My favorite Sandwich!

Today I made this sandwich for brunch.It was striking and unusually good...It has all the good stuff in it..cheese,butter,mayonise...So how come it can taste bad? Whoever looking this cheesy-oozy sandwich would definitely get tempted to try this..Am i right?
If Im right then just scroll down to know how I made..


You will need:
Few slices of bread
1 tomato sliced thinly
1 onion sliced thinly
1/2 bell pepper cut in strips
2-3 tsp mustard mayonise
Butter-softened
A cup of grated cheddar cheese

Start by applying butter in 2 slices of bread on both the sides..


Spread a thin layer of mayonise on only one side of both the slices of bread..


Place few onion & tomatoe slices and 2 strips of capsicum and some grated cheese on top of one slice..

Cover it with another slice of bread..




In a non-stick pan,toast in low heat for 3 mins on each side or until golden brown..Make sure to gently press with a spatula..




Cut into halves and devour them!

Aloo Bonda (Batata Vada) | Healthier version

Making deep-fried dishes is not an usual affair in our home.My grandma makes them only during festival days .A week ago,to my surprise ,my grandma was making peas & aloo bonda .I went up to her and enquired what's special today..And she told me that she has come to know a new way of making bonda without using much oil.I saw her using the 'Kulipaniyaram Kal'/abeleskiver pan for frying the bondas!But she used wheat flour for the batter,which I didn't like.
There is a recent post by "JugalBandi" about using this Kulipaniyaram kal for making Bondas!My mouth watered while reading their post..So a day ago I made this aloo bonda and shared it with my friends!They loved it immensely and they couldn't find out that I didn't deep-fry the bondas!

You will need:

For the filling..
1/2 Kg boiled and mashed potatoes
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlice paste
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Heat the oil and fry the mustard,cumin seeds and chillies.Add to the mashed potatoes.




Mix the mashed potatoes and the other ingredients well and keep aside..

For the Batter:

1/2 cup chick pea flour(Besan)
1/2 cup Rice flour
1 tsp red chilliy powder
Salt to taste



Combine the ingredients of batter and add water and make a paste in a ribbon consistency..


Heat the 'kulipaniyaram kal'(This is centuries old which belongs to my grandma..and hence looks 'rustic') and 1/2 tsp of oil in all the cups of the skillet...
Make small balls of the potato filling and dip in the batter and drop in the cups individually..
After a couple of mins turn around the bonda ..Add 1/2 a tsp of oil for each bonda on the sides and cook till u get a crispy golden color on all sides..




Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney!

Corn & Gobi in coconut milk gravy!

When I went to kuwait last year,my friend 'S' made Gobi-Corn gravy.I haven't tired this combo before but when I tasted that I screamed with joy.It was not only tasty but looking photogenic!The crimson red colour of her gravy was beautiful..I clicked a snap of it immediately and here its is..




Cauliflower is my all-time favourite vegetable.Cauliflower,made in any way ..I love it!
Corn -Hmmm..I love them bit more than cauliflower..
So now you don't have to ask me how much I love this dish..I made this for dinner and I finished 3/4th of it all by myself!
I tweaked S's original recipe.Her recipe didn't call for coconut milk!And I used very minimal amount of oil!


You will need:

1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup corn kernel
1 large onion - grounded
2 tomatoes-pureed
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 bay leaf
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala
A pinch of turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tsp oil
chopped coriander for garnishing




Heat oil in a skillet and add the cumin seeds and bay leaf.Allow to splutter.Add the garlic-ginger paste and onion paste.
Add turmeric powder,salt and chilli powder and fry till the oil separates..
Add the tomato puree and simmer for 5 mins.
Add the coconut milk and 1/2 tsp corn starch dissolved in water.


Add the florets and corn.Cover and cook for 6 -7 mins.Add water if required.
Add the garam masala and 1/2 tsp sugar and give a swirl.Cover and cook for 2 more mins.



Garnish with coriander leaves .Done!

Danish Braid!

I'm getting adventurous in the kitchen day by day.For the past one week my oven was working hard ....

I was just baking,baking and baking!When I was going through the blogs,I happened to come across this interesting pastry 'Danish Braid'.It looks difficult to make but I was craving to taste them.So without giving a second thought I rolled up my sleeves and got into action.It doesn't demands rare ingredients but a huge amount of hard work.I made a very large braid and they vanished in few moments...yeah,they tasted so delicious!I got this recipe from Urban feed which I tweaked a bit ..
I used green apples for filling.But you can even use strawberries,apricots,peaches,blueberries or spiced potatoes or anything you like..Just experiment!



For the dough:
2 tsp of dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
A pinch of baking powder
2 1/2 cups Maida or All purpose flour
1 cup butter in room temperature
1 tsp oil






Whisk together egg,milk and sugar.



In a food processor,blend 1/2 cup butter,salt,baking powder and 2 cups of flour.


Add the yeast solution,egg mixture into the flour and turn on the processor.The flour will combine together.Add the rest of the flour and turn on the processor .The dough will gather as a ball..


Scrape the dough and place on a work surface.Sprinkle some flour and knead for few mins.Apply oil and cover with cling wrap and allow to ferment for few hours.




For the filling:
2 apples
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp lime juice


Core and chop the apples into small pieces..


Add the sugar,lime juice ,vinegar and 1/4 cup water to the apple pieces and microwave for 10 mins.Drain excess liquid and allow to cool.

For cream:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp fresh cream
1 tsp corn starch
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp milk

Whisk cream,corn starch and sugar well.Microwave for 1-2 mins.Beat the egg yolk and add to the hot mixture.Combine well.Add the milk and blend well to get a smooth creamy texture.Microwave for 30 seconds.


Cover this cream with cling wrap and set aside.


Gently release the air from the dough and roll out into a large rectangle.Spread the remaining half of the butter.


Fold the rectangle from top towards you as shown..


Fold the bottom half placing on the folded top half..as shown..



Place this on a parchment paper and gently roll out them again into a large rectangle.Do not worry about the butter oozing out(If you have patience refrigerate the dough for 30 mins,so that butter will be hardened and you can roll them mess free) .Place the apple filling in the middle of the rectangle.With a knife make slanting cuts on either side of the filling as shown in the picture..



I spread some Cinnamon flavoured apple sauce on it.If you don't have this,no problem!Just mix some cinnamon powder to the apple filling.


Gently spread the cream on top of the apple sauce..


Bring bottom center strip up .Bring the right strip to the center .Place the left strip above the right strip.Continue criss-crossing like this as shown in the figure like making a braid..



Once finished braiding ,sprinkle some sliced almonds in the middle of the braid.Beat an egg white and brush on the braid.Cover this and allow to sit for 20-30 mins..


Bake in a 180 C preheated oven for 20 mins or until golden brown...



A cross sectional view ..



You can also make a glaze with milk and confectioner sugar and drizzle on it before serving.But I'm so impatient to try this out so I skipped this...

Slice and serve..

Mushroom Pulao

I have one omnivores friend who says mushroom is my favourite vegetable.When we enquire why so,he comments that mushroom is the only vegetable that tastes little closer to meat...
I don't know how much true it is but I too love mushrooms!
I like this pulao for its simplicity and this makes me feel I'm consuming the nutritious stuff...mushroomms!!
There are already numerous posts of Mushroom pulao available on the web ....and here comes my entry too!



You will need:

1 cup Basmati rice(soaked for an hour and drained)
2 cup Mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 cup capsicum(chopped)
1/4 cup Peas
1 onion(chopped)
2 green chillies (chopped)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 cloves
A pinch of turmeric
1 tsp of oil
salt for taste
optional: roasted cashews



Heat oil and fry cinnamon,cumin seeds and cloves.Allow the cumin seeds to splutter.Add the onions,garlic-ginger paste,chillies and fry till the onions become transculent.
Add the peas,capsicum and mushroom.Fry for a couple of mins.


Add 2 cups of water.Bring to boil.Add the rice ,salt and turmeric.Cover and cook for 6-8 mins or until done!

Authentic Italian Thin Crust Pizzzaaaa!

This post would be my contribution for Culinary Bazaar's A.W.E.D Italiano event!

I loveeee pizzas especially the one with thin crusts.Basically I'm not a big fan of bread ,so I don't prefer those Greek style pizzas which are said to have extremely thick bases.I have never tried making a pizza base at home before.This was my first attempt and they came out palatable!The sauce and topping were adorable and tasted really yummy..And my first pizza crust was bit soft while the second pizza was crispier.I loved the latter,I kept it in the oven for a much more time and got them more crispier..
I made the reaallll Italiano way sauce with all the herbs like oregano,basil n thyme in it.You can make the toppings in any way you want like tandoori paneer,Hawaiian style with pineapples n snap peas,fruits and nuts,grilled chicken ,shrimps etc.The choices are endless!
If you have a pizza stone then it really helps the pizza to get the crust crispier ,but I don't have one .So I baked my pizza in a pan with a table spoon of olive oil coated in it..

Now over to making of Pizza..

For making dough you will need:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup warm milk
2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
A big pinch of baking soda
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil




Add the yeast and sugar to the warm milk and mix well till they are frothy.
Mix the salt ,baking soda and the flour well.Combine the milk with the flour slowly and make a soft dough.Add the olive oil and knead for 8 mins.Cover with a towel or cling wrap and allow to ferment for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place.



Dust some flour on the work surface.Knead and divide the dough into two equal portions.With a rolling pin make a 1/4 inch thick circle.If you're a pizza acrobat you can flip it in air and make a really even crust..


If you don't have a pizza stone..You can use a pan with some olive oil coated in it..Place the rolled out dough on the pan..


For Sauce:Blanch 4 to 5 tomatoes and puree them.In a pan add the puree and 1/2 tsp of sugar,1/2 tsp salt and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.Cook in low flame until the sauce thickens.Add a pinch of oregano,dried basil and thyme.Add lots of freshly ground pepper.Give a stir and turn off the heat.The sauce is ready!

For the topping I chose sliced button mushrooms,green bell pepper,onions,Sweet corn kernel,and black olives and a lots of Mozzarella cheese and some Parmesan cheese..



Place the sauce in the middle of the pizza base and gently run the ladle in a concentric circle to evenly spread till the edges..You can add some rich tomato ketchup if u ran of the sauce..



Throw the vegetables as u desire over the sauce...



Grate lots of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top the vegetables and pop into a 250C preheated oven and bake for approx 20 mins or until done!


And here you got the sizzling pizza..Just transfer them onto a wooden circular board and slice them into wedges or squares..Thin crust pizzas are generally squared..


Have a closer look at the delicious toppings with the perfectly baked vegetables and smelted cheese...Mmmmmmmmm.


Wanna have a bite??