A reason to celebrate with Blueberry Yogurt Cake and Besan ke Paranthe

I RAN MY FIRST MARATHON !! :) :) and I am so proud of it ....

Many of you who would be regular runners might be thinking what is the big deal .... But it is a BIG Deal for someone who would wait for the next bus rather than run to catch the one leaving. I did it not because of any medical conditions or because I could not ...but just because I did not feel like running. But all that has changed over the last few months.

This year I made only one new year resolution..unlike the previous years wherein my resolution list would run for at least a mile :) .

My resolution was to do all that which I have never done before ,..but would have liked to do and experience. Running a marathon was one such thing . I had a mental block about running , I could never imagine myself running ..like all those regular runners and joggers who would pass by me during my walks . I wanted to experience the "runners high" i kept reading about in various magazines . It helped that one of my colleagues wanted to restart running after having a baby and when she asked me whether I would be interested in joining her for post-office runs , I grabbed the offer with both hands. Initially it was painful and humiliating ....a person who could walk for hours could not run for more than ten minutes ...but we persevered and set up a challenge of completing a 10km run in march . The Suburban Run run was on 15th March'09 and we completed the whole 10Km in spite of the energy sapping heat ...... now I intend to keep running :) and to do something new in the coming months.

Hubby dear was very very supportive of this decision to run and he was more excited and proud about my completing the 10km than me . We celebrated this small achievement with a blueberry yogurt cake and simple besan aur pyaaz ke paranthe . I followed the recipe given by Clotilde of chocolateandzucchini . The cake turned out perfect . I forgot to take picture of the slices :) as we were too busy gorging on those .





The recipe for Besan aur pyaaz ke paranhte ( Indian Gram flour and onion bread) is -


Ingredients :-
Gram flour - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large sized one , finely chopped
Finely chopped green chili - 2-3 as per taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Oil
Water - as much as required

Mix the gram flour and wheat flour. Add all the spices and mix well . Add about 3 tb sp oil and mix well so that the oil gets well incorporated into the dry ingredients. Now add the chopped onion and green chili . Add water and prepare a stiff dough.

Divide the dough into golf ball sized balls . Make into round balls and roll out each ball separately into circular shape.
Cook over a hot skillet , apply oil on both sides and cook till small brown specks appear .

Serve with butter, yogurt and pickles


This is another popular travel food as it lasts for up to 2-3 days. Hence this is my second entry for SWC-Meals on wheels hosted by LG of tasteofmysore.

Gujhiya - Traditional Indian Sweet Puff

Last month when I was hosting SWC- UP I wanted to publish this post and send as an entry for the event.

Due to lack of time I was unable to publish it in time and so I am publishing it now. As anyone from UP, Bihar would know Gujhiyas are sweet delicacies which are made speacially on Holi . In some households they are also made on the occassion of Diwali . In my house , gujhiyas are made once in a year on holi and that is what made them special and more desirable.

Somehow , holi never seems complete without gujhiyas and hence I always try to make atleast a few that time of the year . My mother would make 100's of gujhiyas and they would all vanish within a couple of days ..... in our household gujhiya making was always a group acitivity with each member of the family having a specific part . Me and my brother moved up the value chain from making small rounds of the pastry to be rolled out to actually rolling it into small circles , then stuffing and folding them . My dad would be the one to fry these beauties ..and I remember all of us happily eating the first two - three lots while "tasting" them . There is nothing to beat a hot gujhiya...fresh from the fryer :-) . When we were teenagers ....my mom even involved all of our friends , we would all sit on the floor working in total synchrony , till date our friends remember the gujhiya making project ..especially those who were from different parts of the country and hence didnot make gujhiyas at home.

Someday I also hope to have a small gujhiya making assembly line at my home and carry forward this tradition :-) . I hope some of you would try this recipe and enjoy this experience as much as we did ...

The recipe is as follows -

For the pastry -

Maida / all purpose flour - 1.5 cups

Dalda/ Shortening - 4-5 tb sp.

Water - as required

Mix the dalda with the flour and rub it with your fingers , till the flour becomes a little oily and stays firm & retains its shape when you squeeze it between your palms . Then add water ( cold water ) and make a semi - soft dough . Keep it covered with a wet cloth.

