Wednesday, December 30, 2015

MANGO PANNA COTTA

Mango Panna cottaJ

Panna cotta (Italian 'cooked cream') is an Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, or other fruit flavorings.

It is really simple to cook.

Today I will introduce you to mango panna cottaJ.

First let’s see how to prepare the panna cotta as it will be easy for you to add any flavors later.

Even the plain panna cotta with a dash of chocolate sauce or strawberry sauce makes it delicious.

Panna cotta

Ingredients-

Heavy cream*                    - 2 cups(400 to 420 gms )
Unflavored gelatin powder        - one small pack of 30 gms.
Sugar**                         - 50 gms
Vanilla bean                  -halved and scrapped(including the bone marrow)
       Or
Vanilla essence                 - 1 tsp full
Oil to wipe the molds.

Take 2 table spoons of water and sprinkle the gelatin and allow it to settle for 10 minutes till we cook the cream.
Add the cream and sugar in a sauce pan along with the vanilla bean and bring it to boil in a medium flame.
When the cream is just at the simmering point turn off the flame and add the set gelatin and mix well.
The gelatin should dissolve in the cream
Then strain it in the colander to remove the vanilla bean and bring the mixture to room temperature.
Pour it in the mold greased with oil and refrigerate. It should set in four to six hours. Better is overnightJ

*Heavy cream-I used 33% fat cream. The best would be if you get 40% fat cream.
Please don’t use any cream which is of lesser fat content to 33%.
**You can increase the sugar to another 10 gms depending on the sweet level you need.


Now to the mango part .

Ingredients-

Mango pulp *                               -2 cups.
Mango nectar                               -1 cup
Unflavored gelatin                           -1 small pack of 30 gms

Take a microwave proof bowl and add the gelatin in one cup of mango nectar and keep it aside for 10 mnts to set.

Take two cups of mango pulp. I used the canned kesar mango pulp.

*If you get fresh mangoes take 4 or 5 mangoes – Remove the skin and cut into small pieces.

Put it in a blender and make puree equivalent to 1 ½ cups.

Now heat the gelatin mix in microwave just for 1 minute only.

Add the warm gelatin into the mango pulp and mix well.

Pour it on top of the already set cream mixture.

Refrigerate for another 2 to 3 hours to set.

Your mango panna cotta is ready to serveJ

P.S-you can either prepare the mango or the cream mixture first of your choice.

To get the shape in the picture-

Take a muffin tray and slant the glass and make it rest in the muffin counter. Pour the mixture that is prepared first almost to the edge of the glass.

Set the mixture in the refrigerator.

Once it is set remove the tray from the fridge and make the glasses straight and pour in the second mixture. 

After this you need not have to use the muffin tray and can place the glass straight in the fridge.


Dear friends –
You can prepare the plain panna cotta and pour it in a mold. Once the panna cotta is set remove the mold from the fridge and place the mold in the warm water for 10 seconds.

Scoop it out in a serving plate and top it with chocolate sauce or strawberry sauce. Serve it immediately.

EnjoyJ


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Spinach Dal-Aka-špenát čočka.

Hi friends,

After a small break I am posting my next recipe.
The recipe this time is spinach dal- špenát čočka.

The tasty food with simple ingredients.

What you need is

Masoor dal ( červená čočka )                       -150 gms
                                 
Spinach (Listový špenát)                            -100 to 150 gms.

Onions (cibule)                                     - one medium size

Tomato (rajčata )                                   - one small size

Green or dry red chilli (suché červené chilli )  ```       - 1 number.

Garlic (česnek)                                      - 1 pod

Ginger(zázvor)                                       - 1/2 inch

Curry leaves(optional)                                - one string

Mustard seeds(semena hořčice)                       - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds (Rimsky kmin)                           - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder(kurkuma)                            - 1 tsp.

Garam masala powder *                              - ½ tsp

Oil                                                   - 1 tbsp


Before starting to cook –please keep few things ready- as always.

Wash the lentil and keep it aside with some water in it.

Wash the spinach well and drain it in colander.

Finely chop the onions, garlic, ginger, tomato and the green chillies (if you are using it).


Now take the spinach and chop it nicely and keep it aside. Please don’t worry if there is some water in the spinachJ

Now let’s start to cook.








Heat a pan or thick bottomed vessel. Pour oil and when its warm, add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the cumin seeds and turmeric powder (keep in medium flame ).


Then add the chilli (red or green-whichever you are using). Immediately add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute it well by adding a pinch of salt.

 



Salt will make the onions cook faster as it helps in evaporating the water from onions.








Then add tomatoes and saute it again .When the tomatoes are slightly cooked –add the chopped spinach and stir it well. Add little salt.

When you see the spinach slightly cooked and when the mixture looks like  paste or mushy-add the soaked lentils.

Add adequate amount of water and salt and cover it with lid and increase the flame to medium high.

Please stir in between as the lentils should not burn.

When its cooked, Mash the lentils with the ladle nicely. Instead you can use the egg whipper and whip it gently till the lentils are not visible prominently.

Avoid electric whipper.

When it’s done fully –

Sprinkle ½ tsp of garam masala for flavor and mix it.

*Its optional –but as it is available in the shops which I mentioned in my earlier blog you can buy it and store it as it enhances the flavorJ

The cocka is ready to serve.

It will go very well with steamed rice.

You can even dilute it a bit and can consume as soup (polévka)-which is so filling and healthy too.

P.S.-Dear friends, you can boil the čočka separately and keep it before hand and add the boiled  čočka after the spinach is cooked.


We Indians use pressure cooker(tlakový hrnec). So instead of pan or thick bottomed vessel. we directly cook in it.


It cooks very fast and saves gas(plyn).

The pressure cooker is easily available at tescoma shopsJ. I use the one from Tescoma.

Bon appetite- Dobrou chuť.

Please look for the yummy dessert in my next column soon by this year endJ









Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lemon and Coconut Rice noodles / Vermicelli.

Hi again,

This time I am posting a two in one recipe –with lemon and coconut with rice noodles/vermicelli.
Surprised !!! 

Try to cook this instead of rice for a change .
Its sumptuous ,light and easy to cook too.

Rice vermicelli is available in all super markets at Ostrava  J

Let’s start by cooking the rice vermicelli.
Take a big bowl (2 ltrs) of water and put it to boil. Add oil and salt when it starts boiling.
When the water is boiling reduce the flame to very low and add the rice noodles in it and cover it with lid. The whole pack of noodles (200 gm.) should be immersed in the water. Put the gas off once the noodles are dropped inside and covered with lid.

Leave it for 3 min .The vermicelli is cooked.

As we are preparing two flavors  boil 400 gm of vermicelli  (200 gm each.)
Keep it in water only for five minutes. Leaving for longer time may make the noodles over cooked.
Drain the water in a colander. The vermicelli should not have any water in it. Then add 3 tbsp of oil on the top of the noodles and stir it gently in the colander.
Leave it till you prepare the different flavor to go with it.


Lemon Vermicelli

Oil                                                                                 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds (semena hořčice)                                     1tsp
Small urad dal *                                                              1tsp
Chana dal *                                                                    1tsp
Green chilli  **                                                               1or 2 depends on the spice level
Whole red chilli  ***                                                      1(broken into two halves).
Curry leaves                                                                     a few strings.
Turmeric powder (kurkuma)                                           1tsp.

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is warm, add mustard seeds and when it starts to crackle add the chana dal urad dal and when the dal is slightly colored switch off the gas and add the chillies and curry leaves, then add turmeric powder and keep it aside.

Now squeeze the juice of a lemon in a small cup and add required salt to it-let the  salt to dissolve .

Add the cooked and drained vermicelli (200 gm) into the seasoning kept in the pan.
Add the lemon juice and mix it gently.  Add the juice and salt mixture little by little.
Your Lemon Vermicelli is ready. Garnish with coriander leaves.





*Dear friends of Ostrava you don’t get Urad dal and chana dal in Ostrava.
If you are not having it skip them while cooking – it still works out well without them too!

If you want to use it-I can help in procuring the same – I shall give you few online links from where to procure. You can stock it as we use in many of our recipes.
It has a longer  shelf life.

**Green chillies - If you add red chillies then add one green chilli and one red chilli. (increase according to your need of spice level).

