Makes one large loaf or 8 medium sized pizza bases .

You need a weighing scale which measures in metric , a good oven and a baking tray or loaf tin. Can bake in other random stuff once you get the hang of it.( I make one in a old coffee tin and comes out beautifully)

• Flour 500 g
• Active dry yeast- 10 g( I prefer to use this since I get most consistent results, sourdough is a different matter which we will discuss in another post). Yeast is an amazing living thing that needs warmth, moisture and time to multiply ..more or less of each will affect the activity of yeast and the springiness/ sponginess of the bread.
• Sugar – 10 g / can use raw, white , brown or honey ..Yeast needs to feed on sugar and starches but there are a few breads we can make without.
• Salt -10 g. Very important, this helps for us to taste the bread and is the most important aspect in the bread ,after flour and water . We can make bread without sugar and yeast but not salt. Salt controls the rise of the yeast as well if you don’t put any the yeast activity will be a like a racing car without a brake..so don’t forget it..You don’t need a fancy pants salt for inside the dough but if you are able to get salt flakes for the topping it’s great or as a table salt.
• Water warm preferred – 325 GM/ ml..warm because yeast activity is best between 30-35 so should just feel warm to your hand.if it’s too hot you will kill the yeast , too cold and takes longer for the yeast to multiply and make carbon dioxide which gives bread the holey texture.
• Olive oil or melted butter – 50 g

First sieve the flour ..this aerates the flour and removes any physical hazards ( paper clips, finger nails, bits of plastic, you will be amazed what all goes inside).

Then add the yeast, salt and sugar one at a time mixing in between ..if salt or sugar come in contact directly with the yeast they can kill it.

Pour the warm water in a bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together with a spoon and leave aside for about 15 minutes..grab a coffee or a glass of wine.This stage of the dough making is called as autolyse and was devised by a French chemist and bread enthusiast called Raymond calvel who is widely regarded as the Moses of artisan bread baking. How it helps is complex science but in a nutshell develops the gluten ( elastic rubber like protein ) which helps trap the CO2 formed by the yeast and gives bread it’s holes/ crumb.Dont worry about the terminology it’s just for bread snobs to pretend they know what they are talking about.

After the 15 minutes are up .start to knead the dough , it’s not hard to do and helps to develop the gluten further .( Go back to start if you missed that bit about what gluten does).

knead for about 5 minutesor so until the dough is nice and smooth then add the oil and knead some more .The oil and or butter helps shorten the gluten strands and make it’s tastier but can be made without…with some breads you can go upto 75%of flour quantity ..so for a kg of flour U add 750 g of butter , but that’s another twist in the tale and for another heart breaking recipe .

Then cover your dough with a damp clean cloth or some gladwrap / plastic wrap/ clingfilm. And keep in warm area..for maximum rise quickly. Can proof in the fridge too but takes longer.Proofing is a process where the yeast starts to eat the sugar and starches in the flour an makes CO2. This is like a rubber balloon filling with gas. And we need to control it otherwise it’s going the break.

So we knock back or de gas the dough and allow the gluten to relax. This U do by pressing down and either shaping into smaller pieces or leaving it whole but compressed.

Then proof again..same way like before .

Now preheat your oven to 190 C . Empty it first if your oven has lots of stuff inside .Mine does .

Divide your dough into 2/4/8 progressively or keep whole to make into a loaf.

I’ll put pictures down here of rolls and a loaf later .

Once you have these shaped ..you roll it between your palms or palm and table ..to be as smooth as possible .

Then final proof once you place it on a tray.

Once it’s proofed to the right degree .( How to check is tricky..u gently press down on the dough and it should not spring back but leave a small impression).

Bake then for roll about 10-12 mins..

A loaf will take about 25-30 mins.

Pizza approximately 7-10 mins.

In

Prawns whole -600 Gm peeled and deveined ,ndo not discard shell , I’ll explain later why not

Marinade with

turmeric – pinch

Red chilli powder – 1/4 t/ 2 GM

Salt- to taste

Curry paste for want of a better phrase

Shredded coconut – 1 T/ 25 GM’s

Onion medium- 1/2 about 50 gms

Teerphal/ Triphala or Sichuan peppercorns- 1/4 t /.5 gm

Black peppercorns -6-8 ea

Cloves -1

Roast above in a glass bowl in the microwave till lightly browned in 30 seconds. Should take about 3 mins and 90 seconds but depends on how strong your microwave is.

Add 1/4

Turmeric1/ 4 t/ .5 gm

Coriander seeds -1 t-/2,3 GM’s

Garlic cloves -4-5 / 10 GM’s

And water to soak..for about 15 minutes..not a whole lot just enough to soften everything and make it easy to blend.

Then grind to a paste and saute with

Oil- 10 ml

Curry leaves -1 sprig / 2 GM

Green chilli- 1 /2 GM or more if you want more heat …I wanted to be able to taste the prawns so put less.

Add coconut cream 100 GM

kokam / cambogia Garcinia / gorakha -1

And simmer .

Then add prawns and simmer for about 5-6 mins add some nicely chopped coriander and U are good to go..Always better if you cook let the prawns sit inside then reheat but don’t overcook.

I first ate a bao while a trainee at the Krishna Oberoi in Hyderabad but it was only when we started transmitting through Singapore I saw and tasted so many variations on these and said to myself , why can’t I make it..so I learned and practised till I got it right.Theae could be stuffed with roast pork to make what’s called Char Siew bao ( pronounced Cha Shao bao).But I like them with meat and vegetables separate

• Flour – 250 gms
• active dry yeast- 2 gms
• baking powder- 2gms
• sugar- 20 gms
• milk powder- 25 gms
• water -150 ml
• sugar-20 gms
• salt-5 gms
• oil 25 ml
• Sesame oil to brush .

• Sieve flour.Add in all other dry ingredients.
• add in flour and lightly mix with a fork and keep aside for 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap.
• knead lightly and add in oil and knead again till smooth.
• scale into 8 pieces and shape them into nice rounds and allow to rest again for about 10 mins.
• Roll out to a 3 inch/ 6-7 cm circle then brush with sesame oil and fold over.
• Allow to proof, thand then steam for 15 -18 minutes.

These are great even rolled out and pan fried or deep fried and go well with Indian styled Chick peas curry or Trinidadian Doubles, which is another post by itself.

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• 

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• Pastry
• flour- 200 gms
• baking powder- 2gms
• salt- pinch
• butter- 20 gms
• eggs-1/2
• cold water – just enough to form a semi hard dough.

• Filling
• olive or other oil- 10-15 ml
• onion – 1/2 medium white onion roughly 50 gm
• garlic- 1-2 cloves, crushed and chopped
• frozen spinach- 100 gms ( subsitute with another green leafy vegetable of your choice if you dont have this./ or use corn kernels
• seasoning- salt and pepper
• ricotta – roughly 2 T can subsitute with feta/ or paneer /cream cheese/

1. crumble flour , baking pdr, salt and butter.
2. add egg and cold water and combine to make a semi hard dough
3. rest for 15-20 minutes till filling is ready.
4. For filling, heat oil, add crushed garlic and onion and saute till translucent, then add spinach and cook till dry. turn off heat
5. add in ricotta and allow to cool down.
6. roll out dough ad cut with a cookie cutter roughly 10 cms ./ if you dont have a cookie cutter, use something round and cut around with a sharp knife. the thickness should be roughly as much as a 1$ coin-3-4 mm thick roughly.
7. put some filling in the centre and using the remainder of the egg , seal the edges to form a triangular shape.
8. https://youtu.be/gDmwskrsfa0?t=336
9. click on link above to see how they are making the shape.
10. its easy with some practise. then either you can deep fry these pastries when they are done or bake at medium temp for 15-18 mins(350F/175 C). If baking brush with some butter or olive oil.
11. Optional can add pine nuts/ slivered almonds and lemon juice/ sumac to the filling.

this kebab, originated somehwere in the ottoman empire, where it would be called lamb kofte or adana kabab . the muslim invaders who came to india from the 15th century onwards brought their cuisine and obviously over the years it got modified, chnaged a bit here and there, became a bit more spicy than what was originally made.

this is a version which i make for home and work and comes out beautifully everytime. this will make enough as a starter for about 4-6 people

• minced lamb- 250 gm
• onion chopped finely- about 1/2 – maybe 75 gm
• chopped coriander- 2 sprigs
• fresh mint- 2 sprigs
• green chillies- 2 or more if you are extra adventurous
• salt
• turmeric powder
• garam masala powder- pinch
• cumin whole
• oil- 20 ml

1. combine all the ingredients
2. cook a small bit in the microwave to check for seasoning
3. soak wooden skewers for about 10 minutes in water.
4. press about 25-30 gms of the meat in a sausage shape onto the skewers.takes a bit of practise, after a few hundred times will be easier.
5. cook on a hot plate, fry pan bbq anything really to the degree that you like.
6. serve as an appetizer or larger qtys as a main course.