Carrot & Mustard Bread

It's funny how certain things you buy seem to acquire a vibe or a kind of reputation attached to them. Like that dress which you seem to be perpetually running late in or spilling things on or the car which always seems to be getting into scrapes while the other one you owned only reminds you of all the lovely, long road trips you have taken.

Of course, it could be that you always spend time looking for matching earrings for that particular dress, which is why you run late or you love wearing a particular dress for lazy lunches - and if you're anything like me that's a guaranteed recipe for splotches and stains!. And of course we took more road trips as a cozy couple and handed over the car to a driver when the kid came along!!

Inspite of all the rational explanations, these things seem to stick in our mind. The same thing happened with a lovely loaf tin my friend picked up for me when she saw a dealon while shopping. This was in June and immediately after that I somehow simply stopped baking! It had everything to do with the fact that I went back to full time work in July, but of course I blamed it on the poor loaf tin.

The best way to break that jinx? - bake something in it! So, I brought out my Sara Lewis book and saw this lovely Carrot & Mustard bread. I started quite late (around 7.30pm) and realised later it would only become colder as time wore on - definitely not ideal bread baking time. But I just can't seem to give up an idea once it takes hold, so I soldiered on. The yeast was fine and bubbled over, but when I kneaded the bread and left in a warm oven, it really didn't rise as much as it normally does. So I left it for almost an hour and 45 minutes before the second proofing. Kneaded it again and shaped the dough into three small buns and one oblong loaf.

30 minutes later it had not risen much at all and I was really sleepy and didn't think it was going to rise much anyway, so popped it into the oven to bake after glazing it. It baked quite beautifully and the glaze made it a nice golden top. But the inside of the bread, though cooked, was not the lovely spongy texture I look forward to....I guess, now that it's winter, I should stick to baking in the day when its a bit warmer. Or maybe it was the fact that I had used whole wheat flour instead of "granary flour" and plain flour instead of "strong white flour" and did not change the proportions. The flavours of the carrot and mustard were excellent though - definitely worth a second attempt.

Ah, well, atleast now the jinx has been broken and I can stop blaming the loaf tin........on the other hand, maybe I can blame the loaf tin for the bread!*evil grin*

This loaf of carrot bread specially to dear Cooker who is hosting this month's edition of JFI - where the ingredient is the Carrot. Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) is the brainchild of Indira and is probably one of the longest running Indian food blog events. Thank you Cooker for extending the last date!

Carrot & Mustard Bread
Recipe adapted from Sara Lewis's The Bread Book

Ingredients:
Wheat flour (atta) - 200gm (approx 2 1/4 cups)
Refined flour (maida) - 150gm (approx 1 3/4 cups)
Water - 200ml (1 cup)
Dried active yeast - 3 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Mustard - 2 tbsp
Carrots - grated, 1 cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Egg yolk - 1

Method:
1. Warm up the water, dissolve the sugar in it and when lukewarm add the yeast to it. Keep aside for about 15 minutes till it bubbles and froths.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flours with the butter, rubbing till it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add the salt, honey, mustard, grated carrot and the yeast mixture and knead for 10 minutes to a smooth dough.
4. Cover with an oiled clingwrap and set aside in a warm place for about an hour or till it doubles in size.
5. Knead again and shape into an oblong loaf or form into a thick rope and twist from one side like a corkscrew.
6. Put into a greased loaf tin (I used a 1 litre loaf tin for the loaf and made the rest of the dough into three small rolls) and set aside for another 30 minutes till it rises to the top (depending on the height of the tin).
7. Pre heat the oven to 200C, brush the egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water on to the top of the loaf and then bake for about 30-35 minutes. If the top is browning too much after the first 15 minutes, cover with foil and continue baking.
8. Remove from oven, the bread should sound hollow when tapped. Remove from tin carefully and keep on wire rack to cool.

Sundakkai Vatral Kozhambu - Sundried berries in a tamarind gravy

Vatral (which is colloquially pronounced as "vathal") is the Tamil word for anything sundried and preserved - ranging from vegetables -like onions, brinjal, cluster beans or even bitter melon - to berries like sundakkai (turkey berry) and manathakkali (sunberry).

