Announcing Serve It Series - Serve It - Savory Baked

After a fantabulous success of last month's event, Serve It - Festival Potluck with 171 entries, here we are with this month's theme. Come end of the year and winter we all wish to bake, bake and bake. So we are dedicating two months to this theme. But we would want to categorize the baking theme across November and December. So this month's theme is "Savory Baked". Incidentally November is Thanksgiving month and we believe this is a perfect time to bake Savory dishes. So friends link up your Savory Baked dishes to the Serve It event this month.
To get an idea of Savory baking check out Ragi Kaara Biscuits, Baked Banana Blossom Vadai, Paneer Spinach Pinwheels, Carrot Basil Bruschetta, Oven roasted Baby potatoes, Kebab Vegetables with Paneer

Here are the guidelines for the event:

1. You may send in any entry that is only baked in the conventional oven and is savory. No sweet entries allowed like cakes/cookies. No Microwave baked recipes are allowed.
2. Both Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian entries are allowed. Although no beef/pork/alcohol entries please. 
3. Please link back to this announcement page and also to Denny's page.
4. New entries are appreciated, however if you are sending archived entries, please re-post as latest (with a date in November 2011) and update with both the links to the announcement page and logo.
5. Usage of links and logo is mandatory.
6. Last date for submission of your entries is November 30, 2011
7. To send in your entries, just link your entries using the below linky tool. 
8. Non-bloggers also can send their entries with a picture to the below email-id.
9. If you have a problem in linking email us your problem to serveit[dot]series[at]gmail[dot]com. We will try to resolve it. 
Please note that if the entries are inappropriate to the theme we would have to remove the entries from the linky sans notification. If there are other issues like link or logo missing we would definitely notify through email.

Bhindi Zunka / Spiced Okra with Chick pea flour crust

Okra / Bhindi is a love-hate vegetable. People either love it or hate it. We at home love okra. When I saw this Bhindi Zunka in Richa's space I immediately bookmarked it. I had remembered the okra which I got few days before at the market. Gave it a try and boy did I like it... It was awesome. I had made this zunka with bell peppers (sister's recipe). This method of making okra though would please some okra non-lovers too I believe. So if you have someone at home who doesn't touch this vegetable, give this a try. They might like it.

Ingredients:
Okra / Bhindi / Lady's Finger - chopped into 1/2" pieces - 2 cups
Onions - chopped finely - 1/4 cup
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Besan/Chickpea flour/Kadalai maavu - sifted - 1/4 cup

Method:
Dry roast the chickpea flour in medium heat until it gives a lovely aroma and turns slightly brown. Remove and set aside. In the same pan heat 3 tbsp of oil and add the fennel seeds and onions. After the onions turn translucent, couple of minutes, add the spice powders, asafoetida and mix well. Add the chopped okra and mix well so that the oil is coated well on all the pieces. In medium heat, cover loosely with the lid and cook for about 10 - 15 mins until it is almost done. Mix in a fold pattern once in about 3 minutes during this time. After it is almost done, If the okra is not gooey at this stage sprinkle about a tsp of water and add the chickpea flour 1 tbsp at a time folding over after each addition. Cook for a further couple of minutes in a medium flame until the okra is fully done and the chick pea flour forms a thin crust on it. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Thengai Burfi / Coconut Fudge - Wish you a Happy Diwali!! | Diwali Sweets Recipes

First things First!! Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali!! Believe you are celebrating this day with high spirits. Though it is not a holiday here in US we are celebrating with friends (miss family very much). I made this Coconut Burfi as a part of my Diwali Sweets and Snacks. This is again a recipe from Grandma. I never knew this burfi was so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and can be done with less effort compared to other Indian Sweets.
I think this is the first time I am posting in my blog 3 days in a row..Hmm.. Festival Spirit!!

Ingredients:
Cooking time - 35-40 mins; Gives 12-14 2" squares
Coconut grated (just the white part) - 3 1/2 cups - loosely packed 
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Water - 1 1/4 cups
All-purpose flour / Maida - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp or less
Ghee - 1 tbsp + more to grease the pan.

Method:
Get all the ingredients ready and grease base and sides of a square pan with ghee. Pulse the grated coconut in a blender for a few seconds. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and mix the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling the sugar syrup for about 15 minutes in medium to med-high flame. Have a bowl of cold water by the side. After 15 minutes of boiling the syrup put about a drop of it to the bowl of water. If the syrup dissolves in the water continue the boil. Check with water drop method once every 2 minutes to see if the dropped sugar syrup can be made to a soft ball. At this stage add the coconut and mix well. Continue cooking in medium heat. Take caution as the mix splatters at this stage. After about 5 mins add the maida, it helps thickening of the burfi and gives the bright white color. Keep folding and stirring until it comes together. Add the cardamom powder and ghee and keep stirring till it becomes a big mass. Pour it to the greased pan and smoothen and spread the top based on desired thickness. Allow it to set for about 15 mins and cut into desired shapes. Cool completely and store in air-tight box for a couple of days. Can be stored for a week in the refrigerator.
Note: Freshly grated white part of the coconut is preferred, but frozen works perfectly fine. I used frozen 340g bag which I thawed to room temperature and measured to about 3 1/2 cups. Reduce the sugar by couple of tablespoons if you want it subtly sweetened.

