Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

 

 

   I was always reluctant to try cookies or any other desserts since me and my hubby both are not big fans of sweets. I used to bake only chicken and fish before but nowadays I am trying cakes and other stuffs too, partly for the blog and partly for experimenting. I am really enjoying baking these days. I had no idea that baking could be this fun. Few days back I was chatting with my friend Ramya and she told me all about her fancy cookie baking stories that tempted me to give it a try. I couldn't believe that it was this easy to make cookies. The cookies turned out to be delicious, crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. I tried this recipe from here. I just halved the ingredients and used more of brown sugar. We finished the whole thing in minutes, taste checking them after saving some for our friends!

 

Ingredients (Yield - Around 20 cookies)

1. All purpose flour - 1 1/8 cup (1/8 cup equals 2 tbsp)
2. Brown sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
4. Butter - 1/2 cup or 1 stick (Leave it outside for 1-2 hrs so that they will soften up)
5. Egg - 1 large
6. Semi-sweet chocolate Chips - 1 cup (I used semi sweet dark chocolate chips)
7. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
8. Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
9. Nuts - 1/2 cup (opt, I used 2 tbsp chopped nuts)
10. Salt - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl blend the sugar, brown sugar and butter with a hand mixer.

 

2. Then add the egg. Mix well. 

3. Gradually add in the flour little by little and mix well.

4. Now add the chocolate chips, nuts and stir well with a spatula.

5. Preheat oven to 400 F. Put a spoonful of the batter on the cookie sheet (no need to grease it) keeping them about 2 inch apart. Place the cookie sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 9 - 11 mts or until the cookies are light brown on the edges.  They will look soft at the center  but they will turn crispy when they are cooled completely. Take it out and cool for 2-3 mts on the cookie sheet. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!!

 

 

Chicken, Veg and Meat Rolls

 

   This is my attempt at making the rolls that are usually sold in the bakeries in Kerala. The ones available in the bakeries are called meat rolls since beef is usually the filling in those rolls. Here I have tried three types of filling for these rolls - chicken, beef and chicken and veg filling. All the fillings were tasty but I loved the combination of chicken and veggies, the most. The meat rolls sold in the bakeries are almost deep brown in color. I am always too scared of leaving anything in hot oil after they turn golden brown, for fear of getting them burnt. Also I do not have the pictures of the the rolling process, since my hubby was not home when I made these and I couldn’t handle both together. The meat(beef) rolls were all made in the first batch and I am really sorry guys, I forgot to take their pictures before I tasted them all (ooops) :). 

Ingredients for the batter and rolls (Yield 12- 14 rolls)

1. Maida/All purpose flour - 2 cups
2. Egg - 1
3. Salt - To taste
4. Water - As required
5. Egg-white - Of 2 eggs
6. Bread Crumbs - 1/2 - 3/4  cup or as required

Beat the egg well and add the maida, salt and water. Consistency should be like that of a dosa batter.

 

Method of making the rolls

 

Make thin dosas with the above batter.  Fill the top end of the dosa with around 1.5 - 2 tbsp of the filling and fold the top end of the dosa over the filling(you can shape the filling like a log and press them down to tighten the roll). Now fold the right and left sides towards the centre. Now start rolling down to form a tight roll and seal the bottom end with some maida batter. Be careful not to tear the dosa.  Now dip them in beaten egg-white and then in bread crumbs. Deep fry in hot oil at medium heat until golden brown. It takes about 10 - 15 mts. Serve hot with ketchup.

 

 

Ingredients (For chicken filling and beef filling)

1. Minced chicken breast -  1/2 cup (Marinate it with salt, pepper powder for 30 mts and then cook in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles. Mince when it cools down) 
2. Ginger - 1 tsp minced
3. Garlic - 1 tsp minced
4. Pepper powder - 1/2 - 1 tsp
5. Garam masala - 1/4 - 1/2 tsp
6. Salt - To taste

Heat oil in pan and add minced ginger, garlic. Saute for a minute and add the minced chicken. Add  pepper powder and garam masala. Sprinkle water if it is too dry. Mix well and switch off. Substitute chicken with beef for the beef filling.