I acquired my taste for vatral kozhambu from my mother who used to love making different types of kozhambu; when I was old enough to appreciate the sourness of these tamarind based gravies and stand the heat with a bit of sesame oil poured over it she introduced me to puli kozhambu, poondu (garlic) kozhambu, vendhiya (fenugreek) kozhambu, vendakkai kozhambu and vatha kozhambu.

It was a pleasure to have one of these on Saturday afternoons with rice, a porial and lots of appalams to go with it. Sometimes my brother, Mom and me used to sit in a circle on the kitchen floor and she used to mix the rice with the kozhambu and feed us - we used to end up eating double the quantity of food we would normally eat!
When I started making this after getting married, hubby suggested making plain tur dal with a minimal tadka to balance the sourness and heat of the kozhambu, so a new tradition joins the old.

The trick to getting vatha kozhambu right is to make sure that the gravy doesn't become too thin especially if you are making the version which has only tamarind water and red chilli powder. But usually, people add rice flour or roast and grind dals or even add sambar powder to thicken it. I have tried all these but decided that rice flour and dals can kill the heat quite easily and sambar powder changes the taste.

So, what I have arrived at finally is to:
Grind my own masala - which includes red chillies, dals, black peppercorns, fenugreek seeds and a bit of coconut.

Soak a big ball of tamarind in lots of water to get almost 2 cups of thick tamarind extract.

Boil the gravy for almost half an hour and reduce it down ta nice thick consistency; preferably make it 4-5 hours in advance of the meal so that the flavours are just right.

This time I also added shallots and garlic to the gravy, but it isn't part of the original recipe and can be omitted. I had this for lunch with rice, some keerai masiyal (spinach with lentils) and kovakkai kari(ivy gourd vegetable). Comfort food on a lovely rainy day in Delhi when a creamy pasta or a bhunaoed sabji just won't cut it!


This dish goes to JFI - Tamarind being hosted by dear Sig of Live to Eat . There was nothing else which came to mind when I thought of tamarind - for me, it had to be one of these fiery tamarind based kozhambus. Jihva for Ingredients is the brainchild of Indira of Mahanandi

Sundakkai Vatral Kozhambu

Ingredients:

Tamarind - a big lime sized ball
Shallots (Madras onions) - 8-10 peeled
Garlic - 3-4
Tempering:
Oil - 2 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (methi/vendhiyam) - 5-6
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Tur dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-7
Asafoetida (hing) - pinch
Ground masala Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Tur dal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 4-5
Black peppercorns - 7-8
Fenugreek seeds - 2-3
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp

1. Soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water for about 15 minutes and the extract pulp. Mix with another 2 cups of water and keep aside.
2. Soak the sundakai vatral in a little warm water to get rid of any dust or dirt. Drain.
3. Roast all ingredients of the masala in a tsp of oil till they change colour, adding the coconut right at the end for about a minute. Grind to a powder.
4. Heat the oil for tempering in a large kadai and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the dals and curry leaves. When they change colour, add the fenugreek seeds and asafoetida.
5. Put in the vatral and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and continue frying for another 4 minutes
6. Add the ground masala and saute one minute, then pour in the diluted tamarind extract and bring to boil. Add salt and simmer covered for about 20-30 minutes depending on the consistency you want.
7. If it gets too thick and is still a bit too sour for your taste, add a little more water and simmer.
8. Serve with steamed rice.

Related Posts
Vendakkai kozhambu
Puli kozhambu

Green Peas Pulao - Jihva for Love

This post is a departure from my usual way of blogging - I often find it hard to cook specifically for an event.....well this time I am blogging especially for the Jihva event. This month's event is being hosted by Pratibha and Jigyasa on their spanking new blog dedicated to Pedatha.

Jihva is a food blogging event which was begun by Indira of Mahanandi and focuses every month on one ingredient. This month's ingredient is a fitting tribute to the memory of Pedatha - it's that ever so intangible thing which makes each home cooked meal a comforting one - LOVE.

When they asked us to blog about the one person whom we really love and honour in our lives - I found it so difficult to choose. My life is filled with people who have touched it in so many different ways and with so much of love that I couldn't imagine a life without them.

So, I wondered (being a true Gemini) how I could choose just one person. These people are difficult to separate from the person I am. They make me complete in their own unique way.

