Chocolate and Walnut Loaf

For all practical purposes this is a cake. Except that it is made in a loaf pan to give an appearance of a loaf of bread. We love this here at home, made it plenty of times and just can't seem to get enough of it.
The chocolate on top adds to the decadence and the sensual aspect of this loaf, you could totally omit this if you watching what you eat.
Adding oil instead of butter yields a very moist cake, whereas you can't beat the buttery taste when you add the latter. I don't care that much for the buttery goodness, so I add any neutral tasting oil to it.
Ahem, I could write more... but really, if you will excuse me, I need to get back to eating my slice... :)
Happy viewing!



Chocolate and Walnut Loaf

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pastry flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Egg - 1
Skim milk - 3/4 cup
Vegetable Oil/Butter - 1/3 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Semi sweet chocolate chips - 6 oz.
Chopped walnut - 1/2 cup
Melted chocolate - To drizzle on top

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter and sugar together using a hand/stand mixer. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
Sift together baking soda, powder and flour.
Add the flour mixture and milk alternating between the both till everything is combined.
Fold in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.

Transfer the mixture onto a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for about 45-55 min.

Check if the loaf is done using a toothpick. Insert it into the middle. It should come out clean.

Let it cool on a wire rack and then drizzle melted chocolate on top. The top of the loaf will be cracked a little bit. It is normal.

Baked Idli (Rice cake) Manchurian

Me missing from the blogging scene is not even a surprise now! I love cooking and blogging, but other things take priority every now and then like it rightfully should, so this time I am not even going to the why and what of my absence. But I am happy to blog at the moment and I will relish this till I am done with this post.
Idli Manchurian is not something I ate a lot or was familiar with when I was back home. I probably have had it a couple of times, not because I did not like it but because it was way too greasy and unhealthy. It is made by frying the Idli pieces that were dipped in batter and then stir fried with vegetables and sauces. Sounds yummy right? I know!
For my version, I baked them (vs. frying) and tossed it with a bunch of crunchy vegetables and tomato sauce and called it a day! It tasted good and knowing that I am eating something good made me a very happy camper right there in my kitchen.



Baked Idli (Rice cakes) Manchurian

Ingredients:

Steamed Idli (Rice cakes) - 6-8 cut into cubes
Carrot - 1 cup shredded
Green pepper - 1 cup shredded
Cabbage - 2 cups shredded
Ginger - 2 tsp chopped
Garlic - 3 tsp chopped
Mint leaves - 1 cup chopped
Curry leaves - About 6 leaves chopped
Spring Onion - 1 cup chopped lenghtwise
Salt - To taste
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup/sauce - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 1 cup (Chick pea flour/besan flour should also work)
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - Depending on your heat level
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Black pepper -1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp



Method:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix the corn flour, rice flour, salt, 2 tbsp oil, chilly powder (about 1/2 tsp), turmeric powder with a little water to make into a paste.



Add the idli pieces and mix well. The batter should be just enough to coat the pieces.



Spread it evenly on a greased baking sheet and bake until lightly brown and the coating of batter is baked. Check after 15 minutes of placing the tray in the oven.



Meanwhile in a large wok, add the oil, when hot add the curry leaves, ginger, garlic, pepper. Then add the veggies and stir fry with some salt. Add the mint and spring onions, soy sauce and tomato sauce at last. Now, add the baked idli pieces and mix well till it absorbs all the sauce and flavors from the veggies and herbs.
Serve hot.

Baked Edamame Fritters - Secret to a perfect no-fry Vadai

Vadai/Indian fritters is by far one of the most loved snacks down South of India. A rare cold afternoon with rain thrashing down on the roof calls for a hot cup of chai and its most beloved companion - Masala Vadai.
The aroma of the vadais wafting from the gloomy kitchen with Amma frying them up ever so elegantly with me wrapped up in my blanket standing beside her is a memory that I cherish and yearn for even now.
My daughter would probably have memories of her mom pulling out a tray of healthy vadais right from the oven as opposed to frying them up!
I have already tried my hands on baked masala vadais, and they came out beautifully. It uses a different procedure.
Baking is not the same as frying them, agreed... but pretty close with the new method I have come up with. And without all those calories, do I hear anyone complaining?
Okay, here is the secret: "broiling"
Baking the vadais for about 10-15 minutes, and then putting the oven on broil mode for 2-4 minutes and getting that beautiful crispy crust on the top is as close you will ever get to frying them.

So the concept is, the fritters cook from below when you "bake" them, and then from above when you "broil" them. The coil heats up from the respective sides when you use the bake and broil mode.
And voila! You have the best crispy healthy vadais you will ever have!

Note: Do not move away from the oven when it is on "broil" mode. Temperatures reach up to 500F- 525F and will burn whatever is in the oven in no time.



Baked Edamame Fritters - Secret to a perfect no-fry Vadai

Ingredients:

Edamame - 1 lb bag
Channa Dal/Dried split chickpeas - 1 cup
Cabbage - 1/2 cup chopped
Green chillies - 3 tbsp chopped
Red onions - 1 large chopped
Ginger - 2 tsp chopped
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (adjust heat according to your taste)
Curry leaves - 3 tbsp torn into pieces
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Soak the channa dal/lentils in water for about two hours.
Cook Edamame until it is al dente. Do not overcook, it shouldn't be mushy.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grind the channa dal/lentil and edamame until coarse. Do not make a smooth paste out of it.
In a large mixing bowl, add the ground up lentil and edamame. Add all other ingredients and mix well.

Take a large baking tray, line with aluminum foil and give a good shot of non-stick spray.
Take small balls of the mixture, flatten it in your palm and line them out on the baking tray like shown below.



Bake at 400F till the bottom is golden brown (about 15-20 min).

Then put your oven in broil mode and let the fritters sit for another 2-4 minutes in the oven, till you get a golden color on the top as well.
Keep a constant eye when your oven is on "Broil" mode. It will burn whatever is in your oven in a jiffy!

Take it out when it is done and enjoy warm with some chutney.

Baklava Cigars

One of the reasons I love Baklava is because it is loaded with nuts, has my favorite rose syrup all over it and uses the delicate phyllo dough!
Working with Phyllo sheets are tricky. You need to thaw them out to the right temperature so they are not too dry from the cold that they break or they are too thawed out that they stick together. One good tip is to use a damp kitchen cloth and keep the sheets covered until you are ready to work with them. Keep them covered even if it is only for a couple of seconds. That way they will stay soft and easy to work with.
It is not a pretty sight to have brittle phyllo dough all over your kitchen counter. Been there, done that!
Psst... I have even thrown the tiny broken pieces of the phyllo burying them along with the filling and rolled it all up in the hope that no one would ever find out! :)

This quick and individual portions of baklava are perfect for parties and for dunking in some sinful rich silky chocolate sauce, or caramel, or oh! oh! how about some dulce de leche?
Okay, allright! Let me stop right there because we did neither... no party, or dunking nothing in anything. We just enjoyed it way the simple way. The little sugar syrup on top was the right amount of sweetness especially if you are watching what you are eating. There is no need to let them soak in syrup like the regular Baklava. Sorry about being a little devil tempting you right there with the dunking part. Er.. remember?... We try to cook healthy here.



Baklava Cigars

Ingredients:

Phyllo sheets - 2 sheets for each cigar (buy a box, and use as many as you need)
Melted butter - 3 tbsp
Rose essence - 1/2 tsp
Dates - 1/2 cup
Roasted almonds - 1/2 cup
Roasted walnuts - 1/2 cup
Toasted Hazelnuts - 1/2 cup
Roasted Sunflower seeds - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup (optional)
Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Take out phyllo sheets from the freezer, open and cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
In a food processor pulse the nuts and seeds till they are coarse bits. Transfer onto a clean dry bowl.
Then blend the raisins and dates (chop them roughly before you put them into the food processor). Add the nuts, chocolate chips. Pulse only till combined. The whole mixture should still be coarse. You should be able to pinch out a lemon sized ball and roll it without sticking. It can definitely be on the drier side too. If it is powdery, that is okay too.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Now slowly separate out one phyllo sheet, and place on a working surface. Brush ever so slightly with melted butter and place another sheet over it and brush again with butter. Now place the filling in one corner of the sheet. Filling should be about 3" long and 1" thick.



Roll the sheet like you would a burrito. Seal the edges with a drop of melted butter.

Roll all the cigars the same way until you have exhausted all the filling. Brush all the cigars with a light touch of melted butter.



Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake till the cigars are golden brown in color.

Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile mix the powdered sugar and rose essence with a 1/2 tsp of water and pour over the cooled baklava cigars. This way it is not soaking wet in sugar syrup.

Enjoy when the sugar has slightly set. Tastes even better the next day!

Happy baking! :)