Mandelbrot

Mandelbrot is a name for Jewish biscuits which are baked twice and are similar to Italian almond biscotti.  It literally means almond (Mandel) bread (brot). I found this recipe while I was searching for Italian biscotti and I thought I should just do this.  I used granulated white sugar in these biscuits, however, the original recipe calls for superfine castor sugar.

What I used:

All purpose flour : 3 1/4 cups
Ground Almonds : 1 cupvb nmn
Baking Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : 1/4 tsp
Eggs : 3
Granulated Sugar : 1 1/4 cups (Grind it into fine powder)
Grated Rind of 1 Lemon
Almond extract : 1 tsp
Vanilla extract : 1 tsp

How I did:

• Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.  Grease two baking sheets and keep them aside.
• Sift together plain flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.
• Beat eggs and sugar together for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy with a hand mixer or an electric mixer.
• Beat in the lemon rind, vanilla extract and almond extract.
• Add the sifted flour mixture a spoonful at a time. Mix well until blended. 
• Transfer the dough mixture to a floured surface.  I used my counter-top for that.
• Divide the dough into two equal halves and gently knead each half for about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Carefully shape them into two long flat logs taking care that the width should be atleat 2 to 3 inches.
• Place them on the pre-greased baking sheets and bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
• Take out from the oven, place them on a cutting board and let cool for about 15 minutes.
• Carefully cut them into 1 cm width slices diagonally.  Take care not to crush the inside of the loaves.
• Place them flat on ungreased baking sheets (you'll have to work them  in batches) and bake for 5 to 6 minutes or golden brown on the underside and turn over the slice and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes.
• Cool them completely on wire rack before storing and serve with tea or coffee.

Rawa Dosa

Who doesn't love these crispy crepes?  Well I do. Combination of maida, rice flour and sooji makes this lovely rawa dosa.  I add corn starch to make this dosa a little more crispier.  Chopped green chillies and chopped onions too can be added to the batter but when used, the dosas come real thick if cooked in a normal frying pan. In India rawa dosas are usually cooked in an iron frying pan which is slightly shallow towards the center.  The batter flows to the center very easily making them thin and crispy.  Here in US, I don't have such pan.  So I completely omitted the use of chillies and onions.

What I used:

All purpose flour / Maida : 1 cup
Rice flour : 1 cup
Sooji : 1 cup
Corn Starch : 2 tbsp
Salt : as requiredWater : 4 cups (approximately)
Oil : as required

How I did:

• As the recipe calls for sooji and it thickens after a while when water is added, the batter has to be made atleast half hour ahead.
• Take maida, rice flour, sooji and corn starch in a mixing bowl and mix water little by little without forming any lumps until you get the consistency of normal dosa batter. You could use a hand blender to mix the batter without any lumps. 
• Add salt and combine well.  Just before starting to cook, adjust the consistency of the batter by adding little water, if required. 
• Heat a non stick pan on medium high flame, grease some cooking oil to it.
• Reduce the flame to medium. Using a ladle or a cup, pour the batter starting from the outer edge of the pan, covering the entire circumference in the form of a circle.  Fill the gaps in between, quickly and evenly.  Every time you pour the dosas, mix the batter thoroughly.
• Pour a tsp of oil or two on and around the dosa.
• Let cook for a minute and when it turns to golden color flip over.
• Cook for few more seconds and serve with any chutney.

Carrot Cake

Adopted from the site Joy of Baking, I made just half of the given recipe, as I just had the 8 x 8 round cake pan.  Modified a little according to my taste.  I totally omitted pecans or walnuts as I didn't have them in my pantry while doing this and Cinnamon, I just hate it in cakes.

What I used:

All purpose flour : 1 cup
Grated carrots : 1 1/4 cup
Baking soda : 1/2 tsp
Eggs : 2
Baking powder : 3/4 tsp
Salt : 1/4 tsp
Canola oil : 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract : 1 tsp

How I did:

• Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.  Grease a 8 x 2 cake pan and keep it aside.
• Peel and grate the carrots.
• In a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• With a hand mixer or electric mixer beat eggs for about 1 minute or until you see the foam and add sugar and beat for about 3 or 4 minutes or until lightly colored and fluffy.
• Add oil little by little and vanilla extract and beat thorougly.
• Add the sifted flour mixture a spoonful at a time. Mix well just until blended. 
• Mix in the grated carrot and gently fold in with a rubber spatula. 
• Transfer the batter into the pre-greased pan and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpic inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, remove and let cool completely before serving.

