Khaliat Nahal (Honeycomb buns or Bee Hive's buns)

Khaliat Al Nahal is a middle eastern bread. It means Bee's hive in Arabic, known for it's honeycomb like looks. The buns are baked close to each other in a round pan ...which forms a honeycomb like pattern. They are traditionally made with a sweet stuffing, dunked in honey flavored sugar syrup, though buns with savory stuffings are also made. This bread is made during fasting period of Ramadan, and is served during the evening meal after the day's fasting is over.

This was September 2013 bread, at "We knead to bake" -- bread baking group with our host +Aparna Balasubramanian .

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup lukewarm milk
  
• 1 and half tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 and half cup all purpose flour (I used bread flour)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 40 gm unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp milk for brushing on top of the bread
• For the filling:
•  1 pack cream cheese(about 250 gms)
• For the sugar glaze: 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp lime juice

Recipe:

• Heat milk in a microwave for about 40 seconds. 

• Add yeast and sugar to it. Stir it well and keep it aside.

• Melt the butter and keep it aside to cool.
• Keep 1/2 cup of flour aside.

• Add remaining two cups of flour to the food processor bowl, along with sugar and salt.
• Process for about 20 seconds till everything is well mixed.

• Add melted butter and process again for 20 secs.

• Add the yeast and milk mix to the processor bowl.

• Process for about a minute till everything is mixed well.

• Add the remaining half cup of flour, about a tbsp at a time and process till everything comes together as a soft dough.

• Take out the ball of dough in a well oiled bowl and knead with hands for a few seconds.

• When it becomes a smooth ball of dough, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it aside about about an hour or till it doubles in volume.

• Once the dough has risen, take it out, divide it into small pieces.
• I measured all the pieces to about 20 gms so as to get even balls.

• Cut the cream cheese approximately to a tsp blocks.

• Take a piece of dough, flatten it out and put a tsp of filling of cream cheese on it. Pull up the sides of the dough, enclosing the cream cheese in it and pinch the ends on the top. Roll it to a smooth ball. 

• Repeat with other balls of dough, till all the filling and the dough is used.
• Put all the balls with filling in concentric circles in a greased round cake tin, so as to get a honeycomb like pattern. I used 11 inch round tin.

• Cover the cake tin with a wrap and let the dough rise for the second time, for about 40 minutes.
• The balls will get bigger and stick closer to one another.

• When the dough is rising the second time, make the sugar glaze. 

• Mix the sugar, water and saffron in a pan and heat it for about 5 minutes, till the sugar thickens to a syrup. Turn off the heat, add honey and lemon juice. Keep it aside to cool.

• Brush the top of the dough balls with milk.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 20-25 minutes till the tops are golden.

• Pour the sugar syrup on the warm buns. I chose to drizzle about 2-3 tsps of syrup on the buns with a spoon. 

• Serve warm with tea/coffee.

upside down buns.... 

Quantity:

• Makes about 35 buns.

Notes:

• You can check out this video link to see how it is made.
• You can add flavors to the cream cheese, like more sugar/saffron/other spices or fruit and nuts.
• You can make savory fillings like potato, paneer,chicken,  or even stuff it with chocolate.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, if making savory stuffing.

that's my son grabbing the bun... :)

Baingan Bharta (Fire roasted mashed eggplant)

My boys do not like eggplant, but I love it. Usually I cook recipes which take me 30-40 minutes from start to finish, lesser the better.... but, this is my favorite and I was craving for it and I thought I will take the effort to cook it for my blog. Also, it is a very messy affair to roast it on open fire and clean it. That's why I usually avoid to make it. This is my mom and my sister's recipe. They cooked it for me, when I went back to India last month. It is beautifully creamy and that fire roasted flavor is wonderful.

 I ate the leftovers as a spread on a toast, topped with Haldiram's Alu-Bhujia.... :)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized eggplant( Here is a link to different kind of eggplants. I used the one which looks like the American eggplant in the list)
  
• 1 small red onion
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 green chili
• 1-2 tsp sesame oil(or any other oil like canola/olive)
• 1 tsp each of coriander and cumin powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp Maharastrian Goda masala(or garam masala)
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk(1 used 2 tbsp of coconut cream)
• salt to taste
• a bunch of coriander leaves to garnish

Recipe:

• Brush the eggplant with oil and put it on direct fire of the gas stove. 

• Keep on turning the eggplant till it is evenly roasted.
• Once all the sides are blistered and the insides start getting mushy, the eggplant will give a nice aroma. 

• Carefully, with the help of tongs, transfer the eggplant to a bowl. Keep it to cool.
• Then remove the skin.
• I was in a hurry to cook it, so I put it under running water in a colander and removed the skin.

• Mash the eggplant with a fork or even your hand. Keep it aside.

• Chop the onion, tomato and chili. Grate ginger.Wash and chop the coriander.

• Now, heat some oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger and chili.Saute for about 40 secs.

• Add onion. Saute for a minute or two.

• Add tomato and cook till the tomatoes are mushy.

• Add the mashed eggplant and continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes till everything is mixed well.

• You can mash everything together with a potato masher. I used my cooking spoon.

• Add the goda masala(or the garam masala) and season with salt.

• Turn off the heat and add about 1/2 a cup of coconut milk and whisk it into the eggplant. 

• Garnish with coriander leaves.

• Serve hot with chapatis, etc
• You can use it as a dip for tortilla or pita chips too.

Quantity:

• 4-5 servings with other accompaniments

Notes:

• Roasting the eggplant on fire of the gas stove is really a messy affair. You can bake the eggplant in an oven. Oil the eggplant. Put it in a deep baking dish covered with foil for about 40 minutes or so in a preheated oven at 180 degrees.
• You can add more coconut milk or cream to get richer flavor.
• Add more chilies or chili powder to make it spicier.