What does a kid do at the sight of an Ice cream? What do geeky men do at the sight of a latest Gizmo? How do women react to super duper sale in their favorite store? That smile, that surprise with their pupils dilating with unexplainable delight is sure a sight to see, isn’t it? Well, a bread fresh out of the oven does that to me. Not shopping, not shoes, not clothes, not chocolates but fresh home made breads. People feel down if their pets get sick, I feel horrible if my breads don’t puff up or end up like bricks! But nevertheless, I am always experimenting with some bread or the other. Its no wonder that you find lots of breads in this site and I am sure this is just the beginning (hopefully my passion remains consistent!)

I have talked before about Triticale in my Eggless Triticale and Currant scones. I have tried so many recipes with it and this is one of them. Its a rustic bread just like any wholegrain bread. Its a little dense although the texture is much better than the photos here. Well, the mistake is mine. You are supposed to cool down the bread before slicing it but if I am crazy about baking fresh home made breads, my better half is fanatic about consuming fresh home made breads. So, I had just finished baking and I wanted to take photos. But with him around it was getting to be impossible.

Him : I am waiting, waiting , waiting ……….
Me: I know…One sec..one sec….one sec…

Him: one second went by like a second ago…I am waiting , waiting…(...)
Read the rest of Triticale Bread at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Active yeast, bread flour, brown sugar, milk, triticale, wheat flour

From the archives: I had posted this way back, but recently when a reader (Vidya Devan) requested this dish, I thought I will repost it once again

So many times, it happens that we cook something “classic” from some other unknown region thinking that we have that one authentic recipe. Most often than not its authentic alright – but only problem is that its not classic to that region at all – in fact people from that region weren’t even aware of such a famous dish from their country!!! Take Mango Lassi and Saag Paneer for example! For having grown up in India my entire life these were never in my menu nor have I ever seen in any restaurants. Of course, now that its famous worldwide, they might be freely available everywhere. The classic instead was and is – sweet and salt lassi and Sarson ka Saag / Palak Paneer! I think Saag Paneer is the Americanized version of Palak Paneer cos the Sag is always made of Spinach! So that’s Indian Palak Paneer for you Its also saddening to note that I am yet to get that classic taste in any Sarson Ka saag I have tasted in any of the restaurant. I taste only butter and cream. The original classic is not supposed to taste of butter and cream at all! It has this earthy taste where you get to enjoy the Mustard leaves and spinach in full form!

Why make a dish with Mustard leaves and Spinach, if all you want is douse its taste with butter and cream? The farmers in Punjab ate rich food – agreed. They did it cos they had to rely on their brute force strength to do all that back wrenching hard work. They needed sufficient fats which came by way (...)
Read the rest of Sarson Ka Saag at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chillies, cornmeal, ghee, ginger, maize flour, mustard greens, onions, spinach

Indianizing recipes is, well, a force of habit! Especially when you want to try something new – the first thing that comes to my mind is how I can make it with ‘homey’ flavors. I am sure every person tries that! Get comfortable with the new ingredient by first using it with recipes they grew up with! When I first tried out making Spaghetti squash, (...)
Read the rest of Spaghetti Squash Curry at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asafoetida, black gram, mustard, red chillies, spaghetti squash, turmeric

For last few months I am in pursuit of happyness (guess I am watching too many movies) this Ethiopian delicacy called Injera. HOW MANY BOOKS have I researched, how many online resources have I waded through, is too brobdingnagian to elaborate here! Most of the resources contradicted each other. Many were more adept at giving shortcuts for a better taste than the real one. I mean no one would make such a dish classic  if it tasted THAT bad right!? Or would they? That’s where so many questions arose. More than 6-7 sources claimed that Injera was made purely only with Teff flour. Made sense. So I eliminated many of my notes which carried recipes made with “self rising flour”,”wheat flour”,”rye flour??!”,”all purpose flour” etc.

