Mac cheese spinach

Many months back, I saw a recipe for Mac & Cheese Muffins and liked it enough to save it on Pintrest. It could not, however, be done on a microwave, so it remained pinned for many months. When I finally made it, I loved it. I made it with the pasta left over from last night's dinner (by incorporating an egg, pouring into a muffin tin and baking), but the recipe is for making it from scratch.

200 gms penne pasta
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cornflour
2 cup milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp cheese, grated
1 bunch spinach, washed and cut
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg

1 egg white

2 tbsp chopped walnuts
 

Method:
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Pour cold water to stop further cooking, drain and keep aside.
Heat the butter in a pan, add the garlic and when the aroma fills the room, add the spinach and saute till most of the water is released and evaporated. Remove from pan and keep aside.
In the same pan, bring the milk to boiling.
When the milk is slightly warm, use some of it to make a paste with the cornflour.
After the milk comes to a boil, add the cornflour paste, stirring constantly to ensure no lumps are formed. Add salt and pepper, and 4 tbsp cheese. Turn off the flame.

Beat the eggs well, and incorporate into the sauce.
Mix the spinach and the broken walnuts with the pasta, and add the white sauce. 

Pour into greased muffin tins, spread cheese on top, and  bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

Penne in spinach cream sauce

My kids love pasta, and whenever the father is not at home, I end up making pasta for dinner. The addition of spinach is my sole concession to make it "healthy".

200 gms penne pasta
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cornflour
2 cup milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp cheese, grated
1 bunch spinach, washed and cut
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped walnuts, and a few more for garnishing

Method:
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Pour cold water to stop further cooking, drain and keep aside.
Heat the butter in a pan, add the garlic and when the aroma fills the room, add the spinach and saute till most of the water is released and evaporated. Remove from pan and keep aside.
In the same pan, bring the milk to boiling.
When the milk is slightly warm, use some of it to make a paste with the cornflour.
After the milk comes to a boil, add the cornflour paste, stirring constantly to ensure no lumps are formed. Add salt and pepper, and cheese. Turn off the flame.
Mix the spinach and the broken walnuts with the pasta, and add the white sauce. Garnish with walnuts and serve

Aloo vadi

Aloo vadi is one of those typical Punjabi dishes that you get in the North, but which are nearly impossible to replicate because vadis are not easily available elsewhere. Which is why, when I found vadis in my grocery store, I picked them up at once, and instantly made aloo vadis. The tastes hit you in the mouth, and leave you panting for more.

Onions-2, finely diced
Potatoes, cubed- 2 medium
Vadi- 1/3 cup 

Tomato puree - 4 tbsp 

Ginger Garlic Paste- 2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric- ½ tsp
Salt and chili powder, according to taste
Kasoori Methi- ½ tsp
Black pepper powder- ½ tsp
Garam Masala- 1 tsp

Cooking oil- 2 tbsp

 

Method: 

Heat oil in a pressure cooker, and lightly fry the vadis till browned. Drain out the oil and keep aside.

In the same oil, saute the onions till translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and tomato puree and simmer for about 5-7 minutes on a medium flame. 

Add salt, turmeric and coriander powder and keep stirring for another 5 minutes. Add some water, if required, so that the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom. 

Add the potatoes and sauté them for 5-7 minutes. Add red chili powder, and cook till the oil starts to seperate. 

Add the vadis and about 100 ml of water and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Open the cooker when the steam is totally out. Add garam masala, black pepper and kasoori methi, mix and place the lid back on. Let it remain for about 7-8 minutes. This will ensure that the spices are infused well with the curry.

Serve with rotis or parathas.

Eggless, but fail-proof, birthday cake

"Can you please give me a cannot fail eggless cake recipe", went out a frantic message to Kamini the weekend before my husband's birthday. Last year, I had been more than happy to experiment with a banana cake, but this year, I have the beginnings of a reputation as a cook to protect, and I didn't want to risk it on a disaster.

She came back to me immediately with a recipe for a basic yellow cake, which I followed to the letter. And the cake tasted much better than it looked.

3/4 cup butter softened 
1 2/3 cups castor sugar 
1tsp Baking Soda 
1Tbs Vinegar 
1/4 cup Curd (at room temp) 
2 tsp vanilla extract (or any other essence)
3 cups sifted cake flour (for cake flour, you add 1 tbsp cornflour to a cup of maida)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 1/3 cups milk

 
Pre-heat oven to 180C
Grease and dust the baking pans
Beat butter, sugar, curd, vinegar and vanilla together in a large bowl
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a separate bowl. 
Alternately add flour and milk to the wet mixture, mixing well after each addition. 
Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 30min.
Cool for 10min and turn out.

Hummus with leftover rotis

Hummus tastes great with pita bread, but if you don't have it, you can improvise.
Cut leftover rotis into quarters, brush them with a little olive oil, and bake for about 5 minutes, dust with paprika powder and serve.  Tastes as good as the real thing!

J&K,

Tengai sevai

Though a childhood favourite of mine, but I don't even remember the last time I had tengai sevai. So when I saw a packet of rice vermachilli at the grocery store, I picked it up before I could change my mind, and worried about not having a recipe for it only after I got back home. Google to the rescue- once I read two or three recipes, I knew exactly what I needed to do to get the taste I wanted, and the result lived up to nostalgia!

To digress a bit. Tengai sevai was a rarity when I was a child, because my mother used to make the rice noodles from scratch, and unless the proportions were just right, the thing could go horribly wrong. And then, she discovered rice vermachilli, and it ended up at the lunch table quite frequently. Once I left home, though, it never found its way to my plate- perhaps because nobody knew I even liked it. Here's to another childhood favourite, recreated.

1/2 cup rice vermachilli cooked according to instructions and drained
21/2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tbsp cashewnuts
Ghee for frying
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Red chilli, as desired
1/2 tsp urad dal

Roast the cashewnuts in ghee, and keep aside
In the same ghee, make the tempering, then add the grated coconut and stir on low heat for about a minute.
Turn off the flame, add the salt and cooked vermachilli, and mix well.
Serve garnished with cashewnuts.

Calazone

Calazone is something I have seen at bakerys, but rarely tried, because there has always been something else I would rather have. The problem also had to do with the stuffing- at commercial establishments, you are bound by what they decide you should be having, while in fact, you may want to have something quite different.
When I started baking bread, one of the things I wanted to try out was calazone. This is my first attempt, and has a slightly "last minute" stuffing.

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups flour

2 cups oats
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

 

For the filling:

1 onion, chopped

3 pods garlic

1 tomato

3 tbsp olives, chopped

3 tbsp cheese

butter or olive oil

chilli flakes, salt to taste

 

Method

In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm water (only about 1/3 cup), and sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes, until foamy.  If the yeast doesn't become foamy, let it rise for 10 minutes more- unless it is foamy, you are better off throwing it out and starting afresh

Add in flours, and salt and mix well. Add the olive oil, and mix till crumbly.

Add the yeast, and knead for about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and let rise for 60 minutes in a warm place. 

 

Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic till transparent. Add tomatoes and cook till slightly mushy. Add olives, salt and chilli flakes. Keep aside.

Deflate the dough, divide it into six equal parts, and roll them all out into circles. Place the filling in one half, put a layer of cheese, bring the other half down, press into place, and let it rise for another 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush the top with some oil, and bake for 20 minutes till well browned and crispy.

 

 

 In this particular case, I did not give sufficient second rise, so it is not as spongy as it could be.

Kauri methi and coffee

When a friend commented on how she poured her coffee powder into a container that had contained kasuri methi, I got thinking. Kasuri methi does have a sensuousness of its own, might it not be able to tango with coffee?

I make a light infusion of kasuri methi, and added it it my decoction. A dash of milk and half a spoon of sugar, and it wasn't half bad.
When you open your mind, the possibilities are endless.

Bun with Oats

Disasters come in many forms, this is one of them. The last time I baked bread, I added more water than I should have, and could do nothing with the dough except fill it into a tin and bake it. In my infinite wisdom, I figured that the best way to counter that would be to add less water. Good in theory, except, I made the dough too dry, and I ended up with buns that didn't taste too bad, but which looked like they can be used as weapons when a thief breaks in. This is the recipe as it is meant to be.

