Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Maakouda - Moroccan Potato Patties


Maakouda are delicious and vegan potato patties and are Moroccan street food. In a nutshell, these are delicious and spicy potato filling dipped in yeasted batter and deep fried. Doesn’t that sound divine?

Moroccan cuisine is packed with spicy and yummy foods. Some of the foods are cooked in a special utensil called tagine, and the shape of the tagine aids in cooking the foods in its own juice, enhancing the flavors. The simple and spicy flavors make any meal outstanding. If you want to have a delicious Moroccan stew, this Spicy Moroccan Vegetable Tagine is the one to try. 


When I was exploring the cuisine of Morocco in another blogging group, I stumbled on this Maakouda. I came across this My Moroccan Food and watched a couple of Youtube videos about this snack. My recipe is a mixture of these. I took a few pointers from these. Maakouda can be served as a snack by itself, it can be served between buns as a bigger snack or meal, and that is also a popular street food in Morocco.

Though the patties may sound and look very much similar, there are a couple of minute differences between the two. Parsley is not added in the Indian aloo patties while it is added in Maakouda. The batter in which the patties are drenched and deep fried is made with a little yeast and all-purpose flour in maakouda while yeasted batter is not used in Indian aloo patties. Speaking of yeasted and fried foods, this all-purpose flour and yeast combination reminded me of the Hungarian Langos and the Italian Panzerotti, which is also a popular street food in Hungary. 

Have you ever wondered about a delicious snack that is so yum and close to your heart? There are a couple of reasons why this was immediately loved in our home.Vada pav is a delicious snack with aloo patties inside a bun. Maakouda is the Moroccan version of the potato patties inside the famous Indian Vada Pav. Now this Maakouda will make all the sense why it was loved by us instantly. Both of them are popular street foods that are addictive to the last bit. Maakouda is served inside a bun with a schmear of tomato harissa sauce whereas aloo patties with a little chutney makes the vada pav. 



These garlicky patties are not so tough to make. Cook the potatoes, and while they are cooling, make the batter. A dipping sauce can also be fixed during this time too. Mash the potatoes with seasonings, drench them in the batter, and deep fry. In about 40-45 minutes, this could be brought to the table. 

To me, these are divine and I could have these any time of the day. If it’s a rainy day, along with a cup of masala chai, these patties are heaven.  Plus, leftovers, if any, could be used to make a meal too. Totally win-win in every way with these delicious patties.


This month in our Shhh Secretly Cooking group, we are sharing recipes under the theme World Street Foods. Street foods give ultimate comfort and are quick hunger helpers. There are tons of delicious street foods from every nook and corner of the world characteristic to every region in this world. As soon as the theme was suggested by Preethi, I decided to share this recipe which tasted very much similar to our traditional aloo patties. Seema of Mildly Indian is my partner and she suggested cumin and parsley as the secret ingredients, and I made this Maakouda. I in turn suggested her turmeric and cumin as the secret ingredients and she made a comforting Indore style poha, a popular Indian street food. Street foods are comfort foods with lip smacking flavors and here are some street foods from India and around.

Alepak Poha/Bhelgavi Bhel


Hungarian Langos


Kumpir


Ram Ladoo


Potatoes are always delicious and make any meal comforting. Whether you make them mashed, or in curries, or fries, or any other deep-fried snacks, they are absolutely tasty and addictive. Here are some delicious potato recipes from the blog.

Paneer Tikka Poutine


Curried Baby Hasselback Potatoes


Potato Podimas


Baked Potato Ragada Chaat


Roasted Cranberry Potatoes


Potato Pizza



I am also linking this to Sundays on Silverado, What's For Dinner, Full Plate Thursday, Wonderful Wednesday, and Thursday Favorite Things.



Ingredients
Makes 14

For the patties

Potatoes - 500g
Garlic - 1.5 tsp, finely chopped
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne - 1/2 tsp
Parsley - 1 tbsp, dried
Cilantro - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4 cups, for deep frying

For the Batter

Flour - 1 cup
Yeast - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne - 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 and 1/4 cup


Method

Boil the potatoes, cool, and peel them.


