Samosas (Baked!)

Traditionally samosa is a deep fried pastry shell filled with a spicy filling.The filling is generally made of potatoes and peas and spices.You can fill these shells with almost anything.I make various types of fillings with vegetables,tofu,paneer; The list is endless.

                   

                                 
             

Ingredients :
For the pastry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup regular oats ( not the quick cooking variety)
pinch of salt
1 tea spoon carom seeds
1 tea spoon baking powder
1 and 1/2 tb spoons diced cold butter
2 tb spoons sour cream/yogurt
1/4 cup cold water.

For the filling

1 tb spoon oil
1 tea spoon mustard seeds
pinch if asafoetida
1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tea spoon grated ginger
1 tea spoon minced green chili
1 tea spoon dried mango powder ( Amchoor)
1 tea spoon ground fennel seeds
3 medium size cooked potatoes cut into small cubes
1 small onion
1/2 cup of peas
salt to taste

Method :
To make the pastry, combine flours, oats, salt, baking powder and carom seeds in a food processor. Pulse it a few times to mix well. Add cold diced butter and pulse until butter is well mixed into the flour. Add yogurt/sour cream and pulse again. Add tablespoon of water at a time and pulse to combine everything into a ball. Once the mixture starts to come together, transfer the mixture onto a plate and form a ball. Wrap the pastry with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

    While the pastry is resting prepare the filling. Add oil into the skillet. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic and minced chili. Let it fry for couple of minutes on a medium heat. Add onion. Fry until golden brown. Add cooked cubed potatoes and peas and cook it for 2 minutes. Add amchoor powder, ground fennel seeds and salt. Mix well. The filling is done. Let it cool completely before filling the pastry dough.

    Take the chilled pastry dough and divide it into lime size balls. Roll each ball into a circle with about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the circle into 2 halfs. Take a semi circle, place a tablespoon of mixture in the center. Fold one edge to cover half the filling, then fold the other edge to cover the rest of the filling. Seal the edges with water to avoid leakage. Fill rest of the samosas and arrange them onto a greased baking sheet. Preheat the oven on 350F.Brush samosas with the mixture of oil and milk to get golden brown color. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with coconut-cilantro chutney or tamarind chutney.

Update:

 Samosa pie anyone?! I used exactly same ingredients and same proportions to make one 7 inch pie. Bake for 30-35 minutes to get golden brown color.












           

Rasmalai

Rasmalai is one of my favorite desserts.I had never made it earlier because it is a little time consuming.It can be described as soft paneer balls soaked in cardamom flavored thickened milk .It is served chilled.
        I make paneer at home very often to make north Indian paneer based sabzis, so decided to give this a try and it worked out pretty well.You can buy can of Rasgulla's and make the 'ras' at home.But for the best taste, homemade paneer is a way to go.

Ingredients :
For 'Malai' (Paneer balls)


5 cups milk ( I used 2%)
2 tb spoons lemon juice
2 tb spoons orange juice (Freshly squeezed)
cheesecloth
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

For 'Ras'


3 cups milk (2%)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1 tea spoon cardamom powder
pinch of saffron
2-3 tb spoon chopped cashews,almonds and pistachios

Method :
In a heavy bottom pan bring 5 cups milk to boil.Add lemon and orange juice slowly to curdle milk.You may require little less or little more juice to separate milk fat and whey.Once the milk is curdled , transfer the mixture into a  colander lined with a cheesecloth.Let all the whey drain.Run the paneer through cold tap water to remove lemon/orange flavor.Squeeze the excess water and hang the cheesecloth with paneer onto the tap for at least  30 minutes.Once the excess water is drained, transfer the paneer into the plate and knead it for 2 3 minutes until paneer becomes very soft.Take little paneer between your palms and roll it into a ball.If the ball is very soft and smooth , the paneer is ready.Divide the paneer into 20 equal parts.Roll each part into a smooth ball and flatten it slightly between your palms.In the meantime, in a heavy bottom skillet , add 3 cups water and 1/2 cup sugar and bring it to boil.Once the syrup starts to boil transfer the paneer balls into the syrup and cook for 5-7 minutes.Paneer balls absorb the syrup and become almost double the original size.Switch off the flame after 5-7 minutes and let it stand for couple of minutes.

