Aval Payasam - Phova Kheeri | Easy Payasam Recipes

Wishing all who celebrate a very Happy Krishna Janmashtami.

Lots of things come to mind when I think of Ashtami during childhood.It was always a double celebration since we lived a wall apart a Krishna temple and it was almost like a second home for us.So whatever preparations we did at home,which began with cleaning up the Pooja room and creating a small corner for the Krishna idol,replete with flowers and fruits for the pooja at night,were done at the temple too.

At the temple,the most fun activity for the kids was the drawing of baby Krishna's feet.There were fights as to whose 'feet' were more cute and perfect and whose 'feet' were actually going inside the 'sanctum sanctorum'.Since none of us could actually point the 'feet' at one direction,since there were so many kids!,the priest would tell us that Krishna ran all over and everywhere inside the temple so all of us would feel happy and content!

Back here,it is a very quiet celebration,so I decided to pep it up a bit with this simple,but delicious payasam made with Krishna's favorite Aval/Beaten rice.

Since Onam is fast approaching,it is a perfect recipe for Onam Sadya as well.Though I am not a payasam person and prefer a glass of Paalada once in a while,I love simple payasams like these which gets done in minutes with ingredients readily available in your kitchen.

Aval Payasam - Phova Kheeri

Ingredients

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Broken Cashewnuts - 2 tbsp
Thin Aval/Beaten Rice - 1/2 cup
Boiled milk - 2 1/2 cups
Milkmaid* - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Crushed cardamom - 1/2 tsp

Method

 
In a deep pan add ghee and roast the cashewnuts till golden brown.Remove and keep aside.
 
In the same pan,roast the aval/beaten rice till it slightly changes in colour and becomes crisp.
 
Now mix in the boiled and warm milk and stir well.Let it come to a boil.
At this stage add the nuts along with the milk and let it cook or else you could add it during the last stage.Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes.
 
Mix in the milkmaid and sugar,stir well.Let the payasam thicken further,simmer for 5 more minutes.
 
Mix in the crushed cardamom and switch off the flame.Close with a lid and let the flavors infuse.
Serve warm or cold,tastes delicious both ways.

Notes

• I used milkmaid as I had some leftover.If you are using milkmaid,you need not add sugar.I added some as I like my payasam really sweet.Do a taste test and add according to your taste buds.
• If you do not have milkmaid,increase the sugar to 1/2 to 1/3 cup.
• I like the flavor of cardamom in my sweets,however you could add saffron soaked in milk as well,or skip both.The aval has enough flavor on its own.

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Orange Marmalade-Cranberry Pull-apart Loaf ~ We Knead to Bake

Many a times I've been asked by fellow bloggers and bakers why I haven't yet joined Daring Bakers,probably due to the amount of baking I do,it is a mystery to them.But I have a reason.I do not consider myself a master baker and some recipes still intimidate me.I am scared if I find a recipe too difficult I might not even try to attempt it.It is unlike me to commit to something and not do it,so the best bet is not to join :)

But I am not doing the WKtB bread of the month,which is sort of making me twist my fingers in agony.There are a few reasons why I am not baking Pretzels this month.The primary one being,ignorance.I have not tasted a Pretzel yet,so I have no clue if I will like it.Second one is the description,Hard Pretzels,I yearn to achieve a super soft consistency in my breads and this one would turn out hard?Nope,not my thing at all!

I couldn't just let the posting date go without attempting something.So I chose a previous WKtB bread,and till date my favorite,did a sweet twist and posting it today.When we did the savory pull-apart and Aparna suggested a sweet version with the same recipe,I was delighted.Making a Cinnamon-sugar pull-apart loaf was something I wanted to do since a long time.

The making of the pull-apart bread though,was a comedy of errors from the beginning.As I was measuring out the flour,I realized I had only about 2 cups of flour,so I decided I'd add atta/whole wheat flour.One thing I usually do when baking with atta is to add wheat gluten and as I reached out to get the box of gluten,it toppled down on the flour making the kitchen a floury mess.As I finished up cleaning and kneaded the dough(in the food processor),I was surprised seeing the dough very batter-like.I wondered what went wrong then reality dawned that I forgot to add the final 1 cup of flour or atta,in my case.

Added the atta and kneaded the dough with hand.Left it to prove and set about getting things ready for the filling.I remembered a similar filling on PW's blog,so kept out Orange Marmalade,Butter and Cranberries.As I shaped the dough and finished smearing marmalade,adding cranberries and sugar,I saw the butter.Then smeared it over and cut the dough into strips,then I saw the cinnamon.Oh God..I was relieved when I put the dough to prove and then pre-heated the oven.

