Wish you all a Happy Holidays! Holidays is all about unwinding after a long year and spending time with family and friends and of course having fun! Where there is fun, there is food and here it is, a warm biscotti recipe to add to your list of Christmas cookies. These biscottis can be made ahead and keeps good in room temperature for about a week or more and hence makes a perfect candidate for your holiday gift giving.
Interested in biscottis? Do check out my Coffee Almond Biscotti.
Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2-1/4 cups
Dark brown sugar - 1-1/4 cups
Baking powder - 1-1/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Ground ginger - 2 tsp
Ground Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Ground Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Dried Cranberries - 1/2 cup
Pecans - 1 cup, chopped roughly
Eggs - 2
Maple syrup - 1/4 cup
Orange zest - 2 tsp
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the dry ingredients listed, from flour to salt in a large mixing bowl until well mixed. Mix the pecans and cranberries also to the flour mixture. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, maple syrup and orange zest until well mixed. Pour the wet ingredients over the flour mixture slowly, mixing the flour mixture while pouring. When almost all of the dough comes together, transfer the contents to a working board and divide into two portions. Note that the dough will the super sticky. Shape the portions into two logs about 10 inches long and 1-1/2 inches height. Carefully transfer the shaped logs to the parchment line sheet about 4 inches apart. Bake until the tops are slightly cracked, about 30-35 minutes. Carefully remove the logs to the working board and cut each logs into 12 pieces using a serrated knife. Place the cut biscottis again in the baking sheet, cut side down and bake again for 15-20 minutes (15 minutes for medium crisp biscottis and 20 minutes for super hard biscottis). For super chewy biscottis 10 minutes is enough. When done transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Remember I told about how this month's are gonna be indulgent and comforting.. Here I am with the first on the list. Caramelized Udon Noodles with vegetables in a sweet soy sauce.
California is facing the fiercest storm after many years and it has been pouring cats and dogs for the past few days. A delicious warm bowl of noodles on a cloudy day is sure to cheer me up. This noodles recipe here is an inspiration from the Japanese Pan Noodles of the food chain Noodles and Company. It takes about 15-20 minutes to make this dish from start to finish. When the noodles is cooking, chop up the veggies and make the sweet soy sauce (if making at home).
Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Udon noodles - 2 bundles
Carrots - 2 - Thick julienne
Broccoli - 1 head - cut unto florets
Mushroom - a handful - thick cut
Sweet soy sauce - 1/2 cup (see recipe below)
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp + more
Ginger, minced - 1 tbsp
Garlic, minced - 1 tbsp
Rice vinegar - 1/4 cup
Sriracha / Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Pepper - to taste
Cilantro - for garnish
Sesame seeds (black/white/both) - 1 tbsp
Method:
Boil 2 litres of water and cook the noodles as mentioned in the packet instructions. Drain the noodles and drizzle some oil to keep it from sticking to each other. Blanch the carrots and broccoli florets.
Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry the ginger and garlic for about a minute. Add the vinegar and fry for another minute or so until the vinegar evaporates. Add the red chilli sauce, pepper and the sweet soy sauce. Add the cooked noodles with carrots and broccoli. Toss in medium-high heat until the noodles get slightly caramelized. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and remove from heat. Serve hot garnished with cilantro.
To make Sweet Soy sauce:
Heat 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce with 1/2 cup of brown sugar in medium heat until it forms a thick syrup. Substitute for sweet soy sauce in the recipe.
Notes:
This dish is pretty high in sugar and sodium, so if you are dieting this is not for you.
Talking about Murukku may seem to be something out of season this December. I agree. But something to munch on this cold season while I try to make this month's posts decadent is definitely the reason. So watch out, all of this month's post would be indulgent and comforting.
I saw this recipe for Potato murukku in Saranya's space a few weeks ago. I had been wanting to try it since then. But I think I have been obsessing about making everything "seasonal", so I used sweet potato instead of regular potato.