I am sending this scrumptious sinful sweet delight to
Diwali Special - Sweets & Savories event by Radhika

Serve It - Festival Potluck event by me & Denny
Healing Foods - Coconut event by Siri & Sukanya
Only Sweets & Desserts event by Pari & Gayathri
My Diwali My way event by Khushi
Diwali - Festival of Lights event by Anu.

Spicy Murukku / Chakali for Diwali with Step-by-Step pictures

Diwali!! The name brings memories of holidays, celebrations, firecrackers and Sweets and Savories. Though residing outside India has made us forget the holidays and miss the firecrackers, we still do not miss out on the celebrations and sweets part. The first and foremost snack prepared in our house is these murukkus. And this one in grandma's foolproof recipe. If you are a beginner in making murukkus, you can follow this recipe and method to the T (like I did) and I bet you would be happy with the outcome.
I started my diwali preparations yesterday with Seepu Murukku and made this Spicy Murukku today.

Ingredients:
Makes about 50 medium sized murukkus with standard cup measurements
Rice flour - 2 cups
Bengal Gram flour / Urad dhal flour - 1/2 cup 
Roasted Gram Dhal flour/ Pottukadalai maavu - 1/4 cup
Ajwain Seeds / Carom Seeds / Omam - 1/4 tsp 
Butter - 2 tsp - Do not compromise or substitute 
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Water - 1 1/4 cups - 1 1/2 cups (as needed to make the dough)
Oil - for deep frying

Method:
Mix the flours, chilli powder, salt and carom seeds well. Add butter and mix with your fingers so that it gets well incorporated into the flour mixture. Add water and make a soft dough. Cover with a wet cloth and set aside. Heat oil for deep frying. Prepare the murukku press by placing the star (chakali) attachment. Fill with dough. Press into a spiral murukku to a back of a big spoon. Gently place the pressed murukku in the oil. Fry until both sides are done and the bubbles around the murukku in the oil subside. Remove and place in a tissue paper to drain excess oil. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container.
Note:
I used home-made urad dhal flour. Dry roast 1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp of split urad dhal until it turns light brown. Process in a mixer to a fine powder. Sieve to remove grits if any. If using store bought urad dhal flour, dry roast until it is just warm. This is to remove the raw smell of the flour. 
You can replace ajwain seeds with 1 tbsp of sesame seeds for a variation.

And now I have a long list of events I want to send this Murukku to...

Diwali Special - Sweets & Savories event by Radhika

CWS - Rice event by Priya & Reva

Serve It - Festival Potluck event by me & Denny

My Diwali My way event by Khushi

Diwali - Festival of Lights event by Anu.

Seepu Murukku / Seepu Seedai for Diwali

I believe everyone is busy making sweets and savories for Diwali. Well, I just started with this seepu murukku. Seepu murukku as the name implies resembles the ridges of a comb (seepu is comb in tamil). Though the process is little more time-consuming than the other murukku, it is worth the effort. It has moong dhal flour unlike other murukku which uses urad dhal flour. And it is subtly sweetened with coconut milk which gives it a rich and delicate flavor. Although I have used a murukku press for making this, we can also make this without one. 

Ingredients:
Makes about 14-15 cups of seepu murukku, using standard cup measurements
Rice Flour - 2 cups
Moong dhal flour - 1 cup
Butter - 2 tsp
Thin Coconut milk - 1 1/2 - 2 cups - as needed - See notes below for canned coconut milk usage
Sugar - 2-3 tbsps (heaped)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp (optional - I did not add)

Method:

Lightly dry roast the rice flour in medium heat until it is warm. Take the rice flour, moong dhal flour, sesame seeds (if using) and butter in a bowl. Scramble the mixture with your fingers so that te butter is evenly distributed. Heat the coconut milk with sugar and salt until hot. Do not make it to boil over. Add this to the flour and knead together to form a soft pliable dough. The rice flour tends to absorb more liquid. So you can add the coconut milk as needed. Keep the dough covered in a wet cloth at all times since it tends to dry out. Heat oil for deep-frying. Take the seepu murukku achu (attachment), one side plain and one side zigzag (like a comb). Fix it in the murukku press and fill with dough. Press out line of dough in a oiled cutting board. Cut into 3 inch pieces. Take the strip and roll it around the index finger and press the end to seal. Place the rolled murukkus in a plate until ready to deep fry. Drop in hot oil about 6 or 7 at a time. Deep fry the murukkus until the bubbling stops and it takes a shade of light brown. Remove using a slotted spoon and place in a kitchen tissue to absorb excess oil. It tends to become darker after removing from oil, so calculate the timing accordingly. Store in an air-tight container lined with paper.
Note:
I made the moong dhal powder at home. Dry roast 1 cup minus 2 tbsp of split yellow moong dhal in medium heat until light brown. Process in a mixer until fine powder. Sieve to remove extra grits. You could use the store-bought one as well. If using store bought one dry roast in medium flame until warm to touch. Cool and use.
If using canned coconut milk (cream) mix 1 cup of canned thick coconut milk with 1 cup of water to use.

And now I have a list of events I want to send this Murukku to...
Diwali Special - Sweets & Savories event by Radhika
CWS - Rice event by Priya & Reva
Serve It - Festival Potluck event by me & Denny
Healing Foods - Coconut event by Siri & Sukanya
Only Sweets & Desserts event by Pari & Gayathri
My Diwali My way event by Khushi
Diwali - Festival of Lights event by Anu.