Banana Date Bread- Egg Free

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My fruit basket held a couple of bananas that were beginning to look rather sad and would start to get squishy in another day or so. In order to use it up, I began to look up bread recipes and found one in a baking cookbook of mine for a banana date bread. I thought the combination of banana and dates sounded rather appealing and decided to give it a try.

But the recipe in the book called for butter, eggs and apf, all of which I was not in the mood to use, not to mention I hardly ever keep this stuff at home. So I decided to tweak the recipe considerably and make this an egg free, butter free version with whole wheat flour. The result was this delicious and tasty bread, the eggs and butter were definitely not missed:)

 


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Ingredients and method to make the banana date bread
Dry ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu)
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (maida)
1 cup dates pitted and chopped
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar (fine)

Wet ingredients
2 large bananas mashed (yielded 1 cup of mashed banana)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Pre heat oven to 350 deg F

Grease a loaf pan/ bundt cake pan and keep aside.

In a large bowl, mix together both the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mix well.

Add sugar and mix again.

Add mashed bananas, milk and oil, one at a time and mix slowly and gently.

Add dates and mix again. Finally add vanilla essence, mix well. Pour this mixture into pre greased pan.
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Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool, cut into slices and enjoy :)

This bread tastes best fresh or within a couple of days of making if stored in a cool dry place in an airtight container.

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Adai ~ Dhal Dosa ~ Savory Rice and lentil crepes

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Adai is a savory crepe made with rice,lentils and spices and is a time tested recipe made in a lot of south indian homes.I have made it numerous times and always enjoy the dish.This is not only very tasty but also extremely nutritious, it provides a good source of protein since it contains three different type of lentils.I tried substituting brown rice instead of white rice recently and was blown away at the results.The final dish was indescribably soft and delicious.I have since used only brown rice in this dish.

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make Adai

1 cup long grain brown rice ( or white rice ) (chawal/ arisi)
1/2 cup split pigeon peas (tur dhal/ tuvaram parappu)
1/2 cup split black gram lentil ( udad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
1/2 cup split chick pea lentil (channa dhal / kadalai parappu)
6 small Thai or Indian green chillies (or according to taste) (hara mirch/ pachai molagai)
6 whole red chillies ( or according to taste) (lal mirch/ molagai vathal)
1 tsp chopped ginger (adrak/ inji)
1 stalk curry leaves (kadi patha/ karvapillai)
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder (hing/perungayam)
salt to taste ( I use about 3 tsp )

sesame oil (til ka tel/ nalla ennai) a little to shallow fry the adai

Soak the rice and the dhals for a minimum of 2 hours.Grind finely in batches with the curry leaves,green chilies,red chilies and ginger reasonably fine.For this particular dish it does not need to be ground very fine,the lentils and rice should look a little like medium rava ( semolina).Pour water while grinding.The batter should be not too thick not too thin.Should be about dropping consistency.

Place a tawa (griddle) on the stove.Heat.Pour small amount of batter and spread,spread thin if you like thin and crispy style pancake or a little thicker if you like softer ones.Pour about 1/4 tsp of sesame oil on the side facing up.Let the bottom brown slightly,then turn and cook the other side.Serve hot with honey.

The balance of the batter can be stored in the refrigerator for a period of 4-6 days easily and the adai can be made fresh and hot as needed.

It surprises a lot of people to partner honey with this dish,but in our home we have always had adai with honey and it goes very well together,the sweetness of the honey a good counterpoint to the spices in the adai itself.

Yields approximately 20 medium sized adai's

Notes :
With these proportions this pancake is about medium spicy.
Do note though that different green chillies and red chillies impart different levels of spiciness so do use the spices according to individual tastes.

 If you are looking for Adai/ Dhal dosa recipes, here are a few more

Barley oat Adai ~ Dhal Dosa with barley

Cracked Wheat and Oat Adai ~ Dalia Dhal Dosa

Keerai Oat Barley Adai ~ Palak Dhal Dosa

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Bisi Bele Bhath ~ One dish meal with rice, lentils and veggies

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Bisi bele bath is a one dish meal with rice, lentils and veggies that originates from Karnataka, a region in the southern part of India. It is similar to sambar saadam. This is a very famous and popular dish that is served in many restaurants in that region.

I learnt this dish specially for my father who loves bisi bele bath and I wanted to be able to make it for him.I am happy to report that I did and he loved it too.This dish is traditionally made with white rice and can be made that way too ,but for those of you who are looking for ways to incorporate brown rice in your diet since it is very healthy and has higher fiber content,this is a good dish to do it since the taste of the brown rice blends well in this dish. I have also added instructions to make this with white rice, if you would like to make it with white, do scroll to the bottom and read the notes at the end.

Check out these other one dish meals :
Kadambam saadam
Capsicum~ Bell Pepper rice

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make Bisi bele bath
1 and 1/4 cups brown basmati rice (or white rice, see notes)
1/2  cup split pigeon peas (arhar dhal/ tur dhal/ tuvaram parappu)
2 cups mixed cut vegetables like carrots, beans, peas and cauliflower
1 big red onion cut finely (or 15 to 20 small pearl onions/ shallots)

1 Tbsp oil
Tamarind size of gooseberry
salt to taste.
1 Tbsp clarified butter (ghee/nei) (optional recommended)
4 to 5 Tbsp finely cut cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/ kothamalli)
1 sprig of curry leaves (kadipatha/ karvapillai) (about 8 to 10 large leaves)
 
For the masala:
1 1/2 Tbsp khus khus (poppy seeds/ khasakhasa)
1 1/2 Tbsp Split yellow chick pea lentil ( channa dhal/ kadalai parappu)
1 Tbsp Split black gram lentil (udad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
2 Tbsp Coriander seeds ( dhania/ kothamalli virai)
3 tbsp grated coconut
5 Dry red chilies (lal mirch/ molaga vathal) (or to taste, see notes)
Place the rice and lentils in a suitable sized container, fill with water, swirl with water and drain. Repeat this process a few more times till the water runs clean. Fill the container with 4 cups of water and allow the rice and lentils to soak for at least 30 mins. Pressure cook until soft (it takes me about 4 whistles in my pressure cooker ). For white rice, see notes.

Soak the tamarind in warm water for about fifteen to twenty minutes.Press out all the pulp and extract the tamarind juice 2 to 3 times until all the tamarind juice has been extracted. Discard the seeds and fibers.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add split chick pea lentil and stir until it turns slightly reddish and aromatic,remove and place the lentils on a plate to cool. In the same pan, dry roast split black gram lentil until reddish and aromatic, remove and place on plate to cool. Similarly dry roast khus khus for a few seconds until it starts to get reddish and pops a bit. Remove from heat and cool. Dry roast coriander seeds until aromatic and reddish, remove and cool. Dry roast red chilies for a few seconds. Finally dry roast coconut until it turns reddish. Cool all the ingredients and powder in a mixer/ blender to a fine powder. Keep this masala aside.

Heat oil in a large pan, add onions to this and saute until translucent. Add curry leaves, and stir a couple of times. Then add vegetables, tamarind extract and salt to taste and cook until the vegetables are soft and the tamarind has lost its raw smell.

Mash the rice and lentil mixture a little,add to the vegetables then add the ground masala, adjust salt to taste and simmer on low for a few minutes until the flavors mingle.  Adjust the water as required to achieve required consistency, this should not be too thick or too runny. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves) and serve hot with a little bit of ghee on top. 

Serves approx 3 to 4

This tastes fantastic with some chips/ papad and Boondi raita.

Notes:

If you are making this with white rice, usually something like sona masuri rice works well in this recipe. For sona masuri for 1 cup of rice, usually 3 cups of water works well to cook in the pressure cooker. So for this proportions of rice + lentils I would suggest about 4 and 1/2 cups of water.

Variation, you can reduce the red chilies by 1 or 2 and instead dry roast 1/4 Tbsp cumin seeds and 8 to 10 whole black pepper and grind that along with the masala for a slightly different flavor and taste. 

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Indian flat bread with mustard greens (Mustard greens chapatti)

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The last time I was at the grocery I had purchased this packet of mustard greens that I wanted to try.Was not sure though as to how to use it though.After doing some research figured out I could probably use it in soups and such but was just not very much in the soup kind of mood today.

My mother in law makes some awesome methi chapatti's.Whenever we visit India and travel anywhere there,she makes these amazing methi chapatti's that are yummy and make an excellent lunch or dinner on the go.I decided to try and adapt her basic recipe to work with the mustard greens.

I was initially skeptical but believe that this dish has earned a place in my regular menu now.

