Whole Wheat Sweet Chocolatey, Minty and Spicy Soda Bread.....

Whole Wheat Sweet Chocolatey, Minty and Spicy Soda Bread.....

Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour,soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts.

   In Europe, soda breads began to appear in the mid-19th century when bicarbonate of soda first became available for use as a raising agent. Breads, griddle cakes and scones with soda bicarbonate and cream of tartar or tartaric acid became popular in Austria, Polish cuisine, Britain and Ireland. Traditional soda bread, eaten in Serbian cuisine, also uses soda bicarbonate. 

Whole wheat soda bread  is known as wheaten bread in parts of Ireland and Polish flat soda bread is known as Proziaki.

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I wanted to cook up something quick for my hungry caterpillar who was going to come back from the school picnic... The door bell would ring any moment.. While I was thinking, the recipe of soda bread ran in my mind. It had to be of her liking... So gave a twist to it and here is my version of soda bread... 

Ingredients

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Milk powder

1/4 cup of Chocolate Chips

Few Mint leaves broken

8 Sweet Pepper Chillies whole or 1 fresh Red Chilli sliced

1 tsp Baking powder

2 Pinches of Salt

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

2 tbsp Melted Butter

3/4 cup Butter Milk

1/4 cup Club Soda

P. S. You can use 1 tsp soda bicarbonate instead club soda and increase the butter milk quantity by 1/4 cup. 

Method

Take a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, milk powder and caster sugar. Mix it. Add salt and baking powder. Mix it. Make a well in between. Add butter milk, mix it. Add club soda. Mix it. Add the chocolate chips, chillies and mint. Mix it. The dough will be a bit sticky. Brush an iron pan or any baking tray with butter. Add the bread dough, spread it. Bake it for 40 minutes or till done at 180 degrees celcius in a preheated oven. Cool a bit and the remove the bread from the pan. Cool it completely before cutting it.

Methiwale Keema Kofta Curry - Fenugreek Mutton Mince Ball Curry

Methiwale Keema Kofta Curry 

Fenugreek Mutton Mince Ball Curry

Ingredients for the Kofta

500 grams Mutton Keema

1 cup Fenugreek Leaves chopped 

3 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped

1 Onion chopped 

1 tsp Garlic powder or fresh Garlic chopped 

Juice of 1/2 Lime

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1 tsp Cumin powder 

1 Egg 

Oil for Shallow Frying 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients very well for 5 minutes till the fat releases and binds all the ingredients together. Make equal lime size portions of the mutton mince. Make round balls and keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Take a pan, add oil for shallow frying. Fry the meat balls till brown in colour and keep it aside. 

For the Curry

Ingredients 

1 Onion coarsely ground 

1 tbsp of Ginger, Garlic and Chilli paste

2 Bay Leaves

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Sugar 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder 

1 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Coriander powder 

1 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1 cup Curd beaten

2 tbsp Ghee 

Few Coriander Leaves for Garnishing 

Method 

Take a pressure pan, add ghee, let it heat up. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves. Let it crackle. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli paste. Sauté it till brown in colour. Add the curd, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and the garam masala powder. Stir it, add 1/2 cup water and let the curry simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mutton minced balls, close the lid and give 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and wait till the pressure releases. Before serving garnish with coriander leaves. 

Malpuas

Malpuas

It is like sweet pancakes, it is popular in India and Bangladesh. It is also served to Lord Jagannath Dev in his Sakala Dhupa (morning food served to the lord). During Paush Sankranti, Malpuas are prepared in Bengali homes. Malpuas along with mutton curry is served in many non-vegetarian Maithil homes during Holi. 

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It is made in many ways... All purpose flour (Maida) mixed with fennel seeds, sugar, curd and milk.. Or some times rice flour or Simolina along with banana is mixed with curd and shallow fried and dipped in sugar syrup. 

Here is my version of the Malpuas... 

Sugar Syrup

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup Sugar 

1 cup Water

Pinch of Saffron

Method

Add all the above ingredients in a pan and let it simmer on medium heat till 1/2 string consistency is acquired. Take it off the flame and keep it aside. 

