Strawberry Jam Recipe

Strawberry Jam


Quick and easy strawberry jam recipe.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yields: 2 cups (approx)

Ingredients:

1. Strawberry,roughly chopped- 3 cups
2. Sugar-1.5 cup
3. Vanilla pod-1 small
4. Lemon juice-2.5 to 3 tbsp

Instructions:

In a large pot,combine together strawberry,sugar and lemon juice.Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pot.

Bring it to a simmer over medium heat.Mash it using a potato masher as you cook it.( i like it be a bit chunky,so did not mash the berries)

Stir well and bring it to a boil.Cook until it turns thick and glossy.Skim the foam as you cook it.(To test if it is ready or not,place a spoonful of jam on a plate and place it in the fridge for a minute or two,if it is still runny cook for another 5  minutes and check again)

Let it sit for 10 minutes.Transfer the jam to a sterilized jar and let cool to room temperature,before sealing the jar.( Refrigerate upto 10 days)

   

MINI FALAFEL

Mini Falafels

Ingredients
For Falafel

1. Dry chickpeas- 1/2 cup
2. Coriander leaves-chopped- 1/4 Cup
3. Parsley-chopped- 1/4 cup
4. Green chilies-chopped- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp( or to taste)
5. Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
6. Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
7. Red chili powder- 1/4 tsp
8. Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
9. Onion-chopped- 1/4 cup
10. All purpose flour- 1/2 to 1 tbsp( see notes)
11. Garlic- 2 cloves
12. Salt- to taste
13. Oil- for frying

For Tahini sauce

1. Tahini-(or use 4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds)- 2 tbsp
2. Yogurt-( for vegan option,use cashew yogurt)- 1/4 cup
3. Garlic-chopped- 1/4 tsp
4. Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
5. Salt- to taste

For Falalfel wraps

1. Pita bread- 4 to 5 nos
2. Hummus- 1/2 cup
3. Cucumber-sliced- as required
4. Tomato-sliced- as required
5. Salad greens-chopped- as requied
6. Pickled chilies- Few

Directions

 To prepare falafel

• Soak dry chickpeas in plenty of water for about 8 to 12 hours.

• Drain and add it to a blender with the rest of the ingredients listed under 'for falafel'( except oil).Grind to form a coarse paste.( It should not be smooth)

• Shape this into small patties.Refrigerate the patties for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in pan and deep fry the falafels until it turns golden brown,turning once in between.( you can also shallow fry the falafels,if desired.)

Serve with tahini sauce or  make falafel wraps with it.

To prepare falafel wraps 

• Combine all the ingredients listed under 'for tahini sauce' in a blender and blend to form a smooth paste.
• Spread 2  to 3 tbsp of hummus on the pita bread.Top with cucumber ,tomato and pickled chilies.Then add two to three broken falafels.Drizzle tahini sauce,wrap tightly. Serve immediately.

NOTES

• You can make about 12 to 14 mini falafels from this quantity.
• If you are finding it difficult to shape the patties,add few tsp of water and pulse again.
• I used rice flour instead of all purpose flour and it tasted fine.

WHITE BREAD / SWEET MILK BREAD

Makes- 1 Loaf
Ingredients

1. Active dry yeast- 1 and 1/4 tsp
2. Luke warm milk- 3/4 cup
3. Sugar- 2  tbsp ( see notes)
4. All purpose flour- 2 and 1/4 Cups (1/4 cup or more if required)( see notes)
5. Melted butter/Olive oil- 2 tbsp+ more for brushing (  i used olive oil)
6. Salt-to taste

Method

• Brush a loaf pan ( i used 8"x 4" loaf pan) with butter or line it with parchment paper.Preheat oven to 180 Deg C.
• In a bowl,combine together yeast,milk and sugar.Keep this aside for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is frothy.
• In a large mixing bowl,whisk together all purpose flour and salt.Next add melted butter /oil and mix well using your fingers.

• Slowly add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix well until combined.(The dough will be a bit sticky.You can add few tablespoons of flour if you are finding it difficult to handle.)Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead well for 10 to 12 minutes.The dough should be soft and elastic.Transfer the dough to a greased bowl

• Cover it with a clean kitchen towel ,and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume for about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.Punch down the risen dough using your fist.

• Form into a loaf shape and place in the prepared pan,seam-side down.Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volume ,about 45 minutes.
• Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.(if the top browns too quickly,loosely cover it with foil.)

• Lightly brush the top and the sides with melted butter/oil.Allow it to cool a bit before slicing.

Notes:

• Start with 2 cups flour and slowly add more as required.(If you add too much flour the dough will be dry and the bread will turn out to be hard and dry.)The dough should be a bit sticky and as you knead the dough, it will be easy to handle and less sticky .
• 1 used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour.
• I used about 2 and 1/4 tbsp of sugar and it was moderately sweet.Adjust the sweetness according to your taste.

MUSHROOM SANDWICH

Ingredients

1. Sandwich rolls- 2 to 3 nos
2. Garlic-finely chopped- 2 cloves
3. Onion -sliced- 1 small
4. Mushrooms-sliced- 250 gms
5. Soya sauce-1/2 to 1 tsp
6. Black pepper powder-to taste
7. Salt to taste
8. Tomato sliced- 1 large
9. Oil -as required
10. Salad greens-as required

Method
To prepare mushroom filling

• Heat oil in a pan and add garlic and onion.Saute until onion turns translucent.
• Add sliced mushrooms and saute until it turns golden brown ,over a medium flame for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• When it is almost dry add soya sauce,black pepper powder and salt to taste.Cook for few more seconds and allow it to cool a bit.

To prepare grilled tomato

• Heat 1.2 tsp oil in a pan and place the tomato slices in the pan,Cook for about a minute until lightly browned.Flip and brown the other side also.Keep aside until required.

To prepare sandwich

• Heat a large pan and place the sandwich rolls ,cut side down and toast until it turns golden brown.
• Place grilled tomato slices on the bottom half of the rolls and top with salad greens and mushroom filling.(you can also add cheese slices if desired)Cover with the top half of the roll and serve immediately.