Breaking bread & Happy Thanksgiving!

This post is way overdue. But it is such a treat. Every thanksgiving I make a mental note of all the people and things I am thankful for in my life. My family, friends, people I meet, my little doggy Walter and all the lovely experiences and of course all the meals I shared.

Earlier this year my younger sister tied the knot with her beau of several years. We were all excited to welcome Christian in our family. In the midst of throwing her a surprise wedding, I got a chance to watch Christian make some fantastic breads. This one was my favourites. Its a thick, grainy, nutty, superbly textured, goes well with cheeses and tomatoes or olive oil and balsamic vinegar, makes a great cold cut sandwich bread. Its even yummy just by itself given its innate sourdough flavour.

Whats also amazing is how wholesome, fresh, local all the ingredients were. The final bread perfectly encapsulated the goodness of what it was made of.

So presenting Christian's Brown Rye Bread with lots of grains and seeds

Christian, Janu, mom & dad

Brown Rye Bread with lots of grains and seeds

Sourdough Starter Culture

Stir the Sourdough Starter Culture with a spoon

Transfer culture to jar big enough to fit at least 1 liter

Add warm water to 1 L

Mix thoroughly

Set 100-200 ml aside -> this will serve as your next sourdough starter culture

Feeding and Storing the sourdough starter culture

Add 1/4 cup of rye seeds/berries to the saved starter culture

Add 3/4 cup of rye flour 

Fill with warm water to 500 ml total

Mix thoroughly

Transfer to glass jar, cover with saran wrap and leave out on the counter for 6-8h (in winter or a cold apartment warm up the oven just a tiny bit - not more than 40ºC, shut it off and place the culture in the oven to grow)

I'd advise the place the glass jar with the starter culture in a bowl in case the culture is super active and it spills a bit

Preparing the dough

In the kitchen aid bowl, add the remaining ~850 ml from the diluted starter culture

Add 2 cups of dark rye flour

Add 1cup of white flour (unbleached)

Add 1/4 cup of flaxseed flour

Add 1 cup of 7 grain cereal (whole foods, bulk section)

Add 1/4 cup flax seeds

Add 1/4 cup of millet

Add 2 handful of sunflower seeds

Add 3 teaspoons of salt

Allow to mix in kitchen aid

Consistency should be like thick cake batter - if too thick, add a bit of water

Preparing the baking form and the bread for baking

Oil the stoneware bake form

Add rolled rye flakes to it

Pour bread batter into stoneware form and distribute evenly with spatula

Add rolled rye flakes on top of batter

Push down some rolled rye flakes to the side of the stoneware bake form - this will prevent the bread from sticking to the form after the baking and allows for easier removal of the bread from the baking form

Cover the top with another baking form

      TIP: layer the top baking form with parchment paper to prevent stickiness

Let the bread rest for 6-8 h

Baking the Bread

Bake the bread at 350ºC or 180ºC for 1.5h, DO NOT preheat the oven

Remove bread, let it cool a bit and remove bread from the bake form

ENJOY!

Place the Starter culture back in the fridge

Note: I found a step by step recipe on how to make the Rye sourdough starter culture

Some local breadmakers I follow in Mumbai:
Saee's My Jhola 
I recently ate Nikhil's Olive bread. See his recipes here on Nonchalant Gourmand
Or pick up a fresh loaf from The Baker's Dozen

This video making the rounds on the internet bought a smile on my face. It such a heartwarming combination to see Jon Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift and none other than Prince William groove it out on Livin' on a Prayer. See for yourself.

One stop meal- A Chicken Frankie

Don't you love compact meals all packed in one yummy roll. I am a huge fan of shwermas, falafel, kathi rolls, rolli-polis in a paratha and ofcourse THE FRANKIE. A Bombay invention, anyone who grew up in Bombay would have at some point eaten a Tibb's Frankie. It'S simple, fast and easy to carry street food and frankly speaking I love the simplicity of everything wrapped in one meal.

So here it is:

Ingredients:

For the Wrap:

1 cup regular flour

1 cup wheat flour

1tbsp oil

water to knead

1 tspn salt

For the filling:

1 Sliced onions

5-6 cloves garlic minced

handful of ginger minced

3-4 green chillies sliced lengthwise

1 green bellpepper thinly sliced

1 box of mushrooms (approx 10 numbers)

1 corn off the cob

sliced chicken kababs. I used Yummiez by Godrej. You can order or make them at home

1 egg per frankie roll

1 dash of milk

Mixed masala according to taste (I always use Papa's Magic Masala)

1 lemon

Siriacha sauce

1. Mix the ingredients for the wrap and prepare teh dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 10 minutes. 

2. Roll into chapattis or rotis and on a low heat cook the rotis on the tawa or flat pan till small bumps of air show on the surface. 

