Banana Bread

Tho I learnt how to bake and cook in my catering college, I never really tried it out at home. It was always something associated with studies and college :(.

Once I had my first kid, I got quite domesticated and felt as a mom I had to bake something for my 3 year old. I had lost touch completely with baking as it had been a few years since I traversed that road.Took out a recipe book and said not only tasty, it must be healthy as well. So fished out a recipe for a honey oatmeal cake. With all the enthusiasm of a born again baker I embarked on an exciting task. Sifted, sieved, mixed, creamed did everything with real gusto.... Out of the oven came this "appalam". It looked like a cake, tasted like a cake, but looked absolutely flat like a pita round. To this day I dont know what I did wrong. But my son enjoyed every morsel and kept telling me" Amma, how nice how nice!!. You are the best cook in the world" It was such a pleasure to hear. Kids can really make your day. After that it was a learning curve. Tried many recipes. Different things. Learnt a lot along the way.

When I started baking, one of the first things I wanted to try out was banana bread. My first taste of it was totally different from what I had expected. When you say bread, the image that comes up in your mind is very different - Sliced bread, brown bread.... Banana bread is just a yummy yummy cake. The walnuts give a nice crunch in every bite. And the taste of banana??? Just pure heaven...

Now for the recipe:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed very ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour sifted
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream butter sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well. Stir in banana and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients.Add walnuts at this stage. Pour into a greased loaf pan ( 4" x 9").

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Cool and cut into pieces.

Kathi Rolls

When I was in college in Bombay ( or Mumbai as it is known now) money was always scarce. " Amma, I have run out of money . I need some urgently" can only be used occasionally. Hating the hostel food ( who doesn't?) and foraging for food outside of the college, Bombay's famous street food always came to our rescue. One day it was dosas on Warden Road for 2 rupees and a big blob of Amul butter for a rupee more, other days bhel puri or sev puri from the chaat guy round the corner. But one thing that I always loved was the very well known Bombay Frankie. It was a nice tasty snack which filled all the empty pockets in my tummy.

Left Bombay, started work, got married, had kids.... Never though did I forget the taste of those yummy frankies..

Suddenly about a year ago found out that they were being marketed in Chennai too... My joy knew no bounds. Went halfway across the city to get my first taste of a frankie in many years. TASTED JUST THE SAME !!!!!!!!.

Many times after that I tried to replicate the taste. But that did not happen.

So I improvised and here is my version of the Frankie - a cross between the Original Bombay Frankie and the local Kathi Rolls ( more kathi rolls and less frankie). Healthy and full of taste.

Heres the recipe...
Ingredients:

Carrots - 2
Beans -100 gms

Potatoes - 2

Onions - 2 sliced finely

Capsicum - 2 sliced finely

Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Tomato Puree - 3 Tablesppons

Jeera - 1 tsp

Pav Bhaji Masala - 1 tablespoon

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Garnish:

Onions- 2 sliced finely

Vinegar- 2 teaspoons

Salt - a pinch

Rotis:

2 cups wheat flour

Curds - 1 cup

Butter - 50 gms

Salt to taste

Method:

Slice carrots, beans, potatoes into juliennes (matchstick like pieces). Steam or boil till almost done. It should not be over done.Heat oil. When hot, add jeera and fry till golden. Add sliced onion and capsicum. Saute for a few minutes. Add ginger garlic paste. Fry for 5 minutes longer. Add the pav bhaji masala, chilli powder and salt. Fry for about a minute. Add tomato puree. Add the carrot, beans and potato.Cook for a bit till all the tastes come together.

Soak the garnish onions in the vinegar and salt for a few hours.

Make dough for rotis using curd and the butter instead of water. Knead well.

Roll out rotis and cook each with a little oil on a griddle.Place a roti flat and put a tablespoon of the masala on it. Put the garnish onions on top. Roll up the roti.

Serve hot along with green chutney.

Yippee!!!! Finally got my own blog going....

You know this has been sometime in coming... I have looked and looked and drooled over all your blogs and the yummy pictures.. Tried out many new recipes and changed a few things in my own recipes... I have been dying to start this for a while.. But you know how it is..Always a slip betweeen the cup and the lip :). Actually kids and their needs came in the way.. But now that I have posted my first post.. will slowly navigate my way through this new world called blogging and I am sure I will have a great time doing it. Look forward to being a part of all your lives just as you are a part of mine( tho anonymously as of now :) ).