Pao Bhaji recipe

Pao bhaji is a very simple north-Indian breakfast recipe.It's one of the most delicious recipes which is packed with vegetables.Basically pao is a dinner roll served with mashed vegetable curry known as bhaji.It's both spicy and tangy.The best part of the bhaji is you can add almost any kind of vegetable of your choice like cauliflower,beetroot,sprouts etc.I came across this recipe on Tarla ma'am's website.I liked the idea of using red chilly and garlic paste.It gives a nice red color to the bhaji and adds a distinctive flavor to it.I made modifications to the recipe according to my taste buds.For instance i have omitted the use of Cumin seeds in the recipe.You can definitely add around 1 tsp of cumin seeds if you wish to.So let's look over the ingredients first. 

Ingredients serves-2-3ppl (approx)

• Red chilly and garlic paste
• 1/4th cup of chopped carrot,green peas,capsicum
• 1/2 cup of chopped tomato
• 1 medium onion
• 1 & 1/2 boiled mashed medium sized potatoes
• 1 & 1/2 tsp of pao bhaji masala
• 1 tsp of kashmiri red chilly
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of oil

Method

1. Heat a pan.Add oil into it(i have added a bit of margarine as well).Once the oil is hot add the chilly garlic paste.Stir the paste till the oil separates from the paste.
   
   
   
   
2. Add in the chopped onions.Cook it the onions turn translucent.
   
3. Pour the chopped tomatoes and cook till it gets soft.
   
   
   
   
4. Add the chopped vegetables.Add a little water and cook for a while.
   
   
   
   
5. Once it's half cooked add in the mashed potatoes.Stir it well.
   
6. Add in the pao bhaji masala,kashmiri red chilly,salt and lemon juice.Cook for sometime till the vegetables are cooked.If required add a bit more water.I didn't use a masher to mash the bhaji as i like it a bit chunky.If you wish you can mash the vegetables till no visible pieces remain.
   
7. Serve the bhaji with toasted pao's and a blob of butter on top.All that's left for you is to Eat it up!:)

Note-To make the red chilly and garlic paste take 8-9 dried kashmiri deseeded red chiles.Boil them in hot water for some minutes till they are soft.Grind them with 6-7 cloves of garlic and make a paste.

Whole wheat and buttermilk pancakes from scratch

Pancakes is a very simple breakfast recipe.Various permutations and combinations are made while it comes to making pancakes.It's a popular breakfast recipe in northern America is well as the other parts of the world.A desired pancake should be super soft like a ball of cloud and should melt in your mouth.The basic problem that people face is how to make it super fluffy and soft.Don't you worry.This recipe will give you soft and yummy pancakes that too made from scratch.

Ingredients serves-11-12 pancakes

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 2 tsp of melted butter(i used margarine)
• 2 eggs(at room temperature)
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of buttermilk(I kept it in a whipped cream container. lol!)
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4th tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of vinegar

Method

1.Take a large bowl and sift in all the dry ingredients.(Wheat flour,all-purpose,salt,baking powder,baking soda)

2.Take another bowl and add the melted butter and honey.Give a quick mix.Then add the eggs and whisk the mixture thoroughly.

3.Pour in the butter milk and 3/4th of milk.Stir again.

4.Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture.Mix it very well(Don't whisk it.Mix  it with a spatula)

5.Take a nonstick tawa or a pan and lightly grease it with butter.It's optional.

6.In the meantime add the rest of the milk.It should be of pouring consistency.It's not necessary to add the entire 1/4th cup of milk if you already achieve that consistency.At the end add the vinegar into the pancake mixture.Add it only when you are ready to make your pancakes.

7.Once the pan is hot pour a dollop of mixture.And let it cook.

8.After a minute or so you'll notice little holes starts forming on the surface of the pancake.That's when you know your pancakes are ready to be flipped.

9.Flip it over carefully and cook it on the other side for another minute.

10.Your yummy super soft pancakes are ready to be served.Serve them up with a spoonful of butter and honey or golden syrup and Eat it up!:) 
(I have cut the pancakes with a cookie cutter to make all of them even)

Homemade tomato ketchup/sauce

Now i am totally addicted to tomato sauce or ketchup.Whatever you may call it.I consume it more than it's needed.I just love the tangy and sweet taste of the tomatoes and the kick of the various spices that are added. Oh let's not forget the various chemical agent's,preservatives and coloring agents that comes free with it.Then like a thunder bolt(well,not literally) it struck me that why not make it at home?At least it would be chemical free to a certain extent.So today i made a bottle of  ketchup.And the result was quite satisfying i must say.Are you even tempted to make your own ketchup?Let's get started.

ingredients yields 2 cups (approx)

• 1 kg of good quality of tomatoes.
• 1/2-3/4th cup of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• an inch of ginger
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium sized onion
• Few raisins
• 2 dry red chilies
• 2 tsp of vinegar
• 1/4th tsp of garam masala
• 1/4th tsp of sodium benzoate(optional)

Method

1.Roughly chop the tomatoes,onions,garlic,ginger and raisins.Try to use pulpy tomatoes rather than over ripe or juicy tomatoes.The more the tomatoes are pulpy the more amount of sauce you shall get.

