butter until smooth.  Shape into a ball and cut into two pieces.  Roll out each piece into a rectangle.  Cut into strips 1 inch in width and 8-10 inches in length.  Take a strip and place 5 to 6 cooked apple slices on it overlapping each other.  Roll from one end to another into a rose.  Repeat with all the strips until the cooked apple slices are used up.  Make a few leaves too.    Place the roses  in  cup cake cases.  Arrange leaves on baking paper  and bake  both together in a preheated oven at  175 Celcius for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and glaze with honey using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.   Arrange on Apple Pie when cool.  

Serve with vanilla ice cream.