Brioche

The dough just before baking

It's ready!

Note that the preparation time includes an 8-10 hour (or overnight) stretch for the dough to rise, so factor that into the planning. It is worth it :) [Adapted from: online recipes and also from the Bread and Bread Machine Bible by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter]

Materials:

- 2 cups unbleached white flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7-8 grams dry yeast (or 10-15 grams fresh yeast)
- 3 tablespoons lukewarm milk
- 2-3 eggs - lightly beaten
- 110 grams (about 4 ounces) butter - softened
- 20 grams (0.7 ounces) caster (superfine/bakers) sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon milk
 
Preparation:

In a large bowl, add the salt to the flour. Put the yeast in a cup and add the lukewarm milk. Stir. Add this yeast mixture to the flour. Add the beaten eggs and mix to form a soft dough. Use a spatula (or your hands - this is messier) till you get a smooth dough. Next - in a small pan - cream the butter and sugar together. Add this mixture in small amounts to the dough, mixing a small amount in before adding more. Mix well until dough is smooth and elastic.

Lightly oil a clear plastic sheet (Saran wrap or similar). Leave the dough in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk (1-2 hours). Lightly knock back the dough (punch it down lightly with your fingers). Re-cover the dough and leave it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours or overnight.

Use a brioche mould If you have one, or else you can use a loaf tin, or small individual cups - it all works fine. I use a loaf tin. Lightly grease the tin and keep aside. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a roll about the size of the tin. Load into the tin and flatten so it fills the bottom of the tin evenly. Mix the egg yolk and tablespoon of milk and brush a little over the dough. Cover with a lightly oiled plastic film and leave to rise for 1-2 hours (yes - again!) or until the dough reaches near the top of the tin. Preheat your oven to 450. Brush the risen dough with the remaining glaze and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until golden. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Bhindi sabzi (okra)

Curried okra - a delicious way to prepare this much underutilized vegetable.


Materials:

- 250gm bhindi (okra) - wash, wipe and cut into small pieces (can also use chopped, frozen okra)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large potato - cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon dhania (coriander) powder
- 1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder - optional)
- salt (to taste)

Preparation:


Heat oil. Cook onions till transparent. Add potatoes. Sprinkle water, cover and cook till half done. Add bhindi. Stir. Add haldi and salt. Half cover with lid and cook - stirring. When almost done (potatoes should be cooked through) add dhania powder. Stir and cook until vegetable is dry and the dhania loses it's 'raw' smell (about 5 minutes). Add red chili powder and amchur and stir well.

Serving:

Goes well with rice and bread; is well complemented by most dals (lentils) and also plain yogurt.

Sookha Aloo (dry potatoes)

A ubiquitous potato dish that is great by itself and with lentils, or as an accompaniment to some of the meat recipes on this blog.

Materials:

- 2 large potatoes - peel and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon zeera (cumin seeds)
- 1/2 teaspoon haldi
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dhania (coriander) powder
- 1 red chili - crushed
- salt
- 1-2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Heat oil. Add zeera and wait till it sputters. Add potatoes, haldi and salt. Sprinkle a little water. Cover and cook till potatoes are almost done. Add dhania powder and chili. Cook - stirring until golden and somewhat crisp. Garnish with cilantro.

Serving:

Goes well with any dal. Also good with plain yogurt (with rice or flatbreads).

Chana Dal

A simple dal recipe that I recommend pairing with many of the vegetable and meat dishes on this blog.
 
Materials:

- 1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)
- 3 cups water
- 2 cm (about 3/4 inch) piece of adrak (ginger), peel and slice
- 1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) powder
- salt
- garam masala

Preparation:

Soak dal in water for about 1 hour. Then add haldi, adrak, salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer till dal is cooked (about 30 minutes, but could vary depending on the brand). Stir once or twice while cooking. When done, stir well.

