Orange & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

There were cartons of half & half and cream sitting in my fridge, and the only thought that came to my head was to make some more ice cream before the cartons expired. Why was I having neglected cartons (not just a carton) of rich liquids like whipping cream and half & half stashed away? It's a long story. The short of it is, I needed those ingredients to test 5 different batches of a recipe for my final project on an online cooking course. But turns out, I overestimate. So, every single day for the last week, my husband was having a small panic attack every time he opened the fridge. He doesn't like to waste any morsel of food, and I applaud his principle and try hard to not waste anything. But sometimes, I run out of energy to calm him down. Since I had no ideas except to make some ice cream by emptying all the cartons, I looked around the kitchen and decided to make some orange flavored ice cream with chocolate chips. That made my husband calm and happy again.

Orange and chocolate is a beautiful combination. I love oranges, especially chocolate dipped orange slices. I add some orange extract to hot chocolate on chilly days, and it warms us to our bones. Since my experiment with making an eggless, ice-cream-maker-less, ice cream was successfull a few weeks ago, I decided to use the same basic approach. This time, I used half & half instead of milk and it made the ice cream so much more richer and creamier (no surprises there).

Quinoa Stuffed Bell-Peppers

Stuffed peppers and stuffed tomatoes are the cutest dishes in the culinary world. They look adorable first, delicious second. While stuffed peppers and tomatoes usually have rice as the main stuffing ingredient, this time I just swapped rice with quinoa, and added some potatoes (to rope in some carb that the quinoa lacks!), some extra veggies, and Indian curry powder for some spice and flavor. Stuff all the hollowed-out peppers, top with cheese and bake for a satisfying meal.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a main dish):

1. 6 bell-peppers, their tops cut and insides cleaned (try to use orange, yellow or red peppers - they are mildly sweeter and more flavorful)
2. 1 cup uncooked quinoa
3. 1 potato, peeled and diced fine
4. 1 tomato, finely chopped
5. 1 onion, finely chopped
6. The tops of all the peppers, finely chopped (I found it amusing to stuff peppers inside peppers :))
7. 1 tablespoon curry powder /  Kitchen King masala (or spice powder of your choice; If using garam masala, add just a couple of teaspoons. A tablespoon will overpower the stuffing)
8. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil / olive oil
9. 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
10. 1 cup grated cheese (I used white cheddar)
11. 2 - 2.5 teaspoons salt, or as needed
12. 1 green chilli (add more depending on your spice preference)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 
2. Cook quinoa with 2 cups of water.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, saute chilli and onion till it turns pink and translucent. Add chopped potato, some salt and fry on low-medium heat for 10 minutes. 
4. Add bell-peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add tomato, some more salt, and curry powder and cook until tomato is mushy. Remove from heat and add coriander leaves and  mix.
6. Mix the curried vegetables and remaining salt with the quinoa. 
7. If you prefer, gently trim the bottom of the peppers so that they stand upright (I usually don't, but the peppers have never toppled). Stuff the peppers tightly with the filling and line on a greased baking dish.  Top the peppers with cheese and bake for 35 minutes.

Rest for 5 minutes and serve. The stuffed peppers taste even better after a few hours because the quinoa stuffing takes in all the pepper flavors and aroma. 

Note: There might be some left-over stuffing, depending on the size of your peppers. The stuffing can be had as is. My usual strategy is to double the stuffing so that I get more mileage (in the form of number of meals) out of one session of cooking.

Vegetable Biryani - A Basic Version

Biryani is the quintessential Indian rice dish. It is a filling meal all by itself - it has distinct Indian spices, flavor, vegetables, meat (if adding), and an addictive quality. This is usually an ambitious dish to make because the expectations are high when you put this on the menu, and the mistakes are not easily forgiven, because it really is the Holy-Grail of Indian spiced-rices. However, if you know a few basics, it is hard to go wrong with a basic version of this dish. 

And mine is a basic, "simpler" version compared to the other versions that require marinating the vegetables in a spiced-yogurt sauce and baking the biryani with layers of fluffy saffron-flavored basmati rice, fried spicy vegetables and crispy onions. There are so many variations to preparing biryani and that's what makes this dish the most interesting. Almost every region (and city) of India has their unique version of aromatic spicy biryani that's hard to replicate. The most popular one of all is the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani that oozes with a rainbow of flavors and spices. I tried very hard to make Dum Biryani once and it was a disaster! Well, I was trying to over-achieve, but it is a story for another post when my attempt is finally successful. 

In contrast, this humble version that I'm sharing today, never fails. It is like a faithful pet that never disappoints and always comes around.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1.5 cups uncooked basmati rice
2. 1 onion, finely chopped
3. 2 cups worth finely chopped vegetables such as - a handful of green beans, 3 carrots, 2 potatoes, and 1/3 cup peas (you can also add cauliflower, broccoli etc.)
4. 3 cloves of garlic
5. 1 inch block of ginger
6. 1-2 dry red chillies (I add just 1 and the husband still tears up)
7. 2 tablespoons fennel seeds / sombu / saumph
8. 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated coconut (thawed, if using frozen; if you are going to store this biryani for a day and the weather is hot, skip or reduce the coconut)
9. 1 bay leaf
10. 4 cloves
11. 5 cardamom pods
12. 2 inch piece of cinnamon, broken
13. 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
14. 2 teaspoons biryani masala powder (optional; I sometimes add it to amp the flavors)
15. 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves (or a handful of fresh leaves)
16. 1.5 - 2 teaspoons salt or as needed (remember to add enough salt to flavor the rice too)

Preparation:

1. Soak the basmati rice in water for 15-20 minutes. Then drain and set aside. Plan to soak the rice just in time to add it to the vegetables in step 7.
2. Grind coconut, fennel seeds, red chilli/chillies, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste with 1/4 cup of water or just as needed.
3. Heat oil in a skillet along with bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon. Wait until the spices are aromatic. Add onions and fry until pink and translucent. 
4. Add the ground paste (from step 2) and fry for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until it doesn't smell raw. If adding a biryani masala, add it now and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the vegetables (except peas, if using frozen/thawed) and some salt, and saute/cook for about 10 minutes until vegetables are slightly cooked.
6. Remove from heat, add peas and the dried mint leaves (or fresh leaves) and stir well. 
7. Mix the drained basmati rice with the vegetables and transfer to a rice-cooker. Add 2 cups of water and the remaining salt and mix well. Cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. (The ratio of soaked basmati rice to water is 1:1.25). Do not add extra water for the vegetables because the vegetables release moisture as they completely cook.

Gently mix/fluff the cooked biryani and serve with a side of some savory yogurt, like raita or pachadi.

