Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

This would be my last post of this year. So I thought of putting something that would be good to make as a New Year breakfast, for a new beginning. I had made this for Christmas, though. As this re heats well, you may even make it ahead of time and have a relaxed beginning to your New Year, after the festivities of the new year's eve. I have combined the recipes from the Cinnamon Pull-Apart recipe from  Joy the Baker and the Cinnabons recipe from Across the range, as the original Cinnamon Pull-apart recipe doesn't re-heat well. But if you have enough time and you can go with the original recipe itself.
Pssst...my hubby was so generous with presents this Christmas (or was it Santa himself, I am not sure!..), I got an overload of presents - a bread machine,a digital food scale, a new camera and all the other stuff from my wish list. May be I was such a good girl throughout the year!! With all these new gadgets I hope to make my blog even better next year - of course, with all your encouragement and support.

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk - heat in microwave for 1 minute
1 egg, beaten
1/4  Cup melted butter
7 tbs water
1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding powder
4 Cup bread or white flour
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp traditional yeast

Filling
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
Method:
Dough can either be made in bread maker or the old fashioned way with hand. If using a breadmaker add the ingredients in the following order: boiling water, cold milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, egg, 1 cup of the flour, the pudding mix, 2 1/2 more cups of flour and dry yeast. Add another 1/2 cup of flour as the dough cycle runs, or as much flour as needed to make a soft, smooth dough . If  making the dough by hand in traditional manner take a large mixing bowl, combine the hot water with the cup of (cold) milk to make a luke warm milk-water mixture. Add dry yeast and when it starts to froth add the butter, sugar, salt, egg, flour and vanilla pudding mix. Then  make a sticky dough. Add more flour as needed (about a cup more, or as much as it takes to make a smooth dough). Let rise for an hour. Punch down. Roll dough to 17" x 10".
Combine filling ingredients and mix well. Heat in microwave 10 seconds to make it spreadable. Spread over rolled out dough getting as close to the edges as possible.  Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  (If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil at the end of baking.)  Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out, transferring to a serving plate.  Serve warm.
Sending this over to Radhika's Let's cook #10 Baked Goodies event

and Sangeetha's Bake fest # 2 an event started by Vardhini

Avocado Chapati

For this weeks Blog Hop Wednesday  by Radhika I am paired with Harini and  this Avocado Chapati is what I tried from her blog.I didn't alter the recipe much ,the only small change I did was using pulp of two avocado instead  of one and making this in the form of a triangle and layered chapati. The end result was a soft and delicious chapati which was well liked by all at home.
Ingredients -
Whole Wheat Flour- 2 cups
Avocado (pulp) - 2
Salt as per taste
Chat Masala -1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp
Kasoori Methi- 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Method :
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and knead well with very little water. Since the avocado pulp will have some moisture, add water gradually and make dough.
Cover the dough for about 10-15 min while the rest of the stuff is arranged.
Make about 12 equal portions of the dough and roll out rotis,apply a little oil and sprinkle some flour and fold in half .Apply little more oil and fold the semicircle again  to form a triangle ,roll out the triangle to form a thinner triangle. Cook both sides of the chapati on a hot griddle/tava.

Achappam

Achappams are one of the traditional Kerala snacks. But of late I came to realize that something similar to these exists in other cultures/countries, known by varying names such as Rosettes, Rose Cookies etc. I haven't had a chance to try any of these other delicacies yet, but I feel that an Achappam is an achappam whatever name you call it by! My theory is that these would have probably reached the other cultures through the European colonization of Kerala - or probably the other way round. Any way, in the traditional Kerala version, as with most of the Kerala cooking, you have to use the coconut milk also.
The unique, flower like shape of these cookies are the result of using the uniquely shaped molds - it is important that you get a mold made of the right metal, something that could retain heat. The one I use is made of brass.
               Wishing all my beloved readers a Merry Christmas !

Ingredients:
Rice powder  - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Coconut Milk - 1 ¼ cup
Eggs - 2
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Vegetable oil - enough for deep frying

Method:
Beat the eggs in a deep vessel. Add sugar and coconut milk and mix it until the sugar dissolves. Mix in the rest of the ingredients to make a thick batter.

