Bhakarwadi

I am very thrilled to announce today's guest post by Sangeeta Pai. I love the way she makes all those complicated recipes with so much of ease. She has great tips and tricks to make amazing recipes in a jiffy. We haven't met each other for real, but I know we will hit it off fabulously when we do....

Over to Sangeeta's kitchen!!

I met Deepti in a cookery group  about 6 months back. And although I haven't even met her personally yet, seems like I already know her so well! Her recipes are so tempting, be it the Hassleback Potatoes with Mushroom Sauce or the innovative way of using Appe Pan to make Cheese Bombs! I need to buy an Appe Pan for my kitchen soon.I prefer to hog rather than blog :P However, I couldn't say "No" to Deepti for a Guest post, so here I am with a recipe that I hope you all will enjoy as much as I and my family did !!

Ingredients :
For the outer roll:

• Maida (All Purpose flour) - 1 &1/2 cup
• Besan (Gram flour) - 1/4 cup
• Rice flour - 1/4 cup (for that crunch)
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Turmeric, Red Chilly powder, ajwain - a pinch each.
• (I used Oregano as I didn't have ajwain ;))
• Salt to taste
• Water

For the filling:

• Khaskhas (poppy seeds) roasted - 5 tbsp
• Til (sesame seeds) roasted - 5 tbsp
• Desiccated coconut - 2 tbsp
• Peanut roasted & coarsely ground - 1 tbsp (optional)
• Saunf (fennel seeds) roasted and coarsely ground - 1 tspn
• Dhania (coriander powder) - 1 tspn
• Jeera (Cumin powder) - 1/2 tspn
• Hing (Asafoetida) - a pinch
• Garam masala - 1/2 tspn
• Sugar (powdered) -1 tsp
• Red chilly powder/flakes - 2 tsp
• 2 green chillies + 1 pc of ginger + 2 cloves of garlic - grind all in mixer
• Kadipata (Curry leaves) - 1 twig (you can grind along with the GGC paste)
• Salt to taste (enough for the filling, the dough already contains salt)
• 2 tbsps tamarind paste for applying on the roti.
• 1tbsp maida mixed with water to make a paste for sealing the roll
• Oil for frying.

Method:

• Knead a fairly firm dough along with the ingredients mentioned above. If the dough is soft, you won't be able to cut it easily and the shape won't come out good.
• Mix all the spices of the filling.

• Roll the dough into a chapatti. 

• Apply the tamarind paste. 

• Spread the filling on it. 

• Fold once the sides (to avoid the filling coming out from the edge). 

• Start to roll from the opposite side till you reach the end & a cylindrical roll is formed. (Apply maida paste to seal the end).

• Cut into 1 inch size rolls. 

• Deep fry on medium flame until golden brown. 

• Once cooled, store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

PS: You may bake them in an oven too. Brush lightly with butter, preheat the oven on 350 F and cook each side for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutella Fantasy

Light and Crisp cookies with a gooey chewy dark chocolate centre....A fantasy indeed!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup All purpose flour/Maida
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3-4 tbsp Milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 jar Nutella, at room temperature

Method:

• Preheat oven at 180 degee c for 10 minutes.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, add butter and sugar mixture, vanilla extract and milk, knead into a soft dough.

• Cover the dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

• Take out, divide the dough into 10-12 equal sized balls.
• Place a ball of dough in your palm and flatten it, fill with a teaspoon of nutella and fold the edges, make sure the edges are sealed well.

• Press lightly with your palms and shape the dough into a round cookie.
• Line your baking tray with a parchment paper or aluminium foil.

• Bake at 180 degree c for 17-18 mintes or until completely baked.
• Allow the cookies to cool on a wired rack before serving!

"Bake these cookies and indulge in the decadence!"

Hasselback baby potatoes with mushroom sauce

Hasselback Potatoes are the Swedish version of baked potatoes. The name is derived from the restaurant where they were first introduced in the 1940s, Hasselbacken in Stockholm, Sweden.
Traditionally medium sized potatoes work best for this, but I tried making these with new baby potatoes and they looked even more beautiful. There are many variations of this dish, I served this with creamy mushroom sauce.

A perfect fancy side dish to please your guests....

Hasselback potatoes

Ingredients:

• 8-10 baby potatoes unpeeled
• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary)

Method:

• Preheat oven at 200 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.
• Place potatoes horizontally on a cutting board. Starting at one end, thinly slice each potato. Be careful not to cut through, the base should remain intact.
  


• Drop potatoes in cold water to remove starch from inner layers. 
• Drain out the water and pat dry the potatoes with a kitchen towel 
• Heat 2 sticks of butter in a pan, mix in the herbs, salt and black pepper, warm for 30 seconds and toss them over the potatoes. 
• Bake potatoes for 40 minutes at 200 degree celsius, until crispy from outside and soft from inside.

Mushroom sauce

Ingredients:

• 8-10 white button mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh cream
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (optional)

Method:

• Heat oil and butter in a pan, add minced garlic, saute till you get mild aroma. 
• Add sliced mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes or until thery begin to shrink up a bit. 
• Stir in fresh cream, spices and mixed herbs, cook for 2 minutes. 

• Spoon the sauce over hasselback potatoes and serve.

P.S. You can try different seasonings and spices as per your taste.

Sunehra Paneer

Sunehra Paneer 
Restaurant style Paneer cooked in rich delicious, silky aromatic gravy will just melt in your mouth, it is perfect blend of spiciness and sweetness .

Ingredients:

• 200 gms cottage cheese
• 2 medium sized onions paste
• 3-4 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic and green chilly paste 
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 cloves
• 1 big cardamom
• 3-4 green cardamom
• 2 tbsp kasuri methi
• 10-15 cashews soaked in water
• 2-3 tbsp beaten curd
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• Red chilly powder to taste
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2-3 tbsp oil

Method:

• Cut cottage cheese into rectangular pieces and set aside.

• In a deep bottom pan heat oil add cumin seeds, cloves, crushed green and big cardamom, cook for a minute.
• Add ginger garlic and chilly paste, saute till it leaves aroma, then add onion paste and fry till light brown in colour.

• Blend together tomatoes and cashews and saute till oil separates, put salt, red chilly powder,coriander powder, turmeric powder and saute for a minute.
• Add beaten curd and stir well, now add butter, cream, milk, kasuri methi, sugar and bring it to a boil, reduce flame and cook for 2-3 minutes.

• Add paneer cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes and simmer the flame.Discard whole masalas before serving.

• Switch off flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Potato Chatpati Frankie

Much delighted to have this guest post today from the very talented Shreya Tiwari. An incredible cook, she is a wonderful person always looking forward to helping everyone around her. While she easily cooks to taste that brings joy from her preparation, she is a powerhouse of ideas that add immense health with just no compromise on taste.

Today, she picks from the best of her creations, a typical street food popular in Mumbai as 'Potato Chatpati Frankie'  !!!!

From the kitchen of Shreya:

I have known her for just a few months now... but we really did click over food. She's a really nice girl! We met through a food group and became friends... discussing recipes and stuff.
I love her food, it's delicious n honest. Do try her Rava Muruku! I did...it's fabulous ☆☆
So.....
When she asked me to do a guest post for her blog....I didn't think twice before agreeing!!
But I did think about what I wanted to make for her.. and played with a few ideas that didn't sit well with me...
However, Potato Chatpati Frankies seemed to work... and will be sharing the recipe here.
I am super proud of Deepti... and I know Cookoholichomemaker will Rock!!

Potato Chatpati Frankie!

Ingredients for the filling:

• 6 boiled & mashed potatoes 
• 3tbsp butter /oil 
• 1 tbsp chat masala 
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 
• 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
• 1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)

Method:

• In a pan heat butter/oil, add the mashed potatoes and all the other ingredients one by one and saute for 3-5 mins. 
• The filling is ready.
  

Ingredients for Onion Salsa:

• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion.
• Red chilly powder to taste
• Dry mango powder/Amchur to taste.

Method:

• Mix the above ingredients well in a bowl & set aside.
  

Ingredients for Vinegar Sauce:

• 5 tsp vinegar 
• 1/2 tsp chat masala 
• 1/4 tsp red chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp frankie masala (optional)

Method:
Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl and set aside.

Ingredients for the Base of the Roll:

• 3 cups Wheat flour/All purpose flour
• Salt to taste
• Water to knead the dough.
• 1/2 tsp Oil 

Method:

• Make a soft dough using the above mentioned ingredients, set it aside for 10 mins.
• Make 5-6 thick paratha and cook them well on both sides on a tava using ghee/ butter, keep them aside.

Assembling:

• Take a paratha, put the potato filling vertically in the centre. 
• On top of that drizzle some vinegar sauce & onion salsa. (Add grated cheese if you wish)
  
• Now roll the paratha to make a tight parcel, wrap it in a foil paper & serve with ketchup /mayonnaise /any dip of your preference.
• Repeat for all the parathas.
  

Note:

• One can pack these for lunch box too.
• Use any other variations in the filling like Paneer /non veg..etc
• I used wheat flour for the dough to make it healthier, originally it is prepared using All purpose flour(Maida)

Raj kachori

Raj Kachori, the royal chaat bowl from Rajasthan.

Crispy and puffed puris are filled with yummy goodies and topped with different chutneys.These can be made well in advance and stored in air tight container.

Ingredients:
For the kachori:

• 1 cup semolina (Sooji)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (Maida)
• Salt
• Water to knead
• Oil to fry

For stuffing:

• 1/4 cup boiled channa and boiled whole moong dal
• 1 med sized boiled potato
• Salted boondi
• Papdi(optional)
• 1/2 bowl beaten curd
• 2 tbsp tamarind chutney
• 2 tbsp Mint Coriander chutney
• Salt to taste
• Red chilly powder to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder

For Garnishing:

• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 2-3 tbsp besan sev (for recipe click here)
• Chopped coriander leaves.
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder

Method:
Sieve semolina, all purpose flour in a bowl add little salt

Knead into a tight dough using little water at a time.

Cover this flour with a damp kitchen towel and rest it for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes knead again to a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into equal lemon sized balls.
Roll into thin round roti/puri using little oil.

Heat oil in a wok. Drop single kachori at a time (leaving the rest covered with damp cloth), press the kachori lightly with a ladle so that it puffs well.
Once it is puffed, lower the flame and fry till it turns golden brown from both sides.
Take out on an absorbent paper and repeat the similar process for all the kachoris.

Before serving break the kachoris from the middle and stuff with few pieces of boiled potatoes, boiled moong dal, channa, crushed papdi, tamarind chutney, mint and coriander chutney, beaten curd, add salt, red chilly powder,cumin powder.

Top it with some besan sev, pomegranate seeds and chopped coriander leaves.
Sprinkle chaat masala,cumin powder and red chilly powder on top and serve immediately.

Notes:

• Roll the puri/roti very thin to make it crispy.
• Fