WOYP Day # 62 Paneer Lauki (Sorekaayi) Kofta Curry

I often buy Bottle gourd (Sorekaayi in Kannada /Lauki in Hindi) whenever I'm at the Farmers Market or the Indian store. I usually make Bottle Gourd Peas Saagu or Bottle gourd Dal. I add it to Vegetable Sambar too at times. Wanted to try something different this time, so made these Paneer Lauki koftas. I remembered reading about Lauki koftas very long back, but hadn't tried making them. I was skeptical if the family would like bottle gourd this way, so I added Paneer for good measure. They turned out perfect and everyone loved them!

Paneer Lauki Kofta Curry: 

You will need:

For the Koftas:

1 cup grated Sorekaayi (Bottle Gourd/Lauki)
1 cup grated Paneer
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Garam masala
2 tsp Red chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/3 cup Besan (chickpea flour)

Oil for frying

For the Gravy:

2 tbsp Oil
1 large onion chopped
3 tomatoes chopped
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
2 Green chilies, chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
6-8 whole Cashews

2 tbsp Butter
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Red chili powder
2 tsp Kasuthi Methi
2 tbsp Heavy whipping cream
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Chopped cilantro

Prepare the Koftas:

Peel the bottle gourd, remove the skin and spongy part on the inside. Grate into a large bowl. Place the grated bottle gourd in a clean thin kitchen towel and squeeze out the liquid. Grate the Paneer. 

Combine the grated bottle gourd, paneer, salt, garam masala, red chili powder and besan. This will make a soft dough. Make smalls koftas. These can be shallow fried or deep fried. I deep fried them. Set the oil to heat and fry the Koftas on medium heat. Make sure the oil is not too hot, this will make the koftas brown very quickly without cooking the inside. Fry all the koftas and remove to a paper lined towel. Set aside while you prepare the gravy. 

Prepare the Gravy:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cashews and once they turn light brown, add the onions. Sauté until done, then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté until fragrant. Add the green chilies, turmeric powder and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft. Turn off heat and cool the mixture. Grind to a smooth paste using a blender.

Heat butter in the same pan. Add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds. Now add the prepared paste and saute for a minute. Add the coriander powder, cumin powder, salt to taste and red chili powder. Combine well. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well. Cover and bring to a simmering boil, about 6-8 minutes. Add crushed kasuthi methi and cream. Combine and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat.

To serve: Place kofta in a bowl or plate, pour the hot gravy over the koftas. Top with chopped cilantro. Serve with Chapatis, Phulkas or Naan. 

WOYP Day # 61 Blueberry Orange Buttermilk Pancakes

Breakfast is usually cereal, eggs, breakfast potatoes, pancakes or toast on most days in our house. We do Banana pancakes, Banana chocolate chip pancakes and more recently these “stuff in your mouth”,  “ I can’t get enough of” Blueberry Orange pancakes :D I’m not exaggerating, try them for yourself and you’ll know what I mean! This recipe makes the fluffiest, light pancakes - the egg and buttermilk work wonders! 

Blueberry Orange Buttermilk Pancakes:
You will need:

Dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1.5 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Thick Buttermilk (see note)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp Orange zest
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Unsalted Butter as needed
Fresh blueberries
Chocolate chips (optional)
Honey to drizzle on top

Note: You can use store bought Buttermilk or make your own at home by combining 3/4 cup thick yoghurt with 1/4 cup water. The Buttermilk needs to be thick for this recipe. Other substitutes might not work as well. 

Whisk dry & wet ingredients until just combined. Batter has to be thick. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat a pan or griddle on medium heat. Spread a teaspoon of unsalted butter. Pour 1/4 cup of batter. Top with fresh blueberries. Cook until edges are light brown and the pancake has fluffed up. Flip to cook on the other side for a 20 seconds. Remove from heat. Continue with remaining batter. 

 

Top the pancakes with a generous drizzle of honey. My boys wanted chocolate chips too, so that went on the pancakes as well. 

These pancakes stay soft and fluffy even when cooled down, so they are great to pack in kids’ lunch boxes. 

The hints of Orange laced through every bite combined with the sweet blueberries, yum yum yum!! :D

WOYP Day #60 Coffee Chocolate Mousse Cake

These days due to CoVid, meeting up with friends and family is far less than before.But we do sneak in a meet every now and then to keep our sanity intact. Last weekend, we went over to my cousin’s place so the kids could spend time with their cousins too. While my SIL slogged over a lovely meal for us I decided to take dessert. I had a Victoria Sponge cake on hand from one of my cake orders, and while wondering what to do with it my younger one said coffee cake, he meant Tiramisu since that is his favorite dessert. But this became a Coffee Chocolate mousse cake instead - he got his coffee flavor fulfilled and there was no way he was going to complain about the chocolate part! :D It was a clear win! 

This feels like an elaborate dessert if done all on the same day. To avoid the stress, bake the sponge a day ahead of time, so all you have to do on the day of, is to make the mousse and syrup and assemble the cake. 

Coffee Chocolate Mousse Cake:
You will need: 

For the Mousse:

7 oz Dark Chocolate (I used Belgian)
1/3 (5g) cup Agar-Agar strings (See Note below) or 1 tsp Agar Agar powder
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 cups Heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup Water
1/3 cup Powdered sugar

For the Coffee syrup:

1 cup Water
1 tbsp Instant coffee
3 tbsp Sugar

For the Sponge:
Makes one 8” cake

175 gms unsalted butter, softened
175 gms Confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
175 gms All-purpose flour
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 3/4 tsp Baking powder
3 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk 

Tools: 

8" Cake Pan

Pastry brush

9"or 10" Springform Pan (or a regular pan)

Stand mixer or hand-held electric beater 

NOTE: Agar-Agar is a vegetarian substitute for Gelatin. You can use Agar-Agar powder if you have it on hand or the more commonly available strings of Agar-agar. This is a great video showing the different ratios of Agar-Agar. 

Bake the Sponge:

Prepare the sponge first, to allow it to cool completely. This can be made a day ahead like I mentioned before.

Using a pastry brush grease an 8” pan with butter and dust with flour. Set aside. Preheat pen to 350F (or 180C)

Sift Confectioners sugar and All-purpose flour separately and then weigh out the required quantity. This ensures a light cake.

Combine the measured flour and baking powder, set aside.

Cream the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer) until light and smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat for a minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour little at a time and fold it into the batter by hand. Folding in the flour allows you to incorporate it without deflating the volume achieved from the beaten eggs. Continue until all the flour is added, fold well to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. While the cake bakes prepare the coffee syrup. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Once cooled wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. If using the same day, no need to refrigerate. 

Prepare the Coffee Syrup:

In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir in the instant coffee and turn off heat. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the Mousse:

The Mousse is very similar to the Belgian chocolate Mousse Pudding, except this mousse has Agar-Agar in it to help set it up so it can hold when unmolded from the pan. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.

Chill the bowl of a stand mixer and the whisk attachment for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. If using a hand held mixer, chill a bowl and the beaters.

Pour 1/4 cup of cream Into a small saucepan. Add the agar-agar strings and soak for 15 minutes. This helps hydrate the agar-agar. After the 15 minutes are done, add 1/4 of water combine and set the pan on medium heat. Stir and bring to a simmer, continue stirring until the agar-agar is fully dissolved and no visible strings remain. Remove from heat, cool briefly and pour over the melted chocolate. Stir gently to combine well. 

Pour 1 1/2 cups of cream into the chilled bowl, add the powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

Add half of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and fold to combine. Add in the remaining whipped cream and fold until no cream streaks remain.

Assemble the Cake:

After the cake has cooled, using a sharp serrated knife slice the cake in half to make two layers.

To assemble, I used a 9” springform pan which allows the cake to be unmolded easily to make a free standing cake. The baked cake is 8” which allows room on the sides for the chocolate mousse. If you don't have a Springform pan, you can assemble this in any pan, except it cannot be unmolded and will have to be scooped or sliced from the pan.

Place one layer of cake at the bottom of a Springform pan. Drizzle half of the coffee syrup on the cake layer. Wait for a minute or two for the syrup to soak in and then spread half of the prepared mousse evenly on the cake, taking care to fill the gap on sides. Then place the second cake layer on top of the mousse. Repeat with the coffee syrup and then the remaining mousse. Spread evenly and chill for 2 hours or freeze for 2 hours to quick set. 

To unmold:

Remove pan from refrigerator or freezer and rest for 10 minutes. Unlock the springform pan and slowly lift the outer ring. Decorate with your choice of fruit, chocolate syrup or any topping you like. My sis-in-law had Mangoes and blueberries so that’s what I used.

The kids were waiting for dessert so couldn’t spend much time taking pics of the slice :D Use a sharp knife to cut into wedges. 

 

Cold, light dessert with hints of coffee and a super smooth luscious Chocolate Mousse, this was perfect for a hot summer night.

WOYP Day # 59 Pani Puri Puris and Floating Pani Puri

For as long as I can remember, my mom has always made these perfectly shaped crisp puris at home which went into making a variety of Chaats. The puris are very tasty and definitely different from store bought puris. 

 Home made Chaat is scrumptious as is and these puris add to the yumminess! It may seem like a lot of work but I made one batch of these puris in under and hour and it took my family even lesser time to finish all the puris at once!! :D I made Masala Puri and Floating Pani Puri. 

These Puris can be made well ahead of time, so there is no rush on the day you plan to actually make the chaat. This recipe makes about 80-100 puris, you can make all of it and store so you have puris on hand when the chaat craving hits out of the blue (happens to me all the time! :D) or you can halve the recipe.

Pani Puri Puris
You will need:

1.5 cups Fine Sooji/Chiroti Rave (Fine Semolina)
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil
Oil for deep frying

Rolling pin, 1.75” cookie cutter

Combine the fine sooji and salt in a medium bowl. Add oil and combine. The dough should hold shape when pressed into a fistful. Slowly add enough water to  make a soft smooth dough. The dough shouldn’t be too stiff or sticky. Cover and rest for 30 minutes to an hour.  

Set the oil to heat in a deep pan on medium high heat. Knead the dough for a few minutes after it has rested. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Roll out one portion thinly using a rolling pin.Keep remaining dough covered.  Use a cookie cutter to cut circles. Cut them as close to each other as possible. Remove circles, and gather the scraps. Gather the scraps and roll into a ball before re-rolling. Fry one batch of puris first before cutting out more. 

Test the oil temperature by dropping a pinch of dough into the oil. If it rises quickly to the top then the oil is ready. Slide in the cut circles, the puris will puff up almost immediately. Fry for 15-20 seconds on one side and flip to brown on the other side. Once the puris are crisp, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Lower the heat to medium low while you roll and cut out more puris. Repeat until all the puris are cut and fried. 

Cool puris completely before storing in an air tight container. All the puris puffed up but you may get some flat ones. Those work perfectly to make Masala Puri or Papdi Chaat. 

Floating Pani Puri:

Traditionally, filled puris are served with a tangy spicy pani to make Pani Puri. On my last visit to Bangalore, I got a taste of these floating pani puris and loved the idea. I have no clue about the origin of the name or why these were served this way, all I know is it tasted just as delicious! :D

You will need:

Pani Puris, as many as needed
1/2 cup Dried Peas (Vatana)
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Grated carrot
1 tbsp Chopped cilantro
1 Cup prepared Pani (recipe below)
Meeta (Sweet Tamarind chutney), optional

Pani for Pani Puri: 

Grind to a smooth paste - 1/2 cup fresh Mint leaves, 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, 4 green chilies. Add this paste to 2 cups cold water with 1 tablespoon Pani Puri Masala (store bought), salt to taste and a pinch of Chaat masala. Combine well.  Adjust to taste and serve as needed.

Soak dried peas in sufficient water for 4-6 hours. Boil the peas in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles until soft. Drain the water.

To assemble: Gently crack the top of each puri. Combine the onions, grated carrot and cilantro in a bowl. Fill each puri with the boiled vatana and the onion carrot mixture. Place filled puris in a shallow bowl. Pour 1/4 cup pani over the puris. Add little more if needed. Serve immediately. These are best assembled when ready to eat since the pani will make the puris soft. You can add little meeta to the puris too if needed. I do enjoy a bit of sweet in every bite so I do add meeta in mine. 

WOYP Day #58 Eggless Sweet Buns (Tutti frutti Buns)

Sweet buns or Tutti Frutti buns are popular in bakeries in Karnataka. I loved these as a kid and still do enjoy them. The heady aroma hits you anytime you drive past one of these bakeries and who can resist freshly baked buns? Yum! Few weeks ago I made Khara buns (spicy buns flavored with fresh Dill) and Sweet buns were next on my list. On our last visit to Mysore, my boys tried them for the first time and were hooked. They were thrilled that I made these at home :)

Pillowy soft buns studded with sweet Tutti Frutti, it truly is heaven in every bite!! :) These are easy to make, you can use a stand mixer or mix by hand if you don’t have one. Good old kneading by hand gives you a nice arm workout! :D This recipe also doesn’t require proofing the yeast but it does need an hour and ten minutes of proofing, so make sure you plan ahead for that.

Eggless Sweet Buns:
You will need:
Makes : 6 Sweet Buns

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
5oz Warm water
1 tsp Instant Yeast
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp Tutti Frutti plus 1 tablespoon
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (or Vegetable oil)

1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, softened

Combine all purpose flour with yeast, salt, sugar and tutti frutti in a medium bowl. Add warm water little at a time to form a soft, sticky dough. Add the oil and knead by hand for 6-8 minutes until a cohesive soft dough is formed. Kneading helps develop gluten which makes soft buns. 

 Place in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to double in size, about an hour.

Lightly punch the dough and turn out onto a countertop. Knead gently for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 parts. Shape into buns and place on a baking sheet or a lightly greased 9” baking pan. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 400F. After the buns have rested, lightly brush the top of the buns with milk and sprinkle tutti frutti on top. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the top is a light brown. 

Once the buns are out of the oven. Brush the tops with melted butter. Cool well on a cooling rack before storing. 

WOYP Day # 57 Grilled Corn and Feta Salad

Summer time brings a bounty of fresh corn, Watermelon, Mangoes and scrumptious strawberries. Grilled corn on the cob is a family favorite. Back home in India fresh corn brings back memories of cold days - which meant corn on the cob roasted over a bed of coals and while its piping smeared with a generous dab of green chili paste, salt and lemon juice. There are so many ways to dress up grilled corn, the possibilities are endless!! :D The boys like it with butter and little salt, sometimes with garlic salt. We like it with chili powder (cayenne), salt and lemon juice or with green chili paste and salt and little bit of ghee to cut the heat!! Yumm!

To shake things up a bit, I made a salad with the grilled corn kernels, crunchy red bell peppers, onions and some jalapenos for heat. Tossed in a quick and easy mayo dressing, this salad could well be the star at your next summer party!

Grilled Corn and Feta Salad:

You will need:

3 ears of Yellow corn
1/2 cup Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno , chopped
1/4 cup Red onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tsp Sriracha (or any hot sauce)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
1 tbsp Crumbled Feta cheese

Grill the corn on the cob over an open flame or on an outdoor grill if you have one. Both methods give it a nice char which is akin to grilled or roasted corn. The easiest way to get the kernels off the cob is to use a sharp knife. I use a large bowl, place a smaller bowl inverted in the larger bowl. Place the cob on top of the smaller bowl and use the knife. Hold the cob firmly with one hand and with the knife in the other start from the top and come down in one swift move. Turn the cob and repeat. That’s it! The kernels are collected in the larger bowl without a mess :)

Remove the inverted smaller bowl, and to the same large bowl add the chopped onions, red bell pepper, jalapeños and cilantro.

In another bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Add this to the corn and chopped veggies. Combine well. Top with crumbled Feta and serve.

We recently had some dead trees felled in our back yard and I had them cut a few stumps for me. I'm still figuring out what I'll use them for, meanwhile couldn't resist taking a few pictures! :D

Grab a chip and this salad makes an awesome dip!

WOYP Day # 56 Mango Rasgullas

Rasgulla or Roshogolla (Bengali) or Rosogola (Oriyan) was first made in Orissa (now Odisha). Bengal, Orissa’s neighboring state also has a version of the Rasgulla, slightly different in taste, color and texture. Ras means juice and golla is ball. Typically Rasgullas are white and not flavored. They are pillowy soft and spongy melt-in-the-mouth balls of paneer (before it is set) in a light sweet syrup. 

 
I’ve made my fair share of Rasmalais over the years (I've lost count, hundreds for sure!!:D ) which requires making Rasgullas first and then boiled in flavored milk. So making Rasgollas isn’t new to me at all, but I wanted to try a flavor twist to it. I had canned Mango puree on hand and thus Mango Rasgullas were born! You can use fresh mango pulp but I think with all the cooking the flavor will be mellowed and lost so for these Rasgullas I do highly recommend canned Mango pulp. Its stronger in flavor, color and taste. The recipe below can easily be doubled. 

 

Mango Rasgullas
Makes: 10 small Rasgullas

You will need:

2.5 cups Whole milk
2 tbsp Vinegar or Lemon juice
1/3 cup Mango pulp (fresh or canned)
1 tsp Semolina (Rava)

For the syrup:
2 cups water
1 cup Sugar
3 pods Green Cardamom
Few drops Mango extract 

Finely chopped unsalted Pistachios (optional) 

Heat milk in a medium pan. Stir to prevent burning. Bring to a boil and then add the vinegar or lemon juice. Stir to split the milk. Turn off heat and allow to sit for a minute.

Line a colander with a cheesecloth or thin cloth. Strain the split milk and rinse the Paneer under running cold water. This removes the vinegar/lemon juice residue. Don’t skip this step or else you will end up with very sour tasting Rasgullas!!

Squeeze out as much water as you possibly can from the Paneer. It doesn’t need to fully dry but not soggy either. 

 
Remove from the cloth into a shallow plate. Knead gently for 2-3 minutes until the mixture comes together. Add 2 tablespoons of the mango purée and the semolina. Knead to combine. 

 
Divide into 10 equal balls. Prepare the syrup. Combine water, sugar and cardamom in a pressure cooker. Bring to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons of mango pulp and few drops of the mango extract. When the water begins to boil add the Paneer balls. Close the lid and turn the heat to high. Place weight on the cooker and allow it to whistle once. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes.

The first blast of pressure allows the balls to double in size, and the cooking time allows it to cook slowly and soften in the process. 

 
Turn off heat and cool before opening the lid. Remove the rosgullas to a bowl carefully since they are fragile. Add remaining mango purée to the syrup and boil for 5-6 minutes until thickened. Return the rasgullas to the syrup. Cool completely before serving. Top with chopped Pistachios if using.

 
Spongy Mango Rasgullas are easy to make and taste absolutely delicious!  I think I might have to make another batch very soon :D These lasted only until I took pics haha!