A Trip to Canyon lake / A trip to break all the inner stress

           Monday morning alarm wakes us all at 6 am. Ashwath crying for milk bottle,Rohith rushing to take a bath, H hurrying up to take him to school and me preparing  breakfast. Again feeding Ashwath his break fast, cooking lunch, running to pick Rohith from school this is around 11 am. Giving Ashwath a bath, feeding lunch to kids, making Rohith to do his home work, in between attending calls from friends,washing utensils and cloths, preparaing tea, cooking dinner, feeding the kids, making them to sleep ,cleaning and cutting veges for the next day. At last,when  we look up the clock ,its almost 11 pm. Some days,blog work will occupy me fully for atleast  an hour .This is our routine for all 5 days.When Rohith got spring break,  H broke the rules , sprung into action and announced a surprise vacation. At first I didn't believe,and thought it was a joke. But he was keep on stressing it. One fine evening, he came home and said,he has applied leave for 2 days. That was a shock, as it happened only couple of times in my life, H coming forward and applying leave.

Website : http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/canyon/

 

 

 

 

                  When I was telling Saras about this, She said ok. We together grabbed  Priya for this vacation. Tuesday ,we started searching for condos, where we can stay together and relax for a while. After leafing through all the spots, we ended up at " Canyon Lake Park",bcoz many condos were booked very well in advance. So our condo was booked on Wednesday after noon and the trip was declared officially .We have to start from Irving on Thursday morning. Hurriedly packed our things, took cooking utensils, provisions and veges. In midst of these hassles ,we decided that this trip should have minimum of activities and maximum of relaxation. Ultimately - A soul cleansing trip.

 

Day 1 :

                            We packed, Rotis, Tomato  thokku, Thakkali kuruma, idlies for breakfast and puliyodharai, potato roast for lunch. It was a 5 hour long trip .In between, we had a breakfast break after 2 hours .While nearing "Canyon Lake Park", Saras bought some farm fresh veges from a grocery shop. That was the one among few shops in that area. We have to travel for atleast half an hour to grab some things .It was a remote place located amidst forest.There were not so many attractions near this place. But it was perfect for a quite vacation, with minimum activities and maximum relaxation.

 

 

   The condo had a master bedroom ,kids bedroom and 2 futons .Our three families got accomdated in these arrangements.The full furnished kitchen was very helpful. Every condo had a barbeque and there was a common dining area with 3 to 4 barbeques also.When we reached the condo ,lunch was served with some chicken strips. Evening we made tea together and ,went out for sightseeing at the lake.  

 

Day 2 :
       Next day,dawned beautifully.I went out and took some pictures of the condo.The weather was chill, with lovely breeze. Before kids getting up, had a quite walk in the lawn. Six kids enjoyed thoroughly. Pongal and sambhar were prepared for breakfast. It was a team work, when one cooks food,other two will be washing the utensils or helping with the veges. We took turns in everything. This was the most beautiful phase. It appeared as living in India to me.
 After finishing breakfast, we started to a pond for fishing. It was a very small pond and the beauty about this pond is,we can catch our own fish and weigh it and then pay for it.A worker there,cleans the catfish.

Wonder World Park:

 

Website: http://www.wonderworldpark.com/

 

   Next stop was to the "Wonder World Park" .This park was really a wonder. It has a 105 years old cave. The journey to the cave was not that easy. It had so many steep steps and slippery path. The cave is formed during a very big earth quake in texas. This cave is situated at "San Marcos" county. We were guided by a tour guide. She was very kind to explain everything about the cave.We can see a dividing line ,that separates the roof of the cave throughout. At one point in the cave,the guide turned off all the lights and it was real darkness inside the cave. We cannot see even the person seated next to us,not even their shadow. It's only possible in caves. Beautiful moment. We saw some fossils on the roof.

