Baked Peas Kachori

Kachori is a popular Indian appetizer which is made up of all purpose flour with a stuffing of peas, mashed potato mixed with spices. To make it more healthier I have baked the kachori, which is traditionally fried. This is healthier and we can avoid having a guilt of eating a fried meal :) Baked kachori tastes as good as a deep fried kachori.
So let's get started!

Ingredients :

For the dough.

• 2 cups All purpose flour.
• Dry instant yeast.
• 1 tea spoon sugar and salt.
• Hot water to kneed the dough.

For the filling.

• 1 cup green peas.
• 1/3 cup Corns.
• 1 boiled potato.
• Grated coconut.
• Some grated cheese.
• Cumin, green chili and curry leaves.
• 1-2 tbsp cooking oil.
• Spices- cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala.
• Optional spice: 1 tbsp kachchi dabeli masala. This adds to the taste for filling.
• Salt to taste.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough by mixing all purpose flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt. Add in hot water and a tbsp oil. Kneed to form soft dough. Set aside for an hour till the dough rises.
• In a pan heat a tbsp oil . Add cumin seeds green chilli and curry leaves. 
• After a min add in- the peas, corns, mashed potato and grated coconut. Mix well and cook for 5 min.
• Add the spices and salt to taste and set this filling aside to cool.

• After the dough has risen, give a quick kneed to it and divide it into 10 small portions. Roll the portions into balls.
• Take a ball of the dough and press it flat between your palm.  Spread some grated cheese and then 1 to 1.5 tbsp of the prepared filling. Spread more cheese over the filling. Fold the edges to cover the filling and again roll it into a ball. Place this stuffed ball onto the greased cup cake tray. You may use flat tray too by placing each kachori at some distance from one another.
• Do the same for the remaining dough balls.
• Brush all the kachori with melted butter.

• Preheat oven at 380 degree F. Place the kachori tray on low rack and bake for 20 minutes.
• Enjoy these hot oven baked kachori s with tamarind sauce and mint sauce.

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken is a popular chicken starter or appetizer from the Indo-chinese cuisine. Here boneless chicken are marinated in egg, cornflour, Indian spices and then fried and combined with vegetables seasoned in Chinese sauces to get the best Indo-Chinese chilli chicken. It can be served as starter or made in form of gravy and served as main course.

Ingredients-

• Sweet chilli sauce.
• Soya sauce.
• Chilli Garlic sauce.
• Vinegar.
• Diced bell peppers.
• Diced onion.
• Diagonally chopped spring onions.
• Boneless skinless chicken.
• One egg.
• Cornstarch.
• One green Chilli. 
• Red chilli flakes.
• Ginger garlic paste.
• Salt to taste.
• 1/2 teaspoon each - turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder for chicken.
• Oil for frying.

Steps in making:

• Add the spices mentioned above and salt to the chicken.
• Add 2 tbsp cornstarch powder and one egg.
• Mix well.
• Take about 5 to 6 tbsp cooking oil and fry the chicken pieces well on both sides.

• In a large wok add the remaining oil that was used to fry the chicken.
• Put in red chilli flakes, green Chilli,  ginger garlic paste.
• After few seconds add in onions and bell peppers.
• The flames should be high and do not cover the wok.
• After cooking and stiring for 5 minutes add the sauces- Sweet chilli, chilli garlic, soy sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes. Keep stiring. Add vinegar and then the fried chicken. 
• Add salt to taste. (Add little salt as the sauces contain salt.)

This could be served as starter. In case you wish to have it as main course the chilli chicken can be made in form of gravy by adding in a cup of water mixed with cornstarch and cooking for another 5 min. Cornstarch will help in thickening the gravy..
Serve hot with Rice or Naan or any bread.

Honey garlic tender Chicken.

Honey garlic tender chicken is a popular dish in Asian restaurents. The chicken has an amazing crisp-tender texture, smothered in sweet garlicky sauce. Its healthier, as chicken is baked and a stay away from any fried food.
So let's see how we make this delightful dish.

Ingredients :
For the sauce.

• 1 tbsp sesame seed.
• 1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce.
•  4 cloves garlic and some ginger- minced.
• 2 tbsp honey.
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce.
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch combined with 1/4th cup water.
• 1 tbsp Olive oil.

Other ingredients :

• Tender chicken -boneless and skinless.
• Bread crumbs.
• Salt and black pepper.
• Cilantro or spring onions for garnishing.

Step 1:

• Coat the tender chicken in the bread crumbs on both the sides.
• Spray cooking oil on aluminum foil placed in baking tray and place each chicken piece over the same.
• Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.

• Preheat oven at 400 degree and place the chicken tray at low rack for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes remove the tray and flip the chicken. Spray the remaining bread crumbs on the flipped side.
• Place the same in the oven for another 15 minutes. 
• Switch off the oven. You may want to keep the chicken in hot oven for another 5 minutes for crispier taste.
• Then set aside.

 Preparing the sauce.

• Take 1 tbsp Olive oil in saucepan placed on medium heat.
• Add minced ginger garlic and cook for a minute.
• Add the remaining ingredients- Chilli garlic sauce, honey, soy sauce and very little salt to taste. Add little sesame seeds. 
• As it starts to simmer add corn starch water for thickening and bring to boil. 

• Put 1 tbsp Olive oil in another pan placed over a medium heat.
• Put the baked chicken tenders on it and put the honey garlic sauce all over the chicken. Turn the chicken very carefully and allow the sauce to evenly spread on the chicken. Cook for 2 minutes.

• Garnish the chicken with cilantro and sesame seeds. You may want to use spring onions too for  garnishing.

Vegetable Khorma

Vegetables khorma is an authentic, rich, creamy dish. This restaurant style dish is incredibly delicious and would be a great treat on occasions when you have guests over for dinner.
So let's see how to make this flovorful dish.



 Ingredients:

• Raisins.
• Cashews.
• Heavy whipping cream.
• One onion. 
• Half cup cauliflower florets.
• Half cup cut baby carrots.
• Cottage cheese cubes.
• Corns.
• Green peas.

Spices.

• Cumin.
• Cumin powder.
• Bay leaf.
• Coriander powder.
• Garam masala.
• One teaspoon of flavor spices: ground cloves, star anise, cardamom, black pepper and cinnamon mixed together.
• Salt to taste.

Other ingredients:

• 2 tbsp honey.
• Fresh cilantro leaves.
• Oil or butter for cooking.
• 3/4th cup water.

Steps in cooking:

• Boil 3/4th cup of water in a pan.
• Add the chopped onions and cashews.
• Boil for 5 minutes and grind it into a thick gravy.

• Boil the vegetables - carrot, cauliflower florets, corns and green peas.
• Fry the cottage cheese or Paneer cubes.

• Take Little oil or butter in a pan. Put in cumin seed, bay leaf and other flovored spices mentioned above.
• Add in the onion cashew gravy and raisins.
• Add cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt to taste.
• Put in 2 tbsp honey for the sweet taste. 
• Cook for 7 to 10 minutes on medium flame.

• After 10 minutes of cooking add in all the boiled vegetables and paneer. Mix well and cook for another 10 minutes on medium flame.
• Put in 3 to 4 tbsp of heavy whipping cream and freshly chopped cilantro leaves.  Mix well and switch off the flame.

Enjoy the delicious vegetable Khorma with Naan or Parathas. 

Braided veggie stuffed bread.

Here I share with you a few ways to make braided bread. In this receipy, I am stuffing the bread with boiled potatoes, corn, bell peppers and cheese and folding the bread into braids.

You could make plain bread or garlic bread or simply cheese filled bread or use your favourite stuffing. 

So let's get started!

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour kneeded in instant bread yeast into a soft dough. Set aside for an hour till the size doubles.
• Boiled and mashed potatoes.
• Corns.
• Finely chopped bell pepper.
• Grated cheese.
• Salt, black pepper and chilli flakes.

Steps:

• Mix the mashed potatoes, corn and bell peppers and grated cheese. Add salt, black pepper and chilli flakes to taste.

• Divide the dough into 3 equal portions.
• Roll one portion of the dough into long, thin 2.5 inches wide stripes.
• Place the potato cheese filling in the center and sprinkle grated cheese on the top and start rolling the bread from the side. Seal it well so that the stuffing does not come out.
• The similar way roll the other 2 portions of the dough.

• Place the 3 long rolled stuffed dough as shown in the picture below and start braiding them. 
• Brush some melted butter on the top.

• Preheat oven at 400 degree and bake the braided bread for 20 minutes. 

Below is another way to make fish shaped braided bread specially for your kids. 

Steps:

• Roll the dough flat into an oval shape.
• Make slits at the egdes as shown in the picture below.
• In the center place the stuffing and grated cheese over it.

• Alternatively, close the slited edges thereby covering the stuffing.
• Leave the last slit so as to form the tail of the fish.
• Brush the same with melted butter.
• Bake in preheated oven at 400 degree for 20 minutes.

Enjoy these mouth watering braided veggie stuffed breads with tomato ketchup.

Cheesy Patti Rolls.

Here's easy quick snack receipy.  All you need is puff pastry sheets, grated cheese and your favorite stuffing mixed with cream cheese. The cheesy Patti rolls is quiet tasty and would be loved by everyone if you plan to make it at your parties as one of the starter dish.
So let's get started.

Ingredients :

• Puff pastry sheets.
• Grated cheese.
• 1 tbsp cream cheese.
• Finely chopped onions.
• Grated cottage cheese or Paneer. 
• Chilli flakes, black pepper, oregano and salt to taste.

Steps-

• Mix the finely chopped onions and grated cheese with the cream cheese adding chilli flakes, oregano, black pepper and salt to taste.
• Take the puff pastry sheets and roll them thin.
• Spread this stuffing mixture over the sheet and spray some grated cheese over the mixture.

• Start rolling the puff sheets carefully. Then flatten the patti roll with the help of rolling pin.
•  Seal the edges so that the mixture does not come out.

• Spread finely grated cheese over the puff rolls and slice this roll in equal portion.
• Preheat oven at 400 degree and bake the Patti rolls for 15 minutes.

• Enjoy this mouth watering snack with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

Shahi Malai Sabji.

Shahi Malai Sabji, as it sounds, is a rich, sweet and spicy vegetarian sabji. Its a thick gravy made up of cream, onions, tomatoes and spices. It's is delicious, easy to cook sabji specially if you have sudden guests at home and you need to cook something good- in less time.
Shahi Malai Sabji could be had with plain roti, parathas, naan or pulav.
So let's see how we make this mouth watering, royal sabji.

Ingredients :

• Sliced onions.
• Chopped tomatoes.
• Chopped bell peppers.
• Cottage cheese or Paneer cubes.
• Green chillies -finely chopped.
• Few cashews and raisins. 
• Heavy whipping cream.
• Curry leaves.
• Dry fenugreek leaves or Kasuri methi.
• Cilantro for garnishing.
• Salt and sugar to taste.
• 2 tbsp cooking oil.

Spices:

• Cumin seeds, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder.
• Ground spices for flavor -cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper.

Steps:

• Take 2 tbsp cooking oil in a pan and put some cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped green chillies.
• After few seconds put in the sliced onions, cashews and raisins.
• As the onions become transparent, put all the spices- red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder. Also add 2 pinches of the ground flavour spices. Mix well.
• Add tomatoes and salt to taste. Cover with the lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on medium flame.

•  After 5 to 7 minutes add in the chopped bell peppers and paneer cubes. Put a little sugar for taste and cook for 10 minutes without covering the lid.
• After 10 minutes of cooking add in 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, and a little dry fenugreek leaves or Kasuri methi. Mix well and switch off the flame. Note: The sabji should not be cooked after the cream is added.

• Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with Roti, Paratha, naan or pulav.

Double layer pizza puffs.

Here's a mouth watering snack that you would want to have quiet often. Make it for your house parties, for kids and they'll love it. You can put your favorite filling in it. I have used green bell peppers and chillies in it. So let's see how to make this cheesy double layer pizza puffs.

Ingredients:

• Soft cheese spread.
• Puff pastry sheets.
• Grated cheese.
• Barbecue sauce.
• Your favourite filling. I used bell peppers and green chillies for spicier puffs.
• Red chilli flakes, oregano, salt and black pepper.

Steps:

• Finely chop the bell peppers and green chillies and add in a tbsp of soft cheese spread. Add red chilli flakes, oregano, salt and black pepper.
• Roll the pastry puff sheets thin with the help of rolling pin.

We would be layering the flattened pastry puff sheets.

• On the 1st sheet spread Barbecue sauce.
• Spread the bell pepper soft cheese spread over the sauce.
• Spread grated cheese over the filling and season with black pepper and chilli flakes.
• Cover this with another layer of puff sheet.

• Over the second sheet place little bell pepper soft cheese filling and top it with grated cheese and cover with third sheet.
• Spray melted butter on this top layer and spread some more grated cheese.
• Cut it in slices and place it on greased baking tray.

• Preheat microwave at 375 degree and place in the tray for 15 minutes on low rack.

Enjoy this cheesy pizza puffs with tomato ketchup.