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups flour

2 cups oats
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Method

In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm water (only about 1/3 cup), and sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes, until foamy.  If the yeast doesn't become foamy, let it rise for 10 minutes more- unless it is foamy, you are better off throwing it out and starting afresh

Add in flours, and salt and mix well. Add the olive oil, and mix till crumbly.

Add the yeast, and knead for about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and let rise for 60 minutes in a warm place. 

Deflate the dough, divide it into balls, place on a greased baking tray and let it rise for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush the top with some oil, and bake for 20 minutes till well browned and crispy.

Remove to a wire rack, and let it cool before serving.

Mushroom cream

When I saw this recipe for crumbed chicken with creamy mushrooms, on MM's blog, I knew I had to try it. Though she makes it as an accompaniment to fried chicken, I served it with bread.

Mushrooms
Butter for frying
Garlic- finely chopped
Onions- finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley
Fresh cream

Method
Heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add onions and garlic, and fry till onions turn transparent.
Add sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat till most of the water disappears
Lower the heat, and add parsley and cream
Stir, and let it cook on a low flame for less than 5 minutes.
Can be had with fried chicken, or with bread.

• Olive oil/Butter
• Mushrooms, thinly sliced )I used button mushrooms)
• Garlic, very finely chopped
• Onions, finely chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
• Fresh parsley, very finely chopped
• Fresh cream

Instructions:

In a non-stick pan heat some olive oil. Add garlic and onions. 

When onions go soft add sliced mushrooms,salt and pepper. 

Cook on medium heat till most of the water evaporates.

 Lower the heat and add some fresh parsley and cream. 

Stir and let it cook for no more than 5 minutes on low flame. - See more at: http://mmskitchenbites.blogspot.in/2012/12/crumbed-chicken-with-creamed.html#sthash.9CBDDR5z.dpuf

Pita bread

Falafel rolls is one of my favourite meals, but one that always looked so esoteric, I never dared attempt it at home. But after my first batch of falafels came out well, I decided to try my hand at pita bread. Not bad for a first attempt, don't you think?

- 2 teaspoon dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/ 3 to 1 1/2 cup of warm water
- 500 gr. flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

makes 8 pitas

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mix the yeast with the sugar and 1/2 cup of water and let it 5 ' to stand and rise. 

Mix the flour with the salt. We make a hole in the center and add the yeast mixture, oil and another 1/2 cup of the remaining water.

Knead , adding as much of the remaining water needed until it forms a soft dough that does not stick to your hands. 

Put the dough in a well oiled bowl and work the dough so will have oil in every spot (not to much , just to be shiny) . Cover with plastic membrane and let it rise for about 1 1/ 2 hours or until the size of the dought is doubled.
Press the dough to deflate and make round pitas (diameter-15cm and thick 1cm). Then coat the well with oil and let them rise .
With a fork, press pitas, making vertical fork marks in rows .
Bake at 230 °C for 5' - 7 '. Pull them from the oven and when they are cool, put them in the freezer in plastic bags and use them when you need them .
When you defrost the pitas , brush them with oil on both sides , sprinkle with salt and oregano and cook them in a pan or on the grill .

These falafels were shallow fried, but no less amazing!

Veg pizza

Ever since I started baking bread, I've been wanting to make pizza from scratch, but for one reason or the other, it has been eluding me. What I did do, however, in order to assuage my conscience slightly, was to create this rather elaborate veg pizza, using a store bought base.
Kids happy, mother almost as happy!

For pizza sauce
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a kadhai. Add 4 garlic pots, and 1 medium onion (both chopped fine), and saute till the onion turns transparent. Add 4 medium tomatoes chopped into small bits, and cook on low with a cover on, till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add red chilli powder, salt and sugar to taste, and take off the fire. When cool, blend in the mixer till it gets a smooth consistency.


Method:
Saute American corn, capsicum, bell peppers in a bit of butter till the corns start turning brown.
Spread pizza sauce on a store bought pizza base, sprinkle the sauteed vegetables, top with lots of grated cheese, and pop it into the oven till the cheese melts. Sprinkle oregano and chilli flakes before serving.

