Dosa & Dosa Podi

Dosa with Dosa podi Comments

Dosa/Idli Podi

INGREDIENTS:

• Urad dal – 1/2 cup
• Channa dal – 1/2 cup
• Moong dal –1/2 cup
• Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Garlic pods – 4 nos
• Asafoetida(kayam/hing) – 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 spring
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 1 tspMETHOD:
• Dry roast all the powders in a medium pan and keep it aside.
• In the same pan add 1 tsp of oil and roast channa dal, urad dal and moong dal along with asafoetida, garlic pods and curry leaves till the dal become light brown color.
• Keep stirring continuously , taking care to see that the Urad and Channa dals don't burn.(If you roast each dal separately that is good. Urad dal turn slightly pink it took about 5 minutes. Chana dal and moong dal turns slightly brown it took about 8 minutes.  Now, add the salt and asafoetida powder and mix thoroughly).
• Keep it aside until they become cool enough to touch.
• Grind all the ingredients together in a dry mixer by adding enough salt to get a fine or little coarse powder.
• Store it in a clean dry jar.
• To serve this  Dosa podi/Dosa powder with dosa or idli, take about 1-2 teaspoons of the powder and add little coconut oil in it to make a paste.
• Enjoy this easy Dosa/Idli podi with Dosa or Idli.
• You can use sesame (Til) oil or ghee for an extra rich taste for the Podi.

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Lunch 36

Rice with Red chilli coconut Chammanthi, Omelette and beans mezhukkupuratti. Comments

Asparagus Thoran

INGREDIENTS:

Asparagus - 1 lb, washed and cleaned

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Green chillies- 2, slit

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala – 1/2 tsp

Meat masla – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4  tsp

Curry leaves- 4 or 5

Dry red chilly – 1

Oil -  2 Tsp

Salt - To tasteMETHOD:

• Discard lower hard ends of the Asparagus.
• Clean and chop the asparagus  to thin rounds.
• Crush the grated coconut, green chilies, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garam masala , and salt together to a coarse mixture, either with your hands or pulse it in a mixer.
• In a deep pan, heat the oil, splutter mustard seeds and add dry red chilly.
• Now add the chopped asparagus, curry leaves and sauté for a minute.
• Cover with the lid and cook for a few minutes at medium-low heat.
• Now open the lid and add the coarse coconut mixture. Mix well, check for the salt .
• Then  close the lid and cook at medium-low heat until the asparagus is almost done.
• Open the lid and stir fry at medium heat for a few minutes until the Asparagus thoran becomes dry.
• Switch off the stove.
• Now Asparagus Thoran is Ready to Serve.

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Fingerless Gloves

Work in Progress Comments

HOMEMADE YEAST BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

• All purpose flour – 2 cups
• Milk – 3/4 cup cup
• Yeast – 1 1/2 tsp
• Sugar – 1 Tbsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp 
• Butter – 1 Tbsp
• Baking Powder – 1 tsp
• Extra flour for dusting

METHOD:

• Making Yeast Bread/Proofing the Yeast.
• The first step of making yeast bread is to make sure that the yeast is alive. This is called proofing the yeast. It is an important step  because, if the yeast is dead, it can't work to make  the bread.
• To proof the yeast, take 3/4 cup of milk  in a bowl and heat the milk to a temperature of 100° to 110°.
• You can heat the milk in the microwave if you wish.
• Microwave at HIGH for about 2 minute or until the milk reaches at least 100°.
• Add the warm milk to a large bowl, and stir in the yeast and the sugar.
• Let this mixture to sit  for about 10 minutes.
• Active yeast will begin to swell and foam or bubble a few minutes after it's stirred into the warm liquid.
• Making Yeast Bread Dough
  To make the bread dough, Take the flour in a large mixing bowl and add other ingredients in it and mix just until the mixture is combined.
• After the mixture is combined, dump the dough out onto a floured surface, and you're ready to knead.
• If you need add enough flour to get the dough to the desired consistency for kneading. But it is OK if you don't use extra flour  in the dough.
• Kneading the Dough
  Place your dough in a well floured surface.
• Push the dough out with the palms of your hands, fold it over, give it a quarter turn, and repeat.
• Add more flour if you need it. (The dough may be sticky).
• Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough feels smooth and elastic, but still a little tacky.
• The First Rising
  Place the dough in a large bowl for the first rising because the dough will double in size.
• Cover the bowl with a slightly damp lightweight tea towel and place in a warm place for 1 hour.
• When the dough appears to have doubled in size, gently press two fingers into the dough.
• If the indention remains, the dough has risen enough.
• Punch the dough down in the center to deflate it.
• Rolling the Dough
  After you have punched the dough down to deflate it, turn the dough out onto a floured surface for rolling.
• You have to roll the dough into a rectangle.
• Lift the rolling pin up slightly as you near each end of the rectangular shape.
• Now roll up the dough, starting with a short edge. Roll the rectangle tightly, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Pinch the seam and the ends to seal.
• The Second Rising
  For the second rising of the dough, roll up the dough and place it, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan or one that's been lightly coated with cooking spray.
• Cover and let it rise 1 hour or until the loaf has doubled in size.
• Watch the loaf in between.
• If it rises too much and starts to fall, the bread will be dense. Once the loaf has doubled in size, the dough is ready to bake.
• So now you can preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
• Place your yeast bread in the middle rack of the oven.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on your altitude and the type of bread pan you are using.

