Fusilli in tomato- basil mince sauce

"Can we have pasta for lunch", asked my Older One. I had been planning to make tengai sevai, but when someone really wants to eat something, it is hard to say no to them. I rustled up this dish using the ingredients I had in the house, and it was polished off in no time at all.

1 1/2 cup pasta

2 fat, juicy tomatoes, chopped

4-6 pods garlic, cut into small pieces

3 tbsp tomato puree

Red chilll powder

Salt and sugar to taste

2 tbsp fresh basil OR 1 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup soya granules

2 tsp olive oil

Cheese and cherry tomatoes for garnish

Method

Heat the oil, and fry the garlic till lightly browned.
Add the tomatoes, and fry till mushy.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet, drain and keep aside
Soak the soya granules in hot water for a minute, drain and keep aside
Add soya granules, tomato puree, chilli powder, salt and dried basil (if using) to the tomato paste, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Take off the fire. Check the taste and add a bit of sugar, if required
Add the cooked pasta, and torn basil leaves (if using) and mix well.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes and cheese** before serving.

** The cheese is not required, but my family does not consider pasta complete unless there is cheese, so I added it.

Summer Salad- with marigold petals

I loved the idea of making a Summer Salad with marigold petals, and impatiently waited for my sunkissed vinegar to mature so I could use that as a salad dressing. The day finally dawned when I could bring the vinegar out, and we had this light Summer Salad to celebrate!

3 or 4 large lettuce leaves per person
1/4 of a cucumber per person, washed and diced
1 large hard boiled egg per person, peeled and halved
2-3 cherry tomatoes per person
2 tbsp sunkissed vinegar
The petals of 1 marigold flower per person
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Arrange the lettuce leaves in a bowl, shredding them if they are very large.
Place the cucumber in and amongst the lettuce leaves and then add the hard-boiled eggs and tomatos.
Sprinkle salt and pepper, and spread the vinegar evenly over the salad
Scatter the marigold petals over the salad.

Aloo tikki burger

I love most things about our new place, but one thing I don't like about it is the fact that it falls in an area where you can't order a takeaway from Mc Donalds. And that can be a bit of a problem since my younger one loves the aloo tikki burgers from MD more than anything else.
Today, I tried to make it at home, and while my whole-wheat burger was not as soft as the original, it wasn't too bad.

For the burger bun
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cups water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup maida
3/4 cups milk
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
milk for brushing
sesame seeds for sprinkling on top

Method
Heat the water slightly, dissolve the sugar in it, and mix the yeast in it. Let it stand for about 10 minutes, till the yeast becomes nice and frothy. If it doesn't froth, let it stand some more time, and if it still doesn't, just abandon the venture.
Mix the flours and salt well, add the oil, mix well. Pour in the yeast solution and the milk, and knead well for at least 10 minutes (this is essential if you are using whole wheat flour)
Roll into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and let it stand for about one hour. The dough should double in size in that time.
Punch down the dough, divide it into three equal parts, and roll each into a burger shape (to keep the top smooth, you might have to tuck some of the dough at the bottom). Place on a greased baking tray, and let it stand for another 40 minutes. Start the oven after about 30 mins.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, brush with milk, and bake in preheated oven at 220 degrees for 20 minutes.


For patty
Boil 3 potatoes, let it cool, mash. Add salt, haldi, chilli powder, jeera powder and dhania powder according to taste. Add 1 tbsp cornflour, and mix well. Shape into three patties, and shallow fry till golden brown.

Assemble it
Slice the burger bun in half.
Spread a layer of mayonnaise, place a lettuce leaf, a patty, diced onion rings, cucumber and tomatoes. Sprinkle some salt and pepper, close it down with the other half of the bun. Hold in place with a toothpick- cherry tomato optional!