Grilled aubergine with bell peppers and cheese

I love brinjals, but the kids not so much. They do, however, tolerate the vegetable if it is called by its more fancy name of aubergine. I bought these thin brinjals for myself, but when I also saw the colourful bell peppers, I decided to make a dish for all of us. And believe me, aubergines never disappeared as fast!

250 gms aubergines/  brinjal
1 1/2 bell peppers
2 tbsp basill
4 tbsp feta cheese
4-6 garlic cloves
Olive oil for dousing
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Smash the garlic cloves, add 2 tbsp olive oil, and let it seep for 5 minutes
Meanwhile, chop the brinjals into cubes (or discs), and the bell peppers into inch squares.
Toss the chopped vegetables in olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to marinate for at least 1 hour. Tear the basil leaves and toss in.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a baking tray and arrange the vegetables on it. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring once to ensure all parts are well done. Remove from the oven.
Crumble the feta cheese and sprinkle over the vegetables.
Serve with garlic bread.

Chai cookies

I love chai, and when I saw a recipe for chai flavoured cookies, I just had to try it out. The first attempt was a bit of a disaster, but I tried again soon after. Unfortunately, the flavour of cardamon was the dominant one, and the older one even dubbed it kheer cookies. It tasted good, but not the way I wanted it to taste- which means, I get to experiment a bit more!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon tea leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp milk

Method:
Dry grind the sugar and tea leaves in a blender till well powdered.
Combine the flour, sugar, powdered sugar, tea mix, and salt, till well mixed (add cardamom powder if using).

Add the vanilla and butter and knead together to get a rough dough. Add the milk gradually till you get a batter.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.Drop spoonfulls of the batter onto the greased cookie tray, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes till the edges start to brown. Cook for 5 minutes in the oven, then transfer to a wire rack for cooking. Store after cooling down completely.

Savoury canapés with microgreens garnish

Having decided I was going to have microgreens for lunch, the rest of the meal sort of created itself. Savoury crackers, with 

For crackers:

1 cup maida

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste3 tbsp grated cheese

Method:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees

Sift together the flour, salt and pepper. 

Add oil, and knead well till you get a firm dough

Roll onto a greased baking sheet, and make indentations with a sharp knife

Bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Take out of oven and let it cool on a wire rack. 

For the hung curd:

1 cup yogurt

1 tsp garlic paste

4-6 olives chopped fine

Salt to taste

Method:

Tie the curds in a muslin cloth, and hang it up so the whey escapes. Squeeze out the remaining whey. 

Add garlic paste and salt and mix really well till you get a smooth consistency. 

Add chopped olives and mix well*

For serving:

Scoop/ pipe the hung curd on the crackers, garnish with microgreens and serve. 

*- if you are having the dip without microgreens, you can experiment with the flavours- I kept it simple

Butter cookies

I love experimenting with cookie recipes, but eventually I fall back on my old faithful recipes. This is my mother's butter cookies recipe, made even more special because for the first time ever, I used cooking butter. 

Oats Chocolate Chip Cookies

Weekends are the time to fill the home with the glorious scents of baking. Finding my stack of chocolate chips intact, I decided to modify my basic oats cookie recipe to accommodate chocolate.

3/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup maida

1/4 cup granulated sugar*

2 tbsp butter

2-3 tbsp milk

1/4 cup chocolate chips 

Method:

Mix the oats, flour and sugar well.

Add the butter, and mix well till crumbly. 

Add milk

Incorporate the milk one spoon at a time, mixing well so you have a slightly runny batter. 

Add the chocolate chips and mix well. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175 degrees. 

Grease the baking tray, and using s spoon, drop the batter on the tray at equal intervals. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking to ensure it doesn't burn. 

Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. 

*- if you don't have it, just whizz the equivalent quantity of regular sugar in the blender

Oat flour Sesame Cookies

In my quest for healthy snacking options, I found a cookie recipe that didn't require butter or eggs or sugar. Even the amount of oil needed was negligible. With all those preconditions, I was worried about how it would taste, but it was lovely. And with a blob of cheese on it, it was an amazing canapé. 

1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp maida
1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp cooking oil
Water
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind the quick cooking oats as fine powder. 

Mx the oat flour, whole wheat flour, maida, baking soda, baking powder, sesame seeds and salt and mix really well. 

Add oil and water gradually and knead into a soft dough. Allow it to stand for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. 

Grease a baking tray. 

Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. Arrange on the baking tray. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes checking occasionally to endure it doesn't burn. 

Cool and store in an airtight container. 

Sprouted moong muffins

I felt like having something different for lunch, so threw together the contents of my fridge, and came up with something that was actually pretty good.

1/2 cup sprouted moong

1/3 cup rice flour

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix the rice flour, paprika powder, salt and sesame seeds. Add the oil, and mix till it is crumbly. 

Add the moong, mix well. Add water gradually, incorporating it thoroughly, so you get a thick batter. 

Grease a muffin tray, pour the batter in, and level the top. 

Bake at 175 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Delicious with hot hibiscus juice. 

Cabbage bake

My mother used to make this dish quite often during the winters, but given hoe easy it is, I don't make it as often as I could. But when I do make it, I spread it over a few days, because it tastes much nicer after one day.

1 cup cabbage, chopped fine

2 cup onion, cut lengthwise

1 cup besan

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chill powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 tsp oil

For tempering:

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

Method:

Mix the cabbage and onions well. Sprinkle the besan, salt, chilli powder and haram masala, mix well, adding water if necessary, so the whole thing sticks together. 

Heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds, and pour over a baking dish. Spread the oil across the surface, sprinkle sesame seeds. 

Pour the batter over the tempering, and bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Allow it to cool before serving. 

Vegan savoury cookies

LI am not a vegan, nor am ever likely to be, but I do have friends who are vegan- for ethical or health reasons- and once in awhile, I like trying out vegan dishes. This savoury cookie was one of them. No butter, no oil, no sugar. But pretty high on taste.

1 cup peanuts, roasted and cooled

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 cup wholewheat flour/ atta

1 small onion minced

1 tsp rock salt

1 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp inactive yeast*

Method:

Grind together the peanuts and onions, with a little water, if necessary, to get a fine paste. 

Add yeast, pepper powder, coconut and salt, grind together. 

Add the flour, knead well. 

Make small balls, and flatten them. Place on a baking tray lightly dusted with flour. 

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. 

Sprinkle salt or sesame seeds on the cookies, and bake for 15 minutes. 

Can be stored for upto a week. 

*- make it inactive by heating slightly

Ragi cookies

In Bangalore you have these Iyengar Bakeries, where you get a variety of baked goods. Of all the varieties on offer, one that I remember most fondly is the Ragi cookies, because that is the only place I have ever tasted them. So when I ended up with a packet of ragi flour, I had to attempt some cookies. The recipe is entirely mine, and had I been more careful with the oven, I would have got a much nicer batch.

1/2 cup ragi/ nachani flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar, powdered (I used a bit less)
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Powder the sugar and keep aside.
Sieve the flour and baking powder a few times till well mixed.
Add the sugar, and sesame seeds and mix well.
Add the oil, and vanilla essence, and knead to a firm dough.
Grease a baking tray, and place balls of dough on it (I got 16 balls)
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees, and bake for 12- 15 minutes.

Eggless chocolate cookies

I baked a batch of chocolate cookies today because I was in a mood to do so. Initially, I intended to roll them in sesame seeds, but changed my mind when I couldn't find they. The batch came out really well- crispy on the outside, soft inside.

200 (1 cup) gms maida
100 gms (1 cup) butter
100 gms (1 cup) granulated sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Mix the butter and sugar well, till it appears homogeneous.
Sieve the baking powder, flour and cocoa powder together, and add to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix well so there are no lumps. If the dough does not come together, add upto 2 tbsp milk.
Grease baking tray with oil.
Divide the dough into 16 equal parts. Roll each into a ball, and press lightly.
Arrange on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes*.
Cool well before storing in an airtight container.

* check every minute after 12 minutes, because the temperatures may vary.

Sesame Cookies

"When are you making cookies?", asked Thing One. When I thought back, I realised it was nearly a month since I had last made cookies, and set about rectifying the lapse. Since there weren't too many ingredients at home, I picked a recipe which used only those ingredients that I did have. The result is very different.

2 cups maida

3/4 cups sugar, powdered

2 tbsp rice flour
3/4 cups oil

1/4 cups milk

3/4 cups sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

Method:
Sieve the maida, baking powder, powdered sugar, salt and rice flour together till well mixed.
Add the oil, mix well, till you get a consistency of bread crumbs.
Add milk and knead to a soft dough- it should not crumble if you roll it out. Add a few drops of milk if needed. If the mixture is too wet/ sticky add a little more flour.Roll it into a log and wrap with a cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll into balls, and flatten into discs.
Bake in a pre heated oven at180 degrees for 10-12  minutes/ side start to brown. Keep checking after 10 minutes, and keep some water in the lower tray to ensure the cookies do not get too dry.
Cool and serve in an airtight container.

