Pumpkin Bread

This is my first attempt of baking with pumpkin and it was surprisingly good. We commonly use pumpkins in India for various curries but I never imagined that flavor with a sweet tinge. I tried the recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook and it turned out amazing. The flavor is not that pumpkin-y and the spices elevate the bread to a whole new level. It is lightly sweet, dense, moist and would go perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. No wonder its one of the most popular recipes during Fall!

This recipe makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients
Sugar : 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
Pure pumpkin puree : 1 cup
Vegetable (or any other neutral) oil : 1/3 cup
Pure vanilla extract : 1 teaspoon
Eggs : 2
All purpose flour : 1 and 1/2 cup
Baking powder : 1 teaspoon
Baking soda : 1 teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Pumpkin Pie Spice : 1 tablespoon
Chopped Walnuts : 1/2 cup (optional)

Procedure
1) Heat oven to 350F and grease the loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla essence, and eggs.
2) Add all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and stir just until combined.
3) Stir in chopped walnuts (I forgot to add them to the loaf you see below) and pour into the loaf pan.
4) Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing.

Note: I like my bread to be less on the sweet side, but if you like it sweeter, add 2-3 tablespoons more sugar to the batter. Chocolate chips and raisins are also very interesting additions to this bread!

Quintessential Street Food : Vada Pav

Ask any person from Bombay, rich or poor, young or old, what they can have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without any complaints...I bet most people (including me) will say good old Vada Pav! I could describe Vada Pav as "potato fritters sandwiched between buns with chutneys" but that would be an insult to the beloved king of street food. Vada Pav is much more than that - it is a favorite snack for kids, a quick lunch for office going folks, an affordable dinner for laborers and truly a treat for the common man. What makes it so special? It is the burst of flavors at each bite? Or the fact that you can't stop yourself at one? Whatever it is, I have yet to meet person who says he/she doesn't like Vada Pav. I've made these several times for friends on different occasions and it always been a hit. So, thought of sharing the recipe with you all. Hope you benefit from it :)

This recipe will make about 6 Vada Pavs (for us, that's just 2 servings. Greedy? Yes. Ashamed? No.)

Ingredients
For the filling:
Potatoes (I use Yukon Gold) : 5
Chopped Onion : 1/2 cup
Curry Leaves : 4-5
Methi Seeds : 3-4
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilly Powder : 1 teaspoon, or to taste
Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) : 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder (Haldi) : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt : 1.5 teaspoon, or to taste (divided)
Oil : 2 tablespoons
Garlic cloves, minced : 4
Hing : a pinch
Coriander leaves : about 10-12 springs, washed and chopped.

For the vadas (fritters)
Besan : 1/2 cup
Water: 3 tablespoons, little more or less
Red Chilly Powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Oil : As needed, for frying

For the Sweet Chutney:
Pitted Dates : 4
Brown Sugar : 1 cup
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Black Pepper Powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind Paste : 1.5 tablespoons

For the Green Chutney:
Chopped Coriander : 1 cup
Chopped Mint : 1/4 cup
Green Chillies : 3-4 (or to taste)
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon

For the Dried Garlic Chutney:
Dry Shredded Coconut : 1 cup
Garlic Cloves : 10-12
Dried Red Chillies : 4-5
Tamarind Paste : 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Procedure
For the vadas:
1) Boil potatoes with a pinch of salt and when done, peel and mash them. I usually use a pressure cooker to boil them as that's the fastest method.
2) In a pan, add oil and let it heat. Add mustard, methi and cumin seeds and let them crackle.
3) Add a pinch of hing and onions and cook them for a minute or two, until they are pink.
4) Add the minced garlic and curry leaves cook for another minute or two.
5) Add the dry spices (red chilly powder, haldi) and quickly add the mashed potatoes.
6) Give it a good mix and add about a teaspoon of salt (or to taste).
7) Add some dry mango powder and mix again.
8) Let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Make sure to stir in between to prevent the stuffing from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
9) Add chopped coriander to the mixture and set aside to cool.
10) In the meanwhile, prepare the batter/covering for the vadas. In a bowl, add besan, salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, and salt. Mix well to evenly distribute the ingredients and add water gradually as needed. The batter should not be too thin, otherwise it will not hold on to the filling.
11) Mix well with a whisk to avoid lumps.
12) When the filling has cooled, make even sized balls and set aside.
13) Heat the oil for frying and when it has heated enough (you will know when a small drop of batter dropped in the oil will come right back up), dunk the potato mixture ball into the batter to cover it evenly on all sides and slowly drop it in the oil. Be extra careful when dealing with hot oil!
14) When the vadas are golden brown on all sides, remove them on a plate covered with tissue paper to absorb the extra oil.
15) Continue the process for the remaining vadas.

For the Chutneys:
1) Chutneys look intimidating but are actually the easiest part. Just grind everything listed under the individual chutneys together and you're all set! And if you are not in the mood to make all or any one of the chutneys, you can also use the bottled ones from the Indian Stores.

To Assemble the Vada Pav:
1) Divide the bun into half by slicing through horizontally and apply green chutney on both sides. Then follow up with the sweet tamarind-date chutney and dried garlic one. Usually I use potato/dinner rolls as the Pav but if you can get the traditional Pavs, that would take the awesomeness of this dish just one notch higher.
2) Place the vada between the buns and indulge!
3) I also added roasted green chillies on the side. Just slit the chillies and roast them directly on the flame (slitting is important or chilly tends to burst!)

If this does not make one's mouth water, I honestly don't know what does :)