For finishing: heat ghee (or oil) in a small pan. Add one small onion (chopped fine), 1 clove garlic (mashed), 1/4 teaspoon zeera (cumin seeds), pinch of heeng (asafoetida) and one green chili pepper (sliced; optional; you can also use dry red chili peppers). When this mixture is fried, add on top of dal and serve.

Serving:

Goes well with rice, any type of bread and vegetables. Chana dal also complements well the spicier spectrum of Indian food.

Phool Gobi Aloo (Cauliflower with potatoes)

Materials:

- 250 gm cauliflower
- 1 large potato
- 1/4 inch ginger - jullienned
- 1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
- 1/4 teaspoon zeera (cumin seeds)
- 1 tablespoon dhania (coriander) powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- salt
- 1 tablespoon oil

Preparation:

Break cauliflower into florets. Peel and cut potato into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes. Heat oil. Add zeera - cook till sputters, then lower heat. Add cauliflower, potatoes and ginger. Stir. Add turmeric and salt and mix well. Add water and cook till almost done (i.e. potatoes will be nearly cooked through). Mix in the dhania powder and sprinkle some more water (if dry by now). Stir and cover. Cook until done (potatoes should be cooked through). Uncover and stir fry till browned. Sprinkle garam masala and garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

Serving:

Goes well with rice, Indian and other breads. Combines well with lentils (eg. Arhar dal and also with rajma).

Kheera Raita

Kheera (cucumber) raita is a yogurt based side that is perfect for the hot summer months, and for the cold summer months if you've just eaten some very spicy curry.

Materials:

1 small cucumber
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt (lowfat works perfectly well for this)
1/2 teaspoon bhuna zeera (toasted cumin seeds) crushed
pinch of red chili powder
salt

Preparation:

Grate the cucumber and squeeze to remove water. Whip yogurt. Combine these and add salt to taste. Mix in the cumin powder now and sprinkle the red chili powder. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).

Arhar dal

Arhar is a delicious lentil and a staple in India. This goes well with rice or any of the Indian flatbreads - chappatis, parathas, tandoori or rumali rotis and naans. It also perfectly complements most of the vegetable dishes prepared in the Indian way.

Materials:

- 3/4 cup arhar
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
- salt to taste

Preparation:

Soak dal in water for about 1/2 hour (not essential but shortens cooking time). Add turmeric and salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer till done (about 1/2 hour - check periodically if done; you can also stir and/or mash the lentils).

For finishing (optional): heat ghee (or oil) in a small pan. Add a pinch of heeng (asafoetida), 1/4 teaspoon sabut zeera (cumin seeds), 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or whold dried chili peppers), 1 clove of garlic (chopped, optional). Fry mixture and pour on top of lentils just before serving. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Grant loaves

A quick loaf - easy on the prep and baking time.

(Adapted from online sources from the "Bread and Bread Machine Bible" by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter)

Materials:

- 4 cups wholemeal (whole wheat) bread flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon dried yeast
- 1 and 2/3 cups lukewarm water
- 3/4 teaspoon molasses sugar

Preparation:

Grease a loaf tin and set aside in a warm place. Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sprinkle the dried yeast on 2/3 cup of the lukewarm water and leave aside for 2-3 minutes. Then add the sugar, stir and leave for about 10 minutes.

Stir yeast/sugar mixture and the remaining water into the flour and mix for about 1 minute. Place in loaf tin, cover with greased plastic film and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen to about twice it's original height. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaves are crisp on top and sound hollow when you tap the (loaf's) bottom. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Moong dal khichdi

This is an easy and fast dish made with rice and lentils combined and cooked together.

Materials:

- 1/2 moong dal (mung bean lentils, split), 1/2 rice mixture (to serve two, 1/2 cup of each is plenty)
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch of heeng (asafoetida)
- 1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon oil per cup of dal/rice mixtrure

Preparation:

You will want to ensure that the dal (lentil) is free of grit; the occasional little stone - about the size of the bean itself - will occasionally slip through the cleaning/packaging process. Once clean, soaking the lentils in water for about an hour will help shorten cooking time, but is not essential.

