Misal Pav ~~SNC Challenge #3

In my family misal is greeted with groans, especially when I make it. For I make it like a usal. I just could not imagine how else to make it one wants more masala, other lesser the only people who enjoyed it was my FIL and I.

Recently we went on a holiday to Pawankhind, in Amba valley, it was beautiful. The breakfast on day 2 was misal and everyone dug it. Now I was mystified for to me it tasted like how I made usal.

So when I saw the challenge for NSC by Meena of Random Ramblings  I was a bit apprehensive. But then I read the recipe and realized it different. So I followed the recipe to sorry cannot say to the T. Made a few minor changes just to suit our taste buds.

Read on dears but first I would like to thank Meena the Chef for this month also I have basically copied and pasted her recipe word to word and Divya the brains behind the outfit. For we enjoyed misal!!

Guest Hosting Know Your Flours~All Purpose Flour

All Purpose Flour is relatively a new addition to my kitchen. From very rarely used its slowly becoming a most used ingredient. Each one of us knows that it’s what we should avoid but can we?

 I for one prefer to make my cakes at home so that my girls do not eat the vanaspati or margarine loaded cakes from the shop. Slowly I want to make different breads too but not being patient with the yeast gets me in trouble.

So what is All Purpose Flour or Maida as it is know in India?

According to Wikipedia” Maida is a finely milled and refined wheat flour, closely resembling cake flour, and used extensively in making Indian fast food, Indian bakery products such as pastries and bread, and sometimes in making traditional Indian breads such as paratha and naan. It is made from the endosperm (the starchy white part) of the grain, while the fibrous bran is removed in the mill. Originally yellowish in colour, maida is popular in a white color, bleached with benzoyl peroxide.”

Abroad I believe you can get unbleached flour also the flour need to be enriched with certain amount of iron, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid and niacin. You can read more here.

 Like me you do know all this but we still use APF or maida. So can we make this flour more nutritious?  Don your thinking Chef Hats ladies and send me your entries for I am hosting Jagruti’s popular series of Know your flours and my choice is All Purpose Flour or Maida.

Here are a few rules for the event

·         Cook and post about a recipe that features APF or Maida flour as the star ingredients.

·         Vegetarian and Vegan recipes are accepted.  

·        Link your recipes to this announcement and to Jagruthi’s page.

·        Use of logo is appreciated.

·        Send in as many recipes you like but only 3 from archives are accepted.

·        Non bloggers are also welcome to participate please send me a mail @themadscientistskitchen@gmail.com.

·        The last date to send in your entries – 31st December, 2012. 

All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First
 

Mere Attithi Series #5

The first time I saw this comment as Runner Girl in the Kitchen I was curious. What a curious way to describe oneself I thought!   Immediately I had visions of someone who is a control freak. Control oil, calories, measure what goes in your mouth.

I never give it a thought of what enters my maw,  should I not do so especially when my body is constantly protesting these days I thought. So I decided that I need to follow this lady, for the healthy recipes that she will be making. I expected salads, soups and all the stuff that I knew I should be eating but cannot get myself to. Boring but needed!

Can you imagine my surprise when I saw delicious food, mostly Indian everyday food   no compromise on flavours but cooked in a healthy way. She also uses sugar!!! I need to learn quite a few things from her.

Who is this she? None other than Gauri Shirke who introduces herself as   Runnergirlinthekitchen!

Gauri has moved to Bangalore 2 years ago. In her own words “joblessness was getting to me; giving me ample of time to cook and experiment in the kitchen. At the same time the sportsperson in me was nudging me to do something about the piling up kilos, which is when I started training for a half marathon. I thought I could combine both my experiences and share it with people with similar interests – with a blog!”

Gauri has started blogging fairly recently in fact since March 2012. She basically blogs about her two loves about food and running. She very candidly admits “since I mostly run to eat!” Well that is really commendable Gauri!  I live to eat! And sit to increase my woes atleast you are burning it all off!! Way to go dear!!

The most popular post on her blog is Masala Bread Recipe which quite a few friends and a fellow blogger tried it out and loved it.

Gauri’s personal favourite is  about her other love, you guessed right the first time she conquered the distance you and I get tired of journeying in a car in the blazing sun and she says “this is just the beginning!”Hats off to you lady!

It’s not unusual to dislike some foods so do you overcome some dislikes as you blog? Well according to Gauri “Not really, I really have a difficult time ‘not liking’ something .. hehe now you know why I ‘have’ to run. This post on Soya Stir fry comes close – Was not a big fan of Soya granules, especially due to the smell.. but this stir fry was really tasty!”

We do have memories and some of them are attached to our food. What takes you back to childhood Ahh!! Those happy happy days!  Visit Gauri’s childhood with this Plum chutney!!

When you blog it’s a addiction a high that you get from meeting new people

Very few will be able to kick this blogging habit! So also Gauri she plans for blog for a Long Long time…!  Cheers to that!!

In her closing note Gauri, I think I should call her the Runnergirl she will be happier and I think of her many times as such says, “I have met (virtually) so many talented cooks with whom I connect on the same level that’s it’s difficult to choose one… I feel lucky to have steeped into this world and have an opportunity to get to know so many wonderful people!”

Our sentiments exactly Runnergirl!! Our sentiments!!

My personal favourites at her place are Besan Ladoo, Sugar Hurdle, Spicy Colocasia.....  the list is endless!!

So what is Gauri sharing with us today for she is My Attithi today. In fact I asked her to be my guest a long time ago but as I could not type she was very patient and caring!! She let me take my own sweet time to write this post.

Thanks a lot Gauri! Some how this is inadequate but Thanks!

So enough of my bak bak and  let us all go to see what yummy treat Gauri has in store for us here today!

Egg-less Molten Lava Cake

Just out of the oven

When Gayatri announced that for the Eggless Baking Group we were to try Molten Lava cake that  Sowmya of Nivedhanam  had suggested  this month my girls were thrilled!!

For the challenge Gayatri had provided a recipe from Noobcook. The recipe is here but in case you want to try making it egg less it will not work as it is.

I mean replacing just the eggs with the replacer that you plan like I did will not work; you will have a cake that looks like this in your hands.

 The others have successfully tried the recipe by increasing the flour and reducing the butter.

Then I decided to use the recipe that I had tried out ages ago from Vidya of Sugar n’Spice. Below is the same recipe but made egg less with a few changes.
By the way these pictures are taken in the evening after sunset kindly excuse!

Ingredients:

·       115 grms of chocolate

·        115 grms of butter (I used Amul) + for greasing 6 ramekins( I used bowls)

·        ¼ cup curd (thick)

·        ¼ cup milk

·        1 tsp vinegar

·        I tsp vanilla essence

·        1/3 cup sugar

·        ¼ cup + 1 ½ tbspn Maida

Method:

1.     Pre heat oven to 180ºC. Butter the ramekins sides and the base.

2.     Mix the chocolate and the butter in the microwave proof bowl and melt the chocolate and butter. Use short spurts of 30 secs till all the chocolate has melted. Stir in between the microwaving.  It will be faster if the chocolate is in smaller bits.

3.     Meanwhile beat the milk, vinegar, curd and sugar in a medium bowl till the sugar dissolves. Stir in the vanilla essence.

4.     Once the chocolate has melted Add the chocolate and butter mix to the milk and curd mixture and sugar mix, add the maida and fold well till well incorporated.

5.     Pour the mix till ¾ full and bake in the oven. The time taken will differ from oven to oven .Do check it out for your oven.

6.    I needed exactly 12.62 minutes for this gooey effect.

7.      Serve hot immediately with ice cream or whipped cream or dusted with icing sugar.

Thanks Gayatri and Sowmya without your push I would have never tried this cake egg-less.

Linking to

 Egg less baking.

Bake Fest

and Know your Flours ~APF started by Jagruti Guest hosted by me.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First