Banana Walnut Muffins

Have you had a fetish for a particular food type as a kid? Well, I had one and big time for Cupcakes. The simple, soft, ones with tutty-fruity in them which pull you to the Bakery especially when you are wandering around and your Mom holds you tight clasping her hands lest you run away helter and skelter. I was a Numero Uno naughty child. No prizes for guessing that one!

The nice Bakeries dotting the roadside were my favorites. I distinctly remember few which I visit even today - Menezes Bakery and Cafe Central - Goa for the most moist and delicious Cupcakes I have ever eaten, Kayani Bakery - Pune for their Shrewsberry Biscuit and Naankatai, Iyengar Bakery in Bangalore for their Sweet Buns and Tea cakes, Karachi Biscuit from Karachi bakery - Abids, Hyderabad.

This recipe has been on my mind for quite some time. As I have mentioned many a times in my blog before that I got inspired into baking by the Muffin Queen - Raaga of The Singing Chef fame. I baked my first home made cake looking at the delicious recipes which she had lined up. My first try was pretty good and I have gobbled up half the Muffins, needless to say. For cakes and bakes, Raaga's blog has been my go-to place. I made the Muffins based on her Banana-Walnut Recipe for Muffins. Thanks Raaga as always!

Now, what is the difference between a Muffin and a Cupcake? I researched and was surprised to know that indeed there is a difference.

Muffins are the daily plain-jane simple cupcake, quite heavier and more dense. Cupcakes are the ones which are lighter, smaller with a frosting, ganache or a decor done up for special occasions.

Recipe Source: Raaga - The Singing Chef

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 ~ 2 1/2 " Muffins

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 3/4th cup

Overripe peeled Banana (mashed) - 2

Walnut (toasted and chopped) - 1/4th cup

Brown Sugar or Confectioners Sugar - Almost 1/2 a cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Egg - 1

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Baking soda - Just a pinch

2 1/2 " Cupcake liners - 6

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Line the Muffin pan with Muffin liners (6 liners ~ 2 1/2 " each)

Mix the dry ingredients together first. Add the powdery ones first and mix well. Blend the wet ingredients - Banana, Egg, Oil together with blender. Add and slowly add into the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnut bits and mix well.

Pour the micture into each of the Muffin liners. Do not fill it to the brim. The cake would anyways expand once done. Leave room for atleast 4-5 mm space while filling the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven after 20 minutes and check for doneness with the help of a toothpick. If it comes out clean, its done and ready for a chow. Allow them to cool and then eat them or you could eat them warm. I prefer to keep them for the whole night and eat them the next day around. The Muffins taste good the next day around.

Plating: While plating the Muffin, plate them in party Muffin liners, pop in a Raisin/Walnut bit and sprinkle some sugar for that extra dazzle.

Fish Fry in Racheado Paste (Tilapia in Racheado Paste)

Goan Portuguese dishes are something I relish. I specially love the vast varieties of curry sauce, paste and traditional cuisine which have been passed on from generations to generations. Few of my favorite Goan-Portuguese Non-Vegeterian food items are Cafreal (very similar to Chicken Tandoori), Xacuti (Chicken or meat of choice cooked in green gravy which is spice and coconut based) and Racheado (red paste dominant with pepper, garlic and vinegar, applied to the meat as a stuffing and pan-fried). The curry pastes are spicy and hot. They have garlic, vinegar and spices as the main ingredient. Infact, these 3 ingredients form the base for most of the Goan-Portuguese dishes. Recently, I watched a TV show hosted by Madhur Jaffrey which showcased Goan-Portuguese delicacy, she aptly mentioned the origin of the word - Vindaloo in Portuguese which is a combination of vin + aloosh = vinegar (wine) + garlic (aloosh).

Traditionally, Fish Rachaedo is made as a red curry paste, applied first to the slits made on the fish, below the bone. Pomfret or Baangdaa is a local delicacy for Rachaedo in Goa. One of our close friends makes this amazingly well, when she cooks her kitchen wafts with aroma of Rachaedo masala everywhere. Pomfret/ Baangdaa Rachaedo is pan-fried wherein the Pomfret (whole fish) is cleaned, slits made below the bone, Racaedo masala stuffed, the fish is then dredged in a batter/ rava and shallow fried.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Fish fillet pieces - 15-20 pieces

Rice Rava - 5 tablespoons

Oil - For frying

For Rachaedo paste -

Onion - 1/2 Onion

Garlic - 5-6 pods

Ginger - 1 " piece

Red Chillies - 6-10

Pepper corns (whole) - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - as per taste

Vinegar - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Grind all of the above to a fine paste.

** This is very spicy paste, tone down as per choice **

Method:

Thaw the fish and get them to room temperature. Once thawed completely, wash the fillet well. Make bite sized pieces and apply the Rachaedo paste. Keep aside for 20 minutes.

Dredge each piece in rice flour and pan-fry with oil on the sides. Turn them over after 5 minutes and fry well till they crispy and the meat is well cooked. Serve hot with lime wedges.

Stuffed Masala Okra Fritters (Stuffed Masala Bhindi Fritters/ Masala Bhendaa Phodi)

A simple dish which is truly delightful and soul warming. Okra is an excellent vegetable, fosters effect digestion, aids in quick stomach relief, keeps the stomach bacteria (bad) free. Okra is either loved by many or hated by many. Its one vegetable which if consumed, offers plenty of health benefits to the individual. I pepped this dish up by adding a spice powder stuffing to it. It tasted nice and crispy.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Okra (sliced horizontally) - 5
Rice flour/ Rava - 3 tablespoon
Oil (approx ~ 2 tablespoon) - For frying

Salt - as per taste

Spice powder -
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Cumin powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Mix all of them together

Method:
Wash the Okra thoroughly and slice them horizontally. Apply some salt and keep them aside for 5 minutes. Pick each of the piece and stuff the spice powder, dredge them in Rava/ Rice Flour and pan-fry with oil on the sides. Fry both the sides completely, as the Okra needs to be cooked completely on all the sides. Serve hot as a side dish.

Ridge Gourd's Ridge Curry with Coconut (Ghosale Shire Tambuli/ Tambli)

Of late, we are getting fresh and crisp vegetables at our local Indian store. Seeing the fresh vegetables certainly brings a glint to my eyes as opposed to the drab dull ones which I see always. I love fresh vegetables and experimenting with them rather than sticking to conventional recipes of Upkaris (stir fries in Konkani) or Daals. It also enables me to learn new recipes and try out new dishes.

Ridge Gourd Shire Tambuli is a nice dish made of the Ridge acquired by chopping the ridges of Ridge Gourd. Ridges are the sharp edges which you notice on the outer surface of Ridge Gourd. They are quite sharp and hard to deal with. In Konkani, the ridge is termed as Shire. You can saute the ridges with spices and coconut and that gives rise to a cold soupy broth which goes extremely well with Rice. We term this as Tambuli or Tambli. If you wish to make this dish on some other chosen day, you could chop off the ridges and store them in a zip lock for future use. They easily stay well upto 3-4 days with their natural crispness. This dish can be spicy for some, so if not used to the spice level, you could blend in some yogurt for coooling effect.

In Konkani, Ridge Gourd is called Ghosale. Hence, Ghosale Shire Tambuli. Some also address it as Tambli.

Tambuli style of preparation is something which is cherished by many a folks in my household. It is a cold soupy version amongst Konkani cuisine, however unlike a soup, you cannot slurp it just like that. Owing to heavy coconut content, its advisable to team it up with loads of rice.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Ridge Gourd - Ridge - 1 cup
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 2
Pepper corn (whole) - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Tamarind - 1" piece
Salt - as per taste
Oil - for frying

Method:

Chop off the ridges off the ridge gourd. Heat oil in a saute pan, and add pepper (whole) and cumin seeds. Once they begin to pop add the ridge pieces and saute till they wilt and are almost fried. Add Green Chillies and fry till the chillies adopt a charred and grilled look. Add grated coconut and saute for just a minute and turn off the flame. Allow to cool.

Once cooled, grind to a gravy which is not too thick so add water just enough for blending purpose. Serve cold with hot rice. If you find the dish spicy, blend in some yogurt for a more subtle and sobre flavour.

Notes: If you prefer the curry concentrated with Ridge flavour, then add more ridges. If you are making larger quantities of this curry, you could use a different procedure. After adding all ingredients, add little water and bring them to boil. Once cooked, turn off flame and grind with coconut. This helps to retain the shelf life of this curry for a longer duration. The frozen coconut I used was sweet, hence it overpowered the taste of the curry. Use your discretion while adding frozen coconut, if its very sweet use lesser quantity.

Parval Fritters (Parval Phodi or Ghointaa Phodi)

I recently found Parval at the local market. My joy knew no bounds. We also call it as Ghointaa in Konkani and Pointed Gourd in English. For some reasons amusing, I prefer to call them Parval. This is a very tasty vegatable and many a dishes can be made out of it. These gourd when store bought should be firm and well seeded. Care should be taken while frying them since the seeds have a tendency to burst and sometimes the oil can spurt and cause injury as well.

I enjoy them deep fried dipped in rice and red chilli batter. We address it as Parvala Phodi or Ghointaa Phodi. They become crisp and are extremely tasty. We make Parval Fritters in during important festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi etc. I rarely find Parval here so when I get them, I just grab them and get greedy to try out simple variations. We also make Parval Saasam, wherein Parval tit-bits and deep fried in oil and added in red chilli-grated coconut paste and mustard seeds. The combination is an awesome treat with warm rice.

There are other combinations of Parval available which are stir fried mixed with Potatoes which I believe find a prominent place in Bengali cuisines. In Bengali, they are known as Potol and Aloo-Potol is a regularly made dish amongst many a Bengali friends of mine.

Serves: 2-3 individuals

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Parval (sliced into thin slices of 3-4 mm each) - 8-15 pieces
Salt - as per taste
Vegetable Oil - for frying

For Batter:
Rice (pre-soaked) -1 Cup
Red Chillies - 6-10
Asafoetida - 1/10 teaspoon
Water - For accomodating grinding consistency

Method:
Pre-soak washed rice in water for 5-6 hours. Grind it to a batter after draining water along with red chillies and asafoetida, salt and very less water.
Peel off the skin of Parval. They render a rather odd and chewy flavour if retained on the vegetable. Apply salt to slices/ pieces and set aside for 1/2 hour. Heat oil in a deep dish pan. Once oil heats up (should not be smoking hot as fries would burn) dip the pieces in batter and deep fry. Serve hot as a side dish.

Aloo Methi

Something quick and easy - Aloo Methi. As a kid I used to despise eating Potatoes, and even now I do :); best way for parents to trick kids into eating vegetables is to make the dish more glamorous and appetizing. I recall Mom picking the freshest of Methi leaves (Fenugreek leaves) from the market and picking the tender shoots for curries and gravies. Methi leaves are something I love eating so it was aptly combined with Potatoes. Quite a simple dish.

Preparation time ~ 30 minues

Ingredients:

Potatoes (Boiled and Diced) - 2-3

Onion (chopped) - 1 small

Cumin powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - Just a pinch

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Oil - For frying

Kasuri Methi powder - 3 teaspoons or Methi Leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Method:

Boil and dice the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Do not make large pieces as they could be semi-boiled or raw. I do it in pressure cooker as its easier. Heat 2-3 teaspoons of oil in a saucepan. Saute Onions till turn translucent. Add chopped Methi leaves (if using the same) at this stage and allow to wilt. Add all the spice powders. Give a good stir. Simmer for 5 minutes on low flame. Crush Kasuri Methi leaves (if using the same) on the palm and sprinkle. Stir well and turn off the flame. Serve hot with Chapatis or Rotis.

Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa. The name spells everything about Udupi, hot steaming coffee and the famous Udupi Krishna Temple. I have grown on abundant doses of Masala Dosa and even to date love this Dosa. It can be quoted that Masala Dosa is the King of Dosa's. What better way of admonishing this crispy crepe full of spicy potatoes sauted in Onion, than crowning it with the prestigious title of "National Dish of India". Yes, Outlook India had recently surveyed across India and Masala Dosa has emerged as the National Dish of India, close to heels is Rosogulla which is crowned as the National Dessert of India (Thanks ISG of Daily Musings for this news).



Keeping up with the celebration spirit and the double bonanza of Masala Dosa being the chosen one I thought it would be apt to try this Dosa myself. My Ammamma (my maternal Grandmom) makes the most delicious Dosa on the earth. She is very choosy about the ghee used to fry, the foodgrains chosen for the Dosa and the Potatoes, Chillies, Onions and finally Garlic have to be fresh and crisp. No wonder no one in my family can dish out the crispy Dosa as good as her. Mom follows the same recipe so I blindly copied the one which Mom had. I wanted it to be end-to-end Masala Dosa, especially the way they serve it at Bangalore Sagar's and Darshini's. So spruced up my pantry planning and made the Garlic Red Chutney spread alongwith Potato Bhaaji. The final outcome was deliciously well! We both enjoyed our morning breakfast with a hearty Dosa which is our favorite.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 10-12 Dosa

Ingredients:
Masala Dosa Batter -
Rice (Sona Masoori Rice or Dosa Rice) - 2 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Chana Daal - 2 teaspoon
Salt - As per taste
Oil - For frying

Potato Bhaaji -
Potatoes (Large - Boiled and Chopped/ Mashed) - 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Green Chillies - 1-2
Onions (sliced) - 1
Chana Daal - 1/3 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as per taste
Oil - For frying
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Garlic Red Chutney -
Garlic pods - 5-6
Red Chillies - 6-8
Salt - as per taste
Water - for Grinding consistency

Method:
Wash all ingredients throughly and soak for 4-6 hours. Grind to a fine batter which is of a thick consistency and allow to ferment for 4-8 hours. After, 8 hours, add Turmeric powder ( A pinch) and Salt, stir well and get the batter ready.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Add onions and saute till they turn translucent. Add mashed potatoes and adjust salt, turmeric powder, etc. Bring to a boil with little water and cook till completely done. Turn off the flame.

On a hot dosa pan, pour a large spoonfull of batter and pour ghee on the sides. Allow to cook. Flip the dosa and once done, smear the red chutney on a side, add Bhaaji and serve by flipping the side of Dosa covered. Serve with Grated Coconut chutney. Some also love it with Mulagapodey Pitti.