instant crispy crumbly bread snack

crispy crumbly bread snack

When you want to create something delectable in a jiffy, yet satisfy that craving for something snacky and spicy here is a solution.

For this Dry Bread Upma Dish

Take four to five white bread slices

Tear them into medium-sized square pieces with hand

Heat a pan. Add 2 tsp butter and 1/2 tsp oil. Once hot temper with 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds. Wait till they crackle. Add curry leaves,and a cup of sliced onions. Saute till soft.

Add 2-3 split long green chillies and stir for few seconds.

Now add the pieces of bread and stir dry till slightly brown or crispy. Add turmeric powder , 1/2 tsp sugar, salt to taste, and some black pepper.

Stir and add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and some red chilly powder to garnish. Don;t forget to squeeze in juice of half a lemon for the tangy sweet flavour.

Awesome when paired with ginger tea and a view of sunset!

Participated in the interactive forum Fiesta Friday hosted at http://thenovicegardener.wordpress.com/

Crispy leftover lentil rice jeera (cumin) fritters

 

 

 

 

Invention is always a challenge….Or discovering something that’s experimental and stimulating to the mind and taste buds as well.. Just not with food but with anything don’t we like to wonder if its worth the effort and experimentation and the investment, Well I say sometimes let things be for the joy of it… And if it brings joy to the heart, the returns come to you naturally.. Let the process be fun…no matter what the outcome.

With leftovers sometimes you just want to reheat and have them because else by then they get boring and mundane..

And Leftovers are common. But creatively churning out something that’s worth eating the next day too.. is quite a challenge…

I had left over Dry Spicy Khichdi/ an Indian preparation made from rice and lentils (dal).

Khichdi is commonly considered to be a comfort food, and was the inspiration for the Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree. Khichri is also thought to be the inspiration for the popular Egyptian dish, kushari.

In India Khichdi is usually prepared atleast once a week (Just a guess). An absolute comfort food.
If you are new to this, you must try and have it hot with the family with some pickle of your choice.

A quick recipe of Khichdi would be:

In a pressure cooker, temper in two tsp of hot refined oil, some chopped onions, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and green chillies. Add one cup of lentil (moong/ tuar),one cup of regular rice and three cups of water. Add two pinch of turmeric powder, 1/4th tbsp of red chilly powder, two tbsp or more tomato puree or chopped tomatoes, salt and let pressure cook with two whistles or till rice and lentile are just cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander.

 

So, since I had these leftovers, I ended up whipping these fritters/ snackers that would go perfect with you cuppa tea or coffee.. Click on the link to get a ginger tea recipe done the Indian way.

You can use left over steamed rice too and play with flavours by adding more spices to the fritters dough

The ingredients used in this recipe have a lot character and Indianess ! By that I mean, they all together add to the final recipe and taste!

To make this mathri kind of fritters or snackers,

Take a quarter plate or a big cup of khichdi.
Add 1 and half cup of sieved maida/all purpose flour.
Throw in 1/4th cup of fine semolina and 1/4th cup of sieved rice flour. And one tbsp of gram flour.
Add dry ingredients like, 2 tbsp jeera/cumin seeds, one tsp ajwain/ carom seeds, one tsp turmeric powder, one tbsp red chilly powder, some dry fenugreek/kasuri methi if you have. Add a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of castor sugar.

 

Now add two big onions chopped very very finely and a tbsp of chopped garlic. These added an interesting dimension indeed since the touch of onions added a sweet and crunchy taste/texture.

 

Knead it into a pastry kind of crumble. Do not over knead. Not soft but slightly firm. Add flour as per your judgement here keeping in mind that you would need to roll them and cut into pieces later.

 

Take tiny batches of these kneaded dough and spread on flat surface with a rolling pin. Not too thick. Maintain medium thickness.

Pierce all over.

Cut into pieces of your desired shape.

 

In a deep bottomed pan, heat sufficient oil for deep frying.

Once smoky hot, add these bits and let fry till crisp. Golden brown. Place them in paper towel so excess oil gets absorbed.

 

Let them stand for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy them crisp with a cuppta tea!!