3. Store in a dry place. 

Prep all the veggies. And roll the dough for the wraps. Follow the steps mentioned above for the wraps.

 Shave the corn off the cob for fresh and crunchy bites.

 Saute the garlic, ginger, chilies and onions. Add some herbs, spices such as Papa's Magic Masala mix or chat masala. Add the corn and mushrooms.

 Slice the precooked chicken kababs by Yummiez. This saves time for sure. For a working woman like me this is a relief. These kababs are very tasty on their own and can be had with fresh corriander chutney. You can  go all out and make kababs from scratch. But nothing beats the comfort of a quick cooked meal.

 Pour the egg mix of egg, milk and spices on the tawa and make an omelet. As the omelet is cooking plaee the roti on the egg. The half cooked eggs omelet sticks to the roti. Cook on a low heat.

 Flip over and serve on a plate. This is what it should look like.

Sprinkle some grated cheese and pour some hot sauce. Here I have used my favourite Siriacha sauce. You can apply coriander chutney as well.

Pile high with the sauteed veggies and pieces of the chicken kababs. Squeeze a dash of lemon and roll and eat.  This is such a good rainy day meal. It takes care of all the deep fried cravings and it is really healthy. There can be so many variations to this dish. Add spinach, add cream in the corn, add potatoes instead of chicken. Will be also great with sausages, salami, bacon. Its unending. Various kinds of cheese, herbs. Just the basics can be the same and so much fun can be had with this meal. 

This was a fulfilling meal and flowed well together and all the ingredients rolled into one so well that  I felt it accompanied this piece of music perfectly. I discovered this redition of Adele's famous Rolling in the Deep last week on the internet. I am becoming a big fan of these Piano guys. Do hear this piece, it is beautiful.

Egg in a Hole

Sunday breakfast at home after a long time. A recipe post on Follow my Recipe after a long time as well. Well mostly because I have been traveling like a maniac.
I was introduced to eggs in a hole in grad school in Chicago after a drunken night of partying, my friend Chris made us eggs in a hole. I loved the idea. So after almost 8 years I replicated the recipe in my kitchen today.
Its so easy and so fun that you cant help but smile. Maybe even giggle. My mom wants to make egg in a hole with everything- parathas, dosas, pancakes. (Trust mother Purwar to get uber creative with the idea).

Ok so you need:
Slices of bread
Equal no. of eggs.
Butter or cream cheese
A round object for cutting (preferably much smaller than the bread)
Salt and pepper and any other garnish you like with your bread and eggs
A dash of oil
A non stick pan.

1. Cut a circle in your bread.
2. Spread some butter on both the holed bread and the circle piece.
3. Heat some Oil on the non stick pan.
4. Place the bread on the pan.
5. Crack an egg in the center of the hole in the bread.
6. Sprinkle some salt and pepper.
7. Cover with a bowl and let it cook.
8. Served with your favourite sides- potatoes,  grilled tomatoes, bikaneri sev (my sis will truly appreciate this), slices of bacon, Yaaa.

Also the left over circles can be used to make tres cool cucumber sandwiches.

Such simple, happy breakfasts make it all the time away from home worth it. Nothing like sharing your breakfast with your doggy.

Also this song is so perfect for today. Of course Id rather say I love Mumbai in the rain.

In love with Crepes

I fell in love over crepes many lifetimes ago. I had a poulet au curry (chicken curry) served with a mango chutney and he had a bouef bourguignon followed by dessert crepe of nutella and bananas cooked in rum. It was at one of my favourite restaurants in Chicago called Le Creperie. It was really my first experience with this delightful dosa-like French everyday wholesome goodness. That was many years ago.

I did not think I would find a crepe place so good in Mumbai. My friend Ashraf raved about its hot chocolate and is almost at Suzette everyday (lucky bum lives practically next door). A site visit to Nariman Point led me to finally try the crepes at Suzette.  Its located right behind the NCPA. The tiny space was elegant, raw, minimal and earthy. The table mats were brown papers with a stylized line drawing of the Paris skyline (of course with the Eiffel Tower). Simple tall glasses and glass bottles to serve water added to the quaintness of this lovely little cafe. A bookshelf, a row with benches, a few tables with chairs and bar seating at the counter all gave the space the look of a typical Parisian cafe, warm and welcoming and a place you could spend hours at. A blackboard menu with all the daily specials handwritten. 

I chatted with the owners Antonia and Jereme about their restaurant. They told me about the hurdles of opening a French restaurant in Mumbai, learning Hindi to get their supplies from their vendors & most of all introducing the traditional Brittany crepes to Mumbaikars. Their menu though mostly crepes- sweet and savory, also has salads and an array of fresh fruit juices and smoothies (spelt as smoozies - as one would say in the French accent), teas, coffee and of course the hot chocolates. 

I ordered a salad of the day which was by far one of the best fresh salads I have ever had in Mumbai. Lettuce, beans, bacon and a balsamic vinaigrette which was in the perfect amount coating the salad making the lettuce leaves flavorful and not soggy (hate soggy salad).

Antonia recommended a lovely combination for the crepe- goat cheese, chicken, caramelized onions (OMG I love) and a drizzle of honey. Too sweet- nope it was just right. The saltiness of the chicken and goat cheese was the perfect balance with the onions and honey. The crepe itself was crispy and not stretchy like other crepes I have had. I really enjoyed its texture with the creamy goat cheese. 

And finally the hot chocolate- you would think thicker the better. Well take a sip and then think again. It was not thick, it was just right, flavorful from the depths of the dark chocolate ocean. One sip and I knew I will crave this every time I need a chocolate miracle.

On my second viist (oui I went back again), I met the third owner another French gentleman by the name of Pierre. He told me they use buckwheat flour which is traditional to the Brittany crepes. 

I could not quite get the recipe of the crepe batter out of him but I did find one here in case you are interested.

Crepe filling is like playing with flavours and textures- spinach, tomatoes and feta; goat cheese and apples; ham and egg; chicken and mushrooms in a white sauce. The possibilities are endless. Or check out Suzette's menu for more inspiration

Prep Time: 2 hours, 05 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon buckwheat flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 2/3 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preparation: 

Whisk all the ingredients vigorously until the crepe batter is completely smooth; allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours before making into crepes. Melt a little butter in a crepe pan or large skillet over low-medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. 

Cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Loosen the edges of the crepe, slide the spatula under it, and then gently flip it upside down into the pan. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the cooked crepe to a plate to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

 

My friend Mona sent me this video from when she lived in Germany. This crepe maker is making a banana, nutella cream crepe. It looks absolutely delicious. Danke Mona. 

Top Toppings: Jasuben nu Pizza

I'm not sure what my hang up was before, but in all my years growing up in Ahmedabad I did not eat Gujju Pizza. Maybe I was too much of a snob as a kid, turned my nose up to the idea or maybe I love Pav Bhaji too much. Plus- I grew up on Smokin' Joes when it was only available to us South Bombay kids- or the first Pizza Hut in which the staff got together and did the Macarena. Oya my pizza eating experience was very Americanized even before I made it to the great country. And then Chicago Deep Dish happened. Holy cow! Its amongst the top 5 things Chicago is well known for. Deep dish pizza which has a super buttery crust and filled with sauce and toppings. The heaviest meal ever. 

So when Chandni, my lovely host in Ahmedabad, asked me if I had Jasuben's Pizza she could not believe her ears. As usual I got the - 'What kind of food blogger are you?' look. (I seem to be getting that look a lot more often now). That's it dinner plans were laid. We drove up to the one location near her house on the highway. I insisted on picking up some pav bhaji (old habbits die slow).

We sat on some chairs on the sidewalk with a hundred others loudly chatting and chomping on little quartered pieces of cheesy saucy bites.  There was a little stall with a vertical oven, a sandwich press and a blender. Three boys whipping out a dozen pizzas by the minute, grilled sandwiches, cheese toasts, and cold coffee to go with it all. Serving a hundred people by the minute and this too on a Sunday Night. And they kept on coming.

Ok let me tell you- Jasuben's Pizza is a pilgrimage. Its a tourist destination. Any foolish notion I had of what a real pizza should be and granted pizza is Italian, it all flew out of my mind when I took my first bite. The crust is biscuity, crunchy, buttery almost like a bhakri. The bubbling hot tomato sauce is a close cousin of tomato ketchup just as sweet but quite spicey. The toppings are simple- no fancy pick your own toppings. No fancy mushrooms, corn, olives, jalapenos. Huh? What are you talking about? Stick to simple finely chopped onions and capsicum ok. Top it with loads ( and I mean large amounts) of grated local white cheese. The singular cheese we grew up- the Amul's white cheese. This is way before the cheese and wine revolution hit us. Simple and yummy are the keywords here.

The crust is baked in the vertical makeshift oven, red sauce spread, then back in the oven, then quickly topped with onions and capsicum and then topped with the grated cheese.  

Any Amdavadis reading this do holler and tell me why you love Jasuben's Pizza. I am a convert- Gujju pizza I love you. Whenever I think about this pizza meal I feel like I could have broken into a moves like Jagger, a rock n roll strut, a bit of knee twisting, pelvic thrusting, sliding in a moonwalk across the floor. Oya!

This is how I felt after my very first Jasuben Pizza: