Sourdough Semolina Cracker Papdi Chaat

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Caroline Radhakrishnan

What kind of warped brain would think of incorporating Sourdough (SD) into Chaat? Well the answer is right here because Yours Truly is constantly crossing lines and breaking boundaries in a quest to include SD into everything that emerges from the kitchen 😀

Yes Chaat, the quintessential Indian street food, has not been spared either and this variation in this popular range of snacks has been made easier by the fact that throughout the country Chaat has always been quite a target for experimentation, resulting in versions that coexist peacefully alongside the traditional and classic original forms too.

My Sourdough Semolina Crackers of the previous post, were the catalyst that resulted in this SD Papdi chaat. As mentioned in that post, the Sourdough Semolina Puri was also a very welcome outcome. You can read about that in the next post.

For now, let us immerse ourselves in the tangy, spicy, sweet and exciting pleasures of the Sourdough Semolina Cracker Papdi Chaat.

Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Chaat, Chutney, Recipes, Snacks, Sourdough, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wholegrain | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sourdough Semolina Crackers

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Caroline Radhakrishnan

Oh Sourdough (SD) crackers, how many are the ways that I love thee. And more importantly, how many are the ways that I can make thee 😀

Well the answer is apparently Infinite because these crackers can have that many variations in flavor, texture, ingredients etc etc.

I have so far only documented 3 of them on this blog, though I have made far many more variations. But then you know, at times I just go ahead and create things without the additional pressure of writing and photographing them. If you are a (bad) blogger like me, then you will totally understand that feeling 😎

Anyway, it has been quite a while since I obsessed over my crackers and these semolina SD ones have been very patiently waiting in my files to be unleashed on to the hungry world.

So let us set them free, while running the risk of enslaving ourselves to their wily charms!!!

And on that dramatic note, I hereby present the Sourdough Semolina Crackers and subsequently the Sourdough Semolina Cracker Papdi Chaat and the Sourdough Semolina Puri, both of which were serendipitous outcomes of this cracker recipe.

Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Snacks, Sourdough, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wholegrain | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sourdough English Muffins

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Caroline Radhakrishnan

For something that sounds so stylish, English Muffins are a surprisingly easy kind of bread to make.

Yes again contrary to their name, they are actually little discs of bread and different from the cup cake shaped items that the Americans refer to as muffins.

So why the gingerbread people prancing around, you ask? Well that was just me, Ms Itchy Fingers, who thought that circles were too tame and not exciting enough 😀

But purists, fret not. There also are a few in the shape that the inventor originally intended.

The beauty of English Muffins is that they can be cooked on a tava (griddle) and do not even need an oven. Which is somewhat a big deal in India where ovens are still not all that common an appliance in people’s homes.

English muffins have a texture that is full of nooks and crannies and this creates quite a bit of excitement for the butter or spread that is used, since it provides multiple destinations for it to slither into and hide, just before it slips out onto our palate and surprises us pleasantly 😀

English muffins can be leavened with commercial yeast or even sourdough and if you know me by now, you will definitely guess what I opted for 😎

So let us slide into the recipe just like the butter gently slides into the muffin.

Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Recipes, Sourdough, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sourdough Phulka (Indian Flatbread)

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Caroline Radhakrishnan

Clicked by me but not in my kitchen.

A phulka (pronounced Fulka), is one of the most common among Indian flatbreads (generically called Rotis) and is a staple food in many Indian states especially in the North. This is an unleavened bread and is oil free, light, soft, thin and circular and designed to easily mop up gravies and other side dishes. It gets its name from its property of puffing up when it is cooked. Phulna is the verb which means to puff up, in Hindi.

Now the phulka may as well be unleavened but when the matter comes into the hands of a Sourdough (SD) maniac like yours truly who is on a constant quest to incorporate her SD starter into anything and everything that will docilely obey, then the phulka becomes one more casualty along her murderous SD path 😀

Continue reading →

Posted in Fermentedfoods, Recipes, Sourdough, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wholegrain | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Date Chutney

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Caroline Radhakrishnan

A Date with a chutney … or a Chutney with a Date. This blog is about both. Yet another of my long pending projects that await my fickle mood and mind, until something catalyzes the process and helps it come to fruition.

So this time my reminder was the presence of the plump Mejdool variety of dates that found their way to me via a Diwali hamper sent by the Just Be Restocafe.

Dates are one of the most versatile fruits both nutritionally and with their conduciveness to punning 😎

There are infinite recipes and ways of incorporating them in our diet.

One of my favorite ways of consuming them is via this sweet and tangy Date Chutney that is as versatile in its uses, as its star ingredient itself.

Continue reading →

Posted in Chutney, Dips, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment