Ragi Bread (made with yeast)

Ragi Bread

I think we are all increasingly become a wired society...just this moment I connected my camera to the comp ...to upload the pictures of the bread I had made...there u go ...wires...then job done..rolled it up and put it in...
In the morning - more wires ...to charge up my laptop...wires of mobiles(in plural) ...for each of us...why(?!?)...who knows...being so connected to the world is not necessarily a very good idea...methinks. Soon with evolution we might start growing wires out of our own bodies ( theory being that - that which is not used disappears and that which is frequently used becomes stronger )....science fiction ?!? you say...well u never know...it just might be the future.

Nyways just random & stray thoughts...were we better off when lives were simpler...and access to all a little bit more restricted...when we were not so privy to every itty bitty detail of others lives & happenings(Facebook & What's app)....where they all are at any given time...what they ate, what they saw, did, enjoyed...who they met...
I guess every bit of development & progress has it's cons...and we have to live with that whilst enjoying it's benefits.

What has that to do with this recipe...nothing actually...sorry guys...to let you down this path...just thought I would let out a bit of my angst.

So coming back to this bread...I am on a bread discovery, new flours discovery, and more healthful alternatives to the original options...hoping to achieve food nirvana some day... :-).

This bread contains a mix of 3 flours, used ragi ( nachani ) my new favourite, whole wheat, and some all purpose to lighten the dough a bit...
Dates is my new sweetener...have written more about it below...
Fruits or veggies my all time favourite...try to always incorporate them in my baking..

It all worked out beautifully and came together in the form of this bread...which can be had for breakfast or evening tea, or even a midway snack...it is not sweet at all...so for those with a sweet tooth...the sugar or dates can be increased...otherwise it could be had as is...with butter or fruit preserves of choice.

And here goes, the recipe for an amazing bread is as given below....


Ingredients:

3/4 cup Ragi flour
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp active yeast
1 Tblspn sugar
8-10 dates, seeded and chopped**
1 Tblspn olive oil ( or any other oil )
1 large or 2 medium carrot(s) grated (optional)*
1/2 tsp salt


Topping (optional ):
1 tsp milk 
1/2 Tblspn sesame seeds

Method:

1) Warm the milk, add sugar and yeast and keep aside for 10 minutes, add the chopped dates to this mixture.
2) Mix all the flours in the bowl, add salt, oil, and mix thoroughly.
3) Add the grated carrots, and the yeast mixture, knead to form a smooth dough - you could add some water or flour if required, the dough is a bit sticky.
4) Oil the dough surface, and the bowl, keep covered with a moist cloth for 1 hour in a warm place. The dough rises to double it's size.
5) Beat the dough down and knead it lightly, shape in form of a loaf...put it in a baking dish - cover with cloth and keep again for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hrs to rise again.
6) After the second rising - pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C, brush the dough with milk, and sprinkle sesame seeds over it, press lightly so that it sticks to the dough.
7)Bake 180 for 35-40 minutes till done. Check with a toothpick to see if done.

8) Cool over a wire rack - then slice and serve.
Enjoy !!!

Note:
*1) The carrots are optional - it is just to add some more flavour and to increase the nutritional quotient...you could add spinach or bottle gourd ( dudhi ) or zucchini...but in case of those you may need to remove some of the water esp. regards dudhi or zucchini...so as to not make the bread too moist.
Apple or banana also make a good addition...have used it in other recipes - turns out good.
You could also just go with plain ....

**2) The addition of dates is to increase the sweetness of the bread without increasing the sugar...
Dates provide a lot of health benefits - it is a rich source of iron, vitamins, minerals and also helps lower cholesterol...it is a natural form of sugar so I try to use it instead of sugar in most of my sweet dishes.

The previous time I had tried a whole wheat bread - it had become too dense - and since it was not too sweet either I did not have a lot of takers for it...so had to valiantly finish it off on my own...this time decided to try with smaller portions ...
So this was a half measure of an recipe with my modifications ....make one small loaf - the slices look big cause I cut it a bit diagonally...but you could go double it to get a regular sized big loaf...
Hope you try this ...I loved it...and do plan on making it again myself.
And regards my angst above...don't worry any communication from my readers is most welcome...please do let me know what you think..re. my recipes...or in general....life & the world... :-)

Cucumber Spinach Pancake

Cucumber and Spinach Pancake

In the good old days we used to have Sanjeev Kapoor on TV, Khana Khazana was the program which we could watch to see live cooking recipes...used to like to watch that....but many times would miss it ....whereas now we have two channels now showing us a lot of recipes full time - Food Food channel and the erstwhile Khana K....so when we are free we can browse those channels and watch some new, old, desi(local) or international recipe....

On one of those shows I came upon this one....it reminded me of one of my own rice chilla which I have already blogged...this was a simpler version and I thought let me give it a try...

It turned out pretty good and amazingly simple & quick...so guess it is something which will be part of my repertoire in future....works good for breakfast or a snack...or even if guests drop in and you would like to have something more substantial than biscuits & chai to serve them...