For Ras, bring 3 cups milk to boil.Reduce the flame to medium and stir occasionally to prevent from burning at the bottom.Reduce the milk to 2 cups.This will take about 15 minutes.Add sugar and let it dissolve .Once the sugar is dissolved , switch off the flame and let it cool for a 15 minutes.Add half and half,saffron,cardamom powder and nuts.Ras is ready.

Lightly squeeze excess syrup from paneer balls and transfer these balls into the ras.Chill for at least 8 hours.Paneer balls will soak the thickened sweetened  milk and become plump.Rasmalai is ready.

Notes:
1)While making panner, I normally use lemon juice.But sometimes,it overpowers the taste of paneer.So for this particular recipe I used orange juice along with the lemon juice.You can use only lemon juice as well. Don't forget to wash paneer thoroughly before going to next step.
2)When milk is reduced, there is lot of 'Saay' or milk fat that comes to the top.You want a creamy,smooth thick milk for this recipe.So sieve the reduced milk,then Add half and half and everything else.
3)I did add 1/2 cup sugar while making the syrup to cook the paneer balls.You can add more sugar if you like.Later paneer balls will soak up the sweetened milk.So for my taste, this much sugar was perfect.

Suralichi wadi

I love Suralichi wadi.Thin layers of cooked chickpea flour stuffed with the mixture of coconut and cilantro is how I will describe it.It is fairly easy to make and finishes in no time!

Ingredients :

For the outer layer
1 cup of chickpea flour ( besan)
2 and half cups of buttermilk
3/4 tea spoon turmeric powder
1 tea spoon red chili powder
1/2 tea spoon asafoetida
1/2 tea spoon granulated sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tea spoon oil

For Filling
1/2 cup of grated coconut
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

For Tempering
1 Tb Spoon oil
1 tea spoon mustard seeds
2-3 dried red chillies ( fresh green chillies would work too)
4-5 curry leaves

Method :

Mix the chickpea flour,buttermilk,sugar and spices together and make a smooth batter.Heat the skillet with a 1/2 tea spoon oil and add the prepared mixture into the skillet. Cook the mixture on medium heat, stirring every minute or so to prevent lumps. It requires about 10 minutes to cook. Pour little bit of mixture onto an non-greased  surface, spread it and let it cool for a few seconds. Try to remove the mixture in a shape of a roll. If it comes off as a roll, it is done. If it sticks to the surface, cook it for more time.
Once the mixture is cooked, divide the hot mixture onto 2 non greased plates. Spread the mixture while it is warm to form a very thin layer. Sprinkle the coconut and cilantro mixture onto the spread mixture. Cut the mixture into strips. Roll each strip into a shape of a roll and transfer it to serving plate.
   Heat the oil for tempering , add mustard seeds,curry leaves and chillis. pour the warm tempering onto the rolls.
Suralichi wadi is done!

Jilabi/Jalebi

Jilabi or Jalebi , as it is known in most parts of India, is a very popular sweet dish especially during weddings.
    It was not really my favorite dessert until my Aunt gave me this recipe.I tried it once and loved it.You need little bit of planning ahead of time to make it but it is worth it.

The recipe has 3 steps.Fermenting the batter,frying the Jalebis and dipping them in sugar syrup.

Ingredients :

For the Batter 

2 cups of Rava (Semolina )
1 cup of Maida ( All Purpose Flour)
2.5 cups of boiling water
3 tb spoons very sour buttermilk
1 tea spoon Saffron Strands
Oil to coat the batter

For the sugar syrup
1.5 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
Half tea spoon of cardamom powder
Pinch of saffron
Half tea spoon of lemon juice

Method :

You need to plan in advance to make Jalebis.The batter needs at least 8-10 hours of fermentation.

