Herb and cheese pull apart bread

To bake good bread has been a dream of mine for  a while now and so, when Aparna who blogs at My Diverse Kitchen and is an accomplished baker called for people to join her in baking a bread a month through this year, I did so without thinking twice about it. The very first bread that our group which is called We Knead to Bake has baked is a herb and cheese pull apart bread. Aparna gave us the basic recipe and the freedom to alter the ingredients as per our taste. I am glad that I didn't do much altering and that the bread proved to be quite a hit at home.

 What you need: 

For the Dough: 

Warm milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Instant yeast - 1 tbsp
All-purpose flour - 3 cups
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter, soft at room temperature  - 25 gms which is approx 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - from 7 or 8 cloves of garlic
Milk - 3/4 cup + a couple of tbsp to brush over the bread
For the Filling:
Melted butter - 1 to 1.5 tbsp
Finely chopped corrainder/cilantro - a handful
Crushed ajwain/omam/caraway seeds - 1 tbsp

Grated cheddar cheese - 1/2 cup (I used cheese that was flavoured with pepper....if using plain cheese, you could add crushed pepper to the filling if desired)

Method:

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, instant yeast and the 1/2 cup of warm milk. To this, add the flour, salt, softened butter and garlic paste. Mix well and knead to a smooth, pliable dough.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it completely with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in volume.
Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Deflate the dough, shape it into a square and roll the dough out into a larger square that is about 12’ by 12”. Brush the surface of the square with the melted butter.
Evenly sprinkle the chopped corrainder, ajwain and then the grated cheese. Gently run a rolling pin over the topping to ensure that it doesn't fall off later when you are stacking the bread.
Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 long and even strips.
Lay each strip on top of the next, with the topping facing upwards, until you have a stack of the strips
You can put the 2 strips cut from the sides in the middle of the stack so it looks neater. Usinga pastry scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack dividing it into 6 equal pieces (6 square stacks).
The stacking of strips is what I was not able to do, mainly I think, due to the fact that I had not dusted my work surface with enough flour and the strips were at risk of getting torn. So I decided to roll the strips from one end to the other, making six humongous rolls. I then arranged these rolls side by side in a round baking pan.

Cover the pan with a moist towel and allow the dough to rise further for an hour.
Lightly brush some milk over the top of the rolls. Bake the dough at 180C (350F) for about 30 to 40 minutes until it is done and the top is golden brown.

Taste wise, this is a wonderful bread, and paired with soup, makes for a filling meal. I will definitely be baking this again, and hopefully, will get the stacking part right this time so that the bread will look as good as it tastes.

Baked brinjal crisps

This recipe, if I may call it that, is so simple that I wasn't sure if I should post it. It has been in my drafts for a very long time. The inspiration for this dish is a post by Srivalli ages back. It is something that my little girl loves to munch on and so I thought it would be the perfect way to end this month's blogging marathon in which my chosen theme is Kids Delight.

What you need:
Brinjal/eggplant - washed and dried individually
Salt
Red chilli powder
Oil - a little, just enough to lightly coat the sliced brinjals

Slice the brinjals into thin circles. In a large mixing bowl, toss it with the salt, chilli powder and oil. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Microwave on high for 6-7 minutes, turning over once midway.
Enjoy!!!

Notes:
Microwave times and powers vary....so please keep a close watch as the brinjals get done.

The fact that I only have a "before" photo should tell you how good and addictive this is. I had no crisps left to click an "after" photo.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other marathoners doing BM#16.
This post goes to Smitha who is hosting Kids' Delight this month 

A sweet punch indeed - molten lava cake

Even though I mailed the Sweet Punch team a few months back, this is the first challenge that I am participating in. Despite my microwave user manual telling me that it is safe to use metal in the convection mode, I was wary, mainly because a service technician who tried talking me into buying extended warranty for the machine told me that I should never use metal, no matter what the mode. Then, a few weeks back, on my FB page, I asked if we could use metal in the convection mode, and lots of people replied saying that they've been doing it for a long time. Off I went to the store and got myself a few small ramekins for this month's Sweet Punch. I was so terrified that there was going to be a mini explosion once I put the metal into the microwave, that I asked hubby to watch over the cake as it was getting done, while I stood nearby with fingers over my ears. A few minutes passed and nothing happened. A few more...and the whole house smelled wonderfully chocolate-y. I am definitely going back to the store to get myself some more metal bake ware in different shapes and sizes.
The recipe for this month's Sweet Punch was chosen by Divya.
Recipe source : showmethecurry.com
To make molten lava cakes, you need:
Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate – 4 oz (113g)
Butter – 4 oz (113g)
Eggs – 2
Sugar – 1/3 cup (75 g)
All-purpose Flour – 1/4 cup (40g)
Butter/oil – for greasing ramekins

