Achari Sattu ki Puri...

Most of the time oil and the masala from the pickle remains back. This comes to me quite handy when I want to make a quick spicy dish. Just add some spoons of it to the vegetable or meat or fish and it gives a achari flavour to it. Today I have made Achari Sattu Ki Puri using this achar masala. This Puri is quite flavourful and can be eaten with a cup of tea or accompanied with some potato bhaji. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Sattu 

2 1/2  cups All Purpose Flour 

4 tbsp leftover Oil and Masala from any Achar / Pickle

1/2 tsp Carom seeds 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste 

Oil to deep fry the puris 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add the Sattu, All purpose flour, salt, turmeric powder, carom seeds and 3 tbsp of left over achar masala. Mix all the ingredients together well. Add water little at a time to get a semi hard dough. Knead it well. Add the remaining achar masala, knead it for 2 minutes more. Cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Make lime size equal portions. Heat the oil for frying the puris. Take a portion, apply little oil on the rolling board. Roll out the dough in to round shape disc. Fry the puri until golden brown on both the sides. Remove it on an absorbent paper. Repeat the process with the remaining portions. Serve it hot with aloo tarkari. 

Burger Pizzas and Handmade Flat Bread Pizza....

Burger Pizzas and Handmade Flat Bread Pizza... 

I call it "Quick Fix Pizza"... 

When my friend called me, it was 7:30 pm in the evening. Uncle (her father) wanted to visit us. I had already planned to invite him over dinner, so then I decided why not today itself... My initial though was to order food from out, but my friend said that since children wanted to have Pizza Burger, we would order the burger pizzas from out, but from the time I have started baking, I hate to order pizzas from out... But to make the Burger Pizzas, first I have to bake the burger buns and then make the pizza.. It was already 8:30 pm.

 So tried some tricks to save some time on baking the burger bread and then to make the pizza burgers on time for the children to enjoy. I did save some time, but for the children to enjoy was bit delayed... 

    Let's see how to proof the bread dough in a warm oven to save the time for baking, especially when the kneading time is also reduced. 

You need a warm place for the yeast to rise quickly when you are lacking time... This method some what solves the problem.

Let's see the recipe......

Since I made Vegetarian Pizza burger and Pizza, I used lots of vegetables cut into small cubes..... 

Onion, Green - Yellow - Red Capsicums, Mushrooms, Baby Corns, Green - Black Olives, Pickled Red Chilli sliced, Pickled Gherkins and Tomatoes too. (Which I missed)

1 block of Pizza Cheese or 50:50 Cheddar Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese 

Pizza sauce 

Sprinkle of Dry Oregano and Chilli flakes.. 

2 tbsp Milk, 1 tbsp Oil and 1/2 tsp Honey for the wash

(Keep all the above ingredients ready while proofing the bread.)

For a Quick Pizza Sauce.....

Ingredients

6 Ripe Tomatoes cut into cubes 

6 big size Garlic pod chopped

1 big size Onion chopped 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Dry Mix Herbs or Fresh Basil Leaves chopped 

1 tsp Pepper powder 

1 cup Tomato purée

2 tbsp Olive oil

Method

In a wok, add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for a minute, add the onions. Sauté till translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook it for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, salt, pepper powder, sugar and mix herbs, stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Keep it aside.

For the Burger Buns.....

Ingredients 

500 grams Flour ( Whole Wheat + All Purpose Flour ) 

                                      60          :           40 

2  and 1/4 tsp Dry Yeast or 1 Dry Yeast Sachet  

1/2 cup + 1 1/4 cups Luke Warm water 

2 tbsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

3 tbsp Olive oil 

Sprinkle of Dry Oregano (optional) 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix it. Take 1/2 cup lukewarm water, add sugar and mix it. Add the yeast, stir and dissolve the yeast in the water and let it stand for 10 minutes to rise. 

( This is the first step... Very very important... The yeast has to rise. )

Make a well in between the centre of the flour. Add the yeast water, 1 1/4 cup water and 1tbsp of oil in the centre of the flour. Mix it with a wooden spoon. Lightly knead it for 2 minutes. The dough is bit sticky at this stage.. ( if you feel the dough is very sticky, then sprinkle some flour and knead it. ) Add 1/2 tbsp oil and continue kneading for minute. Add 1/2 tbsp oil again and continue kneading for another minute. 

( Instead of 10 minutes, I kneaded it for just 4 minutes. Saved 6 minutes.) 

Now apply the remaining oil on the dough, cover the bowl, wrap the bowl with a napkin and keep it in the oven at 60 to 70 degrees Celsius.. (The oven has to be warm and not hot.) keep an eye on the bowl. After 3 to 4 minutes please feel the bowl.. If it has become hot.. Remove it from the oven and keep it out till it cools down. Keep it back in the oven. In 30 to 40 minutes the dough will rise. 

 ( Saves almost 30 minutes of stage 1 proofing time ) 

Remove the bowl from the oven. Punch the dough and knead it for a minute. Make 9 equal portions of the dough ( 100 grams of each portion ) the remaining dough would be made into hand made flat bread Pizza.. Grease a baking tray. Take a portion, to make the burger bun, push the dough from in between the thumb and index finger. It will form a ball. Now gently roll the ball with the help of the palms. Place the rolled dough on the baking tray. With the help of the fingers, lightly flatten the ball. Repeat the process. Keep the dough balls at a distance from one another. Cover it with a napkin and keep it in the oven for 20 minutes for rising at 60 to 70 degrees celcius. Now take the tray out of the oven, remove the napkin. Increase the oven temperature to 190 degrees celcius. Keep the oven for preheating. Meanwhile apply the milk wash on the buns. Sprinkle dry oregano on the buns (optional). Bake the buns for 10 minutes. Remove and apply another milk wash. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove again and apply the last milk wash. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more until brown in colour. Remove it out from the oven. Brush in oil on the buns. Remove the buns from the tray and cool it.

To make the Hand made Flat Bread Pizza........

In between baking the buns.. Grease another baking tray. Take the remain dough, stretch it with your palms and spread the dough uniformly on the tray and cover up the tray completely. Grate the cheese over the dough. Apply the pizza sauce. Arrange all the cubed vegetables, olives and pickled vegetables. Put some more grated cheese on top. As the buns are ready, increase the oven temperature to 200 degrees celcius and bake the pizza for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread has become brown. Take it out from the oven and keep it for 10 minutes before cutting the pizza.

To make the Burger Pizza......

Take the burger buns and cut the buns horizontally. Take a baking tray. Place the lower portion of the buns on the tray. Put the grated cheese, then put a tbsp of the pizza sauce, put the all the vegetables one after the other. Finally put some more grated cheese. Bake the buns at 190 degrees celcius for 10 minutes or  till the cheese has melted. Take the. Tray out from the oven, place the top portion of the buns on the cheese. Put the tray back into the oven and back it for 10 minutes more. Remove the tray and serve it hot..... 

Chilli Garlicky Cheese Rice -Potato Pops

Chilli Garlicky Cheesy Rice - Potato Pops...

These can be served as tea time snacks or starters. These are vegetarian pops. I love the taste of the melted mozzarella. These are easy to make. Must serve it hot.. 

For the Stuffing

Ingredients

1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Mozarella grated  

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese crumbles or grated 

1 tsp to 2 tsp Green Chillies minced as required 

1 tsp Garlic minced 

Salt to taste 

Method

Mix all the above ingredients together and keep it aside. 

For the Potato - Rice Pops 

Ingredients 

1 cup cooked Rice mashed 

2 Large Potatoes boiled grated

1 cup or 3 to 4 end slice of the Fresh Bread crumbs

1/4 cup Spinach Puree 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Oil

Method

Mix all the above ingredients together well and make a dough. If you feel the dough is too sticky to handle then add some more bread crumbs. Add a tsp oil and knead it well. 