Hot Cross Buns

"Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns.
One a Penny, Two a Penny.
Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns."
On a lazy Sunday a few weeks back, I sought to find the origin of the nursery rhyme, and learnt that there was indeed something called Hot Cross Buns that were traditionally baked on  Good Friday. I decided right then to make it this year, and then promptly forgot all about it. Till two days back when I remembered my resolution, and took stock of my ingredients. My active dry yeast had been lying unused for so long, the bottle was covered in mould. I no longer remembered the provenience of either the baking powder or the baking soda. And the last of the raisins had been consumed by me awhile back.
All of yesterday went in collecting the ingredients, and making the dough, and despite not having a day off today, I baked the Hot Cross Buns.
The icing was an unmitigated disaster, but the Hot Cross Buns are divine!

2 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
4 cups maida/ flour
1/2 cup (additional) Flour
1/2 tsp (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 tsp (scant) Baking Soda
2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom, nutmeg, allspice (optional)
1/2 cup raisins

Glaze1 whole Egg White
Splash Of Milk

Icing1 whole Egg White
Powdered Sugar
Splash Of Milk


Method:Combine milk, oil and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to nearly boiling, then turn off the flame, and let it stand for 30 minutes
Sprinkle yeast over the milk. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.
Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is "plain" again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won't use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)
Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes...an hour-plus is better.
Preheat to 180 degrees
Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.
Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

IcingMix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.
Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they're completely cooled first.

Thing One's classic casserole

The holidays have started, and Thing One decided to help me in the kitchen. Since he loves casseroles, I helped him rustle this meal up.

200 gms pasta
1 cup milk
1 tbsp cornflour powder
1/3 cup cheese, grated
10 button mushrooms, sliced in half
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
6 pods garlic, peeled
10 olives, pitted
2 tbsp basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack, drain, wash with cold water and keep aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil, add the garlic pods and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and mushroom, and saute till well browned. Add salt to taste, mix well and keep aside.
To make the white sauce, heat the milk, make a paste of cornflour with milk, mix well, and let it simmer on a low flame till the sauce attains desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix in 1/3 of the quantity of cheese. Add the torn basil leaves, and keep aside.
Chop the olives and mix well with the cooked pasta.
In an ovenproof bowl, put a layer of cooked pasta, followed by a layer of mushrooms, and a sprinkling of cheese. Repeat till all the pasta and mushrooms are used up, and top it with a layer of cheese.
Pour the white sauce over the bowl.
Bake in oven at 180 degrees for 5 minutes till the cheese melts. Enjoy.

Nutty Wholewheat Triangles

I've been looking for a good recipe for peanut cookies for a while, but the only ones I could find online used peanut butter. While I have nothing against peanut butter, I think they are much better spread on toast than beaten into a batter. Finally, I made up a recipe myself, and was really satisfied with the result.
The triangles are slightly fragile and collapse gently if you squeeze them too hard, but they are absolutely melt in the mouth!!!

1/4 cup roasted peanuts- crushed
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup sugar- ground coarsely
1 cup wholewheat flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:
Grind the peanuts and keep aside (I like it fine ground, but you can leave a few chunky pieces too)
Grind the sugar and keep aside
Sieve together the flour, powdered sugar and baking powder.
Add the ground peanuts and desiccated coconut and mix well
Make a depression in the centre, pour in the oil, and knead well.
Grease a baking sheet, and spread the dough evenly across it.
Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Place a container with water in the bottom rack, and the cookie tray in the middle rack.
Bake for 10 minutes, take out, and with a sharp knife, make a cut for 16 squares, and further cut each diagonally (32 triangles in all). Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes (checking every minute after 13 minutes, to ensure it doesn't burn).
Remove, let it cook, and break along the cut lines.

Savoury Galette

I'd never even heard about a Galatte till I saw it posted on a food group. Naturally, I had to dig deeper, and I found out that it was a "rustic" pie, which is perfectly suited to my lack of culinary skills (specially when it comes to rolling dough). The original recipe calls for a lot of butter, but I replaced it with olive oil, and it worked just as well.

For filling:
1 bunch spinach
1 tomato
6-8 black olives
100 gms homemade chilli paneer
6 cloves garlic
Salt and chilli flakes to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

For crust:1 cup flour
Salt to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
Water
Milk or egg for washing

Method:Add the olive oil to the flour, and roll between your fingers till it resembles bread crumbs. Add salt and water, and knead well till it forms a dough (same consistency as roti ka atta). Knead on for an additional 5 minutes [this was not a part of the recipe, but when making whole wheat bread, I find I need to knead it longer, so did so].
Roll into a ball, wrap in cling film and cool for an hour.

Wash the spinach, chop into rough slices.
Heat the oil, add garlic, and toss around for 30 seconds. Add spinach, and cook till it releases water, and then the water dries up. Add salt and chilli flakes.
Crumble in the paneer, and add sliced olives.
Dice the tomatoes and keep aside.

