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Karamel snite



  •  .1 casa brasna
  •  .125gr. maslaca
  •  .4 kasike smedjeg secera
  •  .3/4 case kokosa
  • fil/Karamel premaz

  •  .500 ml. sweetened condensed milk (slatko kondenzirano mlijeko)
  •  .80gr maslaca
  •  4 kasike smedeg secera
  • Cokoladna glazura

  •  100gr cokolade
  •  2 zlice ulja
Težina:
  1. U zdjelu staviti brasno,secer,kokos,promijesati i dodati istopljen maslac,pa sve izmijesati da se dobije vlazna smjesa.

  2. U pripremljenu tepsiju(25x15cm) pritisnuti lagano dobivenu smjesu/ tijesto i staviti peci.

  3. Peci u predhodno zagrijanoj rerni na 160C, 10 -12minuta, dok nebude svjetlo smedje boje

  4. Pustiti biskvit da se prohladi..

  5. U serpu staviti maslac, secer i
    zasladeno kondenzirano mlijeko, te kuhati, mjesti  kuhacom non-stop, dok se ne pojave mjehurici,zatim smanjiti temperaturu i kuhati jos pet minuta.
    Kada potez kucom ostavi trag,znaci da se karamel zgusnio i da je spreman za upotrebu.

  6. Tako pripremljen fil premazi preko biskvita i ponovo vratiti u rernu da se pece,narednih 15-estak minuta
    (okolo po rubovima se pojave mjehurici,tada je gotovo).
    Ostaviti da se ohladi.
    Kada se karamel stisne preliti ga cokoladom otopljenom na pari.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Green Beans And Chickpeas Curry


         Back after a weekend of fun and celebration, hope everybody had a fun filled and safe Diwali. After all the sweets and savories for the past couple of weeks, today's post is going to be a simple curry with green beans and chickpeas/ garbonza beans or chana. It's very simple to make, goes very well with both rice and rotis, very healthy and nutritious..

Need To Have

  • Chopped Green Beans - 11/2 cups
  • Cooked Chickpeas - 1 cup
  • Onions - 2 medium, chopped
  • Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
  • Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped
  • Kasoori Methi - 1 tablespoon, crushed
  • Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt to taste

Method


          Microwave the chopped beans with a little water and salt till cooked. Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, then add the kasoori methi and mix for another minute.


          Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it starts to break down, then add the turmeric, chilly and cumin powders along with salt and keep sauteing till the tomatoes become mushy.


          Then add the cooked beans and chickpeas and keep mixing for another 5 to 7 minutes, finally add the pepper powder, mix and remove.


Note
The green beans retain the green color, if you cook them in the microwave.
Kasoori Methi is dried fenugreek leaves, available in Indian stores which gives a unique flavor.
I have added only 2 tomatoes as the ones available here are very sour, if you are using plum tomatoes, you can add more.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Eggless Pina Colada Cake


          Pina Colada Cake, most of us are very familiar with this flavor, if not, it's a cake bursting with tropical flavors of coconut and pineapple, well, this was our challenge, this month, for Eggless Baking, it was suggested by Meena of Chettinad Fiesta. It's basically a sponge cake frosted with pineapple mousse, coconut and mascarpone cheese, the process might look a bit long, but the end result is worth all of it. The original cake recipe here, uses rum, coconut liquor and eggs, I have replaced eggs with condensed milk and orange juice and left out the alcohol. I have made cakes, using condensed milk alone which gives a dense cake and orange juice alone which gives a airy and super spongy cake. For this cake I have used both of them, because I felt that if I used orange juice alone, the cake would be very light and might weigh down with the frosting. Since the frosting has coconut, cheese and fruits, it has to be refrigerated, if you like the drink Pina Colada or cheese frosting or white chocolate, then this cake is for you, because the frosting tasted a little bit like all of the above..

Need To Have
For The Sponge Cake

  • All Purpose Flour/ Maida - 1 cup
  • Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup
  • Orange Juice - 3/4 cup
  • Oil - 1/4 cup
  • Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
  • Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
  • Salt - a pinch

For The Pineapple Mousse

  • Chopped Pineapple Pieces - 2 cups
  • Sugar - 1 tablespoon
  • Corn Flour - 1 teaspoon

For The Coconut Cream, Cheese Frosting

  • Coconut Milk - 200 ml
  • Sugar - 1/4 cup
  • Mascarpone Cheese - 6 tablespoons
  • Cream Cheese - 2 tablespoons
  • Corn Flour - 2 teaspoons
Additionaly Needed
  • Orange Juice - 3 tablespoons
  • Grated Coconut - 1 to 2 cups 

Method
Sponge Cake


          Take the oil, condensed milk, orange juice, vanilla extract and salt and beat well.


          Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda and add to the wet ingredients and mix it well.


          Pour it in a greased and floured pan and bake it at 180 C for 35 to 40 minutes, remove and cool the cake.

Pineapple Mousse


          Take 11/2 cups of the chopped pineapple, add the sugar and 1 cup of water, mix and cook it covered for 1/2 an hour.


          Mash it slightly, add the remaining 1/2 cup pineapple pieces and the corn flour mixed with little water. Mix everything together for about 5 minutes till you get a jam consistency, remove and cool it.

Coconut Cream Frosting


          Take the coconut milk and sugar in a pan, and cook on  medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, till it thickens, it should coat a spoon dipped in it, keep stirring it all the time.


          Cool it, then add the mascarpone and cream cheese and whip it well, using a electric blender, since the mixture was a little runny, I added 2 teaspoons of corn flour and whipped it, cool it for about 30 minutes, it'll be easier to do the frosting.
You can refer for homemade mascarpone cheese here and homemade cream cheese here.

Frosting The Cake


          Slice the cake into 3 layers. Take the bottom layer, pour about a tablespoon of the orange juice, allow it to soak, then put half of the pineapple mousse, then layer with the coconut cream frosting, then place the next layer, repeat the orange juice, pineapple and coconut cream, place the third layer, add the orange juice and frost it fully with the coconut cream, just enough for the grated coconut to stick to it. Press the grated coconut all over the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour and then slice it and serve.


Note
I have not used 2 cups of grated coconut, used about 1/4 cup only, wanted to cut down the calories, if doing it for a party, then layer it well with the grated coconut, it gives the cake a beautiful look.
You can avoid the sugar in the pineapple mousse, the pineapple that I used was not that sweet, so I added 1 tablespoon of sugar to it.
The sponge cake, if eaten alone will need another tablespoon or 2 of sugar, but with all the frosting, it tasted perfect.
I have used a 5" spring form cake pan, the pan is deep, so it took me about 40 mins in the oven and also the cake could be sliced into 3 layers.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Potato And Bitter Gourd Stir Fry, Urulaikizhangu Pavakkai Vadakkal


          Last month, we had lunch at a Bengali restaurant, though I have tasted Bengali food a couple of times, I cannot talk about the authenticity of a dish. But on that day, I spoke to a girl ( a Bengali student ) sitting at the next table and she told me that she was tasting home style food after a long time, I took that as the verdict. One of the dishes that we ordered that day was a vegetable bajje ( appetizer ), I thought it would be some vegetable, dipped in batter and deep fried. To my surprise, it was a potato and bitter gourd fry, I think both the vegetables were deep fried and then sauteed with some spices. We just loved it, and I wanted to try it at home, I have tried to reproduce it from what I had tasted, I didn't get the recipe, and also I have tried to make it healthy too, try this, even kids wouldn't mind the pavakkai/ karela/ bitter gourd in this..
Need To Have
  • Bitter Gourd - 2 medium
  • Potatoes - 3 small
  • Fennel Seed Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Salt to taste
Method


          Slightly scrape the outer skin of the bitter gourd, slice into half, scoop out the seeds in the middle and make thin half-moon slices. Peel and slice the potatoes like we do it for French fries. 


          Heat some oil in a pan, add the potato slices and a little salt,  cover and keep sauteing, till the potato fingers turn golden with few brown spots here and there, remove and keep. 


          Add some more oil, now add the sliced bitter gourd and salt and cover and keep sauteing till it gets wrinkled, gets cooked and slightly crispy, remove and keep. 


          Add a little oil, add the fennel seed, chilly and turmeric powders along with the sugar, give a mix and add both the vegetables, mix with the spice powders and keep sauteing for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and serve it warm with dal and rice or rotis.


Note
You can deep fry both the potato and bitter gourd, the dish at the restaurant was just oozing out oil.
The final dish should not be crunchy, but sort of soft and crispy at the same time.
The bitter gourd loses most of its bitter taste.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Kaddo (Afghan Pumpkin with Yogurt and Tomato Sauces)

One of my favorite places to bring visitors to Boston is this Afghan restaurant in Cambridge called The Helmand.  Usually, it's the first time any of them have had Afghan food, and I love introducing them to the signature appetizer there, the kaddo.  It's a "pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with ground beef sauce."  It sounds like a pretty strange flavor combination and is unlike anything else I've ever tasted, but it's absolutely delicious.

I've had kaddo at another Afghan restaurant before, and it was definitely less sweet, so my guess is that the version served at The Helmand has been "Americanized".  I found this recipe on Chowhound that gives a range for the amount of sugar to add and also suggests a vegetarian version.  I didn't add the dried mint to the yogurt sauce because I didn't have any, and I reduced the amount of onions for the tomato sauce.  Despite the changes, I was really impressed with how close this recipe is to what they serve at The Helmand.


