Cabbage Paratha

Other than the weather taking a nasty turn at the start of this week and sweating us out to the core, this week has been pretty much ideal. With the weekend at our feet and so much planned,and lots and lots of food, exciting new projects, and fun. 2015 seems to be bringing the goods so far, and it's exciting.

And again I have been on  a refrigerator cleaning spree, so using up all the stocks that have been waiting for attention. This way new dishes are getting tried and my blog space remains lively. Quite glad with the outcome.

Overall, life is moving at a cool phase as of now and the rest of the week is going to be spent with my head down, working, blogging and plotting- so much to do.

 

It was the turn of cabbage this time to cheer us up and it did not fail. I made it like a stuffing for my dinner bread and quite an exciting outcome was delivered. Very easy, still I thought to pen it down here.

 

The recipe for Cabbage Paratha is as below:

 

INGREDIENTS:

For Dough: 

1/2 cup Whole wheat flour

1 cup All purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Oil

Warm water as needed to mix the dough

For Stuffing:

1 full cup Cabbage grated finely
1 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder (optional) 
A handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil-1 tsp + for pan frying

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Mix flours,salt and oil together. Pour some warm water and make into a soft dough.

 

2) Cover this with a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

 The Stuffing:
 
1) Heat oil in a pan. Add in cumin seeds and crackle it.

2) Add in cabbage and mix well. Season with salt.Add in the powders er and mix well.

3) Cook this until all water evaporates and the mixture gets dry. Cool it down.


The Paratha:

1) Now divide the dough into equal portions.Take one dough and roll a bit.

2) Spoon some stuffing in this and seal from all sides.

3) Roll this carefully without giving pressure.

4) Heat a Flat pan and put this paratha on it. Cook on one side for 1 min. Now flip it over and apply some oil and cook on other side till everything is nice and golden..

5) Remove this and serve with pickle or yogurt.

 

 

 

Schezwan Cheese Pancake

We're just a fortnight away from the holy month of Ramadan now. Its the month of a lot of cooking, praying and fasting. I am finding the thought a bit overwhelming. And the summer this time looks quite horrid with long sultry days. Just keeping my fingers crossed for some luck with the weather.

We have a nice restaurant in Muscat selling only pancakes - hundreds of varieties, most of them similar, generating similar tastes. The base of the pancake is still the same that they use for all types of pancakes. But the fillings inside is what that creates the variety and we were totally confused choosing it for ourselves. I being as fan of stir-fries ended up choosing the Chinese version and the recipe that I have put up today is an extended version of what I ate at the restaurant. So check out the recipe for this pancake with a twist. Feel free to make different stuffing this way and your own version of a stuffed pancake. They taste delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

For Pancake Batter:

1 cup rice soaked overnight in water
1/4 cup black gram lentils soaked along with rice overnight
Salt to taste

For the final stuffed pancake:

Pancake batter as needed
Butter as needed
Schezwan Sauce as needed
Cheese as needed

For Vegetable Filling:

Oil - 1 tsp
Cabbage - 1 cup sliced thinly
Carrot - 1 medium size sliced into strips
Capsicum - 1 sliced thinly
Onion - 1 medium size sliced thinly
Schezwan Sauce - 1.5 tblspn

For Schezwan Sauce:

1/4 cup oil
7 whole red peppers 
2 Tbsp garlic
2 Tbsp ginger
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 Tbsp corn flour mixed in a cup of water
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce
2 tsp black pepper powder (optional)
1 tsp salt

HOW TO MAKE:

For the Pancake batter:

1) Grind the soaked pancake batter ingredients to a smooth paste and mix it with a tsp of salt.

2)  Allow this batter to ferment for 6 to 8 hours in a warm place till it looks a bit frothy. Stir it well before using it.

For the Schezwan Sauce:

1) In a sauce pan take the whole red peppers. Add 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. Simmer it for 5 mins.By this time the chillies must have plumped up. Drain chillies.

