Tag: healthy eating

Country bread

Country bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 3 Comments

This rustic country loaf is healthy, tasty and easy to make. The mix of bread flour and whole wheat flour makes this a bread for all occasions. It goes well with soups and also makes great sandwiches.

Ingredients

Bread flour 3 cups

Whole wheat flour 1 1/3 cup

Olive oil 1/3 cup plus for greasing

Italian herbs 2 tbsps

Yeast 3 tsp

Salt 1 tsp

Sugar 2 tbsps

Method

Mix all the ingredients and make a dough in the bread machine or stand mixer.

Roll the dough on to a floured surface and knead for about five minutes.

Shape into a ball and let rest covered in a greased bowl for two hours. I leave it overnight in winter.

Punch down the dough and give it a second rising.

Keep a tray of water in the oven and bake in a 210 degree C convection oven for 40 minutes. Spritz with water a few times during the first 15 minutes.

Cool on a rack, slice and serve.

Khaman Dhokla

Khaman Dhokla

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is actually known as just khaman in Gujarat, but as a pan-Indian dish it is known as dhokla. Filled with protein, this is a light snack that is good any time of the day.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

Chickpea flour or besan 1 cup (136 g)

Semolina or suji 1 tbsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Water 3/4 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Lemon juice 1 tbsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Baking soda 1 tsp

Ginger 1” piece

Green chillies 3

Grated coconut 1 tbsp

For tempering:

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Sugar 1 tsp

Curry leaves few sprigs

Coriander leaves for garnish

Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Green chillies 5

Method

Mix the chickpea flour, suji, baking soda and turmeric together in a bowl.

In another bowl mix the water, oil, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Stir well till the sugar dissolves.

Add to the dry ingredients and whisk well to form a batter.

Pour into a greased tray and steam for 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the asafoetida and salt and add three tablespoons of water. Stir till the sugar dissolves. Add the green chillies and cool for two minutes.

Pour over the cooked dhokla. Garnish with scraped coconut and coriander leaves.

Slice and serve.

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I was trying to come up with a way to use rice flour and remembered some lovely dishes I had in Japan. Thinking of some the sweets made from rice flour, I decided to make a banana cake. The chocolate chips added a delicious but subtle taste.

Ingredients

Bananas 3

Eggs 2

Sugar 3/4 cup (150 g)

Vegetable oil 4 tbsps

Milk 6 tbsps

Rice flour 1 cup (200 g)

Baking powder 2 tsps

Chocolate chips 1 tbsp

Method

Mash two of the bananas well in a wide bowl.

Add the eggs and mix well. I use an electrical whisk, my trusted hand-held blender Braun.

Add the sugar, oil and milk and whisk for two minutes.

Add the rice flour and baking powder and mix with a wooden or rubber spatula. Then whisk at high speed for a few minutes. In the case of rice flour there is no gluten and so you can whisk well to get in as much air as you can.

Line a round baking tray with greased butter paper and pour in the batter. Slice the remaining banana and arrange on top of the batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake the cake at 170 degrees C for 45 minutes. Check after 35 minutes and stop when a toothpick poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Tangy Tomato Basil Soup

Tangy Tomato Basil Soup

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 3 Comments

I have been trying to get the taste of this soup from my favourite restaurant in Singapore. After a lot of experimentation, I have come up with a version I love.

Ingredients

Tomatoes 4 large

Potato 1 large

Spring onions 5

Fresh basil leaves 10 sprigs

Paprika powder 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Pepper powder to taste

Butter as needed

Method

Steam the potato, tomatoes and spring onions in a pressure cooker.

Skin the tomatoes.

Add the steamed vegetables to a blender and blend well.

Heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the basil leaves, paprika powder and salt. Adjust the water content and boil for five minutes.

Serve with a blob of butter, salt and pepper.

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable Pulao

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I could never understand how much time my aunt would spend on making Vegetable Pulao, ensuring each piece was of the same size, blanching and frying each kind of vegetable separately and then bringing it all together to make the final dish. Till the Covid-19 pandemic locked us in our homes. I found myself enjoying the care in cooking and the precision of each step in the making of a dish. I learnt to enjoy the magic of botany and chemistry in the process of cooking.

Ingredients

Basmati rice 2 cups

Cauliflower 1 cup of florets, each 1” thick

Carrots 1 cup of 1” cubes

Frozen peas 1 cup

Potatoes 2 medium, cut into 1” cubes

Onion 1 medium, sliced

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Cinnamon 1” piece

Ginger 2” piece, crushed

Bay leaf 1

Peppercorns 1 tbsp

Cloves 4

Oil 5 tbsps

Method

Soak the rice for 20 minutes and drain.

Boil a pan of water with 2 tablespoons of salt and blanch the vegetables separately. Don’t blanch the peas.

Heat the oil in a iron pot — I use Le Creuset — and fry the onion slices till they are brown and keep aside.

Fry the blanched vegetables separately and keep aside. Don’t fry the peas.

Add the cumin seeds. When they stop sputtering, add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and peppercorns.

Add the crushed ginger and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the peas and the drained rice. Add the fried vegetables and salt to taste.

Mix well and add enough water to cover the rice and 1” above.

Bring to a boil, reduce the flame, cover and cook till the rice is cooked and the water is completely absorbed.

Garnish with fried onions and serve hot.

Book Review: More Bread Machine Bounty

Book Review: More Bread Machine Bounty

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

Gayle Shockey Hockster; Better Homes and Gardens; Des Moines, 1994

I picked up this book when I was a novice with the bread maker and it soon became my go-to volume. I loved the recipes, which are easy to follow, and the tips given by the side or at the bottom are invaluable, especially if you are just starting to bake your own bread.

Baking bread has been something that we seem to have adopted en masse as we cope with the pandemic. Stores have been running out of bread flour and yeast, but people are continuing to bake. I agree that there is something magical about bread, watching the loaf rise and then bake to golden perfection.

Maybe it is an attempt by man to gain some control in a world that is spiralling out of control. That warm loaf of bread not only smells wholesome and delicious, it is life giving. Bread was what Christ broke with his disciples. Bread is essential to every culture in the world, to human being’s very survival.

One of the most popular breads that people around the world have been making during the current Covid-19 pandemic is sourdough bread. One reason could be that once you make the sourdough starter, the recipe for which is given in the book, you can continue to replenish it without adding more yeast. So even if yeast disappears from the store shelves, you can continue to bake your bread.

This book has a whole section devoted to sourdough breads.

I have tried many of these breads and each one has turned out perfect.

My favourite is the sourdough cheese bread, which is a fail-safe recipe. I make it pretty often as it goes so well with soups and stews and also makes a great sandwich.

Rice and Lentil Cakes

Rice and Lentil Cakes

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This is a delicious and healthy steamed dish that works as a snack, breakfast dish or even for supper. It has a mix of lentils or dals and minimal amount of oil. Wrapped in banana leaves, the steaming brings out a unique flavour.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

Parboiled rice 125 g

Moong dal 50 g

Masoor dal 50 g

Tuvar dal 50 g

Urad dal 50 g

Chana dal 50 g

Salt to taste

Red chilli flakes 1 tbsp

Any Indian pickle masala 2 tbsps

Jaggery 1 tbsp grated

Coriander leaves, chopped

Mustard seeds 1 tbsp

Oil 4 tbsps + 1 tbsp

Yoghurt 2 tbsps

Eno fruit salt 1 tbsp

Water as needed

Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

Banana leaves cut into squares and rolled to form cone-shaped pockets.

Method

Wash the dals and rice and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and grind to a paste along with the yoghurt and 2 tablespoons of oil. Add enough water to make a batter. Add salt and leave to ferment for 7 hours.

Add chopped coriander leaves, the pickle masala, jaggery and chilli flakes to the fermented batter. Add the Eno fruit salt and leave for a few minutes.

Heat water in a steamer.

Spoon batter into the banana leaf cones and steam for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida.

Unwrap the steamed cakes and pour the oil with mustard seeds over them.

Serve hot with chutney or pickle.

Lentils with Sausages

Lentils with Sausages

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Almost three decades ago, I saw this being made on a TV cooking show. I made it, but it was too bland. Over the years, I have adjusted it to suit my family’s palate and now it is a mix of flavours from the red wine, garlic and olive oil. Accompanied by dinner rolls or bread, this makes a great supper.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

Lentils or whole masoor dal 1 cup (200 g)

Green chillies 2, chopped

Onions 3 small or 2 medium, chopped

Garlic 5 cloves, two chopped

Coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish

Sausages 5

Butter 1 tbsp

Olive oil 2 tbsps

Peperoncino flakes 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Vegetable oil 1 tbsp

Red wine 1 cup

Lemon wedges, optional

Method

Add the butter and olive oil to a sauce pan and sauté the onions, green chillies and garlic.

Wash and drain the lentils and add to the sautéed vegetables. Add salt and peperoncino flakes. If you don’t have peperoncino, use any kind of chilli flakes.

Add about 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook covered till the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile fry the sausages in a tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium heat. Remove the sausages to a dish and add the three whole pods of garlic to the same pan.

When the garlic pods are brown, take them out and add them to the lentils along with a cup of red wine. You can use any red wine that is available in your cupboard. I used a Zinfandel from Sula. Increase the heat to high.

When the wine is completely absorbed, transfer the lentils to a serving dish. Arrange the sausages on top and garnish with coriander leaves. Add a twist of lemon, though this is optional.

Serve hot with dinner rolls or bread and butter.

Green Garlic Chutney

Green Garlic Chutney

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Garlic cloves are said to be good for your health, but fresh green garlic is even better. It is available only for a limited season in winter. Fresh green garlic is easier to consume than garlic cloves as the smell is less pungent. It can be had in salads or made into a chutney. This chutney goes well with paranthas or chilla.

Ingredients

Fresh green garlic 10 stalks
Green chillies 5
Coriander leaves 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Asafoetida 1/2 tsp

Method

Clean and chop the green garlic stalks. They look like spring onions, but are thinner.

Blend them with the green chillies and coriander leaves. Try to use as little water as you can.

Add salt.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard seeds stop sputtering, add it to the chutney.

This chutney will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Brazilian Corn Bread

Brazilian Corn Bread

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

I love corn bread and this one has a rustic flavour with a hint of sweetness from the corn. It goes well with stew, cold cuts, chilli cooked in a slow cooker, or beans.

Ingredients

Corn meal or makki ka atta 1 1/2 cup
All-purpose flour 3 cups
Yeast 3 tsps
Milk 1/2 litre
Butter 30 g
Rice flour 2 tbsps
Sugar 2 tbsps + 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Olive oil 2 tbsps

Method

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Heat the milk and add the butter to it. As the milk begins to bubble, reduce the heat and whisk in the cornmeal. Let it cool to room temperature.

Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the yeast mixture and the cornmeal mixture. Make a dough.

Transfer the dough to a bowl greased with olive oil and cover with cling film. Leave it to rise for two hours.

Divide the dough into two boules. Dust with rice flour and criss-cross the top with a knife. Spritz with water.

Pour boiling water into a tray and place in the oven. Bake the bread in the middle rack for 35-40 minutes.

Slice when cool.