Khaman Dhokla-For Indian Cooking Challenge!

Khaman Dhokla is a traditional snack of Gujarat, India. This savoury snack is made by steaming fermented chickpea flour(besan) along with few other ingredients. The steamed cake is known as Dhokla. Depending upon the ingredients used in making Dhoklas the name changes accordingly. Dhokla made with chickpea flour/besan is called Khaman Dhokla while the one made with rice,urad dal and sour curd is called Khatta(Sour) Dhokla. Dhoklas can even be made with Sooji(Semolina) and it is then known as Sooji Dhokla.

Khaman Dhokla was selected this time for Indian Cooking Challenge hosted by Srivalli of Spice Your Life for the month of July. The event focuses on bringing into light the long forgotten traditional recipes. Serve this hot Khaman Dhokla with spicy green chutney along with a cup of steaming tea!

For Dhoklas:

Ingredients:

For the batter:

Chick Pea Flour(Besan/Gram Flour) - 250 gms

Curd - 1/2 cup(Do not use sour curd)

Water - 1/2 cup

Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp

For seasonings:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric a pinch
Green chilly paste of 2 chillies

Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Citric acid - 1/4 tsp

Eno(Fruit Salt) - 5 gms(1 tsp) + more for dusting the vessel

For tempering:

Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies
Curry leaves- few
Grated coconut- A handful
Coriander leaves/Cilantro- few

3 tsp water + 1 tsp Oil for moistening dhoklas

Method:

• For preparing the batter mix curd with water well. Add the flour and mix well till the batter becomes free of lumps. The consistency of batter should be like Idli batter, should be of dropping consistency rather than pouring consistency. You may add additional water if needed but I didn't.
• Add the soda, cover the vessel and leave it to rise for an hour. You will need another vessel for steaming process.Keep that vessel aside now.
• Meanwhile prepare the pressure cooker for steaming.
• Fill cooker with enough water, place a lid/plate in the cooker,over which you would be placing the vessel filled with batter. The reason for placing the vessel filled with batter over another plate/lid is to allow the vessel to rest upright and to prevent from swaying during the cooking process.
• Heat the water in the pressure cooker.
• Meanwhile to the batter add citric acid, oil, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, green chilly paste and mix well.
• When the water starts boiling in the cooker add eno to the batter and dust the vessel required for steaming(kept aside earlier) with eno. The reason for dusting the vessel with eno is to allow the bottom of the dhoklas to become porous. When you add eno to the batter you will see small bubbles coming out.
• Transfer the batter to the dusted vessel, place it in pressure cooker, cover with a lid and steam for about 7 minutes.
• After this time open the cooker and prick the dhoklas with a toothpick to check if its cooked. If the toothpick comes out clean, its done. Now cover and steam for another one minute. Turn off heat and let it rest for another 5 minutes.
• Remove vessel from cooker and pour water+oil mixture on top.
• For seasoning, heat a pan with oil, add curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds and finely chopped green chilies. When mustard seeds start popping, remove and pour over the dhokla along with grated coconut and cilantro leaves.
• Cool before cutting into pieces.

For Green Chutney:

Ingredients:

Green Chillies - 3

Coconut - 1/2 cup

Coriander Leaves/Cilantro - a bunch

Few mint leaves

Lime - 1(I used 1/2 lemon)

Salt to taste

Method:

• Grind all the above ingredients except coriander leaves/cilantro adding enough water to a smooth paste.
• Add cilantro and grind again.
• Serve with Dhoklas.

Khaman Dhokla goes to Indian Cooking Challenge hosted by Srivalli.

Pooja.

Other Snacks:

Unnakkayi-A Malabar Moplah Speciality!!

Unnakkayi is an authentic sweet dish of traditional Malabar(northern part of Kerala,India) Moplah cuisine. As explained in my Mutton Biriyani post, the Malayalam speaking Muslims of northern part of Kerala are known as Moplahs. To read more about their origin and culture check out this post. I was introduced to Unnakkayi through my mom's best friend who hails from Malabar region of Kerala. Though I have asked my mom on innumerable occasions for the recipe, I never noted it down and conveniently forgot all about it until I came across the same recipe in Malabar Muslim Cookery by Ummi Abdulla.

What is Unnakkayi?

The literal meaning of Unnakkayi is Cotton Buds(Unna-Cotton, Kayi-Buds/Pods) and this delicious snack is called so because it resembles the cotton pods before its cracked open to yank out the cotton. This is a snack used to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan,the ninth month of the Islamic calender. It was during this month in 610 AD when prophet Muhammad received revelations from God that later became Quran,the holy book.

Fasting during Ramadan, the holy month

The holy season begins with the sighting of crescent moon on the evening following the new moon and lasts for about 30 days. Muslims must see the new moon before beginning their fast. From dawn to dusk they abstain from food, drink and all sensual pleasures. But two main meals are taken, one called Souhoor that begins each day before dawn and the other, called Iftar that breaks the fast after sunset.

How is Unnakkayi prepared?

Sweets form an important part of the Ramadan food.Unnakkayi is a snack made with steamed, mashed & filled plantains which is later deep fried to a golden brown colour. Traditionally ghee is used to deep fry the stuffed plantains. The filling is made with eggs, grated coconut, sugar, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. For those who do not prefer eggs, may make the filling by adding more grated coconut instead. Also over ripe plantains should not be used in this preparation as it would make it too messy. Go for the three fourth ripe ones.

Recipe Courtesy: Malabar Muslim Cookery by Ummi Abdulla

Ingredients-Makes 4

Plantain - 1(only 3/4th ripe)

Egg - 1

Granulated Sugar - 3.5 tsp

Grated coconut - 1.5 tbsp

Chopped cashews - 1/2 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tsp

Cardamom powdered - 1/4 tsp

Ghee

Coconut oil for frying(Traditionally ghee is used)

Method:

• Cut the plantain into quarters and cook in a microwave for 4 minutes till the skin separates from the fruit.
• Allow it to cool slightly.
• Remove the skin and slice each piece lengthwise to remove the seeds.
• Mash the plantain to a smooth dough using a masher without adding water. The dough should be free from lumps.
• Slightly knead the dough for a minute or so. Shape it into a smooth round ball. Keep aside covered.
• Add 2 tsp sugar to egg and beat well.
• Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan and scramble eggs. Remove from heat.
• Add 1.5 tsp sugar to grated coconut, mix well and saute this mixture in the same pan at low-medium heat till the sugar dissolves and coats the coconut mixture. Remove from heat.
• Add little ghee to the same pan and roast cashews and raisins. Remove from heat.
• Mix scrambled eggs, coconut mixture, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder.
• Divide the plantain dough into 4 balls.
• Grease your hands with ghee, flatten one ball on your palm by pressing with your fingers into a small disc.
• Place a portion of the filling in the middle lengthwise, bring the edges together and press slightly to seal it. Over stuffing the dough may make it difficult to seal.
• Now roll it between your hands and shape it like cotton buds, with bulge in the middle and tapered at the edges.
• Repeat the process for the remaining balls.
• Heat oil in a pan and deep fry to golden brown colour.
• Drain excess oil on paper towels.
• Enjoy hot Unnakayi with tea/coffee and have a pleasant evening!

This goes to Sugar High Fridays-Fruit & Nut hosted by Mansi of Fun & Food Blog.

Pooja.

Other Snacks:

Ghee Roasted Plantains!~And an award!

Caramelized ghee roasted plantains...doesn't this sound heavenly? For me this sure does. Because this has been one of my favourite snacks right from my childhood days. My mom used to treat me with this often during my school days and how I loved munching into those syrupy roasted ripe plantains with golden thick caramelized topping!

Raw and ripe Plantains(Ethakkai)

This is quite an easy and delicious snack and can be prepared by anyone in a short period of time. Especially this is useful during those times when we have unexpected guests and run short of enough items/time to cook up any snack. A different type of plantain is used in this preparation. In our language we call it Nenthra pazham or Ethakkai. Well for the moment lets call it Plantain in simple terms. Its the type of plantain which is used for cooking when its raw and ripe. To make things more clear I have included the picture of how the plantain looks when its raw and ripe.

Ghee is used for roasting the plantains. It imparts a special flavour to the roasted bananas.You may also use honey as a sweetener. But I prefer doing the traditional way.

Ingredients:

Ripe Plantains(Nenthra pazham/Ethakkai)

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Ghee for roasting

Method:

• Cut each plantain into halves and cut each piece into thin slices.
• Heat a pan over low-medium heat and grease it with sufficient ghee.
• Sprinkle sugar on one side of the slice and keep it face down on the pan.Roast till that side turns golden brown.You may roast many slices at a time depending on the width of your pan.
• Now sprinkle sugar on the top of the slices and flip it over.
• Roast till this side turns golden brown.
• Serve hot with tea/coffee.
• Enjoy the caramelized flavour!

Ann of Happy and Healthy Cooking has passed me Lovely Blog award. Thanks a lot Ann for passing me this beautiful award. It means a lot to me :)

According to the rules of the award I need to pass it on to 10 bloggers. A very tough decision indeed. I love all the blogs I follow. But yet this time I have nominated the following bloggers for this award. More nominations to follow in the upcoming months!

Ammu of Nature Kitchen

Kalyani of Kalyani's Kitchen

Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen

Parita of Parita's World

Pooja of Sai Kitchen

Priya of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Priyameena of Cooking-Madurai Style

Shabs of Shabs Cuisine

Uma of Essence of Andhra

Vineela of Vineela Siva

Pooja.

Other Snacks:

Spanakopita-Greek Spinach and Feta Parcels~And an award too!!

