Recipes For Cooking

While technically they are everyday pastries, I think kleinur deserve to be included in the Christmas fare. I have added a second recipe for those who do not have access to hartshorn powder.

In many homes in Iceland a large cooking pot lurks in a kitchen cupboard. Its sides are black with burnt-in fat, and a guest might be excused for thinking that their hosts simply forgot to throw it away. Occasionally, in some homes as often as once a week, this pot will be pulled out from its hiding place and put to good use for frying doughnuts in. It is not unusual for a doughnut-maker to make a double or even triple recipe in one session.

Twisted doughnuts are not a specifically Icelandic phenomenon, but neither are they as common in other countries. Making these delicacies is no small undertaking. It is time consuming and hard work, and therefore the batches are usually large to save time and effort.

This is not a good recipe if you have never deep-fried anything before, as the frying fat must to be very hot, and certain precautions must be taken to avoid accidents. They include not letting the hot oil get into contact with water, never leaving the frying pot or deep-fryer unattended, and, in case of accidents, having a fire-blanket and/or fire extinguisher at hand. An experienced doughnut maker can make this look as easy as A-B-C, but dont be fooled, and dont try this unless you are used to deep-frying and know the rules!

I am including 2 recipes, one with hartshorn and one without it, as hartshorn seems to be quite difficult to find outside Europe. Both recipes are mixed and handled in the same way.

Ready to fry dough and fried kleinur.

1st recipe:
500 g flour
40 g margarine/butter, soft
2 tsp bakers ammonia/hartshorn salt (ammonium carbonate)
2 medium eggs
1 tsp baking powder
150 ml milk, sour milk or buttermilk
150 g sugar
2 tsp essence of cardamom

2nd recipe:
1 kg flour
150 g butter
250 g sugar
3 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp powdered cardamom
a few drops of vanilla essence
250 ml buttermilk or cream

Mix together dry ingredients. Mix in the margarine/butter and then eggs and milk/cream, followed by the essence of cardamom or vanilla essence. Knead into a fairly soft dough. Avoid over-kneading, as this will make the doughnuts tough.

Making the twist.

Roll out the dough until fairly thin (2-3 millimeters thick), cut into strips (these should be anything from 5-10 centimeters wide, depending on weather you want small or big doughnuts) and then cut diagonally across the previous cuts to make diamond shapes. Cut a small slit in the centre of each diamond and gently pull one end through the slit, to make the twist in the doughnuts.

Heat the frying fat. It must be very hot, and will have reached the right temperature when a doughnut browns and cooks through in about 1-1 1/2 minutes.

Genuine Icelandic twisted doughnuts are fried in sheep tallow, which leaves a special taste, but this is now considered unhealthy because of all the saturated fat. Use instead about a litre of vegetable cooking fat that can be heated to a high temperature, for example canola or coconut oil. The doughnuts will not have that special tallowy taste, but neither will they clog up your arteries quite as much.

When they reach this colour, remove from fat.

Note:
Most deep-fryers can not get the oil hot enough for frying kleinur - but they are safer than using a pot on the stovetop. If you do use a fryer, heat the oil to the maximum temperature, and allow the oil a short time to heat up again after each round of doughnuts.

Interesting tidbit:
I found an American recipe for twisted doughnuts in The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker (New York, N.Y., Harper & Row, 1989). The recipe is taken from an old American cookbook, and although the twisting method is quite different, the recipes themselves are clearly related.

Green moong / mung beans are natures best offering for vegetarians. High in protein and yet easily digestible with the bonus of extra fiber makes this a super food. Some people find the soaking routine a deterrent. Where is time to plan ahead of time, most of the time! As much as I love these wonder beans, I invariably forget to soak them or sprout them. But with a recipe like this on hand, I can have mung as many times in a week as I like. Besides, Ayurveda considers Mung beans as one of the very few foods which balances all three doshas. More on Mung beans and Ayurveda here.

This is a very versatile dish that pairs superbly with rotis / puris / bread or rice. A bowl of yogurt comes handy to cool of the spicy overtones.



Instant Green Moong / Mung Beans
Time taken - Under 30 minutes
Category - Side, Rice / Roti accompaniment, Vegetarian protein, Ayurvedic food
Recipe source - Own
Makes 2 large portions, use 1 cup dry beans to make 4 generous portions

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special equipment
A pressure cooker is an absolute must for this recipe

ingredients
1/2 cup dry green mung /moong beans
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of asafoetida (optional)
1-2 green chillies, chopped fine
1/2 inch piece ginger, pounded or chopped fine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large juicy tomato, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp subzi powder (I use Everest brand, use any curry powder or cumin-coriander powder)
1 tsp salt or to taste
Slices of lime and chopped coriander leaves for garnish

directions

Place the mung beans in a pressure cooker, smaller the cooker, the better. Wash them thoroughly after checking for stones. Add two cups water to mung, close cooker, fit the whistle and keep the flame on medium-high.

After one whistle, reduce flame to minimum until 3-4 more whistles are let out. Remove cooker from flame and let cool.

While the beans are cooking, you can prepare the masala. In a kadai / wok, heat the oil. Splutter the cumin and mustard seeds, add a pinch of asafoetida with the flame on medium. Add the ginger, chillies, onions with a pinch of salt, saute for 5 minutes or so, until the onions are soft.

At this point, add the tomatoes with the spices (turmeric, garam masala, subzi masala) with the remaining salt. Stir it well for 3-4 minutes until the masala comes together as a rough paste.

Once the cooker has cooled off, release the pressure and open the lid. The mung beans must have cooked to a soft consistency and not entirely mushy. (If they are not cooked enough, then keep them back with some water for one more whistle on a medium flame) Empty the cooked mung beans into the masala. If very thick, add 1/2 cup water and boil the mung for 2 minutes along with the masalas.

Adjust salt as per taste and remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice, rotis or bread, along with slices of lime and a bowl of yogurt.

Most ingredients for this recipe can be found in your pantry, so this recipe is good for a day when there are no veggies at hand.
Since mung is such a healthy food ingredient, would love to hear from you about your favourite recipe using moong. I could do with more ideas for this green wonder!

Other fun reads
Inside the Indian household - Coriander at Daily Tiffin
The Food Times of India | Volume 1:April 2007 at Dining Hall

Tags: mung beans, moong beans, green moong, no prep mung, instant mung, pressure cooking, Indian mung recipe, Saffron Trail, Recipe, Food, Indian food blog, Healthy eating, Healthy living, Mumbai, India