Sweet n Flaky Baklava

Spices are strongly flavored parts of plant used in small quantities in food as a preservative or flavouring in cooking.India is a "Treasure for Spices" and that is the primary reason that Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama sailed to India,which eventually led the british empire rule for more than four centuries. Around that same time,when Christopher Columbus happened upon the 'New World', he was quick to describe to investors the many new spices available there.All my narration about spices ends here.This for my entry to The Spice is Right II,Theme - Sweet or Savory by using Ancient Spices food blog event,by Barbara Fisher's of Tigers and Strawberries.

So,I picked Clove(Lavangalu/Laung) as my spice ingredient.The most aromatic part of the clove is the "bud".Lavangalu are rich in spice and used in biryanis,soups,garam masala pwd,bengali sweets also.So,I tried this sweet recipe by adding Clove after researching on google.Baklava is made with phyllo sheets filled with a nut mixture in between layers, covered with a sweetening agent.Filo(phyllo or fillo) dough is named after the Greek word for "leaf".Here is the more info about Turkish Dessert from kitchenproject.

Ingredients:
Phyllo Sheets - 16no,Thaw before using if the roll is kept in freezer.
Dried Apricots - 5 no,diced 1/4-inch
Almonds - 15 no, chopped
Cashewnuts - 15 no,chopped
Pistachios - 15 no,chopped
Peanuts - 3tspn ,chopped
Dried coconut - 2tspn
Unsalted Butter -(1 stick)
Sugar - 1 cup
Ground Cinnamon - 1 tspn
Ground Cardamom - 6 no,crushed
Ground Cloves - 15 no

Syrup
Sugar - 1 cup
Honey - 2 tspn
water - 1/2cup
Boil all the above ingredients in medium flame for 10min and make a 1/3rd consistency of thick syrup.

Method:
In a Blender whirl 1/2 cup sugar with the Almonds and Cashewnuts,Pistachios,Peanuts, 2-Cloves,Cardamom pwd,Apricot pieces until ground. Pour into a bowl and stir with remaining 1/2 cup Sugar,Coconut pwd and the cinnamon.Melt butter in a pan and keep it aside.Preheat oven to 350°.Take a Rectangular baking pan and brush bottom and sides with melted butter.Unroll the phyllo sheets and Cover the phyllosheets in wet cloth because if phyllo is exposed to air then it will dry out and split.Lay one phyllo layer in the greased baking pan.Brush it with butter.One at a time,layer 7 more sheets over the first, properly placing into pan and brushing each with butter.Put 1/2 inch size layer of the nut mixture(Put leftover nutmix in a zipbag and store them in the freezer.)over buttered phyllo in pan. Lay another sheet of phyllo on top, making it to fit into pan and brushing with butter. Repeat layering of nut mixture with phyllo sheets and butter until all nut mixture is over.Top with the same number of the phyllo sheets for the upper layer by brushing each layer with butter.Lay the last sheet flat on top and brush with butter.Cut acroos the baklava into a 2-inch size ,square pieces.Press a clove in the middle of every square.Bake until top is light golden and crisp and edges pull away from pan sides,35 to 45 minutes.

Keep pan on a wire rack and run your knife along cuts lightly so that bottom should not get scratched.Pour sweet syrup over baklava.Let stand to absorb most of the syrup, at least 3 hours. Cut through the bottom layer and serve. It will last at least a week at room temp. Do not refrigerate.Store in an airtight container.