1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat Eggs and Sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Once chocolate is melted, remove pan from heat and add in butter. Mix until the butter melts fully.
4. Add chocolate/butter mixture into the eggs, add all-purpose flour and mix until well incorporated.
5. Butter bottom and sides of ramekins (small glass/porcelain bowls) and pour in mixture about 3/4 way full.
6. Place ramekins on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 C) for 10 – 15 minutes. Shorter for gooey (molten) inside, longer for stiff inside.
The idea of a gooey center did not appeal to me...so I baked mine for 17 minutes and the result was a soft center.

Another look....

The softest and best cake ever

This cake has the record of making it in the shortest time from kitchen to blog. Seriously, I just made it, clicked some pics and ate a slice a few minutes back.
The little one is staying home today because of a fever and that means, I have to endlessly search for means to keep her entertained. A cake seemed like a good idea...she was involved in measuring out the ingredients and stirring them for me. And then, while it baked, she stood guard next to the microwave, telling me every few minutes that it was ready.
The original recipe is from here. I tweaked it a little to use up some of the stuff that's been in my fridge for a while.
As far as ingredients go, I had all the stuff on hand. So, some dates and candied fruit were soaked in hot milk and then ground. An egg that threatened to hatch into a chick if I didn't use it up soon went into the mixture. A dash of cinnamon, some oil, sugar and maida later, into the oven the cake went. What came out is the softest, darkest, and undoubtedly the best cake I've ever made.

What you need:
Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Milk - 3/4 cup
Dates+candied fruit - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Egg -1
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nut - a few

Soak the dates and candied fruit in hot milk for 30-40 minutes. Grind to a smooth paste along with sugar and the egg. Transfer this to a mixing bowl. Add oil. Stir well. Mix in the flour, little by little, stirring well. Add cinnamon....inhale its heady smell.....throw in some cashews....mix well.
Transfer this to a greased microwave safe cake pan. I used a loaf pan, as I wanted to cut these into tea cakes. Bake in convection mode at 175 degree celsius for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

This goes to Valli's MEC which is being hosted by PJ MEC-Favourites and to Valli's 365 days of microwave cooking.

Edited to add : People who ate this cake liked it texture, but felt that it should have been sweeter. The original recipe calls for 3/4 cups of sugar, while I used only 1/2 cup. I like my cakes to be slightly less sweet....but if you want yours sweet, please do use more sugar.

Microwave chocolate cake for MEC-Celebrating bloggers

Ever since I saw this eggless chocolate cake on Sowmya's blog,it has been on my must-make list. Finally, MEC-Celebrating bloggers which is being hosted here this month gave me just the nudge that I needed to get into baking mode. I made a few minor changes to Sowmya's recipe. The cake is moist, soft and really,really good. It fills the house with the wonderful aroma of warm cinnamon and oh...... did I tell you just how easy and quick it is to make????

What you need:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Dried fruits and nuts - 1 cup (I used almond,cashew,raisins,and candied fruits)
Milk - 1.5 cups
Overripe bananas - 2
Cocoa powder - 3 heaped tsps
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Chopped walnuts - a handful

Soak the dry fruits and nuts in hot milk for 30 minutes. Grind this in a blender till smooth. Add the bananas, oil and sugar and blend again.
Transfer this mixture to a large bowl. Add baking powder and cocoa. Mix well. Add the flour little by little and beat until well mixed. Mix in the chopped walnuts.
Pour this into a greased microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 6 minutes. Timing will vary depending on the wattage of your microwave. So keep checking to make sure it doesn't get burned.
Let it rest for a minute in the microwave. Let it cool completely. Ease it out of the bowl, slice and dig in!!!

Reminder : Do send in you entries for MEC-Celebrating bloggers before the 31st of this month.

This is my entry to MEC-Celebrating bloggers, an event started by Srivalli and hosted by me this month.