Mash the potatoes and add the salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin powder, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and turmeric, and mix thoroughly.


Divide the dough into 14 equal portions, roll into a ball and flatten them slightly.


To a bowl, add the flour, salt, turmeric, garlic powder, and cayenne. Mix and set aside.


To a quarter cup warm water, add a pinch of sugar and the yeast. Set aside for the mixture to turn bubbly.


Add the activated yeast and the remaining water to the flour mixture. Whisk and make a lump free batter.


Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Drench the patties in batter.


Drop the battered patties into hot oil and deep fry the patties until golden brown on both the sides. Repeat with the remaining patties.


Serve with tomato harissa sauce.


at 10 comments:

Gingerbread Melonpan


These are the most delicious melopans that would warm you up right away all through this holiday season. The warm spices in every layer of the melonpan brings you the utmost comfort in every bite. These buns with gingerbread flavor topped with a crispy gingerbread cookie and filled with a molasses cream sound heavenly, doesn’t it?



A simple toast can be fine for breakfast but you deserve a great breakfast this holiday. This ginger melonpan is the one for you! Wake up to these ginger melonpan on a cold winter morning and these would warm you up from within. All you need is this. 


All you need to make these melonpans are simple pantry and fridge essentials and most of the kitchen would be having the warm spiced as the weather cools. These may take a little time to make but these are amazing in taste and comfort. It's worth all the effort. Won’t you want that for breakfast or brunch?



These buns use Tangzhong, a roux made with flour-milk-water. This makes the buns soft and moist. I always use them in melonpans and check these Matcha Strawberry Cream Melonpan, Espresso Chocolate Cream Buns, or Mango Melonpan. Tangzhong is great to use in dinner rolls like these Tangzhong Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns or these Tangzhong Banana Buns. Coming back, making a tanzhong just takes two minutes and this will give a beautiful soft roll, so I would recommend it.


Most of the time, I use my bread machine to make the dough. A time saver for me. The dough can be made manually though. The dough may be slightly sticky but it will pull through I have used bread flour for the buns and all-purpose flour for the cookie top. Depending on the flour brand or the region, the water required to make the bread dough may vary slightly, and adjust the quantity based on the need. 

The cookie dough uses molasses and powdered sugar along with butter and flour. It is easy to gather them to a dough and it is necessary to refrigerate them for at least an hour. When the bread machine kneads the dough, I make the cookie dough and put it in the fridge. In this way, when the dough finishes proving, the cookie dough will also be ready to slice and placed on top of the shaped buns. This helps in time management.

These buns are filled with molasses and cream cheese. This gives over the top flavor to the bun, creamy surprise inside is always a winner. Whipped cream cheese with molasses perfectly pairs with the gingerbread flavors of these buns.



Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek!! We have 12 bloggers sharing over 30 recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings this holiday season. There are some giftable recipes, breakfast recipes, and delicious dessert recipes. Make sure to follow #ChristmasSweetsWeek on social media to see all of our delicious sweets. We will be pinning all recipes to the #ChristmasSweeetsWeek Pinterest board. Follow it to see all the delicious recipes!


To me, ginger is the best and warm spice and I try and include in many recipes all through the season. Some of them are so close to heart and loved by the family that they are repeated often. Here are a few suggestions from the blog that would lighten up your menu planning with tasty and warm gingerbread flavors.







Ingredients
Makes 10 buns

For the Tangzhong 

All-purpose flour - 5 tbsp
Water - 1/6 cup
Milk - 1/6 cup

For bread

Tangzhong - all of the above
Bread flour - 2 and 3/4 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Molasses - 4 tbsp
Ginger - 2.5 tsp
Cinnamon - 1.5 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/8 tsp
Non-fat dry milk powder - 6 tbsp
Butter - 4 tbsp, melted
Aquafaba - 3 tbsp
Milk - 2/3 cup


For Cream cheese filling

Cream cheese - 80z., room temperature
Molasses - 2 tbsp

For Cookie Dough

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/3 cup
Molasses - 1 tbsp
Ginger - 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg -a pinch
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method

Activate the yeast with warm one-third cup milk and half tablespoon molasses.



Tangzhong: Whisk the flour, milk, and water to a lump free mixture. Cook on a medium flame until it gathers into a smooth mass with continuous stirring. Set aside to cool.


Add the tangzhong, and all of the ingredients for the bread dough into the bread machine and set it on dough cycle.


To make Cookie Dough: In the meantime, mix the flour, salt, ginger powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.


 beat the molasses, butter, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.


Add the dry ingredients and gather into a cookie dough. Roll into a log and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.



Cream Cheese Filling: Beat the cream cheese and molasses until fluffy and well combined. Scrape the sides, cover, and refrigerate.


When the dough id double in size, remove from the machine.


Transfer to a well floured surface, punch and knead the dough.


Divide into 10 equal portions.


Roll each portion into a flat circle of 5-6-in diameter. Scoop about one and a half tablespoons of the molasses cream cheese filling. Gather from one end continuously like a dumpling and seal it. Place it on a lined baking sheet and continue with the rest of the dough portions.


Slice the cookie dough into 10 equal portions. 


Slightly flatten them to stretch across and fit the top of the bun and around the sides. Repeat with all the buns.


With a knife make crisscross patterns on the cookie dough. Cover and set aside to prove for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Bake for 16 min at 375 degrees F, until the bottom sounds hollow. Remove from the oven, cool completely.


Serve warm with coffee or as such.




Wednesday’s Recipes


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Monday, November 28, 2022

White Chocolate Candy Cane Kheer


This is a rich and creamy rice pudding that is perfect to serve all through the holidays. This tastes amazing whether you serve it hot, warm, or chilled. Every bite of this pudding brings the ultimate cozy comfort with the peppermint flavor.



Rice pudding is easy and delicious and it can be flavored in many ways. I guess every region will have its own traditional pudding with rice. It is just comforting! We call it kheer or paal payasam. Rice is sautéed in ghee and then cooked in milk and sweetened with sugar or jaggery. Cardamom and saffron are commonly used to add flavors to traditional kheer recipes. Check this Instant Pot Kheer for a quick and easy dessert. Kheer is a must have dessert on the menu for very special occasions and festive meals, and we still follow it with added twists in flavors.  Growing up in a hot and humid city, mint candies were occasional. After moving here, this is the flavor that I love all through the winter. No wonder it entered into kheer and here I am sharing one of my favorite rice kheer/pudding.


Talking about the flavor, this kheer gets its sweetness and flavor from white chocolate and candy canes as the name suggests. The candy canes give the peppermint flavor and add a nice pink color to the kheer. During this season, every home will have candy canes and hence making this kheer is all the more easy. Crush the candy canes and add it along with white chocolates to the kheer and stir until it is completely incorporated into the kheer. 



This kheer is easy to make and takes about 45 minutes to make. I love to cook and simmer the milk to reduce to the desired consistency. Though this can be done by adding half and half or using Instant Pots, I like the traditional simmering as it lends a beautiful flavor to the kheer. When you do so, some of the rice may break down resulting in a creamier texture too.  But if you are in a time crunch, cook the rice until the first half of the recipe and add one and a half cups of half and half. 


Almonds are added in this recipe. The sliced almonds give a crunch here and there. For a nut free kheer, omit the almonds. I personally like almonds and used in this kheer. Toasted cashews can also be used. Nuts are optional.


This peppermint flavored kheer is the best dessert of the season. It is a huge hit every time I make it. Holidays and peppermint are natural partners and this kheer will be the perfect and comforting dessert of the season and I can guarantee that you and your family too would love it. 


Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek!! We have 12 bloggers sharing over 30 recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings this holiday season. There are some giftable recipes, breakfast recipes, and delicious dessert recipes. Make sure to follow #ChristmasSweetsWeek on social media to see all of our delicious sweets.We will be pinning all recipes to the #ChristmasSweeetsWeek Pinterest board. Follow it to see all the delicious recipes!

