SarasYummyBites: November 2012

Pori Urundai recipe/ Karthigai Pori / Puffed Rice balls

   Happy Karthigai Deepam wishes to you all. Karthigai Deepam is a typical festival of lights of the southern part of India and is an extension of Diwali festival. It is very similar to Bhai Duj or Raksha Bandhan celebrated in other parts of the country. The ideology of the festival is that "the sisters pray for their brothers' well being and the brothers in turn, promise to safeguard the sisters in times of trouble. This festival also involves the lighting of lamps in the homes, temples and the workplace.
        The idea behind this festival is to keep away bad things from life and welcome the good and holy things of life.
        Lamps lit with oil are a symbol of holiness in Indian culture. Karthigai Deepam is no exception. Beautifully lit lamps are found all around the home to bring in happiness to the home.

This festival occurs when the moon is seen fully in the sky. Karthigai Deepam is celebrated during Purnima or full moon day when the moon is in line the six star constellation called Karthigai. (Info Source: Karthigai Deepam) Special food like Murukku, Appam, Rice kheer / Pal Payasam, Peanut ladoo and Puffed rice ladoo are served and exchange between friends and relatives...

Total time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 ~ 20 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 15 balls

Ingredients:
3 cup of Nel Pori/ Aval Pori/ Puffed rice
1 cup Powdered jaggery
1 cup water
1/2 tsp sukku podi / dry ginger powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp coconut pieces
Ghee for greasing

Method:

In a kadai or pan, add powdered jaggery and water. Mix well and bring the mixture to boil.
When it starts to boil, remove and drain the jaggery water to remove dust from the it.
Add dry ginger powder, coconut pieces and cardamon powder to the mixture.

Heat the drained mixture again in medium heat till the syrup thicken and reaches soft ball consistency i.e. when spoon full of jaggery mixture dropped in a bowl of water, it should not dissolve ( as in pic) and itould be thick and you can make a soft ball out of it as shown in picture or candid thermometer should show 240 degree F.

Immediately pour the syrup over the pori/ puffed rice and mix it thoroughly.
Take a spoon full of pori mixture and spread it on the lined tray. This has to done very quickly.
Grease both the palm with ghee and gently press the portioned mixture to balls.
Rest it for 15 minutes and store it in airtight container.

NOTE:

Puffed rice / Pori must be very crispy and fresh.
Once the syrup consistency is reached, you have to be very fast to avoid harding of the mixture.
Don't apply pressure while rolling the balls which will tend to hard and dense balls.
For beginner, always have an eye when syrup starts to thicken because syrup consistency will reach very soon and you will miss the stage and syrup will become hard.
Use parchment paper to avoid the mixture to stick on the plate.

Sending this to Dish in 30 minutes hosted by me

November 27, 2012 27 comments

Dinner rolls was the topic given for this month challenge by SWATHI who is heart and soul of this event and she made it more interesting by giving 7 different shapes and select 3 out of it. It was good learning experience how to make these dinner rolls and my family enjoyed these dinner rolls with pumpkin soup... Try this recipe and make your dinner more memorable..

Total time:Less than 3 hours 15 minutes

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Resting time: Less than 2 hours 15 minutes

Baking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 16 buns

Adapted from King Arthur Golden pull - Apart butter buns

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons potato flour or 1/4 cup instant potato flake or 3/4 cup cooked mashed potatoes

3 tablespoons Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk or 1/2 cup of any milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons soft butter

2/3 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup lukewarm milk

1 tsp of any topping (optional)

Topping
2 tablespoons melted butter + 1/4 cup butter & milk mixture for brushing the dough

Method:

Preparation:

Combine all the dry dough ingredients in a large bowl, Meanwhile melt butter and add to milk to it and keep the mixture warm.
Mix the dry ingredients. Then combine mashed potato to the flour and mix well to form a crumbled texture.
Now add milk butter mixture to the crumbled flour and mix to form a dough. This is not sufficient to knead the dough, so add warm water to the flour mixture and combine well.
Knead the dough using your hands for 10 minutes to get a soft smooth dough or with a stand mixer / bread machine on the dough cycle mode to make a soft, smooth dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased container. Cover the container, and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it's just about doubled in bulk.
Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

Combine all ingredients

Melted butter and lukewarm milk mixture

Mix all dry ingredients expect mashed potato

Crumbled mixture after mixing mashed potatoes.

Add butter and milk mixture to the prepared flour. mix well

Adding lukewarm water

Final dough after mixing all the ingredients


Knead the dough to 10 minutes to get smooth and soft dough.

Cover and rest it to rise in warm place

After 1 hour dough doubles its volume

Deflate the dough

Divide it into 8 equal portion

Half each portion into two .i.e you will get 16 balls

For Basic dinner roll:

Lightly grease two 8" or 9" round cake pans. Space 8 ~ 9 buns in each pan and the buns just won't nestle together as closely, so their sides will be a bit more baked.
Cover the pans, and allow the buns to rise till they're crowd ed against one another and quite puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes.

For Clover shape dinner rolls:

Brush muffin tin with little butter and keep it aside. Take each portion of the divided dough and divide it again into 3 equal portion i.e from each portion you will get 3 small balls.
Add 3 balls to each tin. Cover and let rise again, in a warm spot, for about an hour.

Roll each portion lengthly and divide it to 3 equal portions

Roll each portion into soft balls

Fill 3 balls in each tin and cover and rest it in warm place for 30 minutes

For Crescent shape dinner rolls:

Line the baking tray with parchment paper and meanwhile dust the working space.
Divide dough in to two halve and take one portion of dough and slightly flatten into a disc.
Dust slightly with flour and roll it out into large 10 inch circle.
Using a pizza cuter or knife, divide the circle into half, and cut it into half in other direction and again continue the same in other direction to get 8 triangles.
Take one triangle on the working space and roll the wide end of the triangle towards tip.
Pull and stretch the tip little bit and roll. Do the same with remaining triangle.
Cover and let rise again, in a warm spot, for about an hour.

Divide it to 8 circles

Roll from wide end towards tip

Rolled crescent shape rolls

For Knot shape dinner rolls:

Line the baking tray with parchment paper and dust the working space with little flour.
Take one portion of ball. With your hands, roll out it into 8 inch rope and fold it like we do for knot shape.
Fold the left and right ends under the knot, pressing lightly to adhere. Place dough knot on a flat surface and lightly shape into a round circle.
Once finished with remaining balls, keep them covered and let knots rise again for another hour before baking.

For Rosette or Kaiser dinner rolls:

Line the baking tray with parchment paper and dust the working space with little flour.
Take one portion of ball. With your hands, roll out it into 8 inch rope where ends of rope is thinner than middle and tie it into loose knot.
Take one of the tailing end and tuck it around the back of the knot.
Take the other end and go around front of the knot ie through the middle.
Once finished with remaining balls, keep them covered and let knots rise again for another hour before baking.

Baking:

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Uncover the buns, brush with milk butter mixture and bake it for 22 ~ 24 minutes until top of the buns are golden brown color or should hear shallow sound when gently tap on the buns or insert instant thermometer in the center of bun should register at least 190°F.

After an hour

Brush with milk butter mixture

Top with any toppings, I used sesame seeds and bake it

After taking out from the oven, brush it with butter and allow it to cool

Remove the buns from the oven, and brush with the melted butter. After a couple of minutes, turn them out of the pan onto a cooling rack.Serve warm. Store leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature or freeze it for a month or two.
Don't use flour to roll them to shape instead use oil or butter to grease the dough.

Proud to be a part of Baking partners team

November 17, 2012 25 comments

Happy Diwali to all my Friends and Readers. The Diwali celebration is all over the place and I am badly missing my home and home town :( Yeah...it is not same over here and there no same excitement in the air!! NO crackers smell, no festival rituals.. But Festival foods is exception to it which helps us bring the festival mood and makes us feel better.. Even we miss the environment, sweet and snack which we prepare traditionally for the occasion makes us enjoyable and give some strength to the festival day.... okkkk let go today's recipe.. it is very simple but delicious recipes to my readers and to my friends...Kids and chocolate lovers will be delighted with this sweet and can be prepared in less time...

Total time: less than 40 minutes

Preparation time: less then 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Resting time: 10 minutes

Yield: 35 ~ 45 pedas depends on the size

Ingredients:
200 gms of marie biscuits or 2 1/4 cups of powdered marie biscuits
400gms / 1 can condensed milk
1/2 cup butter @ room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp raisins
1/4 cup broken nuts of your choice

Method:
Preparation:

Grease the plate or moulds with butter and keep it aside.
Powder the biscuits in a food processor or in a mixer grinder. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl using spatula with out lumps.

Cooking:

Transfer the mixture in to heavy bottom open pan.
Cook it in medium heat and stir continuously until mixture thick and leaves the side and form like a dough as shown in picture.
Immediately remove from heat and transfer to greased plate. Level it and cut it into desired shapes and size using pizza cutter or knife. (or)
When it is warm, take little dough and stuff it into moulds. Rest it for 10 minutes and flip it upside down and gently tap on the flat tray to take out the pades. Do the same for rest of the dough. Store it in a airtight container..

Sending this to Lets Celebrate - Indian Sweets hosted by Nupur, WTML by Gayatri hosted by Preeti, Diwali Food Feast hosted by Anu, Festive Feast hosted by Sumee, Diwali Bash hosted by Vardhini and Dish in 30 minutes ~Sweets hosted by me.

November 12, 2012 20 comments

Rasagulla / Rosogulla is a popular bengali sweet in India made out of cottage cheese/ paneer which is cooked in sugar syrup.. It is so easy and simple to prepare which is base for many indian sweets like rasamalai, chum chum, Chenna payash etc.. Try this delightful sweet for Diwali and make more memorable..

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Resting time: 30 ~ 40 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serves: 17 ~ 20 rasagullas depends upon the size.

Ingredients:

4 cups of milk

1/4 cup of warm water

2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

4 cups of water

1 1/2 cups of sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour/ maida (optional)

Method:

For Paneer

In a heavy bottom pan, bring milk to boil.
Add lemon water mixture and mix well.
Milk starts to curdle, cook it for 4 to 5 minutes until yellowish whey seen and curd separates completely.
Drain the curdled mixture using a cheese cloth to separate curd and whey.
Hold it under the running water for a minute. Squeeze water from the paneer and hang it to remove excess water from the paneer for about 30 minutes.
Check paneer consistency for making any sweets by rubbing little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers to make a firm and smooth ball. If not squeeze excess water or it too dry / scramble, then add few drops of water and check for the consistency.

For more picture and details for making paneer...Check the recipe HOW TO MAKE PANEER.

For Rasagullas

Knead the prepared paneer in to smooth dough by adding 2 tbsp of all purpose flour/ maida.
Divide the paneer dough into 17 ~ 20 equal parts and roll them to balls by applying little pressure to get smooth balls with out any cracks.

Meantime boil water and sugar in a pressure pan or in a wide open pan on a medium heat.
Add required amount of paneer balls depends upon the pressure pan size because rasagullas will tends to double its volume while cooking in the syrup.

Close the pressure pan with lid and cook it for 7~8 minutes or till 2 whistles. In a open pan , cover the pan with lid and cook it for 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes or show cooker under the running water before opening.
Transfer to other bowl and refrigerate before serving.

Note: Kneading the paneer dough is a key factor for best rasagullas.

Store bought paneer doesn't work for making rasagullas. Home made is best.

Rasagullas can also be prepared without maida.

November 09, 2012 27 comments

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