Kothimbir Vadi

Today's recipe is a very healthy one. It is a modified version of famous Kothimbir Vadi.  Kothimbir Vadi is a Maharashtrian snack.  In Marathi, green coriander is called Kothimbir.

This is my version of Kothimbir Vadi that I always make at home. Tastes great and is guilt free too as instead of deep frying I simply stir fry it.  The crunchiness of outer crust and softness inside makes it so delicious.  Its a very good option for breakfast too.  You can prepare it in advance and fry just before serving.  Traditionally, a lot of green coriander is used to make this wonderful dish but as V doesn't like green coriander much I didn't add more of it.

I love the nice fragrance of til and coriander in these vadis.  I am sure it would become your favourite too.  It can be given to babies and kids too just skip green chilly and chilly powder, they would definitely relish it.  So give it a try and share your feedback.

Happy Cooking :)

                              

Ingredients:

Gram flour/Besan	½ cup
Rice flour	2 tbsp
Fresh coriander (Chopped)	¼ cup
Sesame seeds/Til	1 tsp (Roasted)
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Baking soda	1/8 tsp
Oil	1 tsp
Salt	½ tsp or to taste
Green Chilly	1 (chopped)
Red Chilly powder	1/8 tsp
Turmeric powder	2 pinch
Water	As required
Oil	For frying and greasing the pan

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, mix together gram flour and rice flour.  Add water little by little and make a lump-free and smooth thick batter.  Leave it aside for 15 minutes.
• Grease a round pan and set aside.
• Add salt, chilly powder and turmeric in the gram flour batter and mix well.  Add chopped coriander, chopped green chilli sesame seeds, oil and lemon juice.  Set aside.
• Take water in a pressure cooker and let it boil.  
• In the gram flour batter, add baking soda and mix well.  Do not over mix.  
• Pour the batter in the greased pan and put it inside the pressure cooker.  Put the lid and remove the whistle.  
• Let it cook for about 10-12 minutes or till a knife inserted comes out clean.
• Once cooked, remove the pan from the pressure cooker.  Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
• Unmould the steamed vadi and cut into desired shapes.  Set aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and add steamed vadis in it.  Stir fry till golden brown and crispy.
• Remove on a tissue paper and serve warm.

Notes:

1. If you wish you can deep fry the steamed vadis.
2. Adjust the salt and chilly as per your taste.
3. For steaming the batter, you can take a deep non stick woke/kadhai with glass lid.  Fill it with water.  Let the water boil and put the batter filled pan in the center of the woke.  Cover with glass lid and steam the batter.
4. If making in advance, store the sliced vadis in an airtight pan and keep in the refridgerator.  Do not store it for more than 1 day.

Tandoori Aloo

Today I am going to share my tandoori aloo recipe. A no fuss recipe which could replace your heavily fried and fat loaded party starters easily.  And the taste is simply divine.  You can serve it as a starter, side dish or evening snack.  Everyone going to like it for sure and the best part is that its a NO-OIL dish.  You just need to grease the tray for baking and thats it.  But trust me you won't miss the oil in it.  So its a guilt free delicious snack. 

I love the fact that there is no cutting and chopping required to make it.  Just prepare the marination and its done.  You can even modify the marinade according to your taste. Its just the marination that takes time.  Almost 10-12 hrs marination is required here. 

In this recipe, although you can use diced potatoes too but I recommend to use baby potatoes to get the best of this dish.  Here I used Tandoori Chicken Masala for marination but you can use any tandoori masala for the same.  

You can make it on stove top too.  Just use a non stick pan and add 2-3 drops of oil to avoid any sticking.  

So lets start making these lip smackingly yummy Tandoori Potatoes.  Happy Cooking  :)

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes	18
Hung curd	3 ½ tbsp
Ginger –garlic paste	Little less than ½ tsp
Kasuri Methi/Dried fenugreek leaves	1 tbsp
Tandoori Chicken Masala/ Tandoori Masala	1 tsp
Red chilli powder	½ tsp or to taste
Salt	½ tsp or to taste
Green coriander (chopped)	1 tbsp
Oil	For greasing

Method:

• Take the potatoes and wash them thoroughly.  Pressure cook them till partially boiled or for 2 whistles.  Remove.  Peel off the skin and set aside.
• Take a large mixing bowl, add in curd, dried fenugreek leaves, salt, red chilli powder, tandoori masala and ginger garlic paste.  Mix everything very well and make the marinade.  Add the peeled potatoes in the prepared marinade and mix well with hands.  Cover the bowl with a cling film and keep in the fridge for overnight or 10-12 hrs.
• After 10-12 hrs, remove it from the fridge and leave for 10 minutes to come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180 degree and line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Spray some oil to avoid sticking and arrange the marinated potatoes in it.  Bake at 180 degree for 15 minutes, after that reduce the temperature to 160 degree and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Serve warm, garnished with coriander.

Notes:

1. Instead of baby potatoes you can take big potatoes and dice them.
2. Partially boil the potatoes.  Do not over boil them as they may break while marination.
3. Marinate the potatoes for 10-12 hrs for best results.
4. While baking keep checking after 15 minutes as the temperature settings varies from oven to oven.  If you find that your potatoes are cooked well with marination you can remove them from the oven.

Healthy Pizza Packets/ Veg Calzones

Pizzas are favourite to almost everyone.  I love them too though I made them once or twice in a month.  

For my love towards pizzas, I wanted to try pizza packets or calzones.  So I prepared my homemade pizza sauce and pizza dough specially for this recipe.  Then I made the stuffing with my choice of veggies and cheese.. and TADAA!!! got these yummilicious pizza packets.  I made them for the first time and they turned out to be delicious.  Pizza sauce, cheese and veggies were simply bursting out in every bite.  I loved it to the core.

The name sounds not-so-easy kindda dish but its surprisingly easy to make.  To make it a little healthy, I added whole wheat flour to the dough.  Above all, its a baked snack so no frying.  It also has less calories as I stir fried the veggies in just 3/4 tsp of oil  :D

Its a great party starter and kids will love it.  All in all its a must try. So don your aprons and get into the cooking.  Happy Cooking :)

                              

Makes - 6 packets

Ingredients:

For dough:

Whole wheat flour     -      1 cup

All purpose flour       -      1 cup

Instant dry yeast        -      1 1/2 tsp

Olive oil                    -      3 tbsp

Sugar                         -      2 tsp

Salt                            -      1/2 tsp

Lukewarm water       -      as required

For stuffing:

Homemade pizza sauce                           -  1 cup

Processed cheese (grated)                       -   1/2 cup

Cabbage (finely chopped)                       -  1 cup

Capsicum (finely cut lengthwise)           -   2 small

Sweet corns (Boiled)                              -   1/2 cup 

Onion (finely cut lengthwise)                -    1 small

Green beans (blanched)                         -    1/4 cup

Black pepper                                          -    1/4 tsp or to taste

Olive oil                                                 -    3/4 tsp

Salt                                                         -    o taste

Method:

• Dough- Take a large bowl and add in both the flours, salt, sugar and yeast.  Mix everything well.  Add oil and mix with the flour.  Add lukewarm water little by little and make a smooth dough.  Knead it well for 4-5 minutes.  Shift to an airtight container and leave it to rise for about 2 hours.

• For stuffing - Heat oil in a non stick pan.  Add chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes on high flame.  Add sweetcorn and beans.  Stir for 2-3 minutes.  Add cabbage and capsicum and stir for another 4-5 minutes.  Add black pepper and salt.  Stir for 1 minute and remove from the flame.  Set aside.

• Preheat oven at 180 degree.  Grease a baking tray and set aside.

• Take the raised dough and punch it down.  Pinch a lemon size ball from the dough and roll out a 1/4 inch round chapati. Evenly spread pizza sauce on half of the rolled chapati.  Spread the fried veggies on the sauce layer.  Finally top it with grated cheese and bring the other half of chapati over it.  Close it from all the corners well with water.  Make more pizza packets with remaining dough and stuffing likewise.  Arrange on the greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or till the top gets lightly brown.
• Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Notes:

1. In place of whole wheat flour, you can take 2 cups of all purpose flour.
2. Mozzarella cheese can also be used in place of processed cheese.
3. You can add your choice of veggies in the stuffing.
4. If you are using dry yeast then proof it first.  For that, take the lukewarm water and add in sugar.  Then add the dry yeast and cover it for 5-10 minutes .  After 10 minutes you will see the bubbles have formed.  Add that mixture to the flour and knead as given in the recipe.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

I am a pizza fan just like most of u :) I love making it from scratch so I prepare my pizza sauce as well as dough at home then I simply play around with the toppings.. its fun :D

I experimented with different ingredients and measurements for pizza sauce and after getting 2-3 not-so-perfect ones I finally got this pizza sauce and I am proud to say that its my very own no fail recipe :)

I am sure you will also like this sauce as it is so freshly falvourful with perfect taste and the best part is that it has NO PRESERVATIVES. Making anything at home gives you satisfaction of its being hygienic and fresh.  I love this sauce so much that I even use it for making pasta n noodles and they always come out super yummy. Of course it too makes my pizza taste delicious :D

This time I made Pizza Packets / Veg Calzones with this sauce and they turn out to be awesome.  I will share that recipe soon.  Till then you try this sauce n let me know the results. Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

Tomato (big)	2 ½
Garlic	6 cloves (finely chopped)
Olive oil	1 tbsp
Onion (finely chopped)	3 tbsp
Freshly ground black pepper	¼ tsp
Red chilli flakes	¾ tsp
Origano	¼ tsp
Fresh basil leaves	5 (chopped)
Sugar	¾ tsp
Red chilli powder	1/8 tsp
Salt	¾ tsp or to taste

Makes: for one medium size pizza.

Method:

• Take the tomatoes and wash them thoroughly.  Dip them in hot water for about 10 minutes.  Take out and grate the tomatoes leaving the skin.  Discard the skin.  
• Heat oil in a non stick pan.  Add garlic and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add dried origano and give a stir.  Add tomato pulp and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring.  Add chilli flakes, chilli powder, crushed black pepper, salt and sugar.  Cook on medium heat till the tomato juice dries up and sauce becomes thick. At the end, add chopped basil leaves.  Give a stir and remove from flame.
• Let it cool.  Use as per requirement.
• Store in a dry glass jar or airtight container.  Keep refrigerated.

Notes:

1. With this recipe you would get a chunky pizza sauce. If you do not like chunks then after cooking the sauce, blend it and then use.
2. You can double or triple this recipe to make more sauce.
3. It can be used as a pasta sauce too.
4. If you are going to use this sauce for kids simply make it without red chilli powder and chilli flakes. 
5. If making in big quantity, here is a tip.  Make the sauce as per the recipe except adding the red chilli powder and chilli flakes.  Once done, take some sauce separately from the pan and add chilli powder and chilli flakes in the remaining sauce.  Add basil leaves in both the sauce and mix.  Sauce ready for kids.

Focassia with onion & olives

I love making different kind of breads at home.  While baking the bread, the wonderful fragrance wafts throughout my home and I simply love it..  I have tried quite a few kind of breads at home and loved the taste and texture of all of them. 

Today's recipe is Focassia bread.  Its an Italian flat bread which is, traditionally, seasoned with olive oil, salt and herbs. 

Focassia was in my TO TRY list since quite a long time.  So I finally tried my hands on it yesterday and it came out very well.  The taste was so fresh and flavourful.  The texture was also so soft and fluffy.  The whole batch finished up in a jiffy, it was that good.

Making Focassia at home is so easy.  Make the dough and stud it with your favourite toppings, bake and dig in.  I had a bottle of green olives so I used them as topping with sliced onion.  I sprinkled some mixed herbs too that enhanced the flavour nicely.  
Making breads at home gives you liberty to customize it as per your taste.  In this recipe you can top it up with black olives, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, basil, fresh veggies, coriander or even cheese.  Just let your imagination work here.  Whatever topping you use, I can bet, the taste would be superb.  

I used my pizza base recipe for the dough.  Its so simple and easy.  Traditionally, for topping up Focassia base a lot of oil is used but in this recipe I have used just two tablespoon of extra virgin oilive oil.  I was apprehensive about the results but the finished product was awesome with no compromise in taste and texture.  Now its a fail-proof recipe so I am sharing it with all of you.  Do try it.  Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

Dough
Maida	2 cups
Dry Active Yeast	1 tsp
Sugar	2 tsp
Salt	1 tsp
Olive oil	2 tbsp (30 ml)
Water (lukewarm)	¾ cup
Topping
Sliced green olives	¼ cup
White onion	1/4th of a small onion
Mixed dried herbs	¼ tsp
Crushed black pepper	¼ tsp
Salt	To taste

Method:

• In a bowl, take all purpose flour, salt, sugar and active dry yeast.  Mix well.  Add oil and mix again.
• Add lukewarm water little by little and knead a soft dough.  Knead it well for about 5-7 minutes.  Shift it to another bowl and cover with a cling film or wet cloth.  Keep it in a warm place for 2 hours.
• Take a baking tray and line it with a butter paper.  Set aside.
• After 2 hours, punch down the dough and flatten it on the lined baking tray evenly.  Prick with a fork on the top.  Make deep indents or dimples on the top with your finger (as shown in the pic below).  Spread one table spoon on the top evenly.  Cover the tray with a damp cloth and set aside for 20 minutes.

• After 20 minutes, again pour one tablespoon oil on the top evenly and arrange the sliced olives and onion on the top.  Press the toppings a little.  Sprinkle crushed black pepper, salt and mixed herbs (as in the pic below) and again cover the tray with a damp cloth and set aside for another 15 minutes.

• Meanwhile preheat the oven at 200 degree.
• After 15 minutes, put the tray inside the oven and bake for 25 minutes or till the top turns golden brown.  
• Remove from the oven and shift it to a wire rack to cool down.

• Slice it as per your choice and serve warm.

Notes:

1. Adjust the water quantity as required and add it little by little.
2. Do not leave the dough to raise for more than 2-3 hours.  It would nicely double up in 2-3 hours.
3. If not using active yeast, take the lukewarm water in a bowl, add sugar  and mix well.  (Do not let the water cool down).  Add yeast and let it sit for 5-7 minutes without touching.  Once it become frothy and bubbly, add it to the flour, sugar, salt and oil mixture and knead it to a soft dough.