Shepherd's pie

   Shepherd's pie has a meat filling and is  lined with the crust made of mashed potatoes.  This savoury pie was traditionally devoured whenever there was  left-over of grilled meat.  I can also say that it's a comfort food.   With so much humidity around, all you need is a piping hot shepherd's pie and a good book to mark a great day.

I got this recipe from my mom's Morphy Richards oven guidebook.  They have beautifully twisted it according to our Indian palette.  This dish is a layered dish.  The layers start with  thinly sliced potatoes, followed by vegetable mince, lamb mince and topped with mashed potatoes.  This, in turn, is brushed with melted butter and some crumbled cheese.  When these layers are baked, all you get is aromatic and a crispy potato crust top, followed by soft layers of vegetables and meat mince and ends with potato slices. I flavoured meat mince with dill and totally  this pie had such complementing flavours that I ended up devouring them as such.  Alternatively,  you can dig them with roti as well.  

  The round  casserole, I used here is 15 cm in diameter and 5 cm depth.  The filling measurements are made accordingly.  You may have to twist the measurements according to your casserole's size. 

So, let's get started. 

Kundapura kozhi chaaru

    This morning, I was going through my recipe diary.  Initially, when I started to cook, I had this habit of writing down all interesting recipes from TV program.  As week-end special, we always have chicken- so when particular page read, ' Kundapur kozhi chaaru' I got very excited!  All ingredients mentioned was handy at home, so tried these for this week's CCC Challenge.

Kundapura kozhi chaaru is an regional speciality from Karnataka, in a place called, 'Kondapur'.  This curry is more like an soup.  Yes, chaaru is an equivalent term for, 'rasam' in tamil.  This soupy broth is best when served with rice.  This recipe also, involves in an special masala, that imparts an fresh taste to this curry.  To, top this coconut oil and curry leaves added an mystique flavour that circulated the entire home.  Do try this and let us know :)

Empanada vegetariana - Galician stuffed bread

    Empanada gallega/ Galician empanada belongs to cuisine of Galicia, and is mainly had as an appetizer.  This, in general refers to an variety of stuffed bread - filling being fish or seafood or vegetables or an ultimate combo  of all three.  They are known to have sweet fillings as well.  They are prepared as an large savoury pie, and is sliced for serving purpose.

So, when Swathi and Marisa suggested us this bread, I was very delighted to bake them.  I choosed vegetarian version of Empanada with an touch of scrambled eggs, you can avoid eggs if you want. Empanadas vegetarian mixture are called as, 'zaragallada' and they have an strong hint of onions along with garlic, capsicum and tomatos. 

Empanada can be circle or rectangular, depending on baker's choice. Once out of the oven, they were mild, delecious and filling as well.   Since, they are mild, they would go great with tomato-chilly dip or chilly sauce.  We cherished them as an week-end tea-time snack and all thanks to  Swathi and Marisa  for suggesting such an delecious bread

KHUMB DOPYAZA - Mushrooms cooked in double onion masala

   'Dopyaza' meaning for double onion masala, actually originated when an cook (from Mughals), accidentally added lots of onions into mutton curry.  This  dish was much favoured by the kings, and hence the name originated.  For such an delicate curry, and an blessing for onion-lovers, why can't we drag them around and play with our veggies ;) Yes, they paired up excellantly with mushrooms and my other half couln't be happier than that. (I, really wasn't surprised, for an man who loves to eat raw onions, cooked ones must have pleased far...)

Onions, at first, used for usual sauting and  finally used as an garnish too (garnishing ones were deep-fried).  Apart from accompanying spices like black cardamon, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns, they also pair with souring agent (curd/mango/tomato puree).  So, let us move to this delecious curry at once.  

Healthy Sprouts salad

   Diwali is over and many are finding way to de-tox.  So am I here posting an healthy salad that you can munch at noon, evening snack or along with dinner, as an accompaniment.  This salad is made with sprouts which additionally supports the motive.  I, have topped them with few walnuts too!  Best part is with least additional time, with very few spices they go great on taste too!

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients required:

• 1 cup mixed sprouts, steam-cooked for five minutes
• 2 tbspn finely chopped onion
• 2 tbspn finely chopped tomatos (de-seeded)
• 1 tbspn finely chopped coriander leaves
• 2 whole shelled walnuts (which is later de-shelled and broken into tiny pieces)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder

Method

Mix all and serve.  Make sure you don't add more walnuts, because adding more will cause an bitter taste to salad. If you prefer to do so, then deskin them and add.  Also walnuts are best preferred, because almonds gives an 'too much crunchy effect' to salad. 