Microwave carrot halwa

A few days back, my daughter(the little girl referred to as LG in my other blog) and her friend were playing, when this conversation started.
Friend : Do you eat chicken?
LG : No, I don't
Friend : We don't eat chicken 'coz we are brahmins
Lg : Repeats what the friend said
I was left speechless.
A small,innocent conversation between a four year old and a five year old left me wondering if the divide that religion creates in our minds will ever be bridged.
The LG has no idea what a Brahmin is or for that matter what a Hindu, a Christian or a Muslim is. To her, a temple is a place where the respective God is prayed to and a Church is a temple where people pray to Jesus.
The conversation that got me thinking deeply was promptly forgotten by the two kids as soon as the microwave beeped, signaling that LG's favourite carrot halwa was ready.


What you need:
Grated carrot - 3 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 2-3 tsps
Almonds - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced
Raisins - 1/4 cup (soaked for a few minutes in water, to plump them up)

Take the grated carrots, sugar and milk in a large, microwaveable dish. Smooth the carrots down with a spatula to make sure that it is completely immersed in the milk. Heat on microwave high for 12 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and heat for another fifteen minutes on high, stirring the halwa every five minutes to ensure even browning.
Tastes delicious eaten hot off the oven or cold.

Announcing MEC - Celebrating bloggers

Some time back, I wrote a post asking people what made them blog? The reasons, as some blogger friends commented, ranged from sheer love for blogging to the happiness that comments bring. Whatever the reason maybe, the one common thread that ran through all the comments is the dedication of the bloggers and their absolute love for connecting with like minded people through their weblog.
We bloggers deserve a pat on the back for managing home, career, kids and still finding time to blog about the food that we put on our family's table and umpteen other things.
What does all this have to do with MEC- The microwave easy cooking event conceptualized by Srivalli and hosted by me this month? Well, we are going to celebrate our fellow bloggers this month. There's no better way to do it than by cooking something from their blogs and telling them how much we love it.
Here's what you have to do - Choose a vegetarian recipe from another blog. It could be something that the other blogger has made using the stove top or microwave. Adapt it so that it can be cooked completely in the microwave. Cook, click and post.

The rules are pretty simple:
1. Cook anything from another blog and write about it on your blog between now and March 31st. Please stick to vegetarian recipes (no eggs).
2. Remember, the entire cooking must be done in the microwave, though a blender/food processor can be used for grinding.
3. Please link back to this announcement and also to Srivalli's event link.
4. I will accept older entries as long as you repost and link back to this announcement and to Valli's rules.
5. Multiple entries are welcome.
6. Don't let not having a blog stop you from participating. E-mail your recipe to me with a photo and I'll include it in the round-up.
7. Send in your entries, with your name, recipe URL and picture of the dish (300x300) to luvgoodfood@gmail.com
Please mention MEC-Celebrating bloggers in the subject line
8. Feel free to use the logo

Kasi halwa

I was not familiar with this sweet until a few months back. I had it at a feast, loved it and have been wanting to try it out ever since. As always, Mallika Badrinath has once again come to my rescue with her book on Sweets. I have modified the recipe slightly to suit my taste.

What you need:
Ash gourd(peeled, deseeded and grated) - a small one
Sugar - 1 cup
Red food colour - a pinch
Ghee - 4 tsp
Semolina/rava - 2 tsp
Microwave ashgourd without adding any water for 8 minutes on high heat. Let it cool completely. Measure the pulp. I got a little more than 1.5 cups of pulp and used 1 cup of sugar for it. Adjust sugar depending on how much pulp you have left after cooking the gourd.
Combine the cooked gourd, sugar and food colour and microwave on high for 8 minutes. Add 2 tsp of ghee and mix well. Heat for another 6 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure it doesn't become too hard. Roast rava until golden brown in 2 tsp of ghee. Add this to the halwa and heat for one minute. Garnish with sliced cashews or almonds.

Microwave baingan bhartha

I have always loved the microwave. I can put something in to cook, set the timer, go out for a stroll and come back to find it cooked just right. That said, I have always resorted to the old fashioned method of roasting a brinjal over an open flame to make baingan bhartha.. This time, though, I had a brainwave (yes - I do get one of those now and then) and decided to stick the eggplant in the microwave. The rest, as they say, is history.

What you need:
Eggplant/Brinjal/Aubergine - 1 large
Onion - 2, chopped fine
Green chilli - 2, minced
Ginger - a small piece, julienned
Garlic - 4 or 5 pods, chopped
Groundnuts - a handful (optional)
Tomatoes - 2 or 3 large juicy, ripe ones, chopped
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala -3/4 tsp
Salt
Turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp
Corriander leaves - a few, to garnish

Spread some oil all over the brinjal. Prick the skin on all sides with a knife and then microwave on high heat for 14 minutes or until the skin shrivels up and the brinjal gets cooked.Let it cool. Remove the skin and mash the brinjal.
Heat 2 tsp of oil in a microwave safe bowl. Add a tsp of jeera and the groundnuts to it and heat for 45 seconds. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies and heat for 3-4 minutes. Now add in the tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, sugar(optional) and the mashed brinjals. Stir well. Add some water if necessary and cook for 5 minutes.
Garnish with freshly chopped corriander leaves.This my entry to Fresh Produce of the Month featuring eggplant this month and hosted by Simona.

