White Bread 

I have made Whole Wheat Bread, Oats Bread etc, but I was looking at my blog and was surprised to find that it did not have the Basic White bread recipe, So decided to make one and have it on my blog.

It was so soft and fluffy. I also some dried Italian herbs to add a lots of flavor. OMG the aroma while Bread was baking was amazing.

Ingredients
Maida or APF - 3 Cups
Warm Water - 1 Cup (Not too hot , not too cold)
Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
Salt - 1 Teaspoon
Dried herbs - 1/2 teaspoon (Optional)
Yeast - 1.5 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon Instant yeast, 1.5 teaspoon Active Dry or 3 teaspoon Fresh Yeast)
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon

Method

• In a bowl, take a cup of warm water to this add the sugar and mix it well
• To this add the yeast and mix.
• Cover the bowl with a plate and keep it aside for 5 minutes or till the yeast becomes frothy.
• Once the yeast is frothy add the Maida or APF and Salt and knead well for 10 minutes.
• Add the dry herbs if you are using them.
• Smear the olive oil all over the dough and let it raise for 1 or 1.2 Hours or till it has doubled.
• Cover with a damp cloth during this process. 
• Once it has doubled , bring it to your kitchen counter and punch it down and knead for 5 minutes
• Then shape as per your wish and place it in a greased loaf tin.
• Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes.
• After 30-45 minutes, Bake it in a Preheated oven for 30-40 Minutes at 160C.
• I did Milk Wash before I baked my bread for the shiny texture.
• Once done allow it to cool completely before slicing it

Note:

 Milk Wash - Take a Tablespoon of Milk and using a pastry brush slightly brush on the loaf before baking. 

DIY - Sprouted Moong

Most of us use sprouts for our salad, or breakfast. We know that sprouts have more nutrition than the Non sprouted Dal. 

In the supermarkets, they sell these in packets that is ready to use , however I am little comfortable with picking them. I prefer to make them at home as it is easy and No great work is involved.

Ingredients

Green Gram Dal - 1 Cup (You can use any Beans, Black Channa or Kabul Channa)

Method

• Wash the Moong nicely and soak it in fresh water for at least 5 hours or overnight. 
• After soaking, drain all the water and place it clean kitchen cloth.
• Tie the kitchen cloth and leave it undisturbed aside for at least 6-8 hours
• Another trick I picked up from mom is after tying the kitchen cloth place it in a Casserole and leave it undisturbed for 8 Hour. 
• Depending on the beans you are using you have to leave them undisturbed for 1-3 Days.

Mocha Cake with Coffee Cream Frosting

For my dads birthday i  wanted to do something special, what else can be more special than me baking a Birthday Cake for him.

So I decided to Bake a Mocha Cake for him. He was so happy with my cake and he enjoyed every bite of it. I also did a Coffee Butter Cream frosting. I have a long way to go with the frosting for sure. Anyway it is a good place to start right.

If you are a coffee lover then you must try this cake for sure.

I got the recipe for both the cake and the frosting from Fondbites, Bake Along group.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

All Purpose Flour or Maida - 1 Cup
Unsalted Butter - 60 Grams (Soft at Room temperature)
Salt - A Pinch
Milk - 1/3 Cup
Brown Sugar - 1 Cup
Instant Coffee Powder - 2 Teaspoon
Coco Powder - 1 Tablespoon
Baking Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Curd - 1/2 Cup (If you eat egg you can add 1 Egg)

For the Frosting:
Butter - 1 Tablespoon
Cocoa Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Instant Coffee Powder - /2 Teaspoon
Icing Sugar - 1 Cup
Milk - As required , just to make the mixture into spreading consistency.

Method

For the Cake:

• Pre heat a Oven and Grease the cake tin. 
• In a mixing bowl, place all the ingredients except Maida and mix well.
• Once the ingredients are mixed well, add the Maida and mix it till the maida is incorporated well.
• Now pour this mixture in a greased Cake tin.
• Bake it at 160 C for 30 minutes or till the cake is done.
• Now cool the cake on a wire rack.
• The cake should be Completely cooled before spreading the frosting.

For the Frosting:

• Mix all ingredient except milk and butter them well.
• Add milk little by little till the mixture comes to spreading consistency.

For Assembly:

• Take the completely cooled down cake and using a spatula spread the Frosting prepared to cover all sides.
• I have also used some Chocolate vermicelli on top.

