Cornflakes and Jackfruit seed Chaat

Cornflakes and Jackfruit seed Chaat

This is a unique chaat.. An innovation in my kitchen for healthy snack. Since this is the season for Jackfruit, most of us like ripe Jackfruit. The seeds from the ripe Jackfruit are equally tasty and has health benefits. We make sabji and dal out of it, but this Jackfruit seed Chaat is very delicious and healthy to be served as evening snack. 

Ingredients 

1 bowl of Cornflakes 

3/4 bowl of Jackfruit seeds boiled, skin removed and chopped 

1 or 2 Green Chillies chopped 

2 tbsp of Onion chopped 

1 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped 

2 tbsp Green Chutney (1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, 1 Green Chiili, Salt to taste and 1 small piece of Raw Mango, ground together) 

1 tsp Lime Juice

1/2 tsp Chaat Masala 

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients together and serve it immediately...

Eggless Ripe Jackfruit Coconut and Semolina Loaf Cake....

Eggless Ripe Jackfruit Coconut and Semolina Loaf Cake....

Ripe Jackfruit is one of my favourite fruit. The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous and is a source of dietary fiber. It has a strong and distinct aroma. Many dishes are made from the ripe jackfruit... Since my daughter likes to carry tea time cakes to school... Today I added some jackfruit and coconut along with semolina into the cake.

Ingredients

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1 cup Fine Semolina

1 cup Caster Sugar

2 tbsp Dessicated Coconut

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Soda bicarbonate

3/4 cup Coconut Milk

4 tsp Curd

3/4  cup Olive oil

1/2 cup Jackfruit chopped

Method

Take a mixing bowl. Add the curd, oil, coconut milk and sugar and jackfruit. In another bowl add flour, semolina, dessicated coconut, baking powder and soda bicarbonate. Mix it. Take a beater and beat the liquids till the sugar has dissolve. Gradually add half of the the dry ingredients and beat it. Add rest of the dry ingredients and beat it again. Pour the batter in a greased bread loaf tin. Tap the tin once. Sprinkle coconut on top. Bake it at 180 degrees celcius for 35 minutes in a preheated oven. Insert a toothpick to check. Cool it completely before cutting. Serve it with whip fresh cream or ice cream or just have it at tea time....

Chicken Peri Peri Fry...

Chicken Peri Peri Fry...

It is spicy.. and tasty...it can be had as snacks with dips or used for sandwich or rolls.. 

Ingredients 

Chicken boneless cut into 6 pieces long thick strips 

2 tbsp Peri Peri Sauce 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Lime juice 

1 Egg

Oats

Oil to fry

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add all the above ingredients except oil and bread crumbs,  mix it well. Keep it aside for 1 hour. Heat the oil. Coat the chicken pieces with oats and fry it till golden brown in colour.   

Yogurt Cheesy Mint Sauce

Yogurt Cheesy Mint Sauce

It's cheesy, minty and tangy in taste can be used as dips... 

Ingredients 

1 cup Yogurt beaten 

1/4 cup Cream 

1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese 

4 tbsp Milk

2 tbsp Mint chopped 

Salt to taste

Method 

Take a pot, heat the cream. Add salt and cheese. Stir and cook until it thickens up. Add the cheese and the mint in the yogurt and mix it. Add milk. Mix and keep it aside.

Pita Bread

 Pita Bread

It is a Lebanese bread had with Hummus, Salad and Falafel... it's better to make these at home. Easy to make even if you don't have a oven.

Ingredients

2 1/2 + 2 tbsp  cup All Purpose Flour 

2 tsp Dry or Instant Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

1/2 cup Lukewarm water + More water as required 

2 tbsp Olive oil

Method

Add yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and let it proof for 10 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour and salt and mix it well. When the yeast is ready pour the yeast on the flour. Mix the dough well. If required add more water little at a time and start mixing the flour and kneading it into a soft dough. Add a tbsp olive oil and knead it for 5 minutes. Drizzle some more oil on the dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest until it rises double its size. When the dough is ready, sprinkle some flour on the dough and remove the air from the dough.  Knead it again for few seconds and make 6 equal portions of the dough. Arrange the balls on a greased tray leaving some distance, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. With a help of a rolling pin roll out each ball into a 1/3 inch thick circle. Let the dough circles rest for 10 minutes.

