Cinnamon Roll

Risen cinnamon before baking 

Ingredients:


For Dough:
11/2 Cup All purpose flour
1/2 Cup Wheat flour
1 Cup Milk (warm)
Water if needed
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 tbsp Butter (room temperature)
1/4 Cup Semi course Sugar
3/4 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
For filling:

4 tbsp butter, melted or softened-Optional-I sometimes, skip this step but still rolls come out great.




1/3 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Soften the butter; set aside. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; stir in chopped nuts (optional).

Making of Butter Frosting 

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tsp soften butter and 3tsp icing sugar until creamy.  Add milk or water to make it loose so that it can be poured on rolls easily. Keep aside until ready to use. You can warm it up little bit later on if it gets hard.

Making the Dough

Take the yeast in a glass and mix it in the milk adding a tbspoon of sugar to it and keep it aside for 10min.
Take the flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a bowl. (If you are using salted butter, skip the salt)

Add the risen yeast and vanilla essence to the flour mixture and knead it gently till you get a smooth and very soft dough. Now add the softened butter and knead gently for 3 more min. Now keep it aside for rising for 30min to 1 hr, by covering with a lid.
Once the dough has risen to double its quantity, knead it lightly again to take out the air. The dough would be little sticky at this stage, so keep extra flour as you may need to add some while kneading.
Now dust the  rolling surface with flour and roll out the dough till quarter inch thickness. 

Greece a  baking pan; set aside.

After dough has risen, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15 x 24-inch rectangle.

Brush the  softened butter  over the top of the dough with  a pastry brush. 

Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling over the butter on the prepared dough. Starting with long edge, roll up dough. Seal the edges properly.

With a knife, lightly mark roll into  1/2-inch section. Use a sharp knife. By bringing the ends of the floss up and criss-crossing them at the top of each mark, you can cut through the roll by pulling the strings in opposite directions. Place cut side up in prepared baking pan, flattening them only slightly. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Spread Butter Frosting over the cinnamon rolls while still warm. Best served warm, but room temperature is also great!

Yields 15 cinnamon rolls.

Biscuit Delight

My 9 year old daughter has learnt this receipe from her school CCA class.

Ingredients;

1 Cup Marrie Biscuits
1/4 Cup Desiccated Coconut
4 tbsp Powder sugar
2tsp Milk
1/2 tsp Cocoa powder

Method:
Crush biscuit in a mixer.
Add sugar powder, desiccated coconut mix well.
Divide into two portions.
Add cocoa powder for one portion.
Sprinkle milk and make a dough.
Roll it with a roller pin.
Put each rolled one on another.
Roll it and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Cut into pieces and serve.

Crunchy Poha ( Avalakki)

Ingredients:
1/2 Kg thin Poha
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
4-6 tbsp Oil
Raw peanuts as required
Fried grams as required
Few Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Mustered Seeds
Pinch of Asafetida
Salt to taste

Method;

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustered seeds, when splutter add cumin seeds, asafetida and turmeric.
Then add peanuts, fried grams and curry leaves until cook properly.
Add poha, saute for few min until they incorporate with other ingredients.
Sprinkle salt and mix well, allow it to cool down.
Poha become crisp only when it cool down completely.
Serve with tea or coffee.

Jower Roti (Bhakri)

Ingredients;

2 cup Jower flour

Water as needed

Extra flour dusting

Method;

Take the flour in large plate, add 1/4 cup of hot water and mix it properly.

Add water to the flour till you get soft dough.

Knead the dough for 2-3 min.

Make a small ball, dust enough with flour and start patting the dough ball with hand.

Gradually expand the roti by rotating till you get 1mm thickness.

Heat the Tava on medium flame, put the roti upside down and apply water on top side.

Then turn it over and cook until brown spot seen on both side.

Serve hot or cold with butter and any dry chutney or methi pachadi is good combination.

Note You need practice to get proper shape and thickness.

Stir Fry Tofu

Ingredients:
1 pack Firm Tofu
2 tsp Soya sauce
1 tsp Chilli sauce or any sauce of your choice
2 tsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Spring onion to sprinkle

Method:
Wrap the tofu with a clean cotton towel and drain water completely, cut tofu into cubes
Heat oil in a skillet, add tofu cubes and shallow fry them in a high flame until  turn into golden brown.
Add soya sauce and chilli sauce, saute for a min.
Sprinkle salt and spring onion.
Serve hot with sauce.

Quick Pizza

Ingredients;

For Pizza base -Wholemeal wraps (store bought)
1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce (or as required) You can refer home made pizza for this receipe

2 medium  Capcicum  ( Get yellow, red, purple if available)

2 large deseeded chopped Tomatos.

1 large Onion ( chopped lengthwise)

Black Olives as required

Ground black pepper to taste.

Mozzerella cheese as required

1 tsp Olive oil

Salt to taste.

Method;

Mix all vegetable and add salt and pepper

Take the wrap and spread veggie mixture with grated cheese and pepper.

Bake for 6-7 mins in Garlic bread mode (if available in your oven) or  230'C in preheated oven until cheese melts and base becomes slightly crisp.

This pizza comes out with thin crust and can be served as an appetizer.

Vegetable Grilled Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 pack Brown Bread or Wholemeal bread
(I have used wholemeal bread here)
1/2 Cup Grated Carrot
1/2 cup Shredded Cabbage
Few Spinach Leaves
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
3-4 sp  Cheese OR you can use cheese slice also
2-3 tsp of Mozzarella cheese (pizza cheese)
Black Pepper to taste
Green chilli paste If you want extra spice
Salt to taste

Method:
In a bowl, mix all the vegetables with cheese, salt, green chilli and pepper, sprinkle mozzarella on them and mix well.
If you are using cheese slice, spread it on the bread, then spread enough mixed vegetables on top of the slice.
Then cover it with another bread and grill it on stove top or sandwich maker. ( I have done in sandwich maker). Do the same for rest of the bread slices.
Serve hot with sauce.
This is a simple receipe yet delicious.

Variation: You can replace the cheese with fresh hung curd.

Green Tomato Chutney( Tomatokai Chutney)

Ingredients;
2 Big Green Tomato
4-5 Green chillies
1 tps Oil
Few stem of Coriander Leaves
3-4 tbsp Fresh Grated Coconut
2 tbsp Fried Grams
1/2 tsp Jaggery or Brown sugar
Pinch of Turmeric Powder or paste
2tsp white Sesame seeds
A leaf of Tamarind pulp if Tomatoes are not sour
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1tsp Oil
1tsp Mustered seeds
1tsp Urad daal
Pinch of Asefetida

Method:
Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan, add tomato pieces and saute until become tender.
Add sesame seeds and saute for few more min.
Then add fried grams, coconut, coriander , chilies, jaggery, turmeric and tamarind pulp mix and fry them for few min.
Allow it cool down and blend into course paste
To temper, heat oil in a pan add mustered seeds , when splutter add grad daal and asafetida and mix with chutney.
This is a good side dish for idli, dose etc.

Sooji Dhokla

Ingredients:
2 cup Semolina (Sooji)
1 cup Curd
1 tsp Ginger paste
1tsp Green chilli paste OR according to taste
1/2 tsp Carom seeds
1 tbsp oil
1/4 Turmeric
2 tsp Eno Fruit salt
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
2tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustered
3-4 slit Green chillies
2-3 tsp Lemon juice
Pinch of Asefetida
Few cut red chillies

Method:

In a bowl mix sooji, carom seeds and oil together.
Make sure that sooji is nicely coated oil.
To the curd, add ginger paste, green chilli paste, salt and turmeric, mix well then add it to the sooji and mix thoroughly.
Add 1/2 cup of water and bring it slightly loose batter.
Rest the batter for 20-25 min.
Prepare the steamer and grease the tin to prepare dhokla in.
After resting the batter, add another half cup (little more if necessary) of water and Eno fruit salt and bring the batter into idli batter consistency.
Pour the batter into the greased tray and steam for 15min.
Cook till done, when inserted tooth prick or knife at the centre comes out clean.
Allow the steamed dhokla to cool slightly  and cut into square shape.
To temper, heat the oil in a small pan add mustered seeds when splutter add curry leaves, green chillies asafetida and red chillies, fry them until crisp.
Add lemon juice and couple of spoons of water to tempering then sprinkle it all over the prepared dhoklas.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chutney.