Potato Besan Gravy

My grandmother used to make this gravy every time she made poori or chapathi as an early evening "tiffin" before we had our comforting share of rice, yogurt and vegetables for dinner. My mind conjures up memories of distinct sights, smells and tastes as we cousins used to excitedly hang around the kitchen waiting for the pooris to be fried and the bubbling gravy to be done. Our grandma, bless her, would try to stifle a smile as she unsuccessfully swatted us kids out of the hot, sweltering kitchen and she would patiently roll out the pooris and arrange them neatly on sheaths of newspapers laid out on the kitchen floor and counters. Now that I think of it, we never tried to help her in the kitchen, nor did she ever ask us to help. How pampered were we! Today, just the thought of going home tired and making a meal all by myself is a little exhausting. If it weren't for the consistent help from my husband who does all the cutting/chopping prep work, bless his kind heart and dextrous energizer-bunny hands that move faster than normal human hands, I would spend the bulk of my evening hours in the kitchen, with no leisure time for myself, and that would turn me into an awful curmudgeon. How guilty and sad I feel for women who slaved and continue to slave in the kitchen all day long.

Anyway, bless all the wonderful women, this potato-besan gravy was a staple with pooris at our place. I don't know if this gravy is known by a distinct  South-Indian name, but we used to call it "kadala-maavu-karachu-vitta-kizhangu", which sort of means "potatoes in diluted besan"... we weren't very innovative with name-giving. While going through my cousin/aunt's recent trip pictures, I realized that this dish is a variation of a very popular Maharashtrian side dish called Zunka or Pitla (depending on whether the curry is dry or made into a gravy) that is prepared in a similar fashion with diluted besan, but sans potatoes. Her pictures of the yummy dish brought back memories of my grandma, her awesome food, and all the blissfully ignorant and peaceful days of childhood. So, here's her recipe and a small homage to someone who is sorely missed. Thanks for all the wonderful meals, paati.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 4 medium-sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
2. 1 onion, chopped (or sliced)
3. 1-2 green chillies, chopped
4. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
5. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
6. 1 teaspoon split de-husked urad dal / ulutham paruppu
7. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
8. 1 tomato, chopped
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1.5 teaspoons sambar powder
11. 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon besan / chickpea flour / gram flour
12. 2 cups water
13. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
14. 1 tablespoon oil
15. 1 cup chopped coriander leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. When hot, splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, hing, ginger, green chillies, and turmeric and stir for a few seconds.
2. Add onions and cook them until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, coriander leaves and sambar powder and cook until tomatoes are mushy and leave the sides of the pan. 
3. Add the boiled and cubed potatoes and gently mix. 
4. Whisk together the besan and water until smooth with no lumps. Add this to the curry and stir well. Let the gravy cook for about 5-7 minutes on low heat until it begins to bubble and the besan doesn't smell or taste raw. 

 Remove from heat and serve immediately with warm rotis or crisp pooris. The gravy doesn't thicken much when stored for a day or two.

Quinoa Casserole

This dish is inspired from rice and beans casseroles. It is hardy, filling, easy to prepare, and lasts for a couple of days as a quick meal that requires just reheating. The Italian spices and sauce give this dish a robust flavor. Plus, anything with a crispy breaded topping is good all by itself.

Ingredients (6 servings):

1. 2 cups uncooked quinoa
2. 1 onion, sliced
3. 2 cups green beans, cut into long stips
4. 2 cups corn
5. 2 pods of garlic, chopped
6. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
7. 2.5 cups Marinara sauce / pasta sauce of your choice
8. 1.5 cups grated cheese of your choice (I used white cheddar)
9. 2 tablespoons basil paste/pesto/ or just basil leaves
10. 1.5 teaspoons salt or as needed (depending on how much salt the sauce has)
11. 1 teaspoon pepper
12. 1 cup bread crumbs
13. 2 tablespoons olive oil + a few teaspoons to grease the baking dish and top the casserole

Preparation:

1. Cook quinoa with 2 cups of water and a little drizzle of olive oil. 
2. As the quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a pan. When hot, add onion and Italian seasoning and saute on medium heat until slightly browned. Add garlic and fry for a  minute. 
3. Add beans and some of the salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add corn and continue to cook until beans are almost done.
4. Add the vegetable mixture to the cooked quinoa and stir well. Add the sauce, 1/2 of the cheese, basil paste/pesto/basil leaves, remaining salt and pepper and mix well. 
5. Transfer this to a 9 by 13 inch baking dish sprayed/coated with a little oil. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs and spread on top of the casserole. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 40 minutes or until the edges and top are bubbly, crisp and slightly browned.

Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Cauliflower Soup

This is my absolute favorite soup so far. I really like cauliflower, especially when it is gently crisped with Indian spices. This is a curried, creamy soup of cauliflower that is surprisingly filling with some bread. It's the definition of creamy, comforting deliciousness.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a main dish):

1. 1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2. 2.5 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (usually a mix of dried herbs and garlic)
4. 1 red onion, chopped
5. 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
6. 1.5 teaspoons curry powder / masala powder of your choice
7. 5 cups vegetable broth / stock (or just water)
8. 1/2 cup milk or half & half
9. 3/4 teaspoon salt or as needed
10. 1/4 cup almonds, coarsely ground
11. 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and cauliflower and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes, stirring the cauliflower mid-way. 
2. Heat remaining oil in a soup pot. Add Italian seasoning and onion and saute on medium heat until onions turn translucent.
3. Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
4. Add freshly roasted cauliflower and stir to mix. 
5. Add salt, curry powder and mix. 
6. Add vegetable stock or water and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer the soup for another 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and add milk / half & half and mix.
8. Puree the soup to a consistency of your choice. 
9. Finally garnish the soup with pepper and ground almonds and serve hot with a slice of baguette or just plain old bread.

 
The almonds give a nice nutty bite and texture to the soup. Add some cheese for a creamier version. 

Carrot Pachidi / Pachadi

This is a really easy yogurt side-dish, similar to raita. The yogurt sauce is cooling and refreshing. My mom mentioned that she made this side-dish recently when she didn't have enough time to make a vegetable side. She just ground carrots, mixed it with yogurt and seasoned it with simple flavorful ingredients. Takes 10 minutes to whip up, and you have a very savory carrot flavored yogurt.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 2 medium-large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2. 2 cups yogurt, whisked smooth
3. 2 green chillies, finely chopped
4. 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
5. 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
6. 1/8 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
7. 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or as needed
8. some chopped coriander leaves / cilantro to garnish

Preparation:

1. Grind the carrots with as little water as needed to a consistency of your preference. I ground the carrots smooth. 
2. Whisk the ground carrots and salt into the yogurt. 
3. Heat oil in a small skillet. When hot, splutter mustard seeds, add hing and green chillies. Stir for a few seconds. Add this seasoning to the yogurt. 
4. Add coriander leaves and mix well. 

Serve as a side-dish with rice or roti. It goes especially well with spicy food. 

Milagu Jeera Rasam / Pepper & Cumin Rasam

Milagu Jeera Rasam is a broth to soothe cold, chills, sore throat, and every other crummy condition of the body and mind. The perfect antidote for those times when you are feeling under the weather and just want to curl up in bed. The last few days have been like that at home. These are those (many) times when I wish someone would magically enter the kitchen and make a steaming pot of comforting rasam for us. But, this rasam is so easy to prepare that it literally takes 20 minutes to prepare, and 15 minutes of it is just the rasam boiling away while you curl up.

This is another classic recipe that comes down from my great grandmother, grandmother, and now, my mother. It takes me back home.

This is an invigorating rasam that is meant to have some bite and spice, thanks to the pepper. Pepper and ghee are considered medicinal in Ayurveda. And cumin is great for the tummy. This is an all- round Indian counterpart of Chicken Soup.

