Tahini Sauce

I have lived in the Middle East for 5 years and fell in love with the food there, though a little bland for our Indian taste buds......something worth giving a try...............be it Baba ganoush, hummus, sheesh tawook, falafel, kuboos,pita bread, baklava, umm ali and my all time favorite shawarma.

This is just a small attempt to try to relive the memories I have had when I was in Bahrain.

Ingredients 

• 2 cups Sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup or little more Vegetable oil

Method

1. Spread sesame seeds on a flat baking sheet.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degree C and pop into the oven and bake for about five minutes, do not let the sesame seeds brown.Remove and let it cool.
3. Transfer the seeds into a blender or food processor, add oil and blend to a smooth paste, add more oil if required.
4. Transfer the tahini into an air tight container and store in refrigerator.
5. Use tahini to make hummus and baba ganoush.

Cashew Macaroons for Anna

Cashew macaroons from Mangalore bakeries have always been my brothers favorite for a very long time....When I was a kid I could never pronounce 'macaroon'......I used to call them 'McEnroe'(yup the famous angry tennis player).

I will be seeing my brother after a year today.....and these are for him.....Welcome Anna......I hope you enjoy these McEnroe's.

Ingredients

Print this recipe

• 60 grams Egg white (2 eggs), room temperature 
• 130 grams fine Powdered sugar or super fine Caster sugar 
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 60 grams Cashew-nuts , chopped

Method

1. Take a super clean dry bowl (I mean it...super clean,not even a drop of  water), add in the egg white...just the white(I mean it...not a drop of yolk). Keep an electric beater ready,the blades/whips have to be super clean and dry (you know I mean it) .
2. Preheat oven at 100 degree C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Beat the egg whites on high speed for 2 minutes, gradually add in the super fine sugar 1 tbsp at a time till all the sugar  are incorporated .Beat for 10 more minutes or till smooth and glossy and stiff peaks are formed.Add vanilla essence and beat.
4. Slowly add the chopped cashewnuts(reserve little to sprinkle on top) and fold slowly and carefully with a spatula.
5. Using a spoon or in my case a cookie scoop ,drop the batter on the prepared baking sheet.Sprinkle cashew on top and bake.Believe me it took 1hr and 30 minutes to bake these macaroons,maybe because they were big,just keep and eye on them.You will see liquid oozing out while baking,but thats fine,it will crystallize and few may ever crack....but they will still taste great.
6. Remove from oven and let it cool completely ,store in air tight container.

Teatime Cake Rusk

Only thing missing in this picture is a hot cup of tea to dip the rusks in, perfect tea time snack.

Recipe Source :Ambus

Ingredients

Print this recipe

• 1 cup All purpose flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• pinch Salt
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Castor Sugar
• 113 grams unsalted softened Butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Method

1. Grease and line a 9 inch square baking pan with butter paper and set aside. Preheat oven at 180 degree C.
2. In a bowl beat sugar and butter till light and fluffy, add in the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.Scrape the down sides. Add vanilla essence and beat till well combined.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on slow speed till you have a smooth batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared greased pan ,smooth out the surface and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or till the cake is completely baked and when toothpick inserted it comes out clean.
5. Let the cake cool down for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cut into long pieces or desired shape.
6. Place the cut cake pieces on a cooling rack and bake again at 180 degrees C in a preheated oven in the center rack till you get the desired brown color.Keep checking on the rusk every 10 minutes and turn around so that its baked evenly on all four sides.
7. Remove from oven and let it cool down completely before transferring into an air tight container.

Kadle Manoli / Ivy gourd sukka

OK I think my blog will be incomplete without Manoli kadle....Its a traditional Mangalorean side dish, served with rice.

Ingredients
Print this recipe

• 1/2 Kg Ivy Gourd /Manoli (tip removed and slit)
• 1 cup Small Black Chickpea
• salt to taste
• 5 dry red chillies (roasted) 3 long red chillies and and 2 small
• 3 tsp coriander seeds (roasted)
• 1/4 tsp  cumin seeds (roasted)
• 3 garlic (with skin)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 cup  fresh  grated coconut
• 2 tsp jaggery (adjust to taste)

For Seasoning

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal 
• 3 garlic (crrushed)
• 5 to 6 curry leaves
• 1 dry red chilly

