Steamed Spring Roll

We are so good to welcome the monsoon showers after experiencing the scorching summer heat. But monsoons do bring certain health risks. Our body is more susceptible to health issues in rainy season, because monsoon reduces the immunity power of our body. The important point to keep in mind is that you must avoid oily food during this period.

Spring rolls are a popular Indo-Chinese starter or snack. These delicious snacks made with ready to use frozen spring roll wrappers. This is really a quick starter to prepare, perfectly customized as per taste and much yummilicious to eat. Since monsoon season is going on, so instead of deep frying the spring rolls I opted for steamed version. 

The filling is made up of a mix of finely chopped veggies along with some seasoning. The whole method of preparation is same as deep frying version, but only one difference is there. The uncooked filling is wrapped in the spring roll wrappers and cooked while steaming. So always prefer to cut all the vegetables in same size to ensure even steaming.

These are soft on outside and juicy inside. Steamed spring roll can be a favorite snack for kids as well as parties during these monsoon time. The theme for 103rd Foodie Monday Blog Hop is 'Steamed Dish'.

So I have contributed these delicious steamed spring rolls for the theme. These spring rolls are packed with only veggies, but this vegetarian recipe can be turned into a non-vegetarian starter by adding any choice of meat in the filling. So lets go in details. 

Preparation Time : 20 mins      |      Cooking Time : 10 mins 

Ingredients :        

Ingredients	Measurements
Cabbage, carrot, bean (finely chopped)	1 & ½ cup
Cilantro (finely chopped)	2 tbsp
Garlic powder	1 tbsp
Pepper powder	1 tsp
Soy sauce	2 tbsp
Lime juice	1 tbsp
Sugar	1 & ½ tbsp
Spring roll wrapper	10 no.

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Method :

1. In a large mixing bowl, take finely chopped cabbage, carrot, beans and cilantro leaves.
2. Add in soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic powder, pepper powder.
3. Mix until combined well by using hands or a spoon. Keep aside the feeling.
4. Next place a damp cloth over the spring roll wrappers and keep aside for 5-6 minutes.
5. Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix all purpose flour and water very well to make a thick batter without any lumps.
6. Now take one wrapper and keep rest wrappers covered by damp cloth.
7. Place the wrapper (I have used square shaped spring roll wrappers) on a flat surface with one corner towards you.
8. Put 1-2 tbsp of filling in the center of the wrapper, being careful not to overfill.
9. Fold over the corner near you up and over the filling, then fold over the left and right sides.
10. Gently roll towards the far corner. Seal the far corner by applying some batter.
11. Repeat for rest of the wrappers.
12. Put all the spring rolls side by side in a bamboo steamer basket lined with a parchment paper. 
13. Steam over simmering water for 5-10 minutes or until the wrappers are translucent.
14. Serve the steamed spring rolls hot with any preferable sauce for dipping !

Notes :

• Wrapper should be at room temperature before using.
• Always try to use less pressure while working with spring roll wrappers. Otherwise, they may break easily.
• Choose any choice-able vegetable for filling.
• Prefer to cut all the vegetables in same size to ensure even steaming.

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Nachos | Nacho Chips (Baked Version)

Nachos are most popular snacks in Mexico. The original nachos consisted of fried corn tortillas covered with melted cheese and sliced jalapeno peppers. Nacho chips are aromatic and crispy deep-fried triangles. Basically these have a characteristic texture that is quite different from other chips, perhaps due to the combination of maize flour and plain flour. These chips make an awesome dish when served with a salsa or a dip. Two varieties of nachos are there. 

Plain Nacho :

Just form a soft and firm dough with maize flour, plain flour or wheat flour, carom seeds, oil and salt. Divide the dough into lemon size balls, roll each ball into a thin pancake, cut the pancake into triangular shapes, finally bake or deep fry. These nachos are salty and not spicy. So plain nachos go well with a spicy dip or salsa.

Spicy Nachos:

Spicy nachos are preferred to have without a dip or salsa. Just while making the dough add paprika powder, pepper powder. The rest procedure is same as of plain nachos.

For making a healthier option to the usual fried nachos, I have chosen wheat flour instead of plain flour along with maize flour, also instead of deep frying I have baked those. I have made nachos quite a few times and these are much easy and fun to make. Next time on wards without buying nachos from market, you just prepare at home and enjoy the amazing goodness of baked nachos with your loved ones. So lets go in details of these baked nachos as mentioned below.