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1. 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
3. 1 teaspoon dhania / coriander seeds
4. 6 + 3 curry leaves
5. 1 teaspoon toor dal / tuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils
6. 1 dry red chilli
7. 1 inch ball of tamarind soaked in 1.25 cups hot water for 20 minutes
8. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
9. 2 teaspoons ghee / clarified butter
10. 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
11. salt as needed

Preparation:

1. Extract tamarind juice from the softened pulp and add it to a sauce pan. Discard pulp, but add all the water. Add salt and hing and boil on medium heat for 10 minutes until the tamarind doesn't smell raw. 
2. Grind together - peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 6 curry leaves, yellow lentils and red chilli to a coarse powder. Mix the powder with a little water so that it's easier to mix with the tamarind broth. Add this to the tamarind broth and mix well.
3. Add 1.25 cups of water and boil on low-medium heat for 5 minutes until rasam is frothy around the edges. Remove from heat
4. Heat ghee and season it with mustard seeds. Wait for the mustard seeds to crackle. Add remaining curry leaves and add the seasoning to the rasam and stir well. 

Serve with hot rice for a comforting meal.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a Middle-Eastern salad made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and herbs such as parsley and mint drenched in a simple lemon juice-olive oil vinaigrette. While the husband loves tabbouleh and all things Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern, I have never been a fan of bulgur/cracked wheat. I used to grimace just thinking of cracked wheat upma when I was growing up. I used to call it "mannu (sand) upma". Cracked wheat literally tastes like gritty sand to me. However, having to fend for myself now, I am no longer that picky and more open to things. So, on those few days that I do make a salad or upma with cracked wheat, I add a lot of strong flavors to mask the muddy, sandy quality of cracked wheat.

This is my version of Tabbouleh, with hints of Mediterranean (feta) and Italian influences (basil). I really like this salad, because when basil is ground to a paste (similar to pesto), it just brings out more flavor and punch, so I like to use ground basil. You can even get basil paste at the grocery store near the herb section. To me, basil makes the salad more palatable. I don't like parsley, so I added our Indian substitute - coriander leaves. You can also substitute bulgur wheat with couscous, and the salad tastes great.

Ingredients (serves 4): 

1. 1 cup bulgur / cracked wheat
2. 1.25 cups boiling vegetable broth/stock or just boiling water
3. zest of 1 lemon
4. 1/4 cup lemon juice
5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
6. 1 cucumber, finely chopped
7. 1 tomato, chopped
8. a few sprigs of coriander leaves/cilantro, chopped
9. 2 tablespoons basil paste (puree basil, some oil, with a hint of lemon juice)
10. 2 teaspoons dried mint leaves
11. 1/2 teaspoon salt, or as needed
12. 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
13. 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

1. In a wide bowl, add bulgur and the boiling vegetable stock / water. Close the bowl and let the bulgur cook/stand for 20-25 minutes. Then, fluff the cooked bulgur with a fork. 
2. Add basil paste and dried mint leaves and mix well. 
3. Add cucumber, tomato and lemon zest and mix. 
4. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to form a vinaigrette. 
5. Pour over the salad and toss. 
6. Finally add feta and coriander leaves and gently mix. 

Let the salad rest for 1 hour (at the least) and then serve at room temperature. 

Vepampoo Rasam

Vepampoo is dried neem flower. Like neem leaves, neem flowers are great anti-bacterial agents. They help fix a rumbling, unhappy tummy and detoxify the body. Well, all things that are great for your body come with a sneaky caveat. Vempampoo is extremely bitter. So one can't just chomp on them. They need to be handled with some spice and flavor so that the bitterness is toned down. Vempampoo rasam (or broth) is a good dish that balances the bitterness with some subtle spices. Another way to use vepampoo is to simply fry them in ghee (clarified butter) until they are golden and mix with rice for a flavorful (albeit slightly bitter) rice. The bitterness goes well with vepampoo's inherent flavor.

This rasam recipe comes down from my great grandmother, who was a great cook and a wonderful human being. Here's honoring her, and thinking of her...

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1. 1 inch ball of tamarind, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 15-20 minutes
2. 3 dry red chillies
3. 2 teaspoons toor dal / tuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils
4. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
5. 1/2 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter (use ghee and only ghee)
6. 1/4 heaped cup of dried neem flower / vepampoo
7. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
8. pinch of turmeric powder
9. 1/2 teaspoon of salt or as needed
10. a few curry leaves

Preparation:

1. Extract the juice from the tamarind until the pulp has no "juice" remaining. Discard pulp.
2. In a skillet, melt ghee. When hot, splutter mustard seeds. Then add curry leaves, and dried neem flower and fry on low-medium heat until the neem flowers are golden. Remove and set aside.
3. Add dry red chillies, toor dal,  and extracted tamarind juice to a sauce pan. Add salt, turmeric powder, 1/2 cup water and hing and boil on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the tamarind doesn't smell raw. 
4. Add 1/2 cup of water, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the broth is frothy and bubbly around the edges. 
5. Now, remove from heat and add the roasted neem flowers and mix well. 

Serve with rice for a comforting and healthy meal. This is an extremely simple rasam with deceptively simple ingredients.

Methi Malai Mattar

Any Indian side-dish that has the term "malai" (meaning cream) is sure to be good. It is a very safe bet. A cream based sauce with spices and anything, will taste good. In this version, methi or fenugreek leaves are simmered in the sauce along with peas (mattar). Since I never have fresh fenugreek leaves on hand, I use the dried version - kasuri methi. And since my husband questions the absence of paneer in any gravy, I added some paneer too. Using this gravy as a base, you can add more paneer, remove fenugreek leaves (who needs green leaves), and end up with mattar paneer.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 1.5 tablespoons oil
2. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
3. 1 onion, chopped
4. 1 tomato, chopped
5. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
6. 1/2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste (grind/crush together some garlic and ginger)
7. 1 teaspoon cumin powder
8. 1 teaspoon dhania powder
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1 teaspoon garam masala
11. 3/4 teaspoon salt or as needed
12. 1 teaspoon sugar
13. 1/3 cup kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves / or fresh leaves
14. 1.5 cups peas
15. 1.75 cups milk (low fat is good) / cream
16. 1 cup cubed paneer (optional)
17. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro / coriander leaves

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a medium sauce-pan. Add cumin seeds/jeera to the oil and wait for it to sizzle. Add onion and fry until translucent. 
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds or so until the garlic doesn't smell raw.
3. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, dhania powder, and garam masala and fry for another 30 seconds. 
4. Add tomato and saute on medium heat until soft. Add tomato paste and stir it well and wait for it to cook until some of the oil releases from the tomato paste.
5. Add kasuri methi or fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) and saute for 2 minutes.
6. Add 1.5 cups milk, close the pan and let the gravy cook and boil for 10  minutes.
7. Add peas and 1/4 cup milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.
8. Add paneer cubes, a teaspoon of sugar and mix well.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  Serve with warm rotis or parathas!

