Cinnamon rolls

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/microwave-caramel-sauce/

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/caramel-apple-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/

http://picky-palate.com/2012/06/11/perfect-cinnamon-rolls/

Puttu with kadala kurry

Puttu with Kadala curry ( Kadala curry is ideally made with brown chana but I used kabuli chana)

This recipe is from Kerala, and all in my family love south Indian food. We had puttu with kadala curry in Kadmat island, Lakshadweep for the first time  and my folks just loved it...Puttu is a popular breakfast in Kerala and people in Lakshadweep cherish kerala cuisine especially the seafood. Since last two months I had been trying to source puttu kudam (puttu maker) in Delhi and finally managed to get it from a local street vendor. Then began my search for puttu and kadala curry recipes.....sifted a couple of blogs before I decided to make it in my way.....drawing something from each of them ..but I largely followed this source-(http://www.sharmispassions.com/2011/08/kuzha-puttu-kadala-curry.html)

While kadala kurry is made with brown chana or kadala, I decided to use kabuli chane as  I had puttu with white kabuli chole in Lakshwadeep and we liked it that way, infact I was a little wary if my folks will cherish brown chana...you can use either...

To make puttu you need-
Rice rava- 3 cups
grated coconut - 1 cup
curd- 1/2 cup (nowhere it was mentioned to use curd but I used it and it came out well)
salt to taste

• To make puttu, add curd (optional) and very little water till the flour resembles breadcrumbs...when you tighten it in your fist, it should take shape.
• Let the flour soak for 30 mins to one hour and if you find the flour too dry, sprinkle some water. I added a little more water in the first go and had the right thing after an hour.

• Let water boil in puttu maker (or cooker, if you use the one used over cooker), and fix the lower perforated disc well. Add alternate layers of grated coconut (1/4 inch) and puttu flour (11/2 inch) till the rim (leave an inch from top).

• Steam the puttus for ten minutes and when it is cooked push it using a wooden stick from the bottom on the serving dish.

To make kadala curry-

Brown chana (1 1/2 cups) or kabuli chana (white chick peas)- 1 1/4 cup (soak overnight for 8 hrs)

Add salt and water to kabuli chana and pressure cook it for four whistles on high flame and ten minutes on low flame.

For curry take-

Shalots 8-9 or one large onion 

tomatoes- 2 medium (make a paste)

Dry red chilly- 2 nos

ginger paste- 1 tspn (you can use garlic also)

garam masala- 1 tspn

grated coconut- 1/2 cup

coriander seeds- 1 tbspn

cloves- 2

cinnamon- 1 inch piece

coriander powder- 1 tbspn

red chilly powder- 1 tspn

turmeric- 1 tspn

mustard seeds- 1 tspn

heeng (asofoetida)- pinch

oil- 3-4 tbspn

• Heat one tbspn oil and add garlic paste,  4-5 shallots cut into half (or slices of half medium sized onion), stir for a  minute or two. Add coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon and roast all till onions are pink. Add grated coconut and roast for 2-3 mins. 

• Add garam masala and take off the flame. Grind it in mixer with some water.

•  For tempering- heat 3 tbspns oil, add mustard seeds, asofoetida, curry leaves and 4-5 shallots (onion). Cook till golden brown and then add tomato paste. Cook till the paste leaves oil and then add coriander powder, chilly powder and turmeric powder. Saute for a minute, add the coconut paste prepared above and salt , mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.

 Add boiled chana and mix well and cook for 10 mins till required consistency.

• Serve with hot puttu.
• 
  

Garlic buns

I was always tempted by the pins related to breads and wondered if I could make bread in my convection microwave. One day while looking for microwave cooking I stumbled upon this  blog ...  http://www.cakesandmore.in/2013/03/how-to-use-convection-microwave-for_7.html       and yay! now  I had to try something  ...I decided to try garlic buns given here...
http://www.cakesandmore.in/2013/03/how-to-use-convection-microwave-for_7.html (similar other recipes on my pinterest board - http://www.pinterest.com/deepalisharma/tasty-bites/)

The picture of the garlic pull apart buns was too tempting to have a try at it and recipe also seemed easy, but ugghhh yeast, how to get that particular gloripan yeast..well I looked for the yeast packet I had bought some time back with the idea of making home baked fresh bread..and it was some wonder yeast..but this was not letting my spirits down! Any ways..I decided I will go ahead with whatever I have..and here is what I did...

What I used for bread-
Maida (plain flour)- 3 cups
warm water- 1 cup
dry active yeast- 1 tbspn
salt 1 tspn
sugar 2 tspns
olive oil 2 tbspns
1 egg + 1 tspn milk for basting the buns before baking
sesame seeds- 1 1/2 tbspn

For the filling I mixed 5-6 large cloves of crushed garlics in 50 gms salted butter, added 3tbspns chopped coriander, 1/2 tspn chilli flakes and 1/2 tspn pepper.
Working-

• So I went by the recipe step by step..it was my first chance, even if I decided to experiment with some other yeast-  warmed water for half a minute in microwave, added sugar and then yeast.
• Since it was pretty cold in Delhi , I kept this mixture in preheated microwave (4 mins convection at  180 deg centigrade) for 30 mins till the mixture got frothy. I  found this idea of using preheated oven for frothing yeast and poofing dough to be too good. 
• To the mixture I added maida and salt and mixed well. Added olive oil and kneaded it for 5 mins.
• I kept the dough in a glass bowl, covered it with cling film and placed it back in my preheated oven for around 2 hours till the dough doubled in size. It took too long for me- may be it was too cold or the yeast, so the time may vary for you. Keep a watch on the dough.
• When the dough was ready I first made the filling by mixing all the ingredients.
• I took out the dough and knocked down to remove locked air. I dusted the table top with plain flour and rolled the dough into  less than half an inch thickness sheet (oval).
• Applied little more than half of the garlic filling on the sheet and rolled the sheet from one end to another (smaller side).
• Using a thread I cut around eight no.  1"long rolls and placed them in a round pan.
• I then applied the leftover garlic mixture on top and sprinkled sesame seeds on top.
• Covered the pan with cling foil and kept in in preheated oven for poofing again for around two hours till the buns doubled in size.
• Preheated the oven at convection for ten minutes again .
• Applied the egg basting  and kept the buns for baking for 35 mins on convection at 180 degree Centigrade.
• The freshly baked buns smelled so good and tasted yummy..

A MUST TRY if you want to try something in breads...