Tamarind Rice/Puliyogare/Puli Sadam

Yum, Yum and Yum. I am generally a great fan of Mixed rice then standard Rice and Sambar. However everyone in my house likes Rice, Dal or Sambar.

In terms of Mixed rice, I make Lemon Rice and Fried Rice quite often. When it comes to tamarind Rice, I just cant eat it made with Store bought powder or paste as according to me they taste nothing close to home prepared Tamarind Paste.

You can make and store them for about a month  however I am a firm believer of making it fresh and consuming. I usually make the paste in evening and allow it to sit overnight and mix it with rice in the morning and have the rice in afternoon. Keeping the paste overnight ensures that the Dal and peanuts gets the tangy flavour. Mixing the rice and keeping it till afternoon ensures that the flavour is enhanced in rice too.

Ingredients

Cooked Rice - 4 Cups
Channadal/Gram Dal - 1 Tablespoon
Chilly powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Green Chilly - 2 Nos (Chopped)
Coriander Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 Teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Fenugreek Seeds - a Pinch
Hing or Asafoetida - a Generous pinch
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilly - 3 Nos
Tamarind juice - 1 Cup
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Roasted Groundnuts - 4 Tablespoon (As per taste, I have added more so you can something between 1 Tablespoon to 4 Tablespoon )
Oil - 3 Tablespoon (Gingelly Oil Preferably)
Salt - To taste

Method

• Heat Oil in a pan and add the Mustard seeds and once they splutter add the Red Chilly and saute for a minute.
• Then add Fenugreek seeds, channa dal, peanuts and cook them.
• Then add curry leaves, Asafoetida,green chilly,turmeric powder and add the Tamarind Juice.
• Then add Chilly powder, Coriander powder and Cumin Powder and mix them.
• Cook the gravy till the Oil oozes out which may take about 10-15 minutes.
• Once the Oil oozes out, stir it again and cook it for again 10-15 minutes and add salt.
• Cool the mixture and mix with Rice and serve with potato Fry.

Notes:

• The important component of the Tamarind rice is cooking of Rice. So I am sharing how I make Rice for Tamarind Rice.
• I usually use Boiled Rice to make Tamarind Rice as it has a better flavour and gives a good texture.
• For regular use I use 1:2.5 Ratio of Rice:water and soak them for 15 minutes before cooking them.
• While making Tamarind I use 1:2, Rice and water and soak my Rice for 30 minutes.
• Once the Rice is cooked, I take a Broad plate and add the Cooked Rice in it and allow it to cool down completely.
• The Broader the plate the better the texture of rice.
• To spread the rice you can use a fork if you are a beginner so you wont make the Rice all mushy.
• Once the Rice is completely cooled down, add the cooled Down Tamarind paste and mix carefully not to break the Rice.
• It is also important that you taste the rice and acordigly add Tamarind paste and salt if required. 

Rice Tikki (With Leftover Rice)

I a not a huge fan of leftovers. I usually cook food fresh each time and eat. However, this recipe is an exception. When I feel like making this recipe I put some extra rice, leave it overnight and make Tikkis the next day. It is crispy and quite easy to make.

Ingredients
Cooked Rice - 1 Cup
Besan or Rice Flour or Maida - 2-3 Tablespoon
Green Chillies - 2-3 (Finely Chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoon (Finely Chopped)
Garam masala - A generous Pinch (Optional)
Amchur Powder - a generous pinch (Optional)
Peanuts/ Groundnuts - 2 Tablespoon (Optional, coarsely broken)
Salt and Oil.

Method

• In a mixer, pulse the rice slightly for few seconds.
• Remove this in a mixing bowl and add ingredients except Oil and mix well. 
• Adjust Besan/Maida/Rice Flour little by little till you get a Tikki Dough consistency.
• Grease your hand with some oil and shape the mixture into Tikkis of your desired shape.
• Heat a pan with 2 Tablespoon of oil and arrange these prepared tikkis on them.
• Allow it to get cooked on one side which will take about a minute or 2.
• Then flip it into the other side and cook well.
• Serve with Mint Chutney.

Note:

• This recipe is so versatile that you can add or leave any ingredient. You can add finely chopped vegetable like carrot, Beans , Peas etc. 
• You can also deep fry them if you want.
• As they are made of Rice they will be quite crispy.
• As far as binding agent, I personally prepare Besan.