BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

 

Ingredients:

1 cup maida(refined flour)
4 eggs
1 cup coaster sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
5-7 drops vanilla essence
1 cup or 100 gms refined oil
100 gms. blue berries

Method:

1. Sieve maida along with baking powder two to three times.
2. Switch on the oven (OTG) for preheating at 200* CG or 400* F.
3. Break the eggs in a bowl and beat them with a blender.
4. Mix oil and sugar and blend it till the sugar dissolves completely.
5. Mix beaten eggs mixture with oil sugar mixture.
6. Add one after one spoon of maida mixed with baking powder in the above mixture using cut and fold method with a wooden spoon(do not use blender now) .
7. When the batter is ready add essence and mix with light hand. Dust blue berries with some maida(flour) and add them to the prepared batter and mix .
8. Grease the muffin molds with some oil, and pour in the cake batter.
9. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 180*CG or 350*F and and after that for 15-20 minutes at 150* or 300* F. 10.Check it with knife if these are not baked completely then bake them for 5 more minutes.
10. Let them cool and then bring them out of the moulds and the muffins are ready to be served.   

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BLUE BERRY FROSTING

 

Ingredients:

15-20 blue berries

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 lemon juice

1 cup whipping cream

Method:

1. Add sugar and lemon juice to blue berries then add 1/2 cup of water and cook for 5-10 minutes on low flame till the sugar dissolves and berries are crushed completely .
2. Let it cool completely then blend it in a blender and strain through a sieve. 
3. Whip the cream in a bow using a whisk or electric beater  till you get soft peaks then add the prepared sauce and mix well.
4. Blue berry frosting is ready to be used. 
5. You can use it to dress muffins,cakes ,waffles etc.

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TACOS

Ingredients:

For taco shells
1 cup maize flour/makki ka aata
1 cup maida + for dusting
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
oil for deep frying

For Filling:

Felafel balls 2 no. for each taco shell
sour cream or hung yogurt add salt to taste
salad of thinly sliced onion,shredded carrots and cabbage with some salt to taste
tomato salsa sauce
pomegranate seeds or coriander leaves or parsley leaves for garnishing

Method:

For Taco Shells:

1. Sieve maize flour and all purpose flour together.
2. Add salt and 2 tbsp oil and mix.
3. Knead a soft dough using warm water.
4. Take out a ball of the dough,dust it with some flour and roll a thin chapati with the help of a rolling pin.
5. Take a approx.4 to 8"round cutter or a bowl and cut into round disks..
6. Prick with a fork or knife randomly, to avoid the Tacos puffing up while frying.
7. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wide and deep-bottomed frying pan or kadahi(wok).
8. Add the circular disc to the hot oil gently one at a time.
9. Keep turning it around and fry on low flame till it turn golden brown and crisp throughout.
10.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on absorbent towel. Immediately place the rolling pin in the middle of the fried circular disk while it is still hot and give the disk shape of taco shell, hold it for a minute.Keep aside to be used later on. 
11.  Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

How to assemble:

1. Take a Taco shell and place some salad in the center, then place falafel balls over the salad, then some tomato salsa and top it with some sour cream. 
2. Garnish it with some pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander leaves.

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BABY CARROTS IN WHITE SAUCE

Ingredients:
10 no. baby carrots stir fried
2 tbsp white sauce
1 tsp cream chease
1-2 tbsp milk

Method:

1. Blanch and stir fry baby carrots in butter with some salt and pepper.
2. Take some white sauce in a pan add one tbsp milk and a tsp of cream cheese or cheese spread to it then add stir fried baby carrots to it.
3. Mix well and cook till the cheese melts and the sauce coats the carrots. 
4. Garnish with some fresh parsley leaves and serve hot. 

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QUINOA SALAD

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time : 30 min.

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa,
2 cups water
1 cup cooked chickpeas (soaked overnite then boiled)
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped red onion 

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

1 green chili finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice 

1 tbsp honey (optional)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse quinoa in a colander. Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. 
2. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, 
3. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
4. In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell peppers, onion,tomatoes,green chili and coriander. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey,garlic ,black pepper and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
6. Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. ckeck for salt and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
7. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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ECHLAIRS

Preparation time 20 min
Cooking time  30 min

Serves: 8-10


Ingredients:

For the pastry

1 cup water
100gms butter
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 eggs
1 tbsp sugar

For cream filling:

1 cup whipping cream 
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp icing sugar or as per taste
fruits as per choice and availability

For chocolate sauce:
1 cup chocolate

1/2 cup whipping cream 
2 tbsp sugar or to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees  C. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Heat water,sugar and  butter to boiling point. Add 1 cup flour and stir constantly.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time and whisk well so that the eggs incorporate into the dough.  
4. Fill the mixture into a piping bag and cut the tip approx 1 cm. thick and pipe the dough of desired length onto the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 180 degree C or until light brown. Set aside to cool.
6. Prepare the filling by beating the whipping cream along with sugar till stiff peaks are formed then add vanilla extract.
7. For the icing, heat the whipping cream in a pan then add chocolate and sugar and remove the pan from the gas and beat till the chocolate and sugar are incorporated well in the cream .
8. To assemble: Slice pastry puffs lengthwise with a serrated knife, but not all the way through. Pipe whipped cream filling into the center. Frost the tops of the eclairs with chocolate icing.
9. You can also place chopped or slice fruit pieces of your choice along with whipping cream filling.

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CHURROS

Ingredients:

For churros:

100g butter
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar, extra
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
oil for deep-frying

For chocolate sauce:
100g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (125ml) whipping cream



Method:

1. Combine the butter, sugar and 1 cup (250ml) water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Add flour and stir to combine. Place over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 mins or until dough is smooth and leaves the sides of the pan. Set aside for 10 mins to cool.
2. To make the chocolate sauce, combine the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.Keep aside.
3. Combine the extra sugar and cinnamon on a large tray.
4. Transfer the dough to a bowl. Whisk well until smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is smooth and glossy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 2cm fluted nozzle.
5. Add enough oil to a large saucepan 
6. When oil is  medium hot pipe the dough into the oil, cutting the dough with kitchen scissors.
7. Cook until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Add to the cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Serve churros warm with the chocolate sauce for dipping.

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COCONUT RICE

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice

1 tbsp oil

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Method (vidhi):

1. Rinse and drain rice in cold water. Soak the rice in water for 10 minutes. Drain the excess water and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan then add water, coconut milk,soaked rice and salt. 
3. Place the pot over high heat and, bring the liquid to a boil. Stir and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover the pot tightly with the lid. Continue cooking for 15 minutes or till all the water and coconut milk is absorbed in the rice.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand 10 minutes, covered. Fluff with fork and serve with vegetables in thai curry.

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COCKTAIL PIZZA

Onion, mushroom, capsicum Pizza

Ingredients (for 6 to 8 cocktail pizza's)

For the pizza bread/ base:

    3 cups all purpose flour/maida

    1 cup warm water

    2 teaspoon dry yeast (check expiry date)

    ¼ tsp sugar 

    2 tbsp oil

    ½ tsp salt

    olive oil for brushing

    flour for sprinkling
    

For the sauce:

    3 medium sized onions finely chopped

    2 tomatoes finely chopped

    1 capsicum finely chopped

    1 mushroom finely chopped

    2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped

    2 tbsp olive oil

    1 tsp dried basil

    1 tsp dried oregano

    2 tsp sugar (optional) 

    freshly crushed or ground black pepper to taste

    salt 1/2 to 1 tsp as per taste

For toppings pizzas:

    1 onion, roughly chopped

    1 any color capsicum chopped
    2 mushrooms thinly sliced lengthwise or chopped
    2 tbsp corn kennels

    grated mozzarella cheese as per taste

fresh or dried herbs(oregano and chili flakes)

    Method:

 Pizza bread:

1. Mix sugar in warm water.
2. Add yeast. stir and let the mixture at rest at room temperature for 10-15 mins till it becomes frothy.
3. In a bowl add one cup flour, salt, oil and the frothy yeast mixture.
4. Stir and add another cup of flour .
5. Add the last cup of flour and continue to stir.
6. Knead the dough into a smooth, springy ball.
7. Apply some olive oil all over the dough.
8. Cover loosely with a damp cloth and keep in a large bowl at room temperature for 2 hours.
9. The dough will double up.
10. Make balls and roll the dough lightly to make a circular thick diskette of 4-5" diameter.

Pizza Sauce:

1. Take olive oil in a pan and when it is hot add chopped garlic,onions,capsicum,mushrooms and saute
2. When the onions are pink in color add tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes become soft.
3. Add dried herbs ,salt ,sugar and black pepper powder and mix well.

Assembling :

1. Place the rolled bases (two to four at a time as per the size of the baking tray) on a greased dusted baking tray
2. Grease the top of the bases with olive oil 
3. Spread 1 tsp ready made pizza pasta sauce(optional)
4. Spread the home made sauce on it
5. Place the toppings on it
6. Now add grated mozzarella cheese
7. Bake the  pizza in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees C or till the cheese melts and becomes slightly brown in color.
8. Sprinkle the dried herbs.
9. Serve  hot pizza with cold drink. 

Tips:

1. You can use a ready made cocktail pizza base instead of making a pizza bread.
2. You can use any other toppings as per taste like pitted black or green olives.

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CHEESE CHILI PATTY

For dough of the crust:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup butter
1 egg yolk beaten (Optional for the glaze)

For filling:
2 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 capsicum finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic
1-2 green chilies finely chopped
150 gms cottage cheese
2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp chili sauce or schezwan sauce
1-2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp vineger

1 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2-3 tsp water
1 tbsp oil
salt and black pepper to taste
 
Method:
For the crust:

1. Mix the salt with 2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center. Pour in water and vinegar. Mix lightly using your hands. Generously dust surface area. Knead until dough is firm and slightly sticky to make a soft dough. Roll the dough into a ball. Wrap it up in plastic wrap. Place the dough in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2. Mix together butter and rest of the flour. (1 cup.) It will form a soft paste that is easy to spread.
3. Spread the butter mix generously.Take the chilled dough and roll it into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. Leaving a one inch margin around the edge, spread the butter mix over 2/3 of the dough. Fold the dough into thirds like you were folding a letter, starting with the portion of dough with no butter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the dough to relax, and so the butter doesn't get displaced when rolling out again.
4. Roll out the dough again to a rectangle which 3 times longer than large. Take one end of the dough and fold it two-thirds of the dough's length toward the other end. Now, take the other end and fold it the opposite way. You should now have three layers of dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out again, but move the rolling pin along the folded sides (i.e. turn the dough 90 degrees). Repeat process up to 5 times.
5. Refrigerate dough at least for 2 hours.

For the filling:

1. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a kadai. Add finely chopped garlic. 
2. Then add chopped onions, capsicum and saute for a while.
3.  Addd  green chilies ,all the sauces,vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well .
4. Add chopped cottage cheese and mix well.  Add cornflour slurry and mix well.   
5. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

Assembling:

1. Preheat oven at 400 F or 180 C. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. 
2. Roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into 2 1/2 inch rectangles. Place a tablespoonful of stuffing on one side of the dough. Fold and lightly press ends together. 
3. Place the patties on a baking sheet or in a greased baking tray. Brush the tops and edges of the patties with egg yolk or oil before placing in the oven if you want to have the shine on the surface of the patties. 
4. Bake until golden brown, it will take around 35-45 minutes.

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FRUIT TARTS

Preparation time: 30 min
cooking time: 10-15 mins 
Serves: 4

Ingredients :

For Tarts

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp powdered sugar

 3-4 tbsp chilled water

For the filling:

Whipped cream or you can use vanilla ice cream
fresh fruits like grapes, strawberries,mango slices, kiwi,pineapple etc.
mint leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Combine ingredients listed under tart i.e. flour,sugar and salt in food processor; pulse once or twice. (Whisk together if you haven’t got a food processor)
2. Add butter and turn on machine, processing about 10 seconds or until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3. Place mixture into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of ice water.
4. Use a wooden spoon to gradually gather the mixture into a ball; if the mixture seems too dry, add another ½ tbsp ice water and mix until you can gather into a ball with your hands.
5. Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and place in freezer for 10 minutes (or 30 minutes in fridge) to ease rolling. At this point you could also refrigerate the dough for a day or two, or freeze it almost indefinitely.
6. Heat oven 180 C
7. Unwrap dough, lightly sprinkle its top with flour and roll out onto a lightly floured board or countertop; if the dough is too hard, let it sit for a minute or two (it should give a little when you press your fingers into it). 
8. Take greased muffin moulds and line in the moulds with rolled pastry dough , prick with fork.
9. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is brown.
10. Let the tarts get cool.
11. Fill whipped cream or ice cream then arrange fruits of your choice. Garnish with mint leaves and serve cold. 

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APPLE PIE

Preparation time: 30 min
cooking time: 10-15 mins 
Serves: 4

Ingredients :

For pastry dough

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp powdered sugar

 3-4 tbsp chilled water

For the filling:

2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

a pinch of salt

1 tsp all purpose flour

2  tart apples peeled & diced

2 tsp butter
  

Method:

1. Combine ingredients listed under pastry dough i.e. flour,sugar and salt in food processor; pulse once or twice. (Whisk together if you haven’t got a food processor)
2. Add butter and turn on machine, processing about 10 seconds or until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3. Place mixture into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of ice water.
4. Use a wooden spoon to gradually gather the mixture into a ball; if the mixture seems too dry, add another ½ tbsp ice water and mix until you can gather into a ball with your hands.
5. Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and place in freezer for 10 minutes (or 30 minutes in fridge) to ease rolling. At this point you could also refrigerate the dough for a day or two, or freeze it almost indefinitely.
6. Heat oven 180 C
7. Mix sugar, cinnamon flour and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples.
8. Unwrap dough, lightly sprinkle its top with flour and roll out onto a lightly floured board or countertop; if the dough is too hard, let it sit for a minute or two (it should give a little when you press your fingers into it). 
9. Take muffin moulds and line in the moulds with rolled pastry dough , prick with fork.
10. Fill in the apple filling.
11. Roll some more pastry dough and cut strips out of it, cover the filling with strips,trim overhanging edges.
12. Repeat the process and make more pies.
13. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Serve warm with a scoop of vanila ice-cream.

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VEGETARIAN MEXICAN TACOS

Ingredients:

12 tacos shells (home made or ready made)

For The Rajma Topping:

3/4 cup red rajma (kidney beans) , soaked for 8 hours and boiled
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 tomato chopped
1/2 capsicum chopped
1/2-1 green chili chopped
1/2 tsp garlic finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp schezwan sauce or chili sauce


Other ingredients:
sour cream or hung yogurt add salt to taste
thinly sliced onion,shreaded carrots and cabbage with some salt to taste
pomegranate seeds

Method:

1. Heat oil in a  pan, add garlic,onions and capsicum and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute.
2. Add green chilies, tomato puree, tomato ketchup,schezwan sauce, chilli powder, cumin seeds powder and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
3. Add the cooked rajma with some water, mix well, mash a bit using a potato masher and cook on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes, , while stirring occasionally till the water evaporates. 
4. Add chopped tomatoes, mix well and keep aside.
5. Place crisp tacos on a clean, dry surface, place a portion each of the rajma topping evenly over each taco.
6. Place some sliced onion, shreaded carrots and cabbage over rajma topping then some sour cream and finely garnish with some pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves and serve immediately.

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PESTO PASTA

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves : 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked Spiral or Penne
1 tbsp oil
salt
1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce
1 cup cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes, diced
Parmesan cheese, grated as per taste

Method:

1. In a saucepan, bring 6 cups salted water to a boil. Add pasta and 1 tbsp of oil and cook, stirring occasionally, till cooked well. Remove from heat and drain.
2. In a bowl, combine cooked pasta and cherry tomatoes. Add in pesto sauce and stir well to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired.
3. Serve cold or warm.

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BASIL PESTO

Ingredients:

1 cup gently packed basil leaves
10-12 almonds,blanched
1" cube grated Parmesan cheese, or any other hard cheese
1 garlic clove
 salt to taste
1-2 tbsp.  extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juice  (optional)

Method:

Put all the things together in a mixer jar and coarsely blend all.

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PASTA IDLIANA

Ingredients:

For idli
1 cups semolina (rava)
2 cups buttermilk(yogurt mixed with water)
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp fruit salt (eno)

oil or any other for greasing

For sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pizza pasta sauce
1-2 tbsp Amul cheese spread(preferably) or you can use any other processed cheese (as per taste)
1/4 tbsp mixed herbs
2 tsp tomato ketchup
2 medium onions cut into cubes
1 cup red,yellow,green capsicum cut into cubes
2 florets broccoli (blanched) and cut into small pieces (optional)
2 -2 baby corn  (blanched) and chopped or corn kernels which ever is available
2-3 olives black/green or both sliced
10-12 french beans chopped
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper or as per taste

Method:


For idli:

1. Combine the semolina, buttermilk, oil and salt together in a bowl.
2.  Keep aside for 30 minutes.
3. Add the fruit salt and sprinkle a little water over it, when the bubbles form mix it gently.
4. Pour spoonfuls of the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 8 to 10 minutes.
5. When cool take them out from the molds and keep aside.

For pasta sauce:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan add diced onions,capsicum ,broccoli ,baby corn or corn,french beans and black pepper and salt to taste and cook for a minute or two.
2. Add pizza pasta sauce,tomato ketchup,1/2 cup water and Amul cheese spread to it and mix well. Cook further for a minute or two.
3. Add mixed herbs and mix well.

 How to serve:

1. Take out the sauce in a bowl and place idlis in the sauce.Serve hot.

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PASTA DHOKLANA

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time 15-20 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

For pasta

1/2 cup wheat flour

2 tbsp besan  (chick pea flour)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

2 tsp refined oil

For sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pizza pasta sauce
1-2 tbsp Amul cheese spread(preferably) or you can use any other processed cheese (as per taste)
1/4 tbsp mixed herbs
2 tsp tomato ketchup
2 medium onions cut into cubes
1 cup red,yellow,green capsicum cut into cubes
2 florets broccoli (blanched) and cut into small pieces (optional)
2 -2 baby corn  (blanched) and chopped or corn kernels which ever is available
2-3 olives black/green or both sliced
10-12 french beans chopped
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper or as per taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients of pasta in a bowl. Add water little by little and knead soft dough as we knead for making chapattis. Cover the dough and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes on rest.
2. Divide the dough in three equal parts, greese then with little oil or dust them with some flour and roll out in to a circular disk taking one at a time. 
3.  Now cut chapati in desired shape either long strips or small rectangles or triangles. do the same with rest of the chapatis and keep aside. 
4. Boil 4 cups of water in a big vessel,add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp refined oil.
5. Add pasta when the water is boiling hot and boil for 5 minutes.When it is done drain out extra water and put the pasta in cold water.
6. When the pasta becomes completely cool,drain out the cold water as well and keep the pasta aside.
7. Heat olive oil in a pan add diced onions,capsicum ,broccoli ,baby corn or corn,french beans and salt to taste and black pepper and cook for a minute or two.
8. Add pizza pasta sauce,tomato ketchup,1/2 cup water and Amul cheese spread to it and mix well. Cook further for 2 minutes.
9. Now add boiled pasta to the above mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Add mixed herbs and mix well.
11. Now the pasta dhoklana is ready to be served.

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VEGETABLES IN THAI RED CURRY

Ingredients:

For red curry paste

10 whole dry kashmiri red chilles , soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained or 5-6 thai red bird eye chilies
1/2 cup roughly chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped lemon grass
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp roughly chopped ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 tsp roughly chopped garlic
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
salt to taste

Vegetables:
1 onion diced
1 capsicum diced
5-6 mushrooms diced
2-3 baby corn blanched, cut in desired shape
5-6 french beans blanched, cut in desired shape
2 cups coconut milk (nariyal ka doodh) fresh or canned
1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves
1-2 tbsp ketchup (optional)
salt to taste

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients listed under red curry paste in a mixer and blend them together into a smooth paste using as much water as reqiured. Or you can use 1 tbsp thai red curry paste readily available in market for one can of coconut milk.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add 5 to 6 tbsp of the red curry paste and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
3. Add the basil and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
4. Add the coconut-milk , cornflour-coconut milk mixture, ketchup and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for another 5 to 6 minutes, while stirring continuously.
5. If required add 1-2 cups of water or thin coconut milk.
6. Saute all the vegetables in a separate pan in a tbsp of oil till the become tender. then add all the vegetables to the curry and mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 more minutes.
7. Serve hot with plain or coconut rice.

Notes:

1. You can add vegetables like broccoli,peas or cottage cheese as per choice and availability.
2. If lemon grass is not available add more of lemon rind and basil can be replaced with holy basil i.e. tulsi.

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PIZZA PARANTHA

Preparation time: 15 minutes +2 hours for fermentation of dough
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

For Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour (maida)+ for dusting

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp dry active yeast

For stuffing:

1 onion finely chopped

1 capsicum finely chopped

2 mushrooms finely chopped (optional)

2-3 tbsp mozzarella cheese (as per taste)

1 tbsp pizza pasta sauce

salt, pepper, mixed herbs, chilli flakes to sprinkle

oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Soak dry active yeast along with sugar in lukewarm water for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes the yeast will bubble  and you will see a good frothy layer on top.
3. Take a cup of flour in a bowl and add oil salt and active yeast to it.
4. Add some water and stir the mixture  untill it becomes sticky and leaves the sides of the bowl.
5. Knead the dough into a smooth, springy ball and apply some oil all over the dough.
6. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rest for 2 hours.
7. After 2 hours the dough will double up and will be ready to use.
8. Heat the Griddle Pan.
9. Divide the dough in 2-4 parts. Take one part at a time roll it into a ball.
10. Dust the ball with some dry flour and make a circular disk.
11. Now spread pizza pasta sauce on it.
12. Then place a tbsp full of all the chopped vegetables and then place some grated cheese on it . Sprinkle some salt, pepper,chili flakes and Mixed Herbs .
13. Now join the edges of the circular disk to seal the stuffing inside and again roll out with the help of a rolling pin using as much dry flour as required.
14. Shallow fry this parantha from both the sides on a non- stick tava (griddle) using oil till it becomes golden brown in color.
15. Enjoy and Savour ... The Yummy Pizza Parantha.

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BAKED VEG / BAKED VEGETABLES

Ingredients:

100 gms french beans chopped
1 capsicum finely chopped

3-4 florets broccoli finely chopped

3-4 florets couliflower finely chopped

1 carrot finely chopped

1 cup boiled sweet corn kernels (optional)

1 onion, chopped

4 to 5 cloves garlic
salt to taste
1/2 tsp black or white pepper powder
1/2 cup grated processed cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp amul cheese spread (optional)

1 cup white sauce

mixed herbs to sprinkle

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadahi and add chopped garlic and onions and saute till they become transparent in color.
2. Add chopped vegetables and saute till the vegetables become tender.
3. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Add white sauce and cheese spread and mix well.
4. Put the above into a baking dish and spread grated cheese on it.
5. Place into an oven and bake at 180 c for 10-15 min or till the cheese melts and gets brown colored sots over it.
6. Sprinkle mixed herbs over it before serving.
7. Serve hot with chapati or bread of your choice.

Note:

1.  You can add some more or less vegetables as per choice and availability like boiled peas, baby corn, mushrooms etc.
2. You can also add cottage cheese cubes or boiled macroni or both if you wish to do so.

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