Empanadas, with an Indian veggie keema filling

Empanadas

I'm not really sure how and why I had the urge to make empanadas. I remember racking my brains on what to make for an appetizer to a friend's dinner party, and somehow it's the one thing that did not have me running out to make another trip to the grocery store. Oh and it was cold that day, and I had tried Stand Up Paddleboarding for the first time ever and, did I say that it was really cold that day?  Anyhow so I decided I had everything at home to make empanadas, except for Masa Casera, which was easily available at the closest Mexican convenience store.  And, it turns out that I could have done without it, because all you really need is fine semolina or cornmeal. Masa casera may be slightly finer, but it doesn't matter, cos no one dislikes a bit of crunch !

So that takes care of the dough, because did I mention how easy it is??  And now for the filling, which was also almost a pantry recipe. I have been meaning to make my sister's veg keema recipe, and that is what I filled the empanadas with. Typically I suppose they would be filled with meat, but since I don't really eat red meat, I thought this would be the best option.  Of course I threw in some feta cheese ones as well, but these were the star, In my humble opinion.  

So here it is then, how to make empanadas.

For the Dough

1 cup water 

1/2 cup butter
1 cup Masa Casera (Finely ground cornmeal/semolina)

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika

Heat the butter and water until the butter melts, and add some of it into the flour, semolina, salt and paprika. Bring the dough together by adding the rest of the water (if needed - it really depends on the flour and the humidity in the air, so try a little water at a time), and refrigerate for an hour or so.

For the filling:

I followed my sister's recipe from here

So once the filling is ready, and the dough is rested, you roll out the dough to about 1/4 of an inch thickness.  Then you find a cookie cutter or like I did - a 3 inch lid of a spice bottle, and you cut circles in the dough, until you have used up most of the dough quite efficiently.  Then you (or in my case, my husband) put some filling in the middle of the little flying saucers, fold them into half moons, and indent the folds with a fork, not just so they are pretty looking, but in order to secure the yummy filling so they don't tumble onto the baking sheet while in the oven.  And then you line them up onto your baking sheet, and then you paint them with egg wash (egg yolk with 1 Tablespoon of water) and into the oven they go.

So then you bake them in a 400F Preheated oven until they are golden brown.

And there you go.

I served these with a lovely Chimichourri sauce

3 tbsp olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, salt to taste, handful of chopped parsley and cilantro, sprinkle of paprika, 1/2 clove crushed garlic.

Mix and let it sit for at least an hour

Impromptu dinner - Keralan Egg Curry with Lemon Rice

We were supposed to go to Kerala.  Two days after our wedding, we were going to have an adventure with 8 of our friends in the jungles of Thekkady, and relax on the backwaters of Kerala on a houseboat for a night, and end our time in Kochi.  And of course sample all the lovely Keralan food !  It didn't work out however, and although I missed out on a cooking class in Kochi, which was the thing that I secretly looked forward to the MOST, we stayed in Goa in a hut on the beach.  Just my husband and I.

I still dream of the possibility of trying the food though.  And the other day when my husband invited a few friends over for dinner at the last minute, I racked my brains on what I could make without going to the grocery store.  And then I thought of a conversation that was taking place between my sister and my mother in law.  The conversation revolved around food - and that's usually the case when my sister and I are together - and we were talking about food that we take during our travels.  You know, in case god forbid, we go hungry on the train/plane ride ! So my mil said that when she was in Chennai, they used to pack egg curry and lemon rice on overnight train rides. And I remember thinking of how yummy the combination sounds, and how I must make it soon !  So here it is - This is what I made for my dinner guests, and I must say it was well appreciated.

Keralan Egg Curry

• Eggs – 4/5, hard boiled and peeled
• White / Red / Yukon Gold Potatoes – 3-4, peeled and quartered
• Vegetable oil – 2 tsp
• Red Onion – 2 medium, chopped
• Crushed garlic – 1 T
• Grated ginger – 1 T
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli powder / Cayenne – 2 tsp
• Crushed Black Pepper – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tsp
• Crushed / Powdered Fennel  – 11/2 tsp
• Goan Curry Masala, if not Garam Masala will also do – 1 tsp
• Tomatoes – 4, chopped
• Salt
• Chopped Cilantro – 2 bsp – for garnish

To grind to a paste:

