Extending Spring with Cake and Compote

I went for a walk near the Huron River to make the most of the gorgeous weather before the rain comes our way. As I headed over the little bridge I saw a geese family with several small babies huddling near their mother. They seemed to be enjoying the beautiful weather too with a late lunch :)

I snapped my camera out, ready to take their photos. But they were to far away for the lens. So I inched closer. Instantly, I realized it was a bad move.

The geese were possessive, keeping a watchful eye on me. Every time I took a step, they would cock their head towards me with a warning look "keep away". I knew I wasn't going to get any closer. So, I decided to call it a day.

I wasn't ready to go home yet, so I focussed my attention on the trees which were hastily giving up their spring decor for luscious green leaves and the tiny flowers littering the grass.

I came back with spring on my mind. At the end, I decided on a simple cake with blackberry and strawberry compote. I have been using mostly whole wheat for for my cake for some time now. It turns out a little more denser than regular cake, but still has all the taste of the cake.

Method:
For Cake:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tspoon baking powder
1/2 tspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 stick softened butter
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Compote:
1 cup strawberries sliced thinly
1 cup blackberries sliced thinly (I reserved a few for decoration)
3 tbspoons orange juice
½ cup sugar

Method:
For Cake:
Preheat the oven to 325 degF. Butter and flour the cake pan and keep aside.

Sift together the flour and 1/2 cup of sugar. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Then add the butter and salt and keep beating till it all mixes well together. Be careful to not let any lumps.

Add the rest of the sugar to the egg mixture, a little at a time, and then beating so that it mixes well. Then add the vanilla extract. Now add the flour mixture into the egg mixture folding it in a little at a time like the sugar. Mix well till it forms a thick cake batter with no lumps.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake it for 45 to 50 minutes, till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake, and take it out of the pan.

For Compote:
In a medium bowl, combine the berries, orange juice, and sugar. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for atleast 3-4 hours. Stir the mixture just before serving.

Compote is usually served separately with a slice of cake. I put some on the cake for decoration and reserved the rest for serving.

It looked and tasted delicious, the perfect combination of light and tart taste of spring.

Black Beans Chicken Chili

After making Kadai chicken, I had some chicken left over. Not enough to try another chicken curry so I got thinking on how I could use it. After browsing, I decided on Black Bean Chicken Chili. The recipe was easy and I tweaked it a bit adding some green peppers and carrots to the chili to make it thick and chunky. Serve it with warm tortilla and you will be licking the bowl clean :)

Ingredients:
(from cooks.com)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 med. red onion - finely chopped
1 clove garlic- finely chopped
chicken - I had thigh and breast piece left
1 tspoon cumin seeds
1 tspoon oregano
1 dry red chilli
1 tspoon chili powder
1/2 tspoon coriander powder
1 1/2 green pepper - finely chopped
2 tbspoon chopped cilantro
2 tbspoon shredded cheese
1 tbspoon + 1 tspoon oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a thick bottomed saucepan. Then add chicken and saute till they brown. Then cook the chicken on closed lid (about 9-10 minutes) till they are cooked. Remove the chicken pieces and let it cool. I cut it to small pieces and set it aside.

Heat the rest of the oil and temper it with cumin seeds, oregano and red chilli. Saute garlic and onions, till the onions starts turning brown. Then add the green peppers and carrots and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and let it cook together for 4-5 minutes.

Add chili powder, coriander powder, black beans and chicken and cook till it all mixes well together. Once it is all cooked, add the cheese and cilantro. Serve warm with tortillas.

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and is being hosted by Laurie at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.

Arusuvai Friendship Chain- Special Teatime!

The best part of ahaar has being part of this vibrant foodie community, being part of food-related discussion, trying new recipes, and sharing tried and tested ones. But all this wouldn't exist without the people who form the community.

