Basic Pie Crust

Thanks to Pillsbury, many of us never had the occasion to make our own pie crusts before moving to South Asia. :) I was intimidated at first, but it's not that hard at all! Here is a really trusty recipe for a pie crust using butter that is really easy to put together quickly for a quiche or pie!

Basic Pie Crust

1 ¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

¼ t. salt

8 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes*

3 T. very cold water

*A 500g block of Amul butter is just a little more than 4 sticks of butter in the states. What I usually do is cut about 10% off one end, and then cut the remainder of the block into four sticks and use them as regular butter sticks. Half a stick is 1/4 c., one stick is 1/2 c., 8 Tablespoons, etc.

To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Makes enough dough for one 9 inch single crust pie or one 10 inch galette.

To make a double crust pie: Double the recipe, divide the dough in half and pat each half into a round flat disk. Roll out one disk into a 12 inch round as directed and line the pan or dish. Press any scraps trimmed from the first round into the bottom of the second disk. Roll out the second dough disk into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pie dough may be made ahead and frozen for up to two months. To freeze, place the dough round on a 12 inch cardboard circle and wrap it well with plastic wrap. Alternatively, use the round to line a pie pan or dish, flute the edges, and wrap well to freeze.

Pumpkin Pie Spice, and What to Do with Kaddu

It's kaddu season in South Asia! Kaddu is a wonderful substitute for pumpkin in lots of delicious fall recipes. Several have already started appearing on the blog, but here's some tips for cooking kaddu.

The subji wallas (vegetable salesmen) will have kaddu sitting out on their cart, usually already cut into. It's got green and yellow streaks on the outside and is pale orange on the inside, with normal looking pumpkin seeds. I usually buy a quarter of a kaddu at a time, which comes to around 1 kg.

There are lots of ways to cook the kaddu. Lots of people cover it in foil and bake it in the oven. AndreaS says: "For pumpkin I like to steam or boil. I just cut it off the rind and chunk it and steam or boil. I've tried to bake it - but for me it takes forever and it's always a little tougher in texture."

I figured, why not try something new? :) I bought some last week and cleaned out the seeds and cut it into smaller pieces that were about the size of my hand. My pressure cooker came with a little stand or grill plate for the bottom, so I put that in the bottom of the cooker and added water up to the rim of it. I put the kaddu pieces on the stand, and closed it, cooked them for about 10-15 minutes. They turned a beautiful dark orange color, and a knife slid the skins right off. I scooped the mushy kaddu into my mixee and pureed it, adding just enough water (or juice from the bottom of the pressure cooker for more flavor!) to make it smooth. Wow! It was beautiful! :) The 1 kg made about 2 cups of puree. 1 3/4 cup puree is equal to one can of pumpkin in the states, so I made some pumpkin bread, and with the remaining 1/4 c. I made a couple rounds of pumpkin spice lattes! I love fall!

Here's a great Make-Your-Own recipe from AndreaS. She says:

"I've made a lot of pumpkin things lately... Here's a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice if anyone is interested. The Ginger powder here is much stronger, so I usually use a little less. I haven't been able to find nutmeg powder (I've only recently looked though) - I usually just grind the nuts/seeds (are they nuts or seeds?) - same with the cloves ..."

Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (dalchini)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (jaiphal / javitri) powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (Laung / Lavang) powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (soonth) powder

Andrea's Daal Crash Course

Daal (lentils) is a staple dish in South Asia. South Asians eat this nearly everyday, and depending on how it's cooked, it can be really delicious, or... not so much. :) There are so many more varieties of daal here than we have in the west, so here is a pictorial crash course on the different varieties and their names. But don't ask me how to use them or cook them. :) My house helper cooks our lunch, and I couldn't tell you how to make her delicious daals. One of these days I'll watch her and post a few recipes.

Such a huge thanks to AndreaS for sending these pictures of all the varieties of daal with their names in Hindi. I still have yet to master all these different varieties! :)

Split green moong daal

Whole green moong daal

Tur daal

Left to right:

-Whole urad daal

-Split black urad with skin

-Split washed white urad daal

Whole Masoor daal

Channa daal (split chickepeas)

Starting at one o'clock and going clockwise:

- Split Masoor daal

-Tuvar daal

-Moong daal

Below is Split Masoor daal again...

Ericka's Salsa

Ericka's Salsa

1 C stewed tomatoes chopped with juice (3-4 large tomatoes)

1/3 C chopped onion (purple or white)

1/3 C chopped bell pepper

1 box tomato puree or can tomato paste (200ml or 8oz)

2 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro (a lot of people don’t like this so I don’t usually put it in, but if you like it by all means add it)

4 garlic cloves chopped or 2 Tbls garlic paste or ¼ Tsp garlic powder

½ Tsp salt

¼ Tsp Cumin

2 Tbls lemon or lime juice or vinegar

Red chili flakes to taste (if you don’t like spice, start with ¼ Tsp)

Wash tomatoes and cut an X on the bottom of each one. Place them in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and heat a few minutes until skins begin to peel back. Remove from heat and drain and cool.

While tomatoes cool, put onions and bell peppers in small pot and barely cover with water. Bring them to a boil add garlic, salt cumin and chili flakes. Cut up the tomatoes, be careful not to lose the juice. Add to the pot and mix. Remove from heat and add tomato puree, vinegar (lime or lemon juice) and cilantro. Taste and add anything that is lacking – sometimes more salt and vinegar is needed. Cumin and garlic may be needed depending on what you like.

Put in a container with a lid and refrigerate. It should keep about a week. This is great with Mexican food as a substitute for taco sauce, as a dip and also on eggs.

Broccoli and Red Pepper Quiche

Brocolli & Red Pepper Quiche with a Mustard Crust

Crust (MindyW's recipe)
1 ¾ c flour

½ t salt
½ c oil

4 T Ice water

Sift flour and salt. Add oil and water. Mix well with spoon. Dough should form
in a ball with consistency of playdough. If the dough crumbles add a few drops
more of water. Place ball of dough in the center of a round glass pie plate. Press from
the center outward to form piecrust. Fill with favorite filling. Bake as directed for filling.

Quiche
Mustard (I just used the Fun Foods brand)
500g Cheddar cheese, shredded (I used the Milk Man Natural Cheddar)
3-4 T. olive oil (I used half olive oil and half melted butter)
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped or sliced
2 c. chopped broccoli florets
3 eggs, large
1 c. whole milk
1/2 t salt
Pepper & nutmeg to taste (I used about a ¼ tsp of black pepper and no nutmeg)

Directions:

Lightly brush bottom of unbaked pie shell with mustard, prick and bake in 200 degree celsius oven for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.

While crust cools, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook 2-3 minutes. Add bell pepper and saute till crunchy tender, then add broccoli and cook till just beginning to turn bright green.

Beat eggs with salt and spices. Add milk and beat again to combine.

Layer cheese and vegetables in pastry shell, ending with enough vegetables to show a little color after the filling sets. Drizzle egg/milk mixture over all.
Bake in 175 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, until fairly well set, maybe a bit soft in the middle. Top should be golden and puffed up.

Let cool, if you can bear to wait, 15-20 minutes before cutting. It's great cold if any left over.

Rhonda’s Note: I don’t even own a pie pan so I used a square casserole dish so it was a “deep dish” quiche. I used 2 red peppers and an extra egg and I definitely cooked it for the full 45 minutes. It was great.

Megan's Favorite Tomato Sauce

I have come to the conclusion that in South Asia, there are certain things that I used to make with beef that just don't need any meat at all. :) I'm not a fan of substituting ground chicken because I find it to be really dry, and honestly never buy it. Instead, I often substitute for ground beef beans, or whole black lentils, or just nothin' at all. Spaghetti sauce is one thing that we have learned to love without any kind of meat, but if you need protein, whole black lentils make a great substitute. Here's my favorite quick pasta sauce. It's great over any kind of pasta, with Parmesan Chicken, in baked spaghetti, in lasagna, or any other way you would use a jar of sauce.

Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce

1 t. olive oil

1 c. chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 t. salt

2 t. dried oregano

2 boxes tomato puree

1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning (I use either Daily Needs brand Pasta Seasoning or Garlic Bread seasoning)

1/4 t. black pepper

6 average sized tomatoes, chopped

1/4 c. water

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and next 7 ingredients through water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/low and cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley. Makes 3-4 servings

This is a tangy sauce. If you prefer a sweet sauce, substitute 1 T. sugar for the 1 1/2 t. salt, and switch out the oregano for basil. :)

Make-Your-Own Sour Cream

Sour Cream

1 box (about 1 cup or 200ml) cream

1-2 Tbls vinegar or Lemon Juice (Meg prefers lemon juice! Try them both and see what you like)

Pinch of Salt

In South Asia, cream generally comes in small boxes (think drink box). Because of the heat, a lot of times the liquid will settle to the bottom. In order to drain off the liquid, gently turn the box upside down. Undo the bottom and pull it up. Use scissors to cut across the entire box to open it. There will likely be a yellowish liquid on top of the cream. Pour this off and dispose of it. Then get a spoon and add vinegar starting with ½ Tbls at a time. After each addition, taste and see if it has lost the strong cream taste (you do not want to taste vinegar – think about the flavor of sour cream). Once you have added 1 Tbls, make additional additions in smaller increments until you reach desired taste. Then pour it into a container with a lid and refrigerate. This works great on baked potatoes, Mexican food or anything that needs real sour cream. In recipes which use sour cream as a cooked ingredient (not as a garnish), plain yogurt is an easy and cheap substitute.