2.Add all the chopped ingredients and the dried red chilies into a deep pan and add it on stove top on a medium flame.Keep a lid over it and let it cook.Don't add water into it because as the tomatoes start cooking it'll secrete all it's juices.

3.After 10 minutes check over them.you'll notice that the tomatoes will start to sweat and leave all it's juices.

4.Cover the lid again and cook it for another 15-20 minutes till the tomatoes cook and reduce in size.Keep checking and stirring in between.

5.Once it the tomatoes cook properly.Let them cool for a while before you put them into a mixer and puree them.After around 5 minutes pour it into a mixer and make a fine puree or paste.

6.Once it's pureed put it into a strainer and strain it.At this stage the seeds and the unwanted chewy part's of the tomatoes will get separated from the puree.

6.After you strain the liquid mixture you'll notice it's not thick enough.It's almost semi-thick.So to make it thicker pour it over a pan and place it over the gas top on medium flame.At this point add all the seasoning(salt,sugar and garam masala).Boil it on medium flame for another 10-15 minutes till it achieves the consistency that of a store bought sauce.(the ketchup that i made i added 3/4th cup of sugar.As the tomatoes were too tangy.Before adding sugar check the sourness of the tomatoes and add sugar as per requirement)

7.Once the sauce becomes thick the color of the tomatoes will turn into a slightly  dark shade of red.Switch off the gas and pour the vinegar into the sauce.Now you can stop here to make the entire sauce preservative free.But it'll sustain only for a month,hardly two.If you want to make it sustain longer then boil 2 tsp of water and add 1/4th tsp of Sodium Benzoate and mix it well while the sauce is hot.(I myself used it for the first time and after mixing it into the water the color of the water does not change.But i must admit after putting it into the sauce you can taste a bit of preservative.Now how does preservative taste?umm,well,that's a tricky question.Why don't you find it out yourself.But it does not alter the taste of the sauce though)

8.Your tasty tomato sauce/ketchup is ready.Pour the hot sauce in a sterilized bottle and cool it down to room temperature .More likely for 12 hours and then store it inside the fridge.For best results use the sauce after a day.(in the picture here that i have posted i have used a plastic ketchup bottle.It's better if you store it into a sterilized bottle)

9.Serve this homemade ketchup with your favorite burgers,fries,samosa's or any dish of your choice.And Eat it up!:)

Mini eggless choco coffee brownies in a pressure cooker

Today i had this sudden urge of having something sweet and not so sweet at the same time.Now it kept me thinking what could i make that would be best of both worlds.Hence these mini eggless choco coffee brownies.I checked few recipes over YouTube and zeroed down to this recipe.The strong taste of coffee cuts the sweetness of the sugar to a certain extent.Now i am sure you have tasted brownies before and made them as well.But have you ever tasted chocolate and coffee brownies?If not then it's time to treat yourself with one.Now if you are a vegan then this recipe is apt for you.And if you are not still you could try these.They are gooey and melts in your mouth.Let's check the ingredients first.

Ingredients Serves-2

• 3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3rd cup of cooking/compound chopped dark chocolate
• 1/4th cup of butter/margarine
• 1/4th cup of yogurt
• 1/4th cup of plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of caster/powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of any strong coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp of water
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• 1/4th cup of hot water

Method

1. Take a large bowl and sift flour,cocoa powder and baking powder.
   
2. Take another large bowl add the butter(i used margarine) and whisk it till the colour of the butter turns pale from yellow.And it turns creamy.
   
   
   
   
3. Add the powdered sugar into the bowl and whisk it again it it's mixed well and it's smooth.
   
4. Add vanilla essence,coffee and half of the yogurt and mix it well.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Pour half of the dry mixture of flour,cocoa powder and baking powder and mix it well.
   
   
   
   
6. Add the rest of the yogurt and dry mixture and the hot water.Combine everything well.
   
   
   
   
7. Take the chopped chocolates and dust a bit of flour.Mix it properly and drop them into the brownie mixture.The flour is mixed into the chopped chocolates in order to stop them from drowning into the mixture.
   
8. Take a small cake (a square one is preferred.But i had a round one).Grease the tin with oil and dust it with flour to stop it from sticking.At the bottom place butter paper cut into the shape of the tin.
   
9. Add the mixture into the tin and tap it on the kitchen counter to eliminate any air bubbles.
   
10. Take a pressure cooker.Add a small container into it and on top of it add the cake tin so that it does not burn.Make sure the sides of the tin does not touch the cooker.Close the lid.Remove the rubber band and the whistle before doing so.
    
    
    
    
11. Cook it for 30 minutes in low flame.You'll know it's done when u stick a toothpick inside it and it comes out clean.If your brownie appears like the one in the pic don't panic(like i did).It's alright.The crack's on the surface are nothing unusual.
    
12. Take it out of the cooker and let it cool.(Don't try to take it out of the tin when it's warm.I couldn't hold the anticipation and i did so.It broke a bit.But thankfully i could rescue it)
13. Once it cools down flip the cake tin over a tray or plate and take the brownie out.Remove the butter paper. (i was almost about to eat it with the butter paper on)(sorry forgot to click the picture.so couldn't post)
14. Refrigerate it for a while inside the fridge(I didn't have that lot of patience)
15. Take it out and cut it into small pieces.Garnish it as you like and Eat it up!:)