Easy Breakfast Egg Pockets.

Sometimes a special breakfast is just what you need to kickstart a dull day. But then anything special takes too much time and mindspace right? Wrong. Here's how. 1 egg, 3 slices of bread, 2 slices of ham or salami and a tablespoon of grated cheese. 15 mins of preparation time ( including prep and baking) is all you need. Lets get right down to it. My hostel confined foodie son often experiments when he is home for the holidays. Cooking and photography are both passions, so we end up with visually exciting tretas. Now the test is in the amount of fuss needed from collecting the ingredients to plating it. This one ranks high on accesibility, ease of assembly, cooking time and visual appeal. Here goes....

To make 6 pockets

6 slices of bread ( We have used multigrain bread)

2 eggs, beaten well

3 slices of ham cut into 4 strips each OR 6 slices of salami each cut into 2

2 tablespoon grated cheese of choice ( the non stringy variety is best)

salt to taste

2 tsp of mixed herbs ( oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic, celery or any other herbs of choice)

butter for greasing

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Using a round cookie cutter or glass, cut out a large disc from the bread slice. preserve the outside to make croutons .Using a rolling pin, flatten the bread slices. Grease a muffin tray with some melted butter. Place the bread discs to line the muffin tin. Use the ham/ salami strips to line the inside of the muffin tray in the way that they overlap the bread disc. season the beaten eggs with salt and herbs. Divide the egg mixture equally into the 6 muffin tins. Sprinkle the grated cheese equally over the egg mixture. Garnish with mixed herbs. Bake in the oven for 10 mins at 200 Deg C. Its ready to serve.

Chicken Do Pyaza

Some dishes were family favourites in restaurants . Some of them still continue to rule the roost but some unfortunately got edged out by more contemporary dishes and fancy names. Chicken Do Pyaza was one such favourites around the 70s. A delectable chicken gravy , gets its name from the fact that onions are used two ways. Adding onions at different stages of cooking gives a different flavour and texture to a dish. This can be replicated with paneer or even raw jackfruit and it tastes just as delicious.

I have used 1 kg chicken, cut in biryani size pieces. 2 onions finely chopped , 2 onion thickly sliced , 1/2 cup yoghurt, Mix together 2 tsp each ginger paste and garlic paste, juice of 1 lemon , salt to taste. Marinate the chicken in this paste. Heat oil in a kadhai ( I like using mustard oil for this recipe, you need to heat the mustard oil till smoking point) Add in 4 cloves, 2 tej patta, 2 X 1 inch pieces of cinnamon and 2 brown cardamom. Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add in the sliced onions and marinated chicken . Roast till it dries out. Add in red chilli powder, turmeric powder , corriander powder and garam masala. Add a large pinch of green cardamom powder. Put in 1 cup thick yoghurt. salt to taste. Cover and cook till done.

Serve hot with hot  tandoori rotis or Naans.

Kadhi Kofta

Every so often , one feels like a little indulgence. Unfortunately while cooking Indian food, indulgence comes with an expoensive price tag. Both in terms of the ingredients which include cottage cheese, cream, milk, khoya etc. However a few " hacks" can turn a seemingly 'blah' treat into a 'wow' one. Here I have replaced the commonly used heavy cream with a blend of yoghurt and chick pea flour to make the gravy smooth and creamy.

1 cup finely grated lauki/ bottle gourd/ doodhi. Add in 3 tblsp besan, finely chopped green chillies, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Divide into gold ball size koftas. Roll into balls or pat into flat koftas.Heat oil and deep fry the koftas. For the gravy. Saute 2 onions finely chopped, fry 2 tsp ginger garlic paste. add 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp haldi, 2 tsp dhania jeera powder, 1 tsp garam masala. In a bowl mix well 1/2 thick dahi ( it should not be sour) and 2 tbsp besan.Add 1/2 cup water and blend well to a smooth paste. Once the onion masala leaves oil, add the besan dahi kadhi mixture and cook on slow flame , while stirring. Once the mixture thicken, add a paste made with 6 cashews and 2 tblsp milk. cook on slow flame and add koftas. Add salt to taste. Cook covered for 5 mins. Serve with hot rotis or pulao or jeera rice. 

Goan Fish Curry

Everytime one hears the word Goa, The immediate visual that flashes across our minds is of the foaming surf and a meal of fish curry and rice. The smooth creamy and spicy gravy with plump fish , accompanied by steaming hot rice . Its easy to replicate at home , provided you gather the ingredients. The spice paste needed for this curry is the basic Goan masala. A paste used not only for all kinds of white fish and prawns but also to cook unique vegetables like bottle gourd, sponge gourd, snake gourd and sprouted legumes like peas, chick peas ( White, green, brown) , mung, and other beans. The paste is easy to make and can turn a seemingly bland vegetable to a special festive dish.

