Masala Sandwich

This was my favorite snack at Vijaya Bakery in South End Circle in Bangalore. Me and my college friends would often go to Vijaya Bakery. I made these sandwiches for my friend Arathi's Anniversary party.

Ingredients:
White or Wheat Bread slices
Tomato - 2 big chopped
Onion - 1 medium chopped
Carrot -1 grated
Ginger - 1/2 inch grated
Green chillies - 2 or more to suit your spice level

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - 1 string
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tblsp

Chilli powder -1/2 tsp
Jeera powder -1/2 tsp
Corriander powder -1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder -1/2 tsp
Fresh corriander leaves chopped -4 tblsp
Salt to taste


Method:

1. Make a seasoning with mustard, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves in 1 tbsp of oil
2. Add chopped ginger, green chillies and chopped onion and saute.
3. When the onion is brown add the chopped tomatoes and grated carrot and cook till all the liquid is absorbed.
4. Add salt, chilli powder, jeera powder, corriander powder and garam masala powder.
5. Garnish with fresh chopped corriander leaves.
6. Toast the bread and spread the carrot masala mixture.

Sending this entry to "Sandwich Mela" hosted by Srivalli.

Award from Priyas "Now Serving"

Crazy For Cakes Event - Participation Award by Priya Mahadevan

Brinjal Dosa

Brinjal Dosa

Ingredients:
Brinjal long variety -2 (sliced)
1 cup – rice (raw)
2 tbsp – dry coconut
2 – dried red chillies
1 tsp – jeera
Jaggery or brown sugar – 1 tbsp
Tamarind – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak rice overnight
2. Blend rice with dry coconut, red chillies, jeera, jaggery or brown sugar, tamarind, and salt.
3. Keep the sliced brinjal in a vessel filled with water
4. Heat the dosa tava.
5. Spread a tsp of oil on the tava and arrange the sliced brinjal.
6. Pour the dosa batter on the tava and spread evenly
7. Put another tsp of oil to cook, cover the tava
8. Flip the dosa and cook on the other side.
9. Serve dosa with or without chutney.

Sending this recipe to Krithi's Kitchen who is guest hosting Breakfast Club started by Helen of Fuss Free Flavors.

Pineapple Bread

I love to experiment different types of breads. I was inspired by my Aerobics teacher Michelle in Hampton, VA. She would bring different types of breads to the class. I have since been trying out breads substituting the liquid ingredients with fruit pulp, soy milk, fruit butters etc.

Ingredients:
Pineapple crushed with its juice - 1 cup
Butter softened – 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Whipping cream - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Pineapple essence - 1/4 tsp
Pineapple color - a few drops
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Yeast – 3 tsp

To be added during during the mixed bread cycle when the machine beeps
Dried pineapple pieces - 1/2 cup (available at Trader Joe)

Method:
1. Add all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order of ingredients.
2. Set the setting to mix bread and light crust
3. Start the bread machine
4. Make sure the dough is soft elastic ball, if necessary add a tsp of oil if the dough is tight or a tsp of flour if the dough is sticky
5. When the machine beeps add the chopped dried pineapple pieces.
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces.

Sending this recipe to "RecipeGrabBag" A Fruit/Veggie a month Event started by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes.

Vattayappam – Kerala’s Queen of steamed rice cakes for ICC

The challenge for March is a speciality dish from Kerala. It is a steamed rice cake leavened with yeast, sweetened with sugar and garnished with nuts and raisins. This challenge is hosted by Srivalli of Spicing Your Life and the recipe is adapted from Shn of Mishmash.

Vatteppam/Vattayappam – Kerala’s Queen of steamed rice cakes

Ingredients:

To blend:

Raw rice - 1 cup soaked for 6-8 hours
Grated coconut - ¾ cup
Cooked rice -2 tblsp
Water - ½ cup water to grind (thick as idli batter)

To Proof yeast:
Active dry yeast ½ tsp
Water - 1/3 cup
Sugar - 2tsp

To Make Rice porridge: (Use 4tbsp of this paste)

Coarse ground paste -1½ to 2 tbsp
Water -1/3 to ½ cup

To sweeten and flavor:

Sugar - ½ cup or more per your taste
Cardamom powdered - 6 to 8
Cashew nuts 8 to 10
Raisins ½ tblsp
Ghee1 ½ tblsp

Method:

1. Blend rice in an adding very little water to a coarse texture,
2. From the blend mixture remove the required quantity mentioned under, “To Make Rice porridge” and keep aside.
3. Add freshly grated coconut to the main batch of ground rice and grind thoroughly to a fine batter.
4. At the end, add cooked rice and grind again.
5. Proof yeast by warming adding sugar and yeast dissolved in this luke warm water and keep the mixture in a warm place for 15-20 minutes till it foams.

To make Rice porridge:
Heat a pan and add a couple of spoonfuls of coarse ground rice, kept aside earlier and water; bring it to a boil and keep stirring in low-medium heat until it is fully cooked and reaches the consistency of porridge and turn off the heat and cool completely.

Add the rice porridge to the ground rice batter and blend it thoroughly with the batter. Next, add yeast mixture and pulse one or two times just to blend everything well.

Pour the entire batter to a bowl and let it ferment in a warm place for about 4-6 hours or overnight. When batter is doubled and fermented, add sugar let it ferment for another 2 hours.

Just before steaming, add powdered cardamom, ghee roasted nuts and raisins to the batter.

For steaming:
Grease a 6 inch round cake pan with oil or cake release. Pour the prepared batter and fill till half of the pan/cake tin and steam cook for about 20 -30 minutes in medium heat.

Let it completely cool. Now run a knife by the side of the pan and gently separate the steamed cake from the edges of the pan and slowly lift the cake with a spatula and cut into squares of wedges.

Coriander Pulav

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
Green Chillies - 2
Grated ginger - 1/4 inch
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - small piece
Bay leaf - 1
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Roasted Cashew nuts - to garnish
Olive oil to saute - 1 tsp
Butter or ghee - 2 tsp

Method:
1. Heat oil and saute bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, green chillies and set aside.
2. Chop the coriander leaves, reserve a little for garnish.
3. Take basmati rice in a oven safe dish and add the chopped coriander leaves, sauteed bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, green chillies, and salt.
4. Add two cups of hot water.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
6. Bake it for 60 minutes, add butter/ghee and mix well.
7. Add the lemon juice.
7. Garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and cashew nuts.

Sending this to the event - Herbs & flowers in My Platter- Coriander/Cilantro hosted by
Krithi's Kitchen, Seduce Your Tastebuds

Coriander Dry Chutney

Ingredients:
Dry coconut grated - 1 cup
Red chillies - 6
Green chillies - 8
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste/powder - 2- 3 tsp
Fresh Coriander leaves - 2 bunches
Salt - to taste

Method:
1. In a dry blender powder the dry coconut set aside
2. Dry blend the red chillies, green chillies, asafoetida and add the powdered coconut.
3. In the meantime take two bunches of coriander leaves and spread it on a microwavable plate and microwave for 5 to 6 minutes till it is dry.
4. Crush the coriander leaves and add it to the blender and pulse it to blend.
5. Finally add salt and tamarind to taste.

Sending this to Krithi's Kitchen's event, Herbs and Flowers on my Platter - Coriander/Cilantro, Seduce Your Tastebuds.

Mango Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups - All purpose flour
2 cups - Sugar
1 and half tsp - Baking powder
1/2 tsp - Baking soda
1/2 tsp - nutmeg powder
1/2 cup - unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups - chopped mango
3/4 tsp - cinnamon

Frosting:
1/4 cup mango pulp
Cool whip as required
2-3 tsp Jello cheesecake pudding mix for stabilizing

Method:

1. Set butter to room temperature.
2. Beat eggs and mix sugar. baking powder, soda, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla essence
3. Add flour to this and mix gently.
4. Finally add the chopped mangos.
5. Pour in a greased cake pan and bake 40-45 minutes till the toothpick comes clean

Sending this to Healing Foods Event hosted by "Kaarasaaram"