Like I said before, kheer is always a part of our festive menu. Thirupullani Paal Payasam is flavored with brown sugar and Black Rice Pudding with sugar. This Thengai Arisi Payasam uses coconut, rice, and jaggery as the sweetener. For a pudding with millets, try this Barnyard Millet Paal Payasam and any millet can be used in the recipe.




Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8

Basmati rice - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Milk - 5 cups
White chocolate - 1/2 cup
Candy cane - 11-12
Extra candy canes for decoration.


Method

Rinse the rice with water and drain it completely. In a heavy bottomed pan/pot add ghee, when it melts add the rinsed rice and sauté for a minute until it turns aromatic.


Add the water and two cups of water. Simmer for 17-19 minutes on medium low heat, stirring now and then to prevent scorching at the bottom. The rice would absorb all the liquid and would have cooked nicely.


In the meantime, crush the candy canes and set aside.


Add the remaining three cups of milk to the rice and cook until the milk reduces to half. This may take about 15-18 minutes. Stir now and then to prevent scorching at the bottom.


Add the almonds, white chocolate, and crushed candy canes. Stir thoroughly until the chocolate and candy melts completely.


Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from the flame.


Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot, warm, or chilled. Add extra crushed candy canes on top when serving.



Monday’s Recipes


at 6 comments:

Almond Cranberry Orange Muffins


These are tender and delicious almond muffins with cranberries and white chocolate, and with a hint of orange. The flavor combination is just right that it is easy to gobble a couple for breakfast or for snack. 


I received complimentary products to aid develop recipes and the views expressed are my own only. This recipe uses Taylor & College Almond extract paste and they are the best. If you haven’t used Taylor & College extracts, I urge you to try as soon as possible. This gives the right touch of almond flavor to foods, and the resulting baked goods or any food has the top notch flavors.


These muffins have tons of almond flavor. It is made with almond flour, almond milk, sliced almonds, and with a final touch of Taylor & Colledge almond extract paste. These give the immense flavoring in these muffins and make a very delicious breakfast whether you have it at the table or on the go. It is a great snack too. Almonds are beneficial to health and with multiple almond sources in these muffins along with cranberries and orange, this is a great way to sneak some nuts if you have a picky eater.


These muffins are easy to make too. Also, these are gone in a flash that I never got a chance to freeze them. Once you try, you will agree that it's all gone in a day or two, and you may have to make another batch. With cranberries, almonds, and with a hint of orange flavor these muffins are perfect for fall as well as for any day as it uses dried sweetened cranberries. White chocolate chips are added too. For a vegan version, replace the white chocolate chips with vegan chips of your choice or can be omitted. Omit the sanding sugar too. I have used organic brown sugar. Not all brown sugar is vegan. Plant Prosperous lists the vegan brown sugar that you can pick from your stores and the reasons too. 


It is already end of November, and this being the last Monday of the month, it is time for Muffin Monday. #MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page. This delicious muffin recipe is my share for this month's event. 



Ingredients
Makes 14

Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 19 minutes
Cool time - 5 minutes


All purpose flour - 1 and 1/4 cup
Almond flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Flaxseed powder - 2 tbsp
Brown sugar - 3/4 cup
Almond milk - 2/3 cup
Orange juice - 2/3 cup
Almond extract paste - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/3 cup
Orange zest - 1 tbsp
Sliced almonds - 1/3 cup
Cranberries - 1/2 cup, dried & sweetened
White chocolate chips - 1/4 cup
Sanding sugar - optional


Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add flaxseed powder to one-third cup almond milk, mix, and set aside to gel.


Add the all purpose flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, and baling powder to a bowl and mix.


To another bowl add the oil, brown sugar, flaxseed mixture, Taylor & Colledge almond extract paste, remaining almond milk, orange juice, and orange zest. Mix.


Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and quickly mix.


Fold in the dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and white chocolate chips.


Pour into a lined muffin tray.


Top with extra cranberries, sliced almonds, and some sanding sugar. This step is optional. Bake for 18-19 minutes at 350 degrees F.


Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.





Here are the links for November 2022 edition of Muffin Monday, Thanks Stacy!
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