Eggless Strawberry Banana Muffins

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Yield: 12 muffins

Recipe adapted and modified from: Melaniemakes.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Butter - 6 tbsp, melted
Flax seed powder - 1 tbsp
Cold water - 3 tbsp
Plain yogurt - 1/3 cup
Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Bananas - 2
Strawberries - 1 cup, diced

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin tray with liners.
2. In a small bowl, mix flax powder with 3 tbsp water and set it aside for 5 minutes.
3. Combine sugar and flax mixture in a large bowl. Mix well using a hand mixer.  Mix butter, yogurt and vanilla.
4. Mash the bananas with fork and add it to the sugar mixture.  Combine well.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Add strawberries to flour mixture and toss to coat.
6. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
7. Using an ice cream scoop, fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Cool 2 minutes in the tray before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bread Upma

I made this bread upma using the left over Pan Siciliano bread (refer to my previous post) that I baked for the baking group. You can use any bread that you have in hand.  Slightly stale bread works better.  It is simple, yet very comforting dish and super easy to make.  Try using different spices that suit your palate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serves: 2-3

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:
Any kind of Bread Slices - 10, cut into cubes with the crust
Onion - 1, medium, finely chopped
Tomato - 2, chopped
Green chilies - 2, chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp or to taste
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Fresh coriander / Cilantro - for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a skillet and toss the bread slices.  Roast until golden brown.  Alternatively you can also use the oven to toast the bread.  Toss the bread cubes with ghee and place it in a baking sheet and bake in a 350F. oven until golden brown.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add urad dal and cumin seeds.  Fry until golden brown.
3. Add the chopped onion, green chilies and curry leaves.  Saute until translucent.  Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a minute.
4. Add Sambar powder, black pepper, red chili powder, turmeric powder and fennel powder(if using).
5. Saute for 30 seconds.
6. Add the roasted bread slices and salt.  Mix thoroughly.  Sprinkle about 2 tbsp water and cover.
7. Let it cook for a minutes on a low flame.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and cilantro. Mix gently and serve hot.

Pane Siciliano (Sicilian Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread) ~ We Knead to Bake #24

For this month's We Knead to Bake challenge,  Aparna chose an Italian crusty bread made with semolina flour, sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Here is a brief history of the bread and how to shape the bread.  I just copied the recipe from Aparna's blog My Diverse Kitchen.

On the 13^th of December every year, feasts are held in Sicily and around the world celebrating the bravery of Santa Lucia. One way is by baking a special bread which is known as Pan Siciliano. What is different about this bread is that it is made with semolina (what we know in India as rava/ sooji). In Sicily (and Italy), the semolina used for this bread is a specific grind of durum wheat called “semola di grano duro rimacinato” or just “rimacinato”, which translates as 'ground again'. This refers to semolina which is ground once more to break the coarser grain into finer flour for bread.

If you can find rimancinato where you live, then go ahead and use that for this Pane Siciliano. Otherwise use the finest grind semolina you can find which is what I did. In India, there’s a variety of semolina that is very fine (but still grainy) that’s used for making laddoos, halwa and batters. Otherwise, just run the regular semolina you have, the kind used to make “upuma”, in the chutney jar of your mixer-grinder or coffee grinder till it’s as fine as you can grind it.

Though there are a lot of recipes out there for making this bread in a shorter time, traditionally this bread is made using a pre-ferment which the Sicilians/ Italians call “cresciuta”. This produces a more flavourful loaf of bread and isn’t all that much more work than a recipe without the pre-ferment. This particular Pan Siciliano recipe calls for gluten which improves the texture of the loaf. If you do not have it, leave it out.

The Pane Siciliano is generally shaped into one of two shapes – the “Occhi di Santa Lucia” meaning the “Eyes of St.Lucia” or the “Mafalda” meaning “Snake”.  I chose to make the “Mafalda” as I had earlier baked St. Lucia rolls in the “occhi” shape, and I had never tried shaping my bread into a snake!

To form the Occhi di Santa Lucia or a scroll shaped loaf of bread, roll the bread dough into a long rope and lay it out straight. Then coil it from each end in opposite directions. (Please see my post on making St. Lucia Buns for a detailed pictorial for this kind of shaping )

The Mafalda produces a rather odd looking bread, but if you’d like to shape your bread like this, then wind the rope of dough back and forth on itself a few times, leaving about 7” for a “tail” to lie over the top. 

This video of Mary Ann Esposito making the Pane Siciliano with Peter Reinhart is quite helpful, and worth taking a look.

