Day3: Batura – a delicious Indian bread

The Batura is a delicious Indian bread that is an integral part of the Indian cuisine. The usual combo with this tasty Indian bread is a Chole masala or a preparation of chickpeas made with a variety of Indian spices. The Chana Bhatura has come to be a topper on the fast food menus at several Indian restaurants and is also a popular street food at many places. Quick and easy to make this is a bread made out of All Purpose Flour/Maida. The dough is rolled out using a rolling pin and then the Bhatoora or the Indian bread is deep fried in oil.

This is yet another recipe from my Mom’s kitchen. Mom makes the dough and leaves it overnight in the refrigerator and we enjoyed beautiful delicious baturas for breakfast. Me being the impulsive and the quick solution kind, I add a little Soda bi-carb to the dough making it an almost instant recipe.

Ingredients: (can make 10-12)
Maida/All purpose flour – 3 cups
Curd/Yogurt – 1 cup
Salt – 1 tsp
Sugar – 2 tsp
Soda bi-carb – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp and for deep frying

Method:
1- Sieve the all purpose flour and make a well in the centre. Add the salt, sugar, soda bi-carb and curd. Mix well to form a smooth dough(if required add some milk to make a pliable dough).
2- Take the 1 tbsp oil in your palms and rub it all over the dough once it is done. Keep aside for an hour.
3- Roll out the dough into slightly thick long baturas and deep fry. Take out into a plate with some kitchen towels to absorb the excess oil.
Serve with Chole masala or any curry of your choice.

Baking Ladi Pav - a beautiful experience

By now you know that I have been venturing into the baking world every now and then to find recipes that would help me improve my skills. On one such trip I came by this beautiful blog and Aparna's ladi pav recipe and the pictures were just too hard to resist. I just had to try it.

Baking pav was not one that I had ever contemplated and this is probably attributable to the ease of access. All I had to do was step out of my home and I could easily get my supply of freshly baked pav. Why then take the trouble of doing it all on your own? Guess you realize the value of things when it is not available. My tastebuds desirous of biting into some fresh pav and homemade bhaji, I decided to give the recipe a try.

I must admit that bread baking is not one that I had ever tried and so was comfortable doing a set of mini pavs first. Also had heard and read a lot on how yeast can play a spoilsport if not handled by experts. The step by step recipe provided the perfect guide and I decided to go on. The recipe suggested 3.5 to 4 cups of flour for 15 beautiful golden pavs. I decided to give it a try with 1 cup and make a batch of mni pavs. To my amazement it was really simple and can't describe in words the aroma of freshly baked pav that filled by home. I was so excited to see the small balls grow in size and merge so perfectly into one another like siamese twins. A golden crispy outside and a soft netted inside...I got it right the first time...yeah!!..and can't explain how happy and elated I felt at this success.

I went on to try on the larger version and Aparna's recipe is just perfect...the right place for a baking beginner to get started with some home baking.
You can check out Aparna's recipe here. For my pavs I used sugar and not honey. Made my second lot of larger pavs with 4 cups of maida/all-purpose flour. The yeast that we get here is the powdered form of instant dry yeast and so I added 1/2 tsp(not heaped) for every cup of flour. Above are some of the pictures from my baking ladi pav project...didn't get a chance to photograph the larger pavs as I baked them for hubby's birthday party and they were gone before I could say "click".

Butter Naan - my favorite Indian bread

Butter Naan is a favorite with me and my family. So much so that everytime we go out to a restaurant, butter naan surely figures in our order. The curries or other dishes may vary however, butter naan and most times the butter chicken remains a constant phenomenon. Seeing the delicious butter naan on "Receipeswap" got me really tempted and just couldn't resist it any longer. With a simple and easily available set of ingredient list and procedure this is one that I had to try. It came out very well and both my husband and daughter were all praise. Thanks n33ma.