 

For chicken and veg filling

1. Chicken breast -  1/2, sliced to thin strips and cooked with pepper powder and salt
2. Carrot - 1/4 cup sliced thin
3. Onion - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced
4. Cabbage - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced
5. Bell peppers (red and green) - 1/4 cup thinly sliced
6. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Soy sauce - 1 tsp
8. Garlic salt - To taste

 Heat oil in a pan, add onion, saute for a minute at high heat and add carrot. Saute for a few seconds and then add cabbage. Saute for a few seconds and add bell peppers. Saute for a minute, add the cooked chicken strips, soy sauce and garlic salt. Mix well and switch off. Use it as a filling for the rolls when it cools down.

 

Vazhakoombu - Vanpayar Thoran

 

Ingredients

1. Banana Bud/Vazha kooombu - 1 large
2. Red Chori/van payar Cooked - 1.5 cup
3. Grated Coconut - 3/4  cup
4. Green chillies - 2-3
5. Garlic - 2
6. Curry leaves - 1-2 sprig
7. Mustard - 1/2 tsp
8. Dry red chillies - 1-2
9. Salt - To taste
10. Oil - As required

Method

1. Remove 3-4 outer layers of the banana bud and chop it really fine into a vessel with water, salt, oil and turmeric powder.

2. In a deep pan, heat some oil and splutter the mustards. Add dry red chillies and brown them. Now add in the finely chopped banana bud(after squeezing out the water) and cook covered, at low heat. Meanwhile crush the grated coconut with green chillies and garlic.

3. When the banana bud is  cooked well, add the cooked vanpayar, crushed coconut mixture , curry leaves and mix well. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Switch off.

 

Palak/Spinach Paneer

 

 

 

 Ingredients

1. Spinach - 2 Bunches
2. Paneer - Half block (or 0.5 lb), cubed
3. Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
4. Tomato - 1 medium, blanched and pureed
5. Onion - 1 large finely chopped (Adding onion is completely optional. It would be equally tasty and the method would be much more simpler without them.)
6. Green Chillies - 3 small, seeded and chopped
7. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
8. Cinnamon stick - 1-2 (You can also add the other whole spices but I added only cinnamon)
9. Turmeric powder - 2-3 pinches
10. Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Cumin powder - 1-2 pinches (Optional)
13. Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp 
14. Dry methi leaves - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
15. Heavy cream - 1/4 cup (You can also add milk or half and half instead)
16.  Oil - 1 tbsp or as required
17. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
18. Salt - To taste

Method

 

1. Wash and clean the spinach leaves. Cook them for 5-6 mts in an open vessel with chopped, seeded green chillies (You do not need to add any water). Keep aside to cool. When it cools down, grind in a mixer to a fine paste. You can reserve the extra water for the gravy.

2. Put the tomato in boiling water for 5 mts. Now peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Grind the flesh in a mixer when it cools down.

 

 

 

3. Shallow fry the paneer cubes in oil until they turn golden (Its optional, I didn’t shallow fry them).

 

3. Heat oil in a pan, add the finely chopped onion(if you are using onion) and a little salt. Stir well until they turn brown. Switch off. Cool down and grind to a fine paste. Heat some more oil in the pan and add cinnamon sticks(and other whole spices if you are adding them) and splutter cumin seeds.  Now add the onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, saute for a minute and add the tomato puree. Saute until oil appears on top.

 

   4. Now bring down the flame and add  chilly powder,  cumin powder (if you are using it), coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix well, saute for a few seconds, add the spinach paste and the reserved water. Cook for 8-10 mts on low heat, stirring in between and add the dry methi leaves and paneer cubes. Mix well and cook for a few minutes. Add the heavy cream or milk, mix well, simmer for 2 mts and and check for salt. Switch off and serve with chapatis, jeera rice or pulav.

 

 

 

 

We went for the tulip fest near Seattle, last weekend. Tulip fest was from april 1st - 30th but by the time we visited, half of the fields were empty. This was my second visit to the tulip fields. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bread Puttu and Kadala Curry

 

 

    My dear friend Manju Jyotish gifted me this cute chiratta puttu maker (steel replica of a coconut shell) when she came back from her vacation in Kerala last month. I came to US last january and its been more than a year since I visited India. I didnt bring idli cooker, idiyappam maker etc with me  so I was very excited to have this puttu maker. Besides I had not seen a chiratta puttu maker even while I was in Kerala. This is really handy since it is so simple and quick to make puttu with this. Thanks a lot Manjoos :).

    My mother saw this bread puttu recipe in a cookery show, she tried it and asked me to give a try as well, since everybody loved it. It takes only 3-4 mts for this puttu to get ready and the whole preparation takes only around 5 - 10 mts. Bread puttu tasted great with thenga varutharacha kadala curry.  When you are really tired or lazy but you want to have something special or if you have some left over bread, this is your choice. You can make bread puttu with the traditonal puttumaker (puttukutti) in the same way. Here is the recipe for bread puttu and kadala curry.

Ingredients  (For 2 chiratta puttu)

Bread - 2.5 slices (I used multi grain whole wheat bread)

Grated coconut - 1/4 - 1/2 cup

Water - 1.5 - 2 tsp or as required

Method

1. Powder the bread slices(you can remove the sides of the bread) in a mixer. Put the bread powder in a bowl and sprinkle 1-2 tsp water, mix well with hands until they are just damp(no need to add salt).

2. Put the chillu (steel plate with lots of holes) inside the chiratta puttu mould, fill it with a tbsp of grated coconut, then the bread powder and top it with grated coconut. Close it with the lid.

3. Fill a pressure cooker with some water(around 2-3 cups), cover with its lid and bring to a boil. When steam starts coming out, mount the chiratta puttu mould on it. Steam cook for 3-4 mts or until steam starts coming out of the holes on top of its lid. Take the mould out and invert into a serving dish.  Have it with kadala curry or any curry you like, pappadam, ripe  banana etc.

 

Ingredients for Kadala Curry

 

1. Black Chana/Kadala - 3.5 cups cooked (soak the dried kadala overnight and cook with 1/4 tsp tumeric powder, salt and 3 - 3.5 cups water, save the water for the gravy)
2. Sliced coconut pieces (thenga kothu ) - 3 tbsp
3. Onion - 1 large sliced and chopped
4. Green chillies - 3 slit
5. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Pearl onions - 4 sliced
8. Dry red chillies-2
9. Curry leaves - A sprig
10. Coconut oil - As required
11. Salt - To taste

To roast and grind to a paste

1. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
2. Pearl onion - 2 sliced
3. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp (You can use coriander powder instead, add it while making the gravy)
4. Whole spices - (Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp, cardamom - 2, cloves - 6, Cinnamon stick - 1, Whole pepper corns - 12 - 15, star anise - 1)

 

Method

 

1. Soak the kadala overnight and cook in a pressure cooker till soft adding 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and salt. I usually cook it for 4 whistles at medium heat. Reserve extra water for the gravy. 

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the whole spices. Saute for a few seconds and add the sliced pearl onions. Saute for a minute and add the grated coconut. Roast until it turns reddish brown. Switch off and leave aside. Grind it to a paste when it cools down.

 

 

3. In a deep pan heat some coconut oil and splutter mustards and brown the dry red chillies. Now add the sliced coconut pieces. Saute until they turn brown,add the sliced onion, pearl onions, green chillies, little salt and a few curry leaves. Saute until they turn light brown. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, saute for a few seconds and add the reserved water from the cooked kadala. Bring to a boil and add the ground coconut paste and cooked kadala. Mix well and taste check for salt. Cook until the gravy achieves your desired consistency. I usually prefer a thick gravy for kadala curry.  Switch off and serve hot with puttu.

 

 

 

Chakka kuru Mezhukkupuratti/Jackfruit Seeds Stir Fry

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Jackfruit seeds - Around 20
2. Pearl onion - 10 - 12
3. Whole pepper corns - 10 - 12
4. Whole dry red chilli - 1-2 ( You could also add 1/2 - 3/4 tsp chilli flakes)
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt - To taste
8. Coconut oil - As required

Method

 

1. Remove the outer skin of the jack fruit seeds and scrape off the brown inner skin. Rinse, cut them lengthwise and cook covered with turmeric powder, water(around 1/2 cup) and salt.

2. Crush the pearl onion,  whole pepper corns and dry red chillies.

3. In a pan add the crushed mixture and curry leaves. Saute for a few minutes and add the cooked jackfruit seeds and stirfry until they turn crisp, adding more oil if required. Serve with rice.

Carrot Cake

   

Here is the recipe for a simple and tasty carrot cake. One of my friends shared this recipe with me and she tried it from here.

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour/maida - 2 cups

2. Granulated sugar - 1.5 cups
3. Vegetable oil - 1 cup

4. Eggs - 3 large 
5. Ground cinnamon powder - 2 tsp
6. Baking Soda - 1 tsp
7. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
8. Grated carrots - 3 cups
9. Chopped walnuts - 1 cup

10. Salt - Around 1/2 tsp

 

Method

1. Beat sugar, oil and eggs in a bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until they are blended (about 1 minute). Add everything else apart from the carrots and nuts. Beat until blended for 1 minute on low speed.