 

    After visiting the cave,we went to see some animals in the petting zoo. It had some beautiful peacocks,ostriches,deers.We were then lead into the gift shop,just outside the park.There were so many coloured and natured stones.The stones ,which attracted me was,these magnetic stones.They were attracting each other.We can just make some garlands out of it.It was fun watching these magnetic stones.

 

                   Here are some cute gift bags and ancient man's mask.They were so realistic.



After coming back,we had some fun at the barbeque.This chicken ,had all the ingredients  in the world (ha ha ) and made into a special drumstick.when I marinated it,the chilli powder was very spicy.We added some pineapple juice,some eggs and marinated it again. At last we got a beautiful chicken drumstick ,cooked inside the aluminium foil on top of the barbeque.It was juicy and tasty.Thanks to Thara and Prem.



After dinner,we were chitchatting for so long .Giggles,laughter and so many stories filled that condo on that night. We were not ready to sleep,but the next day back home journey ,made us to have a nap.


Day 3:

 

Day 3 was a busy morning. As we have to vacate the condo by 11 am. We were busy cooking,cleaning and making the kids get ready. At 11 am, we were out and started towards Dallas. On our way back, we went to this Glass gallery. It was an amazing sight, where all the show pieces were made out of glass. There were so many different colours and shapes of glasses.

website: www.wgw.com




 Luckily, we had the opportunity to view the demo of how glass plates were blowed .At first, the raw material for glass is heated in a high temperature furnace.After every heating,it is rolled on a table to get a good shape. While rolling on the stainless steel table ,colour powder is also mixed.In the second picture, one more layer of glass is heated and rolled.In the third picture, the second layer is melted and poured over the first layer of glass. Now after layering,air blowed through the iron pipe,this makes the material to bulge.

Now one more layer of glass is added to the initial mixture and rolled again.After rolling,it is then blowed to get a good shape.At the last pic,we can see that the object is like a bowl.This picture also has the view of the hot furnace.

 

In this final picture,the glass bowl like object is blown very big and suddenly the blower cuts it in the centre.Now in the third picture,this bowl is transformed into a beautiful flower like object.At the end,it is again transfoemed into a beautiful plate.Immediately,the plate is cooled in a freezer to make it firm.




This picture shows,the final outcome of glass blowing.One more special about this picture is,glass plates are arranged like U.S.A map.It was really a colourful sight for our eyes.Our trip continued from here after having lunch.

 

We reached Austin Vinayagar temple in the after noon. Had pooja and darshan at the temple.Then we headed back to our homes ,after having a leisure trip. Hope to go out more leisure trips like this in future.

Dil Pasand / Dil Kush - Tangzhong method of making bread / Bakery style / Baking partner challenge # 8

Dil pasand or dil kush was in my to do list for so long.When Swathi  gave this month challenge, I was enlightened.Tangzhong is a Japanese method of making bread.Here a custard like paste is prepared and added to the bread mixture.This helps us to achieve in getting a soft bread .This recipe also uses just 3 tbsp of butter,but still gets a soft bread.I have also tried sand witch bread using this method.I will post the recipe soon.I have used dessicated coconut for the filling,where you can also use fresh coconut.

Yield :
one 9 inch dil pasand and a small dil pasand.

Ingredients for tangzhong :

1.Bread flour -    50gm / 1/3 cup
2.water            -    250ml / 1cup    (could be replaced by milk, or 50/50 water and milk)

 

Formula of  1 parts of flour with 5 parts of water heat at 65 c/ 150F.

Ingredients of bread:

1. bread flour    - 350gm / 2½ cups
2. caster sugar     - 55gm /3tbsp+2tsp
3. salt                    - 5gm /1tsp
4.  egg                  -  56gm (equals to 1 large egg) ( If you want eggless, increase amount of milk or add a cooked potato)
5. milk powder     -  7gm/1tbsp+1tsp (to increase fragrance, optional)
6. milk                  -   125ml/ ½cup
7. tangzhong         -   120gm  (use half of the tangzhong you make from above)
8. instant yeast      -    5 to 6gm/2 tsp
9.  butter                -    30gm/3tbsp(cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

 Fillings:
     0. 1 1/2  Cup freshly grated coconut

1.  ½ cup crushed cashew nut
2. ½ cup Tooty Fruity
3. ¼ cup sugar ( increase sugar if you want more)
4.  1 egg white  or ¼ cup milk
5. Cardamom pwdr  - a pinch.