 

Good to keep in mind:

You can also make soft round  flatbreads /parathas  with them if you do not want to deep fry

Cumin seeds add great taste so add as per your whim

Since these have onions and left overs its better not to store them beyond a day. Have them fresh once slightly cooled.

 

 

Homesick? try Mashed potatoes and Buttery Moist Rice

Well, there are times when you are HOMESICK, nostalgic, cribby and what not.
This ones a very peculiar recipe. And so Simple! Either you will like it , or you won’t. But worth a try.

For say two people,

Boil two and half cups of water in a big pot.

Add a cup of your favourite rice (smaller grains rice types are better)

Add half tsp salt

Once the rice feels all gooey and there is still water left switch off the flame/cooktop.

Keep aside in a hot casserole.

Parallely, boil 4 to 5 boiled potatoes with pinch of salt added till 3 whistles atleast in pressure cooker or till absolutely soft. Peel after dipping the potatoes in ice cold water , so peeling becomes easier.

Mash them well with your palms or a masher.

Add half a chopped raw onion to the mashed potato. Add bit of salt, few drops of mustard oil,  chopped coriander leaves.

Now, have this with the cooked extra moist/almost watery rice. Add butter or raw mustard oil to the hot cooked rice. With every bite of rice and mashed potato , have bits of raw green chilly.

Oh, you can also as an accompaniment have the poppy seeds recipe I shared the other day. Click here to know more

Poppy seeds paste with raw mustard oil & steamed moist rice

Quench Quick Dessert Craving

Add chocolate sauce between two slices of bread and grill them with butter till golden brown!

Have them and serve them happy!

 

I can’t think. …

I can’t think. Just name an ingredient/dish you would want a recipe on and I would try and provide a post on the same (Preferably Indian and Vegetarian)

 

 

image source: google

Sauteed roasted boiled potatoes with butter & black pepper

When you feel like having nothing but something… 

 

 

Something comforting, delicious yet light…that melts into your mouth and satisfies that sudden craving for munching onto something memorable…try this easy recipe..

 

4 to 5 Potatoes: Pressure cooked with two whistles maximum

Peel off the skin. Cut these cooked potatoes into two portions.

Use a sautepan, season/pre-heat  it.

Drizzle few drops of oil (to avoid the butter from burning).

Add two tsp of butter and spread evenly. Add the potatoes to it and saute for 5 to 6 mins into the butter till it turns slightly golden and crisp.

Sprinkle half tsp black pepper powder, hint of salt, oregano, sprinkles of minutely cut green chillies and pinch of red chilly powder.

Atlast add finely chopped pinch of coriander leaves.

Tastes heavenly!

Image source: Google images

 

 

adrak ki chai and life!

Ginger tea is the quint-essential ingredient to my day!
The flavour rejuvenates my senses and can make one believe in life all over again 😉

Tea and India is an inseparable pair. To know more about Tea/ Chai read below.

Chai (pronounced as a single syllable and rhymes with ‘pie’) is the word for tea in many parts of the world. It is a centuries-old beverage which has played an important role in many cultures.

Excerpt from chai-tea.org/ :

Chai from India is a spiced milk tea that has become increasingly popular throughout the world. It is generally made up of:

• rich black tea
• heavy milk
• a combination of various spices
• a sweetener
The spices used vary from region to region and among households in India. The most common are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Indian chai produces a warming, soothing effect, acts as a natural digestive aid and gives one a wonderful sense of well being. It’s difficult to resist a second cup.

 

 

Drinking chai is part of life in India and most Indian’s are amazed at all the current fuss in the West. Many who have traveled in India come away with fond chai drinking experiences. We have included many of these in our Chai Experiences section.

In the past three years we’ve seen a phenomenal growth in the popularity and interest in chai. Chai has become very common at over-the-counter specialty beverage shops and there is a growing line of prepackaged consumer products. Many industry analysts are predicting that chai will eventually become as popular and common as coffee lattes and cappuccinos.

Great chai can often be found in Indian restaurants along with great food, but making your own chai provides immense satisfaction (and makes the house smell yummy!). Recipes and tastes for chai vary widely and a multitude of chai recipes are used around the world.

Indian grocers carry various chai masala mixes which you can use to make your own chai. Commercially produced concentrates can be found at many health food grocers and coffee shops. Ingredients for making your own chai are available just about everywhere. See our Recipes Section for a wide variety of chai recipes.

Of course the modern world has elevated chai to new planes of experience–chai ices, milkshakes, chocolate chai, non-fat, low-cal sweeteners, decaf, and so on. We have included a section on New Chai Serving Ideas.

We prefer traditional freshly made chai: hot, creamy, fragrant with black tea, fresh cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns and enough sugar to bring out the spice flavor. While we personally drink regular tea without sugar, chai must have sweetness or the spices seem to lose their full robustness.

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How to make Ginger Tea:

For making 2 cuppa Chai/Tea:

Take half a cup of water in a saucepan and heat. When its starts bubbling, add half tsp of chai patti or branded tea leaves to it (I prefer red label natural or even tajmahal is good)

 

 

 

 

Along with it add half tablespoon of of grated ginger. Add two cloves, and tiny bit of crushed elaichi to it and tiny pinch of black pepper powder. Let it come to further boil till a gentle yet strong aroma fills your senses to the brim!

Image Source: spicelines.com

Add 1 and half cup of milk to the liquid along with 2 big spoons of sugar as desired.

Switch off the gas/flame/stove for half a  minute.

Switch it on again and bring to a quick boil.

Strain the same through a sieve and relish the monsoons!

 

 

Tricks &  Tips:

1)Keep a check that the final output that is the chai is not too blackish in colour . The colour should be slightly brownish and milkish. So make sure not to add too much of tea leaves and not too boil it beyond a point.

2) Stuff other than ginger are optional. It varies according to taste preference.

3)Its good to taste a slightly creamy frothfilled chai just like coffee..just not to that extent. So, all you need to do it keep stirring the liquid in between once milk is added and making it slightly frothy as possible.

4)Serve/have this tea hot! Sip it as ease to relish the flavours.

5)Try Mathris/bhujia sev or your fav biscuits with it just like Oreos dipped in milk 🙂

6) Make sure to separate the cream/malai from milk while adding to the liquid

 

 

Poppy seeds paste with raw mustard oil & steamed moist rice

 

Monsoon & hot cuppa rice!

Poppy seeds raw paste, drizzled with mustard oil, green chillies, hint of salt, with steaming hot rice! 

Monsoons are here and what better than a hot plate of steamed rice with my favourite Poshto !

Here you need to grind the poppy seeds (khuskhus) to a coarse paste. Traditionally the same is done in a stone mortar and pestle to get that perfect texture.

However the trick for today’s generation is to soak the poppy seeds in some water overnight and then grind it in the food processor.

Poppy seeds are popular in West Bengal as recipes of aloo poshto or “potato & poppy seeds dish”… and many others.. Poppy seeds pastes add great taste to traditional aloo dum recipes as well.

Now to this paste of say one small bowl, which I like un-cooked… add mustard oil (about 2 to 3 tbs), finely chopped or slightly grinded green chillies, salt (half tsp), and two drops of lemon juice.

Ah, heavenly!

 

Enjoy it just like that with Hot plate of steamed rice. Let the rice be cooked all moist…

 

Note: The images have been sourced from google images and pinterest… 

 

 

Food Journey Mood Journey

Well, I was just feeling a little blue…And to beat the blues away I decided to start a Food Blog.

For some reason or the other I get to interact with Foodies and renowned food bloggers a lot..and well, this thought of rambling about food made me feel Nice!

So here I am. To Talk about Food…oodles of noodles, and other regular stuff. I might talk about food I love to cook, eat and think about…

Am I a Foodie? Difficult to answer. How do you define a foodie..

Well I love to cook to de-stress and feel the power of creating such oodles of joy. I like to eat very particular kind of food, and am pretty moody about it. I like simplicity in food and good flavours. To the likes of comfort food…

 

They say am fussy and that I should eat more often but they who really know me..know that I how I relish food and how it can completely change my mood from not-so-good to wonderful…

 

 

Image Source: google.com