Quick breads are made using baking powder, baking soda, beaten eggs or other leavening agents instead of yeast. They are 'quick' because they do not need to be left in a warm environment for several hours to rise. As the name suggests quick breads are easy to prepare, but none the less delicious to eat.
First pre-heat your oven at 400 degree C. Then grease your baking dish, a 5 by 9 inch rectangular or a 3 by 3 inch square will be great. Instead you can use cooking paper to line the baking dish. Now take 3 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sweet or normal paprika and 1 tsp baking soda(bicarbonate of soda) and mix well. Gradually add 2 cups of plain yogurt and 1 tsp molasses or malt extract. Stir in as much milk as you need to make a moist dough. I used 1/3 cup milk and mixed the dough with my hands. The consistency is sticky.
Now wash and dry your hands well and dust them with dry wheat flour. Then keep taking portions of the dough and set it into the baking dish. Repeat process for the complete dough. When done, make a long gash in the centre and throw in pumpkin seeds. Spread some on the top too and set for baking at 180 degrees C for 45 mins or more until brown and crisp on top. Cool on a wire rack for 10 mins.
Serve hot from the oven. Your kitchen will smell absolutely divine and so romantic, enjoy!
I had watched an episode of Nigelissima a couple of weeks back. Always a sucker for the colour RED, her red lipstick, red candles and red luscious plums looked as attractive as it did appetizing. Since then I was on the look-out for some lovely plums which I picked up as soon as I spotted them. In this recipe, I have added a small twist which heightened the sublimity element in the dessert.
Take about 10 clean plums and cut them into large rounded chunks. In a warm pan melt a tbsp of butter and fry a large stick of cinnamon(my twist). When the cinnamon stick turns dark brown, remove it and add the plums. Toss for 2 mins in low heat and add powdered sugar to sweeten the plums mildly. So, I should say 3 tbsps of powdered sugar should be good but please taste for sweetness. The plums will stew a bit and release some juices. Now set this whole thing, please includes the juices, onto a baking tray.
Take 3/4 cup of flour(weight watchers, you can use half and half flour and wheat-another twist) in a bowl. Add 3/4 slab of a 100 gram frozen butter and half a cup of sugar. Mix this with your finger tips to get a crumbly consistency. Now take about 6 digestive biscuits in a zip lock bag and bash it on your kitchen counter and get the biscuits into a crumbly powdery consistency. Add this to the flour-butter-sugar mix well.
Now pat this onto the plum base, patting it on as you go along. Once set, bake in an oven for 45 minutes at 150 degrees C. Please check for baking and only then take it out. If required bake for some time more at lower heat. The colour should be like it is in the picture.
A lip-smacking seasonal dessert for your dinner party is ready!
Anecdote
While most of us women can boast of being artful dressers, I find this one friend of mine pulling it off superbly. What strikes me in her self-styling is her ability to be different and yet match perfectly with an occasion. Well, this is one of her least important skills as this woman boasts of a large repertoire of life abilities.
Doctor by profession, a successful practicing pediatrician, she helps me at the oddest of hours, a good cook with a lovely home which boasts of her artistic touches, mother of two promising lads with one doing some self earning already right in the start of college, a happy and social friend who comes all the way to Andheri from Walkeshwar every time that I request her and makes time for friends and relatives for all their important occasions, and...and..and...Bela, a relatively new buddy in my longish life now (sigh!) is someone I admire very much.
While I am sharing Bela's kick-ass (pardon me but I cannot think of a more suitable adjective) salad with the most intriguing dressing, I must add that the one thing about Dr.Bela Doctor which impressed me the most is that she learnt driving only a few years back and she regularly drives all the way to Karjat come rains, come summer. Wow!
Stuff that you must have
Watermelon - cut into cubes with seeds cleaned out
Roasted corn on the cob
One large green capsicum
150 grams of cottage cheese
A sprig of coriander leaves
2 green chillies
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste(optional)
What to do
For the dressing; in a blender whisk together, crumbled cottage cheese, coriander leaves, lime juice, sugar and green chillies. Give it one quick whisk. The mix will be mildly grainy.