As we don’t get green chilli in Ostrava- I used red chillies for the recipe.

***Whole red chillies are available in a shop next to Tesco Futurum adjacent to New Yorker-Where you can buy all the Indian condiments.


Spoiler alert – The yellow color comes from turmeric powder and not from lemon J

Coconut Vermicelli    


Rice vermicelli                                                                 200gm
Oil                                                                                   2 tbsp
Melted butter(ghee) *                                                        1 tbsp
Mustard seeds(semena hořčice)                                        1tsp
Urad dal                                                                           1 tsp.
Green chillies **                                                                2
Curry leaves                                                                     a string.
Coconut grated                                                                 1 full coconut
          OR                                                              
Desiccated dry coconut powder                                        300 gm

Heat oil and butter in a pan. When it is warm add the mustard seeds and when it crackles add the dal, curry leaves and green chilli .(please keep the flame in medium low).

Then add the desiccated coconut or dry coconut powder with required salt.

If you are using the dry coconut powder-then reduce the flame to low and stir it well for two minutes. Don’t burn the mixture as the dry coconut powder tends to get fried fast.
If you are using freshly grated coconut-Please stir the mixture in low flame till the moisture evaporates and its slightly dry to look. When you remove the mixture in a spoon it should look like a powder and not wet.

Once it is done-remove the pan from the stove and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes and add the cooked rice vermicelli.
Stir well and check the salt. Garnish with coriander leaves.



*If you cannot prepare ghee try coconut oil.

Check the link for procuring the same. Dear guys, It is  less fat than butter and has a better flavor. You can use this for baking too.



**Please use whole red chillies instead of green chillies (if you  are not having it).

Bon Appetite.

Please look for egg Vermicelli in this column soonJ                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          





Saturday, October 31, 2015

Green, Red and White !!!

Beet root and spinach fryJ.

Who said beetroots are consumed as salads only-or added in cutlets?

We can make a delicious and colorful dish out of it.

A combination of red and green color looks appealing to the eyes too :) .
It’s delicious and very healthy too.

Now the ingredients.
Grated beetroot                                                          1 cup
Spinach (finely cut)                                                     1 cup
Mint (cut roughly)                                                        2 tbsps.
Green or whole moong *                                            1 cup.
Grated coconut Or dry coconut powder                     ½ cup.
Oil                                                                               2 tbsps
Onion (cut into small pieces)                                      1large.
Ginger garlic paste                                                     1 tbsp
Green chilies (slit lengthwise)**                                1 or 2(depends                                                                                        on the spice level)
Mustard seeds (semena hořčice)                                1 tsp
Cumin seeds (římský kmín)                                        1 tsp
Turmeric powder (kurkuma prášek)                            ½ tsp
Coriander Powder (koriandr prášek)                          1 ½ tsp
Chili powder(optional)**                                             ½ to 1 tspn
Garam masala powder                                                ½ tspn
Curry leaves                                                               1 string.
Before the actual cooking-
1. Please boil the green moong or whole moong. It should not be over cooked. If you take a grain of boiled moong –you should be able to mash it between your fingers with some effort. Don’t worry if it’s slightly over cookedJ.
*You can use yellow moong dal instead (dear Czech friends as we don’t get moong dal in Ostrava-I tried with Green moong which is available in TESCO etc).
If you are using moong dal-Just soak the dal for ½ hour and no need to cook beforehand.
2. Please keep the ginger garlic paste ready.
3. Cut the onion, spinach and Mint (Mata) ready.
Let’s start cooking.
Place the pan in medium flame and pour oil in it. When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When it crackles add the finely chopped onion and sauté it well.
When its translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw flavor goes.
Add the green chilies ** (if you don’t have green chilies please avoid this step)
Add curry leaves and sauté till onions are slightly colored.
Add haldi (kurkuma powder).
Then after mixing add the boiled moong or soaked moong dal with a pinch of salt.
Cover it with lid.
It will take two minutes for the moong dal to cook. If you are using green moong (as it’s already cooked) keep it in the closed pan for 4 minutes.
Now add grated beetroot and close it with lid. As the beet root are grated it will cook in less than 5 mnts.
Now it’s time to add the greens (spinach and Mint).After adding the greens, please don’t cover the pan with lid. It will cook in 5 mnts.
Now it’s time to add coriander powder, chili powder**(add chili powder if you are not using green chilies)and garam masala powder.
Stir it well and then garnish it with grated coconut or dry coconut powder.