Heat the oil and dip the achappam/rose cookie mould in it. Immediately dip the mould in to the batter, making sure that only about 3/4th the thickness of the mould goes in the batter. Now put the mould with the batter coating into hot oil. (If the mould is not hot enough or too hot the batter will not hold on to the mould). Hold the mould in the hot oil for a few seconds and then gently shake the mould so that the batter shapped like achappams separates from the mould. (It would take some practice and geting used to doing to get the batter off the mould without breaking the Achappams or them losing thier shape)

Fry both sides on low-medium heat till slightly golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Continue making more achappams until the batter is finished (make sure to dip the mould in the oil before dipping into the batter). Store in an airtight container to retain crispiness.

Chocolate Rum Raisin Cake

This being the season of cakes and cookies, I thought of baking something that evokes the spirit of the season. This delicious cake gets better with time. This is something that you can prepare ahead for your Christmas party and just forget about it till the big day.
Ingredients:
1 cup Water
1/4 cup dark Rum or 1/2 cup Apple Juice
2/3 cup chopped Raisins
3/4 cup Butter or vegetable oil
1 Egg at room temperature
1 1/4 cup Sugar
1& 2/3 cup All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/3 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inches tube pan  or the pan of  your choice with oil and flour.
Whisk together the melted butter and the sugar. Add egg and blend well. Boil one cup of water, and transfer into a mixing bowl. Add rum and raisins. Add  the raisin mixture once lukewarm to the sugar butter egg mix  .
In a separate mixing bowl, sift flour, baking soda ,cocoa powder and a pinch of salt . Stir the sifted flour into raisin mixture and mix well. Be careful not to overmix. If the batter is too thick add a little more water.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth batter evenly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 32- 35 minutes or until a toothpick tests with a few moist crumbs adhering. Cool 15 minutes. Run a thin bladed knife around the edges to loosen and turn out the cake.And if you are planing to have this later you can sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with another 2 tbsp of rum and place this in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Allow it to age just like the fruit cakes.
Sending this over to Bake Fest #2 at Spicy Treats an event by Vardhini hosted by Sangeeta

and to the ABC Series at Ramya's Recipe

Tomato Onion Chutney

For this weeks Blog Hop Wednesday  by Radhika I am paired with Rudra and  this Tomato Onion Chutney is what I tried from her blog.As usual I did a few alterations and ended up with this delicious dip.Thank you Rudra for this lip smacking good dip
Ingredients
Onion -1
Tomato - 4 medium sized
Green Chilli-1
Ginger-1"
Mustard Seeds -1/2 tbsp
Chilli powder-1/4tsp
Asefeotoida-1/4tsp
Urad Dal - 1/4 tbsp
Curry Leaves - a few
Salt as required
Oil for cooking
Method
Heat oil in a kadai and add chopped onion,ginger,chilli powder and green chilli and fry till onion turn translucent.Then add chopped tomatoes and curry leaves and saute till tomatoes turn mushy. Remove from the heat and allow them to cool.Grind this to a paste.
Again heat some oil in the kadai and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add urad dal and saute till it turns golden followed by the asefoetida powder.Add the ground paste and saute till excess oil comes on the top.
Serve with hot idlies and dosa.
Sending this over to Radika's

Pazham Pori / Banana Fritters

Today it being Sunday and as we were all home in the evening,  I wanted to make something special.  I was wondering what to make that is yummy and filling and does't take much of my time.  That's when I noticed the ripe bananas on my banana hanger; so without wasting much time I made this Kerala special tea time snack and we all enjoyed it with great relish.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 3/4 cup 

Rice flour - 1 tbsp (optional)

Salt - 1/8 tsp 

Sugar - 3 tsp 

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Water - 3/4 - 1 cup 

Ripe banana - 3 

Oil - to deep fry 

Method:

Prepare a thick batter with the flour, rice flour and water. Add salt, sugar and turmeric. Cut the banana into half and then slice each half into 2-3 thin pieces.  Dip the banana in the batter and deep fry in hot oil. 