For the salad; take the corn off the cob with a sharp knife. Loosen the corn with your finger tips. Separately cut the capsicum into cubes so that both the watermelon and the capsicum are of the same size. Store in the fridge. When you are about to serve, throw away any extra juice that is released by the watermelon. Now add the corn. Mix in the dressing. Serve with a sprinkle of some more corn on the top. Add salt for taste though you may not require this step.
How to serve
A simple plating on a solid platter does it all. The colours of the salads provide a natural charm.
Trivia
Did you know that corn always has an even number of rows on each ear?
Cabbage has been historically appreciated as a salad vegetable like in Sauerkraut and kimchi. And who does not enjoy a classic Cole-slaw with their burger?
This salad is very unique especially because it boasts of a rather unusual dressing. So going straight to the recipe for the dressing; take half a cup of coconut milk, 2 tbsps fish sauce, one lime rind and juice of one lime. Mix them all and keep it aside.
Finely chop cabbage to make about 2 cups. Blanche in warm salted water for 4 minutes or so. Drain well. take chopped shallots(4 green ones or even one large red onion), 5 pods garlic and 2 red bird eye chillies. Toss in warm oil till brown and crisp. Separately roast 2 tbsps peanuts and saute with a touch of salt and red chilly powder.
Now add the dressing to the cabbage. Mix with 1/4th the shallot fry and peanuts. Set in a salad plate and top with the remaining fried shallot and peanuts.
Serve with Vietnamese rolls or some Laksa.
Ishani has been advising me to try this lovely easy creation for a long time. Pepper being a source of vitamins, A and C coupled with fresh and crunchy vegetables, makes this dish appetizing in looks, taste and health.
Last Sunday we were spending another lovely day with the Talwars who love simple and fresh food which do justice to quality produce.
All you need is coloured peppers, all three colours, red-green-yellow, one each, a large onion, about 300 grams of fresh cottage cheese and some salt and home-milled pepper powder.
Chop the vegetables in round rings and the cottage cheese in cubes.In a hot wok or sauce pan, add about 2 tbsps of olive oil. Layer the onions, sprinkle salt and pepper powder. Now layer all the coloured peppers and sprinkle salt and pepper. Cover with a lid for 2/3 minutes and keep the flame low. The onions begin to caramelize and the peppers start to soften. Top with cubed cottage cheese. Sprinkle salt to taste and generous amount of pepper powder. Again cover with the lid for 4/5 minutes while your flame is low.
Enjoy as a side dish, a warm salad or a main course item.
Use medium to small pieces of beef. for a kilo, you will need 8 dried red chilies, 8 peppercorns, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, vinegar and salt to taste ,4 boiled potatoes, 2 onions, 3 green chilies 2 cups coconut milk, 7 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger pc,
Cut and wash the beef and marinate with ginger garlic paste. Grind together red chilies coriander seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, peppercorns,cloves, cinnamon and mustard seeds. Keep coconut milk handy. Chop onions, green chilies ginger and garlic. Now in hot oil , brown the onions. Then add ginger, garlic and chilies Add the beef pieces and fry. Add the dry masala now. Stir fry for 3 minutes.Now add coconut milk and allow the meat to cook in low heat. You can also cook in a pressure cooker. Once the meat is soft, add vinegar and boiled potatoes.
best had with rice or 'sannas'.
I was driving past a fruit cart and the gleaming black grapes caught my attention. My mother really loves these and she was telling me the other day how much she misses them in Kolkata. Well, I made a mental note to carry some in the my next trip, along-with the usual white onions for Baba, and the idea of baking a cake with them came my way.
So, all you need is half a kilo of black grapes, 1/5 cups of flour, 4 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 small lemons, 1/2 cup of sugar,1 tsp vanilla essence, a pinch of baking powder and 2 eggs.
Beat the eggs well. Add the sugar and beat some more till the sugar dissolves. Add the oil and beat for another minute. Now add the vanilla essence, lime juice and grated lemon rind. In the side sieve the flour and add the baking powder. Now mix the wet and dry ingredients and fold in the batter together. If a bit stiff, add a little milk just to make your movement easy.
By now ensure your oven is preheated. Now in your baking tin ready with baking paper, pour a bit of the battera nd spread it out. Throw in the grapes randomly. Continue in layers till the batter is finished. Right on top jewel the cake with some more grapes. bake at 140 degrees for 45 mins or till it is cooked. Use the usual needle testing method. The colour is light and soft.
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