Baked Stuffed Flower Bread

Breakfast never excites me for the simple reason that I do not want to stress myself with what different to serve to my family which they will happily eat. When it comes to lunch and dinner, you get ample time to think and prepare while breakfast gives you hardly any time to think when you are still unreeling from your last night's dream. However, there are some really interesting and exciting breakfast ideas which can get you going even early in the morning. Today's recipe is a makeover of our very own Bread Pakora with the only difference that it is healthier with no deep frying involved and no mess at all. You can get this ready in just under 15 minutes. Now isn't that a cool breakfast idea!!

Ingredients 

Slices of leftover bread, as many servings as you want

Stuffing of your choice (I used a stuffing of mashed and cooked cauliflower, potatoes and carrots dry sabji from last night's dinner)

Butter as required 

Cheese for topping 

Direction 

Take a bread slice and with the help of a rolling pin, thin it out. 

Now spread butter thinly on both the sides. Make cuts starting from the corner and stopping slightly away from the centre. Repeat for all the corners. 

Place a dollop of the stuffing in the center of the bread slice. 

Lift up the edges gently without breaking and form a cup. 

Place the bread cup on a muffin tray (not required to grease) and top it with some cheese. 

Repeat for all the other bread slices. 

Now bake in a pre-heated oven at 175 degrees for 7-10 minutes till the bread is crispy from the edges and the cheese melted. I switched on the top rod only for thr final few minutes to speed up the process. 

Serve hot!!

Simple Chocolate Cake

With my home bakery slowly getting its pace and my fitness regime in full mode, I hardly have any energy left to do any blogging these days. While I am still cooking for my family and friends, I do not always have the time to post the recipe. This week I did not have any orders to complete nor much cooking to do as husband was busy with a conference. With a special house guest coming to stay with us for a night during the week, I thought it was a great idea to do some simple baking for myself for a change. So here it is, my super simple chocolate cake. Frost it or eat it as is, it is a great tea time companion!

                                       

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida

3/4 cup brown sugar (can be substituted with regular sugar)

1/3 cup oil (I used extra light olive oil or you can use any unflavored neutral oil)

3 eggs (can be substituted with 3/4 cup whipped yogurt)

1 tsp vanila essence 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

150 ml fresh cream ( I used some leftover whipping cream; can also be substituted with full cream milk)

55 gms chopped plain chocolate (you can either use semi sweet baking chocolate or any leftover plain chocolate like I did)

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup semi sweet choco chips (optional)

Direction

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius. Grease a 9" round pan and line it with parchment paper. Lightly grease the paper on top for easy removal later on. 

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and chocolate for 30 seconds. Take it out, mix and put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Take it out again and mix well till the chocolate dissolves. Now sift the cocoa powder and mix into the chocolate cream mixture. Mix it well till incorporated. Keep aside and mix at regular intervals so that a film does not form on top and the mixture comes to room temperature. 

Meanwhile, beat the sugar and oil till smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanila essence and mix. 

Now, sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the chocolate cream mixture and mix well into the batter. Now add the flour in three additions, folding it in after each addition. Now add the choco chips if using and fold it in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then unmould and let it cool on a wire rack. Slice and store in air tight containers. 

Note for eggless cake:

Beat the yogurt till smooth and add the baking powder (with an additional 1/4 tsp) and baking soda and let it stand for 10 minutes. It will start frothing. You need not add any baking powder and baking soda  to the flour in this case. Beat the sugar and oil together and then add the chocolate cream followed by the vanila essence. Now add the flour alternating with the yogurt mixture. Take care not to overmix in this case as we do not want to let the air bubbles escape. 

                                       

  

Bailey Irish Cream Mousse with Cream Cheese

I was introduced to Bailey's Irish Cream way back in 2007 when as a newly wedded couple we were invited for a dinner at my cousin's place enroute to our Honeymoon in Bali. We were served chilled shots of the Irish Cream whiskey after dinner and what a delicious and boozy gulp it was. On our way back from Bali we got home a big bottle of Bailey's to continue enjoying the shots but amidst work and new marriage pressures, we kept forgetting about it and had to eventually throw away half the bottle as it got spoiled.

This year while we were heading home from our Jordan/Dubai trip, I suddenly caught a glimpse of this small handy bottle and grabbed it immediately with an instant vision of a sinful Tiramisu floating in front of my eyes. While the Tiramisu has still to wait, I was eagerly waiting for an opportunity to inaugurate the bottle and as luck would have it, a close family friend came over for dinner. It was a sudden plan and with no time to shop for the ingredients of a Tiramisu, a mousse seemed to be the perfect way to end a boozy evening. With some cream cheese left over from my baby's birthday Mango Cheesecake, this couldn't get any better. The cream cheese got its due and the Bailey got a perfect indulgent partner to fly all the guests to new highs!!

Ingredients

200 gms cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup whipping cream chilled

2-3 tbsp fine grain sugar or castor sugar

1/2- 3/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream (this totally depends on how strong you want it to taste; I wanted and liked it really strong)

1/3-1/2 cup Hersheys Chocolate Syrup (again depending on your taste and preference)

Chocolate wafers or chocolate sticks for serving

Direction

Take the cream cheese in the bowl of your electric mixer and whip till smooth. Add the whipping cream and sugar and best till soft peaks form. Now add the chocolate syrup as per your taste and preference  and whip further. If you have kids eating this, then keep a portion aside for them at this point in individual pudding bowls or ramekins. Now time to make it high!

Add the Bailey Irish Cream 1/4 cup at a time and keep tasting after each addition. Fold in the cream with the help of a spatula rather than beating with a mixer. Stop when you feel the mousse is high enough for you and your guests to handle. 😀

Now take shot glasses or any pudding glass of your choice and keeping the nozzle of your chocolate syrup bottle along the rim of the shot glass, revolve the glass uniformly so that the syrup forms a ring along the rim of the glass. The syrup will then flow down towards the bottom and give a beautiful zig zag pattern to your mousse. 

Now fill the prepared glasses with the mousse to the rim of the glasses and gently tap the bottom to even it out. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours or until served. If you are preparing this s day ahead, be sure to cover the top with a cling wrap once set. Enjoy this sinful dessert and experience new highs!! 

Coconut Egg Curry

A long weekend and with the husband again travelling, it becomes imperative for the wife, that is me, to search for ways to keep herself busy. Luckily, there is one more friend whose husband is also travelling at the same time and so we have decided to do a sleepover at her place and have some fun time together. Tonight as husband leaves for a hurried India trip, we had a humble homely meal for lunch with whatever ingredients I had at hand. Initially, I wanted to make some Aaloo Parathas but the sweltering heat here made me change my mind. So here it is, a yummy and equally simple Egg Curry with a Coconut Base.

                                    

Ingredients

3 boiled eggs (or as per your requirement)

1/4 cup grated coconut

1 big onion

1 big tomato

1 big potato cut into quarters and boiled (A Bong cannot imagine his egg curry without the potato :))

3-4 garlic cloves

1" piece ginger

1/4 cup coconut milk (in case you do not have, increase the quantity of grated coconut to 1/2 cup)

1 tbsp sambar powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp deggi mirch powder

1/2 tsp sugar

2 whole red chillies

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Oil as required

Direction

Put the onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, and 1 whole red chilli in the grinder and make a smooth paste. To this add the grated coconut and pulse again till the coconut is smooth as well. 

Heat oil in a pan and fry the boiled potatoes till golden and keep aside. In the same oil, make slits on the boiled eggs with a knife and fry till golden. You can add a pinch of turmeric to get a beautiful golden color on the eggs.

In another or in the same pan, add additional oil if required and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the remaining whole red chilli and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the ground paste and fry till oil starts coming out from the sides. Add the spices including salt and sugar and continue frying on a medium flame till a lovely aroma arises and the masalas fried well. Now add the coconut milk on a low flame and stir. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the fried eggs and potato and keep covered for 5 minutes on a medium flame. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, neer dosa, or chapati.

           

Leftover Delight--Rich and Creamy No-Cook Rice Pudding

Tea time gossips sometimes end up being very constructive. Few days back, I was having some chit-chat over some tea and snacks with my cousin from India  who was visiting us and she mentioned the Anniversary celebration of one of our close relative back in India. The menu and the food was totally awesome and the most worth mentioning was the dessert. It turned out that the dessert was a super easy no cook Rice Pudding which was the showstopper. My cousin did not have the recipe with her but vaguely told me what could have been the ingredients and since then it was stuck in my mind. Today when I saw that big bowl of leftover rice from lunch, I immediately got into action and prepared this delightfully easy pudding purely based on my instincts. I haven't tasted the one which was served at that party but I am sure, it would have been as yummy as this.

                                         

Ingredients

2 cups leftover cooked rice

100 ml cream 

300 ml evaporated milk (if you do not have access to this, you can just boil 600 ml full cream milk and reduce it to half)

100 ml condensed milk (or as per taste)

1 tsp vanila essence

Fistful of raisins and cashews each

Direction

Evaporated milk is readily available here and so my pudding is a purely no cook version. However, I am including a stove top version too for those who do not have evaporated milk available in their nearby supermarkets.

No Cook Version

Whiz the cooked rice in your food processor until smooth. Now add the evaporated milk, cream, vanila essence, and condensed milk and pulse further until mixed well and reaches a smoothie texture. Fold in the raisins with a spatula. The mixture should be thick and grainy, with no traces of individual rice grains. It should be of drop consistency and not pouring. Transfer the pudding to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cashews. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Stove top Version

Boil 600 ml full cream milk and add the condensed milk. Reduce the flame and keep stirring at regular interval till the mixture reduces to half. Now add the cream and stir for 5-10 minutes more and remove from heat. Let it cool. Now add the pureed rice to this cooled milk and mix well. Fold in the essence and raisins. Garnish with chopped cashews and refrigerate until served.

            

                                       

Cranberry and Cinnamon Eggless Pancakes

In about a week's time, my in-laws will be here for about 3 weeks. While my Mum-in-law passed away way back in 2000, my Father-in-law will be accompanying my husband's Grand mum on her first International holiday. My FIL is quite a no-fuss person when it comes to food but the same cannot be said about my husband's grand mum. She is a widow and follows a strict no onion, no garlic vegetarian diet which is freaking me out. Although she is quite active and manages her own cooking, but when you have guests at home it does not quite look good to let them do all the cooking. So as a preparation for their arrival, today's recipe is an eggless pancake with dried cranberries and served with honey for breakfast. Easy and quick and good to eat!

Ingredients (Makes 10 Pancakes)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp olive oil (you can replace this with 1 tbsp butter if you want a more buttery flavor)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp cinnamon powder

Fistful of dried cranberries or anything of your choice 

3/4 - 1 cup milk 

Direction

In a bowl, mix all the wet ingredients except the milk. Now add the flour, cinnamon powder, and the baking powder and mix. Add milk little at a time to form a smooth cakey batter. It should not be too runny or too thick. Lastly, add the dried cranberries and mix. Cover and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.

Now heat a non-stick girdle and add a bit of oil. Add spoonfuls of the batter on medium heat and cook till golden on one side and little holes appear on the top. Flip and cook on the other side as well. Remove from heat and serve hot with some honey or maple syrup or any syrup of your choice.

                                             

Oats and Poha Uttapam (Oats and Beaten Rice Savory Pancakes)

There is nothing much to write about this recipe except that it was simply yummy and my family, including my baby, happily enjoyed their Uttapams without even realizing that they were eating Oats! A very healthy and nutritious breakfast, I had them for dinner instead as I was in no mood to do any major cooking. I have some guests coming over for dinner tomorrow and it is going to be a cooking marathon for me. The dessert is also setting in the fridge and the main course is going to be quite elaborate too. So settled for a simple dinner yet quite filling and healthy. Now, who says you cannot have breakfast for dinner!

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats, lightly roasted

1 cup thin beaten rice or Poha

1/4 cup semolina or sooji

200 ml buttermilk (you may use yogurt diluted with water)

1 cup or more water to soak the oats, poha, and sooji

1 medium onion chopped

1 inch piece ginger finely grated

Fresh coriander leaves chopped

1-2 green chillies chopped (optional)

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste

Direction

Soak the oats, poha, and sooji in a bowl with the buttermilk and a little water so that it just covers the mixture. The total water and buttermilk mixture should not exceed 3 cups, else you might end up with a watery batter. Let it stand for about 10-15 minutes and then with the help of a hand blender, blend it to a smooth paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Heat a non stick girdle and add a little oil. Tilt the girdle so that the oil gets covered on all sides. Now add a little batter and gently tilt the girdle again so that the batter gets spread on its own. Do not make it too thin as it will be difficult to lift later. Cook it on med high heat till golden on one side and then gently flip. There are chances of it getting stuck so be careful while lifting, slowly scraping with a spatula. Serve hot with green chutney and enjoy this delicious and healthy meal.

                                    

 

Kadhai Paneer

Apart from baking, the other cooking bug that has caught my fancy these days is to prepare my own masalas. Indeed, it is an extra effort and you do get to buy it from the stores easily. However, the aroma and the taste that home ground masalas impart cannot be traded with the store bought ones. To be more traditional, I would have in fact loved to hand grind these masalas instead of the electric grinder. Alas! That is not possible for the time being. Today is a Kadhai recipe for paneer and since I have quite a lot of masalas left, chicken and veg kadhai dishes will soon follow. I recently came to know and understand the idea behind naming this dish as "kadhai". Apart from being served in a "kadhai" (which I did not have with me), this dish is essentially cooked without the cover. The ingredients in the dish are such which do not require much cooking and hence "kadhai" dishes can be easily cooked on a medium low flame without any cover and pretty fast too. For those friends who do not know the meaning of kadhai, it simply means a wok in hindi. So go ahead and prepare this "kadhai" masala and enjoy an array of delicious "Kadhai" dishes.

Ingredients

For the Kadhai Masala

6 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp fennel seeds

10-12 whole kashmiri chillies

1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

2 1-inch piece cinnamon sticks

2 black cardamoms

8 green cardamoms (I used all 10 green cardamoms as I did not have the black variety)

2 bay leaves

Other ingredients

250 gms paneer, cubed

1 tbsp ginger, grated

1 tbsp garlic, grated

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup assorted bell peppers, julienned

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp kadhai masala

Fresh coriander leaves chopped

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Direction

For the Kadhai Masala

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under masala and let it cool. Be careful not to burn the masalas. Once cooled, grind to a fine powder. Store in air tight container.

In a pan, heat the oil and fry the paneer cubes till light golden in color. Remove from heat and soak in lukewarm water until used. In the same oil, add the ginger garlic and fry till lightly browned. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they are soft and mushy. Add the dry spices and fry till oil starts appearing on the sides. Now tip in the julienned bell peppers and keep stirring on medium flame till the masala thickens. Now add the paneer cubes and mix all the masalas well. If you want to have it dry, you can now add the fresh coriander leaves and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes before removing it from heat. I wanted a bit of gravy and so added about 1/2 cup of the water in which  the paneer cubes were soaked. Check the seasoning and let the gravy thicken to your desired consistency for 5-7 minutes on medium flame. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/roti.

                                       

     

 

 

Macau Sawdust Pudding

No pain no gain philosophy does not always hold true. In some cases, you can definitely gain a lot of pleasure with no pain at all and today's recipe is a super example of it. The simplest of the puddings I have made till date while giving a yummy end to any meal. Once you have the ingredients at hand you can even prepare this dessert while guests are already at your doorstep. That easy it is!

Ingredients

100 gms marie biscuit or any plain butter biscuit (Britannia Good Day is a good option)

250 ml whipping cream

1/3 cup milkmaid (add little at a time and keep tasting for sweetness as per your liking)

1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions

In a grinder, add the biscuits and pulse to make a fine powder. In a bowl, whip the cream with milkmaid and vanilla essence till soft peaks are formed. Best done with a hand blender. In your preferred serving bowl, preferably individual bowls, line a layer of the powdered biscuits followed by a layer of the cream. Finely spread it out with the back of the spoon and follow the procedure till the brim of the bowl. Do not put too much biscuit else only the top layer will be moist with the cream. Continue with the rest of the bowls and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Take out from the fridge 10 minutes  before serving.

                                    

                                    

 

Leftover Delight III- Crispy Rice Cakes

Leftover rice is an issue in every kitchen. Especially among Hindus, rice is considered as Goddess Lakshmi and to let it go waste is unacceptable. However, to make the exact quantity of rice for the family is something which even our seniors cannot achieve at times. The result is a bowl of rice most commonly found in the refrigerator, sometimes a day old or sometimes a week. When in India, I used to use the leftover rice to feed the birds. However, I am not left with that option anymore in Singapore. So while surfing on the net for some interesting bake recipes, I chanced upon this recipe which was so simple and can be given numerous interesting variations. 

Ingredients

2 cups leftover rice, at least a day old

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 inch piece ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp flour

2 tsp cornflour

1 egg (vegetarians can omit this)

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves, chopped

1+1 tbsp olive oil

Direction

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the onions, ginger, and garlic and fry till golden brown. Add the rice and stir till there are no lumps and the oil has coated the rice properly. Add the dry spices and salt and fry for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a bowl, beat the egg and add the flour, cornflour, and mix well till no lumps are formed. Add the rice and mix well. The mixture will be lumpy. With the back of the spoon, mash the rice a bit, if not completely. Add the coriander leaves and mix. In a pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil and put spoonfuls of the batter into the pan. Flatten with the back of the spoon like a cake and fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain excess oil on paper towels and serve hot with your favorite chutney or ketchup. 

                                       

                                       

This recipe is my entry to Cooking with Seeds (CWS) event - Rice

http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/p/cws-host-lineup.html

                                 

     

A British Classic- Shepherd's Pie

It's always interesting to cook new recipes, especially classic ones which you have only read about but never tried. Today's recipe is a classic British pie, traditionally made with minced beef or lamb. Since we do not eat beef and didn't have lamb at hand, I decided to try it with minced chicken. There are also a few tweaks included, which makes this dish "no one can have just one" type of a dish. It is extremely simple and serves as a great meal in itself, served with some salad or pita bread. 

Ingredients

350 gms minced chicken

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium capsicum, chopped

1/2 cup frozen/fresh peas

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

5 medium potatoes, boiled

1/4 cup milk 

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tsp oregano

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tsp curry powder (I used pav bhaji masala; you can use any curry powder of your choice like meat masala or something similar)

1 cube knorr chicken broth, mixed in 1/2 cup warm water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a medium skillet, heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic till the onions are translucent. Add the chopped capsicum, carrots, and peas and fry for 5-7 minutes. Add the minced chicken and continue stirring till the chicken gets evenly broken and pink. Now add the sauces and the curry powder and give a good stir. Tip in the chicken broth and mix well. Cover and cook till the chicken is tender. Lastly, add the cornflour mix and cook uncovered till the gravy thickens. Add salt and pepper, although I did not find it necessary to add further salt as per my taste. Remove from heat and cool.

In a separate bowl, take the boiled potatoes and mash it with the back of a fork. Add the milk and butter and mash further. It is easier and better to use a hand blender at this point to ensure a creamy texture. Add one beaten egg and whip further. Add a little salt, pepper, and oregano and mix well. If you find the texture too thick you can add 1-2 tbsp milk. 

Pre-heat the oven in the broiler mode. Take a square casserole dish and lay out the minced chicken mixture spreading evenly. Top it with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle grated parmesan on top. Broil it for 10-12 minutes or until you get a golden crust on top. Serve it with a salad if your choice or enjoy it as a meal in itself. 

                                       

                                   

Chilli Paneer

Chinese dishes always are a favorite in every household and mine is no different. I found this very easy and simple chilli paneer recipe and thought of giving it a try, while slightly altering the ingredients from the original recipe.

Ingredients

250 gms paneer (cottage cheese)

1 medium onion, diced (you can also use baby onions, halved)

1 bell pepper, diced

4-5 cherry tomatoes (or 1 medium tomato, diced)

A handful of coriander leaves, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 fresh spicy green/red chilli, chopped

1 tbsp tomato chilli sauce

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp white sesame seeds (optional, I skipped it)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Directions

In an pan, heat the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and chillies. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the onions, cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper. Fry till the onions become translucent and the tomatoes and bell peppers become soft. Add the sauces and stir well. Tip in the paneer cubes, salt, coriander leaves, and oregano. Coat everything well in the sauce. Simmer and cover cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve. I served it with veg fried rice topped with some fresh fried onions.