Pepper 'n Spice

Bread is one of the staple foods in many countries. When it is leavened with yeast, the yeast works on the carbohydates in the dough to produce carbondioxide. It is this that creates the air pockets in bread. Bread can be made from different types of flour like wheat, rye, ragi, finger millet and pearl millet. Here, I baked white bread with all-purpose flour. The constituents are... All-purpose flour -  3 cups and 1/4 cup for dusting Water - 1/2 cup Almond milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 2 Tbsp and 1 tsp Olive oil - 4 Tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Yeast - 2 tsp    The method...   In a bowl, mix 1 tsp sugar and yeast with 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Set aside to rise, 10 minutes.        Combine flour, rest of the sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, add almond milk, oil and remaining water.         Add the oil mixture to the risen yeast bowl.   Add wet ingredients to flour mix, adding little by little, mixing well with a spatula. You will ...

The word frosting is used interchangeably with icing. It is usually a mixture of sugar with a liquid base which may consist of milk, egg white or cream cheese. Me and my daughter were feeling innovational. So we made some kiddie designs on the cupcakes :-) The cupcakes were made with equal measures of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. And baked at 180C for 20 minutes. Flip over the soft, moist and decadent dessert!    

Ada is a traditional delicacy in Kerala. The pancake is usually made with rice flour, but can be made with wheat and ragi flour too. Wheat ottada is called gothambu ottada in Malayalam. This is an evening treat that both Mom and Dad get involved in preparing. The savory wheat parcel is filled with coconut mixed with a smidgeon of salt. The ada is dry fried inside banana leaves and the scent of the roasted leaves along with the cooked ada inside is heavenly. The sweet adas generally have a filling of coconut, jaggery, banana or jackfruit. The components... Wheat flour - 1 cup  Water - 2 Tbsp  Coconut, freshly grated - 3/4 cup Salt - 1/4 tsp Banana leaf - cut into rectangle pieces   The process... Wash the banana leaves under running water. Wipe with a clean cloth and set aside. Take wheat flour in a bowl and make into a dry paste by adding water little by little. Make small balls. In a separate bowl, mix the pancake filling; coconut and salt. Take one of the cut banan...

Hulled pigeon peas (called toor dal or thvamaraparippu) is prepared into a lentil soup called dal. Combined with rice (called dal chawal), it is a staple Indian diet, imparting adequate amounts of carbohydates and protein. Locally, amaranth leaves are called cheera. They are used with coconut to prepare cheera thoran. By adding a wee bit of split pigeon peas, the dish becomes super rich in plant protein. The additives of Mom's healthy dish... Red amaranth leaves - a big bunch Toor dal - 1/4 cup For the grind, Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Shallots - 3 Salt - 1/4 tsp For the tempering, Rice bran oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaf - a sprig Raw rice - 1/4 tsp The modus operandi... Boil the lentils in some water and a pinch of salt. Unload excess water and set aside for later. Wash the amaranth leaves and chop them small. Add in the melange of coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and ...

 Happy Vishu! April 14th was celebrated as Vishu this year. It always falls on 14th or 15th of April every year. Mom set out the Vishukanni the previous night. It comprised of golden cucumber, golden mango, banana, kannadi (mirror), golden Konna flowers and Vishukodi (new cloth). The belief is that if you see these auspicious items the first thing in the morning, the new year will be good for you. Vishu is the day on which Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura and so Lord Krishna is worshipped on this day by keeping his idol in the kanni. The highlight of the day for my daughter is the Vishukaineetam. This means that she gets a small amount of money as a gift from all of us, that she can add into her piggy bank!           Vishu sadya is the traditional Kerala sadya served on a banana leaf. There are many caterers who package the sadya for the special day. So we bought our sadya sans a few items made at home like parippu, papadam and red rice. The spread ...

 Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, which means that they prevent the oxidation process that damage our cells. We bought some fresh blueberries and I added a few into our regular green juice. It rendered the juice a lovely light blue tinge.     The fundamental ingredients of the drink... Ash gourd - 250g Gooseberry - 3 Cucumber - 1 Blueberry - 5 Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Lemon - 1/2 Turmeric ginger powder - a pinch Plant-based collagen powder - a bit Spinach powder - a tad Salt - a smidgeon Water - 6 glasses      The secret recipe to conjure the health drink ;-)...   Peel cucumber. Remove outer skin of ash gourd. Discard seeds of both. Chop them into small pieces. Cut gooseberry into thin slices and remove seed. Fling these into juicer along with cumin seeds, blueberries and a glass of water. Blend. Strain into a glass jug. Squeeze juice of tlemon into it. Throw in salt and the health powders. Add in the rest of the water.  Stir well. Pour into t...

Uzhunnu vada is a common accompaniment to dosa and idli in restaurants. They are served with dry or watery chutney and sambaar. Vada presented inside a bowl of sambaar is popularly called sambaar vada and the sought-after dahi vada or thayiru vada is vada set out in curd. These fluffy fritters are generally eaten for breakfast or as a snack. It's not very often that fried foodstuff is made at my home, so this one was a treat for my daughter.   The fixings for Mom's crispy, crunchy vada...   Urad dal white split (uzhunnu parippu) - 2 cups Water - 2 Tbsp + additional for dipping your fingers Curry leaf - a small sprig Pepper, whole - a few Salt - 1/4 tsp Ginger - 1/4 inch Shallots - 2 Rice bran oil - for deep frying     The mechanism...   Soak the dal in water overnight. Drain water. Grind the dal with 2 Tablespoons of water into a smooth batter. It should not be too loose. Into the batter, add curry leaves, pepper, salt, minced ginger and cut pieces of shall...