Rasavaangi

Rasavaangi is a South-Indian gravy that is a slight derivative of arachu-vitta sambar and pitlai. It is much thicker than sambar, and is usually prepared with brinjals/eggplant, and is flavored with freshly ground spices and coconut in a tangy tamarind-lentil gravy. This side-dish features pretty often in our household in summer, because we always grow eggplants.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 1/2 medium-sized eggplant, cut into long thick strips (if using Indian brinjals, use about 5-6)
2. 2/3 cup uncooked toor dhal / tuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils
3. 1 inch ball of tamarind, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes
4. 1.5 tablespoons bengal gram / kadala paruppu
5. 2.5 tablespoons coriander seeds / dhania
6. 3 dry red chillies
7. 1/4 cup grated/shredded coconut
8. 1 teaspoon sambar powder (optional)
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 2 tablespoons oil (in total)
11. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
12. 1 teaspoon ulutham paruppu / split urad dhal / split de-husked black gram
13. a few curry leaves
14. 1/8 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
15. 1 teaspoon salt, or as needed

Preparation:

1. Cook the toor dhal with just enough water until well cooked and almost mushy. Pressure cooker is ideal. 
2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a skillet and fry the eggplant/brinjals until slightly browned. Transfer to a medium sauce-pan.
3. Extract the juice from the soaked tamarind and add it to the sauce pan with the eggplant/brinjals. If the tamarind still looks "juicy", add some more warm water, squeeze out the juice and add. Discard the pulp.
4. Add enough water to cover the eggplant. Add salt, turmeric powder and sambar powder and cook for 15 minutes until the eggplant is done and the tamarind doesn't smell raw. 
5. Meanwhile, in 1/2 tablespoon oil, fry bengal gram, coriander seeds, and red chillies until fragrant and slightly roasted. Remove from heat, add coconut and fry in the remaining heat for a couple of minutes. Set aside. When cool, grind with some water to form an almost smooth paste. 
6. Add this paste and cooked toor dal to the eggplant-tamarind mixture and mix well. Add some water if needed to bring the gravy to desired consistency, and simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes until flavors meld together. Remove from heat.
7. In 1/2 tablespoon oil, splutter mustard seeds, add urad dhal, hing, and curry leaves and saute until dhal turns golden. Add this seasoning to the gravy and serve.

Serve with rice and enjoy!

Coconut Chutney

Coconut chutney is the definition of South-Indian spicy chutneys served alongside steaming, fluffy idlis and crisp dosas. It is so simple to whip up - there is no roasting or frying or anything much involved except throwing together all ingredients in a blender. The only additional step required is to temper some seasonings in oil, and coconut chutney is ready literally within 10 minutes or less!

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1 cup shredded/grated coconut, thawed, if frozen
2. 3 green chillies
3. 1/4 cup pottu kadalai / dalia / roasted bengal gram
4. 1 inch block of ginger
5. 3/4 cup water or as needed
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt or as needed
7. 1/2 tablespoon oil
8. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
9. 1/8 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
10. 1 teaspoon split urad dal / ulutham paruppu
11. a few curry leaves

Preparation:

1. Grind together - coconut, green chillies, pottu kadalai, ginger, and salt with water - to desired consistency. 
2. Temper some mustard seeds, split urad dal, hing, and curry leaves in oil until the dal turns golden. Add it to the chutney and mix well. 

Serve as a side dish with idli, dosa or roti. 

Eggless Tiramisu

Sometimes, something as simple as a certain note in a fragrance can completely transport us to a special place and time. A whiff of sandalwood, a breeze tinged with eucalyptus, the warm scent of fresh henna,  the aroma of curry leaves spluttering in ghee. It is a surreal kind of time travel. I am usually not too sentimental (well, I try), but some tastes and smells are strongly evocative to me. It brings me to the brink of memories - bitter, sad, exhilarating, comforting. And the heady mix of coffee, cocoa, and cream of a Tiramisu is one of those.

So, Tiramisu has special meaning in our lives. We both love it for different reasons. Since I'm driving myself with small incentives and rewards to keep up my motivation to finish my goals for the week, I thought tiramisu (both making and indulging in it) would be a good incentive at the end of the week. I thought of trying something different to replace the traditional ladyfinger cookies that lace tiramisu. So, this version is a hybrid between a tiramisu cake and traditional tiramisu. I baked an eggless vanilla cake, cut it into 2 layers, trimmed the layers, and then assembled them with layers of coffee, mascarpone-cream, and whipped cream. Being eggless, it is not an authentic Italian version, but it's a good enough substitute for us! As long as there is coffee, cream, and cocoa...

I baked the cake one evening, then whipped together the simple filling the next evening. And assembled everything. The tiramisu has to be refrigerated for about 4-8 hours before serving.

Ingredients for the Vanilla Sponge Cake:

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1.5 cups sugar
3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1 cup milk (at room temperature)
6. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
7. 1 tablespoon lemon juice / vinegar
8. 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Baking the Cake:

1. Preheat oven at 350 F. 
2. Sift and mix all the dry ingredients
3. Whisk together all the wet ingredients, except vinegar or lemon juice
4. Slowly fold/mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. 
5. Finally add lemon juice/vinegar and stir gently until incorporated. Transfer to a 9 inch cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean

Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes and then loosen the edges and flip onto a plate. When completely cool, using a serrated knife, cut the cake longitudinally into two layers. Then either cut the cake into long strips similar to ladyfinger cookies typically used in tiramisu, or cut the cake to fit the dish you are going to assemble the tiramisu in. I cut out two rectangles from the two circular layers and used the remaining pieces to fill up my dish (as seen in the pictures below).

Coffee Extract:

In one cup of hot water, stir 1 tablespoon instant coffee and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let the coffee come to room temperature. Then stir in 1 tablespoon Kahlua/coffee liqueur (optional, but recommended).

Ingredients & procedure to prepare the whipped-cream topping:

1. 1.25 cups heavy whipping cream 
2. 1 tablespoon prepared coffee extract
3. 1 tablespoon Kahlua/coffee liqueur
4. 1/4 cup sugar
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip the cream until it begins to form soft peaks. Add coffee extract, Kahlua, vanilla extract and sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Reserve 1/4 cup of this whipped cream to mix with the filling below.

Ingredients & procedure to prepare the mascarpone filling:

1. 8 ounces (1 package) mascarpone cheese
2. 1 tablespoon prepared coffee extract
3. 1 tablespoon Kahlua/coffee liqueur
4. 1/4 cup milk
5. 1 tablespoon sugar
6. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7. 1/4 cup prepared whipped-cream topping

In a bowl whisk/mix together mascarpone, coffee extract, Kahlua, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add milk and whisk in. Gently fold in 1/4 cup whipped cream until just combined.

Assembling the Tiramisu:

Additional ingredients needed: A couple of tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate shavings of your choice. I used some peppermint-chocolate shavings, because we love mint and chocolate, and of course, coffee!