To Bake Pitas in the Oven...

While rolling the dough,heat the oven to 260 degrees celsius and preheat it. Put a baking tray on the middle rack to heat. Put as many rolled out pitas that fits on the baking directly for about 3 minutes. The pita will start to puff up after two minutes and is done when it has fully ballooned. Cover baked pitas with a towel while cooking any remaining pitas.

To Bake Pitas on the Stovetop...

Warm a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the excess. Put the rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, press the surface gently with a towel. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes.  The pita should start to puff.  Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean dishtowel while cooking the remaining pitas.

Chicken Peri Peri Fry with Veggies and Yogurt Chessy Mint sauce served in Pita Pockets...

Chicken Peri Peri Fry with Veggies and Yogurt Chessy Mint sauce served in Pita Pockets...

Love the spiciness of the Peri Peri, the tangy chessy minty yogurt dip and the goodness of the veggies servered in the pita bread pockets. A complete meal by itself...

For Yogurt Cheesy Mint Sauce

Please click on the link for the recipe....

http://suskitchenbysumitra.blogspot.com/2016/06/yogurt-cheesy-mint-sauce.html

For Chicken Peri Peri Fry

Please click on the link for the recipe....
http://suskitchenbysumitra.blogspot.com/2016/06/chicken-peri-peri-fry.html

For Pita Bread

Please click on the link for the recipe...

http://suskitchenbysumitra.blogspot.com/2016/06/pita-bread.html

For Assembling 

Ingredients 

Yogurt Chessy Mint Sauce

Chicken Peri Peri Fry

Pita Bread cut into half

1/4 cup Red Cabbage finely sliced 

1 Onion sliced 

1 Tomato cut into thin stripes 

4 Pickled Gherkins sliced

Method 

Take a pita slice and create a pocket. Add the chicken pieces, vegetables, pickled gherkins and sauce. Enjoy the spicy Peri Peri taste along with the chessy minty yogurt...

Kur Kure Chicken Pakora

Kur Kure Chicken Pakora 

Monsoon and garm...garm.... chai... pokora and bhajiyas.. has to be there. Let's have a non veg pakora .. Chicken Pakora.. crispy and cruncy..Su Style.... Easy to make..
Ingredients
1 bowl Boneless Chicken breast pieces
1 small Onion chopped
1 Green Chilli
2 Garlic Clove
1 small piece Ginger
1 tsp Madras Curry powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Gram flour
3 tbsp Rice flour
Few Coriander leaves
Oil to fry

Method
Take all the above ingredients except oil and add it into a chopper or food processor. Coarsely grind the ingredients. Heat oil in a wok. Add 1/2 tsp mixture into the oil. Repeat the process till the wok is full. Fry it till golden brown on a low flame. Serve it hot...

Dal Khichadi

Dal Khichadi.... 

It's raining from morning... finally.....
It's a bliss to have hot Khichadi during monsoon....It is made with different types of dal, rice and vegetables. Khichadi is made all over India, with some variations.
As a side dish some Chicken pokora which is very quick and easy...
 http://suskitchenbysumitra.blogspot.com/2016/06/kur-kure-chicken-pakora.html
 Some fried some papads.... adding on to it my home made non veg pickle made the dish complete... Absolutely soul food...

Ingredients
2 cups Rice washed and soaked
1/2  cup Tur Dal washed and soaked
1/2 cup Moong Dal washed and soaked
1 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
3 Garlic cloves chopped
2 Green chillies chopped
Few Green Peas
1/4 cup of each Vegetables chopped  (Carrot, Capsicum, French beans, Cauliflower and Potato)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Few Curry leaves
1 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Ghee
Few Coriander Leaves chopped

Method
Take a heavy bottom pot. Add oil, let it heat. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, chillies, garlic and onion. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the vegetables. Stir it and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and the dals. Stir it. Add the spices and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups of water. Stir and let it cook. If required add more water and spices. Cook till all the ingredients have well blended. Add ghee and garnish with coriander leaves.

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha...

This paratha is good for children who refuses to eat green leafy vegetables. This can be eaten with curd and pickles.
Ingredients
4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 bowl Spinach Purée
1 tsp Ginger Chilli paste
1 tbsp Mint chopped
2 Green chillies chopped
1 bowl of grated Cottage cheese
1/2 cup Curd beaten
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Curry powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Cumin powder for stuffing
Salt to taste
Ghee to fry the Parathas

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour, spices, salt and oil. Mix it well. Add curd and spinach purée. Mix it, add water as required and start kneading into a dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Take the grated cottage cheese, add salt, cumin powder, chopped chillies and mint leaves. Mix it. Divide the dough into lemon size balls. Take a ball. Flatten it. Fill a tbsp of the stuffing. Seal the dough from the edges. Coat the dough with dry flour. Roll it. Heat a skillet up. Place the rolled dough on the skillet. Cook the paratha on both the sides for 2 minutes until bubbles appear.  Apply ghee and fry the paratha... Serve it hot..

Umm Ali .....

Umm Ali .....

Umm Ali, also called Om Ali, is a very popular sweet dish of Egypt. This dessert is a version of bread pudding from the West. It is made from freshly baked puff pastry. This dish can be made in various ways... This dish has a long history. Om Ali is named after Sultan Ezz El Din Aybak’s wife, back in the 13th century.  She made it for a victory celebration, and distributed it among the people of the land.

 Here I have made it with a healthy twist... I have used Cornflakes...this dish can be served as a sweet dish during Ramadan... 

Ingredients

2  cups Cornflakes 

1 cup Milk 

1 cup Amul cream 

6 tbsp or more Sugar 

1 tbsp Icing Sugar 

1 tsp Kewda or Vanilla essence 

1 cup mix Dry Fruits  (chopped Almond, Pistachio,Walnuts, Cashewnuts and Raisins)

1 tbsp Dessicated Coconut

Method

Heat the milk in a pot, add the sugar and the essence into the milk. Bring it to boil. Keep it aside. Spread the Cornflakes in the baking dish. Pour the milk, after 10 minutes sprinkle half of the dry fruits. Warm up the cream and pour it on top. Sprinkle rest of the dry fruits, coconut and  icing sugar. Bake in preheated oven on 190 degree celcius for 15 minutes.

Oats ar Chana diye Gurer Payesh (Oats and Paneer Payesh with Date Jaggary)...

Oats ar Chana diye Gurer Payesh (Oats and Paneer Payesh with Date Jaggary)...

This is a Bengali sweet dish made out of the Date Jaggary, Milk and Paneer. Here I have given it a twist by adding in Oats. It has a rich and creamy texture and delicious in taste. 

Date Jaggery are usually found in the shops during winter. But I always keep a stock of it in the fridge to be used through out the year.. In case date jaggery is not available then you can also use Sugar... 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of Milk

4 tbsp Oats roasted 

1/2 cup Paneer crumble

1/2 cup Date Jaggary grated

Pinch of Cardamom

Pinch of Salt

Few Broken Cashewnuts

Few Raisins

1 Bay Leaf

Method

Take Milk in a pot and add the bay leaf. Keep it on low flame and let it simmer till the quantity reduces to half. Add the paneer, oats, salt, cardomom powder, raisins and cashewnut. Stir it and cook for 5 minutes more on low flame. Add the jaggery and stir it till the jaggery dissolves and simmer it for 10 minutes. Switch off the flame. Garnish it with some more cashewnuts and raisins. Serve it hot or cold.

Stirred Cottage Cheese and Veggies with Jew's - ear Fungus....

Stirred Cottage Cheese and Veggies with Jew's - ear Fungus....

During my husband's recent visit to China, one of his Chinese business associate had gifted him this dried Fungus... I was curious to try it out..loved the spongy.. rubbery texture. 

Auricularia auricula-judae, also known as the Jew's ear, wood ear, jelly ear or by a number of other common names, is a species of edible Auriculariales fungus. It has ear-like shape and brown colour, it grows on elderly woods. The name derived from the belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree and is known as Judas's ear... And eventually became Jew's ear, while today jelly ear and other names are sometimes used. The fungus can be found throughout the year in temperate regions worldwide, where it grows upon both dead and living wood. It is popular and used in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It has a rubbery texture and no flavour of it's own... 

Ingredients

1 bowl  Cottage cheese cut into cubes

12 Jew's ear Fungus soaked it hot water for 2 minutes, till double in size, drain out the water and then slice it

1 Onion cut into cubes

1 tbsp Garlic cut into strips

1 tbsp Ginger cut into juliennes

2 Green Chillies slit into to half

1 cup Mix colour Capsicum cut into cubes

Sauce

2 tbsp Oil

Method

Heat oil in a wok. Add the garlic and chillies. Sauté it for a minute. Add onion and stir fry it for 2 minutes. Add the capsicum. Sauté it for a minute. Add the fungus and the cottage cheese. Stir it. Add the sauce and ginger. Stir fry it for 2 minutes. Serve it hot. 

To make the Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp Chilli Vinegar

1 tbsp Honey

1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Corn Starch

1/4 cup Water

Method

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl.

Potato Garlic Chessy Buttery Pull apart Buns ...

Potato Garlic Chessy Buttery Pull apart Buns ...

Bread making is so... so.. therapeutic. Plus home made breads are healthy too. When ever I am down.. bread making has boosted up my energy. I love using my hands for kneading. It is easy too. Once you have the techniques of making basic bread.. you can innovative your own breads...

 

Ingredients
4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 tbsp Dry Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup of Lukewarm Water
1 cup Lukewarm Milk
1 tsp Garlic Seasoning
Salt to taste
1 Egg (Optional)
2 Potatoes peeled, grated and excess water squeezed out
1 cup Cheddar Cheese
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Melted Butter
1/2 cup Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese mix
Egg wash or 

Butter and Milk wash

Method
Take 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add sugar. Stir it, add yeast. Stir it and keep it aside to rise. Take a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt, garlic seasoning. Mix it. Make a well in the centre. Add yeast water, milk, egg, potatoes and cheese.  Mix it and start kneading the dough. Add extra water little at a time till it forms a soft dough. In the beginning it will be bit sticky.  Add a tbsp of butter and knead it. Take the remaining 1 tbsp of the butter little at a time and keep kneading for 10 minutes. Rub butter on the dough, cover and keep it to rise. Sprinkle little flour, punch and knead the dough.  Make lemon size equal balls. Grease a round baking tray. Dip the balls in the melted butter and arrange the balls in the baking tray. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes. Apply egg wash on the dough.  Bake it at 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes in a preheated oven. Take it out from the oven. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle some seasoning too. Bake it for another 10 minutes. Once done remove it from the oven. Cool a bit... Have it with any dips...   

Eggless Fruity Nutty Sweet Bread Loaf.... Using Tangzhong made from Custard powder...

Eggless Fruity Nutty Sweet Bread Loaf....

Using Tangzhong made from Custard powder... 

Normally “tangzhong” or “water roux,” is made mixing water and flour, some times milk is also used instead of water. It is cooked and stirred until it forms a paste. Then, this paste is removed from the heat and allowed to cool, and added to the flour and yeast. By doing so it enhances and improves the texture and moisture in the bread. It stays soft and fluffy. 

Here I have used custard powder instead of flour and milk instead of water and added vanilla essence and sugar. The bread has turned out to be soft and has a rich and enhanced taste. 

This is an experimental recipe from my kitchen.

For the Custard Tangzhong

Ingredients

4 tbsp Vanilla Custard Powder

1 1/4 cup Milk

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Method

Take a pan, add a cup of milk, on low flame let it simmer. Take the remaining milk in a cup. Add the custard powder and mix it. Add sugar to the simmering milk. Stir it till the sugar dissolves. Add the custard paste to the milk, stirring it continuously cook it till it thickens. Add the essence, stir and switch off the flame. Stir the mixture till it cools downs a bit. Keep it aside till it cools down completely. 

For the Bread

Ingredients

3 cups of All Purpose Flour

3 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup lukewarm Milk

2 tbsp Dry Yeast

1 tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Custard Tangzhong

Few dried Cranberries

Few Raisins

Few dried Blue Berries

Few Broken Cashewnuts

Few Almond Flakes

2 tbsp Butter

1/2 tbsp Butter + 1/2 tbsp Milk for Brushing

Method

Take the yeast in a cup. Add sugar and lukewarm milk. Stir it and keep it aside to rise. Take a mixing bowl. Add the flours (keeping 1 cup flour aside) and salt. Mix it. Make a well. Add the yeast water and the custard. Mix all the ingredients together to form a dough. The dough will be sticky so add little of the remaining flour while kneading the dough. Knead it for 5 minutes. Add a tbsp of butter and knead it well for 5 minutes more. Grease the dough. Cover and keep it till it rises double in size. Once it is double in size, sprinkle with some flour and punch and knead the dough. Add the dry fruits  (cranberries, raisins, cashewnut and almond). Mix it with the dough. Take a bread loaf pan. Grease it. Shape the dough and place it in the pan. Keep it aside till it rises again. Brush the loaf with butter and milk wash.   Bake it at 180 degrees celcius for 25 to 30 minutes in a preheated oven. Take it out and cool it completely before cutting.

Mango Coconut Kesar Laddu

Mango Coconut Kesar Laddu 

Ingredients 

2 cups Mango pulp 

1 1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut 

1/2 cup Milk Powder 

1/2 cup Sugar 

1/4 tsp Cardomom powder 

2 Pinch of Salt 

2 Pinch of Saffron 

Few Almond Flakes

1 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Take a wok, add  3/4 cup coconut and other remaining ingredients in the wok. Keep stirring on a low flame for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup coconut, keep stirring till the mango pulp becomes thick and sticky. Add 1/1 tbsp ghee.  Stir it, too check, take a small portion and try rolling it. It will be sticky, but it will form a ball. Take a plate, grease it with ghee. Pour the hot mixture into the plate. Spread it. Keep it till it is easy to handle. Take the remaining coconut on a plate. Apply ghee on the palms. Divide the mixture in to equal portions. Roll it into a ball. Coat it with coconut.

Kiymali Pide (Turkish Flat Breads with Ground Meat and Vegetables)....

Kiymali Pide

Turkish Flat Breads with Ground Meat and Vegetables....

For the Dough 

Ingredients

3 cups All Purpose Flour + Flour for dusting

1 1/2 tbsp Dried Yeast

1/2 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste 

1 cup Lukewarm Water

3 tbsp Olive oil

Method 

Take half cup lukewarm water. Add yeast and sugar, stir it. Keep it aside to rise. Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre, add 2 tbsp olive oil and yeast water. Gradually mix the flour and add the remaining water little at a time to make a dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Add the remaining oil and knead it further. Cover and keep it aside till it rises double in size.

For the Topping

Ingredients 

1 bowl  ground Mutton

1 medium size Onion finely chopped

2 medium Tomatoes deseeded and diced

½ Green Capsicum  finely diced

Salt and Pepper to taste 

1 tbsp Lime juice 

1 tbsp Olive oil

Method 

Take a pan. Heat oil. Add onion and capsicum. Sauté it till it has become soft. Add the tomatoes. Sauté it for another 2 minutes. Add in the lemon juice,  salt and pepper. Turn the heat off. Add the ground meat to the cooked vegetables and mix it. 

Keep it aside.

To Assemble the Kiymali Pide

Ingredients 

Dough 

Topping 

1 egg beaten + 1 tbsp Olive oil mix to brush the Pide

Method 

Once the dough has risen, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for a minute. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into oval shape, thickness of the dough should be 1/2 cm. Place the oval flat bread dough on a greased baking tray. Spread the filling evenly on the flat bread, leaving 2 cm at the edges as a border. Fold in the sides. Press the oval dough at each end to make it pointy. Brush the edges of dough with egg and oil mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees celcius in a preheated oven , until the pide is golden brown and crispy at the edges. Once cool, cut into slices and serve.