Banana Chocolate Bread

When you have overripe bananas, you make banana bread. Once decided, why not add some dark gold to it and make it a treat!

You will need -

1 1/2 Cups - Flour
1/4 Cup - Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons - Cocoa Powder
1 Cup - Sugar
2-3 - Overripe, mashed bananas
2 - Eggs
1/4 Teaspoon - Salt
1 Teaspoon - Baking Soda

Method -

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda. Mix well. Add the eggs, oil and the mashed bananas. Mix till you get a consistent brown batter, do not over mix.
Pour into a greased loaf pan, 8 1/2 inches x 4 1/2 inches or three small pans, like I did!

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 deg F for about 20 - 25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Quinoa served two ways!

Quinoa as it is, has a slight nutty flavor but nothing spectacular. It is like rice or wheat or raagi. They have a subtle flavor which is enhanced by mixing it with the right ingredients.
Here are two actually three ways I have tried and we loved all of them. Of course my little one is not a big fan of quinoa but I am sure he will get there!

QUINOA with FRIED EGG

For this you will need -
2 Cups - Cooked Quinoa
3 Tablespoons - Olive Oil
2 Pods - Garlic (fine chopped)
1/2 - Red Onion (fine chopped)
1/2 Cup - Boiled and blanched Green Peas
1/2 Cup - Boiled and blanched Asparagus
1/4 Cup - Mushrooms (sliced)
2 Spoons - Olives (chopped)
A small chunk of Goat Cheese
1 Egg
Salt, pepper - As you desire
3 Teaspoons - Dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary)
Dash of Vinegar

Method -
Cook the quinoa as per the instructions on the package. In another pot, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion. Fry till the onion is translucent. Add in the mushrooms, sauté well with some salt. Once cooked, add the peas and the asparagus. Cook the peas and the asparagus in boiling water for a couple of minutes and then dunk them in ice cold water. This will make them retain their beautiful color while being just cooked right! Now, add some more salt, pepper and the herbs. Give it a good toss, add the quinoa. Toss it all again. Turn off the heat. Garnish with olives (I used preserved olives with pimiento from a bottle) and goat cheese ( I used one flavored with garlic and herbs). Being in this country has its advantages! So many things to choose from. If not using preserved olives, add a dash of vinegar too to add a little bit of zing!
Fry an egg with salt and pepper and making sure the yolk is only set on the outside. Top the quinoa with the egg, so when one cuts into it, it oozes the beautiful golden liquid!

 

QUINOA with STIR-FRIED SHRIMP

 

For this you will need -

1/2 Cup - Shrimp

1 Tablespoon - Butter

Salt and pepper

Half of a Lime

 

Melt butter in a pan. Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Toss for a couple of minutes till the shrimp is just done. Turn off the heat, squeeze the lime and serve hot.

 

Or third way, serve with herb-crusted salmon!

 

 

Samosas!

Who doesn't love spicy potatoes wrapped in a golden crunchy exterior! This, Samosa, is the quintessential snack of Northern India. I have always wanted to try it and I can say it needs a bit of dexterity and patience. But it is all worth the effort.

This recipe makes about 8 - 10 Samosas.

For the outer covering, you will need -

1/2 cup - All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon - Salt
2 tablespoons - Oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup - Lukewarm Water

Method -
Take the flour and the salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well with your hands. Now add the oil and mix well again, so that lumps are formed. Add lukewarm water, little by little, till you get a firm and soft dough. Set aside this dough for 30 minutes.

For the potato-peas filling, you will need -

2 - Medium sized potatoes (boiled and peeled and crushed with hand)
1/2 cup - Boiled Peas
2 teaspoons - Coriander seeds
4-5 - Red Chillies
4 teaspoons - Jeers/Cumin Seeds
1 - Clove
1/4 inch - Cinnamon stick
1 - Cardamom pod
Salt to your taste

Method -
Grind coriander seeds, cumin, red chilies, clove, cinnamon and cardamom to a coarse powder.

Now, add a couple of spoons of this powder with salt to the crushed potato and peas. Mix well. Taste and add salt or the spice mixture if you feel it is not adequate. Remember that when you fry, the spiciness reduces, so you an make this mixture slightly spicy to start with.

Making the Samosas -
Divide the dough into 4 - 5 equal sized balls. Take one ball and roll it on a oiled surface to a circle that is about 8cm in diameter. Do not use flour while rolling, if it feels sticky, use oil. Try to make it as thin as possible. This is a bit tricky. If it is thick, the Samosa will have a thick covering and not taste very good, if it is too thin, the stuffing can come out in the oil while frying. So, use yurt best judgment.
Once rolled, cut in half. Take one half and join along the circumference, with the diameter now shaped as a circle. Basically making an ice cream cone that you can hold between your thumb and forefinger. I am sorry I didn't take a pic of this, I couldn't as both my hands were messy! Hope you got the drift, else watch a video on you tube like this -  http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/04/19/samosa/

Stuff the cone with as much stuffing as possible, taking care not to overstuff. Close it on top too, making sure there is no opening anywhere.

Heat oil in a kadai, once hot (check by dropping a piece of the dough, it should sizzle), reduce the flame to medium - high and drop the Samosas one by one. Fry till they are golden brown and serve hot!

 

Mushroom Peas Paneer in a Rich Gravy

This used to be my favorite dish in restaurants back in India. This rich, creamy curry goes really well with roti, naans and even rice.

For this you will need -
1 Cup - Sliced or cut Mushrooms
1/2 Cup - Green Peas
1/2 Cup - Cubed Pander
1/2 - Onion (Sliced)
6 - 8 - Cashew Nuts (Soaked)
2 - Cloves
1 - Cardamom
1/4" - Cinnamon
2 tspn - Black pepper powder
1 tspn - Turmeric powder
1 tspn - Coriander and Cumin powder
1 tspn - Red Chili powder
1/2 tspn - Garam Masala Powder
1 tbspn - Yoghurt
1 Tbspn - Fresh Cream
Salt as you desire
2 Tbspn - Oil

Method -
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a thick bottom pot and fry the pander cubes. Drain on a paper towel and keep aside. Now add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Stir fry and add the sliced onion with a pinch of salt. Fry till the onion turns golden brown. Allow to cool and grind this to a fine paste. Then grind the cashews to a fine paste too.
In the same pot, add the remaining oil. Add the mushroom, sauté for a bit. Add the peas and turmeric powder next and again sauté for a couple of minutes.

 

 

Now add the ground paste. And fry for a few minutes.

 



Then add the salt, cumin, coriander powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, yoghurt and cream. Give it a good mix and turn off after five minutes. Garnish with garam masala powder.