This also goes to Sunshine Mom's Food in colours - Red and to Srivalli's MEC-Potluck.

Spicy bittergourd curry with no oil

A super spicy and tasty dish that can be made entirely in the microwave....this is a recipe that I found in one of my Microwave Cookbooks.What you need:
Bitter gourd - 3 large, deseeded and chopped fine
Thick, sour curd - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Rice flour - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt

Take the bittergourd and just enough water to cover it in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 3 minutes.
Drain the water completely. Mix in the other ingredients. Spread on a microwaveable dish and heat for 8 minutes or until crisp.
Tastes great with rice or just by itself.

Tandoori Aloo or maybe I should call it Microwavi Aloo

This is a quick snack that I tried last night with good results.
Make a marinade by mixing 6 tsp of sour, thick curd, 1 tsp all purpose flour, 1 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp garam masala. Peel baby potatoes. Prick them all over with a fork and marinate for about 30 minutes. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
We ate them hot off the oven and that left me with no pics. Will update the pics next time I get around to making this. The only hard part of this recipe is peeling the baby potatoes....It took sooooo long.

This goes to Valli's Potluck.

Spring Onion Chutney

Most of the weekends over the last few months have been spent travelling. So much so that I've come to think of the railway station as a home away from home. It also means that I usually try and use up anything that is likely to spoil if left in the refrigerator over the weekend.

A bunch of spring onions + an upcoming weekend trip = this recipe.

What you need:
Spring onions - 1 bunch, chopped (the greens can also be chopped)
Red chilli - 2
Oil - 1 tsp
Tamarind - a gooseberry sized piece, soaked for 10 minutes in just enough water to cover it
Urad dal - 3 tsp
Salt

Heat the oil, urad dal and chillies in a microwaveable bowl for 2 minutes or until the dal turns reddish brown. Stir in the chopped spring onions. Heat for another 4 minutes or until the onions are browned.
Let it cool. Blend coarsely along with the tamarind and salt.
Heat a tsp of oil in a pan. Season with some mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, pour it over the chutney.
Enjoy with dosas or as a dip.

This chutney goes to Valli's potluck and to Culinarty's Original Recipe Round-up.

Easy breezy wheat halwa

When you hear the words wheat/godambu halwa, what do you think of???
Quite likely, you are reminded of your grandma or mother stirring the mixture for hours together in a heavy iron kadai while the aroma swirled around the household tantalisingly. While they sweated and toiled, you stood around waiting for them to finish so you lick the spoon clean once they were done.
Now, what if I were to tell you that you could recreate the same taste and smell without really breaking your back? No, don't look sceptical....I really do mean it.
In my kitchen, I always look for ways and means to make cooking less of a chore and more of a fun thing....I try and make things simpler without compromising on the taste. Here's how you can make wheat halwa with minimum stirring and maximum taste....

What you need:
Samba wheat rava(the kind with fine grains) - 1 cup
Sugar
Water
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Food colour - a pinch(I used red)
Fried cashew (optional)

Soak wheat rava in plenty of water for 30 minutes. Drain the water. Take the rava in a juicer or blender. Add a glass of water and blend to extract milk. Strain and keep this milk aside. Repeat this process three times. Let the milk stand undisturbed for 30 minutes. Gently pour away the water that would have collected on top by then and measure the thick milk that would have settled at the bottom. For every cup of milk that you have, add 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water.
Stir well and cook in a pressure cooker until one whistle. Then mix well and transfer the contents to a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high heat for 30 minutes.....making sure that you stop and mix the halwa gently every five minutes. Be careful when you do this 'coz the mixture does tend to bubble and release a lot of steam. The time taken could vary depending on your microwave....so keep a close watch to see when it is done.
Garnish with fried cashews.
At this point, you can cut this into dainty little squares or triangles or whatever shape you fancy.....I choose to leave it as is and just scoop it up with a spoon everytime I pass by.This halwa is made for the lovely duo who came up with Open Sesame 2.

Summer goodies #2 - Microwave mango thokku

First off, I've got to tell all the Chennaiwasis that there's this new Italian restaurant you absolutely must try.....Osteria is at the Deccan Plaza in Royapettah High Road. Their food, ambience, service....everything is absolutely great.
The Samosa Factory in Anna Nagar is good too.....it's at the beginning of Shanti Colony....and is so small that you're likely to miss it unless you're looking for it.....but it definitely is something you should try out. They have lovely street style cocktail samosas with a crisp, dark brown outer layer.
I gorged on these during the weekend and also watched the new Indy Jones movie. If you are an Indy fan (like me), you will enjoy the movie. Like all the other movies in the series, this too is an edge-of-the-seat entertainer......definitely not the best Indy movie.....but fun all the same.

Okey....dokey......let's now switch on the microwave and make some thokku.....

What you need:

Large unripe mango - 2
Red chilli powder - 2 heaped tsp (adjust to your taste)
Salt
Oil - 8 tsp
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
Jaggery - a small piece (optional)

Peel mangoes and then cut them into thin, uneven slices.
Pour the oil into a microwave safe bowl, add mustard seeds, cover and microwave for 2 minutes or until the seeds pop.
Add all the other ingredients....mix well and microwave on high power for 8 minutes. Do check on the mangoes halfway through and stir so that it gets cooked evenly. Crush lightly with a ladle. I like mine with a few chunks in it.
This stays good in the refrigerator for upto 10 days.

I'd like to thank:
Happy Cook for giving me the Rocking Girl Blogger Award
Jayasree for passing on the You Make My Day Award.

This is my entry to Srivalli's MEC Bottled.
Check out my Summer goodies #1 - Ela vadam

How do I love thee.....Come let me count the ways

Well, for starters I like you best as you are.......I love to bite into your juicy flesh....skin and all....and keep eating until all that is left is your seed. Then, there's pulisseri, pachadi, koottan - various avatars of yours - all of which Iam equally awed by.
So when Arundati chose you to be the star of blogosphere's breakfast table, all of these dishes ran through my mind.....but there was also this feeling in the back of my mind that I should try something that I've never tried before. Well, the days passed by and I did eat a lot of mangoes, but I never got around to making anything out of it.
Things just seemed to fall into place today though, with DH saying that it's been a while since I baked bread.....and since I happened to have some wonderful smelling ripe banganapallis on hand, I thought, why not go ahead and bake some mango bread. Googling lead me to this recipe which I adapted so that I could make it entirely in the microwave.

To make microwave egg-less mango bread you need:
1 large ripe mango - skinned and cut into large chunks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup oil
2 cups flour (I used flour made out of a mix of seven grains - can be substituted with whole grain flour)
1/2 cup milk powder
1/2 cup water

Blend the mango, sugar, yogurt, salt, oil, water and milk powder together in a blender. Transfer it to a large bowl and add in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix everything together well. The dough will be quite thick - infact, for a while there, i thought that I'd gone wrong with the consistency.
Grease a loaf pan with oil/non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and microwave in convection mode at 175 degree centigrade for roughly thirty minutes. Do check every now and then to see if it is done because microwaves do vary in their power output and so the time taken will vary depending on your microwave. Insert a knife into the bread...if it comes out clean, then the bread is done. Let it stand in the microwave until it cools down completely.

Fresh out of the oven....

Slice and Njoy!!!
Thoughts:
A nice, moist bread...you really can't taste the mango in it, though....So next time around I'd probably use mango juice instead of water to get more of the
mango flavour. I also want to try adding a little bit of cinnamon and some walnuts or raisins to the batter.

This is my entry to Weekend Breakfast Blogging hosted by Arundati.

Microwave Aval Kozhakkattai

What you need:

Rice flakes - 1 cup (thick variety - I used matta rice flakes)
Water - 2 cups
Salt
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Broken urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli - 2, roughly broken into pieces
Peanuts - a little
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Grated fresh coconut - 1/4 cup
Asafoetida - a little

Powder the rice flakes in a blender to a coarse consistency....like that of rava/semolina.
Take the oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, chilli, peanuts, curry leaves and asafoetida in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes on maximum power or until the mustard seeds pop.
Add water, powdered rice flakes, salt and grated coconut into the bowl. Stir well so that there are no lumps. Microwave for 8 minutes on high power or until the mixture is well cooked like upma and there is no water left.
Let it cool and then shape into ovals.
Steam for 2 minutes in a microwave idli plate.
Remove and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Am rushing this entry off to Easycrafts who is hosting this month's WBB - Microwave food