Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Vegetarian Sourdough Bread Stuffing for #Thanksgiving

22 | 11 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Thanksgiving side dishes are a great way of adding a good mix of items on your table. There’s the sweet potato casserole, mashed potato and roasted veggies that are super delicious. But my biggest hit last Thanksgiving was this Vegetarian Sourdough Bread Stuffing that my guests couldn’t get enough of.

Vegetarian Sourdough Bread Stuffing

This is one easy dish that takes no effort and tastes like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen! Its flavorful, looks beautiful and is a great side dish for your vegetarian as well as meat loving guestsI just love this and it seemed like the perfect dish to share with you for Thanksgiving.

I’ve used Dave Liberman’s recipe and made it pure vegetarian by using vegetable stock.You can use store bought vegetable stock or make your own. The mushrooms are a great addition to this meatless stuffing and you don’t miss the meat at all!The combination of sage and thyme works wonderfully. I’ve used a mix of cremini and shitake mushrooms along with red onions and the flavors are to die for.Serve alongside your other favorites and enjoy!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Vegetarian Sourdough Stuffing for #Thanksgiving

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Soudough Bread-1 lb loaf
  • 8 oz pack of cremini and 4 oz pack of shitake mushrooms
  • 4 Celery stalks with leaves
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 ½ cups of vegetable stock
  • 10 sage leaves and some fresh thyme
  • salt to taste
  • pepper
  • 3 tbsp of butter

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a baking dish.
  • Slice the mushrooms and chop the celery and onions.
  • Cube the bread into 1 inch cubes and place In a large baking sheet.Bake until they're slightly golden and toasted.
  • In a skillet heat 2 tbsp of butter and add the mushrooms.Cook until they turn slightly golden.
  • Add the onion and celery and saute for a few minutes.
  • Add the stock, salt and pepper.Mix well.
  • Place the toasted bread pieces into a large dish and pour the veggies along with the liquid.Toss to combine.
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 mins.

 

 

 

Rasgulla-Cheese Dumplings in Sugar Syrup for #Diwali

17 | 10 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

I’m not much of a dessert person, but there are certain favorites especially few Bengali sweets that I’ve devoured since childhood and have very fond memories of. Spongy melt-in-your-mouth cheese dumplings called Rasgullas served in earthen clay pots were the highlights of many evenings at home growing-up. Sold at Bengali sweet shops, these delicious dumplings were often served along with another classic Mishti Doi (sweetened yoghurt with jaggery set in a clay pot).I gorged on them and still do whenever I get the chance!With Diwali round the corner, this amazing dessert seems just perfect to be shared on my blog today.

Rasgulla

Rasgullas are spongy sweet cheese dumplings in sugar syrup that are incredibly delicious.The sugar syrup is flavored with rose water and saffron. They’re not overly sweet like most Indian desserts and the excess syrup can be squeezed out if too sweet is not your thing. In India these desserts are easily available at any Bengali sweet shop and you can enjoy them to your heart’s content.Abroad, not so much!You make your own when those cravings become unbearable and even more so in the festive season when you miss all those delicacies.paneerThey’re not that difficult albeit a bit time consuming, since you first make the chena/paneer and then proceed with the next steps.Once you have the chena ready, its only a matter of making the dumplings and the sugar syrup.The most important part in the process is massaging the chena until it releases the fat and your palms become oily.That tells you that its ready to be shaped into balls.

The balls are then dropped into the sugar syrup to soak up all the delicious flavors from the saffron and the rose water.These can be made a day ahead, so they’re perfect for a crowd.Serve them chilled garnished with some saffron strands and see them disappear!

‘Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali and may it illuminate your life with good health and all the joys of the world‘

You can also try other festive recipes below:
Aloo Gobi
Gobhi Mussallam (Whole Roasted Cauliflower)
Ricotta Cardamom Fudge
Easy Cardamom Coconut Balls 

Rasgulla-Cheese Dumplings in Sugar Syrup for #Diwali

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ltr whole milk
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice mixed with a little water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ tsp rose water
  • few saffron strands

Instructions
 

Making the paneer/chena

  • Heat the milk in a deep bottomed pot on medium heat stirring every few mins so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
  • Line a strainer with a cheese/muslin cloth.
  • Once the milk comes to a boiling point add 2 tbsp of lemon juice.The milk should start to curdle.If it doesn't, add a little bit more lemon juice.Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 mins.
  • Pour the milk through the cheese/muslin cloth.
  • Now gather the muslin cloth from the sides and rinse the chena under running water.This helps get rid of the taste of lemon.
  • Tie the ends of the muslin cloth and squeeze the excess water out and hang it for about 30 mins until all the liquid has drained out.

To make the balls

  • The chena shouldn't have too much moisture or be too dry.
  • Now transfer the chena on to a tray and start massaging (this is the most important step to get soft spongy dumplings) with your palms for about 10 mins until your palms start to become moist with the fat from the chena.
  • Alternatively you can blend the chena in your food processor for just one minute and continue massaging by hand for abt 6-7 mins until it releases oil.
  • Once it reaches that point start making small balls making sure there are no cracks in them.Keep the sizes small since they puff up while boiling.
  • Heat the sugar water solution in a large pot with enough space for the balls to double up and add rose water and saffron.Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
  • Drop the balls gently into the syrup while its still boiling and cover it with a lid.Lower the heat to your lowest setting and cook for about 15 mins until they're all puffed up (they double in size).
  • Let it cool and transfer the rasgullas into the fridge to chill.
  • Serve chilled garnished with a few saffron strands.

Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)

08 | 09 | 2017
By Soni Sinha

Cooler temperatures these past couple of days signal that my favorite season is approaching. As much as I love summer, my favorite season is autumn with nature painting its own mural with lovely hues of orange, gold, crimson and scarlet. The cool crisp air, warm aromatic spices, apples, pumpkins, the Hindu festivals of Dusshera and Diwali followed by the holidays are the joys of fall! The kitchen is a busy place all autumn and for a foodie like me nothing is more enjoyable than this.

Arroz Con Leche

This calls for a recipe like Arroz Con Leche (a Mexican Rice Pudding that’s become a firm family favorite of late) that’s perfect for this weather with its generous use of cinnamon and a rich creamy consistency. Rice Pudding is so ubiquitous around the world that there are a million ways to make it using fruits, nuts, coconut, cardamom, cinnamon etc.. Arroz Con Leche is one such variation where cinnamon is added to the milk and rice mixture giving it a pleasant aroma. Again, there are many ways of making this comforting dessert but this is an easier method using sweetened condensed milk and we love it!

It can be served warm or chilled and it’s the perfect dessert for a crowd that can be made a day ahead. The use of condensed milk reduces the cooking time by half and gives it that irresistible creamy consistency that’s to die for.A generous dusting of powdered cinnamon is all it needs before serving.Enjoy!

Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding)

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • One 4-inch cinnamon stick
  • One 14-ounce can condensed milk
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 Ground cinnamon for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the rice until water runs clear (two or three times)
  • Put the water,rice and cinnamon stick into a a pot and bring to a boil.Once its starts boiling reduce the hear to low, cover and cook for about 15 mins or until the rice is fully cooked.
  • Add the sweetened condensed and milk whole and continue to cook until the mixture boils.Reduce the heat and continue to cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy.About 20 mins..
  • Let it cool for a few mins.At this point you can either serve this warm with a dusting of ground cinnamon or cool it and chill in the fridge.Dust with ground cinnamon just before serving.

Peanut Butter Blossoms for the #Holidays

22 | 12 | 2016
By Soni Sinha

Its time to make to some Peanut Blossom Cookies! Peanut Butter and chocolate is a great combination and I can never get enough of these beauties. In our house, the hubs and my thirteen year old equally love these cookies but my eight year old is not a big fan of peanut butter, hence he doesn’t enjoy them as much.

peanut-butter-blossoms

While I’ve enjoyed many Peanut Butter Blossoms over the years, there’s an interesting story behind it as I found out. Legend has it that Freda Smith intended to make a batch of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and after mixing part of the dough, realized that her pantry was without chocolate chips. So, she grabbed a bag of Hershey’s Kisses instead and used them atop the cookies.

