Spinach Saute

          Since spinach or any green leafy vegetable is a favorite at my home, we have it at least a couple of times in a week, and now after coming to India, we get so many varieties too. Today's dish is a simple saute, though I have called it 'Spinach Saute', I have used Amaranth leaves (Mulai Keerai in Tamil) that you can also get in the US. It's a nice side dish with rice or rotis, not very spicy and needs very few ingredients..

Need To Have

• Amaranth Leaves - 1 bunch
• Tuvar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas) - 1/4 cup
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal (Black Gram) - 1 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut - 1 to 2 tablespoons

Method
          Wash and soak the tuvar dal for an hour, clean the amaranth leaves by removing the hard stems at the end, wash and chop, comes to about 2 cups packed. Heat some oil, add the urad dal, mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering add the asafoetida and the dry chillies, followed by the amaranth leaves and the tuvar dal. Add some salt, cover and cook till the greens is done and the tuvar dal is soft when you pinch it with your fingers. Lastly add the grated coconut, mix and serve warm.

Note
The liquid from the greens is enough to cook the dal, if needed sprinkle some water, stir it in between.
You can add a couple of crushed garlic for flavor and leave out the asafoetida.
Adding coconut at the end is optional, add it if you like coconut.
Can use regular spinach also instead of amaranth leaves, or any greens that doesn't become very mushy when cooked.
You can add red chilli flakes instead of the dried red chillies.          

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Univerzalno dizano tijesto

Cesto se nade pod nazivom "Ludo tijesto" i gotovo svaka domacica zna za njega. Meni je jako fino,posebno ga volim zbog mekoce,jedino ga ne volim drzati dugo u frizideru kako pojedini recepti nalazu. Za mene je ovo tijesto prvensveno dobro jer moze posluziti za pravljenje slatkog i slanog zalogaja,s time da u toku pripreme morate odluciti koliko cete tijesta za sta koristiti,pa za slake delicije dodati vise secera,a slanim so. Ovo je moja mjera ,koju ja pravim,a mozete je naci i medu mojim receptima.


Univerzalno dizano tijesto

1kg brasna
1 suhi kvasac(10gr)
200ml jogurta
500ml mlijeka
  1 zlica secera
2 praska za pecivo
2 jaja

Brasno prosijati,napraviti udubljenje i dodati suhi kvasac,secer i malo soli.
mlijeko ugrijati,sipati pola u brasno a u ostatak dodati jogurt i jaja i vilicom malo razmutiti,pa tako razmuceno dodati u brasno.
mixerom zamijesiti tijesto.

Svakako da se moze i rucno,kao i svako tijesto..sve je isto samo sto umijesto mixera,rukom lagano idemo u krug po vangli ili u cemu mijesimo ,svaki puta dohvatajuci brasno i sve tako dok se ne napravi fino homogeno tijesto koje se ne lijepi za ruku ali bude mekano.

Pokriti tijesto prozirnom folijom i ostaviti da se poveca volumen.
U zimskim danima traje malo duze zbog niske temerature u samoj prostoriji,dok ljeti tijesto naraste  jako brzo..visoka temperatura pogoduje aktiviranju kvasnih gljivica i tijesto postize brze zeljeni volumen.

Ja sam tijesto koristila za  kruh sa suhim paradajzom,bosiljkom i svjezim sirom,te za paj  sa sirom i tikvicama.

Veci dio sam uzela za kruh,a manji za paj.

Kruh sa paradajzom,bosiljkom im svjezim sirom

dizano tijesto
10-ak susenoih paradajza iz ulja
1 grancica svjezeg bosiljka
200gr svjezeg sira

Veci dio dizanog tijesta razaljati u pravougaoni oblik,premazatiti sa malo maslaca,zatim posuti isjeckanim susenim paradajzom iz ulja,svjezim listicima bosiljka i dodati preko svega svjezi kravlji sir.

sve zamotati u rolat,zatim rasjeci po sredini,ali ne do kraja,tako da od spojenih strana,pocmete plasti pletenicu i na kraju je savijete kako vama najvise odgovara

Peci na 200C oko 30 minuta..mozda mora i duze ako vam je tijesto debvelo..tako da se treba orijentisati na rernu,otprilike kada se lijpo zarumeni,kruh je pecen !!

