We Knead To Bake - Bialys

This post is way too late to be on this blog for, the group baked them in May! It was the fifth of the twelve we were going to bake. I missed baking them that given month, but eventually caught up with the rest of the members. However, I put off sharing the recipe. there are two more breads that i have to post and then I will be ready for the next bread.
There is a lot of information on these as shared by Aparna with the group and I am simply copying her information to share here.
The bialy (pronounced bee-AH-lee) maybe thought of as a cousin to a Bagel but is quite different from it. For one thing, a Bialy is baked whereas a Bagel is boiled and then baked. A Bialy is round with a depressed middle, not a hole, and typically filled with cooked onions and sometimes poppy seeds. So it is not shiny on the outside with largish puffy bubbles on the inside. A good BIlay should have a springy soft crumb and a chewy and floury crust. A lot of people slather Bialys with butter or cream cheese but the best way is to eat them as they are. Bialys are best when eaten within 5 to 6 hours of making them.

The name Bialy comes from Bialystocker Kuchen which translates as “bread from Bialystok” which is in Poland. Apparently, Bialys are rarely seen or made in Bialystock these days (I wouldn’t know if this was a fact and I’m going by heresay). In the days when there used to be Bialys in Bialystock, it seems the rich Jews ate Bialys with their meals, while the Bialys were the whole meal for the poorer Jews.

In the early 1900s, many Eastern Eurpoeans, including the Polish, immigrated to the US and settled down in New York. Naturally, they also brought their Bialy making skills with them and that is how the New York Bialy became famous.

What lends Bialys their signature chewiness is the use of flour that is high in gluten.  

Bialys

(Adapted from King Arthur Flour) http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bialys-recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 cup water

3 cups bread flour (use bread flour if you can find it or all-purpose flour + 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten)

1 tsp salt

Milk for brushing the dough

For the Onion Filling:

1 tablespoon oil

3 medium onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

3/4 teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

100grams paneer, crumbled (optional)

Method:

Make the dough first. If you are using bread flour or vital wheat gluten, then your dough will be tougher to knead so if you have a machine you can use or can do by hand.

Put the yeast, sugar, salt and flour in the food processor bowl. Pulse a couple of times to mix and then add the warm water in a steady stream. Knead until the dough comes together as a mass and then let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This will help the dough absorb water. Knead again, adding a little more water or flour (not too much) if you need it, until your dough is smooth and elastic but not sticky.

Shape it into a ball and put it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough till it is well coated. Cover and let it rise till about double. This should take about 2 hours. If you’re not making the Bialys right away, you can refrigerate the dough overnight at this point. When ready to make them, keep the dough at room temperature for about half an hour and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, heat the oil in a pan, and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the onions, and sauté over low to medium heat. Sprinkle a little salt and continue sauté-ing until they become soft and turn golden brown in colour. Add the garam masala and stir well. Keep the caramelised onions aside to cool.

Sprinkle your work surface lightly with flour and place the dough on it. Divide it into 8 equal pieces and shape each one into a roll by flattening it and then pinching the ends together to form a smooth ball.  

 

Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover them with a towel. Let them rise for about one hour (about  1 1/2 to 2 hours for refrigerated dough)  till pressing with a finger on the top leaves a dent.  

Work on one piece at a time, while you keep the others covered so they don’t dry out. When the rolls are ready, pick them up one at a time and using your fingers, form the depression in the middle. 

Hold the roll like a steering wheel with your thumbs in the middle and your fingers around the edges. Pinch the dough between your thumb and fingers, rotating as you go and gradually making the depression wider without actually poking a hole through.

Remember not to press on the edges, or they will flatten out. Once shaped, you should have a depression about 3” in diameter with 1” of puffy dough around the edge.  

This Bialy should be about 4” in diameter. 

Prick the centre of the Bialy with a fork so the centre doesn’t rise when baking. 

Place the shaped dough on a parchment lined (or greased) baking tray leaving about 2 inches space between them. 

Place the caramelised onion filling in the depressions of each Bialy. Brush the outer dough circle with milk. If you’re using crumbled paneer, add it to the Bialys in the last 5 minutes of baking or it will get burnt.

Bake the Bialys at 230C (450F) for about 15 minutes till they’re golden brown in colour. Cool them on a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

The Bialys keep well in an airtight container for a day or two and just need to be warmed up slightly before serving. 

This recipe makes 8 large Bialys.

 

 

Vegetables and Noodles in Thai style sauce

I have not been adventurous with cuisines farther away from South Indian until recently. With the blogs opening new avenues, I tread haltingly through. There is a kind of assurance that someone has tried a recipe and has found it worthy to share. Even then I am careful that my husband has to like them.
In the past few months my daughter is home and we have two against one veto power. She encourages me to try and sees to that her father is fed the same. On weekends, she decides to take the kitchen over. In her books, regular South Indian fare is for hectic week days and the end of the week shall be reserved for some adventure. Ask me not, how she puts recipes together reading several blogs and bringing it all into her own style. Likewise ask me not, how she finds her substitutes from my pantry. We have been treated to curries, nasi lamak, oriental style soup and what not.
Reading from Laavanya's blog, she wanted to try the Pad Thai recipe. We only had these eggless noodles on hand. With those, vegetables and her derived concoction of the Thai sauce, she made this for lunch last Sunday. We also happened to have the rice paper, in which, she wrapped the noodles and served.

Vegetables and Noodles in Thai style sauce
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
125 grams eggless noodles
1 cup mixed vegetables, cut in juliennes (Carrots, bellpeppers, cabbage, french beans)
1 large onion sliced in thin juliennes
4 stems of spring onions cut
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
Salt to taste
3 teaspoon Cooking Oil

For the sauce:
1/2 cup thick extract of tamarind
2 tablespoons crushed jaggery
1 teaspoon Soy sauce (adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste

Method:
For the noodles:
Boil sufficient water with a few drops of oil and a little salt. drop the noodles in it and cook till done.
Drain the water off the noodles and rinse with cold water. Keep aside.

For the sauce:
In a heavy pan, simmer the tamarind extract until the raw taste subsides.
Add the jaggery and salt and allow to boil.
Add the soy sauce and simmer on low heat allowing it to thicken.
Keep aside to cool.

For the vegetables:
Wash and cut the vegetables in thin and long strips.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the sliced onions. Sauté  till translucent. Then add the garlic and spring onions.
Drop the chilli flakes in.
Sauté for a few minutes before adding the vegetables and salt.
Toss the vegetables in the pan to stir fry.
Add a little water and cook till tender yet crisp.

To combine:
In the pan in which you have the sauce, add the vegetables. Toss to coat them with the sauce.
Add the noodles and on low heat, toss them till well mixed and the sauce is incorporated in the noodles.
Serve hot.

For the wraps:

Keep a shallow utensil on the stove and add some water. Heat the water, just about hot.
Immerse the ricr paper one at a time and quickly remove from the water.
Place it on a flat wicker plate/ colander to cool.
In the centre of the cool rice paper, place sufficient quantity of the above prepared noodles and wrap as you would a burrito.

Kush Rang Paneer

During our last visit home our tickets were booked such that we land New Delhi in transit and then fly home. We planned that on the return, we spend a few days there. With the itinerary fixed and bookings made, we had a great end of holiday time in Delhi and Agra. To top it, we were chosen the Guest of the Day by the management of The Gateway Hotel, Agra. It was a pleasant surprise to have some added services.
One such was to dine at their gourmet restaurant where a thematic menu was being featured. It was a good experience to be guided by their executive chef Mr. Sanjay Agarwal on the choices. We were fed until we truly could take no more. Upon request they obliged to share a few recipes which they printed out for me. I have tried them at home. Though with substitution of certain ingredients the ethnic flavours could not be felt, the dishes do taste good, very nearly as they serve.

 

I have not been very successful making paneer with the UHT processed milk at home. I was suggested to use milk powder to get better results. However, to my delightful surprise one of the Indian stores here had stocked up few crates of  homogenised milk, that I picked up. I made the paneer following a video from Sanjeev Kapoor's website. The resultant product was soft yet firm paneer that did not crumble.
The recipe here is adapted from the Awadhi Kitchens of The Gateway Hotel, Agra. I have only increased the vegetable quantity and cut them in larger cubes than juliennes. I oven roasted the onions for the brown onions. This is a rich and creamy gravy dish that was paired with a slice of flaky tawa paratta. I cut down that part of fat and we had it with normal phulkas.

Ingredients:
Serves 4 sumptuous portions

600 grams home made paneer cut in cubes
(or batons if you choose to)

2 large bell peppers (I have used one yellow and one red for colours)
1 small tomato
2 large red onions chopped finely
2 teaspoons shahi jeera (black cumin)
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 &1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons cashew nuts roasted dry
2 medium green chillis
1" piece ginger
1 large onion sliced and pan/ oven roasted until browned (add a teaspoon oil and roast in the oven)
1/3 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander for garnish ( I did not have any on hand)

 

Method:
Wash and cut the colour peppers.
Chop onions. Reserve some as juliennes for garnish.
If you are pan roasting the one onion for brown onion, heat a little oil and sauté the sliced onion stirring to evenly brown them. Alternately, you may choose to fry them in oil, drain and use. I rub a teaspoon of oil in them and spread on a plate. I allow them to sit in a moderate oven for 8 - 12 minutes. Though they do not caramelise or brown so much as deep frying, they are sufficiently done to be ground in a paste.
Grind the brown onions, roasted cashews, red chilli powder, curry powder and the white pepper powder to a fine paste. Keep aside. Rinse the adhering paste and add the water to the tomato puree.
Peel and chop the ginger. Deseed and chop the green chillis.
Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the shahi jeera (black cumin), then the chopped onion. Sauté the onions until they start browning.
Add the turmeric powder, ginger and green chillis. After about two minutes, add the bell peppers. Cook them a bit before adding the paste and salt.
Allow them to blend while stirring to avoid charring the paste.
Add the tomato puree and sufficient water. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.
Finally add the paneer cubes and allow the gravy to thicken on a low heat. add the cream and take off the heat.
In a separate pan, sauté the onion juliennes in a little fat.
Adjust the seasonings according to taste.
Transfer the gravy in a serving dish.
Garnish with a little cream, sautéed onions and the chopped coriander.
Serve hot with soft phulkas.

Figs and almond muffins

It is sometimes a wonder that you have bookmarked something to try and have forgotten for months; then it comes back unexpectedly to you that you set out immediately to the task. This is one such muffin recipe. when I read it, I had written a comment on the page with a star to try and somehow never got to doing the same. the other day, my daughter was wanting to try her hand at it and she spotted this. She asked me how I had liked them, thinking I had tried them. When we realised it was going to be our first trial and that we happened to have all the ingredients/ substitutes on hand we set out to bake these.

They were thoroughly enjoyable with evening tea. The recipe does not call for eggs or dairy and can be ready in a jiffy.
The recipe I share is adapted from the book Best Ever Muffins Cupcakes & Other Treats.

Ingredients:

250 grams / generous 1&3/4 cups all purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
225 grams / 1 cup raw sugar ( I have used powdered jaggery)
80 grams / generous 1/2 cup  dry figs chopped 
120 grams /1 cup almonds chopped
200 ml  water
2 tablespoons sunflower oil (any cooking oil)
1 teaspoon almond essence
2 tablespoons slivered almonds to decorate
12 paper cups

Method:

Prepare the muffin pan by lining with paper cups.
Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Add the jaggery and mix well.
Take the chopped figs, almonds and the sunflower oil in a separate bowl. Stir in the water and the essence.
Add the above fruit and nut mixture to the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine.
Do not over mix. It is alright to have the batter a little lumpy.
Pour the muffin batter into the paper cups filling until 2/3rds. Drop the slivered almonds on top.
Bake this in a pre-heated oven at 190 Degrees Centigrade for 25 minutes until risen and golden.


Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.
Serve as desired.