2) Reserve the water, you need that for grinding. Take the chillies in a blender add the reserved water slowly and make them into a paste. Set aside till use.

3)  Now heat oil in a sauce pan. Add in garlic and ginger. Fry it for couple of mins.Now add in the chilli paste and mix well.

4) Now add in the rest of the ingredients for the schezwan sauce.Mix well.Simmer this sauce for 5 to 8 mins.Now the sauce is done. Cool this and store in a clean air tight container refrigerated.

 

For the Veg Stir Fry:

 1) Heat oil in a pan till smoking hot, add in all veggies except sauce. Toss well for 2 to 3 mins.

2) Now add in schezwan sauce and toss well. Set aside.

For the Stuffed Pancake:

1) Heat a pancake pan or a flat pan, take a ladle full of the pancake batter and spread it in circles.

2) Wait for a minute till the pancake starts getting lightly browned and is easy to turn without breaking.

3)  Dollop a tsp of butter and little schezwan sauce. Spread it evenly. Now top with veggies and cheese. Fold and serve.

4) Make all the pancakes this way.  Or slice them into halves & serve them hot or with some schezwan sauce.

 

Appams

The weekend  has been a right old mixed bag. It started silently and lazily with the whole house demanding for urgent housekeeping and tons of work waiting in the kitchen but has ended in the most lovely weekend so I can't really complain about all the shit that's come in the middle. Life's just like that sometimes. Even the weather eased in the last two days and now you can at least breathe normal air instead of the hot air that had engulfed us.

I'm really looking forward to our holy month of Ramadan now, it's sure to kick off in a spectacular fashion with great food and family suppers. Other than that blogging is something that I really look forward to at the start of my everyday. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment, but hopefully a lot of it is about to come good, fingers crossed.

 

Last week I tried out the long awaited Appams ( Rice Pancakes fermented with yeast). They are a Kerala specialty and you will find them in every Keralite's home regularly. They are a great accompaniment with veg or non-veg stews. Once you grind the batter, the fermentation takes place in 6-8 hours and the pancake making process is mighty simple.

 

You must check this recipe out to believe it.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

 2 cups regular rice

1 cup parboiled rice or boiled rice or idli rice

A fistful of poha (rice flakes) or cooked rice

1 or 1.5 cups grated coconut or 1 cup thick coconut milk

½ tsp dry active yeast

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Oil for the pancakes

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  Soak both the regular rice, parboiled rice in water for 4 to 5 hours.  Drain out the water and then grind them along with grated coconut, cooked rice or poha/aval, dry active yeast, salt and sugar.

 

2) You can also add the yeast after the grinding process is done. The batter should be smooth flowing, but not watery.

 

3) Pour the batter in a large bowl or pan ,cover and keep aside for fermenting for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature conditions.

 

4) The batter will rise and increase in volume the next day.

 

5) Heat a kadai/wok or an appam pan with handles. Smear some oil on the kadai.

 

6) Spread a ladle full of the batter. Turn and tilt the pan so as to spread the batter.

 

7) Cover the pan and let the appam cook until the base would become nicely light golden.

 

8) Make all appams this way. Serve them hot with a thick veg or non-veg stew of your choice.

 

 

Poha

Its the evening of the most exciting day of the week - Thursday and although I've been working the whole of this week  I have also been spending a couple of hours every evening giving my room a good clean and sort out, I always forget how much more motivated it makes me feel.

I've not made any secret of my deep love for Candy Crush. Off late, I have been hooked to Candy Crush and I have been spending hours playing it. Whenever I find myself having even a few minutes of free time, I start playing it. Admittedly it isn't exactly being in a competition, but I love it.

Today I am posting the recently tried out breakfast dish called  seasoned Poha . Are you giving me side-eye right now? I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking. Not everyone likes eating poha as it is kind of bland. But some extra seasoning really works and upgrades its tastes to new levels.