Paj od dizanog tijesta,tikvica i svjezeg sira

1 tikvica
2 cenja cesnjaka
1 grancica persuna
3 zlice maslinovog ulja
soli,bijelog bibera
250gr svjezeg sira
1 jajae
2 zlice kiselog vrhnja

Posudu u kojoj cete peci paj,malo namazati uljem.
Tijesto razviti tako da krajevi malo prelaze preko.

Persun i cesnjak usitniti i dodati maslinovo ulje,pa tom smijesom premazati polozeno dno tijesa.
Sir,jaje,malo soli i bibera,te kiselo vrhnje,izmijesati pa staviti preko tijesta.

Tikvice tanko isjeci,ako volite mozete ih malo prepeci na tavi,ja volim kada su hrskave !
takve zatim poslagati u krug ili jednu iza druge da se samo malo preklapaju jer se moraju ispeci.
Premazati ih ostatkom smjese persuna,cesnjaka i ulja.

Sada lagano preklopiti visak tijesta ka unutrasnjosti i staviti peci,na 200C oko 35-40minuta !!

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Pasta Briyani

         Though I do pasta at least once a week for my daughter, it's mostly with pesto or the pasta sauce, this is the first time I tried something Indian with it. I used fusili pasta, made a briyani with it, lightly flavored with the garam masala, it tasted very good. It was a nice variation to the regular pasta, with all the vegetables in it, a filling one pot meal..

Need To Have

• Fusili Pasta - 3 cups
• Carrot - 1 medium chopped
• Red Capsicum - 1/2 chopped
• Green Capsicum - 1/2 chopped
• Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 1/4 cup
• Onion - 1 medium chopped
• Tomato - 1 chopped
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup

To Grind

• Garlic Cloves - 4
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Cashews - 6
• Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method 

         Cook the pasta as per instructions with some salt and a teaspoon of oil, drain the water and keep and grind the ingredients given under to grind without adding any water. Heat some oil, add the onions, saute for 2 minutes, then add the ground mixture, saute for 2 more minutes.

         Now add both the capsicums and carrot, saute for a couple of minutes, then add the peas and tomatoes, mix for a minute, add half a cup of water, cover and cook till the vegetables are done. Then add the garam masala, mix and finally add the cooked pasta, mix for a few minutes on reduced heat. Lastly mix in the coriander, serve it warm.

Note
Cook the pasta al dente, can use even pasta shells.
It does not require any side dish, if needed can serve a raitha on the side.

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Beetroot Parathas

          As I have already said, parathas are not an everyday thing in my house, I mostly do them for weekend  brunch or lunch. We can come up with so many varieties of parathas by being a little creative with the filling. I usually make beet parathas by adding them to the flour along with other spices, but for today's paratha I tried a slightly different version. I made a paruppu usili ( lentil curry) with the beets and then used that as a filling, in the process, making the parathas a little more nutritious with protein, thereby making it a complete meal with some curds or raitha..

Need To Have
For The Outer Layer

• Whole Wheat Flour - 2 + 1/2 cups
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Oil - 1 teaspoon

For The Filling

• Grated Beets - 1 cup packed
• Tuvar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas) - 1/2 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Method
          Soak the tuvar dal for an hour, then grind it with the red chillies and the curry leaves, adding as little water as possible. Mix the flour with the salt and enough water to make a soft dough, apply the oil and keep it aside.

         Heat a little oil, add the grated beets and salt, saute it till it turns dry, remove it. Heat oil one more time, add the mustard and cumin seeds, once it splutters, add the asafoetida and the ground tuvar dal, saute it continuously till you get a dry crumble like texture. At this stage mix in the beets and mix well, check for salt, if there are any lumps break them with the back of a spoon, let it cool a bit.

          Roll out slightly a lemon size ball of the dough, keep a tablespoon and half of the filling, close the dough over, make a ball, flatten and dusting it in some flour, roll out again slowly into a slightly thick disc. Heat a skillet, put the rolled out paratha, wait for 1/2 a second, flip, apply some oil, flip immediately, apply some oil on the other side, while waiting for the first side to get brown spots. Now flip it and cook the second side till brown spots appear, remove and serve warm with any pickle and raitha or curd.

Note
See to that, the filling is not wet.
While rolling out the paratha with the filling, roll as lightly as possible, starting on the side you close the dough over the filling, then at the end, flip and roll on the other side.
You can get about 10 parathas with the above quantity of ingredients.

