Saturday, January 11, 2014

Paneer Paratha

  Paneer Paratha is a type of stuffed Indian bread and is very popular in the Indian cuisine. Stuffed parathas can be made with several ingredients like potatoes, methi, cauliflower, spinach  etc.


Ingredients:

3 cups of wheat flour
1 cup of water 
1 tbsp  of oil
salt as required

Filling:

1 cup of shredded paneer
1 small piece of ginger
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
Handful of coriander leaves
Oil as required
Salt as required 


Preparation:

1. Mix the wheat flour, salt, oil and add water. Knead well enough to make a dough. Keep aside for half an hour.

2. Blend the ingredients for the filling together.

3. Make lime sized balls out of the dough, add the filling to it. Roll it out.

4. In a pan put little oil, fry the paratha on both the sides till it turns golden brown. Serve hot fluffed paneer paratha with raitha or pickle.
                             







Friday, January 10, 2014

French Bread Pizza

During the recent holiday season, my kids were getting tired of the usual Indian food and so I decided to try something different. The flat bread pizza is a comfort food in many European households. In my attempt to recreate this recipe, I tried to keep my focus on the balance of veggies, carbs and proteins without compromising the taste or flavor.



Ingredients:

2-4 French bread (available at costco or any grocery store)
Marinara sauce as required
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
4 cloves of garlic/ garlic powder
Toppings (olives, bell peppers, onions, paneer. You can add more variety if needed)
Salt and Black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut open the bread in to two halves. If the bread is soft, keep the bread inside the oven for 5 minutes.

2. On the toasted bread apply the marinara sauce. 

3. Then add the chopped toppings. I used the fresh veggies as is. But if you like it sauteed, saute onions, peppers in the pan for 3-5 minutes.Then add the toppings to the bread.

4. Sprinkle some salt, black pepper and grated garlic. Cover the toppings with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

5. Now keep the bread inside the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. French bread pizza is ready.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Vada Kari/ Vada Curry

 Having grown in Chennai, Vada Kari has always been a delicacy which we relished both at home and at restaurants like Saravana Bhavan. Recently in Northern Virgina, I was able to relive some of those memories at Karaikudi restaurant and decided to share with my readers my version of this recipe. The spice level for this dish can be adjusted based on your tolerance levels.




Ingredients:

For the vada:
1/2 cup of Bengal gram dhal
1 tbsp of toor dhal
4 red chillies
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 tsp of cumin seeds
oil for deep frying

For the gravy:
2 chopped onions

2-3 large tomatoes
1 green chilly
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of sambhar powder
1 tsp of garam masala
1/4 cup of coconut milk
coriander leaves for garnish
salt as required

Seasoning:
1 small stick of cinnamon
2 cloves
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of oil

Preparation:

1. Soak Bengal gram dhal and toor dhal for 2-3 hours. Grind them to a coarse paste along with red chillies and curry leaves. Add cumin seeds and salt to the paste. Make small vadas and deep fry in oil.
                                          
2. In a pan, add a tbsp of oil. Add the seasoning, as the nice aroma comes, add onions, garlic and green chilly. Saute well till the raw smell disappears. 
3. Puree the tomatoes and add the tomatoes and salt. 
5. Saute well, then add turmeric and sambhar powder.
6. Once the tomatoes become mushy, add garam masala and the vadas.  
6. Let it cook for 5 more minutes. Add the coconut milk and coriander leaves and bring it to boil. The dish is ready!



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