To Fry the Pops 

Ingredients 

Stuffing

Dough

1 cup Fine Semolina 

Oil to fry 

Method

Take a small portion of the dough, flatten it.Place some stuffing in between the dough. Press the stuffing in the center and close the edges of the dough. Roll it into a ball. Repeat the process till all the pops are ready. Toss them in semolina. Heat the oil in a fry pan. Fry the pops till golden brown on full flame. Remove it on an absorbent paper. Serve it hot with tomato ketchup... 

P.S. Take Fresh Bread and grind it to make fresh bread crumbs. 

The dough is a bit sticky, to handle the dough apply oil on the palms. 

Please roll the pops well after the stuffing is done, or else it can break and the cheese can ooze out. 

Instant Kanchipuram Idlis

Instant Kanchipuram Idlis

I remember my best friend's gradmother Patti. Some of the people though they are no more in this world, they will always remain in my heart forever, she is one of them. As a teenager I use to visit my friend's house everyday, infact it was my second home. Patti use to make many Tamilian dishes and I picked up few of them from her, though few of the dishes are forgotten and few I remember. One of the dish was Kanchipuram Idlis. She used black lentils with skin and rice, soaked it over night and she use to ground it on a stone grinder. Then the batter was left to ferment overnight and it was seasoned with salt, some curry leaves, mustard seeds, chana dal, few peppercorn, few broken cashwenuts and 2 pinch of asafoetida. Then the rest of the process remained the same for making the idlis. She served it with coconut chutney and milagai podi which was again homemade. 

      Here I followed the recipe but since it is an instant idli, it was not kept for fermentation. I used Eno, but soda bicarbonate can also be added if there is no Eno. It helps in instant fermentation and incoperates air in the batter. I added desiccated coconut in the batter as I love it. Also I replaced rice with idli rawa and oats...

For the Seasoning 

Ingredients 

1/4 tsp Bengal Grams / Chana Dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Pepper Corn crushed 

Few broken pieces of Cashwenuts 

1 tsp minced Green Chillies 

Few Curry leaves

2 Pinch of Asafoetida 

1 tbsp Ghee 

Method 

Take a pan and add ghee in it. Let it. Heat add the chana dal, stir it for a minute. Add the mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add peppercorn and few Cashwenuts, stir it for a minute. Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Stir for another minute. Add asafoetida and stir it for few seconds. Remove it from the flame. 

For the Batter 

Ingredients 

1 cup Oats

2 cups Idli Rawa

1/2 cup Split Black Lentils with skin soaked for an hour

2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Eno / Soda bicarbonate 

1/2 cup Curd

Water as required 

Seasoning 

1 tbsp Seasam oil

Method

Grind the soaked lentils in a grinder. Remove it in a mixing bowl, add oats, ldli rawa, coconut, salt, curd, seasoning and water as per required to make a batter. It should be dropping consistency. Add eno. Mix it and let it stand for 10 minutes. Take idli moulds and apply seasam oil on it. Add the batter and steam it till done. Serve it with chutney and sambhar.

Garlicky Chilli Cottage Cheese and Veggies Stirred Fried....

Garlicy Chilli Cottage Cheese and Veggies Stirred Fried....

This is a vegetarian starter dish. I love this dish for its garlicy flavour and spiciness.

For the Sauce 

Ingredients 

2 tbsp Soya sauce 

2 tbsp Green Chilli sauce

2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup 

2 tbsp Vinegar

2 tbsp Cornflour 

Salt to taste 

4 tbsp Water

Method 

Take a bowl and mix all the above ingredients together.

For the Stir Fried Cottage Cheese and Veggies..

Ingredients 

500 grams Cottage Cheese cut into cubes 

2 Onions cut into cubes 

1 Green Capsicum cut into cubes 

1/2 Red Capsicum cut into cubes 

1/2 Yellow Capsicum cut into cubes 

2 tbsp Garlic minced 

6 Green Chillies cut lengthwise  

Sauce 

1/4 cup Water 

1/4 cup Oil

Method 

Take a wok. Heat the oil. Fry the cottage cheese in batches till brown in colour. Remove it from the oil and keep it aside on an absorbent paper. Keep 2 tbsp of oil in the wok and remove the excess oil out. In the same oil add the garlic. Stir fry it for 1 minute. Add the onion. Stir fry it till the onions are translucent. Add the capsicum and green chillies. Stir it for 2 minutes. Add the Cottage cheese. Stir it and cook for 2 minutes on high flame. Add the sauce. Stir it for another 1 minute. Add the water, stir fry it on full flame till the sauce incoperated with the veggies and cottage cheese well.  Serve it hot as a starter.

Masala Akki Rotti with leftover Rice

Masala Akki Rotti with leftover Rice....

Akki rotti is a rice-based dish, extremely popular from the state of Karnataka.It is made of rice flour which is mixed with salt and water and kneaded well to make a soft dough. Sliced onions and carrots, chopped dill leaves, chopped coriander, cumin seeds and sesame seeds can also be added while kneading the dough.Traditionally some oil is spread on the skillet and a small amount of the dough is place on the skillet and spread to a thin sheet. Oil is then drizzled on the the Rotti. It is cooked until the Rotti is brown on both the sides. It is served hot and is eaten along with chutney. Another way of making akki rotti is to spread the dough over a plantainleaf or a plastic sheet and then cooked on the skillet. The dough should be made just when you are making the rottis.

Here I have made it with leftover rice and rice flour with onion, green chill, coriander leaves and spices. 

Ingredients 

2 cups Left over cooked Rice

1 1/2 cups Rice flour

1 Onion chopped

2 Green chillies chopped

1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped 

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 

4 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients except oil well and form a dough. Add a tbsp of oil and knead it well. If the dough is sticky add more rice flour. Take a lime size portion of the dough. Roll it into a ball. Take a plastic sheet. Apply water on the sheet. Place the ball on the sheet and with the help of the finger start pressing the ball and spreading it. It will be sticky, apply water on the fingers. Heat a skillet, very gently left up the plastic sheet, turn it upside down and with the other hand remove the plastic sheet out. The Rotti may crack. Place the the Rotti on the skillet and seal the cracks. Cook the Rotti for 2 minutes. Trun it. Drizzle it with oil. Cook it till brown on both the sides. Serve hot with chutney.

Potato and Rice Flour Latkes..

Potato and Rice Flour Latkes....

 Latkes are potato pancakes that are prepared by Ashkenazi Jews as a part of the Hanukkah festival since the mid-1800s, but the connection actually goes back to at least the Middle Ages.

Latkes need not necessarily be made from potatoes. Earlier day before the potatoes were introduced, latkes were, and in some places still are, made from a variety of other vegetables, cheeses, legumes, or starches, depending on the availability of the local ingredients.  Numerous modern recipes call for the addition of ingredients such as onions and carrots. The word latke itself has derived from the Russian word 'ladka', 'oladka',"small pancake". The word leviva, the Hebrew name for latke, refers in the Book of Samuel to a dumpling made from kneaded dough, as part of the story of Amnon and Tamar. Some interpreters have noted that the homonym levav means "heart".

Net source... 

I have adopted this recipe for the net... 

Very quick and easy to make and ingredients are easily available in the kitchen. Taste good with garlic and mustard flavoured yogurt sauce. 

Ingredients

1 large potato peeled and grated and excess water squeezed out ( Here instead of the raw potato, I have used half boiled potato)

1 large onion chopped finely 

2 Eggs

1 cup Rice Flour

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

Oil for frying

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, Add potato, onion, eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Heat a skillet. Add a tbsp of oil. On a low flame, heat the oil. Place 1 large tablespoon of the batter on the skillet. Press and flatten the batter. Fry it until golden brown from both the sides. Drizzle more oil if required.  Remove it from the skillet and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Continue with remaining batter until done. Serve it with garlic and dejon mustard Yogurt sauce...

Ingredients 

1/4 cup Yogurt 

1/4 tsp Garlic paste

1 tsp Dejon Mustard paste

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Pepper powder 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients well. 

Piyaz Ki Kachori

Piyaz Ki Kachori 

It is a popular roadside dish of Rajasthan. Off let lots of post on piyaz ki kachori took me back to the time when I use to visit Kota. Me and my sister in law use to go for marketing. So after our shopping was over, we made it a point to eat piyaz ki kachori. It was served with chutneys, curd, chaat masala and sev. Extremely popular and delicious..

For the Stuffing 

Ingredients 

2 cups Onions finely chopped 

2 Green chilli chopped 

1 tsp Garlic chopped 

1/4 tsp Nigella seeds 

1/4  tsp Fennel seeds 

1/4 tsp Carom seeds 

1/4 tsp Coriander powder 

1 tsp Lime juice 

2 tbsp Besan

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/4 Garam Masala powder 

1/4 tsp Asafoetida 

Salt to tate 

2 tsp Oil 

Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method

Take oil in a pan, let it heat. Add the nigella seeds, fennel seeds, carom, coriander seeds. Let it crackle. Add onions, garlic and green chillies. Sauté and cook the onions till light brown. Add asafoetida, salt, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder. Stir and mix it. Add the lime juice, stir and mix it, add the besan and mix it well stirring it for 2 minutes. Add coriander leaves, mix it. 

 

For The Dough

2 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour 

Salt to taste

3 tbsp Ghee

Cold water as required 

Method

Take mixing bowl, add salt, ghee and flour. Mix it well. Add water as required into the flour and knead it into a hard dough. Keep it covered for 30 minutes. 

Make equal portions of the dough. 

To make the Kachoris

Ingredients 

Stuffing

Dough

Oil for frying 

Method

Take a portion of the dough, knead it well. Roll the dough into round disc. Take 2 tsp stuffing and add it into the center of the circle. Seal the dough from the edges properly. Flatten the dough and roll it lightly once more around 4 inch. Heat oil. Keep it on low flame.  Fry the kachori on a low medium flame fry till it become golden and crispy. Take out on an absorbent paper. Serve the kachori hot with some coriander chutney, tamarind chutney or sauce.

Cornflakes and Jackfruit seed Chaat

Cornflakes and Jackfruit seed Chaat

This is a unique chaat.. An innovation in my kitchen for healthy snack. Since this is the season for Jackfruit, most of us like ripe Jackfruit. The seeds from the ripe Jackfruit are equally tasty and has health benefits. We make sabji and dal out of it, but this Jackfruit seed Chaat is very delicious and healthy to be served as evening snack. 

Ingredients 

1 bowl of Cornflakes 

3/4 bowl of Jackfruit seeds boiled, skin removed and chopped 

1 or 2 Green Chillies chopped 

2 tbsp of Onion chopped 

1 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped 

2 tbsp Green Chutney (1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, 1 Green Chiili, Salt to taste and 1 small piece of Raw Mango, ground together) 

1 tsp Lime Juice

1/2 tsp Chaat Masala 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients together and serve it immediately...

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha...

This paratha is good for children who refuses to eat green leafy vegetables. This can be eaten with curd and pickles.
Ingredients
4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 bowl Spinach Purée
1 tsp Ginger Chilli paste
1 tbsp Mint chopped
2 Green chillies chopped
1 bowl of grated Cottage cheese
1/2 cup Curd beaten
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Curry powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Cumin powder for stuffing
Salt to taste
Ghee to fry the Parathas

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour, spices, salt and oil. Mix it well. Add curd and spinach purée. Mix it, add water as required and start kneading into a dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Take the grated cottage cheese, add salt, cumin powder, chopped chillies and mint leaves. Mix it. Divide the dough into lemon size balls. Take a ball. Flatten it. Fill a tbsp of the stuffing. Seal the dough from the edges. Coat the dough with dry flour. Roll it. Heat a skillet up. Place the rolled dough on the skillet. Cook the paratha on both the sides for 2 minutes until bubbles appear.  Apply ghee and fry the paratha... Serve it hot..

Kulcha Buns Stuffed with Chatpata Choley...

Kulcha Buns stuffed with Chatpata Choley.... 

I remember having Choley kulcha in Manali... Instead of making two different dishes.. I thought of stuffing the Choley in the kulcha.. It taste awesome with the buttery taste. Have it hot... 

For the Choley

Ingredients

1 cup Chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled 

2 Boiled Potatoes chopped into small pieces

1 Onion chopped

1 Tomato chopped 

1 tsp Garlic minced

1/2 tsp Ginger minced

2 Green chillies chopped 

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Chaat Masala

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Roasted Cumin powder 

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Juice of 1 Lime 

1 tbsp Oil 

Method 

Take a wok, add oil, add cumin seeds. Let it crackle, add the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies. Sauté it for 1 minute. Add the onions, sauté it till translucent. Add the tomato, stir it, add the chopped potato and the chickpeas. Stir and add 1/4 cup of water.Cover and cook till the water has dried up. Add the salt, chaat masala,roasted cumin powder and lime juice. Mix it. Take it off the flame. Add the coriander leaves for garnishing. Keep it aside while we make the Kulcha buns. 

Kulcha Buns

Ingredients 

3 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 cup Luke warm water

1 tbsp Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Dry Yeast

Salt to taste

1/2 cup or more Water

2 tbsp Butter (room temperature)

Method 

Take the yeast and sugar and mix it into the lukewarm water. Let it rise. Add the salt into the flour and mix it. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Pour in the yeast water and little more water and knead it into a soft dough. Add little butter and knead the dough well for 10 minutes. Apply little butter on the dough, cover and keep till it rises double in size. Punch the dough and divide the dough into equal portions, size of a tennis ball. Cover and keep for another 15 minutes.

To make the stuff Buns... 

Grease a baking tin with oil. Take one portion of the dough, flatten it. Add the chatpata Choley in the centre. Close the edges of the bun. Place the bun on the baking tin.leave some distance for the next bun. Apply oil on the bun and flatten the bun. Keep it for 20 minutes. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven. Apply butter on top of the hot buns.

Peppery Oats Rasam Vada

Peppery Oats Rasam Vada

This dish has a twist... it is made with Oats... Instead of using Tur dal in the rasam... I have used Oats on it... Similarly the Oats is used in the Vada too. The taste is the same and it healthy and delicious too 😊 

This is my winning recipe from #KelloggsREALCHEF

Rasam Powder

Ingredients 

1 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tsp Chana dal

1 tsp Tur dal 

15 Pepper corn

2 Red Chillies

2 Pinches of Asafoetida 

1/2 tbsp Dry Coconut  grated / Desiccated Coconut

Method

Take a pan, add coriander seeds, chana dal, tur dal, pepper corn and red chillies. Roast it for 2 minutes. Add the coconut and asafoetida.  Roast it for a minute. Let it cool. Add the ingredients in to a grinder and grind it in to a powder.

For the Rasam

Ingredients

1 big Tomato finely chopped

4 tbsp Oats (soak it in 1 cup of hot water)

1/2 tspTamarind paste

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

2 sprigs Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Pinch of Asafoetida 

Rasam powder 

1 tsp Ghee

Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method

Take a pot. Add 3 cups of water, tamarind paste, tomatoes, few curry leaves, turmeric powder and salt. Put the pot on simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the soaked oat along with 3 cups of water. Let it simmer. Add the rasam powder. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take another pan. Add ghee. Add mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for few seconds. Add the seasoning to the rasam. Switch off the flame. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve it hot.

 

For the Vada 

Ingredients 

2 cups Oats

1/2 cup washed and soaked Urid dal for 2 hours

1 Green Chilli chopped 

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds 

Pinch of Asafoetida 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper corn coarsely ground 

Oil to deep fry

Method 

Add 1 cup oats, soaked urid dal, salt and water as required in a grinder. Grind it into a coarse batter. While grinding don't add too much of water. Take is out from the grinder and add remaining oats, cumin seeds, pepper, chilli and water as required.  Mix it well.  Take oil in a wok. Let it heat. Take a tbsp of the batter and drop it into the oil. Fry it till golden brown. Serve the vadas with hot rasam.

Cheesy Herb Balls

Cheesy Herb Balls....

This dish can be served as an appetiser.  

 For the Cheese Herb Filling 

Ingredients 

2 cubes Cheddar Cheese grated 

2 Garlic Clove 

1 Green Chilli 

1/2 cup Mint leaves 

1/2  cup Coriander leaves

1/2 cup Spring Onions 

Juice of 1/2 Lime 

Salt to taste

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a grinder and grind it. 

For the Cottage cheese and Potato Shells

Ingredients

5 medium sized Potatoes boiled 

2 cups Cottage cheese 

4 tbsp All Purpose Flour 

1/4 tsp Cumin powder 

Salt to taste

Method 

Mix and knead all the above ingredients together to form a dough.

To make it....

Ingredients 

Filling 

Dough

6 tbsp All Purpose Flour + 1/4 cup Water -  mix it 

1 cup Bread Crumbs 

Oil to fry

Method 

Divide the dough into equal portions like lemon. Take a portion and flatten it, add 1 tsp of the filling and close the edges of the dough properly and give it a round shape. Repeat the same process. Now dip each balls in the all purpose batter and coat the balls with the bread crumbs. Repeat the dipping and coating process once more. Let it refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Heat oil in a pan. Fry the bombs till golden brown in colour. Serve hot with tomato sauce...

Whole Wheat Sweet Chocolatey, Minty and Spicy Soda Bread.....

Whole Wheat Sweet Chocolatey, Minty and Spicy Soda Bread.....

Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour,soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts.

   In Europe, soda breads began to appear in the mid-19th century when bicarbonate of soda first became available for use as a raising agent. Breads, griddle cakes and scones with soda bicarbonate and cream of tartar or tartaric acid became popular in Austria, Polish cuisine, Britain and Ireland. Traditional soda bread, eaten in Serbian cuisine, also uses soda bicarbonate. 

Whole wheat soda bread  is known as wheaten bread in parts of Ireland and Polish flat soda bread is known as Proziaki.

Net Resouce.... 

I wanted to cook up something quick for my hungry caterpillar who was going to come back from the school picnic... The door bell would ring any moment.. While I was thinking, the recipe of soda bread ran in my mind. It had to be of her liking... So gave a twist to it and here is my version of soda bread... 

Ingredients

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Milk powder

1/4 cup of Chocolate Chips

Few Mint leaves broken

8 Sweet Pepper Chillies whole or 1 fresh Red Chilli sliced

1 tsp Baking powder

2 Pinches of Salt

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

2 tbsp Melted Butter

3/4 cup Butter Milk

1/4 cup Club Soda

P. S. You can use 1 tsp soda bicarbonate instead club soda and increase the butter milk quantity by 1/4 cup. 

Method

Take a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, milk powder and caster sugar. Mix it. Add salt and baking powder. Mix it. Make a well in between. Add butter milk, mix it. Add club soda. Mix it. Add the chocolate chips, chillies and mint. Mix it. The dough will be a bit sticky. Brush an iron pan or any baking tray with butter. Add the bread dough, spread it. Bake it for 40 minutes or till done at 180 degrees celcius in a preheated oven. Cool a bit and the remove the bread from the pan. Cool it completely before cutting it.