Cornflakes Chiwda

About 4 weekends ago, I went over-board and bought a BIG box of Cornflakes, since they were on a offer of some sort. We weren't exactly getting around to finishing them before they went stale in the killer humidity that Singapore has, so I decided to put them to better use as a weekend treat for ourselves and some friends. I know, I know... this isn't exactly in perfect alignment with my resolution to have a 'healthy' weekend and all that... but doesn't one deserve a treat sometimes if one has been good?? :) Made with just about 3 tbsp of Olive oil for about 4-1/2 cups of Cornflakes, this isn't all that bad after all :)

Ingredients:
4-1/2 cups Cornflakes
1/2 cup plain Peanuts
1/4 cup roasted Gram seeds (futaane)
1/4 cup golden Raisins
2 green Chillies, chopped into 1/2" pieces
6-7 Curry leaves (kadipatta)
For tempering:
3-4 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Mustard seeds (rai)
1 tbsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 large pinch Asafoetida (heeng)
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
Salt & Sugar, to taste

Method:
1.) Heat a large pressure cooker over a medium flame. Dry roast the cornflakes till they're nice and crispy. About 8-10 mins. Keep turning the cornflakes slowly using a wooden spoon to keep them from browning. Transfer to a large bowl/plate and let them cool.
2.) In the same pressure cooker, add half the quantity of oil. Once its hot, fry the peanuts till they're nicely browned. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon, and transfer onto a plate to cool.
3.) Add the remaining oil. Allow it to heat and add the Mustard seeds. Allow them to start sputtering and add the Cumin seeds & pinch of Asafoetida. Add the roasted gram seeds and fry for a few minutes till they're lightly browned.
4.) Add the Raisins + Turmeric powder + red Chilli powder + chopped Green chillies & + Curry leaves. Continue to stir to keep the mixture from burning.
5.) Add the Cornflakes followed by the fried Peanuts. Add the Salt & Sugar. Stir gently to coat the cornflakes nicely in the tempering. Switch off the flame and allow the Chiwda to cool before you pounce on it :) Eat up!

Mushroom-Sundried Tomato-Carmalised Onion puffs

Whew! What an awesome day! I say this, not only because it was a Sunday, but because I got to spend the afternoon doing my most favorite thing, Baking! :)
I have been curious about frozen puff pastry for a long time now, but had never gotten around to using it. From the packet instructions that I read standing in the shopping aisle, it seemed very easy and totally do-able. So I decided to give it a shot. I created two fillings for the puffs - one Vegetarian, with Mushrooms, caramalised onions, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, and the Non-Vegetarian with Bacon,chicken, mushrooms, seasoned with dried thyme and cracked black pepper.
The results were pretty awesome (if, I may say so myself! :) and I am looking forward to the feedback from friends from work who I intend to feed tomorrow!

Ingredients for Mushroom-Sundried tomato & Caramalised onion puffs: (Makes 6 puffs)

2 tbsp Olive oil
4-5 Button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
4-5 slices Sundried tomato (from a jar)
3-4 fresh Basil leaves, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Black pepper, cracked
Salt, as per taste


Method for filling:
1.) Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan. Saute the sliced onions and garlic till the onions are nicely browned.
2.) Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to saute on a medium flame. When the mushrooms are almost cooked, add the chopped fresh basil. Stir for a few minutes, and add the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the cracked pepper. Add salt and mix. Turn off the flame.
Allow the filling to cool to room temperature.

Ingredients for Chicken-Bacon-Mushroom Puffs: (Makes 6-8 puffs)
4-5 Bacon rashers chopped into 1" pieces
100g boneless Chicken, boiled
3-4 Button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp cracked Pepper

Method for filling:
1.) Heat a frying pan. Saute the bacon pieces till they're nicely browned and crispy. No oil is needed at this stage.Set aside the sauteed bacon on a paper napkin.
2.) Add the oil to the pan. Saute the onions till brown. Then add the mushrooms. Add the cooked chicken and a few tablespoons of water.
3.) Allow all the contents to cook together, so all the flavours mix nicely. Add the dried Thyme and pepper and mix well. No salt is needed in this mixture, as the bacon is pretty salty. Set aside and allow the filling to cool.