Enjoy the colorful recipe in flat 15 mnts time if your ingredients are ready. It will take  30 mnts to cook the dish.

Goes very well with chapatti, rice and can be a stuffing to your sandwiches.

Before serving add a dash of lime juice to render a tangy flavor.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Add some Spice to Life with Tomatoes - Tomato Pickle a.k.a Tomato Thokku

First of all thank you all for the shares, comments and likes for my first recipe.

Thank you for the encouragement shown to proceed with the second recipe.
After the sweet why not something spicy?

Let’s try Tomato Pickle.

Dear Czech friends-
Don’t get perplexed when I say spicy. You can adjust the spice level by reducing the quantity of chili powder.

All the recipes I am posting are tasted by my Czech friends and the recipe is drafted based on their feedback :-)

So please try it as the tomatoes are available in plenty now and many might have picked lot of tomatoes from your kitchen garden and must be thinking as to what to do with it.
Here you go.







Tomatoes                                 1kg
Red Chilli powder *                        2 tbsps
Salt                                       As required
Sugar                                     1 tbsps
Asafoetida (hing powder)                   ½ tsp (optional).
Fenugreek powder                         ½ tsp (pískavice řecké seno semena)
Curry leaves                               a string
Tamarind **                               a small ball rolled between your fingers
Turmeric powder                           ½ tsp
Mustard seeds                             1 tsp full (semena hořčice).
Oil                                        6 tbsps full

As a usual practice we should prepare ourselves before cooking the dish.
 Half an hour before the actual preparation put a big bowl of water to boil and when it reaches the boiling point reduce the flame and add the washed tomatoes into it. After two minutes switch off the gas and cover the vessel with a lid. See to it that all the tomatoes are immersed in the water. Don’t mind if the water is more. Better safe than sorry.
After 15 minutes you can see the skin of tomatoes peeling out .Drain the water and remove the skin of the tomatoes and keep it ready.

   If you don’t have the fenugreek powder in stock-Dry roast 1 tbsp of the same and powder it and keep it ready. You can even dry roast a handful of the same and store in an air tight container for future use.






**Juice of tamarind to be used when the tomatoes are not tangy. Here in Ostrava it’s very tangy so no need to add the juice of tamarind. I did not add any when I prepared the dish for my friends.

*For the friends in Ostrava –please use sladký paprika powder and the red chilli powder equally.

*For other friends –if you have sambar masala powder add ½ measure of sambar powder and half measure of red chili powder. Of course the choice is yours:-)

Now we start with the real cooking.

Use a high neck vessel with thick bottom and add oil in it. Always start with the low flame as you will have control on temperature.





Use of pan to be avoided as the juice of tomatoes will splatter all around. So, please, use a high neck vessel or pressure cooker.







When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds starts to crackle add the hing powder.

Now add the peeled tomatoes with salt,turmeric powder and chili powder.
Stir it well.

Now let the mixture cook in a medium high flame. When the tomatoes starts to cook and leaves lot of juices,reduce the flame to medium and stir it well. Allow it cook till the water evaporates and the mixture gets mushy like a paste.

Now add the thick extract of tamarind juice and stir it occasionally so that the mixture does not burn.

At this stage check the salt and the chili level .If you want your dish to be spicier add chili powder to your requirement.

Cook the pickle till the oil oozes out from the sides and there is absolutely no juice in it.

Now add the sugar and the fenugreek powder.

Please be careful while adding the fenugreek powder. Don’t add more as it will give a bitter taste to pickle.

Usually it takes 30 minutes to cook. It depends on the juice content in the tomatoes. So go with the consistency rather than time.

Switch off the gas and stir the mixture well.

Allow it to cool and store it in a bottle or any air tight container. It can be refrigerated for longer shelf life.

You can use as a spread for the bread, chapatti, or with rice and dal or simply add it with steamed rice.

Yummy tomato pickle is ready.
Enjoy!!!