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Monday, May 23, 2011

Gujju (Methi) Thepla in Bong kitchen


Taught by a Gujju friend, love these Theplas!
Love them with mirchi achaar (green chilli pickle), and sometimes plain, with my evening cuppa! Best part they taste yummy even when not so fresh..

Ingredients:
Ata (wheat flour) - 250 gm or 2 cups
Curd - 1 cup
Methi (fenugreek) leaves- 1/2 cup
White til (sesame seeds) - 1 tbsp
Ajwain (carom seeds) - 1 tsp
Green chilli paste
Dhania (Coriander) powder - 1 tbsp
Jeera (Cumin) powder - 1/2 tsp
Haldi (Turmeric powder) - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure :
1. Knead all the ingredients together till you get a soft dough
2. Divide the soft dough into about 12-14 balls as in chapatis.
3. Roll out similar to a chapati.
4. On a tawa, smear some oil and cook both sides of the thepla.
5. Serve hot.
But, I like theplas kept overnight too....

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Baked fish .....

Served with greens, steamed vegetables and crispy fried baby potatoes


Easy to cook, healthy and great to taste.....

Ingredient: 

I . For the baked fish :
1. Thick fillet of Bhetki Fish  - about 8 - 10
2. Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tbsp
3. Juice of lemon - 1/4 cup
4. Grated onion / onion juice of 1 big onion
4. Spinach - 5-6 bunches
5. Firm tomatoes - 4
6. Cheddar Cheese grated - 1 cup
7. Butter or EVOO
8. Crushed pepper
9. Chilli flakes
10. Dried oregano

II. Vegetables I used :
1. Tender Baby corns - 8-10
2. Tender small sized carrots - 8-10
3. French Beans -10-12
4. Green peas - 1 cup
Any other vegetables/greens like cauliflower/broccoli florets / cabbage leaves / crunchy ice lettuce etc may be used
5. baby potatoes  - 1/2 kg

III. Others 
1. Rice flour - 1/2 cup
2. Turmeric - a pinch
3. Oil for deep frying
4. Salt
5. Chilli powder

Procedure : in the sequence I do to save time
1. Marinate the fish fillets in Ginger-garlic paste + onion juice + lemon juice + salt + pepper for a couple of hours or overnight (as i do).
2. Steam all vegetables at II of Ingredients. Dont let them lose their crunch
3. Spray or smear the baking tray with butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
4. On it make a bed of whole spinach leaves.
5. Place the marinated fish along with the marinade on the leaves.
6. Roughly chop 3-4 bunches of spinach and garnish the marinated fish fillets with the leaves.
7. Sprinkle liberally crushed black pepper, chilli flakes, oregano, small cubes of butter or drizzle 2-3 tsp of EVOO.
8. Garnish  with grated cheese.
9. Slit the tomatoes on top cross-wise. push in a couple of peppercorns and a pinch of salt into each tomato. smear some butter/EVOO.
10. Put in the baking tray into the preheated oven (temp around 280-300 deg F) for 10-12 minutes.

11. If necessary, i.e if the tomatoes are still raw, put the tomatoes back in the oven for another 5-8 mins.
12. While the baking is being done, in a non-stick pan, smear some butter and saute the steamed veggies with a sprinkling of salt & pepper.
13. Make a batter of rice flour with water, salt, chilli powder and a pinch of turmeric. Dip the steamed potatoes in the batter and deep fry to get crispy fried wholebaby potatoes .

Arrange the baked fish fillets along with the spinach leaves, sauted whole vegetables, crispy fried whole potatoes and serve.


Thursday, May 19, 2011

Paneer Bhurji .... Scrambled Cottage Cheese


No excuses, justification, prelude or small talk!

Just some oft made recipes.....

A simple, nutritious as well as delicious breakfast or tiffin which can be used as a filling in a wrap or a sandwich, OR eaten just as it is, with toast!

And Rush, if you mash the paneer to a smooth consistency, grate the veggies instead of dicing them and eliminate the salt, there you are, a tasty treat for your little one!!!

Ingredients :
Paneer - 1 litre
Lemon - 1
Vegetables of your choice-(bell peppers, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, corn kernels, baby corns etc) - diced.
I used Capsicum, tomato and onion - 1 each
Green chilli - chopped fine
Coriander leaves-also chopped fine.
Salt to taste
Pepper corns, freshly crushed for better flavour & aroma
Butter /olive oil/white oil- 1 tbsp



Procedure -
1. Curdle the milk with the lemon to make fresh homemade paneer / cottage cheese
2. Just strain the whey but dont hang it in a cheese cloth to make it firm. We want the paneer soft and moist
3. In a wok, heat the oil/melt the butter
4. Throw in the crushed pepper corns followed by the diced onions, tomatoes and other veggies.
5. Saute in high heat for a minute or two but retain the crunch
6. Add the scrambled paneer. Stir around for a minute or two. Add salt.
7. Garnish with the chopped green chillies and coriander leaves.