I have been regularly reading about the benefits of Poha (flattened or beaten Rice) since a long time. Poha is nothing but rice in the form of flakes which swell when a liquid is added to it. It is very light on the stomach and is an amazing source of iron and carbs with low gluten levels. I just kind of tried it after reading these benefits and I am sure I will include it in my regular menu list. I did not realize how easy it is to make and it hardly takes ten minutes. Poha is easily available in all supermarkets and is popular in India.

Now the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups poha - white beaten rice or flattened rice

1 large onion, finely chopped

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp mustard seeds

2  tbsp peanuts

10-12 curry leaves

1 green chilli,chopped

1 or 1.5 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander leaves

1 tsp lemon juice

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  Rinse the poha in water, drain the water from it and keep it aside.

 

2) Add some turmeric powder to the poha and gently mix.

 

3) Dry roast the peanuts in a pan till they become crunchy. Remove them and keep aside.

 

4) Heat oil in the same pan. Crackle the mustard seeds first.

 

5) Add onions, curry leaves & green chilies and saute them for a minute.

 

6) Add the peanuts and continue to stir. Add the poha and salt at this stage and mix gently.

 

7) Cover and steam the poha for 2-3 minutes on a low flame.

 

8) Switch off flame and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice.

 

 

 

Moong Dal Pancake or Green lentils Pancake

India boasts of a variety of pancakes to pamper the breakfast time. Pancakes are more common in South India and they can be prepared in a myriad ways.
 
Pancake recipes have evolved to suit regional and personal preferences and every little place in India will have its own special type of pancake. Once the batter is ready, they are  fairly quick and easy to prepare.
 
I have a recipe here for a pancake packed with proteins and I am sure these will top the list for a healthy breakfast.

 
INGREDIENTS:
 

2 cups green gram lentils soaked for 8 hours and ground in a mixer with little salt

1 green chilly, finely chopped

½ inch piece ginger, chopped

A pinch of asafoetida(optional)

¼ tbsp rice flour

¼ cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves (optional)

Salt to taste

1 finely chopped onion

Oil for pan frying

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  Mix all the ingredients with the ground lentils except oil to make the pancake batter.

 

2) Heat a griddle or a flat pan and smear some oil over it.

 

3) Using a ladle, pour and spread some pancake batter on it into a round shape.

 

4) Smear some oil over this spread batter on the pan. Flip and cook both sides till crisp and browned.

 

5) Serve with a Chutney or a dip.

 

 

Rice pooris

I really cannot believe it's the last week of April. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just terrifying the rate at which 2015 is disappearing in front of my eyes, just worried at the rate I am aging....

This weekend has also flown by, but mainly because I've been doing a lot of work and have kept myself busy. Almost every day over the last week has involved something new in the kitchen. I've made something or the other which is new and I am still not sure if I made everything perfectly. The sad thing is that first impression is certainly the best impression. And if something is not cooked well in the first attempt, then the chances of the same dish being repeated in the near future is very less. No, I should not do that. I should try it out and perfect myself on it. Or else I cannot be a good cook. I am wary of that!!!

Anyways I'm heading into next week with more of the same on the horizon, and feeling like an extremely energetic girl. Tomorrow is Thursday and that means I am a day just before the weekend and I need to list down what I would like to try out in the weekend. Baking is certainly on my list and what else ? I will get to know tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am excited.

Now coming to today's recipe. I found this recipe in one of my books and I really liked it. I made them for breakfast and accompanied them with a vegetable curry. They are called as Rice pooris or Rice puffs. Quite an interesting concept because they are not very common in our breakfasts or in most restaurant menus. They are fluffy, crispy and fresh. You are sure to love them.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups rice flour

1.5 cups water or add as required

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp cumin powder

a pinch of fenugreek powder

1 tsp oil for the dough

1/2 cup Dill leaves finely chopped

salt as required

oil for deep frying the pooris

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Mix the spices and salt with the rice flour.

 

2) Heat the water till its begins to boil. Add the hot boiling water to the rice flour mixture along with the dill leaves.

 

3) With a spoon stir well. cover with a lid and let this mixture become warm, for about 20 to 25 mins.

 

4) Add 1 tsp oil  then begin to mix everything with your hands. Knead till smooth using a bit of oil.

 

5) Cover and let the dough rest for 25 to 30 minutes more or till it cools completely. Make small balls from this dough.

 

6) Roll each of the small ball into a flat bread type and deep fry them until light golden in hot oil.

 

7) While deep frying, you can gently press  the poori, in circular motion, so that the poori puffs completely.

 

8) Serve them hot.

 

 

Mini Greek Pizza Muffins

The heart of Greek cooking comes from Kalamata Olives, its spicy blend of herbs and chiles, as well as the feta cheese and their use of olive oil. Once you have those ingredients, you are off to the races for quick, tasty Greek food.

But when I mix them with eggs and milk, then I’ve hit my mojo. And these mini muffins are perfect for a big time healthy breakfast. A bird's eye-view of the ingredients will surely shout that it is a thoroughly balanced meal. These muffins are extremely easy to whip up for a quick and healthy breakfast.

And there is more to it. You can also be bold and add more ingredients like sausage and pepperoni to the egg mixture. Vegetarians can add more colorful vegetables to this and enjoy these savories .

 
Makes 2 dozen mini muffins
 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large egg, well beaten
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives


HOW TO MAKE:

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.

3) Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, oregano, sugar, garlic powder and salt in a medium bowl.

4) Stir milk, feta, egg, tomato paste and olives into the onion mixture. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups two-thirds full.

5) Bake the muffins until lightly browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

Curry leaves Chutney

Earlier in the week, at the height of a very stressful day, I had a bit of a breakthrough moment and ever since then I feel like I've had a fire lit underneath me. Yesterday evening we had a change from our regular days and we were off for some grocery shopping during which I ended up buying gourmet ingredients. Obviously this means that I have interesting ambitions with cooking in the coming days.I am raring to go, so watch this space.

Here I have a recipe for a not very common Chutney/Dip which pairs wonderfully with pancakes and breads. It is made out of Curry leaves. Not everyone's choice. But it seems to be loved mainly by the South Indians. It makes use of a few vibrant ingredients and delivers an awesome flavor. I made it last weekend for breakfast along with Rice pancakes. We loved it. So speed up your breakfasts with these exciting dips and watch this space for more amazing recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1cup fresh curry leaves
2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
1 1/2 tsp urad dal/ black gram lentils
4 red chillies
1 tsp cummin seds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Pinch of fenugreek seeds
1/8 tsp of turmeric powder 
Pinch of asafoetida
Pinch sugar
Little tamarind
1.5 tsp oil
Salt to taste

 

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Wash the curry leaves thoroughly , drain the water and keep aside

 

 

2) Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add urad dal, cummin , mustard , asafoetida and fenugreek seeds.

3) Once cumin seeds starts to splutter add red chillies and saute if for a min. Then add sesame seeds and fry for a minute till they become fluffy. Transfer it then to a plate.Once it cools grind to a fine powder.

4) In the same pan add 1/2 tsp of oil and the curry leaves and fry for 1-2 minutes . Switch off the flame.

5) Once it cools add the curry leaves to the above grinded powder with turmeric powder, tamarind,salt,sugar and grind to a fine paste.

6) Transfer it to a serving bowl. Mix and serve it with pancakes.

 

Crustless Mini Quiches/Cheesy Omelette muffins

My weaknesses are mainly savory - think salt and vinegar crisps or cheese and biscuits - but there are times when my body craves for some glucose and I hunt down my kitchen for some sweet crispies .
Hot chocolate on the side is always worth considering, but just - just! - by itself this is sublime succor. This is my way of assuaging my appetite, appeasing my need or, perhaps more accurately, feeding my addiction.
 
But then for a strong breakfast or a healthy one, I like spreading out savories along with a bowl of fruits and a milk dessert to puddle over into a balanced spread.
 
And eggs is the Number .1 ingredient that a healthy breakfast demands. From plain omelettes or sandwiches or a bull's eye fry, eggs brighten up a breakfast or a brunch with just the right amount of calories to kick-start the day.
 
From quite a while, I have been eyeing Quiches but had not tried out any. Recently I came across a recipe while browsing and I could not stop myself from trying this out because I felt it was quite easy and will be well received by my family. And then it turned out to be a super hit and is demanded regularly.

The recipe is as follows:

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs , well beaten
1 small onion finely chopped
Few leaves spinach chopped
1 small tomato finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 small green chili finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 cup grated cheese
2 tbsp. oil or butter for greasing the pans

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Preheat the oven to 375 degree F / 190 degree C.2. Grease the cupcake tin with melted butter, set aside.

2)  In a mixing bowl beat the eggs and add onion, tomato, spinach, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, green chili, fresh coriander, salt and cheese. Stir everything until well combined.

3) Pour the mixture equally in the size of your cupcake tin.

4) Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cupcake tin.

5) Once done remove and allow it to cool for few minutes before removing them from the tin.

 

Grilled Open Subs

INGREDIENTS:

5 Bread Slices
Grated Cheese (Cheddar or Mozarella cheese)
Chopped Olives (green or black)
Pepper powder to sprinkle
Coriander leaves to sprinkle
Spring onions to sprinkle

For the topping mixture:

1 tbsp Oil
1/2 onion chopped coarsely
1 cup tomato
3 tbsp tomato Ketchup
1 capsicum chopped
1/2 cup cubed chicken (optional)
1 tsp seasoning/oregano
Salt to taste
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1 tsp pepper powder(optional)
1 tsp hot sauce/chilli sauce

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and the vegetables & chicken and saute for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and the sauces along with the seasonings. Add the salt and pepper also.

2) Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the corn flour mixed with water. Allow the mixture to reach a thick but spreadable consistency. Switch off the stove and cool it.

3) Spread the mixture on each bread slice. Top with onion rings, olives, grated cheese and the spring onions/coriander leaves. Sprinkle some pepper on this.

4)  Grill each sandwich in an oven or on a grill for 10-12 minutes maximum or till cheese turns light golden.

5)  Serve hot as a snack or for breakfast. Feel free to use different toppings also for your open sub.

Batata Puris (Potato flattened breads)

Scorching sun,dusty plains, blooming date palms and dwindling springs - Yes its officially the summer's impending presence.With temperatures touching 45 degrees along with high humidity levels there is no doubt that we are now almost a few weeks into the summer. Even though the effects of a grey sky lingered briefly in the last week but disappeared quickly in the last couple of days.

I spent a very non-chalant weekend this time. Thanks to the sultry weather. I never felt like planning any outings. To add some zest to my weekend, I decided to polish my culinary skills and bring in more sparks to my growing fad. I explored my cook books and bookmarked a few recipes for which I did not have to make a trip to the grocery stores, then gathered the ingredients and set to undertake my chores.

So here I am with a wonderful treat for all potato lovers who are not counting calories.This is a no-fuss light meal/breakfast recipe for some crispy,puffed flatbreads - we call them puris. Mashed potatoes combined with flour for a heavy dough which is flattened and deep fried to perfection.The crunchiness of these puris and their flavour adds color to your table. It pairs greatly with some spicy tomato pickle.


INGREDIENTS:

4 cups maida
2 small boiled potatoes
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
crushed green chillies
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp ghee
salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Boil, peel and mash potatoes to a smooth paste.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients to this and mix well to form a well kneaded dough.

3)  Set aside for 45 minutes.

4)  Roll into small flattened bread /puris and deep fry in hot oil till light golden.

5)  Serve hot with a curry or a tomato pickle.

RATING NOTES: 

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    9/10**

**  Mash the potatoes until very smooth and without any lumps. Or else the puris will not form well.