So without further ado...let me get on with the actual recipe..here goes...

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber grated
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder ( can add more if you like it spicier)
1/2 cup rice flour
2 Tblspns rava
2 Tblspns yogurt(curd)
water to make a batter
oil for frying


Method:

1) Grate a cucumber - squeeze out the water and keep aside. Chop spinach leaves and add to the cucumber along with salt and red chili powder.

2)Add the rice flour, rava, yogurt and mix - then add water to make a batter - first add the cucumber water - and if required add additional water. Do not make it too thin. Keep aside for about 10 minutes. 
The flours absorb the water and the batter becomes a little thicker.
Then add some more water if required so as to have a batter which is as thick as a dosa batter.

3) Put a few drops of oil onto a non-stick pan, then take a ladle full of batter and spread onto the pan. Cover with lid and let it cook till some brown spots appear. Flip the pancake and cook the other side too. Cook on medium heat so as to cook evenly and thoroughly.

4) Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

Enjoy !!!

For such a simple recipe the taste was pretty awesome...and the prep. time is so little...so ahead and try it out yourself...would love to hear from you, what you think about it...

Eggless Ragi Banana Cake

Eggless Ragi Banana Cake

Recently, I met up with one of my very close friends(D had a great time with you) who was visiting India ( she lives in Dallas US )...and we got to discussing the various grains and cereals and what is good and healthy...and can be used in a lot of our day to day cooking, baking etc...

One of those was amaranth...and while trying to get the Indian name for it we mistakenly referred to it as ragi...then later realised that it is not so...the actual name is rajagira...which is supposed to be very good, considered a superfood.

All this bought to fore my desire to move on to new methods and ingredients in my baking in my quest for a more healthy sweet or dessert...since we have tried unsuccessfully many a time to resist the sweet temptations.

So while browsing for recipes got a few using ragi ( nachani ) flour and was very impressed with a couple of them - one was a chocolate cupcake and the other a banana cake...
The latter won the toss mainly cause I had 3 bananas on verge of going to the bin if not used immediately...but I also wanted to try an eggless version and use sweetened condensed milk which was part of the first recipe....confusing right ....nyways the end result was a combination of parts of both.

Ragi is a cereal which is very nutritious, it is rich in  calcium, has a lot of dietary fibre, has a lot of iron, is a natural relaxant, and a host of other properties...

So after reading the above recipes I was quite keen to try it out - though I was unsure how it would be received by all at home, generally I do not have much takers for my "healthy attempts" ...but this one turned out so amazing - it was soft, delish (even with the reduced sweetness) and one could not make out that it was made without the regular flours...

Healthy Dates & Carrot Quick Breakfast Bread

Dates & Carrot Breakfast Bread

So now I am on a health trip - trying to find ways to reduce the sugar, all-purpose flour from my recipes...did a bit of experimentation with yeast...and then found my way back to the quicker variety with baking powder & soda...

Though right now I am still continuing with the carrots & dates & banana or apple pulps combinations, this particular bread recipe had agave ( for sweetness)  which I replaced with honey...the previous recipe was a whole wheat bread which was very dense - so decided to go a bit lighter this time with a combination of flours...and since this had oats(loads of goodness)...felt I could add in a bit of AP flour...the sweetness is due to the dates and honey - both of which just barely flavours the bread - and that is good for a breakfast bread..which is where I was going with this one...
However if you would like it more like a dessert you make add more honey or dates or even sugar to the mix.

The spices in this bread brings out the flavours of dates, the slight aroma of banana...and brings to mind the Christmas plum cake...making it absolutely yummy !!!

Mixed Vegetables in Gravy.....a trip to Pondicherry.....Fresh Homegrown Drumsticks

Ok a very long title, I know...but how do I cover all that I want to say in this post on a short tag...so never mind...let that remain...and we shall move on...

Drumsticks from Pondicherry

What is the connection u ask...well we went on a trip...you guessed it...:-) to Pondicherry ....what can I say - it was such an insightful trip...
Let me give you some background...before I continue....

I had never been to Pondicherry before I got married...but T (hubby) and his family had been there many times...they believe in Sri Aurobindo & Mother (a lady from France...whose original name is Mirra Alfassa) and so after my marriage I had made a few trips to Pondi, loved going there - it was a very serene, peaceful place.. and I also looked on it as a good break in our hectic lives full of work, home, and family....

Recently due to a whole lot of stuff happening - we had not visited for over 8-9 years...me longer as T had visited once in the interim period....and the past few years was stressful to say the least - esp. with regards to our families...parents, the inevitable happenings in the passage of life...leading to a lot of introspection, wondering about the what's why's and how's of life....

With all this going on...this trip happened (quite unexpectedly I should add )...and this time around things were very different for me at least...I focused more on the spirituality of the place, rather than viewing it as a holiday spot...and imbibed from the atmosphere and the feelings of all around me...felt that the change in my thoughts, feelings which had already begun... start to consolidate and am hopeful that this will affect my actions, attitude too gradually....