Here's how the tiramisu is assembled (usually Tiramisu has three layers of ladyfinger cookies/cake sandwiching the filling and topping. But just for simplicity, I made only 2 layers. So depending on how many layers you want to form, distribute the filling and cream accordingly)

1. Place one layer of cake that is cut into desired shapes into the dish of your choice.
2. Use half of the remaining coffee extract, and spoon it over the cake until the cake absorbs the coffee.
3. Use half of the mascarpone filling and spread it over the cake
4. Use half of the whipped cream and spread it over the cake
5. Dust some cocoa powder on top
6. Repeat with the second layer of cake, cut into desired shapes. 
• Ladle remaining coffee extract on top of the cake
• Spread remaining mascarpone cream on top
• Spread remaining whipped cream on top
7. Close the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to let the flavors meld.

 Dust some cocoa powder on top and sprinkle some chocolate shavings. Cut a piece and enjoy!

Rose Ice Cream

Happy Valentine's Day! We don't really celebrate Valentine's day (as a matter of fact, one of us barely even remembers the day), but I thought I would be all girly and cliched and schedule this recipe to appear on Valentine's day. I think these occasions just help keep the spirits up when people are burrowing in to their couches and blankets waiting for some warmth to shine through - literally and metaphorically. So, even if the calendar doesn't tell you today is a special day, make an excuse to shed some warmth and love around!

One of the coveted things on my "not-needed-but-dearly-want-it" wishlist is an ice cream/frozen yogurt maker. The irony is - I don't really like ice creams (gasp) or any cold desserts per se. But, my husband does (aww), and so does his family. So, every time I see him stealthily slip into the frozen section of the store to gawk at and pick some ice cream, part of me wishes I could make it for him at home. There are so many interesting combinations to try and experiment that I dream of churning some flavored frozen yogurt or ice cream every so often. 

Recently, I found a bag of dried rose petals at our Indian store. I grabbed at it, and my brain immediately thought of gulkand (a sweet jam like concoction made from rose petals), and a creamy gulkand based kulfi (Indian ice cream/popsicle) that my talented friend had once prepared. So, that's what inspired me to try and make some rose ice cream without any ice cream makers or fancy ingredients (well, except for the rose petals). 

My friend's version is completely different from mine. It was way easier and was far more richer.  So kudos to her for coming up with an easy and delicious recipe! But, I decided to go the authentic route by first preparing a rose-custard and then freezing and creaming the custard to make ice cream.  I prepared the rose-custard with milk and some cream, thickened with corn starch instead of eggs/egg yolks. I then followed David Lebovitz's popular method of creaming and freezing the custard without the use of an ice cream maker.

The result was successful! Husband loves it and scoops a nice serving for himself every evening, and it warms my heart :). We love the delicate flavor of rose and cardamom - heavenly. A simple dessert has the power to warm and brighten our souls... isn't that amazing?

Ingredients (6 small-medium servings):

1. 2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole milk
2. 1.25 cups whipping cream
3. 3/4 cup sugar
4. 1/4 cup dried rose petals (or use 1/2 cup fresh rose petals)
5. 2 tablespoons corn starch
6. 1/4 heaped cup cool whip (or just whipped cream; I thought this would just thicken the custard and make it a little bit rich)
7. 2 teaspoons rose water (this is just distilled water and rose distillate)
8. 1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (because I am obsessed with cardamom. But it does bring out the rose flavor much better! Don't add too much because it will overpower the delicate rose flavor, but a small sprinkling intensifies the rose flavor)
9. 2 drops red food coloring (optional; I added a drop to bring out the pale blush pink color)

1. The consistency of the custard - run your finger down the spatula and it leaves a clear streak. 2. The custard ready to freeze. 3. Almost ready after creaming for 2 hours. 4. Ready to scoop and serve!

Preparation:

1. In a medium sauce-pan, mix whole milk, whipping cream, sugar and rose petals and bring to a gentle rolling boil on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. 
2. Mix the corn starch with a couple of tablespoons of milk to a smooth mixture (if you add the corn starch as is, it will clump up). Add the corn starch to the milk-cream-rose petals mixture and stir well on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spatula. Run your finger down the spatula and check if it leaves behind a clear streak (refer to the picture). It means your custard has thickened. 
3. Remove from heat and chill in an ice-water bath till it reaches room temperature. 
4. Then whisk in the cool whip into the custard. Add the flavorings -  mix in rose water, cardamom powder, and a drop or two of red food coloring if desired. I added just one drop. Continue to chill the custard for another 10 minutes or so until slightly cold to the touch. 
5. Pour the custard in a freezer-safe dish. I used a ceramic baking dish. Freeze for 45 minutes. 
6. Following David Lebovitz's method, take out the custard and break up the frozen edges with a whisk or an electric beater. I used a hand mixer and whisk to cream the chilled custard and break down the frozen bits. After you cream the custard, smooth the top and return to the freezer. Beat/cream the custard and break down the frozen bits every 30 minutes for another 2 hours and 30 minutes (that's a total of 6 creaming sessions). After the final creaming, freeze for another 30 minutes. I was going about my regular work and just spent a couple of minutes every 30 minutes creaming the custard.  At the end of 4 hours, the ice cream was scoop-able and frozen to desired consistency. If the ice cream doesn't freeze in 4 hours (because everyone's freezers are different), just let it remain in the freezer until it is frozen to desired consistency. You don't have to continue creaming the custard, though.

Scoop and serve immediately! The ice cream will melt faster than store bought ones because there are no stabilizers or additives, but in this cold weather, it doesn't make much difference!

The creaming sounds like a lot of work, but it is not. It takes time for the ice cream to set, but it is not arduous to cream it every 30 minutes. If you do not cream the custard, you will end up with a slab of frozen ice! So make time to cream at least a few times.

Baked Kale Chips

Kale chips have become really popular in both the health-conscious and fine-dining circuits. It's very rare for something to find a place amongst both those exclusive communities! Take one crunchy, crispy bite, and you will stop wondering what makes these chips special. No one will believe the almost magical transformation that kale undergoes when baked low and slow with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of spices.  It's as sweet a transformation as a frog turning into a prince. Even sworn haters of kale have been turned around and placated by this addictive snack.

This is hardly a "recipe". But here's the general procedure: Wash and dry one bunch of Kale. Dry the leaves well, else they will not crisp. Remove stems and ribs and tear/cut the leaves into chunks. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle 1.5-2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle some salt (1/8-1/4 teaspoon), black-pepper (1/4 teaspoon) and chaat masala (about 1/4 teaspoon). Massage salt and spices into the kale leaves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy in a 275 F preheated oven. Flip the leaves about half way, if you would like. I normally don't turn the leaves, and they turn out fine. I also don't like to completely char the leaves... I like to see some green, but if you want the leaves to be super roasted, bake for longer.

Crunch away!

Lentil Soup / Dal Soup

A friend of ours prepares an awesome lentil soup. So, this version is inspired from his dish! This is essentially cooked Indian dal (with some sweet veggies and spices) that is pureed into a smooth and creamy soup. This might look like baby food to most Indians, but it's so comforting, filling, and healthy. My husband usually packs a box full of sambar or dal for lunch without bothering to add any rice or rotis. He loves to have a bowl full of sambar just as is because it is full of healthy lentils and veggies. So, I decided to just make something similar to soup, and save time on the rice or roti preparation.

Delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare. Such alluring keywords to a busy home-cook.