Yellow Squash Podi Pappu

What I used:

Yellow Squash peeled and cut into cubes - 1 cup
Pesarapappu (Moong Dal) - 1 cup
grated fresh coconut - 3 tbl spns
chillies : 4-5 (slit lengthwise)
garlic : 5 cloves
Salt : as required
Turmeric powder : a big pinch
Mustard Seeds  1.4 tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal (Minappappu) : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : few
Red Chillies : 2 (broken into small bits)

How I did:

• Microwave yellow squash cubes in enough water for 3 minutes or until almost done.
• Moong dal should be cooked just enough and not too mushy.  For that boil double the quantity of water.  Wash moong dal and add to the boiling water.  Partially cover with a lid and let cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until just done.
• In a kadai, heat a tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and red chillies
• Let the seeds crackle and add green chillies, curry leaves and crushed garlic.
• Saute for a while and cooked moong dal, cooked yellow squash cubes and salt.
• Simmer and cook covered for two minutes and mix the freshly grated coconut.
• Goes well as a side dish with rice.

Happy Independence Day

I know this is a bit late in the evening to post this, but somebody said its better late than never.  So here is my recipe for the day.  Tricolored rice.  These are three different types of rice, cooked separately, but arranged in an order to resemble our national flag colors.  Carrot Rice or Carrot Pulihora, Coconut Rice and Coriander Rice.  I've posted the recipe for carrot pulihora earlier this month but I'am reposting it here to be handy.  The other two recipes are too listed below.

The Saffron Color (Carrot Pulihora) :

What I used:

Cooked rice : 4 cups

Grated carrot : 1 cup

Grated ginger : 1 tsp

Lemon juice : 1 tbsp or as required

Green chillies : 6 to 7 (slit lengthwise)

Mustard seeds : 1 tsp

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Urad dal : 1 tsp

Split Gram dal : 3 tbsp

Curry leaves : a few

Red chillies : 3

Salt : as required

Oil : 1 tbsp

What I did:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on medium flame, add mustard sees, urad dal, cumin seeds and red chillies.
• When the seeds crackle, add grated ginger, curry leaves and the slit green chillies.
• Saute for a while and stir in grated carrot..  
• Saute for a minute. The carrot doesn't have to be completely cooked.  
• Take rice in a bowl and loosen all the rice with your hands and then add it the carrot mixture on the stove.
• Stir thoroughly until rice and the mixture are mixed well.
• Cook for one or two minutes and switch off the stove.
• Sprinkle salt and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

The White Color (Coconut Rice)

What I used:

Cooked rice : 4 cups

Freshly grated coconut : 1 cup

Green chillies : 6 to 7 (slit lengthwise)

Mustard seeds : 1 tsp

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Urad dal : 1 tsp

Split Gram dal : 3 tbsp

Curry leaves : a few

Red chillies : 3

Salt : as required

Oil : 1 tbsp

What I did:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on medium flame, add mustard sees, urad dal, cumin seeds and red chillies.
• When the seeds crackle, add curry leaves and the slit green chillies.
• Saute for a while and add cooked rice, salt and the freshly grated coconut. .  
• Stir thoroughly until rice and the mixture are mixed well.
• Cook for one or two minutes and switch off the stove.

The Green Color (Coriander Rice)

What I used:

Cooked rice : 2 cups

Canned or frozen green peas : 1/2 cup

Chopped coriander : 1 cup

Ginger garlic paste : 1 tbsp

Green chillies : 6 to 7 (slit lengthwise)

Shajeera : 1 tsp

Cloves : 4 nos.

Cardamom : 4 nos.

Black pepper : 1 tsp

Red chillies : 3

Salt : as required

Oil : 1 tbsp

What I did:

• Keep aside a tbsp of chopped coriander and grind the rest along with the green chillies into a smooth paste.  Add little water, if required, for smooth grinding. 
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on medium flame, add cloves, cardamom, black pepper, shajeera and red chillies.
• When the seeds crackle, add ginger garlic paste.
• Saute for a while and stir in the coriander paste.  
• Saute for a minute and add the green peas. Cook till the coriander paste is well cooked and almost all the water is absorbed.
• Mix in the rice, the remaining chopped coriander and salt and stir thoroughly until rice and the mixture are mixed well.
• Cook for one or two minutes and switch off the stove.

