Bourekas

Bourekas are made out puff pastry filled with various fillings. The most popular fillings are cheese,mashed potato,spinach,eggplant,pizza-flavor, and mushrooms.
i have had this several times at a Jewish friend's place . On quizzing my friend got to know that Bourekas was brought to Israel by the Jews from Turkey and Balkans..
Burek ( other variant name) is popular in the Arab world, some countries around the Mediterranean Sea, the Slavic cuisines, throughout the Balkans and the former Ottoman Empire.
You can check out the variants here on wikipedia(Burek)

Whenever i go to my friends place she always gives these delicious treats and i end up eating so many and my tummy is so full by the times we reach the main course.I'm staying in West Africa and its difficult to get puff pastry here.. i tried one of store bought pastries and some how dint like the smell of it. Got to know from my friend that their house keeper prepared everything from the scratch and i was taken aback.preparing puff pastry at home... now was not that meant to be difficult... well i was so obsessed with the Bourekas and was very stubborn on learning it.. so one fine day she arranged a cooking lesson for me and i was so excited.
i had made video of the entire process and i tell you it was so much fun..
i came home all enlightened ( he he he) and the following weekend i was set to try it at home.
here i have made the bourekas using the fillings cheese and pizza flavour..




now for those of you who can get ready made pastry its very easy for the unlucky ones like me
the procedure for making the puff pastry is given below

Making the puff pastry

Ingredients

all purpose flour(for dough) - 6 cups
all purpose flour(for dusting) - 1 cup
oil(olive/sunflower)- 2 tbspns
salt- 1 tbspn
sugar-1 tbspn
margarine-200 gms
water-sufficient amount to knead
Method

• sieve the flour for the dough and add in the salt, sugar and oil
• add in sufficient water to form a smooth dough
• sieve the flour for dusting in a separate bowl and set aside
• choose a big platform and dust some flour on the surface and roll the dough to uniform thickness..its better to use a big surface as the dough has to rolled to about 1/4 inch thickness
• now grate the margarine all over the dough surface , about 25 gms should be fine.
• now close the dough from both sides and gently press with your hands
• dust some flour on top of the spread dough and beneath (on the surface) also , so as to avoid the dough sticking and rol the dough once again
  
• again grate some more margarine on top of the dough and repeat the process for 4 more times ( in total it is 6 times of repeated rolling, grating,folding and again so on for 6 times)
• this process is a little tiring but its worth the effort
• when you are done with the 6th time ,by then entire margarine should be finished
  
• roll the dough again to uniform thickness cut into small squares of desired size

Pizza-flovour

Ingredients

Onion- 1 small
Garlic - 1 pearl
tomatoes - 2 nos
tomato puree - 1 tbspn
pepper powder- 1/2 tspn
salt- to taste
oil- 1 tspn
grated cheese - 1/2 cup
Olives - 1 tbspn

Method

• heat oil in a pan add the finely chopped garlic and saute for a min and then add the finely chopped onions and when they turn golden brown add the finely chopped tomatoes(store bought can also be used) and add little salt and when they begin to become mushy add the tomato puree and pepper and saute for 5 mins and turn off the flame
• cool the mixture and to this add the grated cheese, i have used emmental cheese and add the chopped olives and mix it well

Cheese flavour

Ingredients

grated cheese- 1/2 cup
Olives- 2 tbspn
egg white - 1

Method

• mix the grated cheese, i have used emmental and the chopped olives and blend in the agg white and keep aside

Making the Bourekas

• On a lightly floored surface the dough has to be cut into squares
• place a tbspn of the required filling on the dough and close to form a triangle
• crump the edges using a fork
• place it on the tray lined with a baking paper
  
• and beat the egg yellow and brush the top of the bourekas and sprinkle sesame seeds on top
• bake at 350 degrees until puffy and golden brown
  

voila you have hot Bourekas , enjoy !






Thanx a ton to my dearest friends !

Idiyappam / string hoppers/Rice noodles

Idiyappam or string hoppers has been one of my favorite dishes since my childhood.. my appetite becomes never ending when i start eating this dish ! LOL
Idiyappam is also known as Rice noodles only that it is very thin. Its been a long time since i made this at home.. today i gave myself a treat !
i made idiyappam in 3 different ways today. lets jump start on to the recipes


Method for Idiyappam

• boil water thoroughly
• take about 2 to 3 cups of rice flour,i have used the store bought rice flour, alternatively rice flour can also be roasted at home at very medium flame for few mins
• add salt to the rice flour and about 1 tbspn of oil and pour in the hot water to form a soft dough ( i used a slotted spoon while kneading the dough, the water being very hot)
  
• fill the dough on to a idiyappam presser and squeeze it on to the idli trays and steam it for a couple of minutes
• when done allow it to cool and remove them
  

Coconut & sugar

• The Idiyappam can be had with grated coconut and sugar
• Just crumble the idiyappam and mix the desired amount of sugar and coconut
  

Savory lemon

• heat some oil in a pan add mustard seeds , urad dal and channa dal
• add in dry red chillies and curry leaves
  
• squeeze about half a lemon and add turmeric powder and salt
• crumble the required amount of idiyappam and and to this and garnish with coriander leaves

Kurma


Ingredients

cinnamon - 1/2 inch
cloves- 2
fennel seeds- 1 tspn
poppy seeds- 1 tspn
ginger garlic paste- 1/4 tspn
onion- 1
tomato- 3
grated coconut(fresh)- 1/2 cup
chilli powder- 1/2 tspn
garam masala- 1/4 tspn
coriander powder - 1 tspn
curry leaves- 1 stalk
coriander leaves - 5 to 6 leaves
salt - acc to taste
oil - 1 tbspn

Method

• Heat oil and add the cinnamon and clove
• add the finely chopped onions and saute them till they turn golden brown
• add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a min or two
• add the finely chopped tomatoes
• you can also add vegetables of your choice like potatoes and cauliflower ..
• add the chilli powder,turmeric powder, coriander powder,garam masala and salt
• mean while grind the fennel seeds,poppy seeds and grated coconut to a fine paste
  
• add this paste and keep sauting
  
• pour in sufficient amount of water and bring to a boil
• garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with the idiyappam.
  

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I am sending this post to
monthly mingle- ravishing rice guest hosted by edible garden
Creator of Monthly mingle - meeta
also sending this to EFM June - Breakfast series
also sending this to show me ur breakfast hosted by divya of dilse

Crochet bag

I learnt how to crochet from Teresa's blog.. i've made a small crochet bag using colors, blue and baby pink.. Never knew that it would be so much fun crocheting.. i'm still learning and there is miles to go.. have some projects in mind ..lets see how far i go..
but i truly enjoyed making this bag.. baby pink is my favourite color.. i felt so happy when i was done with the bag... felt very confident ! i gifted this to a dear friend of mine .. she was very touched !

i had also made place mats for my friend.

Spring Onion stir fry

Last week i had gone to my friend's place for lunch and she had made this dish , looking at it I had thought it was some spinach until i tasted . It tasted delicious. Got the recipe from her and sharing it with u all here...

Ingredients

spring onions - 4 bunch
onion - 1 small
garlic - 1 clove
cumin seeds- 1/4 tspn
chilli powder- 1/4 tspn
gram flour - 1 1/2 tbspn
oil - 1 tbspn
salt - acc to taste

Method

• heat a wok and add oil and splutter the cumin seeds and add the finely chopped garlic and saute for a second and the add the finely chopped onion and keep sauteing until golden brown
• finely chop the spring onions and add in at this stage and keep sauteing and chilli powder and salt until the raw smell goes and the spring onions are almost done
  
• now add in the gram flour and saute it till you obtain a scrambled texture.
• its that simple ! enjoy it with roti or with rice and dal
  

I'm sending this to SWC - cooking with greens hosted by creative saga

sending this also to show me your breakfast hosted by divya of dil se

Cookies

ooooooh its time for click and event..!
this is the first time i'm contributing for an event and i'm so excited !
well about the click.. i'm a clumsy photographer trying to figure out how to take a good photo
many thanx to the jugalbandits from jugalbandi for motivating me on this Herculian task..
i got inspired by their click monthly event.



this pic goes to the event click:june 2009(stacks)



i'm also sending this post to the let's celebrate event hosted by ria


now lets munch some cookies
i have used a basic recipe here ,as i'm still experimenting on baking ! but it sure tastes good.
Ingredients

all purpose flour - 4 cups
sugar(powdered) - 1 1/2 cups
dry dessicated coconut (store bought) - 1 1/2 cups
vanilla with sugar (store bought) - 1 sachet net weight being 7g / Vanilla essence
Chocolate powder - 2 tbspns
butter - 200 gms + 1/2 tbspn

Method

• In a large bowl add the all purpose flour , sugar , coconut and vanilla
  
• make sure the sugar is well powdered
• add in the butter(200 gms) and keeps mixing so that the flour is well coated with the butter
  
• when done take about 1 cup of this and set aside
• to this 1 cup add the chocolate powder and the remaining butter and mix it well
• now let your imagination play and make desired shapes and patterns
• here are a few of mine !

can u find the chakla and belan(imagination ran wild while making these hee hee hee :-) )


were you guys able to figure out the bracelet i have made

New look on blog

Of late i have been playing a little too much with settings tab, adding new gadgets and yes
of course i have changed the template.. last week i had done something with the html code and it had changed the look of the header image and it took quite sometime for me figure out the mistake....i was kind of bored with the old one being there for a couple of months.. though i have used a basic template i like the new look. looks refreshing ! I'm still not done playing with settings tab.. thinking of changing the header a little ..lets see if i can get some idea !
This blogging is so addictive ! but i love it , getting new friends and of course the appreciations..thank you fellow bloggers for stopping by and commenting ..i feel so happy !
Happy blogging to all of you out there !

Idli & Mutton kulambu

Now here i'm with a post on Idlis and Mutton kulambu.. I dont take mutton but i make them for my hubby as he loves this combo..
My hubby has been behind my back for weeks asking for mutton and finally i gave him his treat !
i have used a very simple recipe ..

Idlis

Idlis are basically rice and lentil cakes !
The batter is obtained by soaking the rice and urad dal along with methi seeds(optional)
for a couple of hours and then they have to grinded and then left for fermentation process
and then ready to be used

Ingredients

Rice - 5 cups
Urad dal - 1 cup + 2 tbspns
Methi seeds - 1 tspn
salt - 2 tspns

Method

• Soak the rice separately and the urad dal along with methi seeds separately for few hours. i usually soak them overnight and grind them in the morning
  
• grind the urad dal and methi seeds and when done keep aside
• grind the rice with sufficient water to a thick texture
• mix both the batter together along with salt
• when the batter is mixed together thouroughly set them aside for fermetation
• care should be taken that the batter should not be thin it shud be thick in consistency
• when fermented pour them in the moulds ( to which a bit oil is applied) and steam them for 5 to 7 mins in a pressure cooker
• alow it to cool and then remove them
  
• the remaining batter can be refrigerated . From the same batter dosa can be made by diluting it. i will soon post a post on dosa

Mutton kulambu

Ingredients

Mutton - 750 gms
lemon - 1 no
cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 4
cardamom(green) - 4
cardamom(black)- 1
kapok bud - 1
fennel seeds- 1 tspn
poppy seeds - 1 tspn
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tspn
curry leaves - 1 stalk
Onion - 1 no
tomato- 2 nos
green chilli - 1 no
coconut- 1/2 cup
turmeric powder - 1 tspn
chilli powder - 1 tspn
coriander powder- 2 tspn
mutton masala - 1 tspn
salt - acc to taste
oil - 2 tbspns

Method

• wash the mutton pieces thouroughly and mariante them walong with lemon juice ,1/2 tspn of turmeric powder and salt for 30 mins to 1 hr..( i had left mine for 4 to 5 hrs in the fridge)
  
• heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and kapok buds
  
• when they begin to sizzle add the finely chopped onions and the finely chopped green chilli and saute them for a while and now add the ginger garlice paste and saute for a sec or two and then add the finely chopped tomatoes
• now add the chilli powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,mutton masala and salt and saute till the tomato becomes juicy
• at this stage add the marianted mutton and mix them so that it gets coated on all sides
• pour about 1/2 cup water and pressure cook them upto 7 whistles( this depends on the kind of mutton you buy, i had give upto 10 whistles for it to get cooked completely)
• mean while grind together the coconut,fennel seeds and poppy seeds to a fine mixture
• when the whistles are done leave a settling time of about 15 mins and then open the cooker and add the coconut mixture and keep it on medium flame and add sufficient water and check for taste. leave for about 10 mins and then switch it off.garnish with curry leaves and serve them for Idlis/rice