For the stuffing -

Khoya/ Mava - 1 cup

Semolina / sooji - 1/2 cup

Dry coconut powder - 1/3 -1/2 cup

Powdered sugar - 1 cup ( as per taste )

Cardamom powder - 1 t sp

Dry fruits - pistachios, almonds, raisins, etc etc

Oil - to deep fry

You can check out the method for preparing khoya/ mava here.

Dry roast the semolina till it becomes fragrant. Keep it aside . Then dry roast the coconut powder till all moisture dries out . Then mix all the ingredients together in a dry pan and keep it aside . You can check the sugar levels as per your taste , as the pastry sheet is bland you will need to have a little more sugar in the mixture , hence adjust accordingly.

Once, the filling is ready , make small balls of the dough and roll them into small rounds "pooris" 10 - 12 cm diameter. Always keep the remaining dough covered to avoid it from becoming dry.

Filling the gujhiya can be the tricky part , as one needs to be careful to close it well . You can use curry puff makers , special gujhiya moulds are also available in India .... they make the task quite easy and also ensure that all gujhiyas are of the same size.

If you are using a mould then keep the poori in the centre of the mould such that the edges are evenly covered from all the side . Put one tablespoon of filling in the centre of the poori. Then apply a paste made by dissolving 1 tsp all purpose flour in 3-4 tb sp of water along the edges . This step ensures that both the sides stick to each other properly. Once the edges are properly covered with this paste , fold the mould and the result would be half moon shaped puffs .

If you are not using the mould then you need to keep the poori on your left hand palm, then put the filling in the centre , apply the paste on the edges and fold one half over the other to make a half moon . You can then leave it like that and press the edges tightly together or you can make a serrated design like I did .

Once you have 9 - 10 ready pieces , deep fry them over medium heat till golden in colour. If you intend to fry all of them at one go then cover these ready to fry gujhiyas covered with a wet cloth.

You can eat them immediately and also store them for upto a week in an airtight container.

Enjoy !!

Phirni - traditional Indian Rice Pudding

Somethings hold a special place in the heart because of the memories associated with them . This particular dish is one of those things for me .....a very simple but delicious dessert ..this used to be the favorite ..made on all those small celebrations ..... highest marks in a class quiz, getting selected on some team . We used to celebrate all those small victories and accomplishments and phirni used to be a part of it :-) . Though I don't get to make this dessert that often now ....not because of the lack of occasions for celebrations ...but more so because of the wish/need to watch the calorie intake :-(

Someday when I have kids and I will need to celebrate their achievements and successes ..then maybe I will again get a chance to relish this favorite of mine :-)

Since it is served when chilled , summer time is the ideal time to make and relish this dessert. The gulab jal /rose water added also has a cooling effect on the body.

I saw that Rice is the selected ingredient for this month's JFI hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam a plethora of recipes involving rice ran through my mind. But finally I chose this simple , cooling and sweet dessert as my entry into the event , not to mention that I got to make and eat it with my dear friends not to forget all with the "legitimate reason" of needing an entry for the event ;-)



Phirni / Traditional Indian rice pudding - Serves 6

Ingredients :-

Rice ( any white rice would do ) - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1 litre

Sugar - 6-7 tb sp. ( as per taste)

Rose water/ Gulab jal - 1 tb sp.

Dry fruits of your choice - as per taste


For this dessert , we need to soak the rice in some water for 1 hour or so and then grind the rice . The rice should be ground a little coarsely and not into a paste .


In the meanwhile , take a thick bottomed pan and heat the milk in it .Once the milk starts to boil , lower the flame and let the milk simmer for 15 -20 mins . Once the quantity has reduced a little add the rice paste into the milk . Add the paste very very slowly and constantly stir the milk as you do so . This step is very important , because if not stirred properly and constantly lumps will form and we do not want that to happen .


Once all the rice has been added to the milk , keep stirring the milk constantly for the next 10 mins . Ensure that the rice does not settle down and stick to the bottom of the pan. While stirring the milk you will notice that the consistency changes and it will have a creamy consistency.


Now , take the pan off the flame and add the sugar . Stir a little so that the sugar dissolves .


Once the contents of the pan are a little cool , add the gulab jal /Rose water and the finely chopped dry fruits .


Keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours .


Serve chilled !