At home

For those who are not in the know - Pondicherry has an ashram which is the main spot for all to gather, people come there, meditate, pray, read books about the ashram's philosophy(we got a few too), there are a lot of ashramites who stay there, who have come from different places in India and abroad, from different walks of life, different professions, who have given up their original lives to make a new one here under the guidance of Sri Aurobindo and Mother...they work here, live here, excersise, meditate,  and follow the philosophies laid down.

Streets of Pondicherry

The few days we were there we too visited the ashram regularly, went to their meditation session, OM choir session, ate the very simple food that they prepare at their Dining hall  and generally tried to just live in that moment. It was a great experience.....

We met T's cousins there, and had another surprise of another cousin's daughter(L)  who was also visiting, met up with some of our old friends there(J&A, a very lovely couple...thank you for all your help, M&G we had a great time meeting up with you both too )...and on the return trip back had an opportunity to catch up with some more family in Chennai( and a delicious lunch, thanks S,and great meeting Ma & Sh there too) enroute to Mumbai...so all in all it was a very satisfying trip. 

Beach of Pondicherry

The beach at Pondi is so awesome...our evenings were spent sitting out there, taking walks, and generally soaking in the ambience...our ashram guest house was right on the beach road...

Tea in our balcony

so morning tea was on the 
balcony of our room with 
the ocean in front of us...
sigh...missing it already..

One of the Ashram guest houses

So where does the drumstick come in and mixed vegetables in a gravy ??? well let me start with the second...the menu in the dining hall in the afternoons used to be, rice, curd, bread, mixed veggies in gravy, and sometimes a banana...and at night there used to be a variation with a slightly sweetened dalia. It is surprising how we used to relish such a simple menu every day.

Ginger Cookie....

Ginger Cookies

There was a loud noise...like a gunshot...no worries...we do not have a gun at home...but it did startle us all...me and my cook were trying to open a bottle of nolen gur...I had not heard of this jaggery before...it is a speciality of Bengal...available during the winter months...this is got by collecting palm saps...
My sister picked up one bottle for herself ( she used this while making some kheer )...and had asked me if I would like to try it out too...I am ever game...so said yes...not sure how I would use it...
It had been laying around in my fridge for the past month or so...and finally when I took up this recipe for ginger cookie...which had an ingredient as molasses - decided to try this gur(jaggery) which was in in a liquid form as a substitute.
The sealed bottle was giving us a tough time - and finally it came open with such a bang...the top flew out the kitchen ( had to hunt it down)...the second seal somewhere closer to us...guess this gur(jaggery) generates some gases if stored too long...
Nyways...that was something...be still my racing heart...and calm the cook down(letting her get back to our lunch preparations) and me getting back to my cookie....

This cookie project was a long time in the making...first in idea, then in thought, then in planning....

It all started...{if I may repeat myself ( as I have already written some of this before)}....with one of our get togethers...and I had made some cinnamon cookies which were a big hit...
The idea germinated at that gathering...that I could perhaps make some ginger cookie to take for some friends(who love ginger cookies) and who stay in Pondicherry where we were all visiting later...our cousins B, R, A were going on earlier, we would be meeting up there...looking forward to that...(sorry here I go meandering again).

Then the thought process started - I needed ginger powder - so set about making that ( check out my blog for help on that )....and then the planning...gathering of the rest of the ingredients...did not stop at only making ginger powder - got more enthused and made some cinnamon and cloves powder too...as those were required as well...and the most important part of the process...organising time for it...

Well finally got it all together...and so here we are...with it all done...phew !!! it was a bit tedious, the dough turned out quite sticky..so added some extra flour, and then kept it in the fridge for an hour to harden ...that really helped - it made it easier to work with...

The first lot I took out as per the time mentioned, it was too soft, so kept it a bit longer...by the time the second lot came out, I was a pro...and the next couple of batches were a breeze...it looks amazing...the taste of ginger, along with a touch of cloves & cinnamon...the chewiness and softness of the cookie...it was all too yummy...so to get to the actual cookie, you need to get first to the recipe and then try it out for yourself...so here goes...

Apple & Strawberry Quick Bread

Apple Strawberry Bread

Omg ....I have to write about this, have baked banana bread so many times - love it...and muffins with apples & applesauce..amazing....but they are all totally different in taste and texture from this - once you start eating this, you cannot stop with just one piece. 

Have to confess that this actually was a recipe for applesauce bread - but I had this jam on hand a combi of strawberries and apples - decided to use that instead of the applesauce...and oh wow !!! ....

This has a mix of all purpose flour(maida) and whole wheat flour(atta), hint of cinnamon, sweetness of the fruits(strawberry & apple - though you could use just the apples), goodness of yogurt, nourishment from egg & nuts, reduced fat with oil instead of butter, brown sugar and that too just 1/2 cup...with all those healthy options...the taste is just awesome...definitely gotta try this one out. And it is one of the most easiest things to put together - just 2 bowls - one for dry, one for wet ingredients - mix the two...and voila...there you have it..one of the most fantastic, moist, flavorful, healthy snacks, breakfast, dessert, sweet...call it as you like it.