Beat-the-Blues meal - Mint & Mango Dal

It all started with me craving mom's food. You know, you get that feeling sometimes; you just want to be taken back to your childhood when mom took care of everything and made these simple dishes that just made you feel happy and content?! That's my definition of comfort food. I want to go back in time and feel like a pampered girl!

Anyway, as I was moping around so, I also had to face the reality of making dinner... myself!! (Sighhh). So a friend suggested that I make the quintessential comfort food of Indian cuisine - Dal. Bless my friend for the suggestion. I love my mom's dal and I figured making some version of it would be the right recipe to satiate my cravings!

Dal is made differently (even pronounced differently; Dhal in the South and Dal in the north) across the country. Dal, actually, is not so much a South Indian staple; we have Sambhar for that. But, with increasing culinary exposure and interaction, you find some form of it all over the place.

My mom learnt to make dal when my family lived in the middle of the country for a couple of years. Frankly, I can't imagine what they do for fun in those parts (thank god I was too tiny to bother!) but they do cook up delicious meals. As a newly wed still figuring out her way around the kitchen, mom learnt from some of the best home cooks central India had to offer.

Back to my dinner. Now, as long as I was making dal, I thought I would dress it up a bit. Poking around my pantry, I found semi-ripe mangoes and mint. In the state of Andhra Pradesh, Mango Dal (Maamidikaya Pappu) is a classic dish made during the spring months with green (unripe) mangoes. So, I decided to borrow the concept from my Andhra cousins and add a bit of my own flavors to it to make this mint & mango dal.

There was my dinner in under 30 minutes! Piping hot rice doused with the nostalgic dal and fried coconut plantains as the side. Oh! It was heavenly and the perfect antidote to my home-sick blues.

So that's my go-to beat the blues meal! What's yours?

Mint & Mango Dal

1/2 cup of Masoor dal/red lentils
2 cups water
1/4 tsp turmeric

for the saute:
1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion diced small
1 plum tomato diced small
2 green chilies minced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 clove of garlic minced
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 medium unripe or semi-ripe mango diced rough
2 T mint leaves
salt to taste

Pressure cook the masoor dal/lentils with the water, turmeric and salt until fully cooked. If you don't have a pressure cooker, then boil the raw dal in 3 cups of water with the salt and turmeric until fully cooked.

Meanwhile, saute the cumin andmustard seeds in 2 T of vegetable oil till the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute until the onions are soft. Stir in the dry spices and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes.

Whisk the cooked lentils in the cooking liquid until smooth and creamy. Mix the creamed lentils into the onion-tomate mixture. On a high flame, let the dal come to a rolling boil. Lower the flame to medium and toss in mango and bruised mint leaves. Pop the lid on the pan and let cook for a few minutes.

Off the heat, stir in 1 T of ghee (the one made from milk and also called clarified butter). Ladle generously over hot rice and serve with a side of spicy, fried vegetables/meat or simply papad. I love eating dal-rice with salty potato chips!

Serving up nostalgia in a cup - Curried Egg Pastries

Growing up in India, one of my favorite snacks was puffs. The flaky pastry pockets with a spicy filling of vegetables, egg or chicken were the ultimate after-school/college comfort snacks. They are like the turnovers you get here in US, only savory. My mom would get them from my favorite bakery and it would be waiting, warm and delicious, along with my evening tea. Incidentally, it was also my grandad's favorite snack and tussle we did for the last one! LOL

When I first came across frozen puff pastry sheets at the grocery store, the first thing that popped into my head was "Puffs for tea time, Yipee!!". I think I made them with mushroom filling that time. Oh! were they satisfying?! Ever since, I have made many savory and sweet versions of them. By the way, you can fill them with berry jam and serve warm with a big scoop of ice cream and toasted nuts for a scrumptious dessert!

And, ofcourse, they make perfect finger food at parties. So, that is exactly what I did for a recent house party we hosted. I deconstructed the concept of the puff to make delicate pastry cups filled with curried egg and topped with a dollop of sour cream for a bit of fresh flavor. You can easily substitute the eggs with shredded cooked chicken or shrimps.

Its is just a fancy way of serving up the same childhood flavors that we grew up with and reliving those carefree memories .... :)

Curried Egg Cups
(makes 12)

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
3 eggs, hard boiled
1 medium onion, julienned
2 tomatoes, diced fine
1 T tomato paste
4 Indian green chillies or 1 jalapeno, diced fine
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 T spicy salsa
12 tsp sour cream
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
a bit of coriander/parsley for garnish
salt to taste
2 T oil
1 muffin pan

Saute the onions in oil until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a couple of minutes more. Add the turmeric, cumin, cayenne and season with salt as needed. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and 2 T of water and cook till fully done and the sauce is thick. Rough chop and toss in the eggs into the onion-tomato mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the over to 400 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to an approximate 9" x 12" size. Make 12 square pieces of the pastry. Line each muffin cup with a pastry and arrange so as to form a cup inside. Spoon in egg mixture into each cup.

Place the pan in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until the sides are puffed and golden. Let the pastries cool for a few minutes. Top each cup with a teaspoon of sour cream and garnished with a spring of coriander/parsley.

Arrange on a decorative serving platter.

Saluting Brigadeiros

Sooo.. In fond memory of our recent weekend trip to the land of exotic, down South, our friend, AK, recently hosted a wonderful dinner featuring wines and liquors of the region. And to add to the authenticity of the evening, I brought these little Brazilian chocolate bonbons for dessert.

Brigadeiros are the national candy of Brazil. It was created in the 1940s and named after Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, who, according to wikipedia, was a Brazilian Air Force brigadier who first gained notoriety for playing a part in quashing a communist coup attempt in Rio de Janeiro.

Anyway, history apart, I chose to make these because our hotel in Sao Paulo was just off the Avenida Brigadier. And, because they are one of the simplest desserts I have ever made! They are made from really just condensed milk and cocoa powder and rolled in toppings.

Traditionally, these chocolate fudge balls are rolled in chocolate sprinkles. But, for fun and because toasted coconut adds a great texture as well as taste, I rolled a few of the bonbons in it. I must say, the coconut ones were a bigger hit than the chocolate sprinkles! Chopped nuts would also be a great topping.

Apparently, these candies are very popular with both adults and kid. I say this, these truffles sure hit a high note at the party! :)

Brazilian Brigadeiros

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 T cocoa powder
2 T unsalter butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings
1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles
1/4 cup toasted grated coconut
1/4 cup chopped roasted nuts

Heat the condensed milk in a heavy bottomed pan. Stir in the cocoa powder and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes very thick and shiny and starts to pull away from the bottom and sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla. Let the mixture cool until you can handle it with your hands. With buttered hands, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in toppings of your choice.

You can serve them placed in individual paper cups or just piled high on a plate!

Orange & almond cupcakes with chocolate ganache

I have been intending to write about these cupcakes for a long time. But, I did not have the nice photos till recently and so finally here they are! I made these for a friend's party and everybody loved them. So, I think they are good for public consumption!

Cupcakes, in general, I think, are an easy and fun dessert. They are individually portioned, so everyone feels special! And they indeed look much better on a tray than a cake sliced!

For this one, I just used store bought yellow cake mix and incorporated more flavors for just the right touch of special. And, to make them extra moist and fluffy, I added vanilla pudding to the batter. So what's the secret, you ask? Fresh orange jest, orange juice and ground roasted almonds! They add layers of flavor that hit you in quick succession with each bite.

While the cake in itself makes a wonderful dessert, topping off each one with chocolate ganache just makes its pure decadence! I made the ganache with a combination of bitter (70% cocoa) and milk chocolates. The bitter chocolate gives its a rich, deep chocolaty flavor while the milk chocolate cuts into the bitterness and adds extra creaminess.

Oh! Another little secret I learnt from Ina. When making the ganache add in a pinch of instant coffee or espresso. You don't taste the coffee at all but it subtly enhances the chocolate-y flavor. I don't know how or why, but it does! :)

So go on! You have the recipe now. Enjoy these sweet little treats filled with nutty zing and finessed with rich chocolate...

And, special Thanks to my friend, AK, for taking these great photos! :)


Orange & Almond Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
(serves 12)

For the cake:
1/2 box of yellow cake mix
3/4 cup roasted almonds ground fine + 12 for garnish
1/2 cup vanilla pudding (optional)
1/4 cup orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup water
2 T vegetable oil
2 eggs

For the ganache:
3 oz bitter sweet chocolate chopped
3 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped
1/2 tsp instant coffee
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix in all the cake ingredients to a smooth consistency. Do not over whisk the batter else you will end up with denser muffins than cup cakes! Spoon batter into a muffin pan filling each cup until three-fourths full. Bake for 30 minutes until the tops are golden and the cup cakes are springy to touch. When done cool on a rack.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the cream over a double boiler. The double boiler ensures that the chocolate melts gradually and doesn't burn. Stir in the coffee. Slowly stir the mixture until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Remove the ganache off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. It will thicken just a bit in this time. Dip each cooled cupcake into the ganache and place on a rack. Dip a second time if the coat is thin. Let cool for a few minutes and top each cupcake with a whole roasted almond.

Serve and relish!