My biological mother - Amma - of whom I have very few memories; she passed away when I was five.
My mother who raised me to be an honest, responsible and caring person and broke all the stereotypes about stepmothers.
My father who is the best father ever - there is nothing I can't talk to him about, he has always stood by me - even when he didn't agree with me.
My husband who is my Rock - the one who nursed me through my illness, fought alongside me and believed that I would make it, when so many others didn't.
My daughter who has brought new meaning into my life and made us give thanks every single day for the beautiful blessing that she is.

BUT there is one other person, not part of my family, but as dear and respected to us - without whom I wouldn't be here today.

My surgeon - the most sincere and forthright person I have known. He did everything in his power to keep me alive when other doctors were just looking to add a "rare case" to their records. He experimented, researched, kept me going with some path breaking methods of nutrition and then performed a surgery that he truly believed would be best for me - not for the money, not for the "case sheet", but for me. I am here today, so I guess he succeeded!.
Tragically he died last year of cancer and I was left ranting at the unfairness of it all - one so young and so dedicated to his profession should have had more time...

This is my tribute to him through Jihva for Love. I don't know whether he would have actually liked this dish - the only thing I have made for him is coffee when he visited home (yes, he made house visits just for me!!).

But since it is one of the few things I remember my mother making (the others being a tomato raita and an egg curry) I would like to think that the one who brought me into this world and the one who gave me a second life might have similar tastes....

Peas Pulao

simple and satisfying - served with vegetable kadhi and stuffed eggplant

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup soaked in 3 cups water for 15 minutes
Peas - 3/4 cup
Cinnamon stick (laung) - 2 " piece
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 3-4
Cardamom - 2
Onions - 2 medium sliced long
Ghee - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 1 /2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Take a non stick pan and heat the ghee and oil together. Add the whole masala - cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom and cloves and wait till they change colour.Add the cumin seeds and saute half a minute, then add onions and saute till golden brown.
2. Drain and add the rice and peas and saute 1 minute, then add the drained water and bring to boil. Add salt.
3. Lower flame to medium and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes. Stir the rice just once in one direction and check to see whether it is cooked.
4. Cook for 3-4 more minutes; the rice grains should be cooked and separate, but not mushy. Turn off flame and cover till serving time.

If the rice isn't cooked for some reason, add hot water only one fourth of a cup at a time. The rice will continue cooking when it is closed, so allow for that extra cooking time.

If using frozen peas, add them halfway through since they are already cooked.

Babycorn, Cherry Tomatoes & Sprouts Salad with Feta Cheese

This is a beautiful salad - winter fresh veggies and lightly steamed sprouts drizzled with a light salad dressing bursting with the tanginess of lime; its piquant flavour balanced with crumbly salty feta cheese and crunchy lettuce.

Delightfully light and yet so satisfying that you can make it your meal - my friend almost did and I had to steer him gently to the rest of the dishes on the table!

One forkful says it all - no stories needed.

This salad made so flavourful with a simple lime juice dressing goes to Jihva for Ingredients - Lime/Lemon being hosted at The Spice Cafe this month; the event itself is the brainchild of Indira of Mahanandi and while I have been following it for a long time now, this is the first time I am contributing.

Babycorn, Cherry Tomatoes & Sprouts Salad with Feta Cheese

Babycorn - 6-8
Cherry tomatoes - 100gms
Mixed bean sprouts - 100 gms
Coriander leaves - handful
Iceberg Lettuce - 3-4 leaves
Spring onions - 3-4 (not the greens)
Feta cheese - 4-5 tablespoons - crumbled or diced into small pieces

Dressing:
Juice of one small lime
Red wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Olive oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt
Freshly crushed black pepper


1. Wash the babycorn and cut lengthwise into halves. Rinse the sprouts.
2. Boil salted water in a large vessel and add the babycorn and sprouts to it. Turn off the gas after a minute and keep covered for another 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the spring onions thinly.Wash the coriander leaves and lettuce thoroughly, drain water and keep aside. Crumble or dice the feta cheese.
4. Combine dressing ingredients, mixing them together briskly.
5. Drain the babycorn and sprouts;keep aside till cool.
6. Take a salad bowl and put in the babycorn, tomatoes, sprouts and onions, tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces and add it along with the whole coriander leaves - then toss in the feta cheese.
7. Pour in the salad dressing a little at a time and gently toss till well combined.