Ginger-Peanut Bar

Ginger:This flavorful "rhizome" has been used for centuries in Indian cuisine and medicine. Ayurvedic says it as a "universal great edicine".Ginger is widely used by both Indian and Chinese Physicians, it originated on Indian soil and was introduced to China just 300 years ago.In addition to its hot, vibrant flavor, ginger is an excellent digestive and aphrodisiac. It cures nausea and is good for rheumatism.It is suggested eating slices of ginger sprinkled with salt before meals to aid digestion.Chewing on a fresh piece of ginger relieves a sore throat, and hoarseness.Ginger beer is a non-alcoholic soft drink popular in the West Indies and in Britain.It can be made with fresh or powdered ginger.Home-made ginger beer is a refreshing drink in summer.When buying ginger check to make sure that the skin is fresh without wrinkles and that there is no growth of fungus at any of its
small knobs/roots. Store it either in the refrigerator.Traditionally, ginger has been stored buried under a patch of damp red soil and sand mixture.My grand mother used to keep it in a pot coverved with soil.It should be kept damp as to ensure future growth and also freshness of existing ginger.Here we can see more about Ginger.
and Its Culinary Uses.
About Ginger Medical referance.
More information about Ginger(ALLAM/ADARAK/INGI)plant from Stevenfoster's website.
I made this recipe for May's SHF(SUGAR HIGH FRIDAY) Event hosting by hostess "Ruth" of onceuponafeast.I just modified "Allam Murabba" (allam is called "Ginger" in telugu murabba means preserved i think may be its a "persian" word) into a tasty, soft, moist, jaggery -coated chunks of hot-spicy ginger. The sweet and spicy transitions are delightfully stimulating.It has a wonderful sweet spicy taste that goes well with the refreshing flavor of lemon.What the real aroma is - you can smell the ginger in it.

Ingredients:
Ginger - 3"size,piece
Jaggery - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 tspn
Roasted Peanuts - 2cups
Roasted sesame -1/2 cup
Unsalted Clarified Butter(Ghee) - 1 tsp,for greasing
Water-1/2 cup
lemon juice - 1/2 tspn

Method:
Wash the ginger and peel the skin and chop into a small pieces and grind it to a paste by adding little amount of water.Heat a heavy bottomed vessel(copper bottom will work out) or nonstick pan and add grated jaggery to it along with water.Keep stirring with wodden ladle on a low heat untill jaggery melts.Add lemon juice ,sugar to it and keep stirring.Add ginger paste to that and bring it to boil for 10 minutes on low heat.When Jaggery starts giving bubbles,if it is in a form of thick syrup and sticking to ladle while stirring then it is right consistensy to make bars.Dont touch(caramelized sugar) it with hand because it will stick to fingures and too hot.Add chopped Peanuts and crushed Sesame seedsto that and mix well.Remove from fire.Pour this jaggery-nuts paste into a greased foil laid in a tupperware or pan by spreading evenly and leave it to cool for 3hrs.

Cut into pieces and enjoy the taste of sweet and hot spicy ginger chunks.It's really a very balanced bar.It isn't overly sweet and the warm spicy ginger is ruling along with crunchy peanuts.I felt"Ginger"is a good match with jaggery and nuts.I found myself chewing quickly just so I could take another bite of spicy caramelized Ginger - Peanut bar.

Sweet n Crispy n Tangy "PANI POORIS"

Pani Puris (Crispy puffed puris with Potato and Garbanzo Beans filled with spicy Mint water) belong to the vast group called chaats, savory snacks that are usually spiced with a mix that includes cumin, dried mango pwd(Aamchur pwd), chili powder, mint and other ingredients.

Ingredients:
Pooris(I got from indian stores.)
Chick peas(Senagalu/Kondai kadalai/ Kabul kadalai /Kabuli Channa/Garbanzo beans)- 3 cups ,soaked overnight and boiled
Potatoes - 3no, boiled and cut into cube sized pieces

Ingredients for Pani:
Mint Leaves - 2 bunches , chopped
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch ,chopped
Tamarind - lemonsize
Ginger - 1" ,chopped
Green Chillies - 4 no,chopped
Ground Cumin Seed (roasted) - 2 tsp
Black Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Aamchur pwd - 1 tspn
Salt to taste

Making Pani:
Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of warm water for 30 minutes and strain out the pulp to get tamarind water.Add chopped Mint leaves, chopped Coriander, Ginger, Chillies and Cumin seeds.Add 1/2 cup of water and grind to smooth paste in a blender.Transfer the paste into a large bowl and add water,Black salt and salt and mix well.Refrigerate this pani for 2 hours so that all the ingredients will blend and gives spicy and tangy taste.

Ingredients for Tamarind and Dates Chutney(Khajur-Imli ki Chutney):
Tamarind pulp - 1 cup(Big lemon size tamarind soaked in a cup of water)
Fresh Dates(de seeded) - 5 no ,chopped into pieces
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Red chilli pwd - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper pwd - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin pwd - 1 tsp
Cloves - 3 no
Warm water 2 cups
Vegetable oil 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water for 30 minutes to make tamarind puree bit easy and fast.Heat oil in a pan and roast cloves and cush them and keep it aside.Squeeze the tamarind and take out the pulp.Add Dates ,Jaggery, Sugar, Red chilli powder, Black pepper powder,roasted Cumin powder,Cloves and Salt to pulp and mix well.Transfer to a blender and blend for a fine mixing.Pour this mixture into a thick vessel and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat until it becomes thick.The chutney should be sweet and sour flavor.I like this chutney to be bit sweeter along with sour taste.Remove from the gas and leave it to cool.Store Chutney in an airtight container(or glass bottle) and keep in refrigerator.

Stuffing for poori:

Heat oil in a pan and add the pieces of boiled potatoes ,salt,redchillipwd,a pinch of turmeric pwd and boiled Chickpeas and fry it for 10 minutes.Cover with lid and keep it aside.
Now Make a hole with the finger in the middle of the poori and fill it with potato and chickpeas and put 2tspn of khajurimili chutney and dip the poori in chilled pani and serve immediately.
This is my entry to “ Blog Party#10-Appetizer and Drink ” by hostess Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness.

Sweet Mango Bobbatlu

Ingredients
Mango pulp - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom - 6no crushed
Sesame seeds - 2 tspn
Ghee 2 tablespoons
Maida(all purpose flour)- 1 1/2 cup
Oil 2 teaspoons
Ghee for frying
Saffron strands for garnishing.

Method
Heat ghee in a non stick pan and add Mango pulp,jaggery to it. Cook on a medium heat and continue to stir until the mixture becomes thick and leaves the sides of the vessel.Add the crushed Cardamom,Sesame seeds and mix well. Remove from heat.
Take flour in a bowl add the mango pulp along with little amount of water,oil and make a soft dough. Keep it aside for 45 minutes covering with a damp cloth.After 45 min,knead with the oil and make small balls.

Roll each ball on a floured surface into a circle.Heat the tawa,place Chapathi and add a spoon of ghee around it.Roast it and shallow fry bothsides still there are light brown spots.Garnish with Saffron strands and Serve hot.
This is my entry to Mrs. Indira's JFI event.

"C" for chilled "Carrot" Soup

Carrot:

The nutrients in carrots
Strengthen the immune system
Help regulate metabolism
Help maintain healthy skin
Help maintain vision
Help protect cells

Studies show that the nutrients in carrots may reduce risk of...
High blood pressure
Stroke
Heart disease
Some types of cancer

Carrots are nature's BEST source of the powerful antioxidant Vitamin A!Anti-oxidants protect cells from free radicals which can damage the basic structure of healthy cells.Carrots are also a natural source of Vitamin C & dietary fiber, and packed with the powerful antioxidants beta-carotene and alpha–carotene.
They have nofat, saturated fat, or cholesterol, are low in sodium and are a good source of potassium.

Ingredients
Carrots - 3 no
Asparagaus - 4 stalks
Onion(Big) - 1,chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Ground Pepper - 1tspn
Salt
Olive oil(or any edible oil) for cooking
Coriander leaves,Thyme leaves for garnishing.

Method
Heat pan with a 1 tpsn of oil and saute Onions.Add chopped Carrot and cook till tender.Add Asparagus(white ends removed) and cook in simmer until the asparagus are very tender.Remove from the heat.Transfer all the ingredients to blender.Add 1 cup of water,salt,ginger and pepper.Blend until smooth.Return puree into to pan.Heat until hot.Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves,thyme leaves and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve chilled carrot soup with grated carrot on a piece of bread.

Romaine Lettuce Dal

Romaine Lettuce:
Romaine Lettuce:[ roh-MAYN ] said to have originated on the Aoegean island of Cos,so it is also called Cos lettuce. Romaine's elongated head has dark green outer leaves that lighten to pale celadon in the center. The leaves are crisp and slightly bitter and the crunchy midrib is particularly succulent.