It wasn't about to end so soon.The power went off just when I switched the oven on and didn't return for another half an hour.Finally after baking and seeing the beautiful results,I heaved a sigh of relief:)

The marmalade I used was slightly bitter so I was worried if the taste would be too strong.But the brown sugar and cinnamon and small bites of cranberries in between,all sort of balanced out the taste.As a last minute addition,I poured over a simple sugar glaze on top of the bread as soon as it came out of the oven,which I believe took it to another level.
Orange Marmalade-Cranberry Pull-apart Loaf
Recipe idea - TPW;Original recipe here

Ingredients

For the dough

Warm milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Active dry yeast - 2 tsp(I used Mauripan Yeast)
All purpose flour - 2 3/4 cups to 3 cups*
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter - 25 gms,soft at room temperature
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Milk - 3/4 cup + a couple of tbsp to brush over the bread

For the filling

Melted butter - 15 gms
Orange Marmalade - 5-6 tsp
Brown sugar - 1/3 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Dried cranberries - 1/4 cup

For the glaze

Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
Melted butter - 1 tsp
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - a pinch
Milk - 3 tbsp

Method

 
In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm milk. Keep aside for about 5 minutes till the yeast mixture bubbles up.

 
Put 2 3/4 cup of flour, salt, softened butter and sugar in the food processor bowl (or a large bowl) and pulse a couple of times to mix. 

 
Then add the yeast mixture and the 3/4 cup of milk and knead till you have a soft, smooth and elastic/ pliable dough which is not sticky. Add a little extra flour if your dough is sticking, but only just as much as is necessary.

 
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it completely with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in volume.

Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Deflate the dough, shape it into a square and roll the dough out into a larger rectangle that is about 12’ by 15”.  
Brush the surface of the square with the melted butter,marmalade,brown sugar and cinnamon.Sprinkle the cranberries all over.

 
Use a rolling pin to very lightly press the topping into the dough to ensure the topping doesn’t fall off when you are stacking the strips.

 
Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 long and even strips – they do not have to be perfect. Lay each strip on top of the next, with the topping facing upwards, until you have a stack of the strips.

You can put the 2 strips cut from the sides in the middle of the stack so it looks neater. Using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack dividing it into 6 equal pieces (6 square stacks).

Grease and lightly flour a 9” by 4” (or 5”) loaf tin.Layer the square slices, cut sides down into the loaf tin.

 
Cover the loaf tin dough with a towel and allow the dough to rise for an hour. Lightly brush some milk over the top of the loaf.

Bake the dough at 180C (350F) for about 30 to 40 minutes until it is done and the top is golden brown. This recipe bakes one 9” by 5” loaf.I used two smaller sized loaf tins.

 
Make the glaze by mixing together all the ingredients mentioned.Pour over the bread as soon as the bread is outside the oven.Let it sit for a while till the glaze sets.

Yeastspotted

Notes

• *I used 2 cups of APF and 3/4 cup of atta/whole wheat flour and 1 tsp of vital gluten.
• I like slightly bitter marmalade hence used that but the brown sugar and the final glaze kind of masked the bitter flavour.
• The initial process shots of making the dough are from the original post here.

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Paneer Makhani Restaurant Style | Easy Paneer Recipes

I am back with another Paneer recipe.Yes,trying to post dishes which are most in demand here-side dishes for chapathi and easy paneer recipes.I never get tired of looking out for new recipes for Paneer,it being one of my most favorite food of all times.People say vegetarians have no choice but to like paneer but I have absolutely no clue why one shouldn't!

Paneer aka Cottage cheese is full of proteins,calcium and vitamin.The "fatty" tag associated with paneer is mostly due to the calorie rich gravies in which these are dunked in mostly.In fact,homemade paneer made using skimmed milk if taken in moderation can actually help you lose weight!Make Paneer Tikka/Paneer Tikka masala or Kadai Paneer and you can have it as a meal by itself,without compromising on taste or health.

Now coming back to this dish,if you are wondering why this one is called Paneer Makhani while it looks very similar to Paneer Butter Masala,I have a reason.Though the base of the gravy is somewhat similar,there are a few subtle differences.PBM gravy is made different by adding several spices into it while the Makhani sauce/gravy is mellow with a faint taste of nuts(due to the addition of cashew paste).

Enough of trivia now,let's get on with the recipe.It is indeed a very simple recipe which pairs perfectly with rotis or naans and simple pulaos.

Paneer Makhani Restaurant Style
Recipe source - Dassana

Ingredients

Paneer/Cottage cheese - 200 gms,cubed
Tomato - 3 or 4 medium,pureed
Cashewnuts - 2 tbsp,soaked in 2-3 tbsp of milk and made into a paste
Butter - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1 or 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1 tsp
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Salt and sugar to taste
Green chilly sliced and Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

 
In a thick bottomed kadai add butter and oil.Add the tej patta/bay leaf and stir for a few seconds till the oil becomes aromatic.Add the ginger garlic paste and stir till the raw smell disappears,since I used store-bought paste,it took me only less than a minute.
 
Mix in the tomato puree and stir well.Simmer the flame and let the puree dry up a little and stir occasionally till oil starts floating on top.
 
Mix in the red chilly powder and cashew paste.Now add the water.I rinsed the mixer in which I ground the tomato and the cashew paste and used that water-more flavour without any additional work :)
 
Add salt and sugar to taste.Stir until the curry starts to thicken.Mix in the cubed paneer,I shallow fried the paneer in 1/4 tsp of oil,you could try that or add paneer as is.
 
Cook for 3-5 minutes and then add kasoori methi,green chilly and garam masala.Switch off the flame,cover with a lid and let the flavours infuse.

Serve hot with naan/kulcha or ghee rice.

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