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.

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.

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.

Vada Pav

Vada Pav

Potato vada

Stuffing

Vada pav

Pav with chutnies and onion

Potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed roughly) – 3 large

Ginger (peeled and finely chopped) – 1 inch piece

Green chilies (finely chopped) – 2

Garlic (peeled and finely chopped) – I clove

Coriander leaves (destalked and finely chopped|) – two table spoons

Oil for tadka – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric – ¼ spoon

Mustard seeds - ½ spoon

Salt to taste

For the batter

Besan -1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon

Oil for frying

For garnish

Green chutney (made of coriander, chilies, ginger, garlic, lemon juice) – 2 table spoons

Red sweet chutney – 2 table spoons (you can use Smith and Jones Bhelpuri chutney for this)

Raw onion (peeled and finely chopped) – 1 small

Fresh pav bread 6-8 pieces

Method of preparation

Prepare the stuffing by heating the oil in the pan, temper with mustard seeds, and add turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilies. Sauté for about one minute then add the mashed potatoes along with salt and coriander. Mix well to form into a rough mixture. Form 8 flat patties out of the mixture.

Mix the besan, salt, chilly powder into a thick batter by using enough water to form a thick paste. Using a large spoon to make this batter ensures that there are no lumps in the batter. Dip the disks of potato mixture in the batter till well coated and deep fry till crisp and golden.

Serve by cutting the pav in half, applying the green and red chutney and placing the hot potato vada in the middle. Garnish with onion before serving.

Khichdi

Khichdi

Masala Khichdi

This is a very good combination with the kadi. It needs to be served very hot with
ghee and roasted papad.


Rice- 1 cup
Moong dal (pytham paruppu)-1/3 cup
Jeera- 1 tsp
Asafetida-½ tsp
Salt- to taste
Turmeric-½ tsp

Wash the rice and dal together. Pressure cook them along with the rest of the
ingredients and 4 cups of water for about 10 whistles

Masala Khichdi

Rice- 1 cup
Moong dal (pytham paruppu)-1/3 cup
Jeera- 1 tsp
Potato (peeled and cubed| into 1 inch pieces) – 1 medium
Onion( peeled and finely chopped) – 1 medium
Garlic( peeled and finely chopped) -1 clove
Salt- to taste
Turmeric-½ tsp
Chilli powder – ¾ teaspoon or according to taste
Oil – 1 and ½ teaspoons

Heat oil in the cooker pan, crackle jeera, add onion, garlic, potato and sauté for 2 minutes add the washed dal, rice and all the spices and salt. Saute for 1 minute add water (3 times the quantity of rice and dal). Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 7-8 whistles till done.