Chocolate Rum Balls

Besides plum cakes, and cookies and wine, rum balls are also a popular snack during Christmas. There are many, many different varieties of rum balls - but most rum ball recipes include two ingredients; chocolate and rum.  This Christmas I had an eager learner (my daughter-in-law) with whom I enjoyed preparing this Chocolate Rum Balls.  

Ingredients:

Sponge cake, 300 gm
150 gm dark chocolate
3 tbsp cream (Amul)
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp rum
Crushed almonds for coating
Finely chopped cashewnuts

Method:

1. Crumble the sponge cake in a bowl, and keep aside.
2. Melt cream and broken dark chocolate in a pan, on medium flame.

3. Put the butter into the melted chocolate and stir, put off the gas.
4. Remove the chocolate ganache and pour this over the crumbled sponge cake.

5. Add the rum and chopped cashews to this and gently combine all into a soft dough.

6. Divide the dough into small balls.

7. Coat the balls with powdered almonds.

8. Refrigerate this for 20 to 30 minutes to make the balls firmer.

Spinach-coated Potatoes (Aloo Palak)

Nutritious side-dish from Punjab.  It is a very subtle-flavored accompaniment to go with hot parathas, phulkas, or naan.

Ingredients:

potatoes, 250 gm boiled and cubed
spinach, 1 big bunch, chopped
green chillies, chopped
finely chopped garlic, 1 tbsp
finely chopped ginger, 1 tbsp
turmeric, 1/2 tsp
coriander powder, 1 tsp
salt to taste
oil, 1 tbsp
slit green chillies, and cumin seeds for seasoning

Method:

1. Heat oil, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
2. Add the chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and saute for a minute.
3. Put in the potatoes, turmeric, coriander powder and saute for few minutes.
4. Toss in the spinach, add salt and cook on medium flame, stirring occasionally.
5. Fry the slit green chillies in little oil and pour this over the potatoes.
6. Remove and serve hot.

  

Phulkas (Rotis/Chappatis)

A very common Indian bread that originated in Gujarat and Maharashtra somewhat similar to the parathas of the North.  Phulkas are made from whole wheat flour and are softer.  The cooking technique is to let the rolled out dough to puff up on direct flame (as the name suggests).  Phulkas or rotis are now adapted by other regions as well and is prepared in almost all Indian households.

Ingredients

2 cups wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
water to bind the dough
ghee (optional)

Method:

1. In a wide bowl, combine wheat flour and salt.
2. Add water little by little and prepare a soft dough.

3. Knead the dough well by applying pressure with the heel of your hands. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep the dough covered for at least 10 minutes.
4. Knead again and divide dough into equal, lemon-sized balls.
5. With the help of a rolling pin, roll out each ball into thin disks. Keep the balls covered to prevent drying up.

6.  Heat a tava, place a rolled out dough on it.

7. Turn over when small air pockets starts forming.
8. Wait until air pockets appear on the other side too.
9. Now lift it off the tava with the help of a tong and cook it directly on the flame.

10. It will puff up, turn over the other side and let it puff up again.

11. Quickly remove from the flame and place this on a cloth-lined container to it soft.
12. Prepare the rest of the phulkas in the same way.

13. Smear ghee over hot phulkas (optional)
14. Can be served with any side dish/es.

Beans and Cheese Quesadilla

Think of Mexican food and you picture tortillas, corns, kidney beans, salad, cream, cheese. Tortillas are very similar to the Indian chappatis and are made from either refined flour, whole wheat flour, or maize flour, and are widely used in most Mexican meals. 

Tortillas are used in burrito, taco, quesedilla, enchilada, chimichanga, tostada, flautas - only the filling, folding, and cooking techniques differ. 

This is an Indianized flavor with almost all ingredients available in the kitchen. To prepare this (beans and cheese quesadilla) we need - tortilla, re-fried beans, tomato salsa, vegetable and cream salad, cheese.


Note:
Re-fried beans = cooked and mashed beans with spices used as filling or dip.  I have used rajma here.

Ingredients:

for tortilla
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
warm water

for re-fried beans (bean paste)
150 gm rajma
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp spring onion greens
salt to taste

for tomato salsa
5 tomotoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 stalk spring onion with greens
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp chilli powder
salt

for vegetable and cream salad
1 tbsp cucumber, chopped
1 tbsp tomato, chopped
1 tbsp capsicum, chopped
10 green or black olives, chopped
1 tbsp boiled corn
1 tbsp hung curd
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp powdered black pepper
salt

1/2 cup grated cheese
Butter to toast the quesadillas

Method:

1. Pressure cook the rajma.  Mash and keep aside.  

2. Mix all the ingredients for tortillas and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Prepare the tortillas like chappatis on a tawa by just cooking slightly on both sides.  Keep them wrapped in a cloth until later.

4. Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and keep aside.

5. Prick tomatoes with a fork and directly heat them over the flame, holding and turning with the fork itself. Allow the tomatoes to char.

6. Peel the tomato skins and mash into pulp.
7. Heat oil, add onion and garlic, cook until onion is soft.
8. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, chilli powder, spring onions, cook for few minutes.
9. Add vinegar and remove into a bowl. 

10. To prepare rajma past, heat oil in a kadai, add garlic, green chillies, onions and saute
11. Add the tomatoes, salt, chilli powder and saute.
12. Next add the mashed rajma and some water and cook for 10 minutes, garnish with spring onion greens. Remove from stove and keep aside.

Assemble just before serving:
In a tawa, smear some butter.  Place one tortilla on it. Keep the flame in medium. Spread beans paste on one half of the tortilla. Put grated cheese over this. Fold the tortilla to form a half-moon. Flip and slightly toast on the other side too.  Remove on to a plate and cut into 3 pieces (triangular) and serve hot with vegetable and cream salad and tomato salsa as dip.

Beans and Veggie Burrito

Think of Mexican food and you picture tortillas, corns, kidney beans, salad, cream, cheese. Tortillas are very similar to the Indian chappatis and are made from either refined flour, whole wheat flour, or maize flour, and are widely used in most Mexican meals. 

Tortillas are used in burrito, taco, quesedilla, enchilada, chimichanga, tostada, flautas - only the filling, folding, and cooking techniques differ.

This is an Indianized flavor with almost all ingredients available in the kitchen. To prepare beans and veggie burrito, we need - tortilla, re-fried beans, tomato salsa, vegetable and cream salad, cheese.


Note:
Re-fried beans = cooked and mashed beans with spices used as filling or dip.  I have used rajma here.

Ingredients:

for tortilla
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
warm water

for re-fried beans (bean paste)
150 gm rajma
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp spring onion greens
salt to taste

for tomato salsa
5 tomotoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 stalk spring onion with greens
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp chilli powder
salt

for vegetable and cream salad
1 tbsp cucumber, chopped
1 tbsp tomato, chopped
1 tbsp capsicum, chopped
10 green or black olives, chopped
1 tbsp boiled corn
1 tbsp hung curd
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp powdered black pepper
salt

1/2 cup grated cheese

Method:

1. Pressure cook the rajma.  Mash and keep aside.  

2. Mix all the ingredients for tortillas and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Prepare the tortillas like chappatis on a tawa by just cooking slightly on both sides.  Keep them wrapped in a cloth until later.

4. Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and keep aside.

5. Prick tomatoes with a fork and directly heat them over the flame, holding and turning with the fork itself. Allow the tomatoes to char.

6. Peel the tomato skins and mash into pulp.
7. Heat oil, add onion and garlic, cook until onion is soft.
8. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, chilli powder, spring onions, cook for few minutes.
9. Add vinegar and remove into a bowl. 

10. To prepare rajma past, heat oil in a kadai, add garlic, green chillies, onions and saute
11. Add the tomatoes, salt, chilli powder and saute.
12. Next add the mashed rajma and some water and cook for 10 minutes, garnish with spring onion greens. Remove from stove and keep aside.

Assemble just before serving:
Take one tortilla. Spread tomato salsa over it. Spoon in rajma or beans at one end of the tortilla.  Put some salad over this. Sprinkle grated cheese.  Roll the tortilla. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or alternately heat it on a tawa with very little butter.  Serve with salad and salsa.

Burritos

Schezwan Veg Noodles

Nothing beats a bowl of spicy, hot noodles on a lazy afternoon (not instant noodles). This is super-easy-to-make food that never fails to please anyone's palate.

Ingredients:

200 gm noodles
2 cups mixed vegetables, cut into long strips
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp ginger, finely julienned
1 tbsp coarsely crushed garlic
2 tbsp chopped spring onions (including the green)
2 tbsp schezwan sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp red chilli sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil water in a large vessel to cook the noodles.  Put little oil, salt, and noodles into this. 

2. Strain the noodles into a colander and quickly pour cold water to arrest further cooking.

3. Heat olive oil in a kadai, add the onions, ginger, garlic, and saute this.
4. Next add the vegetables and saute for few minutes. Ensure the flame is on high.
5. At this stage add the salt, pepper, all the sauces and continue sauteing rapidly to prevent burning the vegetables. 

6. Add the boiled noodles and combine well. 
7. Serve it piping hot. It tastes yum even cold, anyways.  

Chinese Fried Rice

A typical Chinese meal consists of two main components; rice and noodles.  Chinese food is popular throughout the world.  Variety of sauces are used in their dishes, but spices and condiments are minimally used unlike Italian cuisine.  This is my first post on a Chinese recipe.  Let us start with the very simple Chinese Fried Rice (veg) – very subtle but tasteful dish.  Can be served with any side dishes with typical Chinese gravy like mushroom chilli, vegetable jalfrazi.  Today I prepared Chilli Capsicum.

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grained rice

1 cup finely chopped mixed vegetables (carrot, cabbage, beans, capsicum)

1 onion, finely chopped

5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp spring onion greens, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ajinomoto

salt to taste

white pepper to taste

for chilli-vinegar

2 tbsp vinegar

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

salt

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 10 to 15 minutes.
Boil rice al dente, drain, keep aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the chilli-vinegar and keep aside.
Warm olive oil in a wok, add the chopped onions and garlic, saute for a minute, do not allow onions to turn brown.

Add the vegetables, increase the flame and saute continuously for few minutes.Add the ajinomoto, salt, pepper, onion greens and combine well.

Put the boiled rice into this and saute and mix again.
Serve hot with Chilli Capsicum and chilli-vinegar.