Method of making tangzhong:

*    Mix flour in water well without any lumps. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon, whisk or spatula to prevent burning and sticking while you cook along the way.

* The mixture becomes thicker and thicker. Once you notice some “lines” appear in the mixture for every stir you make with the spoon. It’s done.  If you want to check the temperature of tangzhong it is 65 C/149 F.Remove from heat.

* Transfer into a clean bowl. Cover with a cling wrap sticking onto the surface of tangzhong to prevent from drying up. Let cool. The tangzhong can be used straight away once it cools down to room temperature.  Just measure out the amount you need. The leftover tangzhong can be stored in fridge up to a few days as long as it doesn't turn grey. If so, you need to discard and cook some more. (Note: The chilled tangzhong should return to room temperature before adding into other ingredients. )      

Method for making the filling:

* Take  a pan,add coconut and saute it ,till we get a nice aroma out of it.Make sure that it doesn't change colour. If we are using freshly grated coconut ,it will take some time to loose its moisture.We can also use dessicated coconut ,instead of fresh coconut .

 

* Add sugar and give it a stir.Let the sugar melt and combine well with the coconut.If the filling is too dry,then sprinkle some water ,so that the mixture is combined well.At last add cardamom pwdr,crushed cashew nuts and tutty fruity .Let it cool completely.

Method of making bread:

 * Combine all dry ingredients: flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Whisk and combine all wet ingredients: milk, egg and tangzhong, then add into the well of the dry ingredients. Knead until you get a dough shape and gluten has developed, then knead in the butter. Mind you, it’d be quite messy at this stage  Keep kneading until the dough is smooth, not sticky and elastic. To test if the dough is ready, you might stretch the dough. If it forms a thin “membrane”/ window pan test, it’s done. The time of kneading all depends on how hard and fast you knead. * Knead the dough into a ball shape. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a wet towel or cling wrap. Let it proof till it's doubled in size, about 40 minutes (Note: the time will vary and depends on the weather. The best temperature for proofing is 28C/ 80 F.)

 * Transfer to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide the dough into two equal portions. Knead into ball shapes. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes.

 

 
* If you want to make a simple white bread roll without filling you can do that at this time.
* Or if you want make a filling then divide dough into two half, one is slightly higher amount than the other, with one half with more dough  make a 9 inch round and thick of ½ inch and place it in your cake tin, evenly spread your filling on the top.
 

 * Then make the second half which is less than the first. Make another 9 inch round and cover the filling and seems the sides so that it won’t, comes out while baking

 * Leave it for the 2nd round of proofing, about 40 minutes, or until the dough rises up to 3/4 of the height of the tin inside.

* Brush whisked egg white on surface. Bake in a pre-heated 180C (350F) oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and tin. Transfer onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Slice to serve or place in an airtight plastic bag or container once it's thoroughly cooled.

Notes:
* When placing the filling inside the bread,make sure the seems of the bread are closed properly,if not the filling will come out and the bread will be looking ugly.

* Roll the dough evenly,if not the edges will be too hard to eat.

* The fillings can be altered according toour taste.

 

 

 

 

Orange Chicken - Flavourfull chicken from Chinese Cuisine / With step wise pictures

   Panda Express is my destination ,to quench my thirst for orange chicken.I am a die hard fan of this chicken.But Panda Express is not that near to our apartment.We have to travel atleast 20 minutes to visit "Panda Express".So whenever we go to that particular mall,We'll grab that chicken to-go. Sometimes,I don't feel like travelllling for 20 minutes to eat my favourite Orange chicken.This made me to find the recipe for making orange chicken.Here is my version of "Orange Chicken".Chicken is marinated in spices,fried and added to the orange sauce.This is a sweet and sour dish.where we get the sweetness from the honey and sour from oranges.So if you feel that the orange is too sweet,then we can alter the amount of honey.If the oranges are too sour,then we can increase the amount of honey.Its purely a balancing act to suit our tastebuds..