Heat oil in a deep saucepan, or dutch oven. Lightly brown the garlic. Add jeera and heeng. Stir this mixture - and don't be too alarmed at the smell; raw heeng powder is smelly and when initially added to hot oil - it will give off a fairly fetid pong. Just make sure you have the doors to your other rooms shut and that the kitchen is well-ventilated. It is momentary though, lasting just a few minutes...

Now add the rice and dal mixture and saute (just as you would for a risotto) for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Now add water (about 2x the rice/dal mixture). Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir again and cover. Cook on low/medium heat until done (check if the lentils are cooked at about about 25 minutes - if they are, it's ready). Fry fresh or dried chili peppers in a tablespoon of ghee and pour on top just before serving.

Serving:

Serve with any or all of the following: papad (poppadums), tomato chutney, plain yogurt, raita (whipped yogurt with diced onions, cucumber, tomato).

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant with tomato)

Materials:

- 1 large baingan (eggplant)
- 2 large tomatoes, dice (or use 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes)
- 1 onion, chop fine
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2.5cm (1") piece ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
- 1 tablespoon oil (olive, peanut, safflower or canola)
- salt
- 1 tablespoon ghee and chili peppers (red or green , fresh or dry) to finish

Preparation:

Skin eggplant. Cut into cubes. Place in saucepan with 1/2 cup milk and cook until soft. Cool and mash. Heat oil. Add ginger and garlic. Add onions and saute till lightly browned. Add tomatoes and turmeric. Cover and cook until soft - ie - until tomatoes are cooked. Add eggplant and salt. Stir and cook until excess liquid evaporates. Now you can stir-fry on slightly higher heat until it browns lightly. Bharta is ready.

In a separate pan, heat ghee and fry the chili peppers in it. Pour over bharta to finish. Alternatively, if avoiding butter/ghee, garnish with fresh, chopped coriander.

Serving:

Goes well with rice (parboiled or Basmati), chappatis, bread, toor and chana dal (lentils).

Tomato Chutney

A simple and delicious savory chutney that goes well as an accompaniment with main dishes or as a filling for a sandwich or a topping for crackers.

Materials:

- 1 large onion
- 4 tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
- oil
- 1/2 tsp nigella (kalonji)
- salt

For tempering - 10 curry leaves and 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tbsp oil

Preparation:

Chop onions fine. If using fresh tomatoes, dice.

Heat oil in a pan. Add nigella. When you can smell the distinctive nigella fragrance, add onions and stir fry until onions are lightly browned. Now add the tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes until most of the liquid evaporates. Add about 1/2 cup water, salt to taste and cover. Simmer on low heat until tomatoes are cooked (about 30 minutes). You want to get most of the liquid to evaporate.

In a separate pan, heat oil. Add curry leaves and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start sputtering, pour this mixture on top of the cooked tomatoes.

Allow to cool and then store in a glass jar.

Options: You can leave out the onions if you don't like that flavor. Also, add some cayenne or fresh green chili peppers if you want some heat.

Goes well with: khichdi, bread, parathas, lentils, white rice.

Introduction

This is my recipe book - set up as a collection of blog entries. My recipe notebook is (as all recipe books must be) a work in progress. The contents include ideas from my mom and sisters home cooking, tips and dishes from friends and of course - the experiments that succeeded. Recipes for the last category came from various books, websites and from random collections of ingredients that had to be used up.

I've also included links that might be useful in learning about ingredients and in some cases have linked to online stores that sell these items. If you have an Indian grocery store near home, it's worth a trip there to get your ingredients. In general, the brands that I use here in the US include Deep, Swad, Nirav and Maya. You may also find most of what you need for Indian cooking at Patel Brothers - on the web (hit the "Shop now" button for online purchasing) and at number of physical locations.