Divide the dough into two parts, and roll each into a circle of 12 inch diameter.
Place the filling in the center. Arrange the tomatoes on top, and drizzle salt and olive oil. Wet the edge, fold in till you get a pie of about 6 inches diameter.
Brush the exposed surface with milk or egg wash, and bake at 215 degrees for 15 minutes.

Marble Cake

One of the first cakes I baked was a chocolate-vanilla marble cake. I was in my early teens, and I still remember mixing the batter in my mother's ceramic mixing bowls (where did they go, I wonder), and drawing marbling patterns with a knitting needle. Though I've made double flavour cakes several times in the past few months, I didn't really get down to making a proper marble cake. This is my attempt to change that!

Batter for making Sponge Cake- this is a good recipe
Food coloring and flavouring of choice.

Divide the cake batter into two halves. Put in a few drops of colouring and essence in both parts, and mix well (I used lemon and yellow in one and strawberry and pink in the other).
Line the baking dish with butter paper.
Put three tablespoon size globs of batter on the dish.
Pour three tablespoons of batter of the other colour in the empty spaces, taking care to cover the surface entirely.
Drop three tablespoons of batter over the blobs in the other colour. Fill up the empty spaces with the other colour.
The batter should get over in two layers, but if it doesn't, repeat with a third layer.
Smoothen the level, then dip a knitting needle in the batter, and draw swirl patterns.
Bake as per recommended settings.

Whole-wheat peanut fingers

The hubby brought some whole wheat fingers from his favourite bakery, and it got polished off in no time at all. Naturally, I wanted to replicate it at home, and was able to do so by chopping and mixing from a whole bunch of recipes. Definitely a keeper.

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Peanuts (raw) - 1/4 cup

Butter - 1/2 cup

Milk - 2 tblsp (to knead the dough)

Method:

Roast the peanuts, and allow to cool.

Grind the sugar, and when it is almost done, add peanuts and give it a few quick whirls*

Preheat the oven for 5 minutes at 170 degrees.

Mix the flour with butter, add the powdered sugar and peanuts, and knead well. Add milk, if required.

Roll the dough into a thin disc, and cut into long strips.

Place on a greased baking tray, and bake it for 12-15 minutes in the same temperature- keep checking after 10 minutes to ensure the fingers don't get

When done cool it on the wire rack and once it is completely cool, transfer to a air tight container.

* - do not grind too much, because you want the texture of peanuts

Homemade Roasted Chickpeas

I've been wanting to make this ever since I saw it posted on IFF by Nanditha Suresh about a month back. The right time finally came when I soaked kala-chana intending to make it for dinner, only to be told we had been invited to a housewarming party instead. I could have dumped it in the freezer for making another day, but decided to try the recipe out.
And it was absolutely delicious! Not to polish off an entire bowlful with a cup of tea and a good book.

2 cups chickpeas
1 tbsp oil 
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/3 tsp haldi powder
Salt to taste
 
Method:
Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook (1 whistle). Drain the chickpeas and let it dry completely.
Pre-heat oven to 200 degree celcius for 5 minutes.
In a bowl mix chickpeas and oil. Toss it well. In another cup, mix the dry spices well to make sure the flavours blend well. Now combine the oil-coated chickpeas with the dry spices. Ensure all the ingredients are mixed well.
Now, place the chickpeas mixture on a baking tray and spread it well. Place it in the pre-heated oven. In the same temperature, let it roast for 30 minutes or till browned.
Now the healthy and tasty snack is ready to be served.

Aubergine au gratin a.k.a. Baigan Busted

My bid to feed the kids at least one serving of "real" veggies everyday is being frustrated by the lack of veggies in the market. Instead of insipid 'baigan subji", I decided to make them "aubergine au gratin" yesterday. Kids loved the name, and took a really large bite, and then another.
"But Mamma", the Older One finally said, "this aubergine tastes exactly like baigan".
Busted

250 gms brinjal (mine were small ones), chopped into small pieces
1 packet sweet corn (will be about 1/3 cup, I guess)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
salt, chilli flakes, oregano to taste (or any other herb you like)
Cheese- lots
Butter

Method

Saute the brinjal in butter (with a bit of salt), and when almost done, add the corn, and stir a bit more.
Heat milk, stir a bit of it into the cornflour to make a paste, and when the milk comes to a boil, add the cornflour, stir well, and cook for about 2 mins. Add salt, cheese and anything else you might want to add to the sauce, before pouring it over the baigan and corn.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top, and bake at 180 degrees for about 10 mins.