EVERYDAY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE(FOOD REMAKE)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I know, I know, its not the time to post the recipe of Cakes and brownies... Its Diwali, I should post the recipe of some sweets and savories. But just thought of sharing a recipe with Demerara sugar and then I can share other recipes.

The brownies are very common in my house. Its almost once in 10 days , I bake the brownie. I got the recipe of Every day Chocolate Brownie from Aarthi which she had taken from one and only Nigella... I love her recipes, most of the times I have to read her recipes and be happy because I do not get many of the ingredients she has mentioned in my town :-(

Even Aarthi has got the fantastic space and the best part is all of her recipes are step by step in pictorial way which helps any one to remember and cook easily. Thanks a lot for that dear.

Coming to the recipe,

Usually I follow the regular recipe but today I thought of  giving a twist to it.. only because I wanted to use Demerara sugar instead of white or normal sugar. And I added the instant Bru Coffee powder at the end.

THE BEST SOFT AND MOIST BROWNIE I EVER MADE :-)

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2/3 cup

Demerara Sugar - 3/4 cup(coarse powdered)

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup

Eggs -2 

Butter - 1/2 cup or little less

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt a pinch(skip if you are using salted butter, I always use salted Amul butter)

Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

any chocolate - 100 gm

(I like to use the cooking chocolate itself )

Instant coffee powder(Bru or Nescafe)- 1 tbsp

Method:

• First preheat the oven to 190 degree c
• Line a square tin with foil and brush it with butter on it. (Using foil is really a very good idea)
• I use Microwave for making it, you can use the normal way(as shown in Aarthi's space)
• Take a big M/W safe bowl.
• Add butter and the sugar.
• Keep in M/W on HIGH for a minute.
• Remove, mix well and add cocoa powder. Keep in the oven for 10 seconds. 
• Remove, add in the flour, baking soda and mix well to make it soft.
• ALLOW IT TO COOL WHICH IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT OTHERWISE IF YOU PUT EGGS WHEN HOT,  IT WILL BE SPOILED.
• Now add the eggs, vanilla and mix well till you get very smooth consistency.
• Fold in the chocolate pieces and mix well.
• Now pour this mix into the ready tin.
• Sprinkle the instant powder evenly on the mix.
• Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes. 
• Allow it to cool. Cut into desired size of squares. 
• Enjoy it cold or warm or with ice cream or hot chocolate sauce.

Note :May be because I used the Demerara sugar, it was less sweet or may be it was because I used instant coffee powder. Whatever, the brownies were too good :-)

Wait for my next post with these brownies...

Brownie and Ice cream sandwich.. with hot choco sauce..

This is my first entry to my event which is a brain child of Jagruti

Keep Smiling,

Sugar Stuffed Flat Breads(ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಚಪಾತಿ )

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

This one is nostalgic. I love these chapatis. It was very regular in my house. My mom used to make these a lot. Me and my brother were always happy to eat these rolls. 

Unfortunately, my kids don't like sweet. So this one remained only in my memories( Me too scared of having the whole sugar or powder more!) 

The other day I suddenly felt like having it and here it is :-)

What am I talking about? Sugar stuffed flat breads.. We call it "Sakre Chapati" in Kannada..

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Salt a pinch

Water to make the dough ready

For Stuffing

Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp for each chapati

Ghee or Butter - 1 tsp for each chapati + 1 tsp for frying or roasting

Method:

• Prepare the wheat flour dough by adding little by little water. The dough should be soft. 
• Divide into equal lime size balls.
• First Method:
• Take one ball and roll into small circle(small puri size)
• Take one more and repeat.
• On one rolled puri, spread ghee or butter and on another spread the powdered sugar.
• Keep the buttered one on the sugar stuffed puri and close it tight.
• Slowly dust it with the flour and roll in to medium sized chapatis.
• Keep the tawa on heat.
• Roast it on both the sides and apply or drizzle ghee on it before removing it.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Second Method
• Roll three small size puris.
• Spread one tsp butter or ghee on first one.
• Keep the other puri on it and close it.
• Spread the sugar powder on it.
• Close it tight with other puri.
• Roll it(as shown in the photo)
• and again roll it to give round shape.
• Do it slowly.
• Roll into medium size chapati and roast it.
• Serve hot with spicy pickle or pack and take it while travelling.
• Best breakfast for kids and me:-)

Linking this to Jagruti's event

Announcing an event - I'm well Stuffed !

Keep Smiling,

ALOO PATTICE (Re posting)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

If you really know me and follow my blog, you know that I am a person who finishes the work at the last minute. As the last date is nearing  for any contest puts me into pressure and I do the cooking or posting.

Here is a recipe which I am re posting it for my dearest Jagruti. But Promising that next two days are only for her... for her ongoing event  :I'm well stuffed.

Directly going to the recipe,( Aloo Pattice  is the original post)

Ingredients:

Potato -4 big

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Kiraksali - 3 bunch(Washed, cleaned and finely chopped)

(In Harsha Bennur's blog (http://girmitt.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/roasted-kirkasaali-tandulsa/), he has given the name as Tandulsa for Kiraksali, I do not know which language it is.)

Green Pea(fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 3 small chopped

Curry leaves - few chopped

Raisins - 8 to 10

Cashew nuts - 8 to 10 cut into pieces (optional)

Khus khus(poppy seeds) - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Dalda or Vanaspati - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Rice flour to dust the pattice

Oil to fry the pattice

Method:

Boil the potatoes. When cool, mash it. Add little salt (1 tsp) and haldi, mix it properly and keep it aside.

Heat oil and vanaspati in kadai, add curry leaves, peas (if frozen, keep it out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using it), green chilly. Saute it for a minute, now add raisins, cashew nuts and poppy seeds. After a minute add kiraksali. Add salt and haldi. Mix it and let it cook till the green leaves are cooked. Now add lime juice and mix it and keep it aside.

Next step is to make pattice and fry them in oil.

Make equal size(Big lemon size) of mashed potato. Take one, and press it on your palm to make it flat. Stuff it with ready leafy vegetable. Take care to cover full vegetable with potato. Otherwise all the masala will come out while frying. Do for all the potato balls. Dust the ready balls with rice flour.

Now, heat the oil in kadai. When hot, fry the pattice one by one till golden color.

4 to 6 pattice can be prepared with this quantity.

Linking this to Jagruti's event

Announcing an event - I'm well Stuffed !

Keep Smiling,

Rice flour and Oats Porridge

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I am blessed with the kids who are not very fussy about the food. The little one is little choosy but always prefers the good food. Both are not much into junk food.

Everyday she should be ready by 7:20 in the morning, I should be always ready with her breakfast before 6:30. Usually I ask her what she would like to have in the morning for breakfast and will make according to that. Am I giving too much choice to her!! But, I feel the breakfast is the first food in the morning and I want her to have it full and enjoy it too. Anyways, her lunch is always my choice so I am not worried about the strict laws.

Coming to today's recipe, my younger one loves this! Porridge :-), I prepare porridge with fine semolina, oats, rice flour, ready idly batter.. She loves everything.

Today is the time to share the recipe of Rice flour and oats porridge. Its very easy and I know many of you also make it.

Here is my version,

The recipe is for one cup

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Oats or Oats powder- 3 tbsp

Water - 1/4 cup

Milk  - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp(do not add if giving for younger children)

A pinch of hing or cumin powder(optional)

Ghee - 1 tsp to serve

Method:

• Take the water and milk in a thick bottomed vessel keep to boil.
• When it starts boiling, add the rice powder and oats, keep stirring as there is a chance of getting rice flour lumps. 
• Once it is mixed well, keep on low flame and cook for few more minutes. Keep watching for the water consistency. Add some more water if you feel the porridge has become more thick or its still not cooked.
• Add hing or cumin powder and pepper powder.
• Remove from the heat, add salt. Mix well.
• Serve hot with ghee.
• Its good for those also who are not keeping well(minus the ghee)
• Serve with roasted paapad and pickle for dinner.

Sending this to three events. 
The First  one is

Nithu's ongoing event:

Event Announcement : Know Your Flour - Rice Flour

 which is started by Jagruti

The Second one is Jagruti's

Announcing JCO event - Super foods~Super Power

The third one is Srivalli's 

Announcing 30 Minutes Meal Mela

Keep Smiling,

Rice flour Murukku( akki hittina Chakli)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Today, I am here with a snack which is very common, liked by all the age group(only those having full set of strong teeth!!), can be eaten at any time of the day.. Easy to carry, love to share and happy to munch together.

Murukku, Chakli...

Its first time (actually second time in this month) but first time in my life that I dared to try out these mini wonder snacks all alone. And yesss!! I got them perfect in the first attempt(which rarely happens with me).