Hummus

Once you learn to make falafels, the next step is to get yourself a good hummus recipe. I did make a lovely basil hummus once, but it is the regular hummus that you need if you want a good dip to accompany your falafels.
Thankfully, I loved this one that Kiki Petriti posted.

200 gr. cooked chickpeas
100 gr. tahini sauce (or, you can replace it with soaked sesame seeds like I did)
salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp cumin powder
juice of 2 lemons
chopped coriander
paprika and olive oil for garnish



We puree the cooked chickpeas, add the tahini (or if you are using sesame, puree that with the soaked chickpeas) and half lemon, salt, coriander and garlic until it is smooth.
Add cumin and salt until to taste.
If it is thick you can add little water or juice from the chickpeas
Garnish with olive oil and paprika

Greek tzatziki

I have never had it in a restaurant, but saw the recipe a couple of months back, and bookmarked it to try "sometime". But when my first batch of falafels came out well, I finally took the plunge and made it. This particular recipe is of Kiki Petriti.

2 1/2 cups drained yoghurt
4 cloves garlic pounded
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp chopped dill
2 tablespoons vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
1 cucumber grated and drained
 
Method
 In a bowl, mix the yogurt,the pounded garlic cloves, salt, vinegar, dill, olive oil and the cucumber, until well combined.

Put the tzatziki into the fridge and let it cool for some hours.It's ready to serve

Potato corn rolls

When I saw the recipe for baked potato-corn rolls, I fell in love with it instantly. But since I wasn't in a mood to feed more maida to the kids than absolutely necessary, I made rotis the normal way, partially cooked them, and then baked them.
However the recipe given here is the original one, because that is the one I might be using if I ever make this for guests.

1cup boiled Cron kernels, coarsely mashed.
2 small Potatoes boiled and chopped finely.
Finely chopped Ginger-Garlic.
Finely chopped Coriander.
2 Onions, Finely chopped.
Plain red Chillie powder, Salt, Amchoor powder, Sugar, Panjabi Garam Masala to taste.
Oil as needed.

Method:
Heat Oil in a pan and sauté Onions, Ginger, Garlic till golden yellow.
Add all the spices.
Add the Coriander, Potatoes, and the Corn. Mix thoroughly and keep aside.

For the covering, knead 1 glass maida with Oil, Salt and Water to a stiff dough.
Let stand for 20 minutes. Divide into 20 portions. Roll out in very thin rotisserie of 5" dia. Lightly roast on Tawa. Don't let brownish bubbles appear on them.
Put a tabsp of filling towards the edge, roll it into a firm roll, and seal with thick Maida paste. Bake in oven, or deep fry in Oil till golden brown. Serve with Poodina chutney.

Beetroot and potatoes in coconut gravey

I had a couple of beetroots languishing in the fridge, aand wanted to make something "different" with them. Checked on the internet, and couldn't find anything that was "just right", so decided to just throw together tastes I thought might work, and this was the result.

2 beetroots, cut into cubes
2 medium potatoes cut into cubes
4 tbsp grated coconut
1 green chilli
1 tsp saunf
salt to taste

For tempering
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
oil

Method
Steam the cubed beetroots and potatoes till soft.
Grind the coconut, green chilli and saunf in the mixer till you get a smooth paste.
Heat the oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the ground masala, and cook it till the the coconut starts browning. Add the steamed vegetables, and water. Cover, and let it cook.
Serve hot with rotis.

Bread pakoras

The hubby loves bread pakodas, because it reminds him of Delhi winters, and meals grabbed after cricket practice. Though I love them too, I rarely make bread pakodas, because there is far too much oil to be handled after the pakodas are made. But sometimes, one makes an exception!

For the stuffing
2-3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 capsicum chopped fine
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
haldi, jeera powder, dhania powder and salt to taste
oil

For the batter
1/3 cup besan
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
1/4 tsp baking soda

Bread
Oil for frying


Method
Heat the oil, and saute the onions and ginger garlic paste till the onions turn transparent
Add the capsicums, and saute till soft
Take off the heat, and mix well with the mashed potatoes and the spices. Keep aside

Make a batter with the besan, spices and sufficient water. Keep aside

Spread a layer of the stuffing between two slices of bread, press down, and cut into triangles. Dip in the batter and deep fry. Drain on kitchen towels and serve.

The oil should be hot when you put the pakodas in- to check it the oil is hot enough, drop a bit of the batter in. If it rises to the top immediately, it is done.

Falafel- the start of my love affair with Lebanese food

Fifteen years back, when I first moved to Bombay as a resident, one of the first things I fell in love with was Falafel. There was a Lebanese Point that delivered my my locality, and I don't think a single fortnight of my stay in that house went by without me ordering "one plate falafel and one packet pita bread" at least once. After we moved, it became something that could be indulged in only rarely, but indulge in it, I still did at every opportunity.
But did I ever think of making falafels? Oh no. That was something other people did. Not me.
And then Kiki Petriti posted a recipe for falafel, and I told myself that the worst thing that could happen was that it would become a disaster, and I tried it. It was with a lot of trepidation that I placed it in front of my husband, but within moments, he gobbled it all up, and was back demanding seconds.
A success, me thinks

250 grams chickpeas
1large onion
2 cloves garlic
½ cup Parsley, chopped
½ cup Coriander, chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp red chilli powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons self rising flour
Oil for frying



Soak chickpeas overnight in enough water.
The next day, drain and purée them. in a food processor little by little. (you can put a Tsp of water so you can work easily the mixture)
 We put the chickpeas purée into a bowl and set aside. In the food processor we add the onion (quartered), garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and puree them too.
We mix the chickpeas with the onion mixture and then we add the flourr, the spices, parsley and coriander and mix well. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a few hours before frying.
We make round balls and fry them until browned on both sides.
Place them on paper towels to absorb the oil.
 
 Note: If the falafel mixture is not thick enough add some extra flour

Classic cupcakes- the way my mother makes them

If there is one thing I am proud of, it is my mother's recipe for sponge cake. As long as you do it right, there is no way you can get it wrong. This was the first time I tried it in the new OTG, and it was every bit as divine as I remember.

100 gms maida
1 tsp baking powder
100 gms sugar (I used half and half, regular and castor sugar)

2 eggs
100 gms butter
vanilla essence
raspberry essence
red food colouring
 
Sift together the maida and the baking powder three or four times till well aerated and keep aside.
Whisk 2 eggs till frothy and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugar taking care that you always stir the spoon in the same direction. Do it till the two are well mixed and creamy.

Add a bit of the flour and some beaten egg to the mixture, and mix till creamy. Keep doing it till all the flour and eggs are mixed. Mix the batter a bit more- the more you mix, the fluffier your cake will be.

Divide the batter into two halves. Put a few drops vanilla essence with one, and a few drops raspberry essence and red food colouring in the other and mix well.

Grease a muffin tray and dust it with flour. Put one teaspoon of each of the two batters in the moulds.

Preheat the over to 200 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, or till a knitting needle pushed into the batter comes out clean.

Modak

I made kozakattai/ modaks for the first time last year, and was over confident this time round. Pride does come before a fall, and I could get barely half a dozen "decent" ones this time.
But since I did make them, and since some of them did come out well, I guess, a photograph is in order!

Rajasthani Dal Dhokli

I love the Gujarati dal dhokli almost as much as I love what my mother calls "alphabet soup", so when I saw a recipe for Rajasthani dal dhokli, I knew I had to try it out right away. Luckily, I had all the ingredients at home (including the most wonderful curry leaves I have tasted in a long, long time), so I didn't have to wait more than a few hours for it.

And it was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

For the dhokali
2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup  gram flour
Red chili powder to taste
Jeera powder
Dhania powder
Salt to taste
Sesame seeds
Water

For the dal
100 gm split bengal gram + split red gram + split .green gram
 Red chili powder
Turmeric powder 
Salt to taste
Water

For the tadka
1 medium onion chopped lengthwise
4 cloves
1 broken dry red chili
1 tsp Zeera
1 tsp Mustard seeds
A pinch of hing
1 spring curry leaves
Red chili powder 
1/2 tsp ginger grated
oil for frying

Method
Pressure cook the dal with turmeric and salt till soft. Remove from the cooker, add chili powder and chili, and keep it on a higher flame.
While the dal is cooking, mix all the ingredients for the dhokli, knead to form a dough, roll and cut into desired shapes.
Add dhokali to the dal one by one, and cook for 15 to 20 minute or till done.

Prepare tadka, and pour it over the dal dhokali mixture. Let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Great with rice, or just like that.

Sevai with green chutney

I've always  loved tengai sevai, and picked up a large packet of rice vermicelli when I saw it at the store. After eating to my heart's content, I decided to try something new, and experimented a bit to come up with this sevai in green chutney, which I quite liked.

1/2 cup rice vermicelli cooked according to instructions and drained
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, washed and destemmed

1/2 tsp lime juice 

1 tbsp walnuts chopped

Ghee for frying
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Red chilli, as desired
1/2 tsp urad dal

Method:

Grind the coriander leaves, and add lime juice, salt and water to make a light paste.

Pour the green paste over the rice vermicelli, and mix well

Heat the ghee, temper and pour the tempering over the vermicelli

Adjust for salt, if required, and serve garnished with walnuts.
Serve garnished with cashewnuts.

Butter cookies

My mother's butter cookies, fresh out of the over, and waiting for the kids to come back home from school and gobble them up. Cooking does give so much happiness, doesn't it?

100 gms sugar
100 gms butter
50 gms rice flour
100 gms maida

a pinch of salt

 

Method:

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees for about 10 minutes
Cream together sugar and butter
Add rice flour and beat well
Add maida and salt and knead to a soft dough (without adding any water)
Spread on  a greased baking tray, and make notches with a knife. Bake for 12-15 minutes till golden brown on top.
Remove from oven, and cool before digging in! 

Chocolate cookies with a hint of chilli

Back in the days when I hated to enter the kitchen, there were about half a dozen recipes I always turned to. Written in my Mother's hand, they were stapled together to form a booklet, ambitiously titled "Miss Mommy's Cookbook".
I found that bunch of stapled papers a couple of days back, and wanted to make the chocolate cookies for old times sake. After mixing the ingredients, I chanced upon a packet of Dominos chilli flakes and threw it in for the heck of it.
Lovin' it!!!!

60 gms maida
30 gms castor sugar (I went with half and half)
30 gms cocoa powder
60 gms butter
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Sift the dry ingredients, rub in the butter, mix well and knead to a dough.
Make 12 equal sized balls, flatten them slightly, place on a greased baking tray and bake at 135 C for 15 to 20 mins.

Quesadillas with leftover roti

On a Monday morning, when you are already dreading the rest of the week, if you see a post that says, "Leftover rotis get a dandy do-over with these delicious Quesadillas", you immediately sit up and take notice. This is my take on the Tadka Pasta girls' dish.

Chop and mix together one onion, 1/2 red bell pepper. 1/2 yellow bell pepper, some olives and a few coriander leaves. Spread this mixture on one half of a leftover roti. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. Fold the roti over, sprinkle some more cheese on top, and grill in the oven till the cheese melts.Cut into wedges and serve with ketchup or salsa

Whole wheat muffins

Dishing up something different for "lunch" everyday is the greatest challenge for someone of my limited culinary expertise. Left to me, I will probably give them dahi-chawal every day, but I know that if I try that stunt they will soon reach a stage where they will never again eat it. And to avoid that fate, I am forced to innovate.

1 measure whole wheat atta

1 medium cucumber grated
1/2 measure curds

Salt and pepper to taste

Olives for garnish

Mix all the ingredients (except the garnish) in a bowl, and beat a few times till frothy (it should be of the same consistency as idli batter- add water to make it thinner if required).
Grease the paniyaram pan with ghee, pour the batter into the moulds and let it cook on a low flame till well browned. Before turning it over, place the olives on top, and let the other side brown too.
Serve with dahi and/ or butter.