BachelorFood – Page 5 – The Secret Ingredient

Baking

Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread

By anshu August 4, 2014

Focaccia is an Italian flat oven baked bread similar in style and texture to pizza. It is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt and some times topped with herbs and few vegetables. I have been longing to make this for a long time but finally I did it last week. And each time I was having its bite I was regretting why I dint bake this earlier. It came out outrageously delicious! It was topped with rosemary and garlic, a divine combination.Period.

I devoured like a retard, my husband was crazily digging into it and my 2 year old was shaking his head in joy while eating its little pieces. So all in all it was total madness. And the bread was gone in flat 5 minutes.

Directions:

1. In a container take some lukewarm water. It should neither be hot nor cold, just hot enough to comfortably put your finger into it . The right temperature of the water is very important for yeast to activate. Put yeast into it.

2. Along with yeast add some sugar.

3. Give it a gentle stir with a fork and let the mixture sit and activate for 10 minutes or until you see some bubbles on top and mixture has become frothy and milky.

4. Add salt to the yeast mixture.

5. Take all purpose flour in a bowl and add the yeast mixture to it. Knead for 10 minutes until it forms a dough.

6. Add olive oil and knead for 5 minutes again.

7. Transfer the dough ball in a oiled bowl. Also cover the dough with little olive oil so that it doesn’t form a skin. Cover with a plastic clingwrap and store in a warm place preferably inside unplugged microwave. The dough will double itself in 1 hour and 10 minutes.

8. The dough doubled in volume. I used half of the dough to make a smaller sized dough. The rest of it I kept in a ziplog bag and froze.

9. Chop some garlic in slices and keep aside.

10. Take a flat bottom baking sheet or baking dish and grease it with oil generously.

11. Stretch and roll the dough into the baking dish using your hands.It should be about 1/2 inch thick.

12. Now cover this with cling wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.

13. After 20 minutes remove the cling wrap but don’t throw it away. Brush some olive oil on the dough surface using a brush.

14. Top it up with as many or as less garlic slices you want.

15. Sprinkle chopped fresh Rosemary or dried rosemary all over the surface.

16. Season it with Salt and black pepper.

17. Again cover it with cling wrap and rest for another 25 minutes.

18. Pop into a preheated oven on 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or until its golden brown.

19. Serve as a side dish with pasta or any chicken cheese recipe.

[yumprint-recipe id=’41’] [whohit]GarlicRosemaryFocaccia[/whohit]

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Breakfast

Soya Veggie Vermicelli Seviyan Upma

By anshu July 24, 2014

Vermicelli Seviyan Upma is a healthy and quick breakfast option which is loved by all. To make a new breakfast recipe every day is a constant struggle. The bigger concern is to have a healthy meal for a healthier start to the day. Coming from a Punjabi Family where breakfast largely revolves around stuffed Parantha cannot be considered healthy for every morning. So I started making this quick vermicelli with veggies and soya granules. Vermicelli is nothing but broken thinned wheat pasta, known as Sevai or Seviyan in Hindi and Fideo Pasta in Spanish Nowadays you get roasted Vermicelli in market which further cuts down the cooking time and uses less oil.

Also if you are a bachelor or working women you can buy a pack of frozen chopped vegetables and dump it in your freezer for making your life convenient. But nothing compares to the taste and freshness of fresh vegetables. Anyways, the choice is yours.

Directions:

1. Finely chop Capsicum, Onions, Green Beans and Carrots.Take lukewarm water in a bowl and put frozen corns to thaw. Keep aside.

2. In a pan or wok pour some oil and add Mustard Seeds. When they start to splutter add Cumin seeds.

3. Put chopped onions and saute them till they start sweating.

4. Add Kaddi Patta.

5. Add capsicum, green beans and carrots and cook for 5 minutes or till you see they loose their firmness.

6. Drain water from the corns and put them along with the vegetables to cook.

7. Add salt, turmeric and red chili powder.

8. Add water and cover with a lid and cook on medium low flame for 5 minutes till the vegetables become tender.

9. Add vermicelli and Soya granules.

10. Mix everything together and add water.

11. Cover with a lid and let it cook on low flame till the water is absorbed.

12. Fluff it up and Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Other Breakfast recipes you can try : Italian Frittata with Mushrooms and Spinach, Fried Egg Over Polenta with Homemade Basil Pesto, Blueberry Buttermilk Pan Cakes, Apple & Cinnamon Pan Cakes, Shakshouka, Shahi Poha.

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Dinner

South Indian style Curd Rice | Thayir Sadam

By anshu May 14, 2014

I must admit I had never tasted curd rice before but had certainly heard from my papa and my friends that its ridiculously yummy. I always used to wonder what could be so special about such a dish, after all its just curd and rice. But the other day when a friend requested this recipe I googled it and found an appealing recipe. When I made it the same very night.. it was like an instant hit!! I now happen to make it every other day. It is the best comfort food ever. Thought to share this recipe with you. Well I found out that it is also known as Thayir Sadam, my south Indian friends will know. 🙂

Update:
I am updating pictures of this blog after I have had tremendous following on this recipe. And especially when its a time of crisis for us and the entire world is dealing with COVID 19. We have limited rations and limited supplies. So best can be when we use our existing supplies in a more creative manner. Making simple, nutritious dishes using lesser ingredients. I made this for my family last night and it was well appreciated. I hope you guys stay safe out there . Sending you hugs from India

Directions:

1. Thoroughly wash rice , soak it in water for half an hour and pressure cook it till soft and gooey.

2. Immediately transfer the rice in a bowl while still hot. Mash them and add hot milk. I also added butter for that rich buttery flavour. But its optional.

3. Let the mashed rice cool down and then add curd to it.

4. Add finely chopped ginger, kaddi patta, coriander leaves, green chilies, salt and asafoetida. Mix well and set aside.

5. In a pan heat some oil or ghee.

6. Add kaddi patta, mustard seeds, halved or broken cashews, urad dal and asafoetida. Roast them for a couple of minutes.

7. Pour the temper over the rice mixture.

8. Garnish with some pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

You can try Other dishes from South of India: Quick Rava Idli, Ragi Dosa, Instant Raw Mango Pickle South Indian Style, Tomato Onion Garlic Chutney, Coconut Chutney.

[yumprint-recipe id=’21’]

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Dinner

Pan Grilled Fish in Butter Lemon Sauce

By anshu January 11, 2014

The only memory of me eating fish was when I was a little girl and when my Father would get “Fish Pakoras” from a very famous shop in our town. After that I turned vegetarian and tried fish only in Mexico. With many fail attempts finally I figured out a healthy way to cook fish. It doesn’t take much effort and is a perfect date recipe. Even the bachelor’s can easily put this up together. You can serve this with salad.

Directions:

1. Take fillets of fish, wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Keep aside. I used tilapia or mojarra, as they call in Spanish but you can use any fresh water fish which is skinned and boneless.

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2. In a bowl place fish fillets and rub them on both sides with garlic powder, salt and black pepper powder. You can even use minced garlic if you cannot find garlic powder. I prefer garlic powder because it becomes easy to rub it.

3. Spread little olive oil and toss in some red wine. If you want to cook without wine you can easily ignore this. Squeeze in juice of a lemon and mix gently.

4. If you like to make it hot you can add red chili powder. Also chop some fresh parsley and mix it in the marinade. Nothing tastes like a fresh sprig of parsley but if you cannot lay hands on it you can always use a dried parsley herb.

5. Keep the fish in marinade to sit for ten minutes.

6. Now in a flat bottomed large pan pour some olive oil and let it become hot (if the oil isn’t hot the fillet are likely to break). Once the oil is hot place two fillet at a time, discarding the liquidy marinade . You can even add couple of capers for added flavour. Capers and Fish always taste great together. Cook on each sides for 2 minutes each as fish doesn’t take much time to cook. Also if the fish is overcooked all its moisture is lost and it becomes very tasteless.

7. Transfer the cooked fish in a serving platter and in the meanwhile in the same pan melt some butter and add some lemon juice to it. Now, generously pour this lemon butter sauce on your fish for that divine flavour.

Serve it with salad or roasted potatoes. Enjoy!

[yumprint-recipe id=’19’][whohit]GrilledFish[/whohit]

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Breakfast

Mexican Casserole Eggs | Huevos en Cazuela

By anshu January 8, 2014

I tried this recipe in Mexico in a very popular restaurant over a breakfast rendezvous with my friend Teresa. Oh! by the way its her birthday today! This blog is dedicated to her. 🙂 Coming back to the topic, the recipe was simple yet fantastic. Although I am not a huge fan of tortillas, but they tasted so good with them. I decided to make them at home using my wisdom (yeah I am also laughing while writing this :P). It has a Mexican blend of Chili Poblano, Queso Panela,White Onions and Mushrooms. Oh these are known as Casserole Eggs and in Spanish Huevos en Cazuela. Usually, casserole recipes are oven made but I made my version of this recipe on stove top which is equally good. If you can lay your hands on Chili Poblano give it a try today!

Directions:

1. Wash, roast and peel Chili Poblano and cut into bite size pieces. (Learn How to Roast and Peel Chili Poblano?) Set aside.