Method

1. Soak Chickpeas in water overnight.Cook  Black Chickpea with little salt in pressure cooker , drain and keep aside.
2. Place Ivy gourd/ manoli in a vessel with little water and salt and cook till done and water evaporated. Keep aside.
3. Place  roasted red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garlic and jaggery in a small mixie jar and grind to fine powder. Add coconut and grind for less that 10 seconds (coconut should be coarse). Keep aside.
4. Place a pan on medium heat , add oil, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, when it starts popping add urad  dal and fry till it turns golden brown. Add crushed garlic, curry leaves and red chilly and stir for few seconds.
5. Now add the ground coconut masala and fry for a minute or two to remove raw smell.
6. Add cooked Chickpeas and Ivy gourd / Manoli and mix well. adjust salt. If its too dry sprinkle little water.Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Take off the flame.
7. Serve with rice and Touthe Kodel

Spiked Pina Colada Cake - Happy B'day Anna

My brother is a man of very few words........So I have just one word for him......

'RESPECT'

Recipe Source: Humming bird bakery  Cake days

Ingredients
Print this recipe
For sponge

• 100ml White rum
• 4 slices Pineapple
• 40g unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 120g All purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Egg
• 120 ml Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence

For Frosting

• 80g unsalted Butter , softened
• 250g Icing sugar
• 4tsp White rum
• 4 tsp Coconut Milk
• 4 slices Pineapple for decoration
• 4 tbsp Caramelized coconut for decoration

Method

1. Grease a 6 inch pan,line with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Pour rum into a small saucepan,add 30g sugar,place the saucepan on medium flame and bring to boil, let the liquid reduce to half .Cut the pineapple into bits and soak it in the reduced rum for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven at 170 degree C.
4. In a large bowl combine butter,140g sugar, flour,baking powder and salt.Using an electric beater beat on low speed till the mixture looks like crumbs.
5. In a small jar combine the wet ingredients - egg, coconut milk and vanilla essence, whisk with a fork and mix well.
6. Pour the the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients,beat at low speed and increase the speed once all the ingredients are well combined.
7. Remove the pineapple from the rum (squeeze out the excess liquid), sprinkle the pineapple bits on the greased pan.Pour the batter on the pineapple bits and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or till the cake is done.
8. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool down for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and transferring on to a wire rack.Let the cake cool down completely.
9. Prepare frosting :- Beat butter and icing sugar till they resemble sand like consistency,in a small glass combine rum and coconut milk, pour this into the butter and icing sugar mixture and beat till light and fluffy.
10. Assemble the cake :-Place the cake on a serving dish , soak with the reduced rum and frost the cake.Decorate with pineapple bits and caramelized coconut. 

Gujje Kadle Aajadina / Raw Jackfruit Sukka

Classic Mangalorean dish.......Okay confession.......not my favorite, I always pick out the jackfruit and eat the chickpeas.....I sometimes forget that this is my moms blog too........presenting Gujje Kadle aajadina - Courtesy: MOM

Ingredients
Print this recipe

• 3 cups Gujje/ Raw jackfruit (chopped)
• 1 cup Small Black Chickpea
• 1 onion ,chopped
• salt to taste
• 5 dry red chillies (roasted) 3 long red chillies(byadigi) and and 2 small(guntur)
• 3 tsp coriander seeds (roasted)
• 1/4 tsp  cumin seeds (roasted)
• 3 garlic (with skin)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 cup  fresh  grated coconut
• 2 tsp jaggery (adjust to taste)

For Seasoning

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal 
• 3 garlic (crrushed)
• 5 to 6 curry leaves
• 1 dry red chilly

Method

1. Soak chickpeas in water overnight.Cook them with little salt and enough water to cover the chickpeas  in pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles (or depending how much whistles your cooker will take to cook them)
2. Toss in the chopped raw jackfruit into the cooker along with the cooked black chickpeas, add one chopped onion.Add very little water if required,incase it looks dry.Cover and cook for 2 whistles.
3. Place  roasted red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garlic and jaggery in a small mixir jar and grind to fine powder. Add coconut and grind for less that 10 seconds (coconut should be coarse). Keep aside.
4. Place a pan on medium heat , add oil, when oil is hot add mustard seeds, when it starts popping add urad  dal and fry till it turns golden brown. Add crushed garlic, curry leaves and red chilly and stir for few seconds.
5. Now add the ground coconut masala and fry for a minute or two to remove raw smell.
6. Add cooked Chickpeas and raw jackfruit and mix well. adjust salt. If its too dry sprinkle little water.Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Take off the flame.
7. Serve with rice and Thouthe kodel / Mangalore cucumber curry