You know where I am going with this, right? Arusuvai Friendship Chain, a cool event started by The Yum Blog and Bhags and Bharati where bloggers send "mystery" ingredients to each other. This exciting offer to taste new ingredients and cook with it, has caught the imagination of the food bloggers over the past few months. Read about my previous Arsuvai Friendship Ingredient recipe here.

Indira's goodies

When I came home today after a long day work, a delicious goodie bag from Indira of Mahanandi was waiting for me . As I opened the package, packets and dabbas filled with different goodies came out. There's Pappula Podi, Muruku, Mamouls, Karachi Halwa, Soan Papadi, Moong Dal, and a beautiful card. Thank you Indira!

Impromptu, I decided to upgrade the evening to a special teatime with Indira's goodies and tea in a pretty cup I usually reserve for special occasions. :) It was perfect end to the day!

Kadai Chicken curry

Kadai Chicken is one of the recipes that is probably available in every restaurant in India and in the US. And that is where my food memory for this dish originated. We never made it at home, always ordering it outside.

After eating it innumerable times at various places, I was ready to make it at home. And when I picked some organic chicken from the farmer's market, the time was right. It's fairly easy to make, I found some recipes with less gravy, but since I like my chicken curry, it has a thicker gravy. The marinated chicken was soft and succulent, the overall flavor fragrant and delicious. We enjoyed ours with some naan and a cucumber, onion salad.

I am getting ready to order another chicken at farmer's market and it will be chicken tikka masala the next time.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs Chicken
2 medium onions - finely chopped
2-3 tomatoes - finely chopped
1 medium green pepper- finely chopped
1 green chilli - slit
1 dry red chilli
1 1/2 tbsp Yogurt
1 1/2 tspoon Ginger-Garlic paste
1 tspoon cumin seeds
1" cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
2 green cardamoms
1/2 tspoon turmeric powder
1 tspoon chili powder (adjust to taste)
1 tspoon coriander powder
2/3 tspoon garam masala powder
1 tspoon cumin powder
bunch cilantro - finely chopped for garnish
Salt to taste
2 tbspoon oil

Method:
Clean and marinate chicken with salt, and half of turmeric, chilli and garam masala powder. I usually marinate it for 4-5 hours and then lightly saute the chicken and set it aside.

In a deep pan, heat oil and temper it with cumin seeds, red chilli, green chilli, cinnamon, cloves and cardamons. Let it sputter. Then add the ginger garlic paste.

Add the onions and saute till the onion turns brown. Then add the tomatoes and green peppers and cook on closed lid till the tomatoes turn soft.

At this point, I take out the ingredients and puree it roughly to a thick paste for a smoother curry, but you can also keep it chunky.

Add the chicken pieces along with the rest of the masalas - turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Then add the yogurt, salt and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes till the chicken is cooked. Add 1/2 cup water if needed.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with naan or rice. This is my entry to Monthly Mingle: Bollywood Cooking hosted by Meeta at What's for Lunch, Honey? Thanks Meeta for hosting!

Spring is here!

Even though it has become a little cold over the weekend, it's hard to shake the feeling 'Spring is here'. Everything is blooming, people look happier and the ducks and geese are back at river near the apartment. Here are some pictures from around the apartment complex.

And almost to the cue, my taste buds are demanding fresh fruits and veggies. I saw these fresh oranges in the store and couldn't resist picking a couple. The pictures are my entry for Jugalbandi's monthly photo event - Click:Au Naturel, but I need help to decide which picture to send as the entry. Please leave your comments and help me choose :)

My entry for Click!

UPDATE: Based on the comments, here are the results on the two pictures:
Picture 1: 6 votes
Picture 2: 4 votes
Both: 5 votes
Thank you everyone. I appreciate your help. I am sending the first orange picture for Click: Au Naturel event.

Almond & Walnut Brittle

I realized that I had not posted anything sweet in a while. So I put my thinking cap on. That's when I remembered a recent episode on AZN network, a channel which no longer exists. In the episode, Chef Anjum Anand had made walnut brittle as a surprise treat. It looked delicious and simple, but what caught my attention was a little sidenote.

