Crepes with Spinach Paneer filling

This Durga Puja turned out the best one for Vishal Vaanya and me as we had the lovely company of my sis-in-law and her family from Lucknow. We spent seven crazy days full of fun, non stop eating out and visiting beautiful places. It was more of a 're-discovering Kolkata' for me and I have replenished my love for the city. 

Park street, as usual, enthralled us with its beauty and I discovered some lovely restaurants there serving amazing food. Along with my niece, I enjoyed the street food served opposite Vardaan market from the famous Puchka's, Bhelpuri, Jhaalmuri and the irresistible Kulfi. With my sis-in-law, I discovered some amazing shops that I have never visited before. The Santiniketan trip was like a cherry on the cake. I was unaware that there exists such a relaxing and beautiful getaway from the city life. 
Well, everything good comes to an end and their short trip ended soon and now we are struggling to come back to our routine life. 
This particular recipe was tried a month back when I saw it on a tv show. I am a sucker when it comes to breakfast options and the fusion crepes shared on the program excited me. The healthy ingredients made the otherwise 'lazy Savoury experiment' person in me try them soon. 

I served the crepes with some balsamic vinegar and honey glazed beetroot. 

(To make them, take olive oil in a pan and add the chopped beetroot. Add balsamic vinegar, honey and soy sauce and let it cook. Adjust seasoning and serve.)

Ingredients : 

Crepes : 

• 4 tbsp all purpose flour (maida)
• 4 tbsp besan (gram flour)
• a pinch of turmeric powder and red chilli powder
• salt to taste

Filling : 

• two handfuls of spinach leaves, washed and finely chopped
• 50 gms paneer, crumbled
• 1/4 cup sweet corn kernels
• a small onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Procedure : 

Filling : 

Heat oil in a pan.

Add jeera and as it splutters, add chopped onion.

Cook for a minute and add the chopped spinach leaves.

Cook for another minute or two and then add the crumbled paneer , sweet corn kernels and salt. 

Mix and cook for another minute. 

Allow to cool.

Crepes : 

Take all purpose flour and besan in a bowl. 

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and mix well.

Add water, as much as required, to attain a crepe like consistency. 

Heat a non stick pan and pour a little oil.

Add a ladle full of the crepe batter and let it cook.

Turn side and allow to cook.

Remove and let it cool to touch.

Take a crepe and make a slit from the centre.

Arrange the filling on the side next to the slit in a triangular manner.

Start rolling the crepe in a triangular shape with the filling till you finish the entire circle.

You may saute the rolled crepe on the oiled pan again to give it a glaze on top. 

Happy healthy indulgence

Amrita

Healthy Veggie Toast

Being a Physiotherapist and hence in the health industry, breakfast according to me (and I am sure to most of you) is a very important meal of the day. 

Breakfast literally means "breaking the fast". It is the first meal taken after getting up from an entire night's fast. 

Food is basically fuel for our bodies and we need to be fuelled well several times in the day in order to function effectively. In the morning, after many hours without food, it is essential to refuel in order to provide the necessary nutrients and energy to get us through the first part of the day. And this is far more important for people suffering from Diabetes as their blood sugar levels are low early morning. People who skip breakfast are likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism and weight and may feel tired and irritable.

Breakfast options varies from place to place, but usually includes some or all of the following: a carbohydrate like grains or cereals,  fruits and/or vegetables, a protein like eggs, cheese, meat or fish and a beverage like tea, coffee or fruit juice.

The recipe that I am sharing today is one of our family favourites. We use brown bread for a healthier option and top it with a mixture of chopped onions, tomatoes and green bell peppers mixed with thick curd and a little sooji/semolina. We than sprinkle it with some breadcrumbs before putting in the oven. What we all love is the crispiness of the bread along with the goodness of vegetables and curd with a wonderful crunch from the browned breadcrumbs.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of brown bread
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 green chilly(optional)
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp thick curd/hung curd
• 1 tbsp sooji/semolina
• salt to taste
• breadcrumbs to sprinkle

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Take chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies and green bell peppers in a bowl and mix curd, semolina and salt into it. Let it stand for 5 mins.

Spread this mixture on bread slices evenly and sprinkle some home-made or store bought breadcrumbs, coating each slice well

Place the slices on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins or till the bread becomes crispy and toasted.

Remember that your body needs Breakfast, everyday.

Happy Breakfast-eating
Amrita

Sending this recipe to Favorite Recipes Event-Breakfast Recipes hosted by an incredible blogger Swathi Iyer.

and to Bake Fest#11

Vegetable Hash Browns

As a child I always loved 'Chatpata' food. I remember Mum used to make this lip-smacking Khati-meethi 'Imli' ki chutney (Tamarind chutney) and I would just wait for it to be poured on homemade 'Chaats' or have it with my favourite 'Matar ki puri'. Blissful days !!

One of my favourite 'Chaats' to enjoy the yummy Imli chutney was Sweet Potato Chaat where you just either boil or roast (like the street vendors do), add spices and pour the chatpati chutney and devour !

 I came across this recipe on a show called Namaste Breakfast on FoodFood channel which combined my childhood favourites in a new 'avatar'. With the addition of some healthy peas ,corn and cucumber this recipe came out a winner. To make it a complete healthy breakfast meal I served with grilled brown bread.

Ingredients: 

• 5-6 sweet potatoes (boiled)
• A fistful boiled sweet corn
• A fistful boiled green peas
• Half a cucumber grated
• 1/2 cup wholewheat flour(atta)
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 green chilly chopped(optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Take a bowl and mash the boiled sweet potatoes, corn and green peas. Add grated cucumber. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Add chopped coriander and green chilly.

Now add 1/2 cup wholewheat flour (atta) and slowly add milk 2-3 tbsp at a time till the mixture gets combined well. (You might not require entire milk so be careful)

Heat oil in a shallow pan and put some oil in your palms to make round shaped flat 'tikkis' with this mixture. Shallow fry in the oil on both sides till they are brown.

Serve with coriander and tamarind(imli) chutney and with a piece or two of grilled brown bread. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint sprigs.

Happy healthy eating 
Amrita

Healthy Breakfast-Carrot Idli/Dosa

Breakfast options worry every wife and mother. Every morning the same question knocks on your head and makes you wonder ''Aaj kya banaye?'' For mums its all the more a challenge to make food nutritious as well as tasty. We all struggle to bring variety which suits our palate onto the table.
Most of the times things aren't as difficult as they look. A little effort and prior preparation can make a boring recipe quick, healthy and interesting.
This post is also to affirm that me, vishal and vaanya cook and eat healthy food too. I have been blogging so much about sinful delights that it was time to post a healthy one. Our kitchen is very experimental as Vishal & I keep encouraging each other to try new recipes with new ingredients and techniques. But our everyday food is so basic that we  feel its too simple to share. Probably thats the reason we haven't blogged on everyday recipes till now.
This recipe uses a store bought batter to make healthy breakfast which reduces the workload and makes it quick. I am also sharing a quick and easy recipe to make sambhar and coconut chutney.

Ingredients: For carrot Idli/Dosa

• 2 cups store bought idli/dosa batter
• 1 cup carrot puree
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 tbsp chopped green chilly(optional)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1tsp chana dal
• 10-12 curry leaves
• salt to taste

Procedure:
Grate a carrot and blend with little water in a mixer to get 1 cup puree. Mix with 2 cups idli batter. Add chopped onions and green chilly. Add salt to taste.

Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves. Add this to the batter.
Grease lightly idli moulds (you can use a dhokla mould too) and put the batter. Steam for 15 mins.
If using dhokla mould cut in different shapes using a cookie cutter.
(I made 8 idlis. With the remaining batter I made dosa by spreading the same mixture on an oiled tawa)

Ingredients: For coconut chutney

• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 1 tbsp roasted chana dal
• 1 green chilly
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 1 dried red chilly roughly chopped

Procedure: 
Add roasted chana dal (dry roast in a pan or tawa), green chilly, salt and little water to grated coconut and blend in a mixer.
Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilly and add this to the coconut chutney.

Ingredients: For sambhar

• 1 cup arhar dal(also called toovar, toor dal)
• Chopped vegetables of your choice. I used carrot and drumstick. You can use eggplant or lady finger
• 4 tbsp tamarind pulp
• 1 tbsp sambhar masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 onion  chopped 
• 2 tbsp tomato puree(or 1 tomato chopped)

Procedure:

Boil arhar dal with chopped vegetables and salt to taste in a pressure cooker. After 1 whistle, lower the flame and let it cook for 8-10 mins.

Mix tamarind pulp with salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and sambhar powder to make a thick paste. Keep aside.

In a pan take 1 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, curry leaves. When it splutters add chopped onion. As the onion turns translucent add tomato puree. Let it cook for some time till the oil separates.

Now add the tamarind paste and cook for a minute.

Add the boiled dal with vegetables and add some water to attain the consistency you want.

Happy Eating
Amrita

Egg Pie

 What do you call a recipe that never falters, is super easy to make and comes out super yummy every single time. Recipes that you must have made over and over again and remember the entire procedure so well that you never need to go back to your recipe notes...???

 I simply call them  ''Works Out Everytime'' recipes.