 

2. Add the carrots and walnuts and stir them in. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch  pan or two 8 inch or 9 inch round pans (I halved all the ingredients and used a 9 inch round pan). Bake at 350 F for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean . Allow it to cool down completely.

For the cream cheese frosting

Ingredients

1. Philadelphia cream cheese - 8 oz
2. Butter - 1/4 cup 
3. Milk - 3-4 tsp
4. Vanilla - 1 tsp
5. Icing sugar/confectioners sugar - 4 cups (I used 2 cups)

 

Method

1. Beat the cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla until smooth on low speed.
2. Gradually add in the icing sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth.

3. Spread on the cooled cake. Store in a refrigerator.

 

Stuffed Buns

 

      I saw these really yummy stuffed buns in Marias Menu and wanted to give it a try. I have bookmarked lots of her yummy recipes but this is the first one I tried. The buns turned out really well and was absolutely delicious. I was so excited that I sent its pictures to all my friends, the minute I clicked them. Its just so easy to make them though it takes a few hours to get the end result. My hubby loved it and he in fact took it for his lunch next day :). Thanks a lot Maria for sharing this recipe and thanks to Ria who shared the original recipe.  Though I tried to stick to the recipe, some measurements got changed when I made the dough. I made it twice in the last week with the same measure of ingredients and both times they turned out successful. I used a chicken and egg filling for these buns.

 

For the bun (Yield - 9 buns)

Ingredients

 

1. All purpose flour/maida - 2.5 cups
2. Active dry yeast - 2 tsp
3. Warm water - 2 tbsp
4. Sugar - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
5. Milk - 1/4 cup
6. Oil - 1/4 cup
7. Egg - 1 beaten
8. Egg white - of 1 egg, for egg wash
9. Sesame seeds - 1.5 tsp, to sprinkle
10. Salt - To taste 

 

Method

 

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water along with 1 tbsp sugar. Set aside for around 10 mts.

 

2. Combine the all purpose flour(start adding 1 cup, you will need to add more while kneading the dough), sugar, milk, oil, salt and mix until you get a smooth paste. Now add the beaten egg, yeast, remaining all purpose flour and knead until you get a soft dough, adding extra flour little by little( I used a food processor). Keep it covered in a warm place for around 2-3 hrs. The dough will double in volume by that time.

 

3. Now punch it down lightly and make large lemon-sized balls out of it. Flatten them and fill with the stuffing (around 1.5 tbsp each).  Reshape back into a ball. Arrange them on a greased foil and let them rest for 15 - 20 mts. Preheat the oven at 350 F for around 15 mts. Beat the egg white nicely, apply it over the buns and sprinkle sesame seeds. Put them in a baking tray and bake for 20 - 25 mts or until their surface becomes reddish brown in color.

For the  egg filling

Ingredients

1. Egg - 2 ( Boiled and chopped)
2. Red onion - 1 small (sliced lengthwise and chopped or finely chopped)
3. Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped
4. Garlic - 1 tsp finely chopped
5. Green chilly - 1 chopped fine
6. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
7. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
9. Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Salt - To taste
11. Oil - As required
12. Cilantro - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat some oil in a pan and add the ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for a minute and add the red onion. When it turns light brown, add the masala powders. Saute for a few seconds, add the chopped eggs and chopped cilantro. Mix well and switch off. let it cool down.

 

 

 

For the chicken filling

 

Ingredients

1. Chicken breast - 1 (Cook it adding pepper powder and salt. Mince when it cools down)
2. Red onion - 1 small, chopped fine
3. Ginger - 2 tsp chopped fine
4. Garlic - 2 tsp chopped fine
5. Turmeric powder  1/2 tsp
6. Chilli powder  - 1/2 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
9. Garam masala - 1 tsp
10. Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Salt - To taste
12. Oil - As required

Method

 

1. In a pan heat oil and add the finely chopped ginger and garlic at medium heat. Saute for a few minutes and add the chopped red onion. When it turns light brown and oil appears on top, add the masala powders. Saute for a few seconds and then add the minced chicken.  The filling should not be too dry. In case it is dry, sprinkle some water. Mix well and check for salt. Cool down.