Baked Cheese and Herb Toast

Cheese and Egg Toast -  A delicious snack,  best with fruit juice / milk / coffee / tea …

 Serves: 2

Makes: 8 toasts

Ingredients

4 brown bread / wholewheat bread slices, cut into desired shape and size

2 Britannia masala cheese cubes, grate finely

2 heaped tablespoon  finely chopped mint and coriander leaves

1 egg, beat well

1 heaped tablespoon chopped onion

¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon oil (to grease baking tray)

Method

In a small bowl, mix grated cheese, chopped mint and coriander leaves, beaten egg, chopped onion and salt to taste.  Spread  this mixture evenly on bread slices with a thick tablespoon.

Preheat oven (OTG) at 170 * or 325 * F. Grease a baking tray with 1 teaspoon oil.

Arrange bread slices carefully in baking tray and bake for 15 – 18 minutes until the cheese melts  / golden color / crisp. Serve hot with fruit juice / milk / coffee / tea / omelette …

Baked Cheese and Herb Toast - A delicious snack,  best with fruit juice / milk / coffee / tea … No added onion and egg !!

Makes: 8 baked toasts

Serves: 1 - 2

Ingredients

4 brown bread / wholewheat bread slices, cut into desired shape and size

2 Britannia masala cheese cubes, grate finely (different flavors of cheese cubes are available)

2 heaped tablespoon  finely chopped mint and coriander leaves

1 teaspoon oil (to grease baking tray)

Method

In a small bowl, mix grated cheese and  chopped mint and coriander leaves. Arrange this mixture evenly on bread slices.

Preheat oven (OTG) at 150 * or 300 * F. Grease a baking tray with 1 teaspoon oil.

Arrange bread slices carefully in baking tray and bake for 10 – 13 minutes until the cheese melts  / golden color / crisp. Serve hot with fruit juice / milk / coffee / tea / omelette …

Spicy Idlis / Masala Fried Idlis

Spicy Idlis / Masala Fried Idlis – A tasty snack, made of leftover idlis. Basic recipe from BBC Goodfood magazine !!

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2 - 3

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil / cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds )

1/4 teaspoon urad dal

1 spring curry leaves or 6 nos

1 green chilli, slit lengthwise

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

6  normal idlis, cut into desired shape and size or 18 mini idlis (button idlis)

2 tablespoon grated coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

2 teaspoon coriander leaves, chopped ( optional )

Method

Heat  oil in a pan or karahi on a medium heat. Season with mustard seeds. When they splutter,  add urad dal  and  jeera.  Then  add  curry leaves and green chilli. Fry for 2 minutes.

Add thinly sliced onion and fry till golden color and crisp.

 Add turmeric powder,  red chilli powder  and coriander  powder. Stir well on a low heat for 2 minutes.

Add idli pieces, grated coconut and salt to taste.  Mix gently. Make sure you do not crush the idlis while mixing. Do not cover with lid. Fry for 3 – 4 minutes until all the ingredients well coated on idlis.

 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves ( optional ). Serve warm with coconut chutney / green chutney or sambhar.

Puff Pastry with Egg Filling

Puff Pastry with Egg Filling - Recipe from Vanitha  Magazine Cookery Class !!!

Ingredients

Any filling of your choice

Or

For Egg Filling:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

2 medium size onion, finely chopped

6 curry leaves

¾ teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

¼ teaspoon pepper powder (or to taste)

 3 boiled eggs, cut into cubes or any desired shape

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and fry till golden color.

Add curry leaves and fry for 1 – 2 minutes.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder,  turmeric powder and pepper powder. Stir well on a low heat for 2 minutes until well combined with onions.

Add boiled egg pieces and salt to taste. Gently stir well until all the ingredients well combined. Keep aside.

For the pastry:

Ingredients

300 g maida (all purpose flour)

100 g + 50 g margarine

½ teaspoon salt

80 ml water

¼ cup dry flour

1 egg yolk (make a smooth solution of egg yolk with 1 tablespoon milk) or another option for vegetarians - avoid egg and use only milk. Apply milk lightly and evenly.

Method

In a wide bowl, sieve all purpose flour and salt together. Make a well in the centre and add 50 g margarine. Mix all the ingredients until well combined.    

    

First start with 50 ml water and later adjust with required amount of water and make a soft dough (like a soft chapatti dough). Do not give more pressure when kneading the dough. Cover with a lid and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle dry flour on a clean kitchen platform and roll the dough into a rectangular shape. Apply 100 g margarine evenly  on the rolled dough. Divide lengthwise into 3. Do not make equal size. Small, medium and big size.

First roll small size pastry sheet like a Swiss roll and keep the medium size piece at the end  and roll again. Finally keep big size pastry sheet at the end of medium size pastry sheet and  roll again. Seal  both the ends tightly and cover with a cling film (or keep  in an airtight container). Store in a refrigerator for half an hour.

Take out  pastry from the refrigerator  and roll again rectangular size (approximately 16 – inches length and 6 – inches width). Place filling over the centre and seal both the ends. Gently make the roll into  ‘’ U’’ shape or horse shoe shape. Apply beaten egg yolk solution evenly (or milk) and make slits with the help of a shape knife (approximately 11 - 14 slits). Apply again egg yolk solution.

Grease a baking tray with 1 teaspoon oil and preheat oven (OTG) at 200 * C or 400 * F.

Place pastry in a greased baking dish and bake @ 200 * C or 400 * F for 30 – 40 minutes or until done / golden color. Serve hot as a snack  with fruit juice / milk / tea / coffee …

Puff pastry with spicy potato filling

For Normal Puffs

 Now roll out  pastry dough into rectangular shape of  1/4 - inch thick and cut out 5 - inch wide long strips. Place desired filling in the centre of each strip and fold.

Apply water on the edges and seal well and bake at 400 * F or 200 * C  for 30 minutes or until golden color.

Jeera Chicken Curry

Jeera Chicken  Curry - A delicious chicken curry, made of jeera (cumin seeds), shallot – ginger – garlic paste and other Indian spices. Best with rice / pulao / parathas / rotis …

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

For the chicken:

600 g chicken pieces (net weight after cleaning), cut into medium size

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon salt

Wash and clean chicken pieces. Drain out water thoroughly. In a bowl, marinate chicken pieces evenly with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Other ingredients

2 tablespoon oil

3 big onions, thinly sliced

10 curry leaves

Spice paste

2 tomatoes, chopped

Marinated chicken

100 ml / ½ cup water

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves (optional)

For the spice paste (masala):

1 ½ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds (perumjeerakam)

10 dried red chillies, halved

20 peppercorns

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

10 shallots (chuvannulli / small onion)

10 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ginger, chopped

2 tablespoon water

Make a fine paste of above ingredients in a small mixer bowl with 2 tablespoon water. Keep aside.

Method

In a wide pan or karahi,  heat oil on a medium heat.  Add thinly sliced onions and fry till golden  color.

Add curry leaves and fry for 1 minute.

Add spice paste and stir well on a medium to low heat for 5 – 8 minutes until the raw smell goes and well combined with onions.

Add cubed tomatoes and stir well for 2 minutes.

Add marinated chicken pieces, 1/2 cup water (100 ml), and adjust salt to taste (or 3/4 teaspoon). Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 25 – 35 minutes or until done / chicken pieces well cooked /  gravy thickens.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves (optional) and serve with rice / pulao / rotis / rumali roti …