Egg Pie for a long time has been our staple Sunday morning breakfast .When I got married , I learnt of Vishal's, love affair with eggs. Every morning when I asked him ''what will you eat ?'', his answer always was-''Eggs'' . He can have eggs boiled, poached, fried or at times even raw .

Once he called up his mother in Allahabad and said with excitement - ''Pata hai aaj breakfast mein kya khaya ?".

Poor Amma knew the answer very well but still tried to be a good sport and asked ''Kya khaya?''

Vishal gleamed and exclaimed-"Anda fry".

''Usme naya kya hai ?'' enquired Amma. 

Vishal replied-''Aaj ande ka yolk 20 degree left tha." !!

 

Well his 'egg for breakfast' fascination has now changed and he is more open to try out other options too. But this recipe still tops his list of egg recipes .

Ingredients : For 2 people

• 2 eggs
• 2  boiled potatoes(medium sized)
• 1/4 of red,yellow and green capsicum (or 1 green capsicum if you don't want to use red and yellow)
• 4-5 button mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1 green chilly
• 1 tbsp Olive oil 
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4-5 tbsp mozzarella cheese(grated)

Procedure :
Roughly chop the onion , capsicums , mushroom and green chilly. Take olive oil in a pan and saute the vegetables for 1 min with salt and pepper .(Do not overcook as the veggies will be baked later on)

Mash the boiled potatoes. 
Take eggs in a bowl and whisk them. Add salt to taste .
In a mixer, mix the eggs and the mashed potatoes until blended well.
Preheat oven to 200degree Celsius.
Now take an ovenproof bowl and put a layer of the veggies. 

Then pour the egg and potato mixture.  
Finally sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese on top.

 
Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins or till the cheese melts and becomes brownish To check if the eggs are done ,insert a toothpick and check if it comes out clean .

Serve with  a slice of toast and hot tea .

Happy Baking !!
Amrita

The Making Of The Humble 'Aloo Parantha'

  

''Aloo Parantha ! Its too simple'', my husband exclaimed when i told him about my next post idea. ''We must post something that is exotic ,different and easy to make . Anybody can make aloo parantha''- was his explanation. So the poor humble aloo parantha remained silent inside my punjabi gut until yesterday when i had it at my mother's place.

I don't know what it is about ''Ma ke haath ka khaana''. It is always divine . For that matter i am so lucky to savour mouthwatering dishes from my mother's kitchen in kolkata and from my mother's (in-law) kitchen in allahabad . Lucky me !! I get to learn the best from them not just in cooking but in learning how to be a 'great mother '.

Well coming back to the fate of the aloo parantha, i decided to share the post as
a) it is utterly butterly delicious ,and
b) the parantha is full of the aloo filling ,reaching even the corners ,
 something which i have not seen anywhere else .That reminds me of my hostel days when the aloo in the parantha was concentrated only in the middle with bare roti on all sides ! And yes, we had no choice but to tear off the sides and eat the small middle part.
Sounds familiar ?? Well here is the recipe for that perfect Punjabi Aloo Parantha

Recipe Source - Dear Mother

Ingredients - ( For 2 people )
                     2-3 boiled potatoes (If smaller in size use 4)
                     1 tbsp finely chopped onion
                     1 tsp grated ginger
                     1-2 chopped green chillies
                     1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
                     1/2 tsp jeera
                     1/2 tsp salt
                     1/4 tsp garam masala
                     1/4 tsp amchur powder
                      Prepared atta dough

Procedure - In a bowl mash the boiled potatoes and add onion, ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, jeera, salt, garam masala and amchur powder. Mix them well.
Now take a handful of the atta dough and make a small round roti.Take a handful of the potato mixture (equal to the quantity of atta dough taken ) and put in the center of the roti.

                 

                
   Fold the edges to cover the filling .

 Now cover it with flour on both sides and make a round shaped roti again . Note: everytime it sticks to your working surface ,use more flour before rolling it.Now add a good helping of ghee on the roti and spread it with your fingers.( My mother does this generously and i am very poor at it and thus the difference in our paranthas)
               

    Fold the dough from the edges to the center into a square shape .

  Now add more flour and roll it into a parantha.

       
 This double rolling of the dough (first round shape and then square) ensures that the filling has reached all the corners well.
Note: while lifting the parantha if it still sticks to your working surface , do not pull it. Instead use a knife to clear  it off the surface to avoid tearing.    
 Now put it on a preheated tawa and put some more ghee on at least one surface.

 Once you see the parantha browned well enough ,take it off the tawa.

  

 

 Serve while its still hot with fresh homemade curd and home churned butter !!

Enjoy !!            
Amrita