Few other resources assured me that the highlight was the lengthy yeasty starter which made the spongy bread. Thus I eliminated few other notes which carried words “Baking powder” and “baking soda”! And now comes the problem! I did not have any recipe to work with! Either the starter had “other flours” in it or the starter was Teff but it had other flours in the main recipe!!! (May be they were talking about other Injera! I wudnt know!) It was confusing indeed! I even tried searching for someone from Ethiopia, without success! My husband actually even started doubting if he married a sane wife! Who gets fanatic about a silly flatbread and that too from somewhere called Ethiopia which in his mind is synonymous with Masai Mara? (Husbands – Go figure!) I am not even going to elaborate how much he probably freaked out when I made a stinker in the kitchen (not me – the starter did it!) (...)
Read the rest of Ethiopian Injera at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Active yeast, teff flour

Its amazing how sometimes my mind works so differently from many of my friends! Not always in a good way am sure . See weekends are the time when everyone needs that ‘family’ time together having hustled and bustled throughout the week- isnt it? That’s the time when the woman of the house tends to cook something special for her family. My mother was like that, many of my aunts are that way and so are my friends. I especially remember one of my aunt who used to live one floor above us. Come Sunday, we would hear the coconut scraping at a predictable time. My father would immediately in good humor order me and my sister to go around the house and verify if all our clocks are running correctly! That’s how precise my aunt was!

And again predictably aroma of some amazing fried rice would waft around and again predictably my cousin would come over with a delicious plate for us! So growing up, I knew in clockwork precision, that something special is on the menu. Now lets come to ME! My brain works different. I might be running late, I might be tired like hell – whatever the reason might be, I prepare all the diverse dishes during the week. Come weekend – NADA! My kitchen except for baking my weekly bread would be as clean as it can get!

My logic? Same as rest of them – “Family” time and I take it literally! I don’t like slogging in the kitchen when there are ppl around! I could instead be spending it with them now – can’t I? I used to wonder why my mother always insisted that we (when my father was at home) come and sit near the kitchen and talk with us – no matter what it was. She just wanted us around so that she could hear and join in. I am JUST the same, now that I am in her position! I would only agree to go and cook something provided my better half come and sit somewhere near me where I could watch what “he was upto”! (...)
Read the rest of South Indian Coconut Rice at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bengal gram, black gram, cashews, coconut, curry leaves

This dish reminds me so much of my mother. The effort she put in to make me consume these slightly bitter greens were myriad. She tried sneaking in so many dishes but I would always find out! Yes – I was that intelligent (!!). “Of all the things to be intelligent about” – would quip my mom if she reads this! Oh well at least in this, if not for anything else. But my mother is one of those weird ppl for whom negativity/discouraging words act as a motivator. While I would dig myself deeper into the ground the more I hear criticism, my mother would work doubly harder (..and joyfully I might add) to get better. I think after all these years, I am starting to get the hang of it!

Anyways, coming back to this green – one day it finally clicked and HOW! She combined it with these potatoes and suddenly I became a fan. She was shrewd. I LOVED potatoes to death and she somehow guessed that it was more of my mind that was playing games against the green than my taste buds. The potatoes nestled between the green, placed right in front of me, started calling out to me so much so I had to do talk to my other split personality -

The Bad me: “Sneaky smarty mothers….”
The Good me: “Our mother..Noooo…”(...)
Read the rest of Aloo Methi (Potatoes & Fenugreek Greens) at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chilli powder, cumin, fenugreek leaves, ginger, onion, potatoes, turmeric

I have been on a Quinoa spree! Its quick cooking and so nutritious. All I have to do for my lunches is cook up come quinoa, add few vegetables and tada! – Quinoa Pilaf ready. Agreed, that health apart, I was doing it more so cos of sheer laziness, since I did not have to cook much. Of course, to my better half  ‘I am eating healthy baby!’ was all that I felt necessary to elucidate. I mean,’ eating better’ sounded, ah well, better than saying, ‘What to do, your wife is lazy!’ Who knew even such a silly thing as this could actually come back to bite the very same slothful bum of mine?

My TH in one of those ‘See, I am such a good husband. I wonder why you even think I don’t care for you?” moments, very graciously “gifted” with VIOLA – A 4 pounds (that’s like 1.8 Kgs!!!!!) of Quinoa; from where else but Costco! I mean who else sells such gargantuan sizes. He waited with a big smile , his hand held out holding this huge bag of quinoa when just a day ago, I was glad to have finished the last bit of quinoa I had. Of course I was shocked and speechless (yes, me actually speechless! That doesn’t happen often!) Few bickering later, with the husband grumbling – “Woman! One just cant understand them” and me grumbling “..and he expects me to cause famine in my kitchen with THIS?” I sat down in front of my Quinoa, both of us watching each other – eye to eye, each wondering how the heck they landed up with one another.

