Appam~ Indian Flat Bread

Appam~ Indian Flat Bread

Holidaying in God’s Own Country?

Want to know what you can have for breakfast? The choices are myriad from idlis to dosas to Appams.

 I was surprised when I was researching Indian Flat breads that Appams, dosas make a part of flat breads. To read about Indian flat breads you can check out here.

Appams are very famous in the Kerala cuisine, an Appam is a fermented rice pancake made of rice and coconut.  Appam are eaten as a breakfast or dinner mostly. Traditionally Appam is made using toddy to ferment the batter, but now mostly yeast is used for this process. The batter usually needs about 8 hours or overnight to ferment. Good Appam shape should be thin one the outside with a thicker center that is well cooked and fluffy.

Appam

Recipe Source: My Cooking Journey
Preparation time:  about 8 hours
Cooking time: about 40 minutes
Difficulty level: easy
Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups raw rice (I used sona masoori)
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 tsp yeast
• 4 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak the rice for about 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Drain the soaked rice and grind it well adding the coconut and the cooked rice along with it.
• Grind it to a smooth batter. The batter should neither be too thick or too thin.
• In a bowl dissolve the yeast in about ½ cup of tepid water and 1 tsp of sugar.
•  Let the yeast dissolve for about 10 minutes and then mix it well to avoid any lumps.
• Add the dissolved yeast, sugar and salt to the batter and mix it well.
• Keep it covered to ferment for about 3-5 hours.
• Once the batter is ready gently mix it.
• Heat the Appam pan (I used a kadhai/wok) and if needed grease it slightly. If it is a non stick pan, you will not need to grease it.
• Pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the pan and then holding the handles of the pan, swirl the pan around to spread the batter.
• Cover the lid on the pan and let the Appam cook in low heat for about 2-3 minutes.
• Once the bottom of the Appam is crispy and the top looks cooked remove it and keep it warm.
• Repeat the same with the rest of the batter.
• Serve it right away with a spicy curry or stew.

Appam~ Indian Flat Bread

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Mooli ke Parathe/ Raddish Paratha Indian Flat Bread

Mooli ke Parathe/ Raddish Paratha Indian Flat Bread

“Roti khayenge?” Which will translate to,” will you have food? ”

Diversity is what India is all about not only in regions, languages but also in food. But this is a question you will definitely hear in North India! People will welcome you to join them for a meal.

Everyday food in India has good health packed in its ingredients and is a complete meal by itself. You will have proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins minerals and water when you have an Indian meal especially when you have a home cooked Indian meal.

I have already written about Indian flatbreads. Interested? 

In my place we have chapatti every day; rice is made only on demand.  I prefer to make paratha to chapattis.

Mostly I make the kinds in which the flour is mixed with the vegetables or dal.

 The girls of course prefer the aloo paratha! The complaint is mooli paratha or methi paratha?? And they dig in.

Mooli ke Parathe/ Raddish Paratha

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour/atta+ for application

  

  Mooli ke Parathe/ Raddish Paratha Indian Flat Bread

• ¾ cup white radish, grated
• ¼   cup radish leaves, chopped
• ½ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• 1 ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp dhania/ coriander powder
• 1 tsp jeera/cumin powder
• A pinch of chat masala
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking

For Serving:

• Curd

Method:

• Mix the grated radish, radish leaves salt and all the dry powders in a bowl. Knead and combine well. Let it stand for a few minutes to ½ and hour.
• add the flour and 1 tsp oil  mix all the flour. 
• Knead with hardly any water. The water from the radish is generally enough but in case you need use water sparingly to make soft dough.
• Make 12 equal portions of the dough.
• Roll out each portion thinly into a circle, using a little whole wheat flour for rolling.
• Heat a non-stick tava/skillet  and cook each paratha, using ¼ tsp of oil, till they turn golden brown in colour from both the sides.
• Keep aside to cool slightly.

Variation:

Methi parathas:

• You can use 1 ½ cup of chopped fenugreek (methi) leaves instead of white radish and radish leaves for the above recipe.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#49

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

How to make Chapattis/Rotis/ Indian Flat bread

The diversity of Indian cuisine is reflected in the sheer variety of flatbreads and crêpes.

Most Indian breads are flatbreads, that is flattened by rolling and are mostly without the addition of leavening agent.

So what is a leavening agent?

A leavening agent also called leavening or leaven is a substance used in dough and a batter that causes them to rise. The triggers could be moisture, heat, acidity. The leavening agent reacts to produce gas (often carbon dioxide) that becomes trapped as bubbles within the dough.

In northern India breads are primarily from milled flour, usually whole wheat flour / Atta or maida/ all purpose flour, and water.  Paratha may be stuffed with vegetables and layered with either ghee or butter or they may be kneaded in the dough itself.

The Atta is kneaded with salt and a little oil with water/ milk and then rolled on the “chakla with the belan” or on a floured board with the rolling pin and then baked on a hot tava/skillet. Puri, lucchi, baturas etc are deep fried.

 Different varieties of Indian bread include are  Chapatti, Phulka, Puri, Roti, Bajra Rotla,  Thepla, Paratha, Naan, Kulcha, Bhatoora,  Luchi, Puran Poli/ holgi ,Pathiri, Parotta and many more. The difference arises from on the kind of grain used to prepare them, and also on the fillings they contain.

In southern India and the West Coast, most flatbreads are basically crêpe made from Urid dal and rice, generally the kinds of lentils used in India especially south India is mindboggling.

The batter of rice and dal is prepared and ladled in small amounts onto a hot greased or tava/skillet, where it is spread out into a circle and fried with oil or ghee until golden brown.

 In Western India (including the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan) bread may be made from coarse grains such as bajra, sorghum or ragi, though wheat is the staple in these regions. These breads are known by various names rotlo (Gujarati), bhakri (Marathi), roti (Rajasthan) or rotti (North Karnataka). Rice is also used to make rotti.

The Appam is fermented bread usually prepared with finely powdered rice flour.

Who can forget masala dosa and its variations also a South Indian staple food.

The famous naan and tandoori roti which are baked in a tandoor are of Central Asian Origin. Naan is leavened with yeast.

Most of this gyan is from Wikipedia, of course.

So let’s begin out journey about Indian breads with the plain everyday chapatti.

Something each girl learns at her mother’s place, the first chapatti where mum guides you to make it, the thrill of eating “my chapatti”!

I still remember how my father in my Std. IX used to tease me about the maps I made every day for his breakfast.  Till, I gave him perfectly round circles, not one of them smaller or bigger than the next one.

He started his next hunt how does she do it? The mystery remained mystery till he caught me using a plate with a sharp edge and removing the uneven edges. :D

So let us get down to make e chapattis, here is what you need.

Chapatti

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour+ some more for application
• 1 tblspn oil+ some more for application in a bowl
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Water as needed

Method:

• Mix the flour, oil and salt.
• Add a little water at a time to make a soft dough.
• Knead the dough well.
• Apply some oil and keep aside covered for ½ an hour at least.
• After ½ an hour knead the dough again.
• Divide into 6 portions dredge.

• Roll out each portion into small circles the size of your palm
• Dip your fingers in the oil and apply to the circle. Fold in a semicircle.
• Apply some oil to the semicircle and fold again. Now you have a quarter.
• Dredge in dry flour and roll out thin rounds. Use flour to prevent the chapatti sticking to the board or the rolling pin.
• Cook on a heated tava/skillet.

To cook:

• Keep the flame low and transfer the chapatti on the hot tava/skillet.
• As the chapatti cooks you will get slight bubbles on the surface of the chapatti.
• Gently turn the chapatti so the side on the tava/skillet is now facing up. Raise the flame to high.
• Now your chapatti will cook faster and if you have rolled out the chapatti well it will fluff up.
• With a clean kitchen cloth or a spatula press the edges turn the chapatti. The idea is that the chapatti should be browned lightly   even on the edges. Once all the edges are done.
• Turn the chapatti again for the final time.  Repeat the pressing of the edges.
• Set aside.

Notes:

• The rolling of the chapatti has to be tin on the edges and thicker in the centre.
• If your rolling is correct and even then you need not press the chapatti. But I prefer to do it as the chapatti fluffs up and the edges are not done.

 Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#49

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

 

Mascarpone Cheese-DIY

Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone Cheese!!

The tub costs bomb when it is available. So I had bookmarked this recipe from Pradnya’s place ages ago.

Only when Valli announced the theme as “Say Cheese” that I made this that too last minute. Even as I am typing this post out I am hoping I make what I plan next with it.

Mascarpone Cheese

Recipe Source:Celebrating Food

Ingredients:

• 700 grms Amul cream
• 1 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider)

Method:

• Boil the cream in a large pot on using a double boiler. 
• Let it heat till it is just under boiling, slightly bubbling.
• Add 1 tsp of white vinegar.
•  Keep stirring for another 5-7 min.
• The cream will not coagulate but sort of thicken (or may coagulate little).
•  Keep stirring until it starts coating the back of the spoon, about another minute or so.
•  Strain this liquid, in a large muslin cloth with a huge basin under the strainer.
• Tie it from all sides.
• Leave it overnight in refrigerator.
• About a cup of water or more will be accumulated
• If the texture appears grainy, then beat using an electric beater.
• Your mascarpone is ready.

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!