Ingredients (serves 3 as a main dish):

1. 1.5 cups uncooked toor dhal / tuvaram paruppu / yellow lentils, washed and drained
2. 1 onion, roughly chopped
3. 3 pods of garlic, roughly chopped
4. 1 inch block of ginger, roughly chopped
5. 1 red bell-pepper, chopped
6. 1 yellow bell-pepper, chopped
7. 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder / jeera powder
8. 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania powder
9. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
10. 1 cup coconut milk or 1/2 cup shredded coconut ground with 1/2 cup water. 
11. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
12. 1/4 cup coriander leaves / cilantro, chopped
13. 1/2 tablespoon ghee / clarified butter

Preparation:

1.  In a pressure cooker, or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil. When hot, add onion and saute until translucent. 
2. Add garlic, ginger and bell-peppers and saute for 5 minutes. 
3. Add the washed and drained toor dal and 3 cups of water. Add salt, cumin powder and coriander powder to it and mix well. Pressure cook for 4 whistles and wait for the pressure to settle down. If not using a pressure cooker, just cook for 30 minutes or until the dal is fully cooked. 
4. Blend the cooked dal with 1/2 cup water to a desired consistency. Return to the cooker or pot, add coconut milk and a little more water if necessary and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and a dollop of ghee and serve immediately. 

As the dal/soup cools, it will thicken a bit, so add more water as needed and reheat. 

Peanut Chutney

Savory, spicy peanut butter in Indian chutney form. Does it need any more description? I had often heard of peanut chutney, but it was only recently that I tried to make it. It was incredibly easy to make on a busy evening, and being a fan of peanuts, the husband had no complaints. 

I'm not sure if this is how authentic peanut chutney is made. This is just a version that I tried, and it tastes pretty good.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 3/4 cup unsalted skinned peanuts (roasted is good)
2. 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3. 1 tablespoon split urad dhal / split de-husked black gram
4. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
5. 3 strips of curry leaves / karuvepillai
6. 2 pods of garlic, roughly chopped
7. 3/4 teaspoon salt or as needed
8. 2-3 dry red chillies

Preparation:

1. Dry roast the peanuts (if un-roasted) for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until the peanuts are aromatic. Remove and keep aside. 
2. In the same pan, heat oil. When oil is hot, add urad dhal, hing, red chillies, and curry leaves (be careful, the curry leaves will crackle in oil) and fry for a few seconds. Then, add the garlic and fry for about 2 minutes until the garlic is not raw.  Remove from heat. 
3. When cool, grind the peanuts along with salt and the fried mixture with about 1/2-3/4 cup of water or as needed to form a semi-smooth paste. I don't over-grind the peanuts to peanut butter. I like a little texture and crunch in the chutney. 

Serve with idlis and dosas, or have as a spicy spread with toast.

Roti

Roti is a simple and wholesome Indian flat-bread made with just wheat flour, salt, and a small amount of oil. It is a fundamental dish in most Indian house-holds. No meal is complete without either rice (in the South) or roti (regions other than South). Although this is such a staple, I had to learn over many years and many attempts to make palatable and decent rotis. This sure comes with practice, and the secret of its success lies in two things - the quality of the wheat flour and the quality of the kneaded dough. So, try to buy an Indian brand wheat flour / aata. If you have a kitchen gadget that kneads dough, please use it. The dough prepared from kitchen-aid stand mixers come out great and saves a lot of arm fatigue. For those of us that don't own such gadgets, just muster up all your anger and frustration and direct it onto the dough - stretch, pull, wring, punch, squeeze. You will feel much better after the exercise, and you will be rewarded with a comforting, wholesome bread! 

And your arm will get used to the exercise.

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour / aata
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil / sesame oil (optional)
4. water / whey / yogurt / buttermilk as needed, at room temperature (usually 1/2 the volume of liquid for 1 part of the flour; So 1 cup of liquid for 2 cups)
5. a few teaspoons of clarified butter or coconut oil (optional)
6. 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil or olive oil

picture 2: three step process to cook puffy rotis without any oil; 1. Shows side A; 2. Shows side B; 3 and 4 show side A being puffed.

Preparation:

1. In a flat, wide rimmed plate (or a wide bowl), mix wheat flour / aata and salt. Drizzle sesame oil (if you like) and mix. 
2. Slowly start adding some whey (left over from drained paneer/ricotta or homemade yogurt), or diluted yogurt or buttermilk and knead the dough. Do not dump all the liquid at once, but don't skimp on liquid as well. Liquid is essential to form a soft dough. Slowly add as needed and knead. I add some whey/diluted yogurt at first and then towards the end of kneading, I sprinkle some water and bring the dough together. The wide/flat base of the plate helps to properly knead the dough by stretching it with the heel of your palm. In my experience, the protein in the whey/yogurt/buttermilk makes the rotis quite soft even if they are had the next day. Just make sure the liquid used is at room temperature or is slightly warm. Cold liquid dries out the dough. If you are wary of using whey/yogurt/buttermilk,  just use water.
3. Knead the dough well until it is smooth and pliable without any cracks. The dough should feel very soft - if you press it gently it should leave indentations that don't spring back. If the dough is sticky, just sprinkle some more flour and knead. If it is dry, sprinkle some water and knead. The more you knead, the better. After the dough comes together,  knead for at least 5-10 more minutes by stretching and pulling the dough.This helps to develop the gluten in the flour, which in turn makes the rotis soft. A great work out for the arm muscles.
4. Now, rest the dough for about 20-30 minutes. Drizzle half a teaspoon of oil on top of the kneaded dough, cover it with a damp cloth/paper towel and cover with a lid. You want to give some time for the gluten to develop while making sure the dough stays soft and moist.
5. Heat a flat skillet on medium heat. I recommend using a cast-iron skillet, if possible. It retains heat much better and evenly cooks the rotis. 
6. While the skillet is heating, take out the rested-dough and knead again for a minute. Pinch out about a small lime-sized ball of the dough (or of a size you prefer) and roll it into an even and thin circle. Sprinkle some wheat flour on the dough being rolled out, if it sticks to the board. Do not over flour the dough, because the excess flour sticking to the rotis will burn and make it a little dry when cooked.
7. When the skillet is hot (but not too hot), transfer the roti onto it and follow this 3 step process by referring to picture 2 above. If using a cast-iron skillet, reduce the heat to low (I keep it at heat level 2-3 out of 10 once the skillet is hot, else it burns the outside of the rotis):
1. Do not move around the roti. Just wait for it to bubble up ever so slightly (refer to step 1 in the above picture). 
2. Flip the roti. The flipped side (we will call it side B) should be barely cooked and should look like the picture in step 2 of the picture above. Wait for a few seconds until you see this side bubble up slightly from under. 
3. Flip the roti. Now the flipped side (we will call it side A) should be cooked - or almost cooked with brown spots. Refer to step 3 in the picture above. 
1. If you have a gas/open flame stove, just transfer the roti (without flipping it; make sure the barely cooked side, side B is at the bottom) from the skillet to the open flame and watch the roti puff up in a matter of seconds. Remove immediately before roti burns or catches into fire. Be very cautious.
2. Like me, if you don't have an open flame stove, then  worry not. With a small kitchen towel or a paper napkin, gently and carefully press down on the roti (starting specifically from the corners) and move it around until it puffs up as shown in step 4 in the picture. If there are any uncooked spots on side A, press down on it so that it comes into direct contact with the skillet and cooks. The roti will not puff up if it has any tears or if you press down too hard. Just press and guide the trapped air between the roti so that it puffs up. This should cook the bottom side, side B. Check if all parts of the roti are cooked and remove from skillet.
8. This step is optional. Smear a very little amount of ghee or coconut oil on top of the roti so that it stays soft for a longer period of time.  Raw coconut oil is being praised for its health benefits, so I usually use a very little amount (less than 1/4 teaspoon) to just moisten the roti. Repeat the process to make the remaining rotis.