• Grated coconut – 3/4 cup
• Dried Red Chillies –4
• Pearl Onions – 5, peeled

For Tempering:

• Oil – 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Pearl Onions – 6 , peeled and sliced
• Curry leaves – a few

Boil the potatoes till they are soft ( if you hold it with a fork, it slides right through). Drain and keep aside.
Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the onions, crushed garlic, ginger and saute well till the onions become translucent. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, black pepper, coriander powder, garam masala and fennel powder and saute well till the raw smell of turmeric and other spices disappear. Now add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes become soft. Add potatoes and give it a quick stir.
I use dried unsweetened coconut flakes (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes) or you can use frozen coconut (thawed).  Grind together, the coconut, pearl onions and red chillies with just a little (2-4 tbsp) water to a very smooth paste.
Now mix this coconut paste to the saute pan with the onions, tomatoes, potatoes and spices. Add a little water to the pan to get a sauce. Add salt to the mix. Let it come to a boil and let the gravy / sauce thicken. Now cut the boiled and peeled eggs in half and add to this and mix well. Switch off heat.
Heat oil in a smaller pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the pearl onions and the curry leaves. Once the pearl onions turning golden, switch off the heat and pour this over the curry.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked Basmati rice (or leftover rice)
• 2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• handful of curry leaves
• 3 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 1" piece of ginger grated
• 1/2 cup peanuts (roasted and unsalted)
• 2 T chana daal
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Gently roast and then coarsely powder the coriander seeds. Keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till the spluttering stops and add the ginger and peanuts. Fry for another minute. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the fire.
• Add the lemon juice and mix well.
• Add the rice, roasted coriander powder and salt to taste and mix thoroughly, but gently to avoid mushing up the rice.

Gobi Paratha (Cauliflower stuffed Flatbread)

Gobi Paratha

I just got back from India.  I had the most wonderful wedding there in the most beautiful location, to the loveliest man.  

 

And now I miss it all.  I miss India. I miss everything that annoyed me while I was there, the traffic, the honking, the people that do not know what personal space is.  I miss everything about it.  Which is why I made gobi paratha this morning - also, I am horribly  jet lagged - so lack of sleep coupled with the fact that I'm hungry at 4am for a true Indian style breakfast.  We had so many of those in India.  Every morning we would wake up to a feast, and it comprised of everything imaginable, like the typical Sindhi breakfast of daal pakwan, South Indian breakfast of idlis and uttapams with spicy sambar, Sindhi onion koki and sweet vermicilli. I could go on, but I'm getting hungry again.  So, early this morning while I was up and there was half a head of cauliflower in the fridge, and there's a new chakla that my aunt Kusum gave me, well, what would you have done??

 

Stuffed Parathas can be very greasy and doughy if not made right - in my opinion anyway. I like them stuffed well, or even overly stuffed where the filling is almost peeking out in some places.  The filling can be spicy - my mom certainly makes it that way, but it's really a matter of taste on the amount of spice you want to add.

 Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup grated cauliflower (or you can use boiled potatoes or boiled lentils)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp mango powder
1 tsp chopped green chillies

Method:
Once you have grated the cauliflower, squeeze to get the water out, if any. Mine was pretty dry so I did not have to do that.  Also I've noticed that purple cauliflower is less watery than the regular white variety.

In a bowl, add the flower, oil and water, and knead until it turns into a ball of dough. This dough is not sticky at all, and takes less than a minute to come together. I suspect that is because of the whole wheat flour since it tends to be dry.  Hence the oil.

Once the dough is ready,  in a separate bowl, add the spices to the cauliflower and mix.

Roll the dough into golf ball size - I got about 5 of these.  If you don't have a fancy chakla from Ahmedabad like me, use a regular cutting board.  Roll out the ball just half way.  Add filling on top - about 3 tsp, wrap into a little parcel, and roll out until it's fairly thin.  Make sure to flour as you're going along, but remember not to over-flour since ww flour is quite dry.

In a medium heated skillet, add the flat bread and cook for a minute.  Turn it over, and cook for another 30 seconds.  Add a tsp of oil to help it fry a bit, and continue to cook it by turning it over every minute or so.  Once it's brown and looking yummy, take it off the heat.

I like to eat it with mango pickle, but people enjoy it with ketchup as well.