Spiced Indian Rusks Recipes

INDIAN-SPICED PEPPER STEAK

Steps:

• Gather all your ingredients and place around large work area, near stove.
• Pat meat dry and cut it into 3 or 4 portions, then thinly slice the meat into strips against the grain of the meat.
• Place a small skillet with seeds and peppercorns over medium heat and toast a minute until fragrant. Place in spice mill and grind. Combine with chili powder, garam masala and turmeric. (Ready-ground spices can be substituted but toasted whole seeds and peppercorns that are freshly ground are a little deeper and bigger in flavor.)
• Peel and chop red onion. Seed and thinly slice bell pepper. Thinly slice or chop the fresh chili peppers. Seed if you prefer milder food or leave seeds in for extra spicy. Grate or mince ginger and garlic.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add oil, 2 turns of the pan, and cook beef in single layer to brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and remove to platter. Add more oil, another turn of the pan, and add onions and peppers, toss 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and curry leaves and toss a minute more. Add beef back to pan, sprinkle in spice blend, toss to combine with peppers and douse with lemon juice, sherry or vinegar. Garnish beef with cilantro. Serve beef with rice or grilled naan, mango chutney and Mumbai Mule.
• Bring water (with or without aromatics) to a boil. Add rice and salt and cook in boiling water, 12 minutes. Rinse in strainer using HOT water, drain and remove aromatics if using.
• For the simple syrup: Heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan until sugar is melted. Add lavender and let cool. Store in refrigerator.
• For the mule: Run a fresh cut lime over the rim of a copper mug or rocks glass. Place rim of glass upside down into a saucer filled with chili powder to coat the rim. Fill glass with ice. Place vodka, lime juice, turmeric, ginger beer and 1/2 ounce lavender simple syrup into glass. Stir gently and garnish with a lavender sprig and lime wheel.

ROASTED INDIAN-SPICED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk olive oil, garam masala, and salt together in a small bowl. Combine potatoes, cauliflower, and onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil mixture and toss to coat. Spread vegetables out on the prepared baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender and edges are browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro.

SPICED INDIAN RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Line a 8-in. square baking pan with parchment, letting ends extend up sides. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, whisk remaining ingredients; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake until edges pull away from the sides, or a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30-32 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Lifting with parchment, remove from pan. Transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut into fourteen 4x1-in. slices. Place on baking sheets, cut side down., Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes on each side. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

INDIAN-SPICED ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, honey, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a glass or ceramic bowl. Slather it on the chicken, making sure it gets underneath the skin and into the cavity. Cover the bowl or wrap in plastic wrap.
• Marinate the chicken in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake chicken in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

SOUTH AFRICAN RUSKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients.
• Combine all the wet ingredients, pour them into the dry ingredients, and stir until you have a soft dough, similar to biscuit dough.
• Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll or pat it to about a 1/2 inch thickness.
• Cut the dough into rectangles about 2 by 4 inches.
• Bake the rusks about 2 inches apart on buttered baking sheet for about 25 minutes until the tops are crisping and browning a little.
• Loosely pile the rusks on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree oven all day or all night (about 12 hours) to dry.
• The finished rusks should be very dry and hard.
• Cool and store in an airtight container.
• Rusks will keep for weeks.
• Variations Oatmeal-Raisin Rusks: Reduce the white flour to 1 1/2 cups and add 2 cups rolled oats and 1/2 cup currants or chopped raisins.
• Almond Rusks: Add 1 cup chopped almonds and omit the cinnamon.
• Peanut Rusks: Add 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts.

CAKE RUSK (INDIAN/PAKISTANI BISCOTTI) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 350°F. Take a 9-inch square baking pan and spray it with a baking spray. Place a parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
• Beat the eggs in a separate large bowl until the eggs are fluffy, and the texture is airy with an electric mixer. Then, add sugar to the eggs and beat for another minute. Add in the butter, vanilla extract and yellow food color and mix until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold in with a spatula just until incorporated.
• Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and place it in the middle rack and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until a wooden skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
• Place the cake on a wire rack until it is cooled completely. Let the cake cool at room temperature before cutting it into pieces.
• Preheat the oven again at 300°F.
• Cut the cake in half. Then cut one-inch pieces of the cake. Finally, cut the pieces in half.
• Place the pieces in the baking tray and place them back in the preheated oven. After 25 minutes, flip over and bake the cake pieces again until the other side is golden brown as well.
• Take out the cake pieces and let them cool completely before placing them in an air-tight container.