If the roti doesn't puff up at all, or doesn't puff every single time (especially if you don't have an open flame stove), don't worry. Just make sure to cook it well on both sides and keep practicing. What matters is how palatable the texture is. Not all puffed rotis are softer and better than un-puffed ones. My rotis come in different sizes and shapes, and while they puff up most times, sometimes they don't, especially if they suspect I am having a bad day. The most important step is to knead the dough well. So knead, knead, and knead some more, and you should be good!

Serve rotis with any side dish of your choice!

Methi Roti / Methi Paratha

Methi leaves are fenugreek leaves. It is commonly available in India and is used a lot in our cooking. It is extremely rich in nutrition and is mildly bitter in taste. It's hard to find fresh methi leaves here, so I use dried methi leaves, called as kasuri methi. I add plenty of kasuri methi and some spices to wheat flour to prepare these rotis. I am honestly not sure if this should be called Methi Roti or Methi Paratha, because there isn't any stuffing in the dough. Different people call it by different names, so to quote Shakespeare - What's in a name?

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour / aata
2. 1/2 cup kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves (if using fresh methi leaves, cook them slightly before adding)
3. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
4. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds / jeera
5. 1 teaspoon ajwain / omam / oregano 
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1.5 tablespoons sesame oil / ghee (clarified butter)
8. 1 teaspoon salt
9. water / diluted yogurt / whey / buttermilk - as needed to form a soft dough (all at room temperature). It's hard to give an exact measurement, because it really depends on the flour, the temperature & the humidity of the place and the quality of liquid used. Usually, it is 1/2 the volume of the flour. So 1 cup of liquid for 2 cups of flour.
10. a few teaspoons olive or vegetable oil to cook the rotis.  

Preparation:

1. In a flat, wide rimmed plate (or a wide bowl), mix wheat flour / aata, salt, kasuri methi, coriander powder, jeera/cumin seeds, ajwain, and turmeric powder. Drizzle sesame oil and mix. 
2. Slowly start adding some whey (left over from drained paneer/ricotta or homemade yogurt), or diluted yogurt or buttermilk and knead the dough. Do not dump all the liquid at once. Slowly add as needed and knead. I add some whey/diluted yogurt at first and then towards the end of kneading, I sprinkle some water and bring the dough together. The wide/flat base of the plate helps to properly knead the dough by stretching it with the heel of your palm. In my experience, the protein in the whey/yogurt/buttermilk makes the rotis quite soft even if they are had the next day. Just make sure the liquid used is at room temperature or is slightly warm. Cold liquid dries out the dough. If you are wary of using whey/yogurt/buttermilk,  just use water.
3. Knead the dough well until it is smooth and pliable without any cracks. The dough should feel like play-doh. If the dough is sticky, just sprinkle some more flour and knead. If it is dry, sprinkle some water and knead. The more you knead, the better. After the dough comes together,  knead for at least 5-10 more minutes by stretching and pulling the dough.This helps to develop the gluten in the flour, which in turn makes the rotis soft. A great work out for the arm muscles.
4. Now, rest the dough for about 20-30 minutes. Drizzle half a teaspoon of oil on top of the kneaded dough, cover it with a damp cloth/paper towel and cover with a lid. You want to give some time for the gluten to develop while making sure the dough stays soft and moist.
5. Heat a flat skillet on medium heat. I recommend using a cast-iron skillet, if possible. It retains heat much better and evenly cooks parathas and rotis. 
6. While the skillet is heating, take out the resting dough and knead again for a minute. Pinch out about a lime-sized ball of the dough and roll it into an even and thin circle of about 1/8 inch thickness or slightly thinner. Sprinkle some wheat flour on the dough being rolled out, if it sticks to the board. Do not over flour the dough, because the excess flour sticking to the rotis will burn and make it a little dry when cooked.
7. When the skillet is hot (but not too hot), transfer the roti onto it and gently press down so that it cooks evenly. Cook both sides with a smidgen of oil (up to 1/4 to one teaspoon) until golden brown spots form and the dough looks cooked. If using a cast-iron skillet, reduce the heat to low after it is heated, because otherwise the outside of the rotis  will burn and the insides will remain raw. Also, make sure to gently keep pressing down on the rotis as they cook.
8. When cooked, transfer roti to a hot pack or serve immediately. Repeat the process to make the remaining rotis. 

Serve warm with yogurt (mixed with cumin powder & salt) or pickle or chutney or any vegetable side or dal.  

Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha is another extremely popular Indian flat-bread. Anything that is stuffed with spiced potatoes is an instant hit (next to paneer, of course). The potato stuffing is simple to prepare ahead of time and store for a few days in the fridge. All that's required to make dinner is to knead and roll out the wheat flour dough, wrap it up with stuffing, roll and cook on a skillet. Simple and delicious meal. 

 Ingredients (serves 2-4):

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour / aata
2. 1 teaspoon ajwain / omam / oregano 
3. 1.5 teaspoons salt
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. water/ diluted yogurt/buttermilk/whey - at room temperature as needed to make a smooth dough. It's hard to give an exact measurement, because it really depends on the flour, the temperature & the humidity of the place and the quality of liquid used. Usually, it is 1 cup of liquid for 2 cups of flour (half the volume of flour)

Stuffing:

1. 2 potatoes, boiled, peeled, and gently mashed. Make sure the potatoes are as dry as possible so that it's easier to roll out the dough with the stuffing.
2. 1 onion, finely chopped
3. 1.5 tablespoons oil
4. 1 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
5. 2 green chillies, chopped
6. 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
8. 1.5 teaspoons vegetable sabzi masala / paav bhaaji masala
9. 1 teaspoon salt
10. 1/4 cup coriander leaves / cilantro, chopped (I didn't add any coriander leaves to the batch shown below)

Preparing the filling:

1. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add jeera. When jeera begins to sizzle, add ginger, green chillies, and onion and saute until onion begins to brown slightly. 
2. Add turmeric powder and the crumbled potatoes and mix well. Fry for 5 minutes. 
3. Add garam masala and give a mix
4. Throw in coriander leaves and mix. Let filling cool.

Preparing the parathas:

1. Knead the dough: This is a deceptively "simple" step. In my experience, this is what makes or breaks the texture and overall success of Indian flat breads.
• In a flat, wide rimmed plate (or a wide bowl), mix wheat flour / aata, salt and ajwain/omam seeds. Drizzle sesame oil and mix. Slowly add whey (left over from drained paneer/ricotta or homemade yogurt), or diluted yogurt or buttermilk or just water and start kneading the dough. Do not dump all the liquid at once. Slowly add as needed and knead. The wide/flat base of the plate helps to properly knead the dough by stretching it with the heel of your palm. I usually add as much diluted yogurt/whey as possible in the beginning of kneading the dough, and then sprinkle some water as needed to moisten and bring the dough together towards the end. In my experience, the protein in the whey/yogurt/buttermilk makes the parathas and rotis quite soft even if they are had the next day. Just make sure the yogurt or whey or buttermilk or water is at room temperature or is slightly warm. Cold liquid dries out the dough. If you are wary of using just whey/yogurt/buttermilk, just use water.
• Knead the dough well until it is smooth and pliable without any cracks. The dough should feel like play-doh. If the dough is sticky, just sprinkle some more flour and knead. If it is dry, sprinkle some water and knead. The more you knead, the better. After the dough comes together,  knead for at least 5-10 more minutes by stretching and pulling the dough.This helps to develop the gluten in the flour, which in turn makes the parathas soft. A great work out for the arm muscles.
• Now, rest the dough for about 20-30 minutes. Drizzle half a teaspoon of oil on top of the kneaded dough, cover it with a damp cloth/paper towel and place a lid on top.You want to give some time for the gluten to develop while making sure the dough stays soft and moist.
2. Heat a flat skillet on medium heat. I recommend using a cast-iron skillet, if possible. It retains heat much better and evenly cooks parathas and rotis. 
3. While the skillet is heating, take out the resting dough and knead again for a minute. Pinch out a big lime-sized ball (of about 2.5-3 inches diameter) of the dough and roll it into a circle of about 4-5 inches in diameter. If it's rolled out too thin, the stuffing will spill and the dough will tear easily. Sprinkle some wheat flour on the dough being rolled out, if it sticks to the board. Do not over flour the dough, because the excess flour sticking to the parathas will burn and make the parathas a little dry when cooked. Take 2 heaping tablespoons (or a little more) of the potato filling and place it in the center of the circle. Lift the sides of the circle, bring them together and twist the top to cover the filling and make a sort of purse. Pinch out any excess dough on the top and pat the filled ball of dough to make a disc. 
4. Flour the disc (if and as needed) and roll it out gently until you make an even circle or any other shape. Gently keep rolling into a bigger circle until the filling and dough can be stretched without too much tearing or spilling. Some tears in the dough are common, so don't worry. Plus the exposed filling cooks and crisps beautifully. Parathas will be slightly thicker than rotis.
5. When the skillet is hot (but not too hot), transfer the parantha onto it and gently press down so that it cooks evenly. Cook both sides with a smidgen of oil (up to 1/4 to one teaspoon) until golden brown spots form and the dough looks cooked. I'm sorry you can't get away from using any oil in parathas. It is needed to cook the inside and outside without burning the paratha. If using a cast-iron skillet, reduce the heat to low after it is heated, because otherwise the outside of the parathas will burn and the insides will remain raw. Also, make sure to gently keep pressing down on the parathas as they cook.
6. When cooked, transfer paratha to a hot pack or serve immediately. Make all parathas using the above steps.

Serve with yogurt whisked with cumin powder and salt, or just pickle. 

Spinach Paratha / Spinach Roti

I like adding spinach and chard to a lot of things. According to me, they are the tastiest in the clique of green leafy vegetables. I add them to dhal, to adai, to smoothies, juices, and of course, to Indian flat-breads. I am not really sure if I should call it Spinach Paratha or just Spinach Roti, because traditionally, parathas are hardy flat-breads that have a stuffing of vegetables. But in this version, I just add ground spinach to wheat flour, toss in some spices and knead. No stuffing, just flavor and sneaked in greens. So, call it what you will, this is another healthy and hardy flat-bread that's simple, nutritious and tasty!

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour / aata
2. 1 - 1.5 cups spinach or 2-3 chard leaves
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon garam masala
5. 1 teaspoon ajwain / oregano seeds / omam
6. room temperature water / diluted yogurt / buttermilk / water - just a sprinkle, as needed to make a soft dough. It's hard to give an exact measurement, because it really depends on the flour, the temperature & the humidity of the place and the quality of liquid used. Usually, you need 1/2 the volume of flour. So 1 cup of liquid for 2 cups of flour
7. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
8. a few teaspoons of vegetable oil to cook the parathas.

Preparation: 

1. Grind the spinach with 2 tablespoons or as little water as needed to make a  paste.
2. In a flat, wide rimmed plate (or a wide bowl), mix wheat flour / aata, salt, garam masala and ajwain. Drizzle sesame oil and mix. 
3. Add the ground spinach and slowly work it into the dough and begin to knead the dough. The wide/flat base of the plate helps to properly knead the dough by stretching it with the heel of your palm. If the dough is still dry after adding the spinach paste and it hasn't come together, add/sprinkle some whey (left over from drained paneer/ricotta or homemade yogurt), or diluted yogurt or buttermilk and continue to knead the dough. Do not dump all the liquid at once. Slowly add as needed and knead.  In my experience, the protein in the whey/yogurt/buttermilk makes the parathas and rotis quite soft even if they are had the next day. Just make sure the liquid used is at room temperature or is slightly warm. Cold liquid dries out the dough. If you are wary of using whey/yogurt/buttermilk,  just use water.
4. Knead the dough well until it is smooth and pliable without any cracks. The dough should feel like play-doh. If the dough is sticky, just sprinkle some more flour and knead. If it is dry, sprinkle some water and knead. The more you knead, the better. After the dough comes together,  knead for at least 5-10 more minutes by stretching and pulling the dough.This helps to develop the gluten in the flour, which in turn makes the parathas soft. A great work out for the arm muscles.
5. Now, rest the dough for about 20-30 minutes. Drizzle half a teaspoon of oil on top of the kneaded dough, cover it with a damp cloth/paper towel and cover with a lid. You want to give some time for the gluten to develop while making sure the dough stays soft and moist.
6. Heat a flat skillet on medium heat. I recommend using a cast-iron skillet, if possible. It retains heat much better and evenly cooks parathas and rotis. 
7. While the skillet is heating, take out the resting dough and knead again for a minute. Pinch out about a lime-sized ball of the dough and roll it into an even and thin circle of about 1/8 inch thickness or slightly thinner. Sprinkle some wheat flour on the dough being rolled out, if it sticks to the board. Do not over flour the dough, because the excess flour sticking to the parathas will burn and make the parathas a little dry when cooked.
8. When the skillet is hot (but not too hot), transfer the parantha onto it and gently press down so that it cooks evenly. Cook both sides with a smidgen of oil (up to 1/4 to one teaspoon) until golden brown spots form and the dough looks cooked. I'm sorry you can't get away from using any oil in parathas. It is needed to cook the spinach and the paratha without burning the outsides. If using a cast-iron skillet, reduce the heat to low after it is heated, because otherwise the outside of the parathas will burn and the insides will remain raw. Also, make sure to gently keep pressing down on the parathas as they cook.
9. When cooked, transfer paratha to a hot pack or serve immediately. Repeat the process to make the remaining parathas. 

Serve with dhal/lentils, yogurt, chutney, pickle, or curry.