Preparation Time : 15 mins      |      Cooking Time : 15 mins 

Ingredients :        

Ingredients	Measurements
Maize flour (makai ka atta)	1 cup
Wheat flour	¼ cup
Carom seed (ajwain)	¼ tsp
Oregano (dried)	¾ tsp
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Paprika powder	1 tsp
Oil	4 tbsp
Water	As needed
Salt	As needed

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Method :

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add turmeric powder and saute for  25-30 seconds. Turn off heat.
2. Preheat oven to 175 degree C.
3. In a bowl take maize flour (makai ka atta), wheat flour, turmeric oil, carom seeds (ajwain), dried oregano and salt. Mix well.
4. Add water little by little and knead it into a fine soft dough.
5. Divide the dough into lemon size balls. 
6. On a flat surface place a cling film, take 1 dough ball and flatten it with the help of a rolling pin.
7. Prick it evenly with a fork to avoid fluffing up while baking.
8. With the help of a knife / cookie cutter cut into equal triangles / desired shapes.
9. Repeat above 3 steps for rest of the dough balls.
10. Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix 3 tbsp oil with paprika powder well.
11. Brush the paprika oil mixture on both side of each triangle.
12. Arrange the triangles in a single layer on a baking tray.
13. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the chips are crisp, but not too brown. 
14. Serve with any desired salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Notes :

• Always prick the flatten dough with a fork to avoid fluffing up while baking.

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Mango Donut (Doughnut) Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Mango session in India is almost gone now. But for a mango lover like me, that should not. And as the mango season in a year approaches towards the end, my mango desire increases a lot. So having thought in mind about mango, I suddenly came across some fresh ripe mango at one place in the market.

With this versatile fruit, many recipes can be created, but I had never tried my hand for mango cake. This mango cake is a straight forward recipe, no special ingredient is required.

You can make it into anything you like as a cake or a bundt cake or cupcake or as my lovely donut shaped cake. But to make this donut shaped cake, you should have the donut shape pan. After making this cake, I have just topped with chocolate glaze to give a perfect chocolate glaze donut look.

This mango donut cake with chocolate glaze is my first post for 'Foodie Monday Blog Hop'. Foodie Monday Blog Hop is a group of talented food-bloggers who share their much creative as well as delicious food recipes based upon a theme on each Monday. I am so much excited to be associated with this foodie group at 102nd week :) . 

The theme for #102foodiemondaybloghop is decided as 'FirelessCooking'. So I have chosen the baking method of cooking and baked these mango donut (doughnut) cake with chocolate glaze in microwave.

So the details method of preparation of these cakes are mentioned below.

Preparation Time : 25 mins      |      Cooking Time : 26 mins 

Ingredients :        

Ingredients	Measurements
For cake
All purpose flour	¾ cup
Mango puree	¾ cup
Baking powder	1 tsp
Baking soda	¼ tsp
Oil	3 tbsp
Sugar	1/3 cup
Salt	1 pinch
Vanilla essence	½ tsp
For glaze
Dark chocolate (chopped)	50 gm
Cocoa powder	2 tbsp
Milk	¼ cup
Powdered sugar	3 tbsp

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Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
2. Grease a donut (doughnut) pan with oil or line up with butter paper.
3. Shift all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Keep aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, take mango puree along with sugar. Mix well until sugar dissolves completely.
5. Next add oil, vanilla essence and mix well again.
6. Then add in shifted dry ingredients, fold gently until a smooth batter texture.
7. Now pour the batter equally into the donut pan slots.
8. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven at 180 deg C.
9. Take out from the oven and let them cool down a bit.
10. Meanwhile take the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high 20-30 second or until melted.
11. Take out from microwave and add in milk, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
12. Blend well so that the glaze is smooth.
13. Next hold one mango donut cake upside down, dip the top surface of the cake in the glaze and pull it up.
14. Let the extra glaze dribble and then immediately turn glaze side up and keep on a cooling rack for the glaze to harden.
15. Repeat this process for rest of the cakes. 
16. Serve after the glaze harden !

Notes :

• Sugar quantity remains same as mentioned above if mango puree is homemade. If the store bought mango puree (which has added sugar) is used, then just go for 1/4 cup sugar instead of 1/3 cup.
• Above measurement yields in 6 mango donut cake.

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Sarapuli | Cardamom Syrup-drenched Cream Pancake

Sarapuli - a cardamom syrup-drenched pancake made out of cream or sara.

Mahaprasad is the term applied to the 56 offerings offered to Lord Jagannath in the holy temple of Puri, located in Odisha state of Indian subcontinent. This famed Jagannath temple has one of the biggest kitchen in the country. Around 500 cooks and 300 helping hands prepare 56 different offerings for Lord Jagannath. Then those are served to the deity six times a day as gopal vallabh bhoga, sakala dhupa, bhoga mandapa bhoga, madhyanha bhoga, sandhya dhupa, bada singhara bhoga.

Among all the offerings, 'sarapuli' is offered as badasinghara bhoga (last offerings in a day) along with some other items. The odia word 'sara' means cream. These are basically small pan cakes prepared entirely with milk authentically. Cream part of the milk and the thickened milk mixed together to make small pancakes which are then drenched in a cardamom syrup.

Sarapuli is much delectable melt-in-mouth type dessert. Here I have added some all purpose flour to the creamy pancake batter since the pancakes are so delicate and can easily brake while cooking.

So lets go in details method of preparation of this extremely rich delicacy

Preparation Time : 40 mins      |      Cooking Time : 10 mins 

Ingredients :        

Ingredients	Measurements
Milk (full fat)	1 lt
Condensed milk	2 tsp
All purpose flour	2 tbsp
Cardamom powder	½ tsp
Water	1 cup
Sugar	½ cup
Ghee	For frying

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Method :

1. Take full fat milk in a heavy bottom pan and starts boiling on low-medium flame.
2. A layer of cream (sara) will form on top of the milk. Take out that cream part and keep in a bowl.
3. Continue the boiling process again and collect cream until 1 cup of cream (sara) is collected.
4. Keep aside the cream bowl to cool down completely.
5. Now in a saucepan boil sugar and water till sugar dissolves. Then simmer to get 1 string consistency sugar syrup. Switch off the flame and add cardamom powder. Keep aside.
6. By the time, cream must be cooled down completely.
7. Now in a mixing bowl take cream, all purpose flour and condensed milk. Mix very well so that there will be no lumps and mixture will be of a smooth consistency.
8. Next heat 1 tsp ghee in a nonstick pan on medium flame.
9. Pour 1 small ladle amount of mixture on center of pan and allow to spread by its own.
10. Cook till little firm, then carefully flip (as it is so soft hence tends to break) and again cook the other side till light golden brown in color.
11. Take the pancake out of the pan and dip in sugar syrup for 4-5 seconds.
12. Then carefully take the pancake from the sugar syrup as it becomes more softer and keep aside.
13. Similarly prepare all the pancakes (sarapuli) from rest of the cream mixture.
14. Serve warm or cold ! 

Notes :

• If the sarapuli (cream pancake) breaks while cooking every time, then just add 1 tsp more all purpose flour to the cream mixture.

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Grilled Corn on Cob with Chili-Lime-Butter

Rainy season is here. Grilled corn on the cob sold by the street vendor is mine most favorite during these days.

Corn on the cob or elote is a popular street food in Mexico. This is the culinary term used for a cooked ear of freshly picked sweet corn. Sweet corn is the most common variety of maize eaten directly off the cob. Ears of the corn are either steamed or boiled or roasted. Corn on the cob is normally eaten while still warm just after grilling or boiling followed by some condiments such as salt, butter and pepper. Corn was eaten by native American tribes. They ate corn as a staple food crop and ate it off the cob, either by roasting or boiling. Also they used corn skewers or corn cob holders (which are made of silver) to hold corn on the cob.

One can roast the corn in oven or direct on open flame. When roasting in oven, cooking the corn in the husk on the oven rack is recommended. When roasting or grilling corn on the cob on direct flame first peel back the corn husks leaving them attached at the base of the ear, remove all of the corn silk and then with husks pulled back, tie together with a piece of husk or string to form a handle and finally place directly the corn on the wired grilled on the flame.

A variety of condiments are preferred such as salt, lime juice, butter, chili powder, mayonnaise, cheese etc. But here in this recipe, I'll go with butter, chili powder, salt and lime juice. Since it is raining, so oven roasting never gives a corn on the cob the taste that anyone will get by roasting on direct flame. The tangy, spicy and the smokiness is just perfect in this rainy evening. 

So let's get started just by following below steps.

Preparation Time : 15 mins      |      Cooking Time : 10 mins 

Ingredients :        

Ingredients	Measurements
Sweet corn ear	4 no.
Butter	1 tbsp
Chili powder	½ tbsp
Lime juice	3 tbsp
Black salt	As needed

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Method :

1. Peel back husks of the corn, leaving them attached at the base of the ear. 
2. Remove and discard all of the corn silk. With husks pulled back, tie together with a piece of husk or string to form a handle. 
3. Switch on flame and keep the wired grill directly on flame.
4. Place only the corn part of the cob on grill, not the tied husk part.
5. Keep turning in 30-35 second interval by holding the tied husk handle until charred and cooked well all over.
6. Meanwhile in a small bowl mix butter, chili powder, lime juice and black salt until incorporated. 
7. Switch off flame and take out the cooked corn on the cob onto a plate and rub the chili-lime-butter mixture all over the corn. 
8. Serve immediately and if more spicy needed, sprinkle some more chili powder over the corn.

Notes :

• Prefer to use freshly picked sweet corn ear to get more juicy corn.

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