Life 'n' Such

Tinda is a simple vegetable found commonly in India. There is a joke associated with the title of this post, hence the title

This is a very simple way to make this. To find this vegetable in US, go to any Indian store.
Ingredients:
tinda,
1 onion chopped,
spice mix: 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)
salt,
little oil for cooking

Wash and chop the vegetable. Fry the onions till red and then add the spices, saute for less than a minute and add water (to prevent burning). When it starts bubbling add the chopped vegetable. Let it cook open for sometime, then cover and cook till done! If it starts to burn (like mine did last weekend), add a few spoons of water.

We ate it will simple daal (lentils) and steamed rice.

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This is another super hit recipe for making eggplant (‘baingan’) by Madhu Aunty. I call this dish Baingan mazedaar, because when I was a little kid, one of our neighbors used to sing a song for me titled “Baingan Mazedaar” (mazedaar means “Fun”)

I dont remember it exactly, but this is what I did tonite, and it is fantastic! One of the ingredients was missing (aamchur powder, ie. dried mango powder), so I substituted that by few tsps of lemon juice.

Super easy way to make eggplant.

Ingredients:
small size eggplants about 6-8,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1 tsp turmeric (haldi),
1 tsp corriander (dhania) powder
1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala

oil for cooking about 2 tbsp,
mustard seeds about 1/2 tsp

if you have aamchur powder, then about 1 tsp of that or else, I put few tsp of lemon juice concentrate on top of this, I will mention it later.

Wash the eggplants, and cut off the tops. Now make two cuts through the center, do not cut it completely. The eggplant should be intact, just slits, to put the spice mix in it. Look at the picture.

Now mix all the spices and salt together. Stuff all the eggplants with this. Tie each eggplant with a piece of thread to hold them intact. Now heat the oil, put the mustard seeds in it. After it crackles, arrange the eggplants facing straight up. At this point, since I didnt have aamchur powder, I squeezed few drops of lemon juice on eggplants. Reduce the heat to slow. Cover the kadhai (a small dish used commonly in India for frying), and let it cook on slow for sometime (about 15-20 mins). Thats it!

Remove the threads, and serve with daal (lentils prepared in Indian style) and steamed rice.

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Ulfet made this for iftaar during ramadaan. It is so delicious, even people who dont like eggplant are goin to fall in love with this one!! This is a winner my friends!!!

Ingredients:
2 medium sized egg plants roasted in oven or open flame (If you are baking it in the oven, then poke some holes through it)
2 -8 oz mushrooms
1 onion medium size chopped
oil, salt
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp flour
mozarella cheese for topping

Keep the eggplant for baking in the oven first.

In the mean time, sautee the onion in oil in a pan. When the onion is transparent, add the chopped mushrooms.

Cook till the water left by mushroom evaporates.

Add the flour to this. Mix well for about 2 mins.
Back to the eggplant. Peel the outer layer of the eggplant, slowly with the help of a knife.

Then, add the roasted eggplants in a bowl with cold water and lemon juice and let it soak for about 5 mins).

Remove the eggplants and squeeze out the water.

Then chop them.

Add the eggplants to the mushrooms.

Add the milk and seasoning to this.

Boil till the sauce thickens and the milk is gone.

Pour this in your desired baking (Serving) dish, top with mozarella cheese and bake.

I wouldnt classify this as a super easy dish, but worth trying once, and if you get it right then thats great!!

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Similar to the earlier recipe of kolay pogaca, except that you make little circles and then add your toppings on it.
By Ulfet.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp yeast,
1 1/2 tbsp sugar,
warm water (enough to soak the sugar and yeast)
1 cup warm milk,
1 cup oil
1 egg
salt
all purpose flour

For the toppings:
green pepper, chopped/sliced
cherry tomatoes, sliced
cheese (mozarella, turkish cheese, feta cheese, spanish cheese, or a combination of these)

Let yeast, sugar and warm water sit for about 10-15 mins, till the surface is bubbly. Now add the warm milk, oil, salt, and egg. Mix a little bit. Now start adding flour spoon by spoon. Knead the dough a million times (kidding!) but yes lots of times, adding flour in between and again knead. Finally stop adding the flour when the dough does not stick to the sides of the mixing bowl.

Now pull our little 1 1/2 inch bits from the dough. Roll it out with a little flour. Arrange on your baking tray. Follow the same till the dough is finished.

Let it sit for about 15-20 mins till it rises. Now add your toppings, starting with cheese, then the vegetables. Press the vegetables in the dough a little bit.

Brush the sides with egg yellow and bake at 350 deg F. Then finally broil till the top is golden red.

Cover with a kitchen towel for a few minutes. Then serve!!

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Ulfet showed me how to make this. The important thing she says is to keep mixing the dough till its airy, so your breads will be fluffy. And you will also develop stronger muscles

You can make any kind/shape bread with this dough. You can make mini pizzas using the same dough.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp yeast,
1 1/2 tbsp sugar,
warm water (enough to soak the sugar and yeast)
1 cup warm milk,
1 cup oil
1 egg
salt
all purpose flour
sesame seeds and 1 egg yellow

Method:

Let yeast, sugar and warm water sit for about 10-15 mins, till the surface is bubbly. Now add the warm milk, oil, salt, and egg. Mix a little bit. Now start adding flour spoon by spoon. Knead the dough a million times (kidding!) but yes lots of times, adding flour in between and again knead. Finally stop adding the flour when the dough does not stick to the sides of the mixing bowl.

Divide the dough in 3 parts, using a little flour, and a rolling pin, roll out into flat discs. Using a pizza cutter, make about 6-8 cuts passing through the center.
At this point, you can either put cheese filling/meat filling/potato filling, basically any filling of your choice.

Roll it to form mini croissants.

Arrange on a baking tray, let it rise for about 15-20 mins. Then brush the tops with egg yellow, sprinkle black sesame seeds and bake at 350 deg F. Finally broil for a couple of minutes.

Wait a few minutes, before you serve. (You may make this in advance, and freeze it after its completely cooled. When you need to serve, thaw on your countertop for about half an hour, then just microwave and serve!)

This is so good, as breakfast, snack, anytime!

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This is a yummy soup for winters especially. I had this sometime back at Ulfet’s house, god knows how she knows these many recipes!!!!

Ingredients:
chicken stock/broth 2 cups
one carrot grated
1 and half tbsp all purpose flour
oil for cooking
1 cup cold water
salt as per taste
lemon juice 1/2 tsp

First heat oil and then add the flour to it. Constantly keep stirring it, or the flour will burn. Now put the cold water, then chicken stock and the carrot. Boil till you get yellowish color and the soup is thickened (the carrots will leave out their color in the soup). Keep stirring all the time. Add lemon juice, and then finally add salt. Thats it! simple enough huh?

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Baklava is a mediterranean dessert, hugely popular in Turkey and Greece. The recipe for making baklava is a bit different in both countries.

This is the Turkish way to make baklava (the dough is not made from scratch, we use Fillo Dough sheets). Recently on the occasion on Eid, my friends Ayse Gul and Hacer made it together in front of me.

Ingredients:

Fillo Dough sheets (1 packet)
walnuts (crushed)
butter 2 and half stick and oil, boiled together

for sugar syrup:
3 cups sugar,
3 cups water,
lemon juice 1 tsp

Method:

Keep the sugar and water to boil on medium high.

In the mean time, in a 9*13 inch baking tray (preferably glass) lay one sheet (you may need to fold for it to fit in the tray). Spread couple spoonfuls of boiled butter/oil on it. Sprinkle approx 1 tbsp walnut over the entire surface.
food/sept-230.jpg
Follow the same process making layers of the sheet, butter/oil and walnuts, till you reach the last 2 sheets. At this point, just skip the walnuts.

Now pour the remaining butter/oil mix on the entire surface.
Cut the baklava into pieces, first cut straight and then cut diagonally to make diamond shaped pieces.
food/sept-233.jpg
Check your sugar syrup, if the sides of the pot have dots on it, then its ready, add the lemon juice and turn off the stove. Let it cool.

Bake the baklava tray at 350 deg F till you get the baklava smell, and the surface and bottom is golden red.

The baklava should be kind of warm (almost like room temperature), and the syrup cold. Pour the syrup over the baklava slowly. Let it soak for atleast 24 hours before eating.

Enjoy!!

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Eid Mubarak / Happy Diwali to all!

For Eid, in India everyone makes Sevaiyan for Eid. They all have their own recipes for making it. This is one which is a very simple and basic recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 Sevai packet (fine vermicilli)
6 cups Milk warm,
1 and 1/4 cup Sugar, start by adding 1 cup, taste, add more if required
2 tbsp Ghee (Indian, clarified butter) , if you dont have ghee, you can boil butter and little oil together.
Nuts (almonds, cashews, raisins, etc) whatever you like

In the ghee, fry the sevai and nuts, till its reddish in color (Even if its pre-roasted). Then add the milk (add raisins at this point if you like) and boil till the sevai is soft, if this starts to thicken, then add more hot milk.

Finally add the sugar. Done!

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Recently, we had been to Sam’s Club, and got this big pineapple. It was so sweet, it reminded me of pineapple raita commonly made in India in restaurants.

Ingredients:
pineapple pieces fresh/canned
yoghurt,
water,
salt and sugar

In a mixing bowl, put yoghurt and add some cold water, mix. Add water just enough to make the yoghurt of thinner consistency.

Add salt and salt, as per your taste. Finally add the pineapple pieces.

We generally have this raita with jeera rice / vegetable pilaf etc.

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I love carbs and sugar!!! I live on bread and butter practically. But I read this article in news today. Well if what the research says its true, then I think its time we start shifting to whole wheat/ multi grain breads.

The key is to be in moderation. So a slice or two should be fine.

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