Pissaladière is a classic dish in Provence

Pissaladière is a classic dish in Provence ( South east France). Its thin pizza-like crust is piled high with caramelized onions, then topped with anchovies ( Optional), olives, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

Topping
1/4 cup butter
3 big  onions thinly sliced
6 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

For the base
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
20 drained anchovy fillets ( optional)
20  black olives pitted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Method

For topping:
Preheat oven to 180 degress. Place butter on heavy large  baking sheet; place in oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Spread half of onions on baking sheet; top with 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil. Top with remaining onions, 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs, and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil (onion layer will be thick but will settle during baking). Bake until onions are very tender and golden, stirring and turning every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cool. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaves. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For base:
Pour 1 cup warm water into small bowl; sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Blend 2 3/4 cups flour and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons oil; process until dough clumps together, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky. Process until shiny ball forms, about 1 minute. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Coat large bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add dough to bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in warm area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; cover and let rise until puffed and almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Grease the baking sheet with oil. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface  rectangle shape and to the size of the tray. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; press edges of dough up along sides and corners of sheet. Cover with dry kitchen towel; let rise until slightly puffed, 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread onions over top of dough. Arrange anchovies ( optional ) and olives on top. Bake until the base
is golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme. Cut into 3-inch squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fish Fry Healthy Treat for the Tastebuds and Soul

Fish Fry Healthy Treat for the Tastebuds and Soul
It is one of the Bengali Delicacy. It is a well know street food of Kolkatta. Usually it is fried in oil, but today I have made fish fry which is not fried.

Ingredients
6 pieces of Boneless Fish Fillets cut into rectangle shapes
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
1/4 tsp Chilli paste
1/4 tsp Ginger Paste
Rock Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Lime juice
1 cup Roti Crumbs
2 Egg Whites
Oil spray

Method
Marinate the fish with lime juice, ginger paste , garlic paste , chillies paste, pepper powder and salt for 1 hour.  Beat the egg whites. Take the roti crumbs on a plate. Dip the marinated fish fillet in the egg white. Apply the roti crumbs on the fish. Dip the fish once more in the egg white and coat the fish again with the roti crumbs and shape the fish properly. Take a baking tin. Spray the oil on the baking tin. Place the fish fillets on the baking tin. Grill at 200 degrees celcicus for 45 minutes in a pre heated oven, turning the fish every 15 minutes spraying oil once on both the sides of the fish. Serve hot with salad and mustard sauce.

Usal Pav Healthy Treat for the Tastebuds and Soul....

Usal Pav Healthy Treat for the Tastebuds and Soul....

Usal is a traditional Maharashtrian dish made with sprouted mixed beans and is served with Pav. I have made this dish using very less oil.

For the Usal
Ingredients
1 cup sprouted Beans
1 medium size Onion finely chopped
1 big size Tomato chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Goda Masala powder
Rock Salt to taste
1/4 cup Masala paste
Few Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves for garnishing
1 Lime cut into pieces

Method
Take a pressure cooker, add all the above ingredients, add 1 1/2 cups of water, pressure cook and give 4 whistles. Let the pressure release, then open the cooker. Take a small pan. Add oil, let it heat. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let the cumin seeds splatter. Add the seasoning to the usal. Let it simmer on a low heat till the water reduces. Garnish it with coriander leaves. Serve the Usal with Pav, chopped onions and lime.

For the Masala paste
Ingredients
1 small size Onion sliced
2 tbsp fresh Coconut grated
3 Garlic cloves
1 small piece Ginger
1 Dry Red Chilli
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Rock Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Oil

Method
Take a pan, add oil. Let it heat. Add onion,sauté the onion on a low flame. As the oil is very less, it may tend to burn, add 1 tbsp oil, add ginger, garlic, red chilli, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and stir fry for 2 minute. Remove it from the pan and keep it aside. In the same pan add the coconut and stir fry the coconut for 2 minutes till brown. Oil is not required stall as the coconut releases it's oil. Add all the roasted masala and salt in the grinder to make a paste. Add little water when required while grinding.

Goda Masala
Ingredients
1/4 cup Coriander seeds
2 tbsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Caraway seeds
1/2 tbsp a Stone flower
4 Dry Red Chilli
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
2 sticks of Cinnamon
2 Cloves
1 Black Cardomon
2 Green Cardomon
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Dry Coconut grated
4 tsp Sesame seeds
1/4 tsp Oil

Method
Dry roast the coconut and the sesame seeds till brown on a low flame. Keep it aside. Add oil in the same pan. Add the oil. Let it heat. Add the red Chilles, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, stone flower, pepper corn, cinnamon sticks, cloves and black and green cardomon. Roast it on a low flame till a aroma of the spices spread in the kitchen. Take off the gas, mix the sesame seeds, coconut, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt with the spices. Let it cool. Grind in to a fine powder. Store it in a air tight container in a dry cool place.

Muglai Paratha with Aloor Tarkari Healthy Treat for the Taste buds and Soul

Muglai Paratha with Aloor Tarkari Healthy Treat for the Taste buds and Soul
This is one of the dish Prabasi Bengalis (Bengalis living out of Bengal) waits for the Durga Puja celebration.  The Mugali Paratha is a Mugal cuisine from Bangladesh and now a very popular street food of Bengal. Mugali Paratha is made using All purpose flour dough and stuffed with keema, eggs, onion, chilli and pepper. The dough is rolled and then places on a hot skillet. Keema stuffing in added in the centre. An egg is broken on the stuffing, mixed with the stuffing and the dough is folded like an envelop. It is shallow fried in oil. It is served with salad and Potato Bhaji. Here I have made Mugali Paratha in a healthy way using very less oil.

For the Stuffing
Ingredients
250 grams Kheema ( Soya Granules, Chicken Or Mutton Keema) I have used Chicken Keema
2 Egg Whites
1 Onion finely chopped
1 to 2 Green Chilles Chopped
1 /2 tsp Garlic and Ginger grated
Rock Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1/4 tsp Oil

Method
Take a wok. Add oil, add the onion. On a low flame sauté the onion till it changes its colour, add the ginger and garlic grated. Since the oil is very less, it may get burn so add a tbsp of water. Sauté it for a minute. Add the Keema, chopped chillies , salt and  Pepper. Cover and cook till the water for the Kheema has dried up. Cool the stuffing down. Add the egg whites. Mix and keep it aside.
If using Soya granules, then boil the granules with salt. Squeeze the granules out from the water. Then follow the same process.

For the Dough
Ingredients
2 cups Whole wheat Flour
1 Egg White ( optional)

Method
Knead the flour well with water and egg white to make a smooth semi hard dough. Keep it cover for 15 minutes.

To make the Paratha
Ingredients
Dough
Stuffing
Oil spray ( fill the spray with half oil and half water)
1 tsp Oil

Method
Take a big  lemon size portion of the dough. Apply little oil on the rolling pin and board. Roll the dough out the size of the rolling board. Add 2 tbsp of the stuffing. Fold the dough from all the four sides like an envelop. Take a non stick skillet. Place the paratha on the skillet. Cook the paratha on a low flame. Press the paratha from all the sides to cook evenly. In between spray with the oil spray. Cook from both the sides. Cut into pieces and serve hot with aloo Tarkari and salad. Repeat the process with the remaining stuffing and dough.

P.S. Oil spray bottle filled with half oil and half water helps in less consumption of oil at the same time gives an oily effect.
To avoid consumption of more salt, no salt is add to the flour, as the stuffing has salt in it.

Aloor Tarkari ( Potato Bhaji)
Ingredients
2 big Potatoes cut into big cubes
2 Tomatoes grated
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
1/4 tsp Garlic paste
1/4 tsp Chilli paste
4 tbsp beaten Curd
Rock Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
Pinch of Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Melted Ghee

Method
Take a wok, add 1/4 tsp ghee, add cumin seeds, bay leaf and asafoetida. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli paste and 1 tbsp of water. Sauté it for a minute or 2. Add the grated  tomato. Add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Stir it, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the curd. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Add 1/2 cup water and cook on a low flame till the potatoes are cooked. Add the remaining ghee and sprinkle garam masala powder from top.

Healthy Easy Arabic Chicken

Healthy Easy Arabic Chicken
This chicken is cooked in a healthy way with very less amount of oil used ...

Ingredients
1 kg Chicken pieces
1 Onion sliced
1 Tomato chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
2 cups of beaten Curd made from skimmed Milk
Rock Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
1 tbsp Arabic Spices powder
1/2 tsp Roasted Sesame seeds
1/2 tsp Olive Oil

Method
Take oil in a wok and heat it, add onion and stir fry until light brown in colour, add in ginger and garlic paste. Cook for a minute. Add chicken and cook until it changes its colour, add the chopped tomato and the beaten curd. Add the salt,pepper powder and Arabic masala powder. Cover and cook until meat is tender and the gravy has dried up as it is a semi dry dish. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and serve hot.

Arabic Spice Powder
Ingredients
2 tbsp Peppercorns
2 big sticks of Cinnamon
1 tbsp Cloves
1/2 tbsp Cardomon seeds
6 Red Dry Chillies
1 small Nutmeg
1/4 cup Coriander seeds
1/4 cup Cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder

Method
Blend the above ingredients together in a blender and make it into a powder