Mix Rava,Maida together.Add the buttermilk.The buttermilk has to be very sour. It acts as a fermenting agent.Mix the boiling water into the batter and stir gently to make it smooth.Do not over-mix.If the batter is too lumpy and needs more water, add little bit at a time.You will require at most 1/4 cup of extra water to get the final consistency.The consistency of the final batter should be slightly thicker than common pakoda batter.Once the batter is mixed, coat the entire top of the batter with oil.Cover it and let it ferment for at least 8 - 10 hours.Depending upon the weather and sourness of the buttermilk, batter will almost be double the original size.If it is not double , but increased slightly that's fine too.Once you are ready to fry,mix oil that is coating the batter into the batter to obtain 'ribbon consistency'.Add saffron strands just before frying to get maximum color.

For frying, heat 3-4 inches of oil in heavy bottom pan. When it starts to bubble, the oil is ready.Pour the batter into the sauce bottle or a 'ziplock' bag.If using ziplock bag,cut the corner and pour the batter into the hot oil in circular swirling mode.It takes about 1-1.5 minutes on each side for Jalebis to fry.Fry until golden brown .Put the fried jalebis on paper towel to drain the excess oil.

Meanwhile prepare sugar syrup by combining sugar and water.Boil it to make it 2 strings sugar syrup.Add cardamom powder,saffron and lemon juice and the syrup is done.

Fry the Jalebis and dip them into the sugar syrup while they are still warm.Once Jalebis are coated evenly with sugar syrup , transfer them on a serving dish.

Notes:
1) If the buttermilk is not very sour, leave it at room temperature for 4-5 hours and it will turn sour.In winter, leave it out for 8 hours.
2)Adding saffron at the end while preparing the batter helps to give the batter beautiful golden color.If you add saffron at the time of fermentation, saffron loses its taste and Jalebis turn out slightly dark.
3)Adding lemon juice prevents sugar syrup from crystallization.
4) Jalebis turn soggy fairly quickly once dipped in sugar syrup.If you want to keep them crispy for a long time, after dipping Jilabis into the sugar syrup arrange them onto a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet .This way, excess sugar syrup will fall into the baking sheet and Jalebis will stay crispy for long time.
5)To get ribbon-like consistency,mix batter for 4-5 minutes.

Dalia / Daliya / Wheat pudding

Wheat pudding is one my favorite desserts.This recipe is truly heirloom.I ate this pudding in my grand mom's kitchen. It is her recipe that I follow blindly.This dish is made with cracked wheat.Its a good change from normal Vermicelli pudding. The taste is very earthy and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients :
1 cup of cracked wheat
1 and 1/2 cups of water
2 cups of milk ( preferably at room temperature)
6-7 tb spoons of grated Jaggery or dark brown sugar
1 tb spoon clarified butter (Ghee)
1/2 tea spoon cardamom powder
1/4 cup grated coconut ( fresh or dried)
2 -3 tb spoons of chopped almonds/cashews/walnuts

Method:
Pressure cook cracked wheat with water for 2-3 whistles.In a heavy bottom skillet, add clarified butter.Let it warm for little bit,  add cooked cracked wheat.Saute it in clarified butter(ghee) for 2-3 minutes.Add milk and stir generously to avoid any lumps. Once the mixture starts bubbling, add jaggery or dark brown sugar and stir again. Make sure to stir once in a while.(This prevents the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.)
Add cardamom powder and nuts. If using dry coconut, roast the coconut in a dry pan until golden brown and then add it to the pudding.If using fresh, add it as it is.Serve warm.

Notes :
1) If you don't want to pressure cook the daliya, toast it in clarified butter just like you toast vermicelli.Once it is toasted , add milk and follow the procedure as it is. You can add all milk and skip the water.This method will require more time to cook the pudding.
2)If you want to serve the pudding after some time, make the pudding but do not add coconut.Add coconut just before serving.That way it tastes fresh and coconut does not loose its taste.
3) Milk should be at room temperature.If you add cold milk to hot mixture, there is a chance of curdling.