ASSEMBLING THE PUFFS

Ingredients:
1 Pkt ready-to-use frozen Puff pastry
1 Egg, lightly beaten

1.) De-frost the frozen puff pastry (about 45-60 mins). While the pastry defrosts, get on with making the fillings as described above.
2.) Once the pastry is thawed, transfer onto a clean surface to roll. Dust the surface with some plain flour(maida) and dust the pastry dough with flour to keep it from sticking.
3.) Roll out into a sheet about 3-4 mm thick. Cut out a circle (or rectangle, if thats what you like), using a cookie cutter. I used a steel bowl with a sharp ridge for this.

4.) Use a teaspoon and lay out some of the filling in the centre of the circle. Brush some beaten-egg around the edges as shown in the photo.

 5.) Fold one half over the other to form a 'half moon' shape. Pinch the edges together using your thumb and fore finger.

6.) Use a fork to seal the edges. This helps to keep the puff 'closed', to keep the filling from spilling out.





7.) Chill the filled puffs in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 220 deg.C
8.) Lay the filled puffs onto a non-stick baking tray and brush with some of the beaten egg, and bake @ 220 deg. C for 18-20 mins till puffed and golden brown. The beaten egg will add a nice 'glaze' and help the puffs take on a nice colour as they bake.

Enjoy these fresh from the oven. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat by placing in a hot oven for 10-15 mins. Avoid micro-waving as that makes the puff chewy (from previous experience). Enjoy!

Missal Pav

"Jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega!!" has been pretty much the first sentence that the country has been chanting since the euphoric victory in the semi-finals of the cricket world cup. We got together with friends to support team India, and watch them go through to the finals... and an assal-marathi Missal Pav was our meal of choice, that complemented the heat that the Indo-Pak game generated!!
Missal Pav, is a popular snack native to Mumbai and Pune. It consists of a spicy gravy made with sprouts and boiled potatoes garnished with crispy snacks consisting of fried peanuts, rice flakes and puffed rice, with chopped onions, tomato and coriander. This Mixture is called the "missal" and it is traditionally eaten with 'pav' a soft bread bun.

We polished off the meal with some Vanilla Pound cake- that I baked to celebrate our highly anticipated win, drizzled with home-made blueberry sauce! Yum!

A big thank-you to Ujjwala, for all her help with the prep needed for missal-pav, that allowed me to enjoy the match with the rest of the gang! :) Dhyani, sorry it took me so long to post this, but hope it helps you through many a weekend treats! :)

Ingredients for Ussal:
1 cup Mataki (brown moong)
3 medium size Boiled Potatoes (peeled & cut into cubes)
3-4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Tamarind pulp
Salt &  Sugar as per taste
For Tempering:
3 tbsp Oil + 1 tbsp Mustard Seeds + 1 Pinch Heeng (asafoetida) + 1 tsp Turmeric powder 
Whole Spices to be powdered:
1tsp Jeera + 2 tsp Coriander seeds + 2-3 Cloves+ 2-3black peppercorns + 1/4" Cinnamon stick.
For Gravy:
1/2 cup Onion - chopped
2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste

10-15 Mint leaves 
For Serving:
1/2 cup 'Chiwda' snack mix
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1/2 cup chopped Tomato
Coriander for garnishing- chopped
1/2 a Lime for squirting over the mix

Method:
Soak the Sprouts in a water in a 1:2 ratio the night before. The seeds will absorb the water and soften. Discard any remaining water and transfer the soaked seeds onto a clean kitchen cloth. Make into a bundle and cover with a bowl. Keep in a warm place in the kitchen for the the sprouts to...well, "sprout". Pressure cook the sprouts with roughly 2 times the amount of water.

1.  Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric.
2.  Add the chopped Onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute till the oil seperates. Add the red chilli powder, powdered whole spices, sugar and salt. Saute for a few minutes.
3.  Add the cooked sprouts and potatoes and about 2 cups of water.
4. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for another couple of minutes.

TO SERVE:
Fill a bowl with the Sprouts gravy. Garnish with a layer of the crispy fried snack mix, chopped onions, tomato and coriander leaves. Squirt with some lime juice and enjoy piping hot with soft bread.

Besan Laadu's & Chiwda

Diwali is one time of the year, when food related indulgence is absolutely guilt-free. Vineet's folks are here in Singapore for three weeks, so Diwali was relaxed, fun and full of great conversation and good food. Excited about our first Diwali together, my mother-in-law and I decided to make Besan laadu's and Chiwda for snacking on through the weekend.These simple traditional treats guarantee to win over the hearts of your new families.... brides-to-be, are you listening? :)

BESAN LAADU'S

Ingredients:
4 cups Gram flour (Besan)
2 cups powdered Sugar
1-1/4 cup Ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 Milk + 1 pinch Saffron
1/2 cup Raisins
1 tsp Cardamom powder

Method:
1.  Heat a thick-bottomed Kadhaai (wok) over a medium flame and dry roast the gram flour for about 4-5 minutes. Add the ghee (clarified butter) and continue to roast till the mixture is a golden brown with a soft paste-like consistency. (about 12-15 minutes)

2.  Turn off the heat and splash the saffron-milk - the hot mixture will sizzle and splatter. Mix well, till the milk in integrated into the mixture. Let the mixture cool slightly.

3.  Once the mixture is luke warm mix in the powdered sugar and knead well till soft. Mix in the raisins, and cardamom powder.

4.  Take a teaspoonful of the mixture and roll into small lemon sized balls. Cool slightly, to allow them to set into shape, and.... EAT!

CHIWDA

Ingredients:
3 cups Poha ( Rice flakes)
3 cups Murmura (Puffed Rice)
1 cup Peanuts (unsalted with skins)
1/2 cup Cashew nuts (optional)
1/2 cup Roasted Gram seeds (futaane)
3 cloves Garlic (finely sliced)
1/2 cup Dry Coconut (thinly sliced and broken into 1 to 1-1/2" long pieces)
1 cup Oil ( I used extra light olive oil, but you can use any other vegetable cooking oil)
5 tsp Mustard seeds (rai / sarson)
3-4 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera) 
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder (hing)
3-4 Green chillies (chopped into 1/2" pieces)
10-15 Curry leaves (kadipatta)
1-1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt + Sugar (as per preference)

Method:
1.  Dry roast the Poha & Murmura (seperately) in a large thick bottomed kadhai (wok) - I used a large sized pressure cooker since i do not own a large kadhaai. If not the results achieved by using a hot oven (@ 180 degrees for about 5-7 mins) are just as good.
(The idea here is ensure that the ingredients are completely dry, but not browned... So make sure not to leave this process unattended... constantly turn the contents gently to ensure even roasting and too keep them from scorching)

2.  Heat the oil and one by one, fry the Peanuts, Cashews, Roasted gram seeds and Coconut pieces till they're golden brown. Remove from oil and set aside onto a paper napkin to cool slightly. Next, fry the sliced garlic till golden brown and set aside.

3.  Next, use the same oil to make the tempering (tadka / fodni). Add the Mustard seeds + Cumin seeds + Asafoetida powder + Chopped green chillies + Curry leaves.
Reduce the flame to low and add the fried [ peanuts + cashews + gram seeds + coconut + fried garlic ] when the chillies and curry leaves stop sputtering. Gently stir and immediately add the roasted Poha and Murmura and mix gently to ensure that the spices are mixed evenly. (Make sure that the gas burner is on its lowest setting, to keep the poha and murmura from burning)

4.  Switch off the flame and add salt and sugar as per taste, and mix well. Allow the Chiwda to cool down and store it in a air-tight container.

The Chiwda by itself is pretty addictive, but adding some finely chopped onion + chopped coriander and a squirt of lime juice (right before serving / eating ofcourse!) makes it just pure sweet-salty-tangy-spicy heaven! Its the perfect snack to go along with a chilled beer !