Cabbage and green onion paratha/kobi na paratha

I heard that best cooks can make delicious, finger licking food from very few ingredients or whatever is given to them. Well, well I am definitely not one of those cooks...But sometimes some recipes happened to be like that. The more simple, fewer ingredients is the key to those recipes. Believe me with very few ingredients, this is the perfect recipe for those lazy weekend brunch. Just serve these parathas with ghee/butter on top and chilled dahi/yogurt on hot summer days or hot cup of tea/coffee on cold winter days.

Besides being simple recipe, this is full of nutrition. Remember that cabbage diet craze.....well, this is one more way to sneak in that super food in your kid's plate.....and adults too who don't like it.

Ingredients
shredded cabbage
shredded/chopped green onions
green chillies as per taste
freshly ground black pepper powder
carrom seeds/ajwain
finely chopped cilantro
whole wheat flour
salt as per taste
oil to cook parathas

Take one big bowl and add all the ingredients except salt and oil. Mix all everything well with your hands and then add the salt as per taste. Now start kneading the dough by adding water little by little. Make the dough of medium consistency.

Divide the dough in equal portions. Roll each portions into circular parathas using flour for dusting as needed.

Cook these parathas on hot tava/griddle with oil.

Serve hot with ghee/butter on top.

Notes:-

Be careful when you add water into dough while kneading, because cabbage tends to leave water when mixed with salt. So add water little by little as needed.

Once the dough is ready,  divide the dough equal portions and start rolling immediately....otherwise dough will be too loose to manage.

Don't add any other spices like turmeric, red chili powder etc. Just give it a try with these ingredients only. Believe me with this recipe, the little goes long way!

Enjoy!

Methi Dal Dhokli and back after a longggggggg break

I cannot believe that it has been almost 2 years.....uffff I know this cannot be called break but may be sabbatical leaves. Anyways due to new entry in our family and some health issues, I have been away from blogging for long time. Now I have decided to keep this blog alive again. Let's see how far I can go with this plan....

Coming to the today's recipe, I wanted to start this new beginning with another healthy and traditional Gujarati recipe. This is different version of dal dhokali. When I was looking online for the recipe, I got surprised because this dish is made in a totally different way in my home....one more reason to blog this recipe. I just love this dish because it has protein, carbs, greensand lots of flavous......yeah everything in just one dish.

Ingredients

For Dough

one and half cup whole wheat flour

salt as per taste

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp dhania jeera powder

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp carom seeds

2 tsp oil

water as needed

For Dal

1 cup finely chopped fenugreek leaves

1 cup boiled and mashed tuvar dal

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp dhania jeera powder

pinch of asafoetida

2-3 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 garlic pods minced

1 tsp ginger paste

1 green chili

2 kokum (optional)

3-4 curry leaves

1 tsp amchur powder (or lemon juice)

jaggery as per taste

salt as per taste

2 cup water(or as per desired consistency)

To Garnish

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Take one bowl and mix all the ingredients for the dough except water. Add water slowly and knead the dough. Dough for the dhokli should be not too soft because flour is not used for dusting while rolling the dhokalis.

Take one medium sized pot and heat oil in it. When oil is heated, add mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add garlic,ginger,curry leaves and asafoetida. After few seconds add fenugreek leaves and stir well. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Then add tuvar dal and water. Now add all the spices,salt and jaggery, amchur powder. let it boil for couple of minutes.

Divide the dough into equal parts. Roll each part into thin rotis and cut into diamond shape. When dal and methi mixture start boiling, add dhokalis in it. Keep stirring inbetween, so dhokalis do not stick with each other. Let the dal dhokali simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all dhokali are well cooked. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Serve hot with steamed rice, pickle and onions.

Notes:-

This dish is very good for diabetic people with proper substituion of jaggery.

Jaggery is optional but it gives special gujarati taste and removes the pungent taste of fenugreek leaves.

This dish tastes best when eaten right away otherwise prepare the dal mixture and add the dhokali just before serving.

To indulge once in a while, serve this along with desi ghee on top....tastes superb!

PS

I will add the picture asap

Gnocchi with marinara and alfredo sauce

Gnocchi is the Italian small dumpling or noodle, normally made of potato, flour or semolina. I tasted combination of marinara and alfredo sauce with gnocchi at one local Italian restaurant. It became my favourite dish from that place from very first bite. For me, alfredo is too heavy and marinara is sometimes just tomato sauce. But combination of both makes wonderful taste along with gnocchi. 

Another reason of trying same recipe at home, because I found tri color gnocchi in grocery store before few days. Tri color gnocchi has goodness of tomato and spinach both.

Ingredients:-

1 lb tri color gnocchi

For marinara

4 tomatoes

1 onion chopped

2-3 garlic cloves minced

2 tsp olive oil

For alfredo

4 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoon whole milk

1 tablespoon butter

dry or fresh basil flaks

dry oregano

2 tsp black/white pepper powder

salt as per taste

Boil the gnocchi in salted water as per instruction on packet. Drain the gnocchi and add some olive oil.

Boil the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes in water. Drain the tomatoes and keep them aside. Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in one pan. When oil is heated, add chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook till onion become translucent. Let onion and garlic mixture cool. Then make smooth puree of tomato and onion garlic mixture.

In the same pan heat butter. When butter is melted, add tomato puree. Add oregano, pepper and salt. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Take cheese, heavy whipping cream and whole milk in one bowl and whisk well. Lower the flame and then add cheese mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes.

At last add cooked gnocchi and again simmer for couple of minutes.

Garnish with basil and serve hot!!!

Notes:-

Normally alfredo sauce is made with butter, ricotta cheese and heavy whipping cream. I used just 1 tablespoon of whipping cream and add some whole milk. If you don't worry about all those calories, go ahead use only heavy whipping cream. 

Normally white pepper is used in alfredo but I had only black pepper. So I just used whatever was available.

You can make this dish with regular gnocchi also. It  will not alter the taste at all.

Fusion Pizza

This is my first post for 2009. I think that pizza would be great dish to start because it is famous all over the world. I always love to experiment with different type of toppings on pizza. CPK's chipotle pizza is my favourite. I wanted to try something similar at home from very long time. I call it fusion pizza because it is pizza with Mexican-Indian mix toppings. So here you go...

Ingredients

2 whole wheat or any kind or pizza crust

For pizza sauce

3 tomatoes

3-4 garlic cloves

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp oil

salt as per taste

For toppings

1 onion finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup roughly crushed black beans

2 tbsp chunky salsa

1/2 orange or yellow belle pepper finely chopped

3-4 tsp oil

mexican cheese

For green sauce

1/2 cup cilantro

1 tbsp parsley

4-5 green chillies

3 tsp lite sour cream

For pizza sauce

Blanch the tomatoes and then puree them along with garlic. Put one medium saucepan on gas stove. Heat 2 tsp oil in it. When oil is heated add tomato puree. Add salt,oregano,red chilli powder. Let it cook for 10 minutes. I like to make this simple and fresh pizza sauce at home. You can use any kind of ready made pizza sauce without altering taste much.

For pizza toppings

Take one pan with 3-4 tsp oil and put it on high flame on gas stove. When oil is heated, add onion,tomato,belle pepper and corn. Saute them on high flame for 2-3 minutes. Add crushed black beans and salt. Then add salsa and mix well. Take off from the stove.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. First apply pizza sauce on the crust. Then generously spread corn topping on the pizza. At last sprinkle mexican cheese or any kind of cheese on pizza. Bake the pizza in oven for 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes.

For green sauce

Grind cilantro,parsley and green chillies without water or with very little water. Then add sour cream in the paste and mix well.

Spread green sauce on the pizza as per your taste before serving.

Notes:-

You can eat this pizza without green sauce, it is optional.

Pav bhaji

Pav bhaji is one of favourite street food. It is originated in Mumbai and now popular in whole India. As every popular dish, it has different type of recipe in different regions. I love mumbai style pav bhaji. Some recipe has brinjal, cabbage, bottle gourd, beet etc as ingredients. When I was new in the kitchen, I also used all these ingredients. But after some trials, now I have my own kind of recipe version. I am sure that most of foodies have their own recipes. I wanted to share my version, hope you all like it!!

Ingredients

For Bhaji

2 cup cauliflower (cut roughly)

3-4 medium size potatoes

1 big green belle pepper (chopped)

2 medium onion (chopped)

5-6 roma tomatoes (chopped)

1 cup green peas

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp red chili powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 to 2 tbsp pav bhaji masala

1 to 2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp coriander (chopped)

3 tbsp butter

For Pav

8 whole wheat buns

butter

1 tbsp vadapav dry masala (optional)

Bhaji

Pressure cook cauliflower, potatoes(with skin), and half of green peas. Remove excess water and keep it in one bowl. Remove the skin of potatoes and mashed them very well. Take boiled cauliflower and peas in one separate bowl, add little bit of water and make a puree with electrical mixer.

Take one pan and put it on high heat on stove. First add butter. When butter is melted add chopped onion. When onion is almost cook, add ginger garlic paste. Then add chopped belle pepper and tomatoes. Mix all of them well and cook till oil separates.

Now add all the dry spices and pav bhaji masala ( I used badshah brand masala). Then add meshed potatoes. After adding potatoes, mix well and keep on the heat for 5-7 minutes. Potatoes should absorbed all the spices well. Then add the puree of cauliflower and peas. Add remaining whole green peas. Add reserved water, as per consistency. (If you like dark red color, at this stage add tomato paste before adding water.) Lower the heat of stove and simmer the whole mixture for 20-25 minutes. Before serving add lemon juice.

Pav

Take one tava or flat griddle. Apply some butter on bun and sprinkle dry vadavpav masala. Roast all the buns on medium heat till golden brown in color.

Serve hot pav and bhaji along with onion.