I did make a few changes to the recipe to suit my palette and creative instincts too. Must admit that every time I find a recipe I feel an urge to tweak it a bit to satisfy myself. I am sure almost all of you would agree with me on this one. I did add some sugar to my naan dough as I like that slight sweet taste. A nice chicken curry or for the vegetarians a great paneer dish and your day would be made. I tried making this naan in my gas tanddor, however, found it tastier and also easier to make on the regular tawa/skillet (chapati tawa). A little preparation of making the dough in advance is all that is needed(giving the dough time to rise). I made my Naans a little small as it seemed easier to handle:)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour(maida)(add in only 2 cups initially if you find the dough a little sticky you could add the remaining flour to make it just perfect)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp sugar
Oil -1 tsp
Butter -2 tbsp
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Note: Instead of yogurt you could even use the water remaining after you prepare paneer (whey)

Method:
1- Take a bowl, add in the flour (2 cups initially), salt, baking powder and the sugar. Mix well.
2- Add in the yogurt or whey and knead into a pliable dough. Add the leftover flour to make it perfect if you feel that your dough is too sticky.
3- Smear 1 tsp of cooking oil over the prepared dough and keep aside covered with a damp cloth.
4- Let the dough remain for an hour or two till it rises. Roll out into triangular shaped naans of approximately 1/2 inch thickness. Cook the naan in your oven, tandoor or the tawa(skillet) till it is done on both sides. Put a blob of butter on the Naan(Indian bread) just before serving. The Naan is best served hot.

Accompaniment: Paneer Makhani/Tandoori chicken/ Butter Chicken, any other spicy Indian vegetarian or non-vegetarian curries

Cheese Chilli Toast - I just loved it

Mornings till my daughter is off to school and hubby to office is actually rush hour. There is so much happening in such a short while with packing the tiffin box, breakfast time and then at times a quick morning walk too with hubby dear before he leaves for work. It is some time that we get to catch up. Yesterday after the rush hour was over I wanted to pamper my tastebuds with a little something nice and so I decided to overlook the calories and just go in for taste. This yummy cheese chilli toast was the result. The salty cheesy taste and the occasional spicy bite with the chillies. I loved every bite of it. Am I already looking forward to the next time? If you ask me ....YES.....


Here is the recipe to this quick and easy snack that makes for a great appetizer (just cut it into 4 and serve , breakfast or a lunch box favorite.
Ingredients:
Bread slices -2
Cheese slices -2 (used the Amul cheese slices)
Salt to taste ( if required)
Green Chilli - 1/2 (cut into tiny pieces)
Finely chopped onion - 2 tbsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp

Method:
Sprinkle the finely chopped onions and green chillies on the bread slices. Sprinkle just a little salt if you wish (as I find the cheese slices are not salty enough to my taste). Place the cheese slices on the bread and microwave for 45 secs. Now grill it in your oven for 6-7 minutes till crispy. Take out from the oven and spread the tomato sauce on the toast. It is quick and delicious.

Note: I find that Amul cheese does not melt like the mozaraella effect I need and so for my cheese chilli toast and even for pizzas(when I use grated Amul cheese) I always microwave it for a minute till all the cheese melts well and then grill or bake it till crispy.

Easy and simple banana bread

I have been wanting to try a banana bread for long. And so here it is an easy way to bake your very own banana bread. It was really yumm and hardly took any time putting together. A wonderful tea time snack.

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas(I mashed it with a spoon so that it is not a fine paste and there are a few small pieces of banana left as it is)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or maida
1 egg, beat well
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tbsp melted butter
3/4 to 1 cup sugar(I used 3/4 cup, you can adjust depending on the sweetness you prefer)
3-4 drops of vanilla essence
8-10 raisins,finely chopped (you may also add a few walnuts if you please- the combination of bananas and walnuts is great)

Method:
Mash the bananas and keep aside.Take a mixing bowl and add the butter and sugar. Mix well. Now add the bananas, egg and the baking soda. Add in the vanilla essence too and mix well. Fold in the flour little by little so as not to form lumps. Mix and blend all ingredients well. Take a pre-greased cake tin and pour in the mixture. Bake for 45-50 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius. Take out cool on wirerack. Cut into slices and serve.