Jalapeño Fritters | Molagai Bajji

It is perhaps unfair to post jalapeño two days in a row. But you need to know just how sinfully delectable both these dishes are. I wouldn't categorize either of these as "Healthy Foods". The baked cheese jalapeño, although 'baked' involves a ton of cheese; while these fritters avoid cheese but make up for the fat by frying in hot oil! Ideally, you could eat one. (or if you've been good & working out, then two! :P) Since these fritters are stuffed with mashed potatoes, you're left feeling full after just one or two. This is a very basic version. I wouldn't recommend spicing up the stuffing as the jalapeños are spicy.

Baked Cheese Jalapeño

RULE NO. 1: You need to be audacious to eat jalapeños. If you haven't trained yourself to bear hot spice, bid adieu now.

Have you got what it takes to be a jalapeño eater? :-D You never know if biting into one is going to harvest that phenomenal flavor and kick (that is the basis for so many Southwestern foods) or if that one little bite will pack such a fierce punch that you'll be running around the room mouth agape and begging for something to cool it all down.

Cheesy Vegetable Sandwich

One of the reasons why I get to experiment a lot with food is because I am not responsible for ensuring that everybody at home is fed on time. That's Ma's job. So, I don't mind spending an hour or 2 for every recipe. But I can fathom how some don't like to spend more time in the kitchen than what's absolutely necessary. "There isn't enough time for making dinner, and you want me to make your fancy cakes?" - said a dear relative of mine to me. :-D That's when I realized the lack of simple and quick recipes on my blog. This sandwich, is my answer to all you people who have no time for themselves. Of course, it involves cheese, mayo or béchamel sauce. That's how it becomes tasty! ;-) Feel free to skip any ingredient while you make it.

Mawa Cupcakes | Milk Cheese Cupcakes

For the recipe + step by step pictures of this spongy & delicious cake, please visit - http://foodomania.com/mawa-cupcakes-milk-cheese-cupcakes/

Chinese Vegetable Noodle Soup

I have said it before. I am not a soup person. But then, my idea of soup has always been blitzing the hell out of beautiful tomatoes and then further slaughtering by squeezing out the liquid from the puree! But if soups can look as beautiful as this one, then I'd like to change my opinion! ;-)

Noodle Burrito | Noodle Frankie

Noodle Frankie is extremely popular in my college. A thin tortilla stuffed with red hot noodles and other spices and rolled like a Burrito makes it an absolute delight to munch on during breaks. Bit by the nostalgia bug, (I graduated in March) I decided to recreate the same roll at home. And I believe I almost succeeded. A bit of tailoring the recipe here and there would give me the perfect homemade Noodle Burrito I've been looking for. What you see here is the perfect Noodle Frankie recipe (I hope so!).

Chinese Fried Rice | Cooking With Kin #16#

I'm a sucker for good looking food photographs. (well, who isn't?) No matter how good your food tastes, your success as a food blogger lies in food styling, photographing & presentation. Nisha, from Spusht is one such blogger I follow religiously. Some of her recipes like the Gobi Manchurian, Almond Pudding Cake, Manchow Soup just give you the best use of time spent on just-another-food blog. The photographs are so beautiful that you wont even care about the recipe! You'll just want to ape her creation. I'll stop yakking now. Here's Nisha with her Chinese Fried Rice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bhel Puri - Mumbai Street Food

Every street, every beach and every hotel will have Bhel Puri (pronounced as Bhél Pooree) on their menu. It is impossible to come to Mumbai and leave without noticing this very popular snack. :) Bhel Puri is a mixture of Puffed Rice and other veggies & spices in a tangy tamarind sauce. It is also called Jhaal Muri in Kolkatta (meaning - Hot puffed rice) and Churumuri in Bangalore.

Dabeli | Indian Sloppy Joe

Dabeli is traditionally sold on the streets of Gujarat and Mumbai. It is made with a sweet and spicy potato mixture which is filled into a small burger bun and then topped with onion, pomegranate, fresh garlic chutney and sév. Pomegranate gives the additional juicy tart-like taste to the Dabeli. (in fact, I would go to the extent of saying - if you can't find pomegranates, don't eat dabeli! :D)

Medu Vadai | Black Gram Dumpling | *200th Post*

This happens to be my 200th post on Edible Entertainment! :-) And this is one of my most favorite recipes in the world...
Medu Vadai. (pronounced as May-dhooo V-uh-dye) is a traditional favorite of south Indian, especially Tamil cuisine and is an indispensable part of the menu on festivals. ‘Medu’ means soft, and the dumplings must live up to the name. This is the basic version of the fried snack. There are so many different varieties possible with the same batter.

Masala Vadai (Lentil Dumpling) | Cooking With Kin #2#

I still look at the confirmation email she sent me and wonder, "Huh! Did she say YES to me?! Really?" I've been a big fan of her simple and beautiful blog. Her beautiful food photographs just make you wanna cook (or eat!) that very moment. I can't tell you the number of times I've filled my hungry stomach just looking at her Kebabs, Pink Cutlet, Lasagna, Mysore Pak and so many other delicacies!

I have tried recipes like Dum Aloo and Batata Vada from her blog. And today, I am really delighted to have her do a guest post for my CWK Series. Folks, please welcome the founder of Bake Fest & Dish it Out; the Rajnikanth of the blog-world :-D - Vardhini Koushik of Zesty Palette! *trumpets*

Cheesy Bread Cigars

 

I've got this amazing finger food for you! You'll laugh reading the recipe. Only because, its not exactly a recipe! :-D No exact measurements, no proper instructions! And yet, you can produce this awesomely awesome Bread Cigars in under 10 minutes. And yes, I came up with it myself! ;-)

Vegetable Croquette (Kebab)

 

Continuing my quest for quick and low-fat snacks, I present to you these vegetable croquettes. Croquette is just a fancy name for our Desi kebab. When I had to hop to Neetu's picturesque blog for this week's BHW, I decided to make these. And since Croquette sounds cool, I decided to call it just that. :-D I altered the recipe to accommodate the ingredients I had. You can do so too. 

Pizza Pinwheels

With every new dish you learn something new. And what did I learn this time? Always buy your YEAST fresh. Since I didn't have an oven for the past 4 months, I didn't use yeast at all. And today when I used it- well, it deceived me. The dough didn't rise at all! I knew there wasn't any problem with my yeast-proofing. (let me take a moment to boast here and say, I'm a pro when it comes to yeast :-D) But I didn't realize that the dry yeast that I bought in January this year wouldn't work its magic. But I went ahead and baked it anyway. Since the dough didn't rise, I could only make 4 pinwheels instead of the estimated 8. Next time, I'm gonna try it with fresh yeast.
Of course, I could have used assorted vegetables for the filling, but since my mood was deflated by yeast, I only used tomato ketchup, cheese, garlic & onions. The final dish looked and tasted really great. All my fears were put to a rest. :-)

 

Paneer Pakoda | Cottage Cheese Dumplings

For this recipe, visit http://www.foodomania.com
Link to this recipe - http://foodomania.com/paneer-pakoda-twist/

Double Decker Pizza

Here’s a dish I came up with sitting on the upper deck of a double-decker bus in Mumbai. Hence the name: Double-Decker Pizza. It’s funny how the mind comes up with ideas when you least expect it to. But that’s how it is, heh? :) Once again, with Pizza, you never have to follow the recipe to the *T*. Play with the spices & include the veggies you love!

Rotini Pasta with Cheese Sauce (Microwave)

Um.... I have been staring at the computer screen for the past 10 minutes trying to come up with a good introduction for this post. But every time I look at the Cheesy Pasta, I fail to do justice to this sinful pleasure! :-D So, I decided to just upload the pictures & get on with the recipe :-)

2 in 1: Tofu Open Sandwich & Tofu Bread Rolls

When do you realize that an interest has become a passion?
The answer is when you start creating recipes in your head when you are in a lecture with the professor teaching something really important for the exam! :-D Okay, I'm not so proud of not paying attention in class, but I'm totally proud of what I've managed to create today. :P And rest assured, today will be the last time I day-dream about food. I've got an exam to clear!

