Ingredients:
½ cup packed dates without seeds
2 tablespoon of tamarind concentrate
1 ½ cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chat masala
½ teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in a little water
1 teaspoon salt
Heat a pan with 1 ½ cups of water. Add the dates and tamarind and let it come to a boil. Let it boil for 10 minutes, add brown sugar, chat masala, salt, and cornstarch, turn the heat off. Let it cool and it is ready to serve.
A concoction of sweet, sour, salt and spice. Delicious to say the least and it is easy, oh! so easy to make.
Ingredients:
3 cups Bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
3 tablespoon of melted butter
1 1/4 cups of milk at room temperature can substitute with water
Preparation: In a bowl with 3 cups of bread flour add salt and mix.
Separately to the milk add sugar and yeast mix and set it aside until it has started to ferment. Takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Make a well in center of the flour add the fermented yeast and start forming a dough. Once the dough is formed knead it for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Pull the sides together and with the seams down place it in a loaf pan. Press the dough in the pan till it fills it up.
Cover it and let it rise in a warm place or in the oven with the light on but power off until it has doubled. It takes about an hour or so. Give it enough time to rise. To make a good bread the yeast needs time to do its work.
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the bread in the middle rack and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until it is done. Remove and let it cool before removing it from the pan and slicing.
You can make hot home made bread at home faster than you ever thought. The texture is just superb. The aroma is out of this world. Anyone can make it.
Bread should double during the first rising, if it does not then it may be due to temperature, humidity or barometric pressure. Keep the dough covered during rising. Keep it in a warm place where there is no draft. Kneading is important to form gluten.
Note: Baking is tricky. Use this recipe as a reference only and adjust it to the area you are living. The ingredients will be different in your area.
3 cups peeled and chopped pumpkin (other suitable vegetables, yam, snake gourd, plantains, or use a combination)
1 cup frozen cream peas
3 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon whole black pepper crushed
1 teaspoon green chili or to taste
1 cup water
3/4 cup ground coconut can be substituted with dry coconut
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate can be substituted with lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
Heat a pan on medium heat with 3 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is warm add the crushed black pepper, green chili, saute for a few seconds add cream peas saute for a few seconds add water and cook for 8 minutes covered on low heat until the cream peas is almost cooked.
Add the chopped pumpkin mix cover and cook for an additional 6 minutes or until the pumpkin is almost cooked.
Add 1/4 cup of coconut, tamarind and salt let it cook for an additional 2 minutes and turn the heat off. Rest of the 1/2 cup coconut microwave it till it is brown and add it to the pumpkin mixture. Serves 4.
Pumpkin besides being loved to be decorated with and is mostly used to make pies and bread. It is available throughout the year and is cheap. It is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and is low in calories. Besides making bread and pie pumpkin can be used to make curry's and soups.
1 large Italian eggplant
1/4 cup of whole coriander seeds roughly powdered
3 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon green chili
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wash and broil the eggplant on the top rack of the oven closes to the heating coil, takes about 15 to 20 minutes. When it is cold remove the skin of the eggplant.
In a pan on medium heat dry roast half of the coriander seeds. When brown and an aroma is given out set it aside.
In the same pan heat oil add rest of the powdered coriander seed saute for a few seconds, add green chili, ginger, peanuts, in succession saute add the roasted eggplant, salt mix cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover add fresh cilantro leaves. Serves 2.
