mayurisjikoni

Merry Berries    Berries in true sense are not the berries we all know... strawberries, mulberries, raspberries, blackberries etc. These in the botanical world are known as aggregate fruits. Berries are fruits produced from a single ovary. So in botanical sense tomatoes, cucumber, eggplants, bananas, pumpkins, melons are berries. Did you know that grapes too are berries? Yes they are.    However for our FoodieMonday/Bloghop #123rd theme, Berries we meant berries that we normally know. We had to prepare something using berries. Berries are small pulpy and often edible fruits. Before food was cultivated, berries were gathered by primitive men as a source of food, many animals feed on berries. It's probably presumed that during prehistoric time men may have sampled berries that animals consumed to supplement their diet.    Berries are considered power food, having the highest amount of antioxidants. Blackberries, goji berries and Indian Gooseberries (amla) to...

Healthy Seeds    Our 85th theme for #FoodieMonday#Bloghop group is #Nigellaseeds . Nigella seeds, kalonji, black cumin, balck caraway,fennel flower,charnushka, onion seeds, Roman Coriander as they are called taste like a cross between onion, oregano and black pepper. It however has no relation to onion, cumin, fennel or caraway. They are seeds from the plant Nigella Sativa.Its widely used by the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East including Turkey. Nigella seeds are roasted and ground and used in curries, vegetable preparations. As whole seeds they are used in pickles, flat breads and  other breads. Use the roasted seeds in salads, sprinkle them on egg dishes, add a few seeds to relishes or chutneys. The famous panch phoran spice mixture from Bengal is a mixture of kalonji, fennel, cumin, fenugreek and mustard. Goes well with cheese dishes or cheese breads. I have tasted a cheese and nigella bagel and the earthy, slightly pungent taste complimented the cheese taste p...

Flatbreads are fun to bake     Our We Knead to Bake group has taken a new turn. Aparna, the starter of the group, suggested that members take turns to decide on the type of bread the rest can bake. I hosted the #40th bake. Barbari had been on my long list of bakes for a long time. Since we hadn't baked a flatbread for eons,I decided to challenge the group with Iranian Barbari Bread.        Barbari or barberi means our fathers ‘of or related to the Barbars' in Persian language. The Barbars live in the Khorasan region, near the eastern border of Iran. The word Barbar means uncivilized, foreign, barbarian) . The Barbars hated being referred to by such a name and Reza Shah granted them the name Khavari (Easterners). However, the name of the bread remains. It’s a very popular bread baked in Iran. It’s made in traditional brick ovens. The bakers make it about 70-80cm long and 30-45 cm wide. It’s usually served with tea and a soft cheese called lighvan cheese whi...

MULTI GRAIN GARLIC NAAN#BREAD BAKERS       A healthy take on naan   As much as we all love naan with our curries, naan is made from refined flour (plain flour, all purpose flour) which is not that healthy. During the process of refining the flour, the husk and bran, the most nutritious part of the wheat grain and rich in fiber is removed. What is left the white part which is carbohydrate, without any vitamins or minerals. Bleaching chemicals are used to make the flour more white. Consuming white flour on a regular basis along with sugar is bad for the body. Weight gain, insulin resistance and diabetes may result in over consumption of white flour. In order to enjoy naan but in a more healthy way, I make it using multi grain flour. I make my own mixture at home as we don't get it in the shops here. I use about 8 different grains to make my multi grained flour. I use this flour daily for rotis and parathas. The recipe for the multi grain is given below . When Karen of ...

easily baked   Turkish flatbread  or turkish pide is a flatbread bread which is healthy and can be accompanied with practically anything. Have it with a curry, soup, make it into a sandwich, top it with your favourite topping. Let your imagination run wild. Its a chewy bread which can be shaped into a rectangle or oval shape and sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds. Turkish flatbread is baked on a stone or clay slab but I baked it in a normal oven tray.Its also topped with cheese, vegetables, meat etc and baked much like a pizza as a quick meal.  I served this bread with soup. The left over tasted great with tea the next day. TURKISH FLATBREAD (PIDE) Serves 4 adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/12772/turkish+pide 3⅓ cups strong plain flour (bread flour, all purpose flour) 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tsp dry, instant yeast ¾ cup warm milk ½ cup warm water 1 tsp olive oil for greasing the tray  little oil for rubbing over the dough extra flour for sprinkling ...