Pav Bhaji | Mixed Veg Curry with Burger Buns

Hi folks!
Yet another Blog Hop Wednesday... And I found myself hopping over to Nirmala's Kitchen. And to my delight, what did I find? PAV BHAJI! (paa-oh bhaa-jee) Since the time I sprouted teeth, I remember eating Pav Bhaji every time we went to a restaurant - every-single-time without fail! Pav Bhaji is one of my most favorite dishes ever. Just thinking about it makes me drool! :-D And who makes the best Pav Bhaji (besides Sadguru Hotel in Mumbai)?? My Momma! :-D Yes, I love the hotel Pav Bhaji. But they make you feel heavy right away! My mom's Pav Bhaji is light & I can keep gobbling more & more! :-D So, following the basics of Nirmala's recipe, I finally learnt my Amma's magic! :-)

A little about Pav Bhaji -
Its pretty much a mixed vegetable curry eaten with Pav. Pav is similar to your Burger Buns (although not quite) You can eat the curry with any form of bread, tortillas, rice etc. I eat the curry in bucket-loads! :-) Of course, if you don't have the cpcity to bear the spice, you're dead! :-D But nothing that can't be adjusted with a little sugar & little less of the red-chili powder & other spices.

B&W doesn't give the effect, does it? :-|

Now- there are different ways of making the curry. But I settled for my mother's method because it seems like the easiest one. She used the Pressure Cooker method.
Ingredients -
For the Curry:
Potato - 2 medium sides cut into small cubes
Bell Pepper / Capsicum - 1 chopped finely
Carrot - 1, cut into small pieces
Cauliflower - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 3-4, chopped
Onion - 2 medium sliced finely
Peas - 1/2 cup, boiled (i skipped coz I didn't have)
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Ginger - 1 teaspoon grated
Green chilies - 2, chopped 
Red Chili Powder - 1 teaspoon (more or less)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Pav Bhaji Masala / Garam Masala - 1 tablespoon
Salt  - to taste; 1-2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1/4th of a teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoons
For Garnish:
Butter - 1 teaspoon
Pav Bhaji Masala / Garam Masala - 1 tablespoon
Coriander / Cilantro leaves - to decorate


Method
1. Wash the cauliflower well & boil it in salt water. Flowers tend to have worms in between so it is important to do this - apparently. Drain excess water

2. Keep the other veggies ready.

3. Heat 2 TB of oil in a pressure cooker & add the onions

3. Then add green chilis & ginger, garlic. Sauté for 1 minute

4. Add the turmeric powder & saute

5. Next, add salt

6. Then, add potatoes & Sauté well

7. Add carrots & capsicum & mix well.

8. Add a pinch of sugar (to balance the flavors)

9. Add red chili powder 

10. Garam Masala / Pav Bhaji Masala & mix

11. Add the boiled cauliflowers & mix well.

12. Let the veggies cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes & mix

13. Finally add enough water to cover the entire vegetables-mix

That's it. Now let it cook in the pressure cooker (until about 5-6 whistles) (takes about 15-20 minutes)
14. Switch off the flame. Once you can open the cooker, take a large spoon or a vegetable-masher & mash the entire mix.

(I over-mashed it. Don't mash it to the int that it looks like pulp)

15. Then add the boiled peas & mix. (I skipped)

16. This is what my mum does for extra flavor. > Heat butter & add 1 TB of Pav Bhaji / Garam Masala  mix well

17. Add this to the mashed veggies & mix well again.

18. Garnish with some Coriander leaves & onion slices.

Serve with toasted Pav / Bread / Buns / Tortillas / Rice etc.