• When the bread is done baking, remove it from the baking pan and allow it to cool on a cooling rack prior to serving.
• Serve yeast bread warm with hot Tea or Coffee.

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Milk Chocolate Spread Croissants

INGREDIENTS:

• All purpose flour - 2 cups
• Whole milk - 1/2 cup
• Baking yeast - 1 tsp
• Granulated sugar - 2 1/2 Tbsp
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Butter - 1/2 cup/8 Tbsp/1 stick
• Extra flour for dusting

METHOD:

• Take little bit warm milk in a bowl and pour 1 tsp of yeast in it and mix well with a spoon and let it dissolve. Keep it aside for 20 minutes.
• In another small bowl add together salt and sugar and mix well.
• Then add the salt and sugar mixture to the milk yeast mixture, mix well.
• Now take the flour in a large bowl and pour milk - sugar mixture to this and mix well till the lumps of flour are broken up.
• Knead the flour mixture by hand for 20 minutes or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (on low speed) for about 20 minutes by adding remaining milk.
• The dough should be smooth and elastic by the time you finish kneading.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it well again. The dough seems to be silky and smooth and just gorgeous after it's been kneaded.
• Place the dough in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit for 2 hours. After 2 hours the dough will be double in size.
• Now you take the dough and place it in a floured surface and make a cross with your knife.

• Then you can make four petals in your dough, using a rolling pin.
• Press lightly each of the petal with your rolling pin and increase the size of each petals. Make sure that the center portion of the dough remains thick.

• Now place your butter in the center of the dough and fold each of the dough petals on the top of the butter,means fold the flour petals, one by one towards middle as shown.
   
• Lightly flour the top and bottom of the dough.
• Then take your rolling pin and roll the dough without pressing too hard means with the rolling pin, firmly press the dough to elongate it slightly and then begin rolling instead of pressing, focusing on lengthening rather than widening the dough and keeping the edges straight.. Carefully make a rectangle shape with the dough.
• Rotate the rectangle of dough (if necessary) so that you can hold a roller parallel to the open edges.
• Fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter - start with a narrow end facing you.
• I began by folding the bottom third up.Then folded the top third down... You've now completed one "Turn".
• Turn the dough so the single fold (like the spine of a book) is on your left.
• Now be ready to start the second turn.
• Repeat the process described above of rolling the dough into about a 9 x 18-inch rectangle, then folding the rectangle into thirds by bringing the bottom up and the top down over it.
• Use your fingers to make two imprints on the dough to keep track of the fact that you've completed two turns.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Once the dough has been refrigerated, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before you begin rolling it out again.
• Then roll it and complete two more "turns" - for a total of four turns in all.
• At this point, the dough is ready to be rolled out and used.
• Before you begin to shape the the croissants , grease two large baking sheets with butter or oil.
• Also, make sure you have a ruler handy.
• Cut the dough in half.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough into a 6 x 20-inch rectangle.
• The dough will be about 1/8 - 1/4-inch thick.
• Transfer each large rectangle onto one of the prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. You want the dough firm, but not brittle.
• When the first rectangle is ready to work with, transfer it back to your work surface with one of the long ends facing you.
• The next step is to cut the triangles from the dough that will be formed into individual croissants.
• Starting on the left side of the bottom edge of the rectangle, measure 5 inches from the end and make a tiny notch to mark the base of the first triangle. Measure another 5 inches from that notch and make a second notch to mark the base of the second triangle. Finally, repeat one more time - measure another 5 inches and make a notch. You should now have marked off four 5-inch sections.
• Otherwise, with the rectangle dough make 4 or 5 squares and make 2 triangles from each square as shown in the picture. You will get 12 triangles.
• Cut the triangles and place them onto greased baking sheets.
• If you want, you can chill for 15 to 20 minutes, before placing on baking sheet.
• If you need make a small slit in the base of the center of each triangle.
• Place a tsp of milk chocolate on top of each triangles.
• Spread it well.
• Now begin to roll the triangles to form the croissants by curling the two sides of the triangle on each side of the slit away from each other. You want to roll tightly.
• Using both hands, continue to roll the base of the triangle - one hand working with the dough on each side of the slit.
• Point your hands away from each other - at about 45 degree angles from center - as you roll.
• Rolling in this manner will help make the classic croissant shape.
• Roll each triangle so the tip is underneath and then bend the 2 ends toward each other to form a shape like a little crab.
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Arrange the croissants on the greased baking sheets, Cover them with a clean plastic bag and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.  
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the croissants have risen, remove the plastic bag.
• Beat the egg with one Tbsp of water or milk to make the egg wash.
• Brush the croissants with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until deep brown, around 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool on a rack before serving.
• Your Milk Chocolate Spread Croissants are now ready to serve!
• Repeat the process above with your second rectangle dough.

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