I do not know why I used to hesitate to prepare these!! may be because whenever my mom tried, either these chaklis came out very soft and got spoiled or I wanted my kids to push me into it..

My younger daughter loves chaklis, and as you know me, I do not like outside food much... I try to try everything at home.. 

Here is the recipe,

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Dalia powder (puthani powder) - 1 cup

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp or little more if you want it spicy

Ajwain - 1 tsp

Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp(optional)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - 2 tbsp

warm water - 1/2 cup

more water to prepare the dough

Oil to fry

Murukku maker to press the murukku.

Method:

According to my mother and aunties, The rice should be cleaned, washed, dried and the flour should be done in flour mill. But, do we have all that patience now a days? if we have patience, we do not have time for sure. So I went for the shortcut way(some times shortcut way brings you success!!). I had the rice flour(but again it was done in flour mill, not from the shop).

I kept the rice flour in M/W safe plate for a minute and allowed it to cool before adding other things.

1. Take the all the ingredients from rice flour till sesame seeds in a big plate.
2. Mix well.
3. Add the butter in warm water and keep it for half a minute.
4. Heat the one tbsp oil and add it to the flour. Add the butter and water.
5. Mix well to make hard dough. Add some more water if you need.
6. Keep it ready.
7. Heat the oil in a wide kadai. Till it gets hot,

Keep few plates ready to put the murukku before putting them in to oil to fry, or I used kitchen tissue papers so that I could spread two murukku on a paper. This will make your work easy and fast. OR if you are expert you can directly put the murukku in a kadai and fry directly.
Take a big ball size of ready flour mix, put in the murukku maker. 
Press slowly, turning the upper knob to get the proper shape. Put one by one in a hot oil and fry till slight brown. Fry in batches. Allow to cool and store in a air tight jars. These can be kept for 15 days also(if remains!! )

Sending this to Nithu's ongoing event:

Event Announcement : Know Your Flour - Rice Flour

 which is started by Jagruti

Keep Smiling,

PEA NUT POLI(ಶೇಂಗಾ ಹೋಳಿಗೆ)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

North Karnataka is famous for Poli or stuffed sweet rolls or ಹೋಳಿಗೆ (Holige). We stuff any possible edible and make it into poli. But the special thing is each festival has its must stuffing.. For Diwali we make with chana or toor daal, for Sankrathi we stuff the poli with semolina and jaggery, for special full moon days like Sheegi hunnive we make this Pea nut poli.

This can be kept for 15 days without getting spoiled. Its very tasty, good while travelling.

Here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:

Pea nut - 250 gm

Jaggery - same qty as of pea nut powder

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Milk - few drops if the mix becomes too dry

Salt a pinch

Wheat flour or Maida - 1 cup

Salt a pinch

Oil - 1 tbsp

Water to make soft dough

Oil -1 tsp for each poli

Procedure:

Take the wheat flour or Maida. Add salt and oil. Keep on adding water to make a soft dough. Keep it aside for one hour at least.

Roast the peanut well. Remove the skin and the seed(???) in the middle.. Yes, there is a seed like thing at the end. Mom says its not good for stomach.

Grind into almost soft powder(neither coarse nor smooth) 

Measure the pea nut powder and take the same qty of grated or powdered jaggery. 

Mix the jaggery, salt and cardamom powder well. 

Add the peanut powder and mix well. Check the consistency. You should be able to make a ball out of it. If not add few drops of milk and mix it well.

Divide it into equal portion to make small ball(shown below)

Divide the ready dough in to small balls. 

Take one ball, roll into small thick disc. Stuff the pea nut ball carefully.

Press it slowly in the palm. Roll into medium size poli.

Heat the tawa. 

Roast it on both the sides with little oil. 

Repeat with the remaining dough and the balls.

I got 20 poli.

Keep in open for an hour.

Store it in air tight box.

It tastes good with ghee.

Sending this to Reshmi's event which is started by  Kiran.

Announcing Cooking with Whole Foods - Peanut

I really enjoyed writing this post after long time. I feel I am back home.. 

Keep Smiling,

Crispy Chapati sticks

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Two more recipes from leftover food. And again it is prepared with left over Chapatis.. My kids love it.

The best way to use the leftover chapatis and methi parathas.

For Crispy Sweet sticks:

I learnt it after I got married, in my in law's house its very common which is served with morning tea. They call it Khakar. 