Kaddo (Afghan Pumpkin with Yogurt and Tomato Sauces)
serves 4 as an appetizer

2 - 2 1/2 pound sugar pumpkin
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 -1 1/2 cups sugar (I used about 2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Remove seeds and strings, peel the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut down into about 2-inch chunks.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a dutch oven.  Brown the pumpkin pieces, turning frequently, until golden brown.

Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over pumpkin. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Mix together yogurt with the mint (if using) and crushed garlic in a bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the onions until lightly browned. Add the garlic, coriander, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cook until the spices are toasted and fragrant.  Add tomato sauce and water, mix thoroughly and bring to a simmer.  Lower heat and cook about 20 minutes until it cooks down to a thick sauce.

Serve the pumpkin with the yogurt and tomato sauces.

Previously:  Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)
Last year:  Miso Marinated Black Cod
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Zucchini Rice


          Every single day ( at least the weekdays), the first question that pops in my mind, ' what do I pack for lunch today ', invariably it's either rice or rotis. If it's rotis, then the next question, ' what should I make to go with it ', or if it's rice, ' what rice '. I know, many of us go through this, I also think, that I should plan for it, the night before, but that seldom happens and most of the time I make something that occurs to me at that moment. This zucchini rice is also one such dish, simple and delicious one pot meal that can be put together in a very short time..

Need To Have

  • Raw Rice/ Pachai Arisi - 1 cup
  • Diced Zucchini - 3 cups
  • Tomatoes - 1 cup, chopped
  • Garlic - 5 small cloves, chopped
  • Chilly Flakes - 1 teaspoon
  • Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
  • Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Fennel Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt to taste

Method


          Wash and keep the rice soaked till you use it. Heat some oil in a pressure pan, add the fennel and fenugreek seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the garlic and saute till golden. Then add the zucchini and tomato pieces and mix for a minute.


          Now add the chilly flakes, coriander and turmeric powders and mix it, then add the drained rice and mix it for a minute. Now add about 21/2 cups of water and salt, cover and cook, after the first whistle, reduce the heat to the lowest and cook for 7 to 10 minutes and switch off. Open the pressure pan, once all the pressure has been released and serve it warm.


Note
If you are not comfortable with the pressure cooker, you can do the entire cooking in a regular pan, or after sauteing the rice, transfer it to a electric rice cooker, then add the water and salt and cook.
You can also use basmati rice in place of the raw rice.
Can also add a tablespoon of grated coconut and some curry leaves along with chilly flakes, will give a nice flavor.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ompodi, Sev


          Ompodi/ Sev, this is one of the simplest snacks, in spite of having eaten it so many times, both store bought and homemade, this is the first time I tried making it. I have made other stuff like murukku, pakodas and mixture, but I don't know, for some reason I have never tried making this. The basic ingredient is besan flour/ chickpea flour/ kadalai maavu/ bengal gram flour and the other important ingredient which gives the flavor and also the name is omam/ ajwain seeds. It is very easy to prepare, in fact, it took me under 30 minutes from start to finish ( for the measurements given below ). This can be had as such or used as a garnish or topping on chats..

Need To Have

  • Besan Flour - 1 cup
  • Rice Flour - 1 tablespoon
  • Ajwain Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon and a pinch
  • Dried Red Chillies - 4
  • Salt to taste

Method


          The murukku press with the ompodi mold and the ajwain seeds.


          Soak the ajwain seeds and red chillies in a little water for 15 to 20 minutes and grind it as smoothly as possible.


          Sift the besan and rice flours. Strain the ground chilly and ajwain mixture, add it to the flour along with salt and a teaspoon of hot oil. Mix it well, then adding water, prepare a smooth dough with it.


         Heat the oil for deep frying, grease the murukku press ( similar to a cookie press with different molds), fill it with dough and press it, releasing the dough directly into the oil, moving in a small circle, cut off the dough with your hand. Cook on both sides till golden and remove, repeat with the rest of the dough. Cool, break with your hand into small pieces and store in an airtight container.


Note
If doing more than a cup, do everything the same way till you mix the flour with oil, salt and the chill-ajwain mix, then divide into portions, take one portion, add water, make dough and do the sev, then do another portion and so on.
If the dough is too hard to press through the murukku press, then sprinkle little water and knead the dough and proceed.
The oil should not be too hot, add a pinch of dough to the hot oil, it should rise slowly to the top. Also, when you press the dough into the oil, it'll sizzle at first and gradually settle down, at that point, flip it slowly and cook on the other side the same way and remove, it'll take 1 to 2 minutes.
Use the mold that has the smallest holes.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad