Baked multigrain Mathri / cracker recipe

Hello HST readers, many of you may be wondering why there has not been a post here on the blog for some time now, and many know that the original writer of this blog passed away on 10th July 2018. As her daughter I have thought a lot about how to advance this blog and continue her dream on . . .of sharing recipes. 

It was also difficult to come to this space and read her posts and not just be heart broken again. . . the heartbreak I felt when we lost her. Now all I have left is her words, her tips and advises and her recipe diary... which I go back to so many times. And so I must carry her vision forward, and that is what this attempt is.

So I will try to bring here some of her recipes from her diary, some that I learnt from her and some of my own and try to take her dream forward...one recipe at a time... today I want to share her classic mathri, which I have tweaked a little to make it more healthy. 

I have replaced some of the maida (all purpose fluor) with other healthier flour alternatives, used olive oil, and baked it in the oven (instead of frying it)...I call this baked multigrain mathri....my kids love it as an evening snack, and sometimes they have it with a hummus/yogurt dip. 

- these can be enjoyed as a snack on their own!!

- enjoy them like crackers with some hummus, they taste great!!

- use them as papdi in a papdi chaat!!

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

2 cups maida (all purpose flour)

1/4 cup whole wheat lour

1/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup Bajra (pearl millet)/Ragi (finger millet)

** if you don't have any of the millet flours, just add corn meal (I used pearl millet in this recipe)

2/3 cup olive oil

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp kasuri methi (used for flavor - can be omitted)

1 to 2 cups water (use as needed - the lesser the water the better)

METHOD

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper)/ If you want these can deep fried, but I baked them and they came out great.

- Add all the flours, salt, pepper, and kasuri methi in a large mixing bowl.

- Add the olive oil and rub it into the flour to resemble breadcrumbs

- slowly add the water to combine into a "tight"/firm dough

- Roll out into a large surface and cut out squares (like I did in the picture (to about 1/4 cm thickness)

OR

- divide into individual size balls and roll them into round shapes if you wish (to about 1/4 cm thickness)

- Bake them in the oven until golden brown.

- Cool and store in an air tight container for a month.

This recipes makes a large batch (and depends on how small the mathris are cut out)

MADDUR VADA , A SNACK FROM THE STATE OF KARNATAKA,INDIA

MADDUR VADA

A SNACK FROM THE STATE OF KARNATAKA, INDIA

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU

The New Year, 2018, has already started. I am glad to write this new post in this New Year, in a new season and in a new month of 2018. This year I am planning to bring lots of new recipes on the blog, which my readers are really going to enjoy. Normally people ask what your resolution is for the New Year, so my resolution for the New Year is to learn many new recipes from different cuisines. Some of my readers might think, yes, of course, what can be the resolution of a food blogger. But yes, I mean it, and I am serious about it because life never stops teaching us new things and we should never stop learning new things. What is your resolution for the New Year?

In this New Year, I am bringing in the first recipe of a starter. I have seen in many parties, whether they were organized by my friends or relatives that sometimes there is a lot of variety of appetizers or starters served in those parties, sometimes too much and some of the snacks were quite heavy because they were either fried or has a lot of cheese in them. In those cases, there was a problem for both guests and host, for guests, even though they can enjoy the starters but then there will be no room left for them to enjoy the main course meal. Even for the host, a lot of food will be left at the end of the party, which people will not be able to finish. I had also experienced that if the starters are too heavy, some people, serve the main course too late but again that is not solving the problem because if you serve the main course too late, then there is no appetite or mood left for the food.

I have personally experienced that problem once when I served four-five starters and learned a lesson for the future. Now in my house, whenever there is any party or gathering, I prepare only two starters, so that people can enjoy the starters and the main meal. And if one starter is a fried one, I make them bite-size portions so that people can still enjoy the starters and later the main course meal.

This recipe of a snack is from the state of Karnataka, India. This is a very tasty snack which can be served as a starter or can be enjoyed with evening tea or coffee. This famous snack is named after the town of Maddur. Maddur is a town from Mandya district in the state of Karnataka, in South India. This is an instant snack which can be made in 15-20 minutes with very simple ingredients; normally we have the stock of these ingredients in our kitchen/pantry. This snack is too tasty, I am very sure, if you make it once, you will love to make it again and again.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup semolina
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (white bread flour)
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1 big onion
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• a small piece of ginger
• 3-4 green chili (optional)
• few leaves of curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

METHOD

• Finely chop onion, garlic, ginger, green chili and curry leaves
• Mix well all the flours and add salt to it.
• Now add all chopped onion, garlic, ginger, chili and curry leaves and mix well.
• If the mixture is too dry sprinkle little water over it and mix well, make small balls and flatten them on your palm as shown in the picture.
• Heat oil in a frying pan; fry them in batches of 6-7 in hot oil till the colour is brown.
• Serve hot with any chutney of your taste.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post entry with Fiesta Friday and Sweet Inspiration link party and  with Hearth and Soul link party and cook once eat Twice and Meatless Monday
and Cook blog share

PIZZA ROLLS

PIZZA ROLLS

Grandchildren are the best gift from God, and I am lucky to have three grandchildren, two are boys and one is a girl. My granddaughter is three years old and she lives in Toronto. My two grandsons are living with me and they both know that I love my blog and enjoy sharing my recipes and they both even know the name of my blog. They both love my cooking and they always appreciate and give the best compliments a grandmother can ever have in the world. All three of my grandchildren are artistically inclined and many a time I have enjoyed and admired their creations.

When I started my blog in 2014, my eldest grandson who was 8 years old at that time, after asking the name of my blog, suggested using spices to write the name of my blog. I really liked the idea and the three of us did a good project of writing the name of the blog with the available spices in my kitchen and they really enjoyed that project. I took the picture of that, which I used as a blog header for many months on my blog.

 

Yesterday, when I was doing some work on my laptop, the younger one who is 7 years old now came to me and told me, “Grandma I am bored, I do not know what to do”, I gave him the idea that he can do some drawing and coloring. After listening to my idea of colouring and drawing, he got some pencils and colours and sat on a chair, near my table and was busy for half an hour and I was busy too with my work.

After half an hour he came to me and showed his drawing, to my big surprise, on that paper I saw the heading was, “Herbs Spices and Tradition”, with a lot of colourful food items that were also drawn on it. I was totally impressed with his drawing, couldn't believe my eyes and gave him a big hug and told him that I will take the picture of it and post it on my blog. Then I suggested to him to write the name of the food items as well so that my readers can also enjoy his drawing and understand what he has drawn, for which I helped in spelling some words as well. Following is the picture.

Both my grandsons love these pizza rolls and they even take them in their lunch boxes to school, so they are made regularly in my kitchen. This recipe is an easy one and I have used brown flour to make it healthy.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups brown bread flour (Whole wheat flour)
• Half packet active dry yeast ( 5grams)
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbs oil
• more oil for coating

FOR PIZZA FILLING

• One medium finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs butter (preferably at room temperature)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2tbs tomato ketchup
• 50 grams grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 green chili optional

METHOD

• In a cup, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water, add sugar and salt in it. Mix well and leave it for 5 minutes until the colour of the water changes and becomes foamy.
• In a big bowl take flour, add salt, oil and this foamy water of yeast, mix more water and make a soft dough, coat all sides of the dough with oil.
• Cover with plastic wrap to let it rise (until double the original size). Keep it in a warm place for 1-2 hours to rise.
• Finely chop onion, garlic and green chilies and mix into the butter (room temperature) and keep it aside.
• Punch the dough down and divide into two big balls, roll out the ball thin on a flat surface, spread the mixture of onion garlic and butter thinly on top of the dough.
• Now give a thin layer of ketchup and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on top of the dough.
• Cut thin strips as shown in the picture, and roll all the way up to the end of the strip and keep them on a baking tray, leaving some distance in between the rolls.
• Bake at 350 degrees F/180 degrees C for 15-20 minutes till the cheese is melted.
• These rolls can be served hot or cold.

I am sharing this recipe for the following blog parties Cook once and eat Twice and Meatless Monday
and we are pinnable link party and Hearth and Soul blog party and with Fiesta Friday and Full plate Thursday

CINNAMON ROLLS AND A POST ON A SPICE - CINNAMON

CINNAMON ROLLS AND A POST ON A SPICE - CINNAMON

Cinnamon is the oldest and most versatile spice in the world and is used in many savory and sweet items, a delicious spice which is used in the culinary world from ages. It is mainly used in cooking as a condiment and flavouring agent. Cinnamon is actually the bark of a tree which is removed and dried. Cinnamon sticks are long, brown and their shape is like a cigar. The sticks and their powder are both used in different cuisines. This spice is widely used in American, European, African and Asian cuisines, this is the reason it is a famous spice of the world.

In Indian cuisine, this spice is used a lot in savoury dishes like rice, lentil and vegetable curries, stews, yoghurt salads, drinks, coffee, tea and in many snack items. And it is also used in sweet items like cakes, cookies, murrabas (Fruit preserves), puddings, fudges, and traditional sweetmeats etc. It is also added in many spice blends of different states of India, the famous one is Garam Masala.

In Indian homes, it is not only used as a fragrant spice but also as a medicine. My mother always used it in a masala tea for the treatment of a sore throat, in which she added- cinnamon, honey, black pepper powder and clove powder. This masala tea really works and helps us to relieve symptoms of a sore throat, till today we are using her tea formula. According to Ayurveda, cinnamon is called the ancient healing spice of the world.

There are enormous health benefits of this spice; even scientific researchers have shown that this spice has a lot of health benefits. Check this website-

This article in the newspaper - “Washington Times” explains that Americans love cinnamon and they use it in all dessert recipes, pies, cakes, bread, rolls, coffee to mention a few. The title of the article was “Cinnamon unites cuisines of the World”. It seems when people adopted recipes from other cuisines, this spices also traveled with the recipes throughout the world.

This is a simple recipe, it is easy to make the dough like for bread or a plain bun and is very simple to spread butter and sprinkle the mixture of cinnamon-sugar, give round shape and bake it. My grandchildren love this cinnamon rolls, they happily take these rolls in their lunch boxes to school.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH

• 2 cups brown bread flour/whole wheat flour
• Half packet active dry yeast (5 grams)
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp. oil
• more oil for coating

FOR CINNAMON FLAVOUR FILLING

• 2 tbsp. Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter

METHOD

• In a cup, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water, add sugar and salt in it. Mix well and leave it - around 5 minutes till the colour of the water changes and becomes foamy.
• In a big bowl take flour add salt, oil and this foamy water of yeast, mix more water and make a soft dough, coat all sides with oil.
• Cover with plastic wrap to let the dough rise, let it double in size. Keep it in a warm place for 1-2 hours to rise.
• Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.
• Punch dough down. Divide into 2 big balls. Roll the ball thin on a flat surface. Apply a thin layer of butter and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the rolled out dough.
• Cut long strips of the dough and roll giving round shape as shown in the picture.
• Bake at 356 degrees F/ 180 degrees C for about 20minutes till they are golden brown.
• Cool on a rack, this can be served hot or cold.

I am sharing this recipe as my blog post entry with Hearth and Soul blog hop and Meatless Monday

and with Fiesta Friday and Sweet Inspiration link party and Cook once and eat Twice and with Tasty Tuesday and simple and in season and with We are pinnable and Cook blog share and Full plate Thursday

 

BLUEBERRY AND STRAWBERRY PARFAIT

BLUEBERRY AND STRAWBERRY PARFAIT

3RD BLOG ANNIVERSARY

Three years have passed, time is flying. I am glad that I have reached this milestone, and I am looking forward to sharing and learning more with the help of this blog. When I started this blog, I never thought that blogging is so much fun. For me, the more I share recipes on my blog, the more I enjoy this journey of blogging.

This journey of blogging was really beautiful and I have enjoyed each and every moment of these three years, thoroughly. This joyful journey was not possible without the support of my family members, a big hug and big thanks to all my family members. Here I would like to give special thanks to my son-in-law for his time and patience in taking enormous and awesome photos for my blog. Check his website.

I would also like to thank all my friends, readers, followers and my blogger friends who always visited, checked my recipes and read my stories and commented on it. A big thank you for your continuous support not only on the blog but also on different social medias. Your support is my greatest treasure, which I want to keep with me forever, and looking forward to this enormous support in future too.

These three years have been more enjoyable also because of the three main publishers who have supported, trusted me and gave me the chance to publish about myself and my recipes. I really felt honored and would like to thank them once again.

On 26^th February 2015, my story and two recipes were published in the “Airdrie Life” magazine of Airdrie Alberta. Later I shared those recipes on my blog. In April 2016, six of my recipes and my story were published in Vancouver-based “Darpan” magazine. Later I shared all those recipes on my blog as well. The third one is “Here's the Scoop” a local weekly, Airdrie newspaper of Alberta, who continuously supported me in these three years, where my recipes were published many times under the heading- “Recipe of the week”. Check all those recipes and my story under publications on my blog's main page.

I love all my recipes which I shared so far on my blog, and it is difficult to choose the best three recipes amongst them. But for me, it is more important to know the recipes that my readers liked the most. So here I want to mention my three most viewed recipes so far, which my readers really liked. My first most viewed recipe is “Savoury baked cake”, in which I have used fresh fenugreek leaves, which is a very healthy herb; this recipe seems to have originated amongst the Indians of South Africa. One of my friends in Botswana introduced me to this recipe a long time ago.

My second most viewed recipe is Dry black chickpeas, a side dish and a post on a famous Indian blend of spices called “Garam masala”. This masala is used in many Indian and Asian cuisines in snacks, stews, dry and wet vegetables preparations and curry recipes.

My third most viewed recipe is “Instant Naan”, which is the famous Indian baked flat bread, available throughout the world in almost all Indian restaurants. This is a very popular dish throughout Europe. North America and in many other countries. In my blog, I have shared many types of Indian flat breads but this one is the most popular one.

Coming to the recipe, this is a very simple but elegant recipe for a healthy breakfast, which is mainly just assembling the healthy ingredients together. I only made the compote with strawberries and sugar, which took only 5 minutes.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup granola
• 1 and 1/2 cup greek yoghurt
• 2 tbs chia seeds and 2 tbs milk
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs water

METHOD

• Soak Chia seeds in 2 tbs milk.
• Chop strawberries finely.
• Add 2tbs sugar, 2tbs water and heat in a saucepan; when mixed, add strawberries to make compote, cook for five to six minutes and leave it to cool.
• Arrange in tall serving glasses; start with yogurt then strawberry compote followed by chia seeds, few blueberries and two tbs granola.
• Repeat the same order again, this is served cold.

Two tall glasses can be served,

I am sharing this recipe as my blog post entry with Hearth and Soul blog hop and Meatless Monday. and with Cook blog share and I am pinnable party and with Cook once eat Twice and Fiesta Friday hosted by Lindy and Paula and sharing with Simple and in Season

.