Bread Baskets

You Need
6 wheat or white bread slices
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup green or red bell-peppers- chopped finely
1/2 cup onions - chopped finely
1 cup mexican cheese
4 tbsp butter - melted
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup green chutney or pesto sauce
salt - to taste
black peper - to taste
3 tbsp dried basil flakes

Take the bread slices, cut off their edges and keep aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, spray cooking spray on a muffin pan, then place each bread slice in the muffin cups. Shape them to form like a basket. You can even flatten them a bit using a rolling pin.
Bake for 10-15 mins, making sure to check they they do not burn. It should just become hard and take the shape of a basket.
Take a pan, add 1 tbsp olive or cooking oil, and saute the onions and bell peppers until a bit tender. Season with some salt, pepper and dry basil flakes, and cook a little more.
Now take each bread cup/basket, spread some green chutney with a knife, then add a spoonful of the mixture to it. Drizzle with some salsa as required, then spread mixed cheese on the top. Lightly brush the 4 corners of the basket with melted margarine so they don't get burnt.
Transfer the cups back to the muffin pan, then bake at 200 degrees for about 7-8 minutes, just until the cheese melts. Now change the oven setting to Broil, and bake the baskets for another 1 minute.
Remove from the oven, let them cool a bit and serve immediately. These cute vegetable baskets are healthy, tasty and definitely the perfect finger food at a party.

Tip: You can add more veggies or even scrambled eggs as a variation.

Chana Biryani

You Need
Salt (as per taste)
1 cup kabuli channa
2 cup Basmathi rice
2 Tsp Garam masala powder
3 Tbsp Ghee
1 no Cardamon (crushed)
1 no Bay leaf
1 cup Tomato(chopped)
1 bunch of Mint leaves (chopped)
Coriander and curry leaves (chopped)
1 can Coconut milk

To grind:
3 to 4 flakes of Garlic (chopped)
3 Tbspn Any vegetable oil
1 Cinnamon stick (small)
4 Clove
3 Dry red chili(as per required)
1 tsp Jeera
1 cup Onion (roughly chopped)
1/2 cup green pepper cubed

Soak channa overnight and pressure cook with salt. Leave for 3 hisses. After 15 min remove water and keep boiled channa aside.
In a pan take 1/2 tablespoon of ghee and fry the basmathi rice for 2 min
Grind the chopped tomato into juice and keep aside.
In a pan, heat 3/2 teaspoon of oil and fry all the ingredients under 'To grind'. Leave it to cool and grind in mixer (Paste 1)
In a pressure cooker, add 3 tablespoon of ghee.When ghee gets heated up add the crushed cardamon and bay leaves.When the cardamon aroma comes,add remaining chopped garlic. after a minute add the grinded paste 1.Stir for a 2 minutes. Now add the tomato juice and the garam masala.
Add the boiled channa. Add coconut milk and water so as the combined volume of the both should be of 2 cups. Now add basmathi rice, salt. Add chili powder if required. Add mint and coriander leaves. stir for few seconds. Close the lid and pressure cook for 3 hisses. Leave for 15 min .
Open the lid and mix it up as the masala may remain at the top. Serve with raitha

Green Chutney

This is a versatile chutney, can be used with most pakoras,sandwiches, etc
You Need
1 bunch fresh chopped coriander
3 green chillies - chopped
1 tsp ginger-chopped
a fistful of raw peanuts
5-6 mint leaves (optional)
salt, sugar and lemon juice - to taste
a pinch of asafoetida

Take a blender and add the peanuts to it first. Grind them for a min. Now add the remaining ingredients, add water as needed and blend together to achieve a thick paste like consistency. And no, it's not supposed to be as watery as you have been served in some restaurants!!(Taste to make sure you don't need more salt:)) There, your chutney is ready to be savoured with any of the snacks found here


Tip: You can freeze and store the thick chutney for as long as 12-15 days. Thaw it in the microwave before using. Add a little water and you are ready to go!

Onion Kulchas

You Need
Dough
Whole Wheat Flour – 2 cups (plus some extra for dusting)
Milk – 3/4 cup approximately
Curd – 1 table spoon
Baking powder – 1 level teaspoon
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Freshcream – 1 tablespoon
Ghee – 2 teaspoons

Stuffing
Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Coriander – a bunch (finely chopped)
A pinch of Salt
Ajwain – 1 tsp (optional)
Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 1 tsp

Garnish (optional)
Sesame Seeds – 1 tbsp
Butter – 1tsp

In a large bowl, mix the Wheat Flour with salt and sugar. Rub the fresh cream into the flour.
Make a well in center, add curd and baking powder and allow to froth for 2 minutes.
Knead all the ingredients into a soft dough the flour with curds by adding the required amount of milk.
Coat with ghee and mix well. Cover with a wet cloth and leave to rise for 6 to 8 hours.
Melt some butter in a skillet, add the ajwain and coriander. Saute Onions. Add Salt and Chilli Powder. Set aside for cooling.
Divide the dough into eight balls. Take one of the portions of the dough, flatten it with the palm of your hand. Roll it into a 5-6 inch circle with the outer edges thin and thick center. Put in a tablespoon or more of the onion saute in the center. Bring the edges together and seal. Roll out into a circle using some extra flour for dusting if required.
Cook both sides on a tawa over medium heat till pink spots appear. Brush with sesame seeds crackled in some butter. Repeat with rest of the dough.
In the pic you will see there are no sesame seeds. My guests were almost about to arrive, didn't get time to sprinkle them. Will post another pic soon with complete tops :)

Palak Paneer

You Need
4 cups of fresh finally chopped spinach
1/3 lb paneer
2 medium tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup heavy cream or sour cream
1/2 tomato thinly sliced to garnish


If using frozen spinach thaw and blend it just for a minute so spinach has a creamy texture but without becoming pasty.
Blend the tomatoes and ginger to make puree.
Mix coriander, turmeric, and red chili with tomato puree and set aside.
Mix whole-wheat flour with cream and set aside.
Cube the paneer in about half inch pieces and deep fry them on medium high heat just for few minutes so paneer become very light gold in color, take paneer out on paper towel so extra oil can be absorbed.
Heat the oil in a saucepan.Add hing and cumin seed. After cumin seeds crack, add the tomato puree mixture, and let it cook for a few minutes until the tomato puree is about half in volume.
Add the spinach, and let it cook on low medium heat for about 10 minutes covered.
Add heavy cream mixture and let this cook another four to five minutes.
Let cool and grind the mixture coarsely.
Add paneer and fold it gently with spinach and let it simmer for a 2-3 minutes. Pot should remain covered until the cooking is finished, otherwise the spinach will splatter.
Transfer the spinach to a serving dish and spread the tomato slices over the top, and cover the dish so tomato slices get tender with the steam from the spinach.

Mysore Pak

Didn't know this was such a simple recipe and I was not hopeful that I will succeed in the first go. But I did :)
you need
1 cup gram flour(besan)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup ghee
1/2 tspn cardamom powder

Heat 1 tbsp ghee and add flour.
On a medium flame, fry till nice aroma comes out of it and it turns slightly brownish. Take care not to burn, it burns easily, so make sure to keep stirring it. Take it out on a plate and keep aside.
Mix sugar with 1/2 cup water and bring it to boil, keep mixing with a spoon.
When it is boiling, and you can see rapid boiling, add the fried four and mix (do not wait till it forms syrup).
Now add 1 tbl spn ghee at a time, keep mixing all the time. When all ghee is done, keep mixing continuously. If you stop mixing for a min, you will see the mixture has lots of air in it and when you start mixing again, the air goes off.
When the mixture starts leaving edges and looks a bit dry, add cardamom, mix well and pour it into a greased plate and flatten immediately.
Cut into desired shapes.

Gujarati Kadhi and my tip on Tadka

You Need
1 tsp each cumin and mustard seeds
4-5 cloves
2 whole red chillies
1 inch cinnamon stick
7-8 fenugreek/methi seeds
7-8 curry leaves
a sprig coriander leaves
1 cup yogurt
4 tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
4 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp each oil and ghee

Mix water,yogurt,besan,salt,turmeric and ginger so that no lumps are formed.
Transfer to a deep pan on stove top and cook stirring continuously till it boils.
This may take around 15 minutes. Remember to cook on medium heat for best results.
While stirring it, am used to multitasking this way. Heat oil and ghee in microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds.
Now add all mustard,cumin,fenugreek,cloves,cinnamon,red chillies and curry leaves.
Microwave for a minute and half till the seeds splutter and chillies turn dark.
Be careful while removing the bowl, it could be hot if its small glass bowl.
Once the kadhi starts boiling, add this tadka and stir for few more mins.
Turn Off and garnish with coriander leaves.

In the above procedure I eliminated the need for another dish to take tadka. I call it microwave tadka and use this technique most of the times as am a lazy bump when it comes to doing the dishes.


My tip for kadhi: I add a tsp of sugar or jaggery at the end just to give a sweet-sour flavor. Its very tasty and in every sip you keep guessing if its sweet or sour.

Tandoori Gobi

4 all the vegetarians out there who miss eating tandoori chicken :)

Cauliflower - 1, medium size
Marinade:
Yogurt - 1 cup
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Cayenne Pepper or Tandoori Masala - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Paprika - 1/4 tsp

Hang the yogurt in a muslin/cotton cloth for about 30-40minutes.
Mix all the ingredients of marinade.
Pull out nice finger size florets out of the cauliflower.
Dip each floret in the marinade to coat it completely and Place gently on a platter that is oven-proof.
Let the Cauliflower marinate for about an hour.
Place in the Cauliflower into the oven on broil on high.
It will take between 15 minutes for the cauliflower to get a good color (a few spots of brown on the top).
These are now ready to serve.You could use them as appetizers or sides with rotis.

Variation: You could also keep the cauliflower whole for a turkey look on Thanksgiving.I like floret better since the masala coats well and they are easier to serve.