Thursday 31 May 2012

Quick and Easy Pizza

Quick and Easy Pizza (without using oven)

Quick and easy pizza
Pizza Toppings

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pizza base - 2 (medium)
Smith and Jones Pizza sauce - 2 table spoons (you can use any pizza sauce of your choice)
Sweet corn (boiled) - 2 tablespoons
Tomato (de-seeded and cut into small dices) - 1 large
Onion (peeled and cut into small dices) - 1 large
Capsicum  (de-seeded and cut into small dices) - 1 medium
Rajma (kidney beans- soaked overnight and boiled)/ rajma curry - 2 table spoons (optional)
Pizza masala -a mix of 1 clove grated garlic with a teaspoon of dried oregano and a teaspoon spoon of chilli flakes.
Cheese (of your choice) - 50 gms grated ( I personally prefer Britannia Milkman)
Butter  - 1 teaspoon
Cooking oil - 2 teaspoons

Method of preparation:

Mix sweet corn, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped capsicum and rajma with Pizza masala. Add salt to taste. Adjust for the saltiness of the cheese. Spread pizza sauce on to the Pizza base. Spread half the topping mixture and cover with cheese.

Heat butter (1/2 spoon) and oil (1 spoon) on the cooker pan. To add zing you can throw in  some grated garlic. Gently place the prepared pizza on to the heated butter-oil-garlic mix. Lower the flame to the lowest setting possible and cover with lid. The pizza should be ready in 5-8 minutes. The base should be crisp and the cheese should have melted. Cut into slices and serve hot.

If you wish the same topping-sauce-cheese combination can be used for sandwiches also. Just butter the outside of the sandwich and grill on the stove using a nonstick sandwich press.

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Rustic Roti

Rustic Roti ( makes 14-16 rotis)
Rustic Roti


Wheat flour – 2 cups
Besan (gram flour) – 1 cup
Dried or kasuri methi – 3 table spoons
(if you are using fresh methi a medium bunch destalked and cut finely should do)
Green chilly – 1
Ginger – 1 inch piece (grated)
Grated Garlic – 1 clove (substitute with a pinch of asafetida if you prefer)  
Turmeric – a pinch
Oil  - 2 teaspoons
Jeera – ½ teaspoon
Salt to taste ( 1 and quarter teaspoons approx)
Grated Bottle gourd (Lauki/ sorakka) – 2 tablespoons
( you can avoid adding this if you are using fresh methi instead of kasuri methi)

Method: Mix all ingredients together to make a firm dough. Divide the dough into 14-16 rounds. Roll into relatively thin chapattis. Roast the chapatti on a dry tawa like a phulka. Apply a drop of ghee if you want. Serve hot with subzi or can be eaten as a snack.

Stuffed Brinjal

Stuffed brinjal






Stuffed Brinjal















Raw ingredients






Roasted ingredients
Ingredients

Peanuts -  2 table spoons
Dried Coconut (grated) - 2 table spoons
Dhaniya seeds - 1.5 table spoons
Jeera  - 1 teaspoon
Til or sesame seeds – 1 table spoon
Tamarind - 2 inch pieces
Jaggery – a lemon sized ball
Red chilly powder – 1 teaspoon
Asafetida – 1 pinch (substitute with one grated garlic if you prefer)
Turmeric – ¼ powder
Garam masala – one pinch
Oil for cooking – 3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
Stuffing
Brinjal – 500 gms. (pick ones which are small and tender and if possible of the same size)
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing – 1 table spoon


Raw stuffed Brinjals
Roast all the ingredients, except for the chilly powder, turmeric and jaggery. Cool and grind to a powder along with chilly powder, turmeric and jaggery. You can prepare a double batch of the stuffing and keep it in an airtight box or bag in the refrigerator. Remove the stalk of the brinjals after washing. Slit carefully on top ensuring that the bottom is still closed. Make two or three cuts to make about 6 sections. Stuff the prepared powder into the slits. Heat oil in a cooker pan, add the mustard seeds and once they crackle lower the flame and add asafetida/ garlic. Then gently place the stuffed brinjal in the pan. Pour 1 cup of water and let it cook for one whistle. Open the cooker once the pressure is released and fry the preparation till most of the excess water is gone. Add garam masala and chopped coriander (if desired) and serve hot with rotis.











Tuesday 29 May 2012

Baby Corn With Cherry Tomatoes

Baby Corn With Cherry Tomatoes
Baby corn with Cherry tomatoes

Baby corn (peeled) - 300-350 gms
Onions - 2 large 
Cherry tomatoes - 100 gms
Capsicum - 1 medium
Garlic - 1 clove
Oil - 1.5-2 table spoons
Freshly cracked pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt and chilly powder to taste

Method of preparation:

Halve the baby corn lengthwise and chop them into inch long pieces. These need to be cooked  with a little salt mixed in the microwave oven on high for five minutes or steamed in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle. Chop onions and garlic into small pieces. Heat oil in pan and add the onions. Once the onions look glassy, halve the cherry tomatoes and add it to the heat. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Now add the cooked baby corn and stir. Add capsicum cut into thin long strips and cook for just one minute before adding pepper, salt and chilly powder. This dish can be eaten with Roti, bread or as a pasta sauce. To use as pasta sauce add some dried oregano, basil and 2 teaspoons of tomato ketchup.

Mixed Vegetables

Mixed Vegetables (feeds four)
Mixed vegetables

Potato -1 large
Carrots - 2 medium
Beans - 10-15
Peas (shelled) - I cup or 100 gms
Onion - 2 large
Tomatoes- 2 large
Garlic - 1 clove(small) 
Oil - 1.5 tablespoons
Dhaniya Powder - 2 teaspoons
Garam Masala - 1 pinch
Red Chilly powder and salt to taste.
Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander - a handful. chopped finely for garnish

Method of preparation:

Peel potatoes, carrots and remove the strings from the beans. Chop all three in thin long strips about an inch long. Microwave all cut vegetables along with peas, a teaspoon of water and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt on high for 8 minutes. If you do not have a microwave oven, simply steam the vegetables with salt (do not add water) in the pressure cooker for one whistle.

Chop onions and garlic finely. Add oil to the pan ( kadai) and when the oil is hot add jeera, once it crackles, add the chopped onions and garlic. While it is frying, chop the tomatoes finely. Once the onion  becomes softer, add tomatoes. Wait till tomatoes soften and meld into the onions before adding dhaniya powder and chilly powder. 

Fry for about 3-4 minutes till  the raw smell of the masalas are gone. Add the cooked vegetables, cook everything together for 2-3 minutes. Check and add salt. Mix well. Add the garam masala and keep it on heat for about a minute. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with Rotis.