Elanchi / Pan Cake

This is a quick after-school snack I used to enjoy as a kid. Easy to make, tasty and filling, this can be considered Kerala's take on the pancakes or crepes, with the filling being sweetened coconut gratings.
Aishwarya is a fan of anything made with coconuts and she loves it whenever I make this at home, her only complaint being that I don't make it often enough.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour( maida)-1 cup
Egg - 1
Water -1cup
Grated Coconut -    1½    cup
Sugar -   2    tbsp
Cardamom Powder   -  ¼    tsp

Method:
Break the egg into a bowl and beat it well.
Add the flour and salt , mix it well. Add enough water and prepare a smooth batter; the batter should be thinner than the dosa consistency.
In another bowl, mix together grated coconut, sugar and cardamom powder.Filling is ready. Keep  this aside.
Heat a non stick frying pan and  pour a spoonful of batter in the centre, spread with the back of the spoon to a thin round. Keep on medium flame.
When it is cooked on one side,place a spoon of the coconut filling on one end of the pancake and roll it.
Transfer it to a serving dish. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter.
Serve hot.
Sending this over to "SYF&HWS - Cook With SPICES" Series by Anu

and Desserts with Coconuts event by Raven hosted by Raksha

Black Bean Burger Patties

The hungry monster in my home loves burgers. But as we are vegetarians, the options are limited for us. Typically I make burgers at home using the vegetable cutlets that I make. But Aishwarya doesn't like it that much as they are loaded with veggies, though both Jai and I simply love those. So for those days that we make home made burgers, we use Morning Star's vegetarian burger patties to make the burgers for Aishwarya. These are also good and convenient and even in the fast food chains like Burger King's they use these same patties to make the veggie burgers.
Morning Star has Bean Burgers among their products, which Aishwarya likes, but when I saw this recipe, I liked it more since I know what goes into this and when we made it, it was tasting better than the bought  out ones. All of us like it so much that we often takes it by itself even without the burger buns. These tastes awesome with just sour cream and some sambal paste or salsa on top.

Adapted and modified from Show Me The Curry
Ingredients: (makes approx 6 large patties)
For the Patty:
Black Beans (or you may use kidney beans also) – 1, 15 oz can, drained and rinsed
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Onions – 1/2 cup, chopped
Garlic – 2-3 cloves, chopped
Beans-1/2 cup,chopped
Garam masala-1tsp
Chilli powder-1/2tsp
Coriender powder-1tsp
Pepper powder-1/2tsp
Taco Seasoning – 1 tbsp or to taste
"Better than Bullion" vegetable base or chicken base -1/2 tsp
Shredded Carrots – 1/2 cup
Whole Wheat or Whole Grain Bread – 1 slice
Cooked Brown Rice – 1 cup
Frozen Corn – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Soy Granules – 1/2 cup
Instant Oats – 1 cup
Cilantro – 5 springs, finely chopped
Eggs – 1, lightly beaten
Bread crumbs for coating

For the Burger:
Toasted Buns
Sour Cream
Salsa

Method:

 In a pan, heat up 1 tbsp of Olive Oil. Once hot, add in the Onions and Garlic and allow them to caramelize a little.Add in the Soy Granules and  once dry add in the Bell Pepper and beans and cook for a little bit (1-2 min) Add in Taco Seasoning,vegetable base and other dry seasonnings, allow it to coat the vegetables and turn off the stove. Once the stove has been turned off, add in the finely shredded Carrots and mix well. Set the pan aside and allow it to cool down.
Pulse the Food processor about 3-4 times to make the bread slice into bread crumbles. In the Food Processor, add Cooked Brown Rice, Corn, Cooked Vegetables, Salt, Pulse about 6-7 times.Add in 3/4 of the can of Black Beans after draing them. Pulse for another 3-4 times till everything is mixed well.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Instant Oats, Cilantro & the balance of the Balck Beans. Mix gently but well. Now is a good time to do taste test before adding in Eggs.
Add in the eggs and mix well gently.If you have time put the mixture in the fridge and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.Divide up the mixture into equal portions,make a patty  Coat the them with bread crumbs. Heat a skillet up on medium heat with enough Oil.Once the skillet is hot, place gently, press the patty down if it is too thick and move it around so it gets coated in the Oil.Flip the patty once it browns on the bottom to cook the other side as well .
Once done, place on a toasted Bun.Garnish with Sour Cream and Salsa and serve.