Ingredients:

Left over Chapatis - 8 to 10

Sugar powder - 1/8 cup or more

Cardamom powder  a pinch

Oil to fry the chapatis

Method:

Cut the chapatis into desired shape. I prefer long strips.

Keep one big plate ready.

Mix the powdered sugar and cardamom powder.

Heat the oil in a kadai.

Fry the cut chapatis in batches till brown.

Transfer it into the plate and sprinkle the powdered sugar immediately.

allow it to cool and store in a airtight jar.

Now, 

the same way you can make with left over Methi Parathas.

Cut the parathas into desired shape.

Fry in hot oil till golden.

Allow to cool and store in a air tight jar. 

Perfect with evening Tea.

Sending it to veena 's event

Guest Hosting An Event"-Cooking With Left Overs-Kitchen Chronicles

Keep Smiling,

Chapati Poha(Reposting)

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

One of my favorite breakfast... Chapati Poha

Reposting for the event...

Recipe here,

Left over chapatis (Indian wheat flat breads) - 8 to 10

(Click Soft Chapatis my way for the recipe to make chapati)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped

Green Chilly - 1 finely chopped

Curry leaves - few

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal (Skinned Black  gram) - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - pinch

Sugar - 1 tsp

Tomato - 1 medium (optional)

OR

Lime juice - 1 tbsp(I used this)

Fresh coriander to garnish

Cut the chapatis in to four pieces. Grind into batches to turn those into coarse powder, not powder. We need the chapati like Poha. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan. 

Add mustard seeds. When splutter, add Urad dal

when they start changing the color, add jeera or cumin seeds, curry leaves. Fry till the urad dal changes its color to gold.

Add onion, green chilly. Fry it till the onion becomes almost brown and well cooked. Add the tomato in between (If you are adding it)

Now add salt and  turmeric powder. Add lemon juice. Mix well. 

Put the coarsed chapati. Add sugar and mix well to combine the ingredients together.

Cook for 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Sending it to veena 's event

Guest Hosting An Event"-Cooking With Left Overs-Kitchen Chronicles

Keep Smiling,

Double Decker Parathas

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I am here after long time. This time it is for our blogger friend veena of veg junction. She is on with her first event and is very much enthusiastic about this. All the best to her.

Today's recipe is from my favorite breakfast.. Parathas... I love parathas. And when I got the recipe in Tarla Dalalji's website, I could not wait to try it.. Even though its a very common dish, the way she made is kid's friendly and my younger daughter loved it very much. 

I just took a basic recipe from her and modified according to my taste.

I followed the recipe from here. She says its good for diabetes. 

She has used the ready cooked chapatis but I prepared fresh(half baked, check the recipe below).

Thats the only difference.

Its little time consuming but tastes great with fresh chapatis

Recipe is copied and pasted from Tarlaji's post with some editing.

Ingredients:

For the carrot stuffing

Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Finely chopped green chillies - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste.

For The Green Peas Stuffing

Green peas - 1 1/2 cup

(Boiled and mashed)

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Finely chopped green chillies - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste.

Other ingredients:

Oil  or butter(not for diabetic people)  for cooking

Chapati ata to make chapatis.

Method 

For the carrot stuffing

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the cumin seeds until they crackle.
2. Add the carrots, green chillies, lemon juice and salt and mix well.
3. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Keep aside.

For the green peas stuffing

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the cumin seeds until they crackle.
2. Add the green chillies, coriander and salt and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the green peas and cook for another minute. Keep aside.

How to proceed

to make one double decker paratha

roll out three medium size chapatis.

Heat tawa and bake two only one side and one fully(this one is for the center part)

1. Spread 1 tablespoon of the carrot stuffing on one side cooked chapati, make sure to keep the uncooked  side outside.and cover with cooked  chapatti. Then spread 1 tablespoon of the green peas stuffing, place another uncooked chapatti(again uncooked side on the upper side) on the top and press firmly to seal the edges.

1. Cook the double decker parathas on a tava (griddle) on both sides, using a little oil.
2. Repeat with the remaining atta and the stuffing to make more parathas.
3. Serve hot with pickle or sauce or curds.

This is the mini size paratha which my younger daughter loved to have.

Sending these double decker parathas to Veena's event :-) which is started by Kalyani.

And
Priya's
Announcing Cooking With Seeds - Peas

And
Kid's Delight-Colourful Palate  guest hosted by Veena,event by Srivalli..

And
Vatsala's  LGSS-Stuffed Paratha



Keep Smiling,