Cranberry Orange Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour- 2 cups
Dark Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Baking Powder - 2 tsp.
Walnut - 1 cup (chopped)

Wet Ingredients:
Sunflower Oil - 1/3 cup
Orange Juice - 2/3 cup (fresh)
Flax Seed Powder - 2 tsp.
Water - 1/2 cup
Orange Zest - from an orange
Craisins - 1 cup (chopped)

Method:
First, preheat the oven at 190°C or 375°F. Then grease the muffin tray with cooking spray or butter.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and keep it aside.
After that, blend the flax seed powder with water in a blender when it’s nice and sort of foamy.
Add the orange juice in a cup (which fills 2/3 of the cup), then add water until it’s brimmed to the 1 cup mark.
Also add the flax seed solution, orange zest and stir them well together.
Then add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix them until they get moistened. Fold in the craisins (Caution! Don’t overmix!).
Pour the muffin batter into the tray and bake them for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the muffin comes out purely without any single particle.
Remove the tray and let it cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack. Remove the muffins and let them cool completely on the rack.
Inspired by Madhuram’s Egg-less Cooking.

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Sesame Seeds Chutney

Ingredients:
Sesame seeds - 1/3 cup
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Garlic - 2 cloves
Dry whole red chilies - 4
Grated coconut - ¼ cup
Craisins - ¼ cup
Salt
Oil

Tempering:
Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds till light golden color.
Fry the onion, garlic and dry red chili.
Soak the craisin in warm water for 10 minutes.
Add all the ingredients (craisins with soaked water) except oil in a mixer and grind.
Temper the chutney.
Serve with idlis.
Note: Adjust the red chilies according to your taste.

Sent off to Priya's "Cooking with seeds" event.

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Flax & Sesame Seeds Burfi

The original recipe actually goes for a cup of sesame seeds but I substituted half a cup with flax seeds.

Ingredients:
Sesame seeds (white) - ½ cup
Flax seeds - ½ cup
Jaggery (gud) - 1 cup (powdered)
Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can (400gm)
Milk powder - ½ cup
Butter (to grease the plate)

Method:
Dry roast the flax seeds and sesame seeds separately. Powder them coarsely.
Melt the jaggery by adding 2 tbsp. of water on the stove.
Now mix every ingredients except butter in a microwave safe dish.
Microwave for 3 minutes.
Remove and mix well.
Again microwave for 3 minutes.
Remove when it starts to bubble.
Stir fry till it becomes thick.
Spread the mixture on the greased plate.
Cut into desired shape when warm.
Remove from plate when the burfi is completely cool.
Enjoy the chewy burfi.


Sent off to Priya's "Cooking With Seeds" event.

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Stuffed Brinjal Fry

Ingredients:
Brinjals - 6
Small onions - ½ cup
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch
Tomatoes - 1 (big)
Fennel seeds - ¼ tsp.
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp.
Salt
Oil
Chili powder - 2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - few

Method:
Dry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside.
In a blender or food processor add the small onion, garlic, ginger, quartered tomatoes, fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, salt, roasted sesame seeds and blend them into a paste (without water).
Make four incisions perpendicular (X) from the base of each brinjal and the stem end should be intact.
Stuff each brinjal with required ground paste without breaking the brinjal.
Heat the oil in a non-stick kadai and add the brinjals one by one.
Stir for 2 minutes gently.
Now add the remaining ground paste and start to fry in low medium flame.
Cover with a lid and stir intermittently.
When the brinjals are cooked add the curry leaves and mix.
Remove from heat and serve with rice.
Variation:  First saute the ground paste till the raw smell fades. Then stuff them in the brinjal and add the remaining  at the final stage. Make sure there is no raw smell.

Sent off to Priya's "Cooking with Sesame Seeds" event.

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Thai Vegetable Red Curry

Thai Red Curry

Ingredients:
Baby corns - 3 (pieces)
Small brinjals - 2 (diced)
Broccoli florets - From a medium bunch
Mushrooms - 10 (sliced)
Bamboo shoots - ¼ cup (optional)
Red curry paste - 5 tbsp.
Coconut milk - 2 cup
Soya sauce - ½ tsp.
Basil leaves - 10 (chopped)
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Brown sugar - 1/2 tsp.
Corn flour - 1 tbsp.

Method:
Obviously I didn’t add brinjal and bamboo shoots.
Heat oil and add the red curry paste and fry for 5 minutes in low flame or till oil separates.
Add ¼ cup of coconut milk and vegetables. Cooks for 2 minutes.
Add the remaining coconut milk, soy sauce & chopped basil leaves.
Cover and cook the vegetables in low flame until they become tender.
Add salt & sugar to taste.
Mix corn flour with water and add it.
Mix well. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
Serve hot with steamed rice.
Adapted from Nita Mehta’s Book.
Note: Adjust( reduce) the red curry paste according to your taste.

Red Curry Paste
Got it from here.

Ingredients:
Onion - ¼ cup (chopped)
Lemon grass - 1 stalk (minced)
Kashmiri red chilies - 1 (BIG-chopped)
Garlic - 4 cloves
Galangal - 1 (thumb-size)
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp.
Cumin powder - ½ tbsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
White pepper powder - ¼ tsp
Fish sauce -3 tbsp. (or) Soy sauce - 4 tbsp. (I added soy sauce)
Shrimp paste -1 tsp. (didn’t add)
Sugar - 1 tsp.
Regular chili powder - 2 tbsp. (I added 1 tbsp. chili powder + 1 tbsp. kashmiri red chili)
Coconut milk - ¼ cup
Lime juice - 1 tbsp.
Kaffir lime leaves - 1

Method:
Blend all the ingredients into a paste.
Place it in a container in the refrigerator up to a week and freeze thereafter.

Note:
I used Kashmiri red chilies. Thai red chilies are extremely small and cute. You can use them if you want to.

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Sweet & Sour Vegetables

Ingredients:

Onions - 1 (diced)
Ginger - 1 tsp. (grated)
Tomatoes - 2 (scoop out the seeds)
Carrots - 1 (medium)
Capsicum - 1
Baby corns - 3
Broccoli florets - from a small bunch
Green chilies - 2 (slit half)
Sesame seeds - 1 to 1 ½ tsp.
Chinese sweet and sour mix - 1/3 cup
Oil

Method:
Cut baby corn, carrot and capsicum into bite sizes.
Dry roast the sesame seeds lightly and keep aside.
Add water to the Chinese sweet and sour mix (without any lumps) and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat.
(Sorry, I forgot the measurement of water)
Heat oil and add carrot, broccoli florets and baby corn.
Fry in high heat for 3 minutes by stirring and tossing.
Reduce the heat, cook the veggies till tender by covering with a lid.
Remove from heat and keep the veggies on a plate.
Again heat oil and add onion, ginger.
Fry till the onions are translucent.
Add the capsicum, tomato, green chilies and fry for a minute.
Add the sweet and sour water.
Add the veggies and bring it a boil.
Finally add the sesame seeds and serve hot.

Note:
The sweet and sour mix has enough salt. If you want, you can add more salt to the dish.
Source: Magazine

Sent off to Priya's "Cooking with Seeds" event.

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