Mini pizzas with Pillsbury Grands

This is an easy breezy recipe which your kid will love. You can make it a fun thing by letting them choose the toppings and roll out the dough.
All you need
Pillsbury grand biscuits 1 pack
Sauce- pesto, tomato
Mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choice - I used onions, green bell peppers, olives, jalapeños and paneer.

1 pack of grand contains 8 biscuit dough.
Combine 2 and roll out the dough to a reasonable mini pizza size.
Add a layer of sauce on top. Add cheese and toppings.
Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20 mins or until crispy.
Enjoy

Lauki Dosa

Lauki or bottle guard is a vegetable rich in fiber. So why not use it to make a crepe that is so delicious that you won't believe it is made from lauki.

All you need
Dosa rice 2 cups
Lauki 1 med sized peeled and chopped
Small onions 10
Green chillies 3 minced
Cumin seeds 1tablespoon
Coriander leaves few
Ginger chopped 1tsp
Curry leaves few
Salt to taste
Oil to make dosas

Soak Dosa rice for 6 hrs or overnight.
Take a blender and add lauki and small onions and pulse it.
In a wet grinder /mixer add the rice. Once you get a coarse paste add lauki paste, green chillies, curry leaves, coriander leaves , ginger , cumin and salt. Grind well adding little water at a time.

Your batter is ready. No need to ferment.
Use a well seasoned skillet and make crispy dosas. Enjoy with some hot chutney.

Bisi Bele Bath

Bisi bele bath is a delicacy in Karnataka. One of the most yummiest and mouthwatering rice dishes.

In restaurants they serve it with boondi and raitha, a deadly combination for bisibelebath.

So here is my family recipe.

All you need
Rice 1 cup
Toor dal 1/2 cup
Sambar onions or small onions 15
Chopped vegetables - 2cups -I used carrots, beans,aloo,peas and cauliflower.
Tamarind pulp 1 tsp
Water just enough to cook vegetables
Sambar powder 1 tablespoon optional
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Roasted cashew
Roasted peanuts
Oil 1tablespoon
Ghee 2tablespoon optional

For tempering
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Urad dal 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few
Dry red chillies 2
Oil 1tablespoon

Dry roast the following
Chana dal 2 tsp
Urad dal 2tsp
Dhaniya seeds 2tsp
Poppy seeds 2tsp
Dry red chillies 5
Cardamom 2
Cloves 5
Cinnamon 1"
Curry leaves few

Blend with coconut 1/2 cup and 5 sambar onions and keep aside.


Cook the toor dal and mash it well. Keep aside.
Cook rice to a mushy consistency and keep aside.
Heat a pressure cooker and add oil. Now added chopped sambar onions and turmeric powder. Saute till done. Add other vegetables and salt. Mix the tamarind pulp in water and pour into the pressure cooker. Add sambar powder. Cover and cook for about 3 whistles.
Add the blended paste and dal and let it boil well. Check and add salt if needed.
Mix in the rice. Let the consistency be as watery as possible. It will become thick in a while. Add roasted cashew, peanuts and some ghee.
Add the tempering and serve with raitha and boondi.

Bread rolls

Cheesy and Greasy!!

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes boiled and mashed

8 slices brown bread

¾ cup mozzarella cheese

Salt to taste

Lemon/lime juice

1-2 green chilies

Chat masala

Cilantro

Oil to fry

Method:

Mix the boiled mashed potato with the cheese, lime juice, salt, chopped green chilies and chat masala. Cut the crust off the bread. Heat oil in a kadhai. Sprinkle some cold water on both sides of bread to make it damp. Scoop some of the potato mixture and roll it in the bread to make a log. Seal the edges with wet fingers. Fry it till golden brown. The outside is crispy and inside is ooy gooy. Serve hot with ketchup and cilantro chutney.

Tea Biscuits

These cookies are a Bangalore delicacy. If you're from Bangalore you must have tasted these famous cookies available at all the Iyengar bakeries.
These are so delicious and literally melt in your mouth.My grandparents would get these everytime they came to visit us or we would visit them and it would get over in a couple of minutes. Miss those good old days.

Today made these cookies with Akshara and it was a fantastic experience.

Yeilds 12
Butter 1 stick or  1/2 cup at room temperature
Castor Sugar 1/2 cup
Maida or All Purpose Flour 1 cup
Baking soda 1/4 tsp
Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp
Salt one pinch

Bring butter to room temperature.In a mixing bowl whisk butter and sugar ( little at a time) into a creamy consistency.
Add cardamom powder and whisk again.
In another bowl add flour , salt and baking powder. Mix well.
Fold in the flour mixture into the butter little at a time and knead into a soft dough.
Cover with clear wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.




Preheat the oven to 300 F.Line a baking tray with parchment paper.


Knead the dough again, divide into 12 equal balls. Place one ball between your palms and smoothen it.Make sure there are no cracks.
Make a little flat and place it on the tray.Repeat the same with others.Leave equal space between the cookies.
Press your choice of nut on each of the cookies. I have used almonds.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check occasionally , we want to cookies to remain white.


Allow to cool and store in an airtight box.

Frankie- Chinese Style

I love frankie rolls, especially since you can make it very interesting with your choice of veggies.
This is an easy lunch box recipe that I learnt it from Chef Venkatesh Bhat on a tv show.

For the Frankie

Maida or All purpose flour 1.5 cups yeilds about 6 frankies
Salt to taste
sugar a pinch
Sour Curd 2 tablespoon
Milk to knead the dough
Oil to spray

Mix all of these ingredients to make a smooth dough. Spray some oil, cover with clear wrap and set aside for 20 mins.

For the stuffing

I have chosen to make a chinese style frankie.
So I have used a mix of colored veggies.
Cabbage, colored bell peppers and carrot all julienned - 4 cups
Onion - 1 small sliced
Green CHillies 2 minced
Spring Onions minced few
Red Chilli Paste - 1 tsp
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tablespoon

Heat a wok and add oil.Add the onions and green chillies and saute. Add the veggies and salt. Saute till done.
Add soy sauce, red chilli paste and black pepper. Mix and garnish with spring onions.

Homemade Red Chilli Paste

Boil some water, add a tsp of vinegar and add 15 red chillies. Cook for about 15 minutes. Cool and blend to a paste.
Heat a kadai , add a tsp of oil and add the paste. Simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Cool and store in the refrigerator for upto a month.




Making the frankie

Divide the dough into equal balls.
Using Maida for dusting, roll into a thin chapathi.Heat a non stick tawa and cook evenly on both sides by adding some oil.







Transfer to a plate and spread some ketchup on the inside.
Now add some stuffing towards the end of the chapathi.Add some cheese if desired.Roll it tightly and place it back on the tawa.
Add some oil and grill it on both ends.
Take it off the stove, cut into halves and transfer to a plate.






Your frankie is ready. Enjoy with some mayo or sour cream.

Ash Gourd Dosa

I learnt this recipe from my favorite Poornima aunty back in Bangalore. She is by far the best chef I know.During every visit she is always  kind enough to share her mangalore delicacies with me. I have received so many compliments for the dishes that she has taught me.
Dedicating this post to her.

Most of us discard the seeded part of Ashgourd.Well the next time you can save it and make yummy dosas.Ash gourd is rich in fiber and except the skin and seeds every part is edible. It gives a great feeling when you don't waste any good part of a vegetable.











Makes 10 dosas
Deeseeded part of ash gourd - diced
Idli Rice or Boiled Rice 1.5 cups
Whole Urad Dal 2 tablespoon
Poha 1/2 cup
salt to taste
oil to make dosas


Soak the dal and rice together for 6-8 hrs or overnight.
Soak poha for 15 minutes.
Grind the dal and rice in a wet grinder or mixer.Once you get a coarse paste add the ash gourd,poha and salt.
Grind well to get a thick and smooth batter.
Now let this rest for about 8-10 hrs for fermentation.The batter would have risen slightly by then.





Heat a well seasoned griddle and smear oil.Add a big ladle of the batter and spread it similar to a thick pancake.
Add oil the edges and cover with a lid and cook on a medium flame.
Remove the cover after 2 minutes.The bottom would be nicely roasted by now.Remove and transfer to a plate.
Enjoy it hot with a nice chutney.

Paneer Butter Masala

Another classic north indian dish, creamy and delicious.One of my favorites.
I have not used any cream in this preparation, tried to keep it as low cal as possible.

Paneer cut in strips 1 cup
Onion 1 med diced
Tomatoes 4 diced
Dry Red Chillies 2
Green CHillies 1
Cashew 8
Turmeric powder a pinch
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Kasoori methi leaves few
Fresh Cream 1/4 cup optional
Coriander leaves few for garnish
Butter 2 tablespoon

Heat a kadai and add 1 tablespoon of butter.Add onions and cashew. Fry for a minute. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell disappears
Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Add red chillies and green chillies. Cover and cook till done.Cool it and blend to a smooth paste.
This is a basic makhani recipe.

In the same kadai add the remaining butter , once it starts to melt add all the dry powders and saute for a couple of minutes.
Now add the blended puree and water.Dry roast kasoori methi leaves, powder by hand and add it to the gravy. Add salt if needed.
Cover and cook in a low flame for about 5 minutes.
Add paneer and simmer for another 5 minutes. Switch off the flame, add cream and garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy this delicious paneer delicacy with your choice of Indian bread.

Creamy Cucumber Soup

I love the cold mint cucumber soup you get at Whole Foods Market.Although it is only a summer delicacy, I wanted to make something that can be enjoyed both in summer and winter be it hot or cold.

"Cooking Cucumber?? Are you sure you can do that?? It will definitely taste wierd ".
 These were the reactions given by my family when I wanted to make a dish with cucumber.

When we think of Cucumber all we think of is eating it raw. But this veggie can taste awesome when cooked.
Try this soup and find out for yourself.

My family was so reluctant to taste this soup when I made it the first time. Infact my dad said " It's so green , are you sure this will be good"
After umpteen assurances ,they finally tried it and they loved it!
It's my most frequented soup now!

So here is my recipe for a creamy cucumber soup
Serves 4

Cucumbers 2 peeled ,deseeded and diced
Onion 1 small diced
Jalapenos - 4 or 5
Veggie Broth 4 cups
Garlic Cloves 2 minced
Parsley Flakes few
Spring onions - for garnish
Avocado slices 4 for creaminess
Sour Cream/ Creme Fraiche 2 tablespoon
Oil 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat a stock pot and add oil.Add garlic and stir for a minute.
Add onions and cook till glazed.Add cucumbers and salt.
Fry for 2 minutes and add vegetable broth.
Add some parsley flakes.
Let the broth boil till cucumber is soft.
Switch off and let it cool.

In a blender add avacados and this gravy and blend to a smooth puree.

Heat it just before serving.This soup can be had cold too.
Add some sour cream and garnish with spring onions.

Enjoy!

Smoked Eggplant Chutney

I'm not a big fan of eggplant.I try to avoid eggplant dishes :)
This is actually a recipe my mom takes pride in.This is the only eggplant dish I actually like.
So let me share this with you.

Eggplant - 1 medium
Shredded Coconut 4 tablespoon
Fried Gram - 2 tablespoon
Tamrind pulp 1 tsp
Jaggery powdered 1tsp
Green Chillies 1 or more depending on the heat
Coriander leaves a few
Turmeric a pinch
Salt to taste

For tempering
Oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Hing a pinch
Curry leaves 4

Spread a teaspoon of oil evenly over the eggplant.Switch on the stove and place the eggplant directly over the flame. Turn it every now and then so that it get evenly cooked.This is basically for the smoky effect.You can do the same in an oven too.Brush oil all over the eggplant, prick some holes , preheat to 550F and cook for about 15 minutes.Check with a fork if the insides are soft.Set aside to cool.


Once cooled, peel the skin and mash the eggplant.
In a blender add coconut, fried gram,turmeric, green chillies,coriander leaves, tamrind and jaggery and salt. Make a paste.
Now add the eggplant and just pulse the blender.

Add the tempering and your chutney is ready. Enjoy with idli, dosa or hot steaming rice.