Punjabi/North Indian Garam Masala recipe

 Remember those history lessons ,what made India the center of attraction by every other civilizations ,royals,traders,voyagers etc around the world - "The spices" !!

During historic era,Spices became priceless and worth more than any Gold or diamonds ,they dragged Romans to Arabs to Jews to India,they were also the reason behind how Columbus discovered America and Vasco De Gama's voyage from Portugal to India.

The variety of exquisite flavors ,intense yet subtle aromas,therapeutic properties,pungency of spices that possessed the magical power to convert any ordinary dish to extra-ordinary, made them the most sought-after and inevitable in the preparation of appetizing food around the world .

Infact,from as early as 3000 B.C. ,Kerala,became the major spice trade center of the world and so,is famously known as "The land of spices".

The spices like Saffron,Cinnamon,Cardamom,cloves,Mace etc were considered the expensive ones while cumin,coriander,ginger etc were considered to be cheaper ones.The variety of Indian spices can be found here.

Ayurveda,the oldest healing practice / "Science of life "considers the spices to be wonder foods full of medicinal properties.That's how the name "Garam Masala" was coined .Garam means hot and Masala means spice mix.The hot here represents, to heat the body by elevating the body temperature ,aiding the proper digestion and thereby raising the metabolism of the human body . As per Ayurveda ,by using the right spices ,all six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent—at every main meal will enhance vitality, strength, immunity, and overall well being.

Therefore ,Garam masala has become the quintessential part of Indian gastronomy and the reason of it being the one-of-a-kind flavor inducing food item popular around the world.

As diverse India is,so are the type of garam masalas used here.It varies from state to state,town to town,home to home,person to person - carried on from one generation to another.And every spice used distinctly promotes unique and lip smacking flavors.

There are varieties of  Garam Masalas commercially available but the one made fresh at home is simply incomparable ! It can also act as an air freshener then.

When South Indian/Kerala Garam masala is made like this with a few spices ,the North Indian/Punjabi garam Masala is made like this with lots of spices (my version) of course.....

So,today I am going to share how I make Punjabi Garam Masala at home

Punjabi Garam Masala

Yields 4 oz

Ingredients

Coriander seeds - 4 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds - 3 tablespoons

Star Anise - 1 no.

Mace - 1-2 nos

Cardamom pods (Green)- 1 tablespoon

Cloves - 1 tablespoon

Cinnamon (1")- 10 nos

Bayleaf - 1 no

Dry ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Caraway seeds - 3 teaspoon

Peppercorns - 1 tablespoon

Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon

Long pepper - 2 nos.(Optional)

Method:

NOTE:

1. Dry roasting spices helps in releasing the natural oil in the whole spices and which further enhances the taste,aroma and potency and accentuates the flavor of a food to the next level.
2. The exact time to roast depends upon the pan used like thick pan may take some more time and thinner may take less time ,then the quantity of spices used and the heat used to dry roast it.
3. Always preheat the pan on high flame and then lower the heat to dry roast and keep on stirring otherwise if it takes longer time than needed, it may burn and turn the spices to bitter taste ,so always keep an eye when the spices may crackle or change color and exude strong aroma.That's when you've to stop.
4. While using a thick pan,it may take only 30 seconds to 1 minute to dry roast after preheating.Thinner pans require additional caution.
5. Always store it in an airtight container .It's better to make in smaller quantity as the potency of these spices tends to decrease with time.The fresher it is used,more flavorful and fresh curry etc will taste. 

I hope the smell of my spices woke you up because the history class is over people .

Osmania Biscuits

 

If there is any snack that really makes a true Hyderabadi go "mania"c with loads of awwwws ("Os"),that is none other than the snacky,"Osmania Biscuits" !

How do I know this ?? Well,my better 1/2 is a Hyderabadi (well, half Hyderabadi-half mallu) and one of his maniac episode :P (oops hope he is not reading this ..God please make this blog post unavailable to Honey P...Plss !!)  ..I mean that's what I felt whenever he would say ,you should make some Osmania biscuits for me. He sounded that crazy about it.I was like ohh wow even the name says mania haha...but then sounds like a posh biscuit like something from England,Paris,or Americana ...then my dear hubby reminded me that my GK needs to be updated as always so he took me to the nearby Indian grocery and they had this biscuits...

I was surprised I never ever saw these biscuits there and how can I...all I see in a grocery store are varieties of Indian sweets seducing me lol....as if singing aaja aaja tu hai pyaar mera ....ok I am deviating..but that's what happens !...Hubby bought these biscuits especially for me to try and to my surprise, his face became gloomy and "Done" type...I enjoyed the biscuit but to be frank did not find anything extraordinary about it ...Hubby said,"Nope this is not the authentic Osmania biscuit...we'll have it in our next India visit in Hyderabad." .And yes, we had it this time when we went to India (Yes ,I was on a vacation for good two months in India !!).

I was really taken aback because this biscuit ruled each and every small to big restaurants' menu in Hyderabad especially with their another famous chai/evening tea called Irani chai . Their evening tea was in fact incomplete without this very biscuit .And people just loved this biscuit and that tea to the core.Like my hubby all these Hyderabadis sounded maniac when it came to this biscuit :D....I thought no wonder why they named it Osmania ......but as my mind was ROFLing...and shared with my hubby too ...He said ,"It's good to know that you do have a brain in your head ,but it's not getting the right information yet."

I was like ..Ok Honey P ..enlighten me then ...He said there are two stories to it .

1. It is named after the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan who ordered his chefs to exclusively bake a cookie that is sweet ,salty ,little crispy .
2. The dieticians of the Osmania General hospital (a well known hospital in Hyderabad) made these cookies for their patients and later the cafes surrounding the hospital started making it too because of the huge public demand and then it became unstoppable to any restaurant owners in Hyderabad.

Though my brain was like "Whatever"  !! It was good to know that this is our own desi mania :P..I mean Desi style cookie that was one of a kind with loads of awe factor in it....sweet,salt and yum !..Loved it !!!

I was narrating all these stories to one of my relative in Hyderabad .To my surprise, she said she has some at home as we spoke ,as her mother makes it too .Then you know what happened right ??

I used that lid to make round shapes....

Of course, I did eat those biscuits at her home later but that I forced aunty to give me the recipe as she is like my mother, she eyeballs any recipe . Eventually, may be she wanted to get rid of me or something ASAP that she did give me a detailed recipe . So,this is based on her recipe .Basically  Osmania biscuits are made up of all purpose flour,milk powder,custard powder,cornflour,sugar,salt and a good mix of butter and ghee.

 

Osmania Biscuit 

Ingredients

1 cup All purpose flour

1/4 cup custard powder

1/2 cup milk powder

1 tablespoon cornflour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

1/4 cup melted shudh desi ghee/clarified butter

1 tablespoon milk 

Method:

1. First mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and keep it aside.
2. Now mix all wet ingredients in another bowl and keep it aside.
3. Now mix them both in a bowl until a smooth dough is formed.Keep it aside for 5 minutes.
4. Roll the dough on a thin sheet with a roller.
5. Cut them into round shapes and arrange them in a oven safe tray .
6. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes or until slightly brown at 350 degree F..
7. Once done,remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
8. Enjoy !

 Now, this is one such cookie that certainly don't need a specific GI(Geographical Indication) to brand it.It's name says it all .And do I've to say how a Nawabi biscuit would taste like ? Try it and let me know !:)

Live,love,laugh deliciously,

Homemade buttercream icing and their consistencies

When you think of cakes especially your birthday cakes from childhood days,what is that one thing that makes you nostalgic and pops up instantly in your thoughts and something that made your every b'day extra special ?

 In my case,though my parents were not that much into celebrating our B'days by throwing party something but I have a few low key celebration moments to cherish and it was the unique B'day cakes that made my day sweet and special and what made them unique, well, the icing on the cake !!

When I was a kid, all I wanted was to finger lick the icing,that creamy texture made it irresistible and unstoppable...

When I grew up,it turned into a fantasy...it was as if the cake turned into a gorgeous looking bride embellished in white.....

As time went by and I started experimenting with store bought icings ,I realized ,it was an edible cake makeover.......

However,when I made the fresh homely icing,I realized it makes the cake tad extra special with a personal lovely touch that as they say, has the power to touch many lives around in a special tender sweet way....

Though I love baking ,I don't do it often as I lack the right company to savor them and so ,if I bake that entire cake, I can and I'll devour it within a few hours or a day max (No kidding!!).So,you see,it can be dangerous for me especially since my body acts like a magnet that attracts fats/calories instantly and possess the magical tendency to blow up like a balloon in no time.Yeah, I am strange in every way my dear friend!!!

So,I need to be cautious and bake occasionally and  because of that I may not have all the baking ingredients at home readily available every time.That exactly what happened, when I wanted to bake a cake for my friend and coat it with a lovely glob of icing.

Moreover ,I like to use homemade things mostly that are freshly made with no preservatives added.So , I've been trying to make homemade buttercream icing as well.I've tried different versions so far but this one is my go to butter cream icing .

So, this is how I make homemade buttercream icing,

Buttercream Icing 

(Stiff consistency)

Yields  1- 1 1/2 cup

Ingredients

3/4-1 cup unsalted butter,softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk
A big pinch of salt

Method:

In a large bowl, cream together butter,sugar and vanilla until well blended and creamy. Add in the milk & salt (adjust (more or less milk) to thin it out if desired) and salt is to balance the sweetness, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to use or keep it refrigerated for later.

NOTE:
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1.If you are trying for the first time,first start creaming the butter alone until light and fluffy.Then add sugar (powdered sugar) little by little ,making sure the sweetness you desire is reached ,beat on medium speed until well blended.Then rest process.

2.For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency )instead of butter use 1/2 cup shortening ,add 1/2 teaspoon no color butter flavor to change the shortening taste and /or 1 teaspoon of CLEAR vanilla extract .To thin it for icing cakes ,you can use milk,water or even light corn syrup.

3.While beating the butter & sugar,beat at medium to high speed for couple of minutes to ensure maximum peak/well blended.

4.To make it more stiffer for making rose petals etc use 1--3 teaspoon of Meringue powder (which is made up of egg white and corn starch).It makes the frosting stiff and stable.

Now that my homemade buttercream icing is ready .We can use this icing for frosting the cake ,decorating the cake ,making cake pops etc in multitude ways.However,that depends upon the consistency of an icing .Yep,there are basically three types of icing consistencies which are used for different purposes in decorating the cake :

1. Stiff consistency - The recipe above,place the icing in a cup and put a knife/spatula down into the center,when it stands stiff,the stiff consistency has reached which can be used to make rose petals especially.
2. Medium consistency - Add 1 teaspoon of water/milk for each cup of stiff icing and mix well.Place it in a cup and put the knife or spatula all the way down into the center and the spatula will slightly lean ,that means medium consistency has reached.It is used to make designs like borders,shells,rosettes etc.
3. Thin consistency - Add 2 teaspoon of water/milk for each cup of stiff icing and mix well.Place it in a cup,do the spatula test like above and the spatula will just fall to the side completely.This is the icing used for icing the cake or for writing etc.

Once you nail the basic icing recipe,the fun part is that you can convert it into different flavors of your choice like chocolate icing,lemon icing etc.You can just play with it and turn it into something extra ordinary of your choice and whip up something new every time.


No wonder ,why they emphasize the saying,"Icing on a cake"........ It is whipping whimsical ! :D

Eat,love,live DELICIOUSLY,