Pear Souffles

Pears are seasonal fruits. We can eat it alone or cook it into compotes, tarts or poach it to accompany ice creams. 
        A souffle is a lightly baked cake made with egg yolk and beaten egg whites combined with other ingredients. When the egg mixture is baked in a 350-degree oven, those air bubbles trapped in the egg whites expand, making the souffle rise.

  Souffle's are made from two basic components:
 1. A cream sauce base - puree 
 2. Egg whites beaten to a soft peak -meringue

The base provides the flavor and the whites provide the lift 

Ingredients:

5           pear peeled, cored and diced

1 cup    water

1.5 cup  sugar 

8           egg whites

Pastry cream:

2 cup     milk

1 tsp      vanilla essence

6            egg yolk

1 cup      sugar

1 cup      all purpose flour / maida

1 tbs       melted butter to grease the ramekins

2 tbs       powdered sugar for dusting the souffle

2 tbs       sugar for dusting the inside of ramekins  

cook with water and sugar

Method:

1. Cook the pear with water and 1 cup of sugar in a pan till the pear becomes soft and the water evaporates.

2. Cool it and press the puree through a strainer into a  bowl and set aside.

Pear Souffles

Pastry cream:

1. In a pan boil milk in low heat. 

2. Meanwhile beat the egg yolk one at a time with sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth.

3. Add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking it constantly. 

add the pear to the pastry cream 

4. Return the mixture to the pan, cook the mixture in a low flame,  whisk it till the sauce is smooth and thick.

cover with plastic wrap

5. Remove the pan from the stove add the strained pear puree. Cover the pan with plastic wrap to prevent it from forming skin.

Souffles:

1. Preheat the oven 350* place a baking sheet to heat up.

2. Grease the ramekins with butter and sprinkle the inside of each ramekins with sugar.

3. In a deep bowl, beat the egg whites and gradually add the sugar. Beat it together till the egg whites lose its shine, and stiff peaks form and hold when the beater is stopped and lifted. 

4. Gently fold the egg whites into the pear pastry cream. 

ready to bake

5. Divide the mixture into the prepared ramekins, level the surface and carefully run a sharp knife between the side of each ramekins and the mixture.

dust powdered sugar

6. Place the ramekins on the hot baking sheet and bake for 10-20 mins or until the tops of souffles are well risen and golden.

7. Generously dust the top of souffles with powdered sugar and serve it immediately.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Have a blessed day :)   
                                                                              

Chewy Almond Chikki / Butter Almond Chew

This candy reminds me of the kamarkat mittai we used to buy from street vendors during the nearby temple festivals.

Coconut Almond Chikki

Memory Lane:
           When we were in elementary school, me, my siblings and my cousins usually look forward to an annual hindu festival, it was celebrated for three days in a neigborhood temple. The street would have a festive look, colorful and loud with a nice aroma of street food. (There would be loud announcements from speakers, frying smell of pakoras and vadais from make shift kitchens. Hawkers would sell their wares from candies to colorful clay items to their haggling customers).  
          With general crowd milling around the temple, the people who participate in the "live coal" walk- event  would walk around proudly. Adorned with garlands, neem leaf bouquets and sandal- wood paste (applied to their bodies). On the last day, after church, our moms would allow us to go there with our maid. Our group would happily walk around buying things, take few rides on a merry-go-round or just stand there chat and watch the crowd....beautiful memories!

              It's fun making candies for kids. Candies are made with sugar syrup. Different candies call for different consistency in  sugar syrup, it is obtained through boiling sugar and water in different temperatures. The higher the temperature and less water there is in the sugar, the firmer the sugar syrup will be. 
How to find the right consistency of the sugar syrup?:1. Using a candy thermometer will make the work more easy. 
2. My grandma had a way to find out the consistency without thermometers, she'll just dip the tip of her index finger (ouch) in the syrup and press it with her thumb. Then she'll softly open her fingers to find out how many threads are coming between her fingers. For adirasam syrup it's two thread consistency, that's an "early stage" for candy syrup. 

280*-290* soft crack stage

3. Another way to test the required stage for candy, is to drop about a teaspoon of the cooked sugar syrup into a bowl of cold water. Then retrieve the sugar by pressing it gently between your thumb and forefinger to determine the stage necessary for a particular candy. 

spoonful of syrup in cold water

firm yet pliable..soft crack stage

    To make this chewy almond candy, the syrup's temperature should be 280* - 290* (soft crack stage). When  pouring a spoonful of syrup into a bowl of  cold water the syrup will form strands, when we press it with our hands it should be firm yet pliable. 
Ingredients:

3/4 cup       sliced almonds

3/4 cup       shredded sweetened coconut

1 tbs           butter

1 1/2 cup     granulated sugar

3 tbs            water

1 tbs            light corn syrup / honey

1/2 tsp         salt 

 1. Combine almond and coconut and spread it thin in a buttered pan.

combine almond and coconut

2. In a pan melt the butter, add all the other ingredients and mix it well.

melt butter and mix the ing'

3. Reduce the heat to low/med and cook without stirring.

4. Remove from heat when the mixture reaches soft crack stage (290* f)

soft crack stage

5. Pour it evenly over the almonds and coconut.

pour it over the almonds evenly

6. Let it cool, when it's comfortable enough to touch,  make small balls with the mixture. Cool it and store it in refrigerator. 

cool it....

and make into small balls.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe,feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)

Spicy Oats Crusted Fish.

 To say my family loves fish is an understatement. We love fish in any form: Stewed fish, curried fish, fried fish, fish biryani, steamed fish...to name a few. I'm posting a baked fish recipe here. 

Memory Lane:

Oats and Nuts crusted baked Salmon

My husband's home town is a seaport. My father in law was a merchant ship captain and their house was only a few miles from the beach. In the evenings we would pack some snacks and go to the beach. My daughter enjoyed watching the moored, colourful fishing boats in that harbor, all decked up and ready for their night fishing trip. It was a beautiful sight to watch. Lovely memories :)

fishing harbor

Ingredients:

3               salmon fillet - 5 ounce each  

2 tbs         oil

For marinade

1 tbs          olive oil

2 tsp          red chilli powder

1 tsp          cumin

1/2 tsp       coriander powder 

1/8 tsp       dill seed

2 tsp          lemon juice

1/2 tsp       ginger and garlic paste

salt to taste

make a marinade by combining the above ingredients.

For the crust:

1/4 cup      whole oats

1/4 cup      sliced almonds

1 tsp          chilli powder

1/8 tsp       salt

1 tbs          oil

2 tbs          mayonese or any creamy dip

Mix the above ingredients and keep it aside.

To garnish:

3 leaves           butter lettuce     

3 tbs                plain greek yogurt / fresh curd

1 tsp                powdered cumin seed

1                     tomato - small, thinly sliced (optional)   

Method:

1. Apply the marinade to the fish. Marinate it for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray

with aluminum foil and drizzle 1 tsb oil over it.

Mayonnaise topped salmon

3. Place the fish on the baking tray, brush the top of each fillet with mayonnaise.

Oats and Nuts ....

4. Spoon the oats mixture over the mayonnaise and press it over the top of the fish, drizzle the remaining oil over the fish.

5. Bake it for 20 mins and lower the heat to 300 degrees for another 20 mins or till the fish is cooked through and the crust is slight brown and crispy.

Spicy Baked salmon

6. Keep1 lettuce leaf on a serving plate and  place 2 thinly sliced tomatoes on the leaf. Remove the fish from the baking sheet and place it on the lettuce and spoon 1 tbs of yogurt over fish and sprinkle cumin powder.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe,  feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)

                               

Spicy Chole Bhatura / Channa Bhatoora

          This mouth watering punjabi fare (pair) is a crowd pleaser. Chole - Chickpea (kabuli channa / garbanzo) cooked in spices. Bhatura is made with maida or all purpose flour and combined with yogurt/curd, yeast or baking powder and deep fried in oil. This punjabi roti is different from regular poori in texture and flavor and it pairs best with chole.     
MemoryLane
I'm really excited to make this dish, My north indian friend used to make this dish whenever we visit them. She's an excellent cook :) Now we moved to another state and i miss her and her bhaturas. 

Yummmy! Chole Bhatura

To make dark and spicy chole - 6 easy steps

1. Soak the chick peas and cook it with tea bags. 

2. Roast, grind and fry the spices. 

3. Fry onions and green chillies.

4. Grind some cooked onion and channa/chick pea mixture (to get thick gravy)

5. Chole - combine all the ingredients and simmer.

6. Garnish

super combo!

chick peas= kabuli chana = konda kadalai = garbanzo 

Step one - Cooking chickpeas / channa 

2 cups chick peas
2        black tea bags
salt to taste
1. Soak the chick peas in water for 6 hrs or overnight, rinse it and cook it with salt and the tea bags.

Cook channa with tea bags

2. If using canned chickpeas, drain the liquid, rinse it, add 1 cup of water and 2 teabags and cook it in low heat till the chick peas gets the tea flavor and colour. 
Step two - Roast grind and fry the spices
  1.  2              black cardamoms

  2.  3              cloves
  3.  1/4 tsp      cumin seeds / jeeragam 

  4.  1/4 tsp      fennel seed / saunf / sombu
  5.  1/2 inch    cinnamon 
  6.   few piece mace
  7.  1              star anise
  8.  1 tsp         mango / amchur powder  
  9.  1 tsp         coriander powder 
 10. 2 tsp         chilli powder
 11. 1 tbs         oil

1. Roast and grind the first seven spices from step two. 

Roast and grind the 7 spices...

Ground spices with chilli powder

fry it in oil...

2. Combine the above ground spices with coriander powder,  mango / amchur powder and chilli powder.
3. Add 1 tbs of oil in a pan and stir in the combined spices and cook in low heat for  few minutes. Remove from stove and keep it aside. 
Step three - Onion and chilli masala 

onion and tomato...

1         onion -finely  - chopped
3-5      green chillies 
1 med   tomato - chopped     
1 tsp    ginger garlic paste
2 tbs    oil 
1. Heat oil in a pan, fry the onions and green chillies till the onion turnes soft golden brown, 
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for few minutes, add the tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are soft.
Step four - Grind chana and onion 
 1. Take 3 tbs of the cooked channa and the cooked onion mixture and grind it to a fine paste.  

 Step five - Chole 

1. Combine the cooked channa, the ground spices, ground channa and onion mix and the fried onion and green chilli. 

combine ground chana... 

Let it simmer....

channa masala....

2. If the channa masala is dry, add 1/2 cup of water.
3. Cover the pan and reduce the heat and let it simmer till the oil separates and the raw smell no longer remains.

Step six - to garnish

garnish with onion and coriander leaves

1 med           onion - finely chopped
few sprigs     finely chopped
1                  lemon cut into wedges 
Transfer the chole to a serving bowl and garnish with onion, coriander leaves and lemon wedges.                             

  Tips for taste: Enjoy it with baturas and poories.

                                                        Bhaturas 

I got this recipe from - best ever curry cook book
 Baturas must be eaten hot and cannot be reheated.

Ingredients:
15 gms / 1/2 oz    fresh yeast
5 ml / 1 tsp          granulated sugar
120 ml / 1/2 cup   warm water
200 g  / 2 cups     all purpose flour / maida   
50 gm / 1/2 cup    semolina / rava
2.5 ml / 1/2 tsp     salt
15 gm / 1 tbs        ghee or butter
30 ml / 2 tbs         plain yogurt / curd
oil for frying    
Method :
1. Mix the yeast with the sugar and water in a bowl.

mix yeast and sugar in warm water 

2. Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in rava / semolina, salt and rub in the butter or ghee.
3. Add the yeast mixture and yogurt to the dough, mix well. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 mins until smooth and elastic.

dough...

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with clear plastic and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

5" balls

5. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide into twelve equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Flatten it into discs and roll out on a lightly floured surface into 5" rounds. 

roll out the dough....

6. Heat oil to a depth of 1 cm in a deep frying pan. Slide one batura about 1 minute and turning over. remove from oven and drain in a paper towel and fry the remaining baturas. Serve immediately.

yummyyy...

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. If you try this recipe, feel free to comment, i love your feedback. Enjoy ur cooking! Hav a blessed day :)