Malpua Batter 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour 

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 tbsp Cottage Cheese

2 tbsp Mava

Pinch of Salt

1 tbsp Sugar

2 Pinches of Cardomom powder

1/4 tsp Fennel seed powder

1/4 cup Curd

2 cups Milk or more as per requirement 

Ghee to Shallow Fry 

For Garnishing

1 tbsp Almond and Pistachio Flakes

4 tbsp Rabdi or Condensed Milk 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl,add all purpose flour, wheat flour, Mava, cottage cheese, salt, sugar,fennel seed powder and Cardomom powder. Mix it well. Add curd and milk as required to make a medium thick batter. Like a crepe batter. It's better to churn it in a blender to get a smooth batter. Take a pan, add ghee. Let it heat. Take a ladle full of the batter and pour it into the ghee. Fry the Malpuas till golden in colour on both the sides. Arrange the Malpuas on a plate, pour in the hot syrup on the the Malpuas. Pour the Rabdi or condensed milk on the Malpuas and garnish with almond and pistachio flakes... 

Strawberry Mojito (Mocktail)

Strawberry Mojito (Mocktail)

Absolutely refreshing drinks to beat the Summer Heat... 

Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball.

Traditionally, a mojito is a cocktail that consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water, and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular. It is a combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus, and mint flavors is intended to complement the potent kick of the rum, and has made this a popular summer drink.The cocktail has a relatively low alcohol content. When preparing a mojito, lime juice is added to sugar (or syrup) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a muddler. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and should not be shredded.Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve the sugar and to lift the mint leaves up from the bottom for better presentation. The drink is finally topped with crushed ice and sparkling soda water. Mint leaves and lime wedges are used to garnish the glass.

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Here I have made a Mocktail Fruity Strawberry Mojito... Absolutely refreshing... 

Ingredients

4 Frozen Strawberries slices

Handful of Mint Leaves  

1 Lime cut into slices 

4 tbsp Sugar + 1/2 glass water mixed

1 tsp Chat Masala

Chilled Club Soda

Method 

Take a tall glass, add the sugar syrup, strawberries, 2 lime slices ( keeping the centre pieces for garnishing), few mint leaves (keep few for garnishing) and chat masala. Mash the mixture with the muddler. Take 2 tall glasses, pour 1/2 the mixture in one glass and the rest into another glass. Pour the club soda, take few mint leaves and add it in the drink and garnish with lime slices.

Lagan Ka Murg

Lagan Ka Murg

Lagan is the wide heavy bottom pot in which this dish is cooked. This dish can be cooked on any occasions. It has a rich creamy taste. It can be enjoyed with Roti, Naan or Rice.

I found this Hyderabadi recipe from a old Muglai cook book which I own. This recipe is different from the recipes I saw on the net, but it tasted awesome.. 

For the Wet Masala Paste 

Ingredients 

1 Big Onion chopped 

1 " Ginger piece 

6 Garlic cloves 

5 Dry Red Chillies 

1 tbsp Poppy seeds 

2 small pieces Dry Coconut 

15 pieces of Cashew nuts

Method 

Grind all the above ingredients in to a paste.

For the Chicken Gravy 

Ingredients 

1 Kg Chicken cleaned and cut into pieces 

14 Baby Potatoes boiled and peeled 

2 Tomatoes sliced 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 1/2 tsp  Garam Masala powder 

2 cups Thin Coconut Milk 

1 cup Thick Coconut Milk 

1/4 cup Milk 

1 tbsp Butter 

1/4 cup Ghee 

Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method 

Take a Lagan or a pot. Add butter and let it melt. Add the potatoes and fry till light golden in colour. Keep it aside. Add the ghee. Let it heat. Add the paste and sauté it for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 of the portion of the milk. Stir it and cook for a minute. Add the remaining milk and cook it till golden in colour and the ghee starts to separate from the gravy. Add the chicken pieces and cook the chicken for 5  minutes. Add the tomato, salt, turmeric power and garam masala powder. Stir it. Add the thin coconut milk. Cover and cook on low flame till the chicken is tender and the gravy has thicken up a bit. Add the potatoes and the  thick coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

P.S. I have used tetra pack Coconut milk so to make thin coconut milk, I have taken 1 cup coconut milk and have add 1 cup water.