Friday, March 30, 2012

Banana Walnut Bread | Banana Bread | Bread Recipe

Banana Walnut bread, a mild sweetened, delicious bread that goes well with your coffee/tea. Years ago, I tasted this banana bread along with coffee in Starbucks and immediately I became a big fan of this bread . 

The banana flavor was so great in this bread and later I searched for the recipe for this bread. After a few attempts, the recipe that i tried from joyofbaking really worked well and  it tasted almost similar to the one that i had at Starbucks. 

So now for years, I have been following the same recipe with little change in the recipe and every SINGLE time it turned out super soft, flavorful and delicious. It's a keeper recipe for sure !!! 
Banana Walnut Bread
Over the years, I have made a few changes to the recipe based on our likings. The original recipe has cinnamon powder in it, but i want banana flavor predominately so skip that and also i have tried this bread with walnuts, almonds or sometimes even without any nuts too. 

All turned out really good, with or without any nuts. Recently I bought a mini loaf pan and I was waiting to bake this banana bread in the mini loaf pan, yesterday finally made it and it turned out super cute and of course it was delicious. Banana Walnut Bread
The below image was taken years back when I had first tried it. Seriously, at that time I had no sense of using the correct loaf pan to get that perfect loaf !

If you're a beginner in baking, make sure to use the right size pan which will give proper rise to the bread and also give perfect slices.
Banana Walnut Bread


Before moving on to the recipe, let check out some of the FAQs

What's the substitute for eggs in the recipe ?
For an egg, you can replace 1/4 cup of plain yogurt/curd. But the texture might be a little different ! 

Does this bread have an eggy smell?
Nope, that's the beauty of this bread ! It has a strong banana flavor and it's subtle egg flavor and you won't even notice that it has eggs.

What other nuts are used in this bread?
You can use any of your favorite nuts or without any nuts also, you can make this bread. Check the loaf below where I have used cashews instead of walnuts and it still tastes good ! 

Banana Bread


Banana Walnut bread

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 40 minsMakes : 2 mini loaf 
Recipe Category: Bread | Recipe Cuisine: American
Banana Walnut Bread, Mini Banana Bread Loaf, Banana Bread Banana Walnut bread, a mild sweetened, delicious bread that goes well with your coffee/tea.
Ingredients
Banana(well riped) - 2 (mashed well)
All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cup
Sugar -1/2 cup
Baking powder - 3/4 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp( melted)
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Egg - 1 
Walnut(roughly chopped) - 1/2 cup approx.



Banana Walnut Bread
Procedure
Preheated the oven to 350 F  First mix the wet ingredients.In a bowl, add the peeled and roughly chopped banana and mashed it with fork well & keep aside . In an another  large bowl, crack open an egg.
Beat the egg slightly and then add sugar & vanilla extract. 
Next add the butter and mashed banana into the egg mixture & mix it well with whisk.
Then sieve the flour with baking powder ,baking soda & salt into wet ingredients and mix it well.
Grease the loaf pan with butter/cooking spray well and dusted with all purpose flour. Finally add the walnuts into the batter, mix it gently and transfer into the loaf pan.
Place the baking pan in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake it  for 40-45 mins or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
Remove it from the oven and place it on wire rack and cool it completely.Slice it and enjoy the delicious banana bread. 

Related: How to make Banana Chocolate Bread 

Banana Bread Slices


Notes:
  • Use well ripen banana for great taste & flavor.
  • The given ingredients will make 2 - 4.75 * 2 * 1.75 loaf bread. 
  • Here in the recipe i have use 2 big bananas. 
    Banana Walnut Bread




  

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Adai Dosai | Lentil crepes | Breakfast recipe

Adai Dosai , a healthy and delicious crepe from Tamilnadu made from the mix of four varieties of lentils. It's very fulfilling and usually served as breakfast and occasionally as earlier dinner. Adai with Aviyal is a famous combo in many restaurants nowadays. When i was chennai, first time, i came to know that adai is served with aviyal in many hotels there. But so far I haven't tried that combo at home or in a restaurant.
Even though Adai is the common breakfast in our home, we never made aviyal as accompaniment for adai so far, we like to have this with coconut chutney or  plain sugar. For me, adai with sugar is the best combination till date. ST doesn't like to have adai (even puttu & upma) with sugar (just like appa),so for his sake i started to make coconut chutney, but nowadays i too like that combo. 

Now let's check out on how to make this delicious Adai ! 


PS: I don't want to remove some old photos,so keep as it is :-) .


Adai Dosai

Preparation Time : 2 hrs for soaking | Cooking Time : 20 minsMakes : 12 dosa 
Recipe Category: Dosa | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Adai Dosai, Adai, Indian Breakfast, Lentil Crepes, Tamilnadu Breakfast Adai Dosai , a healthy and delicious crepe from Tamilnadu made from the mix of four varieties of lentils.
Ingredients
Idly Rice - 1 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
Channa Dal - 1/4 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
Red chili - 2 nos
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Fennel seed - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch pieces
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - few
Onion -1/2 cup(finely chopped)
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt -  to taste
Procedure 
Put all the dal in one bowl & rice in another bowl.Soak both of them for 2 hrs.
After that first grind the rice  in the wet grinder/mixie into fine paste and put it in the bowl.Then grind dal along with red chili,cumin seed,ginger & fennel seed into paste(No need to grind the dal for long time like we did for idly/dosa batter.
Once it become fine paste, add it into rice batter. Add salt & asafoetida powder.
In a laddle add the turmeric powder with little water and add into adai batter and mix everything well.
Heat oil in a kadai add curry leaves& onions,saute it  until onions becomes translucent.
Add this onion into batter along with coriander leaves  and mix well.
Heat the tava ,pour the ladle full of batter and spread like dosa(keep it in low flame,so that you can able to spread,after spreading the batter increase the flame)and cook it for 2-3 mins,then flip it and  cook on other sides.Once it becomes golden brown on both sides,remove it.
Serve this Adai Dosai with coconut chutney or sugar. For more breakfast recipe, check out my collections here 

Notes:
  • If you dont like fennel smell, you can skip that.
  • As per your liking, you can make thin or thick adai.
  • To make thin adai, keep the batter as pouring consistency.




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Spinach Moong Dal

Ingredients
Moong Dal - 100 gms
Asafoetida - pinch
Spinach - 3-4 cups(finely chopped).
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Green chili -3 nos slit into halves(adjust to ur taste).
Garlic - 2 tsp(chopped).
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 (lengthwise chopped)
Tomato -1 (cut into small pieces)
Salt

Procedure
First cook the dal along with asafoetida & 200ml of water in pressure cooker and keep it aside.

In a pan heat ghee and the add cumin & onion,once the onion becomes translucent, add tomatoes,garlic & green chili and saute it well.

After add the spinach little by little and stir it continuously. Once add all the spinach,add the cooked dal & salt(adjust the consistency at this stage) and allow it to boil for 5 mins and switch off the flame.

Healthy & yummy spinach dal is ready.Serve this along with steamed rice or chapathi


  

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Inji Pachadi | Ginger Pachadi | Accompaniment

Inji Pachadi, a delicious accompaniment made from ginger and tamarind. It's one of the signature dish from my home town, Tirunelveli and it's usually served with Sothi Kulambu(another signature dish of Tirunelveli) and that combination is simply scrumptiousSothi Kulambu is a coconut milk based curry and it's very mild in spice, not only this inji pachadi makes a great pair for Sothi kulambu, it also helps to aid digestion. As Sothi kulambu has lot of coconut in it, it may cause difficulty in digestion, so we never make sothi kulambu without inji pachadi in our home, it's kind of tradition !!! Now let's check out how to make this delicious inji pachadi.

Inji Pachadi| Ginger Pachadi

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 to 4 
Recipe CategoryCurry | Recipe CuisineIndian

Inji Pachadi, Ginger Pachadi, Pachadi,Ginger Chutney,Accompaniment for Sothi,Sothi Side dish Inji Pachadi, a delicious accompaniment made from ginger and tamarind. It's one of the signature dish from Tirunelveli and it's usually served with Sothi Kulambu.
Ingredients
Ginger - 1/2 cup(finely sliced)
Tamarind - a small lemon size
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/8 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - few

Procedure
Soak the tamarind in 1/2 of water for 30 mins or until it's soft. Slice the ginger thinly, heat 1 tsp of  oil in a pan.
Add the ginger and roast it in oil until it's crisp around the edges and it's starts to changes its color. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
Put it in a mixie jar and ground into coarse mixture. Next heat the pan with remaining oil and add mustard and curry leaves, let the mustard splutters.
Extract the tamarind juice and add into it, then add turmeric,red chili,coriander powder, salt and grounded ginger.
Let it bring into boil and cover the pan with lid and cook for 8-10 mins in medium flame. Finally add the jaggery.
Let it cook till the oil separates and it's thick. Switch off the flame.
Tasty & finger licking Inji pachadi is ready. Serve it with rice and any mild curry. We love to have it with sothi kulambu
Notes:
  • While roasting the ginger, it tends to sticks to the pan, to avoid that you can use non stick pan.
  • Once the ginger is well roasted, it doesn't stick to the pan.
  • It has mild spice, adjust more or less as per your liking.
  • Sesame oil gives great flavor to this pachadi
  • Jaggery helps to balance the heat and tartness. 
  • It stays well for weeks in refrigerator.


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Monday, March 26, 2012

Kadai Paneer



Ingredients
Paneer/Indian Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1/4 cup ( sliced into cubes)
Green Bell pepper/Capsicum - 1/4 cup sliced into cubes(I used the combination of red,yellow,orange bell pepper)
Tomatoes - 1/4 cup(chopped roughly)
Turmeric powder - pinch
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp(finely chopped)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt
For marination
Thick curd - 3 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Procedure
First marinate the paneer with ingredients listed under "For marination" and leave it in the fridge for 1 hr.

After that heat 1 tbsp of  oil in the pan and place the marinated paneer one by one in the pan and roast it until it becomes golden brown on all sides and keep it aside .

In the same pan add the onion and bell peppers and roast it slightly and keep it aside.

In the same pan add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and add the tomatoes ,once the tomatoes become mushy add tumeric,red chili powder & salt(Be careful while adding salt here since we already add salt for paneer in marination).If you need it,add little amount of water(1/8 cup) and cook it until the raw smell goes off.

Then add the paneer,oinions and bell peppers and mix it well.keep it in low flame for 5 mins.

Finally add coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Delicious kadai paneer is ready.Serve Kadai paneer with chapathi,naan,roti & any types of pulav.



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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Sothi | Sodhi Kulambu| Tirunelveli Sothi(Coconut Milk Gravy)

Sothi Kulambu is the famous regional curry from our district, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu. It's a coconut milk based curry made from moong dal and vegetables. 

Sothi Kuzhambu is served especially during maruveedu function which takes place a day after marriage. That's the first time son in law visits the bride house, so the bride's family gives him a feast with sothi sapadu(a meal with sothi kuzhambu). And many families in our city still follow this tradition. 
To me, Amma makes the best sothi kuzhambu and we all in our family love it . It tastes best with steamed rice or with dosa,idiyappam or appam. But usually we make this curry as part of a lunch meal rather than for breakfast.

Steamed rice with potato fry and inji pachadi(ginger pickle) is the classic combination and it's my all time favorite also.  As this curry is very mild & has a lot of coconut milk in it, inji pachadi makes an excellent side dish and also helps to aid digestion also. 


If you haven't tried this kuzhambu so far, give it a try though it involves a lot of work, the result would be amazing for sure. 


Sothi | Tirunelveli Sothi

Preparation Time : 20 mins | Cooking Time : 25 minsServes : 4-5 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Sothi,Sodhi,Tirunelveli Sothi,Coconut Milk Curry,Sothi Kulambu Sothi Kulambu is the famous regional curry from our district, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu.It's a coconut milk based curry made from moong dal and vegetables.
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup heaped
Potato - 1
Beans - 7 nos
Carrot -1
Peas - 1 or 2 tbsp
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup florets
Drumstick - 5 (1 inch pieces)
Peal Onion - 5
Tomato - 1
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seed - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida powder- 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 5+ 2 pods
Green chili - 4
Curry leaves - few 
Coriander leaves - few
Salt - to taste

Procedure
Cut the potato,carrot into small pieces & beans into 1/2 inch pieces.In a pressure cooker wash & add moong dal ,potatoes,carrots & beans along with asafoetida powder and enough water.
Cook it for 3 whistles. Now will start the grinding work, add the green chili in mixie jar and grind into coarse paste.
In the same jar, add the peeled & roughly chopped ginger and garlic(5) and grind into smooth paste and set aside. Next add the coconut and grind into coarse mixture.
Then add 1/2 cup of water and grind into smooth paste. 
Transfer the coconut paste into strainer and extract the coconut milk. That's the first coconut milk.
In the same jar, add the extracted coconut again with 3/4 cup of water and grind into smooth paste.Extract through the strainer and discard the coconut residue. This is second coconut milk.
Peal & cut the shallots into half or quart depends on the size, slit the drumstick & cut the tomato and the remaining garlic into small pieces. Heat the kadai with oil, add mustard & cumin seed, let them splutter.
Add the onions & curry leaves, saute till the onions becomes translucent.Add the cauliflower & drumstick and saute in the oil for 1 min, then add the ginger garlic paste and chili paste. Saute till the raw smell leaves.
Then add the tomatoes, give a quick mix & then add the second coconut milk. Let it boil and allow the veggies to cook. In the mean time, open the pressure cooker and mix it with laddle gentle.
Once the veggies are cooked, add the dal & salt.
As i have precooked peas, so adding now(if not having cooked peas, pressure cook it with dal) and let it boil for 3-4 mins. Keep the flame in low and add the first coconut milk & mix well. Let it in flame for 3 mins & switch off the flame.
Finally add the coriander leaves and lemon juice & mix well.
Delicious Sothi Kulambu is ready. Serve it with potato fry and inji pachadi for best taste . 
Notes:
  • Don't boil the curry vigorously after adding the first coconut milk.
  • If you have ginger garlic paste, use 1 tbsp of it.
  • Adjust the chilies according to your taste.
  • Cumin seed gives great flavor to the sothi.
  • Generally we don't add turmeric powder, but if you wish add 1/4 tsp for extra color.
  • No need to add all the veggies, even with potato, carrot alone, you can make this.
  • Inji Pachadi & Potato varuval is the best combo for this kulambu.


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