 

 

Happy cooking!!!

 

Piri piri chicken with coleslaw

    Still remember the introduced flavour for frech fries in McDonalds, called as 'Spicy African seasoning, Piri Piri'  Yes, this chicken is flavoured with the same piri piri sauce.  Piri piri, the name derives from African Birds Eye chilli.

Piri piri sauce, which was Portugese in origin, and got prevalent in Mozambique, Angola, South Africa is made from these chillies, Bayleaf, peppercorns, oregano, onion, garlic, lime juice, basil, cilantro, citrus peel etc.  Now, lets make this piri piri sauce, marinate it with chicken and cook till done.  This spicy, red hot starter is accompanies by South American Coleslaw... It was super-duo combination.

Onion uthappam

Ingredients required

• Regular dosa/idly batter- one cup
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 3 tsp of oil
• 1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp of whole jeera
• 1/2 tsp of split urad dal
• 3 tsp finely chopped curry leaves
• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dhanya powder
• 1 tsp jeera powder

Method

In a kadaai, heat oil and temper with rai, jeera, urad dal, curry leaves.  Later add onions, garlic  and cook them partially, adding jeera and dhanya powder at the end.  Keep aside.

In a pre-heated tawa, pour two ladle of batter.  Dont spread too much. Top with onion mixture and press them with spatula/spoon such that the onion mixture immerses well in batter itself.  turn upside down and cook.  Serve hot

Usually served with chutney and sambhar, i served with muttai curry

That was a nice combo indeed!!!

Onion chutney

Ingredients required

To be blended

• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 2 tsp thick tamarind extract
• 7-8 garlic pods
• 3-4 broken red chillies
• 1 tsp salt

To  temper

• 3 tsp oil 
• 1 tsp rai/mustard seeds

Method

Add all ingredients to be blended in a blender and grind into fine paste.  Meanwhile, heat oil in kadaai, add mustard seeds/rai, let the seeds crackle.  Add the blended paste and cook the paste (as raw onion is blended, and there is a need to cook them) on simmer flame till raw smell fades away. Serve hot with any dosa..

Bhakri

• Bhakri (भाकरी bhākrī or Dhebra) is a round flat unleavened bread often used in the cuisine of western and central India, especially in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat,northern Karnataka and Goa. It is coarser than a Chapati and can be compared to a British biscuit with respect to hardness.  This is recipe of bhakri made with rice.

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• Here, bhakri is made with rice flour and a bit of leftover rice with a veggie combo.  This nutritious recipe is as follows

Ingredients required

• Half cup of grated carrot
• 4 tsp of finely chopped methi leaves
• 4 tsp of finely chopped beans, cauliflower
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tsp chilly powder
• 1 tsp dhanya powder
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• One cup of leftover rice
• Two cups of rice flour
• 8 tsp of oil

  Method

Blend the leftover rice without adding water.

Mix vegetables and salt, chilly powder in a bowl.  Add blended rice paste and mix well. 

This is followed by adding rice flour and kneading the dough such that it follows the consistency of chapathi dough

Flat them with your oil-greased hands on a plastic sheet and cook them on a tawa, drizzling with oil.

Rice bhakri is ready to serve with any chutney of your choice along with sambhar.

Crumbled onions

   Ever wondered why restaurent made gravies are more dark in colour, making an wonderful impact??  Saw an cooking video of street-side dhaba in delhi and know wat? these guys add brown onion powder in the gravy to make it smell great and thus make an differentiation in colour as well.


    These powder, i assue should be made by deep frying finely chopped onions, draining off excessive oil and grinding even before their crispiness wipes out.  Such an delicate fantacy can be added to garnish curry, added on stuffed parathas and ur salads as well.  These have wide range of applications.  However, i tried to bake them till they went brownish red and grinded them once to get crumbled texture.  If you need a paste (as brown onion paste is also equally applicable in lots of gravies) you can grind it with a little water

  So, in a tray lined with oil greased foil, i laid down finely chopped onions,

Then i baked for 150 degee celcius for 10-15 minutes, this may take a time depending upon the quantity of onions added

Then i grinded it for single round, and here i go, have crumbled onions

Isn't it wonderful?

As said before they can be used to

1. garnish curry/gravy
2. added in curry/gravy
3. added in stuffed paratha
4. Also in salad