peanut-butter-blossoms-4

Ms. Smith entered her creation into the Annual Pillsbury Bake Off Competition and came in third place winning a General Electric range, a mixer and $100 cash while the winning cookies fetched a reward of $45,000.In 1999 Pillsbury named her Peanut Butter Blossoms one of the ten most treasured recipes in the company’s history.

peanut-butter-blossoms-2

I follow Betty Crocker recipe and they come out perfect every-time.The soft chewy texture and the Hershey’s Kiss standing proudly at the top is the highlight of this cookie. If you’re a chocolate and peanut butter lover like me then you should try to make these at home.You can get creative and dip the cookies in colored sugar for a more festive look.Place them in the freezer for a few minutes so the Kisses don’t melt (since you’re going to place them right after they’re out of the oven).
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!!

Peanut Butter Blossoms-makes around 36 cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup butter or margarine softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • more granulated sugar
  • About 36 Hershey's Kisses milk chocolates

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg in your stand mixer or electric mixer until well blended.
  • Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder until dough forms.
  • Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in additional granulated sugar.
  • On ungreased cookie sheets, place about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
  • Immediately press 1 milk chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.
  • Place in the freezer for a few minutes and take them out.

Chai Spiced Apple Clafoutis #RawSpiceBar #PondicherryFlavorKit

07 | 12 | 2016
By Soni Sinha


Nothing excites me more these days than seeing the monthly flavor kit of different spice mixes from Raw Spice Bar. Such a unique concept and having tried two of their kits so far, I highly recommend them. They only cost $7/kit for a year’s subscription and you get to try freshly ground spice mixes/spices and flavors from around the world with recipes included in the kit.

Last month’s Pondicherry Kit had the flavors screaming my name!
Vaarangal (“Welcome” in Tamil)! You’ve landed in Pondicherry! The weather is warm and the coastal breeze is refreshing but a Chai tea won’t hurt. The Romans, the Chinese, the Dutch, the English, and the French have all been here and their influences remain present. Warm Vadouvan odors collide with buttery smells wafting from kitchens in the French Quarter. With colonization cuisine changed; however, the complex layers of Indian spices shine through each French inspired dish.

raw-spice-bar-pondicherry-kit

Pondicherry Kit comprises of the following spice blends:

INDO-FRENCH VADOUVAN- Toasted cumin, toasted coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, yellow mustard seeds, brown mustard seeds, green cardamom, aleppo pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, cloves, spices-Looking forward to making a lamb curry using this one!

UNPUMPKIN PIE SPICE- Ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, black peppercorns, star anise, spices-Pumpkin Pie Truffles are always a hit with my friends and I’m going to be making lots more using this.

PEPPERCORN CHAI- Toasted black peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, star anise, spices-Apart from my masala chai, Apple Clafoutis is what I’ve made using this one!Delicious!

chai-spiced-apple-clafoutis-10

Apple desserts are a big family favorite especially during this time of the year when you crave for a comforting dessert with warm spices. I went straight for the Peppercorn Chai and followed the recipe for the Chai Spiced Apple Clafoutis. Clafoutis or Clafouti is a French Dessert using fruits suspended in a pancake like batter.The result is a soft fluffy custardy pudding which in this case is the perfect bed for the spice glazed apples.The flavors were spot on for a spice and chai lover like me.The peppercorns, fennel, cardamom and other chai spices work really well with apples.All it needed was a dusting of sugar.A satisfying dessert for these cold days that I’m certainly going to be making over and over again.Enjoy!

chai-spiced-apple-clafoutis

Chai Spiced Apple Clafoutis

INGREDIENTS

RawSpiceBar’s Peppercorn Chai
3 eggs
1 cup milk or heavy cream
12 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 tsp. salt
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. brandy

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine milk, eggs, 6 tbsp butter, vanilla, flour, 2 tsp sugar, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
  2. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add apples, 1⁄2 cup sugar, RawSpiceBar’s Peppercorn Chai and brandy. Cook until apples are glazed, about 5 minutes.
  3.  Add half batter to greased pie plate. Arrange apple slices on top, reserving juices, then pour remaining batter over apples. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top and bake until golden, 25-30 minutes. Drizzle with warmed reserved apple juices.

Disclaimer:I was provided with a free sample of RawSpiceBar’s Pondicherry Flavor Kit and all opinions are my own.