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method of making Mustard greens chapatti.
1 cup washed and chopped mustard greens
2 cups wheat flour
2 tsp oil
gud the size of small lime
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp green chili paste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

1.Place pan on stove.Pour the oil,when it heats,add the cumin seeds, ground ginger and stir for a minute,then add the gud,all the spices and the mustard greens.
2.Once the greens cook,let it cool
3.Mix in the flour with the cooked greens and make the dough for the chapatti with sufficient water.The greens will have some moisture so keep that in mind while mixing the dough.
4.Keep the dough covered for about 10 to 15 mins
5.Roll out the chapatti's.Heat a tawa and place the rolled chapatti on it and cook on both sides applying a little oil or ghee.
6.Serve hot with salad,raita or favorite curry

This yields about 12 medium sized chapatti's.

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Spinach Tofu curry ~ Palak Tofu

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Tofu is made from dried soybeans. It is high in protein, low in fat and very low in saturated fat. Tofu like all soy products is good in moderation. I use it from time to time in different curries. This one with spinach is somewhat similar to palak paneer. Palak Paneer is a curry made with spinach and Indian cottage cheese, it originates from the Northern region of  India and is very popular.

This curry uses tofu in place of paneer. When using tofu in curries, I have noticed that simmering it for a while in the gravy allows the tofu to absorb the flavors and spices and results in a more flavorful curry. This is a quick, simple and easy curry that tastes great with any kind of Indian flat bread like phulkas, chapathis, naans or kulchas or even with plain steamed rice or cumin flavored rice.

 

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make Palak tofu ( Spinach tofu)

3 packed cups of spinach (palak ) leaves
1/2 lb of firm or extra firm tofu drained & cut into small pieces ( yielded 1 heaped cup of tofu pieces)
1 large red onion cut finely
2 medium sized tomatoes cut finely
1 sliver of ginger cut into small pieces
1 clove of garlic cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp of oil
1/2 tsp chili powder or to taste
1/2 tsp Garam masala (or to taste) (to make your own garam masala check out this post)
salt to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan, add spinach leaves about 1/4 tsp salt and a little water and cook until the leaves are wilted. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat oil, add onions, ginger and garlic and saute until onions are translucent. Then add tomatoes, garam masala, chili powder and stir until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Puree this mixture until it is smooth and add it back to the pan.

Add a little water to the blender and swirl to get the balance of the paste and add to the pureed mixture in the pan. Add tofu pieces, salt to taste and simmer mixture for at least 15 mins.Stir a few times in between and check to see if additional water is required during this time.

In the meanwhile, puree the cooked spinach until smooth. Add pureed spinach to the simmering tofu gravy and mix well. Adjust spices/ salt if desired and allow this mixture to simmer for a few more minutes.

Remove from heat and serve hot with any kind of phulkas/ rotis/ chapathis/naans or kulchas (Indian flat breads) or with some plain steamed rice or jeera rice.

If you are looking for recipes with spinach/ palak/ keerai, here are a few more :

Aloo Palak ~ Baked potatoes in spinach gravy curry

Keerai Molagootal ~ Palak Dhal ~ Spinach lentil curry

Keerai Oat Barley Adai ~ Palak Dhal Dosa ~ Spinach oat savory Indian crepes

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Cure for a cold and wintry afternoon

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May 12,2008

Cold ,wintry and rainy days like the one we are facing today always brings to mind the ultimate Indian comfort food of masala herb tea and masala peanuts.I have not made masala peanuts for quite a while now and the weather provided an excellent excuse to make this crunchy treat to go along with the tea.

 

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make masala herb tea.
Serves 2

One cup of water
One cup of milk
2 teaspoons loose tea
2 teaspoons sugar
5-6 mint leaves washed and torn into bits and pieces
1/2 teaspoon of powdered cardamom
1 inch ginger grated


1.Place the water on the stove,add grated ginger,mint leaves,sugar and cardamom.
2.Simultaneously heat the milk in a separate container or in the microwave.When the water boils add 2 spoons of loose tea.Immediately shut off the stove and let the tea stand for a min to steep.
3.Add the hot milk,mix with a spoon and strain the liquid into two mugs and enjoy yummy masala herb tea.


Masala Peanuts (Spicy peanuts)

Normally masala peanuts are made by deep frying the peanuts,since I have been trying to cut calories wherever possible without compromising on taste,making masala peanuts in the microwave has worked out for me as a good alternative.

The surprise ingredient in this dish is the moong flour,I used to make masala peanuts in the past without this,with only the rice and the gram flour,but adding the moong flour enhances the taste and makes the masala peanut quite crunchy and tasty.

 

Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and method to make microwave masala peanuts.
2 1/4 cup of raw peanuts
1/2 cup besan ( gram flour)
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup moong flour
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp hing powder
2-3 tsp of corn oil or mazola oil
Chili powder to taste ( I use about 3/4 tsp which makes it about medium spicy)
salt to taste ( I use about 2 tsp)
3/4 cup of water.

1.Place the raw peanuts in a microwave safe bowl.Put in all the flours and spices and mix all the dry ingredients well.Lastly put the water and oil and mix it in well.
2.Place the bowl in the microwave, cook till done.It takes about 7 -12 minutes depending on the microwave.After every minute the ingredients in the bowl need to be stirred and initially it may tend to form large lumps and it needs to be broken off with a fork.

Also a point to note is that at the end of this time the peanuts need to be cooled for a few minutes since they seem to be softer when they are warm and the crispiness can be assessed better when cool.This snack has a good shelf life and can be stored for 8-10 days in an airtight container.

Just a quick note though these peanuts are very very addictive and it is difficult to stop with just a few,so be prepared to dig in and enjoy them.

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Subscription

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I have been receiving a lot of questions with regard to subscription and how it works, so I decided to devote an entire post to try and explain the process of how subscription offered on this site works.

There are two types of subscription offered on this site both are offered at no cost of course..... :-)

The first one is subscription by email, when you sign up for this service you receive each post on this site after you sign up directly in your inbox. This is a two step process, you need to enter your email on the page where it is requested and also enter the text displayed on that page, then feedburner will send you an activation link to your email with the subject Activate your email subscription to Veg Inspirations. The text of the email will contain a link to activating your subscription. Once you click on the link you are set to recieve updates from this site whenever there is a new post.This is usually a short introduction that reaches your inbox and to read the entire post you need to click on the title of the post and it will take you to that specific post on this site. This is useful for those that are not able to check back on updates on the site regularly as each update directly reaches your inbox.Your email is never shared or used for any other purpose.

The second type is for a subscription by reader. This service is useful for those that are already using or wish to start using readers in google or yahoo or similar sites.This site can be added to their reader . This does the same thing that email subscription does, it shows updates on this site on your reader and you can click on the title and it will take you to the relevant post on this site.

Both these types of subsriptions have a nice fringe benefit, it makes it easy to mark the recipes that you would want to try. When you are subscribed by email you can just flag the email that contains the recipe you want to try and it becomes easy to access in future.Alternatively you could create a folder in your email and transfer the emails containing the recipes you want to try into that folder. In reader you can just star the recipe you want to try and access it when you are ready to try it.

Hope this information helps, in case you have furthur questions do send them to me using the comment form on the main page under each post or through contact form using contact tab on the main page.

Thanks :-)

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Awards

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Some tokens of appreciation from friends and fellow bloggers, thanks to all of you....

My interview with EC of Simple Indian Food can be found here




Thanks Skribles, Trupti, Indhu & Varsha




Thanks Trupti and Taste Tinkerer



Thanks Sowmya, Nithya and Varsha




Thanks Srimathi,Sukanya, Rajee and Trupti



Thanks EC,Trupti,Sireesha Lothi and Sripriya

Thanks VG

Thanks Sukanya and Purvaa

Thanks Divya, Shreya , Sireesha,VG, Sripriya, Vibaas, Priya and Indranee

Thanks Sowmya, Shreya, Dershana , Srilekha, Madhavi, Dibs, Indranee





Thanks Mahimaa




Thanks VG, Curry Leaf , Vidhya, Sowmya, Shama , Gita , Mahimaa, Adlaks, Sukanya ,Dibs, PJ and Navita.




Thanks Ramya, VG , Jaishree, Nithya and Varsha







Thanks Ramya, Purva, Malar, Ramya, Andhra Flavours, Vibaas, Dibs and Indranee





Thanks Deepa, Suparna, Meenal Mehta and Gita

Thanks Varsha

Thanks Varsha, Hema, VG and Trupti

Thanks Varsha, Sunanda and Sudeshna

Thanks Viki, Jaishree , Dibs, Indranee and Shreya

Thanks Vinolia ( Akals Sappadu), Hema, Trupti, VG and Archana

Thanks Anu, Archana, Jaishree, Varsha, Vibaas and Nithya

Thanks Jaishree, Uma, Suparna and Indrani

 

 

Thanks Priya, Gita, Viki, Ramya, Dibs, Indranee, VG, Lataji, Uma, Suparna, Vaishali, Indrani, PJ and Rachana

Thanks Vij, Dibs and Indranee

Thanks Uma, Suparna and Indrani

Thanks VG, Viki, Indranee and Dibs

Thanks Priya, Purva, Ramya, Gita, Vibaas, Dibs, Indranee and VG

Thanks Satya

Thanks PJ ! 

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