Citrus Spice Syrup

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

Peel from 2 oranges

Peel from 1 lemon

6 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

Mix 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let steep for 1 hour.  Strain syrup into a small pitcher; discard solids in strainer.  Cover and refrigerate syrup until cold, about 3 hours.  (Can be made 1 week ahead.  Keep chilled.)

Ginger Spice Syrup

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise pods
Pinch of ground nutmeg

Mix 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove from heat; cover and let steep for 1 hour.  Strain syrup into a small pitcher; discard solids in strainer.  Cover and refrigerate syrup until cold, about 3 hours.  (Can be made 1 week ahead.  Keep chilled.)

Blood Orange Syrup

3 cups fresh blood orange juice or regular orange juice
9 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons grated blood orange peel or regular orange peel

Stir all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat and boil until syrup is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes.

Refrigerate until cold.  Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.


Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Strawberry Syrup

1 pound sliced hulled strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Bring strawberries, water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt to boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent mixture from boiling over.  Add lemon juice.  Strain, pressing on solids. Cover and chill syrup.  (Can be made 1 week ahead.  Keep chilled.)  

Makes 2 1/2 cups.



From Bon Appetit

Spicy Potato Samosa Filling

1 pound potatoes, peeled (or use new potatoes with skin on) and diced into 1/2-inch cubes 
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 large yellow onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Boil the potatoes until they are soft enough to easily insert a knife, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy saute pan or skillet over medium heat.  Add the coriander seeds and fry for about 20 seconds, until the seeds begin to turn brown and become aromatic.  Lower the heat to medium, then add the onion.  Sprinkle with salt and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown.  Add the ginger, garlic, jalapenos, and cumin, and saute 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture begins to lightly brown.

Add the potatoes, peas, and lemon juice to the pan and cook, until the potatoes begin to brown and the peas are cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning if need be, then let it cool completely before making the samosas.

Makes about 2 cups of filling.  Can be used with Puff Pastry Dough or Samosa Wrappers.



From The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson, with minor changes

Coconut Rice Pudding

1/3 cup basmati rice, well-washed
5 cups milk
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of saffron threads
1 vanilla bean
1 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon orange flower water (or kewra) (optional)

Combine the rice with 2 cups of the milk and the coconut milk in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes, or until all of the milk has been absorbed by the rice.  Do not allow the rice to stick or burn.  

Add the remaining milk, the sugar, cardamom, saffron, and the seeds from the vanilla bean, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 hour or until the pudding is very thick.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the chopped pistachios along with the raisins and vanilla and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Stir in the orange flower water.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  Pour into dessert bowls, cover with plastic film, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until well chilled.

Serve chilled, garnished with the remaining pistachios.

Serves 6.



From Raji Cuisine by Raji Jallepalli, with some changes

White Cake Layers

3 1/4 cups (11.5 oz/325 g) sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz/227 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) granulated sugar
6 large egg whites
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups (320 ml) whole milk

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350° F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.  Dust the pans with flour.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine, and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds.  Gradually add the sugar and beat at high speed until light, about 2 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low and add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.  Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.  (Use a spatter shield if you have one, or drape a kitchen towel over the mixer.)  Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the milk in two additions and mixing just until the flour is incorporated.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly, and smooth the tops.

Bake the cake 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.  Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes.  Invert the layers onto the racks and cool, upside-down, completely.

Store at room temperature, covered in foil, for up to 5 days.

Makes two 9-inch cake layers.

From The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Oatmeal Toasting Bread

1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water
2/3 cup (3 3/4 ounces) Irish oats (steel-cut oats)
1/4 cup (1 7/8 ounces) brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to taste
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup (1 7/8 ounces) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached bread flour

The night before you plan on making the bread, stir together the water and the Irish (steel-cut) oats and refrigerate.

Next day, simmer the oats in the water until they are tender but "toothsome" and all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Add the brown sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon, stirring until the butter melts.  Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and add the oats, whole wheat flour, and dry milk, stirring to combine.  By this time, the mixture should have cooled considerably.  Allow it to rest at room temperature, covered, for 1 hour.  This will allow time for the oats to absorb the liquid and soften.

Stir in the yeast, then the bread flour.  Knead the mixture - by hand, electric mixer, or bread machine - until the dough feels springy.  It will remain fairly sticky, but will definitely develop some body.  Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rise, covered for 1 hour.

Gently deflate the dough.  Shape the dough into an 8" log and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.  Cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow dough to rise for 60 minutes, until it has crowned about 1" over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a heated 350° F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190° F.  Remove the bread from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.  Brush the top with melted butter, if desired, or simply run a stick of butter over the top of the hot loaf.  Cool completely before slicing.


From King Arthur Flour website

Samosa Wrappers

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn oil
Water as needed

Put the 3 cups of flour and the salt in a large bowl, and stir to combine.  Add the oil, then use your fingers to press the oil and flour together, working the mixture into a ball.  Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough forms.  On a floured work surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until it becomes elastic.  Again form the dough into a ball, spray the ball of dough with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.


To fill, form and cook samosas:

Divide the ball of dough into 6 smaller balls - each will become the wrapper for 2 samosas - and roll each ball into a thin disk.  Cut the disk in half so that you have 2 half-circle-shaped pieces of dough.  Roll each piece into a cone, add 2 tablespoons of filling, fold over the top, and seal the edges.

Fill a heavy pot 3 inches deep with corn oil, and heat to 350° F.  Carefully lower the samosas into the oil using a slotted spoon or wire basket, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown.  Drain on paper towels before serving.


Makes 24 wrappers.

From A World of Dumplings by Brian Yarvin

Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons peeled, minced, fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 tablespoons smooth peanut butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons peanut oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chili oil (optional)

Place the soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, ginger and garlic in a blender or food processor.  Process at high speed until ginger and garlic are smoothed into the liquid, about 1 minute.  Add the peanut butter and process for 1 minute more.

Combine the oils and drizzle into the sauce with the blender running on low speed.  Process until combined and smooth.  Sauce can be thinned with water if necessary.

Sauce can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two or three days.  Bring to room temperature before serving.