Spanakopita is a Greek pastry made with spinach, feta cheese, herbs, eggs, green onions along with other ingredients. This is commonly served as an appetizer or snack. The filling is enclosed in flaky phyllo pastry sheets and oven baked until golden brown, the colour enhanced by brushing the pastry with egg whites. There are few ways to make this pastry. It can be either made as a pie by enclosing the filling within layers of phyllo dough and later cut into triangles or the filling itself is divided into equal portions and each portion is placed on top of stacked phyllo sheets, each sheet greased with olive oil to enable it to stick to the other sheet stacked on top of it and rolled to form triangles.

If you are new to phyllo pastry then there are few important points to be noted while handling phyllo dough. Phyllo dough can be stored in the refrigerator for weeks. When working with phyllo dough make sure that everything else is ready as you need to work really fast once you have opened the phyllo sheets. The phyllo sheets when exposed to air become dry and brittle and then it would be difficult to work with them. So only work with the dough at the end of preparation.The top surface of each sheet is brushed with olive oil or butter before placing another sheet on top to enable the sheets to stick to each other. Also phyllo sheets are not similar to puff pastry the difference being in the method of preparation, though they may look similar when baked.

I adopted this recipe from the book 'The Complete Cookbook-Vegetarian' by Helen Aitken. With more than 200 recipes this is an indispensable one for any vegan cook with each recipe accompanied by eye catching shots of the final dish along with step by step photographs. I have modified the recipe to suit my taste and here is my version.

Ingredients:

Spinach- 250 g chopped

1/2 White Onion minced

Green onions(spring onions)- 3 chopped

Fresh Parsley chopped - 3 tbsp

Fresh Dill chopped - 2 tbsp

Powdered Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp

Italian seasoning - 1 tbsp

Fresh Chives chopped - 1 tbsp

Fresh Oregano chopped - 1 tbsp

Freshly grated Parmesan- 1 tbsp

Crumbled feta cheese - 1/2 cup

Ricotta cheese - 1/3 cup

Egg -1 beaten

Salt & Pepper to taste

Olive oil for cooking

Melted butter for greasing sheets

Egg white for brushing

Phyllo pastry

Method:

• Cook chopped spinach over low medium heat until leaves have wilted. Cool and drain well. Squeeze tightly to remove excess water. This step is very important because moisture in spinach turns phyllo dough soggy. Keep aside.
  
• Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute onions until it turns transparent.
  
• Add green onions and saute for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
  
• Add drained spinach to the above mixture and mix well.
  
• Add parsley, dill, nutmeg, Italian seasoning, chives, oregano, Parmesan, feta, ricotta and mix well.
  
• Add beaten egg followed by salt and pepper. Do not add too much salt as feta cheese is salty. Mix thoroughly.
  
• Preheat oven to 350 F(180 C).
  
• Grease baking tray.
  
• Work with three sheets of pastry at a time covering the rest with a damp tea towel.
  
• Brush each sheet with melted butter and lay them on top of each other. Continue this process until a stack of 3 sheets are formed.
  
• Cut into half length ways.
  
• Spoon a portion of the filling at an angle at the right end of each strip and fold the right end towards the left enclosing the filling to form a triangle.
  
• Continue folding the triangle until the end of pastry is reached.
  
• Brush the outer surface of the pastry with egg white.
  
• Place the triangles on a greased baking tray and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
  
• Serve warm.
  

This goes to:

My Favorite Things:Cheese event hosted by Poornima of Tasty Treats and started by Bindya.

SWC-Cooking With Greens hosted by Sowmya and started by Lakshmi.

Lena of Lemon n Spice , Padma of Padma's Recipes & Parita of Parita's World have passed me the 'I Love Your Blog' Award. Thanks a lot. You made my day :)

I hereby pass this award to all my friends in the blogging world(all nominees are there in Fellow Bloggers link at the top of the page) who have supported and encouraged me. So friends, please take this award with you.

Pooja.

Other Appetizers:

Other Snacks:

French Toast

French toast is a delicious snack and can be served for breakfast. Simple and easy to prepare this can be made in a jiffy and is healthy too! Thinking of french toast takes me back to my childhood days when my mom used to prepare this as an evening snack and I entering the house tired after school smelling the aroma of freshly made toasts. Slices of bread are dipped in an egg-milk mixture with additional flavourings, placed on a pan greased with butter and cooked on both sides until golden brown. You may add additional toppings like powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream etc.

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat bread slices

Whole milk- 2/3-3/4 cup

Eggs - 2

Granulated sugar - 2tbsp

Vanilla extract- 1/4 tsp

Ground cinnamon- 1/8 tsp

Butter

Method

• Beat eggs well.
  
• Add milk, sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and mix well.
  
• Heat a pan over low-medium heat.
  
• Grease with butter cubes.
  
• Dip both sides of a bread slice in batter for few seconds and place on the pan.
  
• Cook each slice for about 1 minute per side or until golden brown.
  
• Add more butter to the pan to cook the other slices.
  
• Serve hot with toppings of your choice. You may even dust the surface of each bread slice with powdered sugar.

This goes to:

Show me your Breakfast event hosted by Divya of Dil Se.

EFM June- Breakfast Series hosted by SriLekha of Me and My Kitchen.

Pooja.

Other Breakfast Items: