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Homemade pizza

Everyone in my family prefers homemade pizza over readymade pizza. Not only it’s economical but far healthier and you can control how much cheese or butter goes in it. It doesn’t take much long to prepare pizza at home if you have ingredients at hand.

Recipe of homemade pizza

Makes 2 pizzas

2 ready made pizza bases

Tomato sauce

1/2 cup tomato puree

4 garlic flakes- chopped finely

3 tomatoes- chopped finely

1 tsp oil

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper- to taste

Topping

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- pulp removed and chopped

1 capsicum (bell pepper) - deseeded and chopped

A few slices of jalapenos

200 gms mozzarella cheese (pizza cheese) - grated

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1. To prepare the tomato sauce, heat oil in a pan and add garlic. Stir for a few seconds and add all the ingredients for sauce. Bring it to a boil. Lower heat and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook till sauce thickens and can be spread without being runny. Turn off the heat.

2. Spread olive oil or melted butter over each pizza base covering the edges.

3. Spread tomato sauce over pizza base.

4. Sprinkle some grated cheese over each base.

5. Sprinkle the vegetable topping.

6. Sprinkle left over cheese. Drizzle some olive oil.

7. Bake at 180 degree C OR 350 Degree F for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve pizza hot.

sooji kheer

Sooji kheer or suji ki kheer is an almost instant dessert. Today after lunch, I was craving something sweet so within no time, I prepared sooji ki kheer and polished it off as quickly. This kheer can also be called as ‘Rava Payasam’. Sooji ki kheer is also good for infants as it is very light to digest.

Recipe of sooji ki kheer

1 liter milk

3/4 cup sooji (rava/ semolina/ suji)

1/2 cup sugar

A big pinch cardamom (elaichi) powder

Few threads of saffron

Chopped and toasted nuts like cashew nuts, raisins etc.

1. Dry roast sooji in a heavy bottomed pan (kadhai) over medium heat till light brown. Soak the saffron threads in 1 tablespoon milk.

2. Bring the milk to boil. Add sooji little by little, constantly stirring with other hand so that no lumps are formed.

3. Cook over high heat till the mixture begins to thicken. Add sugar and cardamom powder and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add saffron and mix well.

4. Garnish with nuts and serve hot or cold.

aloo ki tikki

Aloo ki tikki is one of the most popular chaat and street food of Northern India. It is served drizzled with cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney and beaten yogurt. Aloo tikki is also served as tikki chole chaat when it is with white chickpeas (kabuli chana). Potato patties shallow fried to golden makes for a delicious snack.

Recipe of aloo tikki

6-8 medium aloo (potato) - boiled, peeled

1 green chilli- chopped

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

2 tbsp bread crumbs

Salt to taste

1 inch piece ginger- grated

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Oil to shallow fry

1. Mash the potatoes well or you can grate them. Mix all the ingredients except oil and make smooth potato dough.

2. Make small balls from the aloo dough and flatten them between your palms to make round patties or tikkis.

3. Heat a non- stick flat pan or a tawa (griddle) and drizzle oil on it. Place the tikkis on it and shallow fry till golden brown. Then turn over and cook from other side also. Place as many tikkis on the pan or tava as their surface area allows and you can manage easily. Serve hot with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.

Vegetable pakora

Vegetable pakora along with hot tea was our rainy day treat today. As soon as I spotted dark clouds in the sky, I started mixing my batter as I knew that demand for pakoras will soon be there and how right I was!

Recipe of mixed vegetable pakora (bhajia)

1 cup besan (gram flour)

3/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 potato- peeled and cut into round thin slices

2 onions- chopped or cut into rings

1 small cauliflower- cut into florets

1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 2 green chillies- chopped

3/4 tsp pav bhaji masala

Oil to deep fry

1. Pass the besan through a sieve so that there are no lumps. Add salt, red chilli powder or green chillies and pav bhaji masala.

2. Slowly add water to the besan mixing by other hand so as to prevent lumps formation. Beat the batter well (you can use a blender) so as to incorporate air and pakodas turn out fluffier.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai (heavy bottomed vessel) and when the oil is hot enough, turn the heat to medium- high. Dip the vegetables in the batter and gently drop in the hot oil. Fry from both sides till pakoras turn golden brown. Drain by using a slotted spoon (pauni/ chhari) on an absorbent paper. Fry in batches. Serve hot vegetable fritters with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.

Potato sandwich

Toasted aloo sandwich is a delicious and easy breakfast option as well as any time snack. They are also a good option for Tiffin. They are also liked by kids.

Recipe of aloo sandwich

3 boiled potatoes- peeled and mashed

Salt to taste

2 green chillies- chopped

1 onion- chopped

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp oil

5-6 curry leaves (optional)

Chopped coriander leaves

Bread slices

Aloo masala

1. Heat oil in a pan (wok) and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing.

2. Add onion, curry leaves and green chillies and sauté till onion become transparent.

3. Add potato. Add turmeric powder and salt. Roast the potatoes. While roasting, keep removing the scrapings from the pan. Add garam masala, amchoor and coriander leaves and mix well.

4. Take a bread slice and place just enough potato mixture so as to cover the bread. Place another slice over it. Make sandwich either in an electrical or gas top sandwich toaster. Similarly make other sandwiches. 

Gobhi paratha

Recipe of gobhi paratha

Filling

1 medium cauliflower (gobhi/ gobi) - grated

1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

Salt to taste

2 green chillies- finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1 inch piece ginger- grated

2 tsp oil

Dough

1 1/2 cup atta (whole wheat flour)

1/2 tsp salt

Oil to shallow fry

1. Mix the ingredients of the dough and add enough water to knead the atta into pliable dough. Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add carom seeds. When they splutter, add rest of the ingredients of the filling. Roast till most of the moisture from gobi evaporates. Let it cool down.

3. Take a ball (peda) out of the dough and roll out into a 3 inch round dusting it with dry flour to prevent it from sticking.

4. Grease this round with the help of a greased spoon or spatula. Place 1 tablespoon of cauliflower filling in the centre. Gather the edges of the round and reshape it into a ball. Flatten this ball by lightly pressing with hand.

5. Roll out this ball into a 6 inch round dusting it in dry flour. Roll out gently and also lift the paratha gently before placing it on the griddle.

6. Heat a tawa (griddle) and smear it with some oil with the help of a spatula. Turn the heat to medium and place the parantha on it. Cook till the underside is cooked and rawness of flour disappear. Turn over and cook the other side also. Cook both sides till they become somewhat reddish brown. While cooking the parantha, press with the spatula in between to make it crisp. Similarly cook other parathas. Serve hot gobhi ka paratha with curd and pickle.

Paneer sandwich

This toasted sandwich is so easy to make that anyone can make it. It’s delicious and ready to eat in few minutes. This sandwich makes for a quick breakfast and anytime snack. It contains both proteins and carbohydrates.

Recipe of paneer sandwich

200 grams paneer (cottage cheese) - crumbled

1 onion- chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Bread slices

1. Mix paneer, salt, onion and black pepper powder. 

2. Take a slice of bread and place the paneer mixture on it. Cover it with another slice. You can make this sandwich either in an electrical sandwich toaster or gas top sandwich maker. Similarly make other sandwiches. Enjoy them hot with tomato sauce.

Paneer toast

Bhel

You can munch on this bhel puri as an evening snack or anytime when hunger pangs hit without bothering about your waist line. This is a low calorie healthy snack. If you have ready made bhel puri chutney like that made by Smith and Jones, available at a nearby store, then this bhel can be made in a jiffy.

Recipe of diet bhel puri

2 cups murmura (kurmura/ mamra/ puffed rice)

1 small potato- boiled, peeled and cubed

1 small tomato- chopped

1 small onion- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

1 tbsp peanuts (moongphali)

1/2 tsp chaat masala

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

3 tbsp meethi chutney (see the recipe below)

2 tbsp green chutney

1. Dry roast the peanuts in a heavy bottomed vessel (karahi). Take them out and in the same karahi, dry roast the murmura on medium heat stirring continuously till they begin to change color.

2. In a large bowl, mix all the above ingredients and serve immediately.

Recipe of quick meethi chutney

2 tbsp sugar or gur (jaggery)

1 tbsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp roasted jeera (cumin seeds)

1. Take a small heavy bottomed vessel and mix all the above ingredients in it.

2. Cook till everything dissolves and chutney gets the right consistency. Let it cool.

Besan chilla

Recipe of Besan Chilla

1 cup besan (gram flour)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

1 small onion- very finely chopped

1 small tomato- very finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

Besan batter

1. Mix all the ingredients except onion and tomato.

2. Add water little by little mixing all the time so that no lumps are formed. Add enough water to get thick pouring consistency.

3. Keep the batter aside for 15 minutes.

4. Beat the batter well.

5. Heat a non- stick tava (griddle) and put some oil on it. Wipe with a napkin.

6. Keeping the tava on low heat, pour 2 tablespoons batter in the centre. Spread the batter outwards gently with the back of a ladle (karchhi) in circular motion just like you spread an omellette. You can make big or small rounds depending on how thick or thin you want your cheela to be. Cook the cheela on medium heat.

7. After 2 minutes, pour some oil on the chilla. Sprinkle onion and tomato pieces on the cheela and press gently with the spatula so that these pieces stick to the chilla.

8. When the edges from underside look reddish brown, it means underside is cooked. Remove the chilla from the tava with the help of a wide, thin spatula.

9. Turn over and cook the upper side also with onion, tomato pieces facing downwards. Press gently. After 2 minutes, remove the chilla from the tava. Similarly cook other chillas. Serve hot with green chutney or lahsoon chutney.

Make first chilla as a test chilla using small quantity of batter as first cheela usually sticks to the tava. Always spread the chilla with tava on low heat.

Alternatively, you can also mix very finely chopped onion, tomato and green chilly pieces in the batter and then spread and cook like the method above.

Open potato toast

Open Potato Toasts soon become everybody’s favorite including kids. These toasts are so delicious that I can eat them one after the other. I learnt this recipe from my hubby Rahul who used to make them during his hostel days. By the way, he is an excellent cook who loves to experiment with various ingredients.

Recipe of Open Potato Toast

4 slices of bread

2 medium potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

1 onion- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Butter to toast the bread

1. Mix all the above ingredients except bread and butter. Mix well.

2. With the help of a spoon, spread potato mixture on one side of bread slices, pressing gently so that potato mixture sticks to the bread. You have to do it gently because you don’t want the bread to break.

3. Heat a non- stick tawa (griddle) and melt some butter on it. With the help of a spatula, smear the tawa with the butter. Put bread slices on it, potato side down. Toast till potato becomes reddish brown, pressing it with the spatula.  Flip and toast the other side of bread also. Remember it takes much longer to toast the potato side than plain bread side. Also toast on medium heat. Serve hot with tomato sauce.