Pane Siciliano (Sicilian Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread)

(Adapted from Ciao Italia)

Ingredients:

For the Cresciuta (Biga/ Pate Fermentee):

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the Dough:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water (110° to 115°F)

2 tsp honey

All the prepared Cresciuta

2 to 2 1/2 cups fine semolina or durum semolina flour

1/2 tsp vital wheat gluten

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

A little water for brushing on the bread

1/8 cup sesame seeds

Method:

• First make the Cresciuta. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl and stand it aside for about 10 minutes till it is frothy. Stir in the flour with a fork and loosely cover the bowl. This mixture should be a little wet/ stringy.  Leave it in a slightly warm place for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

• The next morning, mix the dough for the bread. In a large bowl (or the bowl of your processor), dissolve the yeast in the warm water mixed with the honey. Let it stand for 10 minutes till it is frothy.

• Add the cresciuta and mix well. Mix together 2 cups of the semolina, gluten and salt and add it to the bowl with the olive oil. Mix well and then add as much more semolina as is necessary until you have a smooth ball of dough.

• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to coat well, then loosely cover and let the dough rise till about double in volume. This should take about 1 1/2 hours.

• Deflate the dough, and then roll it out into a “rope” that is about 30” long. Place baking parchment on your baking tray, grease it lightly, and then gently lift up the rope of dough and place it on the baking tray. 

• Curl the dough back and forth on itself leaving a 6 or 7 inch tail. Roll the tail a little thinner than the rest of the body so that it looks like it’s tapering off. Fold the tail over the shaped loaf. Do not tuck it under the loaf. If you’re making the “occhi”, then shape the rope accordingly.

• Loosely cover and let the shaped dough rise for 2 hours till almost double in size. Lightly brush the top of the dough with water and then sprinkle the sesame seeds over this pressing them in lightly with your fingers.

• Pre-heat your oven to 190C (375F) with a baking tray placed upside down in it. Place your baking tray with the dough on the hot tray and bake for about 30 minutes until the bread is brown and done, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

• Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

• This recipe makes one medium sized loaf. 

Young Ginger Pulao / Rice

Young ginger, also called spring ginger, has a pale pinkish skin that requires no peeling.  It is very tender, mild and juicy compared to matured ginger.  It is mild enough to eat raw and great tossed in salads. This pulao / rice I prepared today is full of fresh flavors from the whole garam masala and thinly sliced fresh juicy young  ginger.  If you like ginger like I do, you will love this rice.  Go ahead, try it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Young ginger - 1/4 cup. thinly sliced ( no need to peel)

Onion - 1, small, thinly sliced

Green chilies - 2, slit

Bay leaf - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1

Cloves - 3

Green cardamom - 2

Shahi jeera / black cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Raisins - 2 tbsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Cilantro - for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat ghee in a medium saucepan.  Add black cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom.
3. Fry for 30 seconds.  Add the sliced onions and green chilies.  Saute until soft.
4. Add the raisins and saute until it plumps up.  Now add the ginger strips and fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add the drained rice and gently stir to mix with the spices.
6. Add  1 1/2 cups water and salt.  Let it come to a boil over medium heat.
7. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed all the water.
8. Remove from the heat.  After 5 minutes, gently fluff the rice with fork.  Garnish with cilantro.
9. Serve hot.

Fig Pradhaman / Payasam ~ 200th Post

I wish all my readers a very happy and prosperous New Year - 2015.  This is also my 200th post.  I sincerely thank each and everyone of you who took time to visit my blog and give your valuable comments.  Thank you for being part of my life.


This traditional Kerala dessert is usually made with Chakka (Jack Fruit) Varatti (Jam).   After a routine pantry cleaning saga, found some left over organic dried figs from Costco.  With figs in one hand and a jar of jaggery starring at me, got this fabulous idea of mixing both together along with coconut milk, into this delicious dessert.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:
For the Fig Varatti / Jam:

Dried figs - 10
Powdered Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Place the figs in a sauce pan and add some water.  Cook the figs on medium high until soft. Alternatively, place the figs in a pressure cooker and cook until soft.
2. Remove and let it cool.  Place the figs in a blender and puree.
3. Place jaggery and 1/4 cup water in sauce pan.  Melt the jaggery on medium heat. Strain to remove impurities using a tea strainer.
4. Wash the sauce pan and pour the jaggery syrup and the fig puree.
5. Put it back on medium heat and cook until thickens and reaches to jam consistency.  
6. Remove and let it cool.  If not using immediately, this can be stored in a refrigerator for later use.

For the Pradhaman / Payasam:

Fig Varatti / Jam - 3/4 cup
Jaggery -  3/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Dry ginger powder / Sukku - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashews - 5, broken into halves
Raisins - 8
Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Place jaggery and water in a sauce pan and melt on a medium heat.  Remove and strain.
2. Wash the sauce pan and transfer the jaggery syrup.  Add the fig jam and mix well.  Cook until the mixture slightly thickens.  
3. Add the coconut milk and bring it to a boil.  
4. Add the ground ginger powder and cardamom.  Mix well.  Remove from heat.
5. Heat ghee in a small skillet.  Fry the cashews and raisins until golden brown.  Pour it over the payasam.  Mix well and serve hot.