Friday, October 21, 2011

Mooli Paratha (Radish Paratha)

Another great delight in the paratha category is often neglected because its competition is always the mighty aloo paratha. But beyond the the tedious effort that goes into grating these strong tasting root veggie, the final result is sure to impress those taste buds. This is a great healthy wholemeal by itself, so try out it for your next lunch/dinner.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
Dough
Whole wheat flour/Atta : 3 cups or as per your requirement
Radish water* +Water : 1/2 cup(little or more) enough to make a smooth dough
a pinch of  salt

Filling
Radish/Mooli (grated): 1 cup
Green chilies (chopped): 1-2
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Jeera powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves (chopped): 1 tablespoon
salt to taste
Oil 

*First squeeze out the liquid from the grated radish and keep aside. You can use this water while kneading the chappati dough. 

Knead a smooth dough by mixing enough water and a pinch of salt to the whole wheat flour and keep aside. Finally apply 1 tablespoon of oil to firm up the dough. In a deep nonstick pan/kadai dry roast the grated radish with all the masala until dry and slightly toasty. This process not only eliminates all the water for a dry filling, but also takes away the pungent flavor from the radish.
Make round balls of the dough. Flatten them a little so you can make a pocket in your palms. Put the filling and seal it back. Roll it out into flat circles. Dust as much as flour you need to roll them out. Fry these on the tava with oil/ ghee.

Serve hot with the pickle of your choice. We personally prefer the Punjabi mixed vegetable. Don't forget a bowl of curd too.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a classic Italian desert which  literally means "Pick me up" since it could never be left behind because of its irresistible taste. Every bite you take mesmerizes your palettes with a fusion of coffee and chocolate in a smooth cream. Though it might seem like  a big deal to put it together, its rather very simple  to make.  Here's our take on the recipe which is definitely worth a try.

Prep Time: 1 hr + setting time
Ingredients
Egg yolks: 3
Mascarpone cheese (80z): 1pack
Sugar: 1 cup
Heavy whipping cream: 1 pint
Lady fingers/ Savoiardi*: 2 packs( about 40 fingers)
Ghiradelli dark chocolate bars: 4-5
Milk chocolate: 1 small bar
Expresso*: Double shot
Water: 1/2 cup
Marsala wine: 4-5 tablespoons
Kahlua (coffee liquor): 3 tablespoons
Cocoa powder: 1 teaspoon for dusting

*We just got a double shot of regular expresso from one of the local coffee shops.
 *The lady fingers are easily available in most of the local grocers (Safeway/ Fredmeyers)

Beat the egg yolks + 1/4 cup of sugar until ivory and smooth. In a double boiler beat the egg yolk mixture. Add the marsala wine and keep beating until it starts to thicken. This takes about 5 mins. Move it aside. When this cools, add the entire package of mascarpone cheese and fold it until smooth. If you over do the mascarpone cheese it can become a little crumbly. Beat the whipping cream slowly adding the 1/2 cup sugar with a hand blender until it has stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk+cheese mixture. This makes the main creamy layer in this desert.

Now for the coffee-choco concoction. In the double boiler melt 2 bar of the dark choc + 1 bar of the milk chocolate. Turn off the gas and and add the kahlua and the expresso with the water. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to this and mix well. This is what we will dip the lady fingers into.

Take a glass flat dish preferably to set the Tiramisu. Dip the ladyfingers one by one into the coffee concoction and lay it down. Dont dip for too long as they will immediately break down. Layer it with whipped mixture. Repeat until its over ending with the whipped mixture on the top. Typically cocoa dust is spread on the very top, but we like to use a mix of grated dark chocolate and cocoa dust.

Cover it with cling wrap and leave it in the refrigrator for about 6-8 hours.

Cut and serve and defenitely enjoy every bite of this fabulous desert.

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