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Chayote Raitha

          Chayote, also known as chow-chow or vegetable pear, belongs to the gourd family. It's used widely in Indian cooking, cooked either with lentils (dal or kootu) or as a curry or even in salads and raithas. Usually when I make parathas, I serve it with some raitha ( a vegetable and yogurt preparation) and some spicy pickle. Last week when I made beet-root parathas (recipe coming soon), I made this raitha with chayote,  it tasted delicious, a very simple dish that anybody can do..

Need To Have

• Chayote - 1 grated
• Green Chilly - 1 sliced lengthwise
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Urad Dal (Black Gram) - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5 to 10
• Yogurt (Curd) - 1 cup

Method
          The grated chayote came to about one cup. Heat oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, green chilly and curry leaves, followed by the grated chayote and salt. Saute well, till the vegetable is half cooked and becomes dry, remove and cool. Beat the yogurt slightly and add it to the vegetable and mix well. Serve it as a side to rotis or any pilaf or briyani.

Note
Can also add some chopped chillies at the end for extra spiciness.
Can also add some grated ginger while sauteing for extra flavor.      

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Potato Capsicum Curry

         Most of us like potatoes, especially the potato fry, very few kids (adults too) can stay away from French Fries. It is a very versatile vegetable that can be used in many kinds of dishes, be it a dry curry, a kurma or fritters and also combines well with other vegetables. For today's curry I have combined potatoes with capsicum or green bell peppers, once again a very yummy combo, goes well as a side with rice and dal or also with rotis..

Need To Have

• Potatoes, peeled and cubed - 1 + 1/4 cup
• Capsicum - 1/2 cup chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

For The Spice Powder

• Coriander Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method
          Make a powder with all the ingredients given under 'Spice Powder'. Heat oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the potatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute it uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes, till it's 3/4 th cooked, then add the capsicum, saute for a minute, then cover and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Finally add the spice powder, mix everything together for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove and serve it warm with rice or rotis.

Note
You can also add some grated coconut at the end.

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Eggless Chocolate Lamingtons

          Lamingtons - Australian dessert, this was the challenge chosen for the Eggless Baking Group, this month. It could either be the chocolate version or the lemon version, as my daughter loves chocolate, I chose the former. After coming to India, I 've started using the convection oven for baking, still in the process of learning, in fact this is my first proper bake. And about these lamingtons, they came out absolutely gorgeous, thanks Gayathri for choosing it, this is my version, if you love chocolate (if not too, my niece who is not a big fan of chocolate desserts liked this), then this is for you..

Need To Have
For The Cake

• All Purpose Flour Or Maida - 1 cup
• Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup
• Butter - 2 tablespoons
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Baking Powder - 1 +1/4 teaspoon
• Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon
• Vanilla Essence - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Water - 2 + 1/2 oz

For The Icing

• Nutella - 3 tablespoons
• Milk - 3 tablespoons
• Cocoa Powder - 3 tablespoons
• Castor (Powdered) Sugar - 8 tablespoons
• Melted Butter - 1 tablespoon
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Method
          Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Beat the melted butter, condensed milk, oil, vanilla essence, water and salt. To this add the sifted dry ingredients, mix well, pour into a greased pan, I used a square pan. Bake at 200C (390F) for 10 minutes, then reduce to 150C (300F) for another 10 minutes. Cool and remove it from the pan. You can either slice the cake horizontally into two or cut it into half and place one half on top of the other with icing in between, I did the latter.

          For the icing, beat everything together, it may not be as stiff as the regular icing, apply it between the cake layers and cut it into small cake pieces. Now add a tablespoon of warm water to the icing and mix it well. Then take each piece of the cake, dip it in the icing, coating on all sides, roll it in the coconut and keep, repeat for all the pieces. You can eat it as such or leave it in the fridge for a slightly stiffer cake.
Final Verdict : Absolutely delicious, would be doing this again and again.

Note
Oven timings vary, you can do your own version of the basic sponge cake and follow the rest of the steps.
I ran out of regular chocolate, so I used Nutella ( no regrets on that, I love Nutella).
Refrigerate the leftover pieces (it contains coconut), just leave them out for sometime before serving.
I used fresh coconut for rolling the cake, you can use the dry dessicated coconut too.
If you want a stiffer icing add some corn starch powder.

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