Punjabi Tinda Stir-fry

American supermarkets have different vegetables than what I have been using in Asia(like asparagus, brussel sprouts, kale, different salad leaves). Also, Indian grocery stores here do not have as many fresh vegetables as the stores/market in Singapore. (atleast, my store doesn't stock them). However, the indian grocery store near my place stocks up on variety of Indian vegetables in the frozen section. Some of which, I haven't seen in years. Such a vegetable is "punjabi tinda" ...!!  I have never seen this vegetable before, even back in India.

The tinda and plural called tinday (in Urdu ٹنڈه or ٹنڈے), also called Indian round gourd or apple gourd or Indian Baby Pumpkin, is a squash-like cucurbit grown for its immature fruit, a vegetable especially popular in South Asia. It is the only member of the genus Praecitrullus. "tinda" is also called "tindsi" in rajasthan. In Marathi, it is called Dhemase ढेमसे. In Sindhi language, it is called Meha ميها.

The plant is, as with all cucurbits, a prolific vine, and is grown as an annual. The fruit is approximately spherical, and 5–8 cm in diameter. The seeds may also be roasted and eaten. Tinda is a famous nickname among Punjabi families in India. This unique squash-like gourd is native to India, very popular in Indian and Pakistani cooking with curry and many gourmet dishes. Green colored, apple sized fruits are flattish round in shape and 50-60 grams in weight. Plants are vigorous, productive and begin to bear fruits in 70 days after planting. Information source " wikipedia" 

I actually confused it with "tendli" or "tindora" ... which is a different vegetable and i have another "recipe" for it on my blog. The recipe for this vegetable, I made up while cooking and adding the ingredients which i thought would go well and were available in my fridge/pantry. I came to know through my friends that it's not very popular vegetable... people either like it or don't !!!  :) So, if u do not like tinda, do try out this recipe with regular favorites like potato or green peas or beans. 

Ingredients:

• about 340 grams(12 oz. ) bag of frozen "tinda" (fresh would be nice)
• 1/2 red onion
  
• 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut(or frozen)
• 2/3 pieces of garlic
• 1 red dried chili
• 1-2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp each of coriander and cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp of garam masala
• lemon juice ... a few drops
• coriander leaves to garnish

Recipe:

• Keep the frozen tinda bag out on the kitchen counter for about 15/20 mins, so that the vegetable gets thawed. Also keep the frozen coconut to thaw.
• If using fresh vegetable, wash the vegetable well and chop in 4 pieces.
• Chop the red onion to long slices.
• Combine the freshly grated coconut, garlic and red chili in a blender or food processor and process it for half a minute. It will come together as a coarse paste. I used a chutney made from these ingredients and a few more. 
• Heat a skillet with a tsp or two of oil.
• Add cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add the chopped onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes till the onions are translucent and slightly browned. 

• Add the coconut-garlic-chili paste and saute further on moderate heat for 2-3 minutes.

• Finally, add the tinda and mix well.
• Add about 1/4 cup of water. Cover the skillet with a lid and let it cook for 5/7 minutes till the vegetable is tender. 

• Add salt and garam masala.

• Turn off the heat and add few drops of lemon juice.
• Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Quantity:

• 2-3 servings with other accompaniments like roti/rice/salad/dal, etc

Notes:

• Can be made with other vegetables like green peas/ green beans/ potatoes, etc.
• I have used a coconut chutney (dosa chutney) instead of fresh coconut/garlic.

Dark Fudgy Brownies

Re-starting my blog from the USA after a long break. I moved here about 4 plus months ago. New place, cold weather, moving to an apartment and unpacking and long summer holidays with grandparents left me with no time for cooking for the blog....rather clicking for the blog. Today, I made the all time popular American dessert. I still have to buy a cake whisk for baking, but this recipe is quite simple with all the ingredients to be mixed in one after the other to create the famous kid approved dessert.

Ingredients:

• 150 grams dark chocolate ( with 70 percent or more cacao)
  
• 1/2 cup (or 1 stick/113 gms butter) -- I used "salted". "Unsalted" is preferable.
• 1/4 cup (20 grams) cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup (100 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (70 grams) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used "white". Dark chocolate chips can be used)
• 1/4 tsp salt (I didn't add -- as I used salted butter)
• 1/4 cup water

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease the baking dish with oil or butter. I used a brownie pan. I greased the individual slots with oil.
• Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl on a double boiler. (Take a pan. Boil water. Put the glass bowl on top of the water. The glass bowl should be bigger than the vessel in which the water is boiling. Add the chocolate and butter in the bowl and melt it with the heat of the steam from the boiling water. The bottom of the glass bowl shouldn't touch the water)

• Once the butter and the chocolate is melted, mix it well with a spatula and keep it aside to cool.

• Add cocoa powder to the flour and sift the mix of dry ingredients and keep it aside.

• Add sugar to the cooled butter /chocolate and mix it well with a spoon or a spatula.

• Add eggs one at a time and mix.

• Add the vanilla extract.

• Lastly add the flour/cocoa and mix. At this point, I found the mixture to be very thick, I added about 1/4 cup of water. Mix till everything is smooth and to the dropping consistency.

• Pour the mix in the greased baking tray. If using the brownie pan, add about 1/4 cup of the mix in each slot. Top with dark or white chocolate chips.

• Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade (350 degrees F)
• Turn off the oven and leave the tray/pan in the oven for about 5 minutes.
• Let the brownies cool in the tray for another 10 minutes.

• Then cut them to squares or take them out in a plate to serve.

Quantity:

• Makes about 9 pieces (2 inch squares about an inch thick)

• Serve them warm or room temperature or with icecream.

Notes:

• The sugar is very less in this recipe. You can increase the sugar to 1/2 or even 1 cup.
• I preferred slightly bitter taste with bits of sweetness from the white choco-chips.
• Use good quality dark chocolate, with no or very less sugar.
• You can also use nuts(walnut, pistachio, almonds) instead or with chocolate chips.

Focaccia caprese / Rosemary and onion focaccia

Focaccia is the bread, I always wanted to make since I started baking. It is said to be a very easy one, and one of the very first bread, you should try when you start learning bread baking. I am learning to bake a bread a month, since I joined +Aparna Balasubramanian 's bread baking group and this is the bread we are baking in January 2014. Focaccia is kind of a flat bread which originated in Greece, though it is made in different ways in different parts of Italy. There is even a sweet version.

Focaccia Caprese

Rosemary and Onion focaccia

It looks similar to a pizza, some of the differences are that focaccia is usually has a thicker and more spongier crust and pizza has a thinner and crispier one. Focaccia is usually topped with herbs, oil and garlic and pizza has different toppings. Focaccia is served warm or at room temperature and pizza is generally served hot, right off the oven... well, that's the trivia and more about it here.....:)

I made Focaccia Caprese, a version of focaccia made in the Capri region of Italy. The toppings used for this version of focaccia are tomatoes, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese. I also had some fresh rosemary leaves, so I made another one with the topping of herbed oil, rosemary and onions. Both, versions of bread were very tasty and were gobbled down by all of us in matter of minutes. I served it with "Couscous and chickpea salad" and it was a wonderful meal. Recipe adapted from "The kitchen whisperer" 

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp of sugar
• 3 and 1/2 cups of bread flour(I used regular all purpose flour)
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 to 1 and 1/2 cup warm water
• A little more olive oil to knead and brush on the dough (1-3 tsps)

For the herbed oil:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp of mixed dried italian herbs like dried basil, oregano, etc
• 3-4 garlic cloves grated
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the topping:

• 2 tomatoes cut in thin slices
• buffalo mozzarella cheese cut to disks(I used the regular mozzarella)
• fresh basil leaves to garnish
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 onion cut to discs, or chopped to thin long slices and separated.

Recipe:

• Grate the garlic and whisk all the ingredients for herbed oil together and keep it aside.

• You can make the dough with hand or by machine.
• Take the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and oil in a food processor or a large bowl.

• Mix them well, with hands or a whizz in the machine for about 30-40 seconds.
• Add water and continue mixing, till it comes together as a non sticky dough.
• Take it out in a well oiled bowl and knead with hands for about 2-3 minutes till it comes together as a smooth ball of dough. 

• Keep it aside, covered with a plastic wrap or kitchen towel till it doubles up in volume. It will take about an hour or hour and half.

• I used a rectangular pan 22 cm by 18 cm and a square pan with 20 cm sides.
• Divide the dough according to the size of the pan u use. I divided the dough in 3 parts.

• Oil the pan and stretch the dough by patting it. Top with a tsp of olive oil and keep it to rise for another 20-30 minutes.

• Make some dents/dimples on the surface of the dough with your finger and pour about 2-3 tsp of herbed oil on top of the dough.

• Bake it for 18-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 210 degrees centigrade.

• Take the focaccia out when the top is golden.

• Get the ingredients ready for topping. Slice tomatoes and cheese to thin slices. Wash and clean the basil and rosemary. Chop the onions.

• Layer mozzarella slices, tomatoes, rosemary and onions and top with more herbed oil. 

• Increase the oven temperature to 230 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes till the mozzarella is melted and the top is golden brown.

• Serve cut into slices or squares warm or at room temperature.

Quantity:

• about 3 focaccia breads... 2 of 22cm*18cm and 1 square pan size of 20 cm.
• serves 4 people along with a side comfortably.

Notes:

• You can make 4 small individual serving breads. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions are roll them(press them) to 5 by 7 inch ovals.
• Cut them out in squares or slices for easy "pick me up" snack.