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Sweet Potato, small - 1 (1/3 cup cooked)
Cumin seeds - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Pepper, freshly ground - a big pinch
Water - as needed to make the dough
Oil - for deep frying
Method:
Peel and cut the sweet potato into chunks. Boil 2 cups of water with a pinch of cumin seeds. Add the chopped sweet potatoes and cook until fork tender. Drain and allow to cool. Mash the cooled potatoes into a smooth paste. Measure it to make 1/3 of cup of paste. Add it to a wide mixing bowl with rice flour, asafoetida, salt and pepper. Mix well with your fingers and sprinkle some water (if needed) to make a smooth dough.
Heat oil for deep frying.
Take the murukku press and fit it with the disc with holes or any of your favorite shape. Divide the murukku dough into 2 portions. Put one portion of the dough into the murukku press and close. Pipe the murukku directly in the oil. Turn over after a minute or two and continue frying until the bubbles subside. Drain with a slotted spoon and place in a paper towel to draw excess oil. Store in an air-tight container after it is cooled. Stays good for a week (if it lasts that long).
It is raining incessantly here in San Francisco, CA for the past week. All I want to do is snuggle up in the couch with a good book and a steaming cup of tea. A small plate of samosas or vadas to join the company wouldn't be bad either. OK, the couch and the book thing is not happening right now. But the tea is sure to comfort your soul on days you need a warm hug. My MIL makes this delicious chai masala and always packs some for us when we visit India. This is her recipe.
Ingredients for Tea Masala:
Whole Dried Ginger / Sukku - 1 cup (approx 150 g)
Whole Black Peppercorns - 1/3 cup
Cloves - 1/3 cup
Green Cardamom - 10
Method:
In a pan on medium heat, dry roast the spices one by one. Spread on a plate to cool completely. In a blender/mixie or a coffee grinder place all the ingredients together. Grind to form a fine powder. Transfer to an air-tight container. A refrigerator is a great place to store the tea masala.
Notes:
The Dried whole ginger is easily available in any Indian grocery store or whole foods store.
Ingredients for Masala Chai:
Milk - 360 ml (12 oz) *
Chai Masala - 1/2 tsp - 3/4 tsp
Tea leaves - 2 tsp of Orange Pekoe brand *
Sugar - 2 tsp
Method:
Heat milk in a sauce pan with the chai masala. When it starts to bubble, add the tea leaves. When the milk boils over, remove from heat and steep covered for 2-3 minutes. Filter with a fine mesh tea filter. Mix with sugar, stir and serve hot.
Notes:
I used low-fat milk which is little thin, so I use all milk and no water for making tea. Substitute water in the ratio of 1:2 (water:milk) if you like that way.
The Orange Pekoe is a grading of teas and I find Red Label/Chakra Gold or any Assam tea brands of Orange Pekoe variety. I personally like to use 3 Roses brand and 1 tsp should work well in this recipe.
What is your idea of a quick lunch? Mine is a simple rice or noodles with lot of veggies and fresh herbs. A little olive oil or sesame oil would sure be there for that flavor. This skillet noodles is something that can be whipped up in under 20 minutes start to finish. While your noodles is cooking, clean and chop up the veggies. Stir fry the veggies when the noodles is cooling.
I made this in my new addition in my kitchen. My cast-iron skillet. My new love. I see me reaching out for my skillet for most recipes and I love it.
Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Whole Grain Spaghetti / Soba Noodles - 5 oz
Mushroom - 8 oz ~ 250 g
Zucchini - 1 medium
Garlic - 1 clove
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tbsp + more if needed
Fresh Rosemary - 1 tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Method:
Cook the pasta/noodles according to instructions. Drain and set aside, loosely covered. Clean and cut the mushrooms in to thick slices. Slice the zucchini into thin quarters. Crush and peel the garlic.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet and add the crushed garlic. When the garlic starts to brown, remove it from the pan, we just want to infuse the garlic flavor to the oil. Add the cut mushrooms and layer it on the pan. Allow it to brown on both sides. Now add the zucchini and fry for a minute or two until it starts browning. Add the finely chopped fresh rosemary with salt and pepper. Add the cooked noodles and remove from heat. Toss the noodles well in the pan. Serve hot.
