Paneer Kathi Rolls

ashuskitchen recipe -Paneer Kathi Rolls

The food packed for the school lunchbox should be nutritious, healthy, balanced and most importantly appealing to the kids. It is always challenging to manage to pack food keeping all these factors in mind, especially if the kids are foodies and very picky in taste. My kids, like most kids love Paneer, it is a good source of Vegetarian protein. It is one of the best ingredients to make recipes that are quick, easy to make as well as nutrient packed. Sharing here today one of the many recipes of Paneer that I make in my kitchen, an extremely easy and yummy roll that is best for school lunch, as breakfast or a wholesome snack for a brunch or picnic or travelling. My Jr. does not like it if I pack the vegetables and roti or paratha seperately, and hence the Wrap or Rolls always are a welcome food item.

Almost all households with kitchen have the basic spices and condiments handy, using the fresh ingredients like the paneer, green coriander, spring onions, fresh peas the rolls have a softer and more juicy filling and are very tasty. If fresh paneer and peas are not available then we can make use of frozen one, as I have done for this one. Having lived in Vadodara I am very fond of using Amul products in my kitchen and hence I sometimes get the frozen paneer packet to stock up the fridge for moments when I cannot get the fresh paneer from the stores. I am sure most of you too must be using Amul products, and have eaten Amul butter and Cheese since childhood.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 8-10 Rolls)

Paneer: 250 gm

Mutter/ Fresh Green Peas : 100 gm

Mixed Bell Peppers : 1 cup finely chopped

Onion/Spring onion: 1 Small

Oil: 2 Tbsp

Ginger Garlic paste: 1 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 Tbsp

Red Chili Powder: 1 Tsp

Garam Masala Powder: 1 Tsp

Chat Masala Powder: 1 -2 Tbsp (as required)

Salt : To taste

Tomato: 1 small (Optional)

METHOD:

Defrost and dip the frozen paneer in hot water, this makes it softer. Drain and dry on a kitchen tissue roll. Grate or crumble the cubes and keep in a plate.

Heat a Kadai and put 2 tsp oil into it. Add the finely chopped onion.

Then add the ginger garlic paste, saute and then add the peppers and green peas. Cook for 3-4 minutes, fresh peas do not take long to cook.

Then add the paneer crumble and sprinkle all the dried spices and salt and mix well. Turn off the heat and lastly add the teaspoon of the garam masala powder.

The filling for the roll is ready.

Take the chapati and apply the parsley or Basil pesto if you have it handy, then take a tablespoon of the paneer filling and lay it on the chapati, sprinkle pinch of chaat masala and roll the chapati carefully and tightly so that the filling does not spill out.

Roll out this size Chapati

ashuskitchen recipe-Paneer Kathi Roll

Make all the rolls and keep them in the grill machine for couple minutes so that the rolls become crispy on the outside and retain the shape.

Cut the rolls and serve with a dip or simply pack them as is for the school or office lunchbox.

NOTE: The tomato can be finely chopped and spread over the filling if the rolls are eaten instantly or otherwise can be added to the Paneer filling when it is being cooked.

For making the chapati follow the fulka recipe here. I made the roti a bigger size than the Fulka and applied oil/ghee on top of the roti and cooked it on the Tava/fry pan and not puffing it on the gas stove as for Fulka.

For the Parsley or Basil pesto follow the recipe here.

You could avoid using the pesto and apply coriander mint chutney too if that is handy. I always keep these pesto handy in the refrigerator and hence I can make the rolls at any given time as all the ingredients are readily available in my kitchen.

This recipe was saved to draft and was supposed to be on the blog earlier in January, but I completely forgot about it. I had made these rolls for my daughter when she was attending a Concert in Abu Dhabi on the New Year’s eve 🙂 .

Hope you like this Zhat -pat recipe of mine and try it out in your kitchen.

Enjoy!

ashu.

 

 

 

Ragda Patties

ashu’s- Ragda Patties

I returned last week from Mumbai, few hectic/busy days in my motherland, spent in the company of my mother and siblings, attending a family function, zooming around the neighborhood on a two-wheeler, and yup clicking loads of pictures too!  And I also relished the Pani Puris, an all time favorite street food.  As I just returned from Maharashtra, a state in India, so today I bring to you all the Maharashtrian dish called Ragda Patties. This is a wholesome dish that could be a breakfast, or a weekend brunch, or a light & bit different dinner menu. I made it this weekend as our Friday morning brunch menu, yeah, we have a Friday/Saturday weekend here in the UAE, with Sunday being the first day of the week.

Ragda Patties is enjoyed by the kids and hence always makes it to the table as a weekend menu when all members of the family are relaxed and the mood is happy with fun and laughter around the household. This dish is a two in one snack, one is the potato pattie and the other is the Ragda, the legume curry, and together they make what we call as the Ragda Patties. It requires a little pre-preparation, the legume that is used for curry needs to be soaked for 6-8 hrs before they are boiled to make the Ragda.

It also happens to be a favorite Indian street food too, sold on the road side food joints that dole out the piping hot potato patties on the big tava right in front of us, with us drooling till the vendor serves it to us. When one makes it at home, the taste sure differs, the freshness of the ingredients and the love of the person making it contributes to make the dish something that is always welcomed. I am a more particular healthy foodie and hence my cooking uses far less quantity of cooking oil as compared to the general Indian family standards back home. I also try and give the recipe a healthy twist incorporating new ingredients, but at the same time taking care not to change the taste of the recipe as far as possible.

This ashu’s recipe of Ragda Patties uses cooking oats along with the boiled potatoes to make the crisp tikkis or patties that forms one part of the dish. The rest of the ingredients used remain the same. I prefer to use either Canola oil or Extra virgin olive oil in my cooking, but you could use any cooking oil that you use at home.

INGREDIENTS:

For Patties:

Potatoes: 4 Medium

Cooking Oats: 3 tbsp

Breadcrumbs: 50 gm

Salt & Chili Powder : As per taste

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Green Chili: 1 (finely chopped)

Chopped green Coriander: 1 Tbsp

Oil: 2 Tbsp

For Ragda:

Dried White peas : 250 gm

Cumin: 1 Tsp

Onion: 1 Big

Tomatoes: 2 Medium

Olive oil: 2 Tbsp

Ginger & Garlic paste: 1 tsp each

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Chili Powder: 2 Tsp (As per taste)

Coriander powder: 1 Tbsp

Garam masala powder: 1 Tsp

Dry Mango Powder: 1 Tsp

Toppings:

Green chutney

Sweet Tamarind chutney

Barik (fine) Sev

Finely chopped onion

Finely chopped coriander

METHOD:

Soak the dried white peas in enough water so as to cover them overnight. Pressure cook the soaked legumes to three whistles, this cooks them to soft and mushy consistency.

Boil the potatoes and remove the skin and mash them to smooth texture.

Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, green chili and green coriander.

For making the patties, take the mashed potatoes in a bowl, add the cooking oats, the chopped green chili, green coriander, salt, and mix well. We can also add a pinch of dry mango powder to it.

Patties mixture

Take breadcrumbs in a plate. Give shape to the mixture to form patties, coat them with the breadcrumbs. We can either make round ones by hand or use the mould to make heart-shaped ones, as I have done here. Dust away the excess breadcrumbs.

Heart shaped Potato pattie

Potato patties

Keep a fry pan on the gas stove and heat, put 1 Tbsp oil and heat. Cook the patties in the fry pan, turning over and cooking evenly on both sides. Remove them when they are cooked on both sides and crisp. Do keep the gas flame from medium-to-slow to ensure that the outer covering does not get over cooked and burnt while the inside remains uncooked. Use more oil if required to make them crisper. Remove and keep the patties on a serving plate once they are done.

TO MAKE THE RAGDA:

Heat a karahi or round bottom pan on the gas stove. Heat the oil in it and then add the cumin, then the chopped onions and fry. When the onion turn pinkish then add the ginger garlic paste, saute and then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes and then add the turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder, and salt. Then add the boiled white peas and mix thoroughly. Add a glass of water, or as required, to make it in a curry consistency. The peas usually dry up the water when boiled, we want the ragda curry with medium thick gravy and hence adjust the water to add. Let this gravy simmer for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the garam masala powder on top and the chopped coriander and cover the pot with the lid and switch off the gas flame. Our Ragda is ready to be used.

(I do not have any pictures to upload as I never took them when I was making the Ragda,  I will click and re-upload them on a later date when I again make the Ragda :))

SERVING: Take a deep dish, put 2-3 ladles of the Ragda curry, then place the pattie in the center. To get a sweet and sour taste we can put teaspoonfuls of the green chutney and the tamarind chutney. Sprinkle on top finely chopped onions, fine gram flour Sev and green coriander leaves.

ashu’s-Ragda Patties

One could also use lemon juice instead of the tamarind chutney, if one does not wish to make it sweet but want it to be tangy.  The quantity of toppings used depends on personal preference, hence I have not mentioned the quantity in the ingredients list.

The chutneys add more or enhance the flavors of the dish, making it a Chaat recipe and one usually enjoys it more by adding lots of Sev on top.

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT: Legumes are a good source of vegetarian proteins and rich in fiber. The potatoes form the carbohydrate part but when we add the oats we increase the fiber content of the Potato patties and make it a more healthy version.

Hope you all enjoyed going through the recipe, do give it a go to find out if your taste buds get tickled by the combination of flavors used.

Wishing you all a happy Wednesday 🙂

ashu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Papaya Paratha

#Ashuskitchen- Raw Green Papaya Paratha

Greetings from Ashu to all the readers. It has been a sudden unexpected absence from this online space of mine and  I sure missed posting new posts. Starting this new day of March with one of my healthier recipes, Green Papaya Paratha that uses raw papaya as the main ingredient of the recipe.