Kohlrabi Perugu Pachadi (Kohlrabi in Yoghurt)

What I used:

Kohlrabi : 1 bulb
Curd / Yoghurt : 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut : 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : a few
Red chillies : 1 (broken into bits)
Green chillies : 3 to 4 (slit lengthwise)
Salt : as required
Turmeric power : a big pinch
Oil : 1 tbsp

What I did:

• Peel off the kohlrabi and cut into small cubes.  Pressure cook them with just enough water for 2 whistles or can be microwaved until boiled or can be boiled in vessel on the stove.
• In a saucepan, heat a tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chillies. 
• Saute for a while and add the boiled kohlrabi, salt and freshly grated coconut.  Simmer for two minutes.
• In a bowl whisk yoghurt along with turmeric powder. 
• Add the cooked kohlrabi mixture to the yoghurt an mix thoroughly.  Adjust salt if needed.
• Goes well with rice.

Caramalized Cashews

What I used:

Cashews : 1 1/2 cups (Can use salted or unsalted as per your liking)
Sugar :1/4 cup
Corn syrup : 2 tbsp
Butter : 2 tbsp

What I did:

• Take a pan and roast the cashews on medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat. (If you want your cashews to be crunchy)
• Melt butter in a nonstick skillet or a very thick bottomed vessel (its hard get rid of caramel from a thin bottomed pan) on moderately high heat.
• Add sugar and corn syrup and stirring continuously cook until dissolved.
• Once the liquid comes to a boil, add the roasted cashews.
• Keep stirring until all the cashews are coated with the syrup and lightly toasted for about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Grease a tray or plate with little butter and spread cashews on it.  Try to separate cashews from sticking to one another and let cool.

Carrot Pulihora

What I used:

Cooked rice : 4 cups
Grated carrot : 1 cup
Grated ginger : 1 tsp
Lemon juice : 1 tbsp or as required
Green chillies : 6 to 7 (slit lengthwise)
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Urad dal : 1 tsp
Split Gram dal : 3 tbsp
Curry leaves : a few
Red chillies : 3
Salt : as required
Oil : 1 tbsp

What I did:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on medium flame, add mustard sees, urad dal, cumin seeds and red chillies.
• When the seeds crackle, add grated ginger, curry leaves and the slit green chillies.
• Saute for a while and stir in grated carrot..  
• Saute for a minute. The carrot doesn't have to be completely cooked.  
• Take rice in a bowl and loosen all the rice with your hands and then add it the carrot mixture on the stove.
• Stir thoroughly until rice and the mixture are mixed well.
• Cook for one or two minutes and switch off the stove.
• Sprinkle salt and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
• Serve. 

Bobbarla Kudumulu

I've made these kudumulu as an offering to God on Toli Ekadasi (Sorry the post is a bit delayed).  Usually, split gram dal is used to prepare kudumulu, as my pantry is out of that  I tried with bobbarlu.  Came out good.

What I used:

Cracked Rice (Biyyam ravva) : 2 cups
Bobbarlu (Black eyed beans) : 1/4 cup

water : 4 cups

ghee / oil : 3 tsp
Salt : as required

How to:

• To prepare biyyam ravva: wash rice and dry completely and ground to a coarse powder but not very fine.
• Soak bobbarlu for 1/2 hour and drain the excess water.
• In a thick bottomed saucepan boil 4 cups of water.
• Add oil / ghee and bobbbarlu to the boiling water.
• Let it boil for 5 mints and add the ground biyyam ravva and stir continuously ensuring that no lumps are formed.  Cook covered for 7 to 10 mts on medium flame, stirring occassionally, and turn off the heat and cool.
• Once cool, make big lemon sized balls of the cooked mixture. 

Dinosaur Idlis

What  I used:

Idli Batter : 2 cups
Dinosaur shape cookie cutter or any desired shape. 
Few items for decoration : food color, butter, tomato ketchup, cherries, carrots, sprouts, cheese, M&Ms

What I did:

• First you need a pressure cooker or an idli vessel and a shallow plate or bowl small enough to fit in the cooker or idli vessel.
• Take the shallow plate or bowl and grease with some butter.  Pour the idli batter upto about 1 inch thickness in the plate.
• Pour a glass of water in the presser cooker or idle steamer whichever you are going to use an put the idli plate in it.  Cook on medium high flame for 7 to 10 minutes or until idli is cooked. 
• Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.  Carefully remove the idli from the plate and transfer to a cutting board.
• Using the cookie cutters cut into desired shapes.  Explore your creations an decorate as per your taste.

Make it a canvas for your painting (sorry I'm not a good food painter)

Apply some butter and decorate it sprouts and veggies

Apply some butter and arrange some fruit pieces on the top

Apply some butter and make it colorful with M&Ms

Apply some tomato ketchup and top up with cheese slice

Note : To get a perfect fine shape, cut the idli when it is completely cooled.