Anjum Anand mentioned that jaggery was given to people who worked in mines and dusty places and that helped clean their lungs. I was surprised by this and did a search of my own to find supporting documents. I even found a study that reiterates her point! I had no idea that jaggery has such recuperative powers. I enjoy my jaggery in nalen gurer payesh (rice pudding) and narkaler nadu (coconut laddus), and it was time to try this new healthy dessert :)

I added some almonds and a tiny bit of saffron in the dessert for additional flavor and it tasted delicious. Here is how I did it.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cup jaggery (adjust it to your taste)
pinch of saffron
1/2 cup water

Method:
Roast the nuts on a low flame an then set it aside to cool. In the meantime, heat jaggery and water in a thick bottomed pan till the jaggery melts and starts bubbling. Mix well and heat till you get the jaggery mix to one strand thickness.

Put the nuts in and mix well together and cook it on low flame for 3-4 minutes till everything mixes well.

Cool on a plate and serve :)

Shubho Nababarsha

Wishing you a wonderful new year full of sweet surprises... like the Raspberry Creme Brulee we enjoyed this Paila Baishakh!

Rajma Revisited

I didn't think it would be so hard to do a post after a brief hiatus... The longer I postponed it, the harder it seemed. But after two weeks, all my reasons "I'm tired, or busy, or have nothing to write about..." have been used up and I was beginning to miss blogging. Then I met a few friends who asked why I haven't posted in a while. That gave me the necessary impetus. So I'm back with a new promise of being more regular from now on.

I have several new recipes to write about and hopefully will get to them in the next posts, but in this one I want to revisit rajma.

Kidney beans is regular in our menus. In fact, we make it often for our weeknight dinners. It's quite easy and delicious. And I like to add vegetables to the curry to make it nutritious. While potato is my favorite and you can read my earlier post here, I have been adding peppers the last few times and think it may be the winning combination. The addition of peppers lends a sweetness an smokiness to the recipe, that enhances the flavor of the kidney beans cooked in a tomato and onion based curry.

For this dinner, we also had potato podimas with rotis. The combination was fulfilling.

Rajma with Green Peppers

Ingredients:
1 can Kidney Beans
2 green peppers (chopped small)
1 medium onion
2 clove garlic (grated)
1 cube ginger (grated)
1 medium tomato
1 red chilli
1 Green Cardamom
Pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tspoon Cumin seeds
1/4 tspoon Turmeric powder
1/4 tspoon Chilli powder
1/2 tspoon Coriander powder
1/2 tspoon Garam Masala
1 tspoon Cooking Oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Put the kidney beans in big sieve and wash to take away the extra salt and preservatives. Heat oil and temper it with cumin seeds, red chilli and green cardamom.

Next, put in the ginger, garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the onions and fry till they turn translucent. Add tomatoes, green peppers and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes closed lid on medium heat. Then add the kidney beans.

Mix the powder masalas together in a bowl and add. Stir fry till it all mixes together. Add about 1/4 cup water and close the lid. Let it cook for about 5-6 minutes on medium.

Add salt and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes till it has turned to a thick curry. Garnish with cilantro.

Potato Podimas

I learnt it from Aswin, and love this simple delicious recipe. But I have to tell you that somehow his podimas always tastes better than mine, even though we make it the same way! Here is how we make it.

Ingredients:
2-3 medium potatoes
1 large green chili
1 tspoon minced ginger
5-6 curry leaves
1 tspoon mustard seeds
pinch of asafetida
1/2 tspoon turmeric powder
1/2 tspoon red chili powder
Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
salt to taste

Method:
Boil the potatoes and mash them roughly. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and keep it aside.

In the meantime, heat oil and temper it with mustard seeds, green chilli, curry leaves, and asafetida.

Add ginger paste and saute. Then add the potato and mix it well. You can also squeeze some lime/lemon juice into this.

Serve warm with rotis.

Vegetable Couscous

I have been gone for a while! I was traveling and needed some time to catch my breath. Once back home, I was in the mood for something light and comforting, just like the feeling of home, something to eat while I relax and catch up on news and television shows.

Recently, a friend recommended By the Pound. Located in S. Main street, the market has the a great selection of nuts, spices, bulk pasta, lentils, coffee, tea even olive oil and local honey. We splurged and picked up couscous, brown rice, pasta, honey, nuts, and much more…

I used the couscous for a simple vegetable couscous and served it with okra raita. What can I say? I love coming home to such delicious meals :)

Ingredients:

Vegetables

1 small onion- finely chopped

1 garlic clove - minced

1/2 red pepper - chopped

1/2 small broccoli – chopped

4-5 brussel sprouts

½ cup frozen mixed vegetables (I used beans, peas, corn and carrot mix)

1/4 tspoon cumin seeds

1/2 tspoon cumin powder

1/4 tspoon chilli powder

1/4 cup chick peas

1 tbspoon olive oil

2/3 cup water

Salt to taste

Couscous

1 ¼ cup water

1 tspoon butter

1 cup couscous

Bunch of fresh cilantro for garnish

Method:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Temper with cumin seeds, then add onion and garlic to pan, and saute until it starts to turn brown.

Add all the vegetables and let it cook for 2-3 min, then add salt, cumin, chilli powder, and water.

Bring to a boil and then let it simmer on low heat and closed lid for 7-8 minutes till the water disappears.

Add the chickpeas and cook for another couple of minutes till everything cooks and mixes well.

For couscous:

In a large saucepan, heat butter and lightly sauté couscous. Remove from heat.

Boil the water and then add it to the couscous. Cover and let it sit for 10-12 min.

For serving, you can serve couscous on a plate and top with vegetables. I like to mix it together before serving.

Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Since this has garlic, it's my entry to JFI: Garlic hosted by Mathy at Virundhu. JFI was started by Indira of Mahanandi.

Alur Dom

I can easily add alur dom to my list of favorites. But, it wasn't always so. Growing up, I was a spice wimp and would avoid anything spicy. "Jhaal," I would yell and run away to the sugar container. My grandmom made a mean alur dom which was spicy and red hot, a dish that I regularly avoided. It wasn't until my high school that I really tasted her alur dom and was floored. It was flavorful and spicy and delicious.

I made this recently after a long conversation home about how the ingredients, and how she got that delicate balance between spicy but not too hot. I found that usually garlic is avoided in the alur dom. The sweetness of the onion paste is countered with the heat of the red chilli; sour yogurt and tomatoes along with garam masala add to the flavors of the curry. The potatoes are not boiled earlier, rather they cook on medium low heat in the bubbling curry.

The result was fantastic.

Ingredients:
1 lb small potatoes (peeled)
1 medium 0nion grated
2 medium tomatoes - paste
1 1/2 inch ginger - grated
1/2 tspoon cumin seeds
1 dry red chilli
2-3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaf
2 green cardamom
1/2 tspoon turmeric
2/3 tspoon red chilli powder
1 tspoon cumin powder
1/2 tspoon garam masala
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbspoon oil
salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1 tbspoon oil in a non stick wok and fry the potatoes lightly. Keep aside. Now add te rest of the oil and temper with cumin seeds, red chilli, whole spices. Then add the ginger paste and saute for a minute. Then add the onion and saute on medium-low till the onions become golden brown. Then add the tomatoes and cook till it mixes well with the onion mix.

Then add the masala powder - turmeric, cumin seed, red chilli and garam masala and mix well. Then add the yogurt mixing vigorously to stop yogurt from separating. Add in the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes with closed lid till the potatoes are cooked. Add water if you need more gravy (I added about 1/4 cup).

Serve warm with luchi or paratha.

This is my entry to Ode to Potatoes hosted by Supriya of Monsoon Spice and RCI:Bengal by Sandeepa of Bong Mom's Cookbook. Thanks for hosting gals!