Parathas are a common menu item in the Indian household, a well accepted food by all, be it the kids, young or old folks. One can have any number of possibilities or types of parathas. It is one of my favorite dishes to make for breakfast, nothing beats the hot stuffed parathas and achar/pickle on a chilly winter morning. I have very fond memories of the yummy parathas that I used to make in the winter months during my stay in North India.

Breakfast happens to be the most essential meal of the day and hence one should try and make sure to eat a wholesome, healthy one on a regular basis. The necessity to make a nutritious breakfast made me try out this different paratha, making use of the raw papaya that I had got from the market. Papaya fruit has lot of health benefits. It is a rich source of antioxidants and phytonutrients that work against free radicals, is great source of Vitamins A, B, C and K, a good source of fiber, also has the digestive enzyme Papain and thus helps in digestion too. It is also rich in calcium and some other minerals. The taste of grated raw papaya is also very refreshing and one can make use of it to make many dishes, but here I incorporated it to make the filling of the parathas and with little addition of oil, the crispy and hot parathas were heartily devoured. If you have not tried this paratha then I suggest you to try once and then decide.

Many a times one is faced with taking care of a sick loved one and is faced with the question to what type of food to include in the regular diet. This Paratha would make an excellent snack or meal menu option as it is wholesome, with vegetable that has fiber, vitamins, is good for digestion and as is a regularly made food item in Indian houses hence one does not have to put extra efforts in its preparation. When cooking for family or loved ones, do make the food with a smile and add loads of your love to it.

 Recipe for Green Papaya Paratha:

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Green Papaya: 1 Small

Green Chilli: 2

Green Coriander: 1 Tbsp

Sesame seeds: 2 Tbsp

Carrom seeds: 1 Tsp

Wheat Flour: 250 Gm

Water: 1 Glass

Oil: 50 ml

Turmeric: 1 Tsp

Red Chili Powder: 1 Tsp (Optional)

Salt : To Taste

Chaat Masala: 2 Tsp

METHOD:

Wash and dry the raw papaya. Cut into half and remove the seeds if any. Grate both the halves of the papaya and put in a bowl.

Finely chop the green chilies and green coriander and add to the bowl of grated papaya.

Add sesame seeds, carom seeds, red chili powder, salt, turmeric, and mix all the ingredients of the bowl.

Grated Papaya with masala

In another bowl make a medium-soft dough of the wheat flour using water. For method of making wheat flour dough click here.

Make lemon-sized balls of the dough. Take a dough ball and roll out a small round puri and add the raw papaya filling, close the edges and again roll to make a circular Paratha.

Heat a Frypan or Tava on the gas flame and cook both side of the paratha, apply oil as per taste.

Cook paratha golden brown

Apply oil and Cook paratha on both side till golden brown or crispy.

Green Papaya Paratha/Flatbread

Once the parathas are ready, one can sprinkle Chaat masala powder over them and serve with either a yogurt raita or a mint yogurt chutney or Tomato Ketchup.

Green Papaya Paratha

Enjoy!

ashu.

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Corn Chops, a Vegetarian Snack

Vegetarian snack from ashuskitchen

Each person have their varied moods and fancies, all different from one another. Many a times the urge to try out something different from the regular makes some moments of a foodie’s life memorable. But, sometimes I do get to see the day when a new recipe try results in only me ending up eating what I cooked, well  I do believe in respecting other’s taste. But mommy chefs have the added advantage of bullying, kids have to finish what is served in the plate, also the family is aware that most often the new try outs do taste good. For me the meals served to the family need to be nourishing, appetizing as well as relishing, hence the bullying is allowed once in a while while experimenting!

Well, if one does not try out new things then the monotony would make life quite boring. It applies to home meals too.

The last couple days saw hectic activity in the house. Members of my family were dashing in and out of this place, and me chauffeuring them  to the airport. When the boys were away, the mother daughter team did get to spend some ‘gal-time’ together. If you have a daughter, then you would know what I am talking, how the shopping trips are always good-times especially when the boys are not around. We had our overeating time too, at the neighborhood Pizza Hut, my Instagram post will tell you which pizza we ate that day.

As I already mentioned that I like trying out new recipes, I had made something similar to this recipe couple years back and never made it again. My Jr. had liked that, and every time I bought baby corns the thought crossed my mind to make that recipe again, but it never was done. One of my reasons of writing this blog was also to document the many recipes that I make and later forget, but now they remain handy as a menu-card to go back to again and again. The day I made this version of the chops, I used only the ingredients that were handy in the refrigerator. I have posted Mutton Chops, a non-vegetarian recipe and always wanted to make a post using vegetables and call them vegetarian chops, and finally here I am posting it today. It was one of the days when the daughter wanted to eat something simple like only Rice & Dal with ghee for dinner. I surprised the kids by making these veg chops, which were liked by both, and the simple dinner turned out to be simple yet a little fancy! Small surprises add liveliness and increase the happiness quotient, true for mealtimes too! Try it out with your family.

INGREDIENTS:

Baby Corn: 1 Packet

Boiled Potatoes: 2 (Medium-sized)

Green Peas: 1 Bowl

Carrot: 1 (Medium size, Grated)

Ginger/Garlic Paste: 2 Tsp

Cumin Powder: 1 Tsp

Green Chili: 2 (finely chopped or paste) OR Red Chilli powder -1 Tsp.

Green Coriander: 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)

Cornflour: 100 gm

Breadcrumbs: 100 gm

Salt: As needed

Oil: For frying

NOTE: (Cornflour is used for binding as well as coating. Breadcrumbs are required for coating. Breadcrumbs and cornflour quantity use as required, little amount might remain OR may be required more than stated)

METHOD:

Assemble and prepare all the required ingredients.

Mash the boiled potatoes, green peas, and add the grated carrot, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, chopped coriander, cumin powder and salt. Add 2 or 2 1/2 tbsp cornflour and mix all the ingredients together. The mixture should be firm to hold.

Mashed Vegetable mixed with cornflour.

Roll the baby corns in cornflour that is seasoned with salt and chili powder, and keep them in a plate.

Mix little water in this remaining cornflour and make a medium thick batter.

Cornflour batter

Make lemon-sized balls of the vegetable mixture, flatten it and place the flour dusted baby corn in the center and fold it, press tightly. Only half portion of the corn should be covered with vegetable coating.

Dip this vegetable and baby corn chop into the cornflour batter, then coat with breadcrumbs and pat tightly with both hands so that the extra crumbs are removed. Make all the chops and keep it in a plate ready to fry.

Baby corn chop

Baby corn chop

Heat oil in a Karahi, and deep fry the chops until crisp and golden brown from outside.

Deep Fry

Deep Fried Baby Corn chops.

Baby Corn Chops from ashuskitchen.

Serve hot with tomato ketch-up or a green chutney or chilli sauce.

These chops can be enjoyed as a finger food for parties, snack, or a weekend special breakfast item. Do try them in your kitchen and leave your thoughts about the recipe.

Have a great weekend.

ashu

Spicy Mushroom

From ashuskitchen

The food cooked in my kitchen has a good mix of spices that are used in most Indian households. The kitchen masala box is the most essential or rather my magic box that is opened for adding its contents to each dish that I am preparing, and a good amount of turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala etc. gets used on a daily basis for making the vegetables or non-vegetarian food of the day. I add turmeric to all the sabjis and dals that I make, but of course with some exceptions like the Dal Makhni and some legumes etc.  I have always marveled at the magic of the different spices and herbs in our Indian cooking that makes each dish so unique and different. India being a big country comprising of different states, with the methods of cooking  varying from region to region, it sure is my pride to belong to this wonderful nation. The south style of cooking varies from the Maharashtrian style, the state from where I belong. Having moved residence within few states of India since the time I got married, yeah you can say the time since I started cooking on a daily basis, resulted in a little bit of adaptation of cooking styles of those particular regions. Having lived in Gujrat I was able to learn the Gujrati cuisine, new dishes for me then, from my friendly neighbors, now they have become part of my frequently cooked menus, with the Undhiyo a vegetarian delicacy made during the winter season being the most favorite.  Similarly, living in the north of India, the cold weather during winters saw me making a whole lot of paratha varieties that were definitely never eaten during my own growing up days. The point to emphasize here is that travelling from one place to another definitely enriches our lives as well as benefits our food habits, we get to learn a lot and include a lot of variety in our regular home menus. So those who all love travelling do keep venturing out to new destinations, and those who have not moved from place to place then folks it’s high time that you need to start exploring new places.

Let us get cooking our today’s recipe. The Spicy Mushroom is my method of cooking and giving them the perfect spicy taste that works best as a filling in rolls, wraps, and even Sandwiches.  The mushrooms used are the ones that are abundantly seen in the supermarkets here.  The spices used are all easily available at home, used in my daily cooking. This is a very easy and Zatpat cooked sabzi, and this is one of the many that is made for kids school lunch, which they have always loved eating.

INGREDIENTS:

Mushrooms-1box

Oil-1 Tbsp

Chili Powder- 2 Tsp

Coriander & Cumin powder- 1 Tbsp

Salt-To taste

METHOD:

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth or kitchen towel. Dice them or cut them into small size.

Heat oil in a pan or Karahi on the gas stove. Add the mushrooms and sauté, the gas flame should be on high. This helps to dry the water that is seen while cooking mushrooms.

Then add the spices and salt, and cook till all the water is dry. Cooking on high flame with continuous stirring helps to dry the water and the mushrooms get cooked fast without becoming too soggy and limp.

Mushrooms do not take long to cook and after adding the masala care should be taken as to not burn the spices by reducing the flame of the gas stove to medium, if required. The sabzi is ready once all the spices are mixed with the mushrooms . Remove the karahi from the gas stove and empty the contents into a bowl. Our spicy mushroom filling is ready for use.

Tips: The mushrooms could be used as filling in Roti Rolls/Wraps, along with other salads, chutneys, or sauces. Check the Fulka/Roti recipe here. It can be eaten along with plain roti, ghee roti or parathas too.

Do look out for my future post of how I make use of this spicy mushroom filling for my breakfast dishes. Until next time, have a great culinary experience friends.

Enjoy!!

ashu

 

 

Egg Frankie Roll, a healthy Wrap.

My greetings to all who are reading this post. Finally I am back home here after a 20-day vacation to India to escape the harsh summer days of the UAE and to enjoy the rains in my hometown. With the schools re-opening after a gap it is back to packing nutritious lunch for my Jr. The Egg Frankie is one of the favorite lunchbox food in my household.

When living in a multicultural place with many nationalities and the subsequent presence of different cuisine restaurants and food outlets, with kids having specific food liking, it is a balancing act for this mother to give them as much healthy food as possible and also not to deny them convenience food/junk food that all kiddos are so much fond of. I have tried packing their lunch boxes with as healthy and always fresh homemade food with a lot of varieties of Wraps, Frankie, Parathas, Sandwiches, Burgers etc as snack time food or main meals and hence wish to share my recipes here with my Co-sisters, family members and all other readers who have small kids and who wish to introduce some new menu for the daily eating.

Wraps are the best on-the-go food item that can serve as a snack or main meal of the day. Being an Indian, and habituated to eating a complete balanced meal of rice, dal, roti and sabji during both the main meals of the day, I find Wraps as quite filling for the tummy and can become a complete meal with the addition of some accompaniments. The inside filling of the Wraps can be of anything, and this opens up a whole lot of food choices and combinations for us to decide and make use of. The whole family loves eating vegetarian, as well as non-vegetarian Wraps.

I first happened to eat this egg Frankie during my school days in the Coffee shop of my schoolmate. I had never even heard of it before as mother never made it. Her family had newly moved from Delhi and they had opened up a small Coffee and Frankie outlet. Egg rolls, as they are also known as, are very common sight on Delhi streets. The shop sold the best egg and chicken frankies then, freshly made in front of us and occasionally I would parcel them en-route home from school. Now I make these myself in my kitchen and my kids never say no to a frankie breakfast or for the school lunchbox. It is absolutely easy to prepare and the best in taste.

Let us get making these super yum breakfast-Egg Frankies. For the Wraps, I use the whole wheat flour dough for making the roti. You can look up the roti recipe here. One can use refined flour dough too, but I try to keep it as healthy a choice as possible.

INGREDIENTS: To make the dough Rolls: Click link to follow Fulka recipe to make rolls.

Whole wheat flour or Refined Flour: 2 Cups
Water: 1 glass, sufficient to make a medium-stiff dough
Eggs: 3
Onion: 1
Tomato: 1
Optional: Bell peppers-1
Lemon-1
Oil- 2 Tbsp

Seasoning:
Black Pepper powder: 2 Tsp
Chaat Masala: 1 Tbsp
Salt: To Taste

Makes 4-5 depending upon the roll size and thickness. The roll should be bigger and thicker than Fulka.

METHOD:
Make thin slices of the onion and tomato. The bell peppers should also be thinly sliced. Try and keep them the same length as the tomato and onion slices. Season the slices with salt, pepper powder and chaat masala.

Ingredients for making the Frankie rolls.

Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and beat using a whisk. keep this ready.

Follow the Fulka recipe, and roll out the dough to make a 8”-9” chappati (own preference). Heat a fry pan and put the chappati and cook on both sides, then pour the beaten egg mix on the roti and as the egg gets cooked add the oil.

Roti with beaten egg

Flip the egg part down and apply oil to top part of the roll, take care not to burn the egg. Flip the roll and let the bottom part get bit crisper, then remove from pan. Make all the Frankie rolls and keep.

Prepare the roll with the onion tomato filling.

Squeeze lemon juice, sprinkle salt, pepper, and chaat masala on the Frankie roll. Put the seasoned onion,tomato, and bell pepper slices on the Frankie and tightly roll it.

Egg Frankie Rolls

NOTE: One could use finely chopped green chilies or sprinkle red chili flakes on the frankie roll to make them more hot in taste. Adding Tandoori Chicken (for recipe click here) chunks inside the roll also makes them very tasty.

Tip: The bottom surface of the Frankie roll should be made a bit crisper, this makes the roll taste best and adds a crunch to the bite.

SERVING: Cut the roll into two by giving a slant cut using a sharp knife, and serve with either Tomato or Chili sauce.

I loved bringing this recipe to the blog, and hope you too would enjoy making it in your kitchen. Until the next post, here is wishing you all lots of happiness.

Ashu

Mini Madeleines

Mini Madeleines and blue berries for breakfast.

Madeleines, small French cake that taste similar to sponge cake. The mould is special that gives them it’s unique shape, which I find to be very cute and hence I always wanted to bake them. The delay in attempting to make these beauties was because I never had the mould in my stock of baking utensils. This week I finally saw a mini madeleine Silicone mould in one of my favourite shop and immediately purchased it. Returning home I made my first batch of Madeleines following the recipe that was included with the packaging. It was a first attempt and I was hungrily waiting to taste the result of my efforts, I had never even tasted them before. The kiddos were delighted with the cute looking spongy madeleines and they were over in no time. I did manage to arrange them in a flower shape to click pictures before they all disappeared from the plate, and I liked the look. As the madeleines got finished, I made a second batch and the pictures taken are used here. As I had never tasted them before, I tried following the recipe steps mentioned. Refrigerating the batter before use makes them spongier, and gives a rise in the middle, and that is how they should be is what I read on some celebrity chefs sites. These cakes taste the best when freshly baked, I had made them for breakfast, and some left over blue berries were also served. I loved the fresh fruit and cake combination. They can be eaten as is or along with Nutella for the chocolate lovers or any types of fruit jams. These are just options that I am mentioning, but I liked them hot, straight out from the oven and without adding or spreading anything on top of it. Most of the recipes I browsed used 3 eggs, but I have used only two eggs as I do not like too much of the eggy taste. Little bit of milk could be used, though the recipe does not include that. Most of the time the recipes I mention are modified and as per my taste preferences.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter: 90 gm

Eggs: 2 or 3

Sugar: 90gm

Refined flour: 100gm

Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp

Vanilla Essence: 1Tsp

OPTIONAL:

Zest of Orange: 1Tsp

Tightly packed brown sugar: 2 Tbsp

(Note: I used 2 eggs and little milk as I do not like too much of egg taste in the cake. Use 3 eggs for more soft and fluffier cakes.)

Assemble all the ingredients needed for the recipe.

METHOD: All the ingredients used should be at room temperature. The refined flour and baking powder should be mixed and sieved together.The butter should be melted. The oven should be preheated to 190 degree Celsius. The mould should be greased with butter and dusted with flour so that the madeleines do not stick to the mould.

Greased and dusted madeleine mould ready for use

Take a bowl and crack the eggs in it. Beat the eggs using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla essence and mix with the eggs and beat well to get a smoother mixture. This should be done for almost 4-5 minutes or till the mixture becomes very smooth.

Smooth mixture of eggs, sugar and essence.

Fold in the sifted refined flour and baking powder mix into the smooth egg and sugar mixture. Pour the melted butter from the side of the bowl and lightly fold into the batter.

Melted butter and flour mix batter.

Cover the bowl of the batter with a cling wrap and put in the fridge for an hour or two. Then, using a spoon, fill into the prepared mould. Put the mould inside the preheated oven and bake at 190 deg C for 10 min or until a slight golden colour is seen on the risen cakes.

Baked madeleines

I baked them a little longer than 10 minutes to get a more darker golden colour, but I felt some of them got over baked. The exact time for baking depends on the oven used, hence use self discretion for deciding when to remove or if it needs to be baked a little above 10 minutes. Mine were mini in size and the batter that was leftover went back to the fridge until I baked the second round. They take very little time to bake and if the batter is kept ready in the fridge then they can be freshly baked and served with hot cups of tea or coffee.

I find this to be an easy and handy bite size cake recipe that could become a favourite of the kids and hence would definitely ask my friends, readers, and fellow bloggers to give this dish a try.

I loved and enjoyed baking and eating them😊.

Happy baking!

ashu

Idli Fry-my Italian combination

 

Idli , a personal favourite breakfast food that made my Sunday mornings special, as a child. It is something that I prefer even now for our weekend breakfasts, with the full family in attendance. But it also happens to be something that is on a ‘Not to Eat’ list of my daughter, so even though me and hubby would look forward to this breakfast she would always be absent from the breakfast table on these days under some pretense.

Idli’s are made up of a fermented batter of ground rice and Urad dal (Black gram), are a complete balanced food, rich in protein, one of the best breakfast foods. They are usually served  with Chutney and Sambar that makes it a wholesome balanced meal, the Sambar is made with lentils that has vegetables added.

This particular recipe was made as an attempt to make my daughter give the idli’s a try. As she never relished the plain steamed version, hence I used some pizza topping ingredients and made this dish and served to my hungry kiddo as her evening snack. She simple loved the taste, and thus this simple recipe was created. It is simple and hence young kids who are interested in cooking can also try this out. The left over Idlis can be best used in this way.

INGREDIENTS:

Idlis: 4 number

Olive oil: 1 Tbsp

Red Chilli Flakes: 1 Tsp

Parmesan Cheese: 2 Tbsp(grated)

Salt & Dried Oregano Herb: As seasoning.

Mozzarella Cheese: Optional

Note: Any cooking oil of choice can be used. The cheese used also can be of choice, but using Parmesan was my choice.

METHOD:

Steamed Idlis cut into small

1.  Cut the idlis into small cubes.
2. Heat a pan on the gas flame and add the cooking oil to it. Add the idli cubes to the oil and toss till the cubes become crisper.
3. Sprinkle the chilli flakes, salt, oregano herb and toss well so that the idli cubes get coated.
4. Grate the Parmesan cheese on the idlis and give it final toss. Then switch off the flame of the pan. The yummy idlis are ready to be served with a tangy chilli sauce.

With grated Mozzarella cheese on top.

This simple yet nutritious food can be served in many ways. Here I have made my kiddos favourite recipe as the first one on Idlis, many more posts will be posted as my upcoming posts, as and when I make them in my Kitchen. Until then if you find this interesting then do give it a try.

Wishing you all happy and healthy eating days!

Enjoy! 🙂

ashu

 

 

 

 

Sprouted Moong (Green Gram) Tikki

Sprouted Moong Tikkis: This is another of my highly nutritious, healthy and low-fat recipes. These tikkis can be made in minimal oil to reduce the fat calories. I like the taste of the sprouts and hence kept the list of ingredients minimal in the recipe.

Sprouts are the vegetable source of proteins in our diet, and are also rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. The sprouting process makes the seeds, lentils easier to digest.

Ingredients: Sprouted Green gram: 1 Bowl

Onion: 1 Small

Cumin: 1 tsp

Green Chilli: 2 no

Oil-1 Tsp

Salt  to taste.

Method: 

Coarsely ground the sprouted moong and green chillies in a mixer bowl and empty it in a bowl.

Chop the small onion finely, and add it to the coarsely ground moong. Dry roast the cumin and add to this mix.

Season the moong mixture with salt.

Heat a fry pan on the gas stove and add 1 tsp oil for greasing the pan. Scoop spoonful mixture and put in the pan, give it a shape of tikki. Cook the tikkis on medium to slow flame, and evenly on both side by turning it.

Serve it hot with green chutney or any sauce of choice, though I prefer to eat them plain.

These healthy tikkis can be served as a power-packed breakfast dish or as one of the dishes for a brunch menu on weekends.

Enjoy!!

Oats and Bottle Gourd Fritters, my healthy breakfast recipe.

We all are aware of starting the day with a good breakfast. To make it a healthy breakfast we need to make a dish that is balanced, having all the nutrient components. The dish in this post is one such that provides us with the carbohydrates, proteins, fats, Vitamins & minerals, and also has dietary fibre. Dietary fibre is essential to the daily diet as it adds bulk, providing the necessary roughage needed for our normal bowel movement and emptying.

The recipe is simple, uses cooking oats and grated bottle gourd as the main ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

Bottle Gourd- 1/2 small (1 bowl grated)

Oats- 1/2 Bowl (8-10 tsp)

Carom seeds- 1/2 tsp

Sesame seeds- 1 tsp

Green chilli- 1Small, finely chopped

Green coriander & garlic paste- 1tsp (can also use chopped coriander and crushed garlic clove)

Olive oil- 1 ml (used just to grease the pan)

Salt- To taste.

METHOD:

Wash the bottle gourd and grate it. Add carom seeds and sesame seeds, finely chopped green chilli and 1 tsp of the green herb paste.

Add the oats and salt and mix all the ingredients together. The juice of the grated bottle gourd is sufficient to mix the oats and make a dough-like mixture.

Divide this mixture into 4 portions. Heat a frying pan on medium flame of the gas stove and add 1/2 tsp Olive oil or whichever cooking oil you use.

Flatten out each portion of the mixture into the pan and cook, turning over and using the left over oil. Cook till it is golden in colour and crispy.

Once done, remove the fritters on the serving dish that is kept ready. They can be served with yogurt and mint dip/chutney. These should be eaten hot to enjoy the delicious taste and crispiness.

This is one of the many healthy dishes that I cook for breakfast. It is essential to use less quantity of fat in our diet. Any change in our diet pattern does not happen overnight. But if one wishes, then it is never too late to start eating healthy food, cooking it with all the necessary ingredients and taking care that it is appealing to the sight and tasty for the taste buds.  A little effort of eating healthy on a daily basis is beneficial in the long run.

Happy cooking this dish. Looking forward to your interaction in the form of comments.

Enjoy!

ashu 🙂

Vegetable Hakka Noodles

 

Hakka noodles; it is one of the first few recipes that I had learned when I started cooking. Hakka Noodles, the name itself starts a tingling in the mouth, is a dish that is wholesome and loved by all; the best part is though it looks very complicated, is the easiest to cook. Well, I guess I write easy for almost all the recipes that I make/post, but trust me and try them, and find out for yourself whether it is easy or difficult to make. Do let me know the feedback.

Going by the look of the dish, it does look time consuming for a first timer, but the noodles will be ready to eat within 30 minutes, provided you have all the ingredients handy. Once the vegetables are cut, then it does not take much time.

This can be enjoyed as part of Chinese meal or as a brunch menu too. I make it as breakfast menu. The noodles serve as carbohydrates, oil as fat, vegetables as fibre and vitamins & minerals, eggs (if we include in the ingredients) add to the protein and fat content. Non-vegetarians can include chicken and/or eggs to the dish. The choice of ingredients depend on the personal taste and liking. We can add mushrooms and baby corn too; I add when they are stocked in the fridge.

For this post I have used Chings Veg Hakka Noodle (150g) packet and the total vegetable portion was also kept 150g. The picture of the ingredients given below will give the idea of the vegetable quantity used. Let’s get cooking this yummy dish. Kids, and adults of all ages will love it!

VEG HAKKA NOODLES:

INGREDIENTS:

Chings Vegetable Hakka Noodle- 1 pkt 150 g (boiled)

Total vegetables- 150 g- Carrots, Green/Red/Yellow Bell pepper, French beans, Spring onions(for garnish), Cabbage. (All the vegetables should be finely shredded)

Chilli Sauce-1 tsp (5g)

Soy Sauce-1 tsp (5g)

Aji-no-moto- 1/2 tsp

Green chilli- 2

Garlic cloves-2-3

Salt/Pepper for seasoning.

Oil-2 Tbsp

METHOD:

1. Boil the noodles and pour few drops of oil on them, toss, and keep ready to use.
2. Shred finely the cabbage and all the vegetables. It is important to shred the vegetables fine so that they get cooked fast and the overall dish should look appealing.
3. Heat a wok, add oil and fry the vegetables adding one at a time. Add first the garlic, green chilli, carrots, French beans, peppers, and finally the cabbage as it takes the least time to cook. The vegetable that takes more time to cook needs to be added first. I like the flavour of garlic and hotness of chilli in the vegetables, hence I add them first to the hot wok. (Follow the given order of adding vegetables to the wok.)
4. Note: The vegetables should be cooked just enough to remove the rawness, they should have the crunch, hence all the vegetables are to be cooked  keeping the Wok on full gas flame, with continuous stirring.
5. Season all the vegetables with salt and pepper.
6. Add the boiled noodles to the vegetables, add both the sauces, and give it all a good stir so that all the ingredients gets mixed.
7. If eggs are to be added, make a scramble of 2 eggs and add it to the noodles or omit this step.
8. Finally sprinkle Aji-no-moto on the noodles, mix it well. Garnish with shredded/finely chopped green onions, and serve hot.

The chilli sauce added is as per choice. Vinegar- too can be added if preferred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freshly made jam and pancakes for breakfast

Nowadays, the week just flies as if we are flipping through the pages of a book, and soon it is the weekend time, a time that everyone eagerly waits for. For some, these could be the days when lot of chores in the house have to be attended to or for some it might just be relaxation with nothing much to be done. Same way in my house, this is the day that starts with a slow lazy morning, kids waking up leisurely, but with the whole family together at the dining table in anticipation of a very yummy, hot, and nutritious breakfast. Taking into consideration the choice of my kids, one of the items on the breakfast list is hot pancakes. Pancakes are made of flour and sugar, the carbohydrate source of the dish, eggs that is the protein source and butter, which is the fat source of the dish. Fruits are a good source of fiber and vitamins, so to include them and as variety,  I make fresh jam/chutney. So here I am, sharing with you all the pancake and fresh red apple jam breakfast recipe.

Pancakes are delicious, easy and fast to cook meal, a no extra efforts needed dish.

Ingredients:  All purpose flour (Maida)-1 bowl, eggs-2, sugar 1 ½ tbsp, milk-250-300 ml, butter for frying-2 tbsp.

Method: 1. Take the flour in a bowl.  Making a well in the center, break the eggs into the flour and stir, mixing the eggs and flour. Gradually, add the milk in which sugar is dissolved, making a smooth batter.  This batter should be beaten well, mixing thoroughly. Those who want the pancakes to be less sweet can reduce the amount of sugar in the pancakes.  Leave it to stand for few minutes.

2. Heat a pan and melt butter. Then pour the batter to make soft, round pancakes of desired sizes. Flip the pan to turn the pancake or use a spatula to do it, spread little butter on the turned surface, when golden brown remove it onto a plate.

These hot pancakes can be served with freshly made apple jam; this was the combination I used for breakfast.  Some of the other combinations that one can serve it with are honey, chocolate sauce, or Nutella.

Red Apple Jam:  

Ingredients: Red apples-2, Sugar – 50 gm, nutmeg for flavor, 1 tbsp butter.

Method:
1. Peel the apples to remove the skin and chop them to small pieces.
2. Heat a pan, and add the butter and apple pieces to it.
3. Stir the apple pieces to get a golden brown appearance, add the sugar and cook till the sugar is completely dissolved and the apples are soft and sugar liquid is reduced.

4.Grate nutmeg on this mix and remove the sugared apple mix from heat, cool, and then grind to get a smooth mix, I like it this way.

If one likes the soft apple pieces in each bite, then no need to use blender.  Also, one can adjust the sugar according to own preferred sweetness. This is one of the advantages of making it fresh in our own kitchen. The goodness of the fresh fruits combined with flavor of nutmeg, absolutely no coloring agent or preservatives, adds to the healthy factor. Go ahead, try out this healthy fruit jam.

ashu 🙂