Uses
The leafy green vegetable is used in salads, cooked vegetable dishes, and is commonly used on sandwiches,burgers etc.

How to buy
When purchasing lettuce, look for freshness, selecting lettuce that does not have wilted and discolored leaves.

Storage
To store lettuce, wash the lettuce and dry the leaves with paper towels, seal or wrap it securely in plastic and place it in the coolest part of the refrigerator, which is generally located in the rear and lowest shelf section of the refrigerator.Keep away from Apples, as ethylene gas they give off will turn the romaine brown.

Nutrition
Like all lettuces romaine has a vary high water content and very few calories(about 10 calories per cup). Generally, the darker the green, the more vitamins and minerals (beta-carotene, calcium and iron, etc.) So it should be no surprise that romaine is the most nutritious of all lettuces. Romaine is an excellent source of vitamin C (more than 5 times that of iceberg lettuce).
Actually,We bought it for doing salad but i tried it with dal and it came out with good taste, so we both enjoyed our afternoon meal with this delicious and nutricious dal along with salted fried chillies and vadiyams.

Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce - 3 leaves
Toor dal(Kandi Pappu) - 1cup
Onion - 1,finely chopped
Tomato - 1,chopped
Greenchillies - 2 no
Garlic - 3 pods,crushed
Coriander leaves - 2sprigs, chopped
For Seasoning:
Mustard seeds(Aavalu) - 1tsp
Cumin seeds(Jeera/jeelakarra) - 1 tspn
Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tspn
Asafoetida(Inguva/Hing)- 1pinch
Oil
Redchilli pwd(Optional), Salt to taste.

Method
Boil Toor dal and keep it aside.Heat 1 tspn of oil in the pan ,add mustard seeds.Musatrd seeds start splutters then add jeera,hing and fry upto jeera changes goldenbrown color.Now add garlic,chopped onions fry till Onions become soft.Add chopped tomato and saute for 2 miniutes.
Add lettuce leaves,green chillies,turmeric to the pan and stir for 2 minute and pour 2cups of water and keep lid on the pan.Cook for 7 minutes and add boiled Toordal,Salt to it.Mix well with laddle and cook for another 7 minutes in medium flame.Garnish with corinder leaves and serve hot with steaming Rice, Sailu's" Uppumirapakayalu" and with "Papads".
See for variety of dals from Priya's Everyday dal and Indira's Menthikoora Pappu

"Little Hearts"-"Palmiers"

Palmiers:
Palmiers are thin, buttery puff pastry cookies that are glazed and baked to a caramelized crunch. They're a French invention, hence their name, which translates to palm, because their shape resembles palm fronds. They're also called palm leaves and elephant ears.Palmiers are pronounced as "pahlm-YAYS"in "French".I have taken this recipe from InaGarten's "BarefootContessa".I used coconut instead of cinnamon pwd.

Ingredients
1 Roll of puff pastry
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of dessicated coconut

Method
Preheat oven to 425F.Line a large baking sheet with aluminium foil r parchment paper and spread butter on it.Thaw Puff Pastry Roll before using.Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface into Rectangular shape.In the meanwhile mix sugar and coconut pwd into a bowl and spread it on a levelled surface.Place the pastry roll on the above of the mixture and press gently.Sprinkle the mixture on the top of puffpastry.Start rolling from the leftside and bring it to the middile and do the same thing from the right side until it reaches the center.Place it in a paper and keep in freezer for 10 minutes.Cut 1/2" size pieces.Press each piece with palm and place each palmier on baking sheet.
Bake it for 7 minutes , until it turns to golden brown.Meanwhile combine corn syrup with ½ tablespoon water.Coat palmiers by using brush with corn-syrup mixture and then bake for 4 minutes.Turn cookies and brush with corn syrup another side and bake until golden brown,another 3 minutes.Cool on wire racks and store for up to a week in an air tight container.

This is my entry to “Blog Party - Bite Sized Desserts” by hostess Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness.