Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 coconut oil melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips
• 2 cups grated zucchini

Method

• Grease two 8x4 Loaf pans and flour them well.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
• Grate the zucchini and keep aside.
• Mix the dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
• In a bowl beat the sugar and melted coconut oil, add eggs and beat once again.
• Add the vanilla extract, mix.
• Add the dry ingredients, the nuts and chocolate chips and the grated zucchini.
• Stir to combine, do not overmix.
• Pour into loaf pans.
• Bake for 60 minutes, check with a toothpick inserted in center, should come out clean. Let it cool for 15 minutes and carefully take it out of the pan as these are fragile loaves.

 

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Pudina Paratha/ Mint Flatbread

Pudina Paratha, a whole wheat layered unleavened flatbread cooked in a skillet.
I have pudina(mint) growing profusely in my garden, I just harvested a lot of the leaves, and froze them. I have been making pudina paratha, pudina chutney, and pudina rice, can't think of anything else to make with it.
This paratha has mint powder freshly made from the frozen leaves, one can use fresh leaves to make the powder too. Don't forget to check out the link for mint leaves powder, I have a nifty way of making this aromatic powder.
This paratha again travels well. I'm have been racking my brain thinking of dishes I can take on our road trip to Grand Canyon. We will be travelling from Denver to Grand Canyon to Las Vegas and back, about four days of being on the road. I have to really stock up enough desi khana, or we are going to be in trouble.
Anyway here is my recipe for Pudina Paratha, very simple and tasty.




2 cups wheat flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

Mint powder

oil



Mix the wheat flour and salt, add milk and water if needed to make a soft dough.

Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

Divide into equal parts about 6, and roll into balls.

Flatten the ball with the rolling pin, apply oil and sprinkle mint pwd.

Roll into a cylinderical shape.

Press and roll to make the shape longer.

Starting from the short end roll into a sperical shape like a peda or a circle.

Press sprinkle some flour and roll it about 6 inches in size.

Cook on a tawa, apply oil or ghee till golden brown on bothe sides.

Serve with any vegetable, raita and pickle for a very satisfying meal.

Dal Paratha/Lentil Flatbread

I had eaten this Paratha way back in Bangalore , must have been in 1997 or 1998, in a West Indian restaurant, I think it was called Sue's. I wonder if it's still there, this was a small joint near Indiranagar, and one would have to wait during weekends to get in. I still remember the taste of those Dal Parathas. It was kind of strange eating an Indian staple in a Caribbean restaurant. I was thinking of a breakfast dish to contribute for the WBB event and came up with my version of Dal Paratha.

These by the way taste delicious even cold the next day. So a great travel food for us Indians especially while we are on the road, I get tired of eating from all the fast food joints, and start craving for some nice Indian Spicy food. Maybe somebody needs to write a series of foods that travel well.

This breakfast/brunch dish is my contribution to Trupti's Weekend Breakfast Blogging event WBB#12

Dal Paratha (Makes about 8 to 10)

Filling

1 cup yellow spilt moong dal

3 cups water

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp hing

1 tbsp ginger grated/paste

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

2 tsp amchur(mango powder)

1 tsp garam masala pwd

salt to taste

1 tbsp minced coriander leaves

Dough

3 cups wheat flour

1 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Soak the dal for 2 hours.

Heat oil add cumin seeds, and hing.

Then add ginger, turmeric pwd, chilli pwd and coriander pwd.

Add dal and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.

Cook covered on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until dal is soft but not mushy. Don't forget to keep stirring while the dal is cooking.

There should be absolutely no water. Add the amchur pwd, garam masala pwd, salt and coriander leaves and leave it to cool. I usually grind the filling in the food processor so it looks like puran poli filling and can be made into a ball. The grinding is optional. I like the texture better and you can put more filling this way.

Meanwhile make the dough, by mixing wheat flour, oil, salt and add water as needed, to make a paratha dough. Keep the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Then divide and roll into balls. Add the filling and roll into about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.

Cook on a tawa or skillet by adding oil on both sides and cook till brown.

Serve hot or cold with pickles and yogurt, hot or cold. I had mine with mango thokku(recipe to follow). This paratha is very filling I couldn't eat more than one. A great idea for brunch as they can be made in advance. I make my filling and dough the previous night, and leave it in the fridge, and make the parathas fresh in the morning or for brunch as the case might be.