Best eat with Pav.

~~~~~~Slurp~~~~~~

One of the famous Mumbai Street foods. If prepared at home with care, it can be a very healthy lunch option too. 

Linking it to Radhika's BHW & also linking this one to the Healthy Lunch Challenge hosted by Edible Entertainment (started by Smita) & Pari's Only Curries

Pasta Au Gratin with Tomato & Pesto Sauce (In a Microwave)

3 days ago, when I got a mail from BBC GoodFood India inviting me to be a part of their celebration of the GoodFood day, I was mildly surprised! BBC GoodFood is launching its first international food magazine today. And to coincide with the launch, they are celebrating today as the GoodFood day. ☺ I'm a frequent visitor of the BBC website. I love their health tips, Competitions, recipes etc. This was a dream chance I was getting & I wasn't about to throw it away because of my "busy schedule". 

All they asked me to do was to don my thinking cap & come up with a dish I've never tried before & host a party for my dear ones. And that is exactly what I did. However, I did have 2 problems:

> No time during the day (or even night!) to make this.

> No oven to bake the Au Gratin

So what did I do? I made the dish after everyone went to sleep. Literally after midnight! (yes Swati, I took inspiration from you!) And then, I woke up my brother & we had a blast eating it! It was one helluva party! ;-) And no matter how hazardous it is to eat stuff (especially such high-calorie ones) at night, there is always the thrill of doing the forbidden!!  :P Plus, I really am planning to workout. :-D :-D

I made the Pesto sauce in the morning before leaving for work. (My mom thinks I'm going crazy! She thinks I'm a cookaholic! :D) This dish has a few steps to follow. But trust me, it really is very simple! Since I made it in the Microwave, it takes just about 8-10 minutes to cook. :) [I am rapidly forgetting my old oven & falling in love with the microwave!]

RECIPE -

Ingredients ~

Pasta shells - 300 grams - 2 cups (I used different shapes)

Onion - 1 medium - chopped (optional)

Mixed vegetables - 1 cup (optional)

Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon (or any other oil)

Pesto Sauce*

Tomato Sauce*

White Sauce*

Parmesan/ Cheddar/ Mozzarella Cheese*

Salt - to taste

Chili Flakes & Oregano

Microwave

* I haven't given any measurements for these because you can use as much as you want!

Steps:

I. Make the Pesto Sauce (or buy)

II. Make the White Sauce (or buy)

III. Make the Tomato Sauce (or buy)

IV. Make the Pasta

V. Prepare the Au Gratin dish.

V. Microwave away~~~

I. Make the Pesto Sauce - Check ✔

II. Make the White Sauce - Check ✔

III. Make the Tomato Sauce - Check ✔

IV. Make the Pasta -

    1. Heat water in a pan with generous amounts of salt.

    2. Put the pasta in the hot water & let it boil for about 1 minute.

          (don't cook completely since you are gonna keep in microwave too)

    3. Filter the water & transfer the pasta to cool water.

    4. Heat oil in a pan.

    5. Add onions & veggies & stir fry for about 2 minutes.

    6. Add salt per taste.

    7. Add the Pasta & mix well.

    8. Separate the Pasta into to bowls. In one, mix it with Pesto Sauce

    9. In other, mix with tomato sauce / Pizza sauce (I used ketchup)

V. Preare the Au Gratin dish -

   1. Take a microwave safe bowl/dish. Add some Pesto Pasta to the dish. 

   2. Then, drizzle white sauce all over it.

   3. Add grated cheese.

   4. Next put some Red (tomato sauce) Pasta on top of it.

   5. White Sauce & then cheese.

   6. Repeat until the dish is filled / Pasta is over.

   7. Skip if you want: Add lots of cheese all over the dish. (of course, you can be health-conscious & add just a spoon-full! :P

   8. Sprinkle some Oregano & Chili Flakes on top.

VI. Microwave Away -

My Microwave doesn't have any temperatures or anything. A simple heat or grill option. So what I did was -

   1. Cover the dish with a plastic wrap or lid

   2. Heat (for cheese to melt) for 2 minutes.

   3. Grill for 5 minutes.

Your Cheesy Pasta Au Gratin is READY! :-)

Happy GoodFood Day everyone!
===========================================

Will be announcing an event shortly. Stay tuned. ☺