2. In a wok pour little oil and sauté onion still they become translucent . Add roasted pieces of chili poblano.

3. After sautéing chili add mushrooms and black olives, both drained. If using fresh mushrooms, you can saute them a little longer till they release their water. I preferred to use canned mushrooms and olives. Sprinkle some salt and black pepper.

4. Break in the eggs and mix them evenly with rest of the sauteed vegetables.

5. If you like spicy food, you can even sprinkle some red chili flakes. Lastly, add cubed queso panela or paneer and mix well.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with toasted tortillas or bread.

Quick Rava Idli, Wrapped French Toast, Soya Veggie Vermicelli, Rava Pizza Bread ,Italian Frittata, Shahi Poha, Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes. Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Eggless Walnut Pancakes.

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[whohit]CasseroleEggs[/whohit]

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Breakfast

Shahi Poha | Beaten Rice with Dry Fruits

By anshu January 6, 2014

Beaten Rice or Pohe as they are called in Marathi makes an interesting and healthy breakfast or quick snack. My father is very fond of pohe. I remember a normal evening in my house where my Father would be sitting on his porch. My Mom would ask him if he would like to have his tea. And with a spark in his eye he will say ” It will be great if chai is accompanied with pohe”. And in no time comes a platter of pohe with namkeen bhujia sprinkled on top along with raw onions, freshly chopped coriander and hint of lemon.

Well, back at home that is still the regular evening snack. I guess some tastes do not change. I call this recipe “Shahi” or “Royal” because it is cooked with dry fruits instead of just vegetables. You can vegetables and dry fruits both.

Directions:
1. In a colander put the beaten rice and run it under cold water. Move it with your fingers gently so that the entire rice is soaked in water for a minute or so. Keep aside and let the beaten rice become soft and excess water drains out.

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2. In a pan pour oil and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. As they begin to splutter add fresh Kaddi Patta or dried. Keep your flame on medium low for you would not like to over toast your seeds.

3. Add Cashew Nuts, Almonds, Raisins and Peanuts and toast them for a minute . You will notice the raisin has swollen and dry fruits are acquiring colour.

4. Add chopped green chilies and onions and saute till they have become tender and translucent.

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5. Add Salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder and stir well.

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6. Add soaked beaten rice and mix well to coat all spices.

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7. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with freshly chopped raw onion, chopped coriander leaves, namkeen bhujia and a dash of lemon juice.

You can enjoy other hearty breakfast recipes on The Secret Ingredient: Quick Rava Idli, Mexican Style Casserole Eggs, Wrapped French Toast, Soya Veggie Vermicelli, Rava Pizza Bread ,Italian Frittata, Eggless Walnut Pancake, Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes.

[yumprint-recipe id=’7′][whohit]shahipoha[/whohit]

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Appetiser

Rava Pizza Bread | Sooji Toast | Quick Semolina Yogurt Pizza

By anshu November 13, 2013

This Rava Pizza Bread is my husband’s favorite breakfast. Even I don’t mind making for him because it is fast and is ready in no time. Also it is healthy and very filling. It is even great for fussy kids. I came across this recipe years ago when I just started experimenting with food. But even with years this recipe has always saved me when I was running out of time in the morning not because of any other reason but simply I was too lazy to get out of bed 😛 Yeah I am not a morning person so, such recipes are always my sought out breakfast recipes. Before I brag more tales of laziness I want you to note this recipe.

Directions:
1.In a mixing bowl mix onions capsicum and tomatoes along with yogurt and sooji.

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2. Mix well till it forms a thick paste. You can add more yogurt if you feel the mixture is very thick but it should not be liquid.Add Salt and Pepper to this paste and set aside for 5 minutes for sooji to absorb yogurt.

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3. In a nonstick flat pan pour two tbsp oil to cover the surface and place two bread slices next to each other. Make sure your gas flame is on low otherwise the lower side of bread will become over toasted.

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4.Take the spoonful of paste and spread over each bread as a thin layer. Do not make the layer thick for it will not cook evenly and wont taste good.

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5. Drizzle little oil over the thin layer of paste and turn the bread upside down with the paste side facing down. Now you can turn the gas flame on high.

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6. Cook for about 3-4 minutes and then carefully turn it upside down. If the bread topping is properly cooked and settled it will come out easily without sticking to the pan. If you feel its still sticky give it couple of minutes to cook and then try turning it again.

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7. Place them on the serving plate and sprinkle on top some chili flakes and oregano.
8. Repeat the above with the other bread slices.

You can enjoy other hearty breakfast recipes on The Secret Ingredient: Quick Rava Idli, Mexican Style Casserole Eggs, Wrapped French Toast, Soya Veggie Vermicelli, Shahi Poha, Italian Frittata, Eggless Walnut Pancake, Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes.

[yumprint-recipe id=’27’]

[whohit]pizza-bread[/whohit]

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