6 pieces of  white fish ( pomfret, king fish, Sea Bass)
1/4 cup grated fresh coconut, 1/2 onion, 1 tsp raw rice, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 4 black peppercorns, 1/4 raw mango ( can be substituted with 1 tsp tamarind paste or 2 tsp dry raw mango powder) , 1/2 tsp turmeric, 4 dry red chillies ( the quantity of chillies can be varied according to taste. I use the kkashmiri chillies , which have a fiery red colour but are not hot) , salt to taste. 1 tblsp oil. Optional: 1 green chilli , slit.

Wash and clean the fish pieces. Grind together all ingredients from coconut to salt. Make a fine , smooth paste. Heat the oil and add in the green chilli. Add in the fish pieces and lightly saute them. Add in the ground paste and add 1 cup water. Cook the fish on a very low flame so that the coconut and water do not separate.

Tastes best with steamed white , red or brown rice.

Appo / Appe

As you move southwards whirl travelling in India the food landscape makes a paradigm shift. The cereal of choice is Rice, hence most food preparations use rice liberally. It's the main ingredient  in the basic batter used to make Idli, Dosa, Utappa, Appams, Puttu, Surnali, Ghavan, Neer Dosa, the famous Mangalorean Rotti ( the cereal part of the popular Kori Roti) . Even sweets have a rice base, Modak, Patholi, Rice vermicelli with coconut milk. The combinations and flavours are simply amazing. Understated, light and flavourful. Breakfasts at home are predominantly of these varieties. My GSB part rules the breakfast menu. And no one is complaining.

Today I felt like a special treat. So cute little appos , fried , with a chutney on the side.

You need to start with the basic dosa batter

1 measure of skinned urad dal
3 measures of rice.
Salt to taste

Pick wash and soak the dal and rice separately. After 3 hours , grind them separately to a smooth paste. Add salt and leave  to ferment overnight or for 6-8 hrs. This is the basic dosa batter. Can  be used to make dosas Utappa and appo.

I have added chopped onion and green chillies to the batter .  Salt and paper to taste.  Now grease an appo pan.

  Pour a spoonful of batter in each mould. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 mins. Carefully flip the appo and cook the other side too. Serve with coconut chutney.

You can use ready made Dosa batter or even the dry powder which needs to be re constituted with water and yoghurt. I often use the MTR powders. Just put in a little less water.

Moong Dal Fry

Rarely does nutritious and exciting go together. Indian food staples are defined according to the local available ingredients. For mothers the challenge is to use fresh ingredients , novel cooking styles yet deliver maximum nutrition. It's a tall order. Mothers today need a crash course in nutrition and dietetics . The what, how, how much and when of cooking is always under scrutiny. Dals in India are consumed in every state. The preparation varies from region to region. Dals or lentils are nutritious and keep well in their dry form. In the absence of vegetables , a meal of just Dal and. Rice cooked and served either separately or together ( as khichadi) can make a complete meal. Of all the Dals consumed in India, the Moong dal is the lightest. Little wonder then that it is part of the first solid meal a baby is given. As a soup even the sickest individual can digest it. Just the water in which this dal is cooked is great. Here is a simple way to cook it and serve it, be it on just a normal rainy day , or at a getogether.

ingredients
1 cup yellow moong dal
4 cups water
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
3 dry red chillies
2 tablespoons ginger julienned
1/4 cup ghee/ oil
1 tblsp butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Green coriander leaves to garnish

Pich, wash and soak the dal in 4 cups water, for an hour. In a pressure cooker place the dal with the water , haldi, salt and cook for 15 mins. Cool and mash or whisk the dal. In a pan , heat the oil and fry the dry red chillies, drain and keep aside. Next fry the ginger juliennes , keep aside. Now add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the butter and let it melt and heat. Add in onions and fry till light golden. Add the chilli powder and garam masala powder. Next add the tomatoes. Cover and cook over a low flame till the tomatoes are soft and squished. Now heat the dal and pour in a serving dish. Pour the tempering over the dal. Garnish with the dry red chillies and ginger. You can also add the coriander leaves at this stage. Before serving mix the tempering with the dal.
This can be served with steamed rice, jeera rice, parathas, pooris or roti.

Dal Tadka

Sometimes the simplest dishes make the most nutritious meal and look stunning. Dal and rice with a simple aalu gobhi can any day win over a fancy dinner at a party. Most often , I end up eating this at home , before I go to a party. Not for me the long drawn cocktails and dinner served at 12 midnight. I'm a  happy bunny with my fragrant and delicious Dal Tadka and steamed rice.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal / split pigeon lentils
salt to taste ( approx 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder
2 tablespoons ghee/ clarified butter
2 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
a pinch of hing/ asafoetida
2 tsp red chilli powder ( I prefer to use the less spicy and very colourful kashmiri chilli powder)

Pick and wash the dal atleast thrice. Soak in water for about an hour. Place in a pressure cooker with the salt and haldi and twice the amount of water. Cook for 3 whistles. Then allow the pressure cooker to cool down before opening.

If not using a pressure cooker, place the dal, salt, haldi and water in a heavy bottommed pan. Bring to a boil , then cover and cook over a low flame for about 25-30 mins. Make sure the dal does not stick to the bottom.

When the dal is cooked you can either just mash it with a ladle or whisk it.
Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the hing, then the jeera . Once the jeera starts coming to the top of the ghee, take off the flame. Add chilli powder and quickly sprinkle a little water on it carefully.
To serve , place hot dal in a serving dish. Pour the tempered ghee over it. Serve with steamed rice or jeera rice or with pooris/ rotis/ parathas.

Cashew Masala Toast

Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination and re thinking our regular staples to come up with interesting ideas for snacks. Here I have taken the classic french toast, eliminated milk and sweet and made it into a indianized savoury. This recipe uses egg , but a eggless version is just as delicious. Do try out your own innovations too.

4 slices of bread ( Can use any firm bread)
2 eggs *
1 large sized onions finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped ( optional)
2 tblsp green corriander leaves finely chopped
2 tsp tomato ketchup or tomato chilli sauce
8 pcs cashews, broken and roasted
2 tblsp oil
salt and pepper to taste

* If eggless use a thin batter made with 2 tablespoons besan/ chick pea flour and 1/2 cup water.

Cut the bread slice into halves. Whisk the eggs . Add the chopped onions, chillies, corriander. sauce, salt and pepper to the egg ( or besan batter) . Add the cashew pieces. Heat oil in a skillet . Dip the bread slice in the mixture and place in the oil. Carefully place a spoonful of the chopped onions mixture on the bread. Repeat with all the slices. Cover and cook on a low flame till the egg/ besan sets. Flip and cook the other side. Serve hot.
This does not need any other side dish or relish/ chutneys/ sauce.

Oatmeal and whole wheat pancakes.

Pancakes are a huge breakfast favourite. They can be dressed up or down according to your mood and time available. But they are so easy to make. A pancake drizzled with some honey or jam or maple syrup just makes breakfast look exotic and fancy.

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup quick oats 

1 cup milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 egg whites

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

2 tblsp sugar ( I prefer using raw sugar)a pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional : 1/2 cup of berries/ chocolate chips/ dried fruit or 1/4 cup sliced nuts. 

Mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon powder. Separately whisk together milk , sugar and vanilla essence, then add in the yoghurt. Whisk egg whites and slowly add to the milk mixture. Gradually blend in the milk-egg mixture into the flour-oats mixture. Stir lightly so as to just about mix it. Do not beat or whisk together or the pancakes will not be fluffy and light. Sprinkle your favourite optional ingredients and give a quick light mix.

Heat a tawa or a non stick pan . brush with butter or oil. Spoon out 2 tablespoonfuls of the batter and gently spread in a thick circle. Cook till the sides look light brown , then flip over . 

Til ke Laddoo

This recipe comes with a warning. Once done, resist picking up a laddoo and popping into your mouth. Its extremely addictive. And as they say ..... no one can eat just one. 

There is a trick to making this laddoo of just the right texture. It has to be light , crisp and the sweetness just enough. Its easier than it sounds actually. Just the right proportion will give you a til laddoo worth flaunting. This recipe has been corrected till I finally got the right proportion. No, its not the recipe handed down by my mum, but something that has evolved over the years.

Ingredients:

500 gms polished til

350 gms gud or jaggery

1/2 cup mixed sliced nuts ( Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews)

2 tblsp small golden raisins

4 green cardamoms crushed

tblsp lemon juice

Heat a heavy bottommed pan and dry roast the til on a slow flame. The colour should not change, but the til puffs up slightly once it is well roasted. Keep aside and cool. Grate the gud and melt in the heavy bottommed pan. Add 2 tblsp water to help melt it. Once it melts, it starts bubbling. Cook on a low flame till the mixture turns golden brown. Add the lemon juice. In a small bowl of cold water , put in a drop full of the mixture. Pick the drop, roll in your fingers and drop it back into the ater. It will make a sound like a piece of gravel hitting metal. The syrup is now ready. Mix the raisins, nuts and til seeds and pour into the syrup. Mix well. Grease your palms with a little ghee and roll , lemon sized balls of the mixture. Allow to cool completely before storing. The laddoos will keep well for over a months, though they may not last that long. 

Prawns Masala

Some dishes are ridiculously easy to cook and yet look downright exotic . Some of these recipes handed down from my grandmother are even today on demand and enjoyed by all generations. One such lovely and absolutely delicious dish is Prwans Masala. Its so easy to cook and can still be the one dish that gets maximum number of ooohs and aaahs at a party. Beware: You need to cook it in a larger quantity than you would another entree. Guests go for seconds and thirds too.

So here goes
Ingredients
500 gms medium to large size prawns, shelled and de veined
2 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes cut into medium size chunks
1 capsicum ( optional) , cut into medium size chunks
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chopped green chilli
1 tblsp each chopped ginger and garlic
2 tblsp oil
1 tsp each red chilli powder , haldi, garam masala, corriander powder
Salt to taste
Finely chopped green corriander leaves

Heat oil , add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add in the chillies, ginger and fry for a minute. Add the onions and cook till transluscent. Add garlic. Then mix the red chilli powder, haldi, corriander powder and garam masala with 4 tblsp water. Add this to the onion mix and cook till oil separates.Add salt to taste.  Add the tomatoes and capsicum. Cover and cook till the tomatoes have softened. Add the prawns and 1/4th cup water. Cover and cook. Once the prawns turn opaque, take off the lid and dry out the water. Add the green corriander leaves and mix well. Serve hot with Rotis/ Bread or steamed rice.

Falahari Poori

Fasting food is often restricted. The number of cereals allowed is not only limited but the taste is bland too. These days to get the younsters to confirm to traditional food is getting more and more difficult. However certain traditional food served with a proper accompaniment always hits bullseye. This nutty tasting poori is one such side. The crisp yet soft pooris go well with potato gravies, chutney , kadhi and even with raitas.

Ingredients:
2 cups Rajgira / kuttu ka atta ( Amaranth/ Buckwheat flour)
1 boiled potato
2 tsp Ghee
salt to taste ( if cooking on a fasting day , use rock salt)
water for kneading dough
oil for frying


Mix together the flour, salt and ghee. Grate in the boiled potato. Mix the flour well , add a little water at a time and form a stiff dough. Keep aside for half an hour.

When ready to serve, heat the oil. On a plastic sheet or foil. Place a drop of oil and place a dough ball on it. rub a little oil on your fingers and start patting the dough into a circle using your fingers. The poori needs to be as thin as a biscuit. Carefully lift up the poori and lower into hot oil. Hold down the poori with a slotted spoon till the poori fluffs up. Check the bottom for a even brown colour, then turn. Fry to a golden brown colour and drain.

Serve hot with Potato curry or a yoghurt raita or with a chutney of your choice. 

Potato Dryfruit Kachori

With Mahashivratri starts the appearence of Hindu festivals. Routine life is punctuated by fasting and feasting. While fasting would essentially mean abstinence from cooked food, there have been certain food stuff marked for consumption during fasting days. Most green vegetables and dry spices are not allowed, as are onions and garlic. More information on foods that are allowed can be had by writing to me, as I would like to restrict this post to a recipe. A decadent snack meant for fasting days but can be eaten almost on any day. Great to impress people with, easy to make. It always gathers compliments. Its the combination of ingredients that make this a wow snack. So here goes.

Ingredients:

2 medium boiled potatoes

1/2 cup dessicated / coarsely ground fresh coconut

2 tblsp green corriander leaves chopped

1 tsp each chopped ginger and green chilli

2 tablespoons grated paneer or cottage cheese

1 tablespoon each of sliced nuts of choice ( cashews, almonds, pistachios)

1 tablespoon chopped raisins ( optional)

1 tsp pure ghee

salt to taste ( if fasting , use rock salt)

2 table spoons Kuttu/ rajgira flour if fasting or otherwise use plain flour.

Oil for frying

Coarsely grind together coconut, corriander leaves, chillies, ginger. Add salt to taste. Mix this with dried nuts and raisins, Add in grated paneer. Mix well and keep aside.

Grate and mash the boiled potatoes well. Add  the ghee and a little salt to taste. 

Make a paste with the flour and 3 tablespoons water. The flour-water paste  should be of a pouring custard consistency. 

Divide and form the coconut and nuts mixture into small lemon size balls. Divide the potato paste into the same no of portions. flatten the potato paste in your palm and keep the coconut ball in it. Gently spread the potato paste to cover the coconut-nuts balls. cover all the balls in the same fashion. Keep aside. Heat oil for frying. Dip each potato covered ball into the flour paste and carefully lower into the oil. Repeat with all the balls. gently move the balls inside the oil once the underside looks pinkish brown. lower the flame and fry the balls to a light golden colour. Drain and serve hot with a coconut chutney .