A Hint of Spice

These muffins remind me of fall season when apples and pumpkin are in season.I have tried this recipe with fresh apples....making applesauce at home and then making pumpkin puree at home and it turned out to be tooo good to be true,but then for saving time I have also used store brought applesauce and pumpkin puree and they are just as scrumptious.This recipe makes quite a few muffins ,so I freeze them or make two loaves of bread.

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoon's melted butter or cooking spray( for greasing the muffin cups)
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter,softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup apple juice,cider or orange juice
1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease 12  half cup muffin cups.Sift together the dry ingredients.
2.Beat the butter and sugar for about 2-3 minutes.Add the eggs,applesauce,pumpkin,and vanilla and beat lightly.
3.Alternately add some of the fry ingredients  and pour in some of the apple juice or cider,beating until smooth.Fold in raisins.
4.Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins,filling each cup two-thirds full.Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes,or until puffed and a toothpick comes out clean.
5.Cool for few minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a rack for cooling.Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature.
6.The same batter can be used to bake Pumpkin Applesauce bread by baking in two 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf pans for 5-60 minutes.Cool,remove from the pans ,cut into slices and serve.
7.The muffins and the bread freeze very well.For doing that wrap the bread in a piece of aluminium foil and then wrap the cling wrap tightly around.
'njoy!!!

Tips:-
1.The recipe calls for softened unsalted butter .Well there are two ways to go about it.You can leave the butter at room temperature to softened or in the microwave if you are in a hurry.I prefer the first option as it ensures that the cakes,muffins,bread etc are soft.
For more baking tips see this,and this.

My earliest memories of Chole Bhature is of the one I ate at a popular eatery in Bhopal Known as "Manohar Dairy". Since it was long ways from our place ...we did not go there very often,but whenever we passed it,I was sure we ill go inside and have Cholle-Bhature with Lassi(in summers) or Masala Chai(in winter).Yummo!!!
Cholles were traditionally cooked in Iron vessels which imparted it the dark brown color.I use tea leaves for imparting it the color.Some other tips regarding cholle are at the end of this post.Enjoy cholles with tikkis,bhaturas, kulcha,Naan or simply topped on a slice of bread or Pav.Serve with pickled Onions & Achaar

This time the cholles are accompanied with Crisp, but spongy bhaturas are . Bhatura dough was made using leavening agents like soda, curds and leaving it for hours to ferment before they could be rolled out and deep fried.This recipe of bhature is one that I got from my friend Sonal...when in a hurry and want to impress friends ,use pillsbury buttremilk biscuit to make bhatures.(Sneaky...right!!). Remember to eat bhatures hot!






Cholle
Ingredients
1 cup chick peas (Kabuli chana), soaked overnight (see Tips below)
1 tblsp Chana Daal
1 tea bag or teaspoon tea leaves, tied in a muslin cloth (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ajwain seeds (Carom)
1 onion finely chopped
1 green chillie chopped finely or adjust the heat as per your taste
2 medium size tomatoes finely chopped or 2 – 3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
12 mm. (1/2") piece ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 teaspoons chana masala
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
2 teaspoons amchur (dry mango powder)
1 tablespoon coriander (dhania) powder
2 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste



Directions
1.Soak the chole overnight and boil cholle and chana daal with a tea bag. Discard the teabag and keep the water for the curry.
2.In a thick bottomed pan, heat oil and temper it with ajwain seeds. Add green chillies, and garlic and saute it.
3. Then add the onion and fry till they start turning brown.
4.Then add the ginger and tomatoes and the dry masala and cook it all together for about 8-10 minutes.
5.Take 1 -2 tsp of boiled cholle and mash them roughly and add it to the masala to make the curry thicker.
6.Finally add the masala to the cholle and let it cook for 10 mins till it turns thick.
'njoy!!!



Bhature

Ingredients
Pillsbury buttermilk biscuit
Oil to fry
All purpose flour to roll the dough

Directions
1.Keep the Buttermilk biscuit dough roll in fridge or outside so that it softens up and is easy to work with.
2.Take the dough out.It is already shaped in ball shape.
3.Heat oil in a frying pan...enough to fry the bhatures.
4.Roll out the dough using all purpose flour.
5.Fry the bhatures in hot oil until golden brown.
6.Serve hot bhaturas with Cholle and Pickled Onions.

This was my entry for the event Breakfast Foods in the orkut community IHM.

This Goes to Superchef for her event My Legume Love Affair and to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

This is also going to Pari for her Combo Event.Congratulations Pari on your 100th post.I am also sharing this recipe with Nithu from Nithu's Kitchen for her event CWF-LB :Chickpeas and also with Kiran.












Tips
1.If you are in a hurry,instead of soaking chick peas you can use the canned Garbanzo beans.Remember to rinse the canned beans under running water to remove excessive salt.
2.If you do not have tea bags and don't want the hassle of tying tea leaves in a cloth for boiling,you can boil tea leaves in water and then use that strained water to soak the chick peas.
3.I used ajwain seeds for tadka because it has a digestive qualities.
4.Never saute ginger alone in oil.It burns.Always saute it with tomatoes since they can saute at low temperature.

1.UNSTICK YOUR RICE -Adding a little lemon juice helps, and the correct measure--if the rice has been soaked, it is 1 cup rice to    11/2 cups water. If not soaked, it is 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Cover it once it comes to a boil and cook over the lowest flame.
2.OLD NOODLES -Try rinsing the old noodles in water with vinegar in it.
3.CHEESY RICE -Put boiled rice in a serving dish, and pour a sauce made of onions and tomatoes over it. Then cover thickly with grated cheese.
4.RICE -For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per liter of water. To add extra flavour and nutrition to rice, cook it in liquid reserved from cooking vegetables.
5.BREAD DOUGH -Yeast bread dough rises more rapidly at higher altitudes and has to be watched carefully. Should be allowed to rise only till doubled in bulk.
6.BREAD RISE -To help bread dough rise higher, heat a towel until it gets very warm and then wrap it around the bowls base.
7.BREAD MAKING -Yeast will last longer than the specified date printed on the packet if kept in the refrigerator, or even longer in the freezer, for up to a year. Bring to room temperature before using.
8.THE RIGHT NOODLES -For perfect noodles, add them to boiling water, then turn off the heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Noodles won't stick to the pan, won't overcook and there's no need to stir the pot.
9.UNSTICK YOUR NOODLES -If you add a lump of butter or a few teaspoons of cooking oil to the water while cooking rice, noodles or spaghetti, it will not boil over nor stick together.
10.LEFT OVER RICE -Refrigerate leftover cooked rice in a well-sealed container. Reheat cold rice with a sprinkling of water in a microwave oven or in a covered pot over low heat.
11.LONG GRAINED RICE -For long grain rice this is usually two parts liquid to one part rice; If you want firm separate grains, use slightly less water. Additional water makes the rice somewhat softer and stickier.
12.LEFT-OVER WATER -Don't throw away the water that paneer is kept in. This water can be used while making dough for rotis.
13.CHAPATIS -If you want to keep chapatis for a long period of time, use milk instead of water while making the dough.
14.DOSA SPREAD -To check if the griddle or tawa is hot enough before spreading dosa, sprinkle a little water over it. If it sizzles immediately, then the griddle is hot enough. Wipe with a clean rag, and then pour the dosa batter.
15.DOSA -To avoid the dosa from sticking to the tawa rub slices of onion on dosa tawa before spreading the batter.

When you hear or read the word "Bread",the image that pops up is a loaf of bread...for me it is sandwich bread.Banana bread is a bread that contains mashed yellow Bananas.The difference in the baking technique of a Banana bread and any other loaf of bread is that in Banana Bread the leavening agent is Baking Soda instead of Yeast.
             There are many versions of Banana Bread available.Some us sour cream,some use eggs,some don't.Some recipes use brown sugar and egg whites.I tried many recipes but none came up to par.Then last summer my sister-in-law baked her special Banana Bread and ....you had to see it to believe it.My DH was fighting everyone else for every single slice.It was so moist & ......(wait guys my mouth is watering).I baked a batch of this wonderful banana bread ,as a "Thank You" gift for the wonderful staff at Tanvir's pediatrician's and it was an instant hit.
   In case you are wondering what does "Hap's" mean.....that's my sister-in-laws  sweet small name.She is known to everyone as Harpreet.The credit of this recipe goes to her.

3 Ripe Bananas (the riper, the moister the bread!)
2 Eggs
1.5 cups Flour
1 tsp of Flour(for Walnuts)
4 oz. Butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
1.5 cups Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (optional)
Pinch of Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
Additional Butter for baking dish

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degree Faranheit.
1.Sift flour,cinnamon powder and baking soda together and reserve.
2.Roughly chop the walnuts and roll them in 1 tsp of flour.This ensures that the walnuts don't sink to the bottom when you mix them in the batter.

3. In another bowl, stir sugar, eggs, vanilla, and butter until they are mixed well.
4..Incorporate flour, and stir until smooth.
5.Mush bananas with a fork and stir into batter.
6.Then add nuts and stir well.(Reserve few walnuts for sprinkling on top)
7. Butter two loaf pans (or other baking dish if you don't have a loaf pan) and pour in batter.
8.Sprinkle the reserved walnuts on the top of the batter.
9.Bake for about 55 minutes.Start checking the bread for doneness after 45 minutes.This is becuase the baking time varies from one oven to another.The banana bread is baked when the tip of a knife or toothpick comes out clean and dry.
10.Let cool off for about ten minutes and then remove from baking dish. You can serve this warm or room temperature.
'njoy!!!

This was my Entry for the cooking event Fruits,hosted by the orkut community IHM.


TIPS:-
1.The same batter can be used to make choclate chip banana bread.Just mix Choclate chips instead of walnuts.
2.The same batter can be used to make banana muffins.Send those as treats to your kids school or as Food gifts.
3.Prepared Banana bread freezes well,(if by any chance you have any left,which I seriously doubt).So when you are next making a loaf, just make some more, pack it tight and freeze it. Afterwards you can use it anytime you decide. It makes a great hostess present to take along when you're invited to somebody’s house.

Ingredients
For Stuffing:-
3 Mooli (white radish or in US we see it sometime as Daikon)
Salt to taste
2 tblsp coriander leaves
2 green chillies,finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp oil
For Dough
2 cups Wheat flour
Salt To taste
Water As needed
Oil for pan frying muli paranthas


Directions
1.Peel and Grate the mooli finely.
2.Sqeeze the juice out of the grated mooli as much as possible.(Drink it fresh with a pinch of salt.It's good for health.)
3.Heat 1 tsp of oil in a nonstick pan and then add the jeera and coriander seeds.Let them splutter for few seconds.Then add the finely cut green chillies.
4.Add the grated mooli to the nonstick pan and the seasonings .Let it cook for few minutes,till the mooli is slightly cooked and starts turning a little pink in color.
5.Then add the green coriander to the masala.
6.Now make a tight dough using the wheat flour and salt a little water.
7.For making the parathe,roll out a small ball of dough like a roti.Put the mooli masala in the center of the roti and gather the sides together and roll again in a small ball.
8.Roll in dry flour,dusting off the extra,flatten into a circle.Use the rolling pin gently and sprinkle a little dry flour if the paratha sticks to the work surface. The paratha will be about 3mm thick.
9.Heat a griddle and reduce the fire. Brush a little oil on the griddle and roast the paratha on one side on reduced heat. Flip over and roast the other side.
10.Roast both sides well till golden dotted with brown specks and remove.
11.For kids (also adults who don't worry about fat content) apply a little ghee on parathe before serving.
12.Serve with fresh yogurt and pickle.
'njoy hot!!!!!

Tip 1:-You can also make the radish parathe(red radish) exactly the same way.Tastes really good.
Sending this to Sandhay for her event Indian Flavored Flatbread and to Cilantro who started the event Global Kadhai.

Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is one of the most popular varieties of Indian Breads.It resembles pita bread and, like pita bread, is usually leavened with yeast; unleavened dough (similar to that used for roti) is also used. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven, from which tandoori cooking takes its name. This distinguishes it from roti which is usually cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tava. Typically, the naan will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter.
In US there are many ways to get Naan.

1.Buy from Indian Store.
2.Make the dough at home,let it ferment for some time and then make Naan.
3.The Easy Breezy one is what I use some time...make it out of Buttermilk biscuit.



Ingredients
Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuit can (makes 10 nans)
Chaat Masala.(If you want Masala Naan)
Dry Mint(Pudina) leaves (if you want Pudina Naan)
Onion(Kalonji) Seeds (If you want Onion Naan)
All Purpose Flour (For rolling the Naan)
Ghee or Butter (For applying on the Naan)



Directions
1.Take the buttermilk biscuit can out of the fridge atleast 30 mins before you have to make naan,so that the dough becomes pliable.
2.Roll out the individual dough rolls using a rolling pin.Before rolling apply a little oil on rolling pin to avoid the dough from sticking on the rolling pin.
3.Roll out the dough in circular shape,using ample all purpose flour.
4.Poke some holes in the rolled naan using fork.
5.Sprinkle the seasonings (Pudina,Onion seeds,or chaat masala )according to your taste.
6.Roast Naan on a Hot Tawa turning on both sides so that they don't burn.
7.Apply Butter or Ghee.
Serve hot with Roasted Vegetables,Cholle,Methi Matar Malai,Dum Aloo,or even Kofta Curry.

Ingredients:
4-6 pita rounds (white or whole wheat)
1 cup of pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
toppings of your choice (veggies, cooked meats, cheeses)-I used Green Bell Pepper,Tomatoes,White onions,Olives,Banana peppers,Roasted Red peppers


Toppings


Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
2.Spoon pizza sauce over pita rounds.
3.Top with mozzarella and desired toppings.
4.Place on baking sheet and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.