Ingredients:
For Chicken:
1.Boneless Chicken              -           20 - 25 pieces
2.Egg                                     -          1
3.Pepper pwdr                        -          2 tsp
4.Soy sauce                            -           1 tbsp
5.Salt                                       -           1/2 tsp
6.All purpose flour                  -          1/4 cup
7.Corn flour                             -           1 tsp
8.Oil                                         -           for deep frying

For the sauce:
1.Orange juice                          -          3/4 cup
2.Water                                     -          1/4 cup
3.Soy sauce                               -          2 tsp
4.Corn flour                               -          1 tsp
5.Ginger (crushed)                     -          1/2 tsp
6.Garlic  (crushed)                      -          1/2 tsp
7.Red Chilli flakes                      -          1 tsp
8.Sesame.Oil                                -          1 tsp
9.Brown sugar                              -          1 tbsp
10.Honey                                      -           2 tbsp


Method:
* Wash and pat dry the chicken well.Take a mixing bowl,add whisked egg,soy sauce,salt ,pepper pwdr.Now dump in the chicken pieces and coat it well with the marination.Keep this for atleast half an hour.

* Take all purpose flour,corn flour ,1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper pwdr and mix well.Now take a piece of marinated chicken,roll it in the flour mixture and coat it.

 

* Heat oil in a pan ,drop the coated chicken into medium hot oil and fry it till golden brown.

 

* Don't crowd the pan with more chicken pieces.This will make the cooking process bit slow.So fry them in batches.This will also avoid chicken absorbing more oil.

 

 

 * Take the excess oil ,by placing the chicken on a tissue paper.

 

 

Preparing the Sauce:

* Extract the juice from the oranges and scrape the zest.Chop garlic and ginger finely.Take water a  tbsp or 2 in a bowl and mix with the corn flour.Mix it without any lumps.

 

 

* Take a pan,add sesame oil and slighly saute ginger garlic with chilli flakes.Toss it till it changes coloue slightly..Sesame oil gives a Chinese touch,so don't skip it.If you don't have sesame oil then add olive or canola oil.

* Now add the orange juice,water,and bring it to a boil.Always keep the flame in medium high.

* Now add soy sauce and taste the sauce.Adjust the amount of soy sauce according to your tastebuds.

* Add brown sugar to the sauce.If you don't have brown sugar,then add normal sugar.Simmer the sauce ,and let it cook well.

* Now slowly add the corn flour mixture into the sauce.Now after adding corn flour,the sauce will start to thicken.When the desired consistancy is reached,turn off the stove immediately.If it thickens too much,then dilute it with water to the desired consistancy.

* At last add honey to the sauce.This step is very essential,as it gives sweetness to the chicken.We can also increase the honey level and skip the use of sugar.Or use both.The sweetness can be altered according to our taste.Now we can also add a pinch of salt,to balance the amount of sweetness and sourness.

 

*Now add the fried chicken to the sauce and mix it.Coat the chicken with the sauce well.

 

* Let it get cooked with the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes,or untill chicken absorbs the sauce.Now we can add ,ornage zest to the sauce.Don't add too much of orange zest.It may over power the flavour of orange.

*Serve it with fried rice and with a bowl of steamed vegetables.

 

 

Sending this entry to "Flavours of Chinese Cuisine",now happening at "Erivum Puliyum" blog

Soft and Silky Idlies - Version 2 - A detailed post

 Idlis are staple food for South Indians.It is safe and healthy for all the age group,right from 6 months to 100 years,as it is steamed.We start idilies for babies as a first solid food,and for adults it is a safe food,which doen't create any indigestion problems.Though this looks simple,but the process has to be carried out religiously.Selecting urad dal is another trick here.Urad dal should be big ,this will give good volume to the batter.The rice and urad dal should be washed several times and soaked for atleast 2 hours.That too without a grinder,its tough to get soft idlies here in USA.Initially I was using poha and soy bean to get soft idlies.But my mom gave me these perfect ratio to get soft idlies using a mixie.This is the basic idli recipe.We can prepare variations with this like stuffed idli,chilli idli,kaima idli,pepper idli,Check out my potato stuffed idli recipe here.

 

Ingredients:

1.Parboiled rice or idli rice          -             4 cups

2.Urad dal (whole)                       -              1 1/2 cups

3.Methi seeds                               -              1/4 tsp

4.Water for soaking and grinding

5.salt                                             -              2 tsp or as required

 

Measured idli rice and urad dal

 

 

Method:

* Wash the rice for 5 to 6 times or untill,the water becomes clear.This step is very much essential in getting white idlies.This makes the rice to get rid off the dirt.If we are not washing the rice properly,then the colour of the idlies will become light yellow.The reason is the dust in the rice.

Washed and soaked rice and dal

 

* Wash the urad dal well for 3 times.Don't wash it more than this,as the urad dal may loose its slimy texture.Add the methi seeds to the dal.Soak both the rice and dal in separate containers for atleast 2 to 3 hours.

 

Grinding the first batch of urad dal

 

* Grind the urad dal first in the blender well with little water.Grind it in 2 batches,this will make the urad dal to grind it into smooth paste, without any lumps.While grinding the urad dal,it should come up and increase in its volume.This makes the idlies soft.Whlile grinding the mixie should not become hot.If its hot,then let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes and grind .

 

Final urad dal batter

 

 

 * Transfer the grinded urad batter into a wide mixing bowl.Now grind rice with little water .Let it be smooth .Grind it in 3 batches.While grinding the rice add water,this will prevent the jar from getting hot.Grind the given amount of rice for in 3 batches,this enhances us to get a smooth batter.

Rice batter mixed with urad dal batter

 

* Now pour the grinded rice batter to the urad dal batter and add salt.Mix the batter well,so that the urad dal batter mixes with the rice batter well.We can also use a laddle to mix the batter.Let it ferment overnight or 10 -12 hours.When the batter is fermented ,it increases in volume and comes up as shown in picture.So always use a deep and wide bowl for fermenting. You can see in this picture,how the batter has risen up in its volume.Don't ferment the batter for more time,then the batter will become sour and have a stinky smell.

Fermented batter overnight

* In India ,there will not be any problem in fermenting the batter.But in cold Countries like USA,its always a challenge for the batter to ferment.So I always place the grinded batter inside the oven ,with just the light on.This helps the oven to have a warmth,produced by the light.

 

* Once the batter is fermented,mix it again  with a laddle .If the batter is too thick,we can dilute it with some water.Pour it on to a greased idli plate.Always pour into the moulds till it is 3/4 th full.If not the idlies will be too big and will take much time to cook.Before steaming the idlies tap the idli plate ,so that the batter is evenly distributed.



Batter poured into greased idli plates

 

* Fill   1/4 the depth of idli vessel with water and steam the idlies for 10 minutes or untill tooth pick comes out clean.Sprinkle some water on top of the idlies and let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes.Now use a wet spoon and take the idlies out.Let it get cooled on a plate for a minute ,then store in hot packs.

 

 

 

* We can store the idli batter for a week.First two to three days we can prepare idlies with it.After that,we can dilute the batter again and use as dosa batter. But the batter has to be refrigerated.It has to be brought to room temperature at least 30 minutes  before using it.

Here is the cross sectional view of the idli !!!

Hot idlies with superb texture !!!

* Serve with coconut chutney,Sambar ,Red chutney or with simple idli milagai podi .Check the other recipes here..It reminds me of my home town,by seeing the spread..Check my other version of idlies using soy bean here.