Now laziness apart, I simply could not bring myself to another of those pilafs..I was done with that, I came across this recipe I had written down in my recipe diary. Unlike many recipes noted down where I mention the chef/author from where I copied down, this recipe had nothing of that sort! I did not even recall writing the recipe down – but thought to give it a try since I had all the ingredients together and it had a unique twist to it. Quinoa was added to Arborio rice and cooked just like Risotto. The butternut Squash adds sweetness to this dish and that mind blowing color. The pumpkin seeds add a delightful crunch and nutrition. The whole dish is lightly sweet and hearty.

You might also be interested in other:
Quinoa Recipes: Baked Quinoa and Mixed Bean Croquettes, Quinoa Dinner rolls, Multigrain ( 4 cooked wholegrains) Spelt Bread
Risotto and Pilaf’s : Brown Butter Pumpkin Risotto, Barley and Butternut Squash Risotto, Kamut Pilaf, Wheat Orzo Pilaf(...)
Read the rest of Butternut Squash & Quinoa Risotto at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arborio rice, butternut squash, onion, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, sage, squash

trrringggggg…triinngggggggggg
“Hello..this is 911..What can I do for you?”
(frantic voice) “911? Oh yes! I really need your help. My situation is the pits…Please save me”
“We would do our best of course. Tell us what your problem is?”
“The lady of the house is choking me. I can hardly breath. I am suffocating to death”
“Tell us the address and our emergency team will arrive shortly”
“Thank you so much.! Too much of stuffing is never good…..”
“Stuffing?…I did not get you…”
“I meant food! The lady stuffs me with Food! I know I am made specifically for that..but this is going too far”
“(confused) Made for that? One sec – before you explain, can I have your name for the records”
“Name? What name? – I don’t have a name”
“(confused all the more) But..but what do ppl call you! Clearly you must have a name!!!!!”
“Dunno about the name, but the lady calls me as “her fridge”"
“…………………………………..”

Aaah well, when the 911 team arrived heeding my fridge’s SOS call…I was left with no choice but to accept and promise them that I wont suffocate my fridge no more! Who would have thought that a fridge could do that to me? But it did and here I am in dire straights. If that was not enough, my better half threatened me with “No more buying or gawking at the aisles (esp. Whole Foods) until things in the kitchen start looking like a famine hit it!” So if you see a pattern in my posts in the coming days, (except for few drafts making their appearance in the middle) don’t blame me – blame my fridge for squealing on me and on my better half for being unsupportive to me in this regard ! He even menaced that he will throw my stuff away from the freezer if I *don’t start using it* ! Not using it? What does he know! Of course I use them – What can I do if my stocking talents are better than my expending? Tell me?..

I usually thrust my fridge with ‘wholegrains’ and ‘wholegrain flours’ hence there’s going to be lots of it in the coming days. Recipes which uses the term wholegrain, legumes, some exotic sauce (which has been a resident in my fridge for a long time) are all going to be featured. So with the above in mind lemme kick start this with my “Five Grain Spelt Bread”. Yup! Healthy – needless to say and immensely nutritious, to say the least. Chef Peter Berley comes to my rescue once again. His 5 grain bread recipe was all that I needed to start depleting my ’savings’! I adapted his recipe slightly to adjust to include ingredients on hand

Well this was one of the toughest assignments I had in a long time. No, not in the way of making it – it was easy, but it was when it came to capturing it. It made a ugly bread. Something which wont scream “Eat Me” from the roof tops. I do not believe in ‘makeups’ for food hence was left in a fix. The problem was this bread looks too healthy and boring when in fact it tastes YUM! Moist on the inside, chewy to nibble with a slight crunch from the crust. And yes – its wholesome and hearty….So my humble request (yes I am doing the PR for the bread) – don’t go by its looks! It has real good stuff in it (pun intended!).

Other Wholegrain Recipes: Sprouted Ragi Dosa, Eggless Triticale and Currant Scones,Wholegrain Pumpkin Pie, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Orange Whole Wheat Bread, Bulgur Dinner Rolls, Quinoa Dinner Rolls(...)
Read the rest of Multigrain (5 grain) Spelt Bread at Chef In You

© DK for Chef In You, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: amaranth, baking powder, baking soda, millet, pastry flour, quinoa, spelt flour, sunflower seeds, teff