Garlic rolls without Eggs

Back after a short break and missing freshly baked bread made me bake these rolls which I had bookmarked for a while now. Finally, despite the sweltering heat that rages in the city I live, these rolls were made. I am sure most are familiar with the garlic pull apart rolls from Suhaina's space. Mine don't look as good as hers but I must assure you that whether the rolls are pretty or not, these were the most soft homemade rolls I have made to date thereby making this recipe a keeper.

 I followed her exact recipe. Made no changes except for reducing the amount of coriander leaves. The rolls rose well the first time, the second time and baked well to yield beautiful very soft flavourful rolls.  Try it, this is a foolproof recipe!

These rolls have been yeastspotted.

A brussel sprout and potato stir fry

Its been days since I have been longing for more than 24 hours to exist. There were times when I had too much of time on my hands and it is otherwise now. So when it comes to putting together a meal, a quick fix seems to be the only option considering my need of time now.  And a stir fry of every vegetable I use makes an appearance quite frequently. Although brussel sprouts are not a favourite with all, my family  loves them. It does not matter whether it is roasted, boiled or braised. But I have been on the fence regarding these so long until I decided to stir fry these green vegetables.

I halved about 10 brussel sprouts and cubed 1 potato. Boiled them both. I added star anise and cloves to the water that the sprouts were boiled in for a flavour. Minced garlic was sauteed in oil to which the sprouts and the potatoes were added. 1/2 a cup of chicken stock was added and then stir fried to a dry consistency. A seasoning of salt and lots of pepper and this stir fry is ready to be on the table. I loved this aromatic and flavoursome stir fry and am sure most of you out there will adore it too.

Au Gratin

With the holidays behind me and with the monotonous routine back, there are several many meal times, where I crave for one pot meals. An Au Gratin it had to be in such instances. Cheese and potatoes in anything make meals so much better. 


Gratin is a widely used culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or broiled to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish. (Source; Wikipedia).

My so-called Gratin on the other hand has a  crust that is the "mother of all sauces": the Bechamel Sauce.What went into the gratin is an assortment of vegetables with sausages to complement the vegetables. These were then topped with the white sauce and baked and served right from the dish.

What you need to make this are:

1. Peas - 1 C (boiled)
2. Potato- 1 big (chopped) or enough to fill 1 C
3. Carrot- chopped (1C)
4. Mushrooms- 1 C 
5. Parsley-chopped (2T)
6. Sausages- 100g chopped (optional)
7. Butter-2T
8. Garlic-chopped to make 1 T

Heat butter in a pan and saute the garlic. Add in the vegetables and saute until the water evaporates. Add in the parsley and season and Set this aside.

For the Bechamel Sauce, I used the recipe that is always picked at home. But this time around I added in a few other ingredients to get the consistency of sauce. What went in were 3-4 chopped garlic cloves and 1/2 a C of fresh cream and parmesan cheese. The cream was added along with the seasonings. Once you turn off the stove, whisk in the cheese, garlic and parsley. Set the sauce aside too.

In a shallow dish, layer all the vegetables. Pour the sauce on top. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degree C until the crust turns a golden brown. Serve right from the dish. This is a versatile dish considering the choice of vegetables you could add.A simple dish yet so flavorful and filling!

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes especially when they are roasted in a oven is a winner with me. A simple dish with plenty of desirable flavours is what this offers. I have far too many recipes from all possible sources and this is something tweaked from several a many recipes to suit my palate. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside they made a nice accompaniment to Grilled Chicken.

What I used for this were:

Potaoes-3, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces. (You could also use baby poatoes)
Olive Oil-100ml
2 tbsp-minced garlic (add or reduce according to taste)
a tsp each of dried herbs ( I used rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley)
chilli flakes for the heat factor
salt and pepper as desired

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the potatoes with a fork for the flavours to seep in.

Add all the ingredients except the potaoes ina bowl and mix them in well. Stir in the poatoes and coat them well with the mixture.

Lay them on a roasting pan ina single layer. Drizzle with olive oil if desired and roast them. Mine was done in about 15 mins.

Potatoes coated with olive oil roasted with herbs is a satisfying dish that you will make over and over again.

Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia

Focaccia has become popular at home during the weekly get togethers...the kids love to pick at the toppings and the adults indulge in it satisfyingly..On one of these recent get-togethers..a rosemary and garlic focaccia was the request.

I recently acquired a slab of baker's yeast and put it to use for this..my dough rose really well thankfully...I never did knead the dough..it was all done by my dutiful processor.

The basic recipe was adapted from Williams Sonoma's Essentials of Baking. I have always used the basic recipe and experimented with toppings.

What you need are:

2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups milk
6 Tbs. olive oil
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
Rosemary-enough to sprinkle over
Garlic pods- 6 to 7 crushed
Bacon chopped bits (optional)
Coarse salt, to taste

Add the yeast to warm water until it turns frothy. Add in milk and half the quantity of olive oil and combine them well.

In the bowl of your processor, add the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and process until a dough is formed...

Oil a baking pan and spread the dough using your fingers and cover and let it rise until it has doubled in volume. Once it rises, punch the dough down, make impressions with you fingers, sprinkle the rosemary, plant in the garlic pods and the bacon bits if using...Sprinkle with the remaining olive oil and the coarse salt and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven until it turns a golden brown. Once done, slide onto a rack and cool.

A beautiful, flavourful bread that reigns amongst the breads at our place...

Cheesy Calzones!!!

A Calzone is an Italian dish that is becoming popular all around the world. It has a base made of pizza dough and is filled with varied stuffings and folded over. The calzones that I made contain three cheeses, onion and garlic.

The recipe for the basic dough is from here. I tripled the amount in account of more number of calzones that were required. To the dough, 2 tsps each of dried basil, marjoram,sage and oregano was added.


Filling:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 onions chopped
Salt and pepper
3 cups ricotta or paneer
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes

Heat some oil and saute the minced garlic and the chopped onions until lightly browned. Season and cook. Drain the ricotta to remove excess moisture. Remember that the filling has to be dry.

Mix in the cheeses, egg, and pepper in a separate bowl and set aside until use.

Divide the risen dough into sections and roll them into discs. Place the filling on one side of the disc ensuring space along the edges. Spoon the cheese and egg mixture and fold over and crimp the edges using a fork. Let rise for a few more minutes and bake until it is nicely browned.



A substantial meal and the best part is you can vary the fillings to suit your taste.

Frankies and My Daily Booster!

We were snacking on delectable frankies last night. Frankies that caught my eye on Meeta's blog. Her blog is one place I got to view her food styling.The lengths to which she goes to make her food look perfect is noteworthy. I have tried my hand at styling food, but my food always ends up looking dry and the like...I guess what one needs is loads and loads of patience.

I made the frankies as per this, except that I didn't use vegetables. It was just paneer with green bell peppers and corn.



This is my entry for the Tried & Tasted event.


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Coffee is my daily booster. Coffee made from freshly roasted and ground sent all the way from a place that will remain anonymous.

Find below my cup of coffee with the failed attempt of the fancy design on the surface :)!





And finally my entry for Click

Chettinad Pepper Chicken **Taste and Create**

I am paired with Ranji this month for Taste and Create.

Her blog has an array of food and it was difficult to choose..I must have browsed through her space atleast 10 times :). I love her collection of chicken recipes and my obvious choice was this.

Chettinad is a place I love to visit for its art, architecture and food..The sprawling mansions and its magnificent temples are a sight to behold.

Chettinad cusine is known for its spiciness or rather the pungent factor. Pepper is widely used in their cuisine along with most other spices and this chicken recipe that I chose is an apt example of the cuisine.


I followed her recipe exactly but used chicken pieces with bones and even added green chillies for that extra zing!!!

Paneer Masala and a Year of Blogging!!!

A year of blogging and this is my 101th post..Whew!!!! Never thought I'd blog for a year..always thought that it would be just a passing fascination and I was sure I wouldn't blog for more than a couple of months. But as I ventured deeper into this...I kept going until today...And I'm celebrating this with my most favourite dish that has won me a couple of accolades.

This dish is awesome in appearance and the taste! Whether it is a small get-together of family or friends or if I want to pamper myself..this is what I make.... A Paneer/Cottage Cheese Masala.



What you need are:

Paneer/Cottage Cheese-200 g
Ghee-2 tbsp
Tomatoes-2 (blanched, peeled and pureed)
Cream-1/2 cup
Salt as per taste

For Grinding

Red Whole Chillies-6
Onion-2
Ginger/Garlic Paste-2 tsp
Whole Pepper corns-about 10
Cloves-3
Cinnamon Powder-1tsp
Cummin-2tsp
Coriander Powder-2 tsp
Cashewnuts-100g
Chilli Powder-1 tsp

Grind the above and set aside. Fry the paneer in ghee and set aside. Heat more ghee and fry the ground paste. Follow this by adding the pureed tomatoes and when the ghee separates,.add in the cream and the paneer and cook until a desired consistency is met... Serve hot!

A Potato Stir Fry the Indo-Chinese way!

Let me ramble before I come to the food I want to post today!

I am a paranoid parent (according to a several many). I get paranoid the couple of hours she is away at school...I could call it overprotection. I definitely do not want to overshadow my daughter's growth...I realize that I cannot get danger entirely out of her life..I need to realize that I need to let her experience and let her deal with pain, danger and fear. Ultimately I am glad that there are several parents like me and have begun to realize that this is not called being paraoid..it is just a natural instinct.


Coming back to the subject of food...this is what I made for a fav cuisine of mine..indo-chinese..I kind of like the indianess in Chinese fare. What I meant is spiciness in Chinese food.

What you need are

Potatoes-2 cut as for french fries
Green Chillies-7 to 8 chopped
Ginger-garlic paste-2 tsp each
Tomato sauce-2 tbsp
Soya sauce-2 tbsp
Chilli Sauce-2 tbsp
Cornflour-5 tbsp
Salt and pepper=to taste
Oil for frying

Slice the potatoes and fry them in oil and set aside. To the same oil, add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and saute until the raw smell decides to leave. Mix in the potatoes carefully without breaking them. Add in the sauces and cornflour and the salt and pepper to suit you palate. Cover and cook until the require consistency is reached.

A perfect, simple, not mushy and a defintely a keeper!!

This is my entry to the AWED Event.

A Classic Sauce with Fettucce

Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia

Sauces have always played a vital role in my cooking. I always thought making any type of sauce was tedious and time-consuming...But no..They are quick too make..with an aroma that needs to be experienced and has no words to describe. A sauce definitely adds colour, texture and an extra zing to whatever it is served with or on. By varying the spices and herbs.there is so much you can create from sauce.

Tomatoes make very good sauces probably because of their soft flesh.Used raw they can definitely complement a dish.

Tomatoes contain Carotenoids, proved to fight cancer and their lovely colour is also as a result of this.

Making a sauce does not require any special equipment because once you master the basics..you have wide possibilities of experimentation..One such experiment is this sauce that was easy, delicious and I would call it a classic!!!

What you need for the sauce are

1.

Tomatoes-firm, unpeeled- 3 to 4
Whole Garlic-1
Onion-1 chopped or julienned
Bay leaves-2
Salt
Sugar-1 tsp
Water-1/2 cup

Cook all of the above until the tomatoes turn mushy and soft. Set them aside to cool.


After this cools, remove the bay leaves and blend the entire thing. Ensure that they do not turn into a puree..Some bits of garlic and onion are always enjoyable....


2.

Onion-chopped-1 tbsp
Garlic-1/2 tbsp
Olive Oil

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil and then follow this by adding the tomato blend. Add in some basil. Fresh basil would be the best choice....



I served this classic sauce over Fettucce

I cooked 100 grams of Fettucce according to the packet instructions.Served the sauce ans sprinkled some parmesan cheese.




This delicious sauce is my entry for this month's The International Food League, a fun event by the ladies at the Dining Hall.

The mystery box that I chose was 2. And the riddle read:

I think I am a pleased woman since I blush so much
I am so soft and shiny to your delicate touch
But look what I have for relatives, so different with no common string
one used for smoking, one for hotness, one used to refer idler and one referred as veggie's King

I am not what you refer to me most often
I am 'fruit' of labour but never called one so
I am neither a wolf nor a peach in the scale of one to ten
but then why do you think I am called one as so?

I can go green with envy, or completely red with anger
A little crown on my head makes my walk look like a swagger
You cant do without me in your day to day cooking
Tell me what veggie I am without too much thinking.

Thankfully I got it right at the first guess..TOMATO

Egg Pilaf and Crunchy Raita **Tried and Tasted**

A dear friend one day sent me a list of three wonderful food blogs, she thought I should visit!! I wasn't into blogging then, but did use the web as my food guide. The three blogs amazed me nonetheless..Thereafter they were referenced to for my daily kitchen experiments...I could also say that these were my inspiration to start one of my own.......

Nupur's blog has interesting recipes..Her way with words never ceases to amaze me....I chose to make her Egg Pilaf. I have a similar Mom's masala like she mentioned she has...Trust me, my so-called mom's masala has made a great many on the verge of failure dishes edible.

I chose to use the same ingredients but forewent the nuts, cilantro and the spring onions.

What you need for the Egg Pilaf are (Adapted from here)

4 Eggs
1 cup Basmati or other long-grained rice
1 Onion
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1 tsp Garam/Mom's masala
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Golden raisins
2 tbsp oil

Hard-boil the eggs and peel and set aside. Slice the onion into thin slices.

Heat 2 1/2 cups of water .

Heat oil in another pot and stir in the cumin seeds. Add sliced onion and fry until the edges of the onion to brown, and then on medium-low heat till the onions are very soft and caramelized.
Browning the onions gives them a rich, deep flavor, so don't skip this step.

Follow this by adding the ginger-garlic, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, salt and fry for about a minute or so. Stir in the raisins, then add the rice and hot water.

Cover the pot and simmer until most of the water is absorbed and the rice is tender
Toss the rice with slices of boiled eggs. Serve.


Raitas are a cooling accompaniment that add the moisture element to dry dishes. The dry dish here is the Pilaf! I call this a yogurt-based salad and this makes to the table whenever a pilaf or a biriyani is made. This crunchy raita tastes best when served chilled over hot steaming rice!



What you need for the Raita are

2 Onions chopped finely
1 tbsp Sugar (I suggest using jaggery for an authentic taste)
150 ml Yogurt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon'
1/2 tsp roasted and powdered nigella seeds
salt
pepper powder
1/4 tsp Chilli powder
Mint leaves 1/2 tbsp chopped finely and a sprig for garnish

In a colander, add the chopped onions and mix in the sugar or jaggery and set aside for some time. Then squeeze the onions to remove the excess liquid and mix with the remaining ingredients except for the chilli powder and chill in the refrigerator. Just before serving, sprinkle chilli powder and garnish with mint and indulge in the lovely meal..the pilaf courtesy the lovely Nupur and the Raita courtesy the lovely me!!!!


This is my entry to the Tried and Tasted event hosted by Zlamushka.

A Zesty Sprouts Salad

Edible seeds are packed with nutrients and when sprouted..it is even more..I would say it is the most nutritious food. They are known to grow even after you refrigerate them thereby increasing their nutrient content as well...these grown at home will probably be the freshest food that is laid on your table. All that they need is some space, air, light and water.

These are my home-sprouted mung beans




I made a simple salad of just the follwing three main ingredients...and a zesty salad dressing.



What you need for the salad are

1 cup of chopped tomatoes
2 cups of boiled sprouted mung beans

for the dressing

1/2 cup of Salad Oil
3/4 cup Vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsps grated onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tsp chilli powder

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and shake them well. Add the garlic and the onion for its flavours to seep in. Chill for a period of time and remove the garlic and the onion before adding the required amount of the dressing to the chopped tomatoes and mung bean sprouts.




This salad is good for you and definitely add colour and flavour to your meal.

With the zesty dressing, the tangy tomato.and the sprouts..this can well be your main dish ....


I'm sending this to Lisa's No Croutons Required's Soups and Salads, and Sangeeth's Eat Healthy Event

Scrambled Cottage Cheese/Paneer

Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese in its myriad cooked forms is definitely a favourite to a majority of people. This scramble is an easy and a quick one to make. This was inspired by the Paneer Bhurji by Harini.



What you need are

Cottage cheese - 200g(Crumbled coarsely)
Onion - 1 large (chopped)
Tomatoes - 1 (chopped)
Ginger paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste- 2 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 6 slit lengthwise
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - a handful (Chopped)

Oil for sauteing
Salt as per one's taste

Crackle cumin seeds in oil and follow this by adding the green chillies, garlic and the ginger pastes. Saute until the raw smell goes. Add in the chopped onions.
until they turn translucent. Add in the tomatoes and salt and cook until they are no more mushy. Follow this by adding in the spice powders and the crumbled paneer. add in the chopped coriander leaves and blend them in well.

Serve with chapathis....

A simple, easy, delicious and a delight for a meal!!

Look here for Harini's version.

A Mango and Tomato Salsa **A.W.E.D**

Fresh versatile Sauces, such as sambals, raitas, salsas,chutneys need very little cooking and preparation. The most simplest, bland dish can be spiked up by the above..



Salsa is used to describe a wide family of fresh or cooked salad-like relishes most of the times flavoured with herbs or chillis.

Salsa evolved in Mexico and the spiciness factor can vary from mild to very very hot!
They taste good when served immediately but taste even better when allowed to marinate for a couple of hours.

Mangoes being in season where I live, this salsa has mangoes predominantly. The fragrant, sweet and the sourness of the ingredients was spectacular with chicken.

For the Mango & Tomato salsa

1 mango (ripe, firm, cubed)
1 Tomato (large, chopped)
1 Onion (chopped)
3 to 4 Garlic (crushed)
2 to 3 Green Chillies (chopped) (Ideally use red chillies.)
Lemon Juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp of dried herbs
2 tsp Honey (You could also use sugar)
Salt

Give a good mix to all the above and chill well before serving.



Alternatively, you could also add lemon zest and mint leaves for that extra zing!

This salsa is off to the A.W.E.D event.

Kerala Masala Prawns

Prawns are a top priority in my weekly menu..I make it twice a week no matter what. The simple and valid reason being all three of us love it .

Prawns are the most easiest to cook up except for the cleaning and the deveining involved.. Thankfully, the man who brings seafood home, cleans and deveins it for me. The only thing that I need to do is to give it a good rinse and it is all set for cooking!

The Kerala Prawn curry recipe that i present below is again from the recipes handed down to me by my mother.

Prawn- 1 Kg (cleaned, de-veined)
Onions- 2 (sliced)
Tomatoes-2 (chopped finely)
Ginger paste-1 1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste- 2 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder- 2 tsps
Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
Curry Leaves- 1 sprig
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Oil preferably coconut oil
Salt as per the taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, saute the onions, followed by the garlic and ginger and fry until they are mixed in well together. Now add the chilli powder and the turmeric powder and add in the chopped tomatoes as well... When you see the oil separating from this mixture, add a little water and salt. When the water boils, add in the prawns and stir well ensuring that the masala coats the prawns well. Add the curry leaves and cook no more than 3 minutes.

The tangy and spicy masala with the flavour of the coconut oil and the curry leaves make this an ideal accompaniment for both chapathis as well as rice...



My only weakness being the temptation to pick out prawns and eat them before the entire thing reaches the dining table....Don't many of you do it as well???? How could you not with the above tempting bowl before you...

Pasta with Ham ***MBP***

Pasta is an all-time favourite. I love it for its varied shapes and its succulence when it is served in a platter drowned in white sauce or when accompanied with sun-dried tomatoes.

I saw this at Happy Cook's abode!
Though the pasta didn't contain sun-dried tomatoes nor was it drowned in white sauce, it fascinated me all the more for the presence of ham in it.

I used all the ingredients, except for the use of peas.

This one-pot dish of pasta goes to Pavani, who is hosting MBP this month.

Mutton chops in a thick gravy

A chop is cut perpendicular to the spine. It contains a rib and is generally cut from lamb, pork, veal or mutton.

This is a simple mutton chops recipe. The only necessity being the chops need to be marinated for a long period of time. An overnight marination fetches a good result...If there is a lack of time, a minimum of 2 hours of marination is ideal....



What you need are

Mutton Chops-500g

For Marination

Vinegar-2 tbsp
Salt-2 tsp

For Grinding

Chilli Powder- 1 1/2 tbsp
Garlic Paste-2 tsp
Ginger Paste-2 tsp
Cloves-4 or 5
Cardamom-2
Cinnamon-1" piece
Fennel-1 tsp

Tomatoes-3 chopped
Onions-2 sliced




What you need to do

1. Marinate the chops with a mixture of salt and vinegar. The longer the marination time yields a better result.

2. Fry the sliced onions until they turn a golden brown and set them aside.

3. In the same oil, fry the chops to a light brown. They will be half done after this stage. Remove and set these aside as well.

4. Saute the ground paste along with tomatoes until the oil begin to separate.

5. Only after the oil appears, add the chops, salt if necessary and cook adding 1/2 cup of water until a thick gravy is obtained.

6. Serve only after the gravy has thickened.

An awaited appreciation from the little one!

It is in two days that my toddler's school closes for vacation.. She is awaiting her move to a bigger school by June and already proclaims to be in that school. I wonder why I get emotional on her leaving this school..could be due to the lovely teachers, the lovely ambience..,cheerful attenders...and their wonderful activities..et al. My DH just brushes me off saying I am too stupid to get all emotional about this!

Anyways getting my post back on track, I have approximately 350 hand-written recipes catering just to Chicken...Yes..You heard it right..that is a huge collection....and the one I am posting is a scribbled scrap that I found among the many...

It is for a kerala chilli chicken...I twisted the original a wee bit using the ingredients that were available. Whatever the ingredients,it was enjoyed by the three of us..especially the little one who couldn't stop telling her grandparents that finally she liked the chicken that her mother made :D




What you need are

500 g of chicken pieces
2 dsp Oil
1 1/2 tsp Soya sauce
1 1/2 tsp Chilli sauce
1 1/2 tsp Tomato sauce
2 tsp each of Ginger and Garlic paste
2 tsp Pepper Powder
Ajinomotto- a pinch (optional)
7 Chopped Green Chillies
2 Onions- chopped
2 sprigs of Curry Leaves
Water-3/4 cup
Salt -to taste

Fry the chicken until it turns a light brown Add in the suaces and stir them in well. Follow this by adding the ginger, garlic and the ajinomotto.Allow this to cook for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir them in well and cover and cook until done.

Serve with chapathis!