Herb garlic focaccia

If my hubby had a option of reincarnation We'd choose to b Italians..
And id B a Italian cook:) lol
There is only one thing common between my hubby n me... n that is LOVE FOR ITALIAN FOOD:)
So i tried this new recipe for focaccia:) i wish i could master this cuisine to the best..

HERB Garlic FOCACCIA

1sachet(11gms) dried yeast
t 4-5tbs olive oil
1cup tepid water
2 cups plain flour , and extra for rolling out
3-4 Tbsp rosemary leaves , Thyme leaves. u could use fresh or dried.
1 Tbs garlic powder or fresh minced garlic is good too.
salt
sugar

Make the dough By first adding Yeast in a cup of water.
Let the yeast prove for about 5 -10 min.
Then add the yeast mix to the flour, add a pinch or more salt and sugar to it.
Knead the dough well and in a greased bowl wrap a cling film around the bowl and leave it in a warm place for about 1-2 hours to prove.
The dough will double in size.
Pre-heat the oven at 160deg C for about 10 min.
Then remove the dough and take the air off the dough, then roll it into desired shape.. round or a rectangle...Using your fingers .. make finger prints to make a nice design.
Rub a little olive oil on it, n sprinkle the herbs and garlic powder on it.
Bake it for about 30 min.You could eat it hot or cold:)The trick is to drizzle a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese before u munch on it:))Enjoy

KHAMAN

Tangy, Spicy, Sweet, Sour, :))) All this and lots more is Gujarati food.

Straight out of the refrigerator, whenever........

KHAMAN (also known as dhokla in many other regions)

In Gujarat we get to eat this at every food joint, road side vendors.

This snack, soft, smooth, a mushy, tangy and sweet could b relished anytime of the day:)

My dad's friends wife had taught me this:)

Pretty simple to make ...too

A sure try!!

1 cup - Besan (gram flour)

1tsp Citric Acid Crystals, (or lemon juice about 1.5 tsp)

Pinch - Soda Bicarb

2tsp Sugar

1tsp salt

1 cup Water (u could also use buttermilk (chaas))

For the tadka:

oil

1tsp mustard seeds (rai)

Oil

chopped lenghtwise g.chillies.

1.5 cup buttermilk(chaas)

Handful coriander

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar.

coconut is optional.

First keep the water to boil in the steamer, and put the greased tin (a thick width e.g cake tin or a dibba is better to use to give it space to rise) and put the tin in the steamer to heat it little .

Mix the besan, water,oil, salt, sugar, citric crystals or lemon juice really well until no lumps remain. Now add the soda bicarb, mix lightly,and and set aside for 10 minutes.

Then pour the mix in the tin, and cover the lid of the steamer with a cloth or dupatta so as the steam droplets do not fall in the mix,

Steam for about 20 min. (try not opening the lid before to check) Once this is ready, let it cool

Meanwhile make the tadka.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, after crakckle add g.chillies and the buttermilk, then add salt, sugar and corriander.

Make slits in the Khaman, and pour the tadka... Give it some time to absorb the Tadka which will make it soft and mushy:))

Enjoy

Eggless Nut cake.

I SIMPLY loveeeeeee baking... And really aspire to get the professional touch to it.
"Baking" could be a beautiful art in its own way....
What I've learnt by trying n testing is.... you just cannot go wrong with the definite measurements that a recipe provide. "Precision" is the key to flawless baking:))

Well i had to make something sweet, Was for GOD.
It was a "bhog" decided for my hubby .. after he cleared his driving test(in japan its a achievement in itself.. to clear a driving test all by Ur self:)
HE DID IT:) n i was thinking what could i make which is nice and sweet...
Mithai is something we both don't relish much, So my only option was some rich cake without icing.
And I tried a Mixed nut cake:) it turned out really rich and amazingly soft:)
Just follow the Key word and you ll never go wrong....

MIXED NUT CAKE.

4Tbs Condensed milk
¾ cup milk
1/4th cup oil
1¼ cup maida or all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1/2tsp baking powder
pinch of cinnamon
1tsp vanilla essence
1/2cup white/brown sugar.
Dry fruits of your choice. (I used Dates, Walnuts,Almonds,Pistachios,Raisins) You could use tutti-fruity or any other dried stuff like cranberries etc..

Pre-heat the oven to 160 deg C.
Prepare the cake tin, rub butter on all sides and dust it lightly with flour. Shake off and remove the excess flour.
Chop the nuts, or just pulse them in the grinder, be cautious that it does not get to powder.
In a bowl mix to together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
In another bowl whisk together condensed milk, milk and oil. And fold in the dry ingredients and then the e dry fruits gently.
Pour into the cake tins. Bake for approx 30 Min's till a inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool off on the wire rack till its completely cool

JUST FOOD

Blogging is the latest trend, so i thought y should i be left behind:) lol
Well this could be one way to share my love for FOOD. and talk about my new "Ecstasy" Babies..

Lets start with FOOD. What to eat today???????????
that's one question, questioned by me to my husband everyday:) and the best part is more thought is given to it than anything else ..
The answer to the question is always xeroxed... "SOMETHING NICE" n that lands up to "dal chawal" which is not so nice (considering eating it everyday) .. but is one of the most snappiest, effortless, inexpensive meal to eat.
Not that i end up cooking the same but as i said the answer is so.

I was a Foodie since a kid... I love eating which made me develop interest in cooking...
Cooking was a hobby, adoration at once.. but now its more like a "to-finish" daily grind.

But still this so called daily grind has not made me loose interest in the same... infact its made me more dogged towards being a more sharpened cook, not just for me but also for my husband as he relishes his food:)

Not to forget our resoluteness towards "VEGETARIANISM" has played a extensive role towards my so called chase towards being a better and a more versatile cook.
Living in Japan and being a vegetarian is not a very easily manageable task, because our vegetarianism is not just restricted to "no meat" it is more meticulous than anybody could think.
no eggs, no egg products, no gelatin ....NOTHING.
And outside India people barely have a reason not to cook without egg or gelatin .. etc...

Well i m trying hard to make my husband not miss palatable vegetarian meals, may it be home cooked simple dal chawal, or roadside vada-pav, or the fusion cooking like the Indian style Chinese :)(inspite of having limited resources).
A smiling face is half the meal:) and i belive
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside(surely not written by me but believed notably)