Olive fever with Olive Bread!
As a child , I used to crave a lot on Meditteranian Cuisine and olives would be my best mates.I remember the transparent bags of olives that my mom used to pop out of her kitchen when shes all set to serve the salads for dinner.The small oval fruit is widely cultivated in the Meditteranian region and is prime source of olive oil.
After coming to Kerala ..it was hard to get olives….now you get almost all the imported stuff here too.The recipe that I am posting out here is one that I got hold off during my visit to Bangalore .It was featured in a magazine.The best part of the recipe was my craze to use olives after a long time 😛
Olive Bread
650g of flour
2tsp of salt
4tsp of dry yeast
300ml of water
75ml of olive oil
200 gms of black olives pitted & chopped
1 big onion chopped
1 small bunch of parsley washed and chopped
Mix flour, salt ,water and yeast to make a soft dough.Mix together olive oil, onion, olives and parsley in a bowl.Knead this into the soft dough and keep it for fermentation for about 15 minutes.After 15 minutes tear the dough 4 portions.Shape into ovals and slash the top of each on a greased tray , cover with a wet muslin cloth and leave it for proving for about 1 1/2 hour. Preheat oven at 220 degree Celsius.Once fermented , line the dough on a greased baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes or till the crust becomes golden brown.
Cinnamon Hot Chocolate to spice up the Monsoon rains!
“Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for Mondays.”
Chocolate has become the most sought out fav among most.This energy booster is a real bliss to all sweet tooth fanatics.I am back to Munnar and back to work after our school Monsoon vacation.From the 22nd of last month its again into the busy bee schedule .This time the rains have been really hard.Came home on Friday night to find a large branch on the roof with a thud.Luckily it was caught up on the electric line with a portion falling on our house roof.So no power for about 2 hours and everything was cleared.Its been very windy out here more rains than last year.My hus was born and brought up in Munnar..he says its becoming the same old Munnar that he remembers from his childhood with heavy monsoons. The laziest part of going to school in rain is that you never feel like getting out of your blankets. Me and my kids enjoy hot chocolate to the utmost after school ..they dont mind if its served even twice 😉 SK likes his cup of chocolate spiced with cinnamon.
Here’s the magic to Cinnamon Hot cholcolate..
2cups of whole milk
150 gms of dark chocolate
100gms white chocolate
1/2 tsp of Cinnamon powder
Whipped fresh cream(optional)
Chop the chocolate pieces and heat with milk on medium flame.Whisk the milk with chocolate pieces till they melt.Add cinnamon powder and whisk and turn off the flame.Pour the hot chocolate into a cup and top with whipped fresh cream .Enjoy the rain with the warmth of your cup of chocolaty yum….!
Sweeten your taste buds with Milk Peda!
Monsoons in Munnar have been quite hectic this time.Its been about two years since we had such heavy rainfalls.The river was half way to being flooded.Its time to laze out a bit from my hectic schedule as school has closed for the monsoon vacation for a month for us.Yesterday its my bro’s bday …as he’s in Moscow ..here’s mouth melting sweeties wishing u a wonderful birthday!
Malai Peda or Milk peda is a fav with my little one and me.I really love making them at home .These mouthwatering beauties are a fav among my culinary science students at school. Shazia and Shwetha…here’s the long awaited recipe…a treat for holidays!
Milk Peda
2 cups of milk powder
1 tin of condensed milk
3 tbsps of ghee
1/4 tsp of cardamom powder
Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan on medium flame,pour in the condensed milk.Stir in the milk powder and cardamom powder with a wooden spatula mixing without lumps.Keep the flame very low as milk burns very fast and stir till it thickens.Let it cool down and shape them into desired shapes.It is also optional to decorate these milk delicacies with pistachios/cashews/almonds.
Magic with leftover Idlis-Idli Uppuma!
Snacks are a must o must here at home and I’m always on the lookout for something that can be prepared in minutes.When it’s idlis for breakfast,I do a makeover with it so that I get a snack to feed my kids at four. Here.s the recipe for Idli uppuma…
Idli Uppuma
4-5 idlis cut in to small pieces
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of urad dal split
3 green chillies chopped
1 small piece of ginger chopped
2 dry red chillies broken into pieces
2tsp of oil
1/2 cup of curd
Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Heat oil in a pan ,pop mustard seeds,fry urad dal,dry red chillies,ginger and green chillies .Add chopped onions and sauté till translucent.Pour in curd,add in idlis ,curry leaves,salt to taste and curry leaves.Turn off the heat and serve hot. You can mash the idlis if you want for a crumbled texture.
Creamy Mughalai Chicken!
There’s loads of pics that I have been clicking around to upload on to my blog..hoping put them up in a few days.Yesterday being Saturday trying to laze around with my other chores was in a mood to pep up a heavy main course for my family.Its been a bit like ages since I cooked Mughalai Chicken.This creamy northie flavored dish was to go in hand with Missi rotis. Here the rains have been pouring quite heavily all of a sudden reminding that the monsoons are coming up….brrr..it is now getting a bit cold too..
Now off to the recipe of Mughalai Chicken..
Mughalai Chicken
1/2 kg Chicken cut in medium sized pieces
3 big onions sliced
1 tomato chopped
1 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of chilli powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of garam masala powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of dry fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup of fresh cream
40 gms of cashews soaked in plain water and ground into a paste
1 egg whisked
Coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan saute the onions,tomato and ginger garlic paste till pink and add in the tomatoes.Fry till it is mashed in,ad in turmeric powder,chilli powder , coriander powder,garam masala powder.Fry till the raw smell goes off and let it cool and grind this into a paste .Marinate the chicken pieces with the paste and add 1cup of water ,salt to taste , cover and cook till meat is tenderized.In an other pan heat 2 tsp of butter stir in dry fenugreek leaves and cumin powder.Pour in the cooked chicken with the gravy into the pan and let it simmer.Stir in the cashew paste on medium flame.In a small bowl mix the whisked egg and fresh cream together.Take care not to boil the cream .Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Best served with naan,rotis and parathas..
Book your copies!
My new book is a revised edition of my earlier book…with new recipes.This is a paperback book with 60 recipes with full color photographs..a must have for a person craving for Kerala food..
Beat the heat with Mango& Dates Smoothie!
Mangoes these yellow beauties have always been my fav since childhood.I remember the fights that I would pick up to slurp the mango seed.This tropical fruit is high in prebiotic dietary fiber,Vitamin A , vitamin C ..etc
Be it ripe or green ones , I love playing with them in my food preparations.The school was closed for about 15 days before the new academic year started.Here in Munnar, my sons normally have their vacation in June-July months when its pouring all day.The rains are pretty difficult to handle in Munnar when you have to board the bus cold & drenched.So the school closes during that time here as a relief to the kids.The 15 day holiday break flew out for me this time with my classes, printing of my new cookbook and Vishu celebration.Heres a snap from the Vishu Kani..
Mango & Dates Smoothie
Pulp of 3 medium sized ripe mangoes
6-7 dates ,deseeded
3 scoops of vanilla icecream
2 cups of milk
Chocolate shavings
sugar to taste
In a juicer grind the dates and mango pulp with sugar first.Slowly add in the milk and vanilla icecream scoops and blend well.Pour this in to serving glasses and top it with chocolate shavings.It is best served chilled.Beat the heat and freshen up with this mango fever!
Utterly Gheely Ghee cake:)
Since the start of 2013, its been jam packed with my work schedules, classes and work on my new book.I have all my posts that are to be posted, but nothing quite seems to work out:(
This recipe is specially dedicated to Reshma Kaloor who has a flair for baking.Well..I hope ur doubts with the Ghee cake get cleared with this post.This recipe wouldn’t have popped up on my blog if u hadn’t asked.This super soft South Indian pound cake recipe is one that I really treasure for its spongy texture and the aroma of ghee.The recipe has been for long penned out in my diary and the courtesy of the recipe goes to Mrs.K.M Mathew.
Ghee Cake
1 cup of All purpose flour
1 tsp of Baking Powder
1/4 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of ghee
4 eggs seperated
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of lemon rind grated
1/2 cup of milk
2 tbsp of granulated sugar
1 tsp of vanilla essence
Separate egg whites and egg yolks.Sieve the flour ,baking powder and baking soda together in to a bowl and keep aside.Beat the powdered sugar and ghee with a whisk / mixer till it becomes fluffy and light.Beat in the eggs one by one at low speed.Mix in the lemon juice, rind and milk.At very low speed mix in the flour. Take an other bowl and whisk egg whites till stiff,add in granulated sugar and vanilla essence and whisk again till stiff.Now slowly fold in the egg whites with the cake batter.Preheat oven at 180 degree and bake the cake about 40 -45 minutes or till the skewer comes out clean.
Cashew Ladoos -memoir of Diwali!
Diwali -the festival of lights was a last week.Celebration of Diwali is all about firecrackers and sweets..this diwali I wanted to type in one of my most cherished sweets…Cashew Ladoos/Kaju ladoos.This is a very rich sweet made out of cashews.
CASHEW LADOOS
1/4 cup of water
1 1/4 cups sugar
3tbsp milk
1/2 kg cashew nuts
4 tsps of ghee
5-6 strands of saffron
Slightly roast the cashews in a pan and finely powder them in a mixer.Boil water and sugar in a saucepan stirring continuously till the sugar dissolves on low flame.When the syrup starts becoming thick, remove from flame and add in the ghee along with the milk and saffron.Stir it and add in the powdered cashew slowly mixing well.Once the powder is well combined with the syrup ,cook the mix on medium flame stirring till the ghee comes out.Let the mix cool down a little and make small balls out of the mix.
My little ones were gobbling up these ladoos as I made them.Guess after all cashew is an all time fav for all 😉
“Ram! The light of lights, the self-luminous inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart. Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul.”
Hi! I am Nimi Sunilkumar…an award winning cookbook author /culinary demonstrator/freelance writer / food photographer/food blogger …spiced with the flavors of food..
