Happy Holidays!!

Asha's Christmas Wreath Bread inspired me to cook something special for my Christmas party this weekend. Thank you so much Asha!! This is my version of Christmas Wreath Bread; not sweet but savory!!
Ingredients:

1 tube of Ready-bake Pillsbury Pizza Crust.

2 spoons of dried Basil.

2 spoons of dried Oregano.

2 spoons of dried Thyme.

9-10 Garlic cloves finely chopped.

9-10 canned Jalapenos.

2 spoons of fresh black pepper powder.

1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese shredded.

Garlic Salt.

1 spoon of Paprika.

1 spoon of garlic butter ( Optional).

1 Egg.

Procedure:

Mix the ingredients except the pizza crust.

Cut the Pizza crust lengthwise in 3 pieces.

Spread a little garlic butter on each piece.

Spread the mixture prepared in the middle of the each piece.

Fold the pieces to stuff the mixture.

Prepare 3 such pieces and make a braid.

Join the ends and create a circular wreath.

Decorate with Jalapinos or olives at the joints of the braid.

Beat one egg and add a little water to create egg-wash.

Apply the egg wash on the braid. Add little cheese for decoration.

Bake it on a non-stick plate for 350 degrees in a preheated oven till the out side of the wreath becomes golden brown.

Dabeli - A college memory

Dabeli has always been the favorite street food.It reminds me the college days.Cool evenings breeze,a cup of hot coffee, chatpata gossips and a plate full of Dabeli was real treat!!
Here goes the recipe.( For recipes of Mint and Tamarind-Date chutney, refer the old posts on the same blog)

Preparation time : 30 minutes.
Serves 2 adults.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized potatoes.

4 spoons of cumin powder.

5-6 spoons of black salt.

1/3 cup of lemon juice.

2 spoons of red chilly powder.

1 cup of Honey Roasted Peanuts.

Very little oil.

Pav-bhaji bun - 6.

Finely chopped onions.

Finely chopped coriander.

Fine shev.

Salt to taste.

Potato stuffing
Boil potatoes, mash and add cumin powder , black salt, lemon juice and red chilly powder with salt.

Masala Peanuts

In a cup of honey roasted peanuts add 1 spoon of lemon juice, 2 drops of oil ,1 spoon of black salt and 1 spoon of red chilly powder.

Beat it as we beat egg so as to mix oil and lemon juice.3. Add peanuts to this mixture.

The Real Showtime!!

Cut the bun in half. Don't reach till the end.

Apply mint and Tamarind-date chutney on both sides.

Place 1.5 spoon of potato stuffing on it.

Put some chopped onions and coriander.

Put masala peanuts.

Press and close the bun.

Heat little oil in the pan.Heat the bun side wise and keep pressing it well so that the stuffing doesn't come out.

Roll the hot sandwich in the bed of "shev". The shev sticks to the outer side of the bun and adds crispiness to it.

Enjoy!!
Photo courtesy: Anjali Prabhu

A Perfect Sunday Night

Sunday nights are perpetually depressing. The Monday blues start bugging since the afternoon. A good afternoon nap and a soothing dinner is the perfect remedy for it. That's the reason why I decided to make my mother's version of Masoor Dal Usal with extra garlic.

Preparation time - 20-25 minutes.
Serving - 2 adults.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Masoor Dal Soaked for 4-5 hrs.

1 Medium size Red-Onion thinly chopped.

1 Medium size tomato thinly chopped.

1/2 cup of garlic sliced.

2 spoons of Tamarind Paste diluted in water.

1/2 cup of grated coconut.

1 spoon of cumin powder.

1 spoon of mustard seeds.

1 spoon of cumin seeds.

1 spoon of red chilly powder.

1/2 spoon turmeric powder.

1 spoon of Fenugreek seeds.

2-3 curry leaves.

1/2 cup of coriander leaves chopped.

salt to taste .


Procedure:

Heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,Fenugreek seeds, turmeric and curry leaves.

Add sliced onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add tomato and then immediately add salt. This helps in making smooth gravy.

Add tamarind, coconut,cumin powder and red chilly powder.

Add soaked dal with 2 cups of water and cook it uncovered. This makes the extra water evaporate.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tastes best with plain nonfat yogurt, a slice of onion and Roti.

Tandoor Platter - The '007'

Tagged with: VCC:VCC-Q4-2006: FAHC: FAHC-campaign

Preparation time - 15-20 minutes.
Serving - 4 adults.

This reminds me of my childhood. We used to watch cricket matches and movies on TV in India and my mother used to prepare these for us as a snack. We did not have an oven then so she used to prepare it in the hot griddle with little oil. It was a lot of work so I thought of making it simpler and healthier by baking it.

With 'Casino Royale' the Bond fever started again and we watched few old bond movies on TV. It was a "hit" snack during one of those Saturday night TV-movies. The Bond-mood got reflected in arranging the dish.


Ingredients:

1 cube of cottage cheese ( Paneer)

2 medium sized Onions.

10 florets of Cauliflower.

1 Red Capsicum.

1 Green capsicum.

1 Yellow Capsicum.

For Marinate:

2 Cups of Non-fat Yogurt.

2 spoons of turmeric.

2 spoons of red chilly powder.

2 spoons of ginger paste.

2 spoons of garlic paste.

2 spoons of coriander powder.

2 spoons of cumin powder.

1 spoon of salt.

1 spoon of ground pepper.

Procedure:

Mix the ingredients for marinate.

Cut the veggies and cottage cheese in 1 inch squares.

Marinate them overnight (for better taste.) You can also make them immediately after 10 minutes of marination.

Arrange them on skewers.Apply the left out marinate on them before baking.

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Arrange the skewers in such a way that you can turn them around.

Take care that the pieces don't get stuck to the grill.

Bake for 15 minutes. ( The bake time varies from oven to oven.Remove the skewers once they start looking brown on the edges).

Serve with Tamarind-date chutney and mint chutney.

Tamarind-date Chutney

Soak 8-10 Tamarind rounds in the water for about 10 minutes. Grind well.

Mix tamarind ( about 2-3 spoons paste) with 1/2 cup of jaggery, 2 spoons of red chilly powder,1 spoon of salt and 8-10 dates.

Boil the mixture until it reduces to half. Adjust red chilly powder and salt as per taste.

Grind it well in to make a smooth paste.

Mint Chutney

Grind 1 cup of mint leaves with 1/2 cup of coriander leaves, 1 inch of thinly sliced ginger,2 spoons of roasted cumins, 2 spoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 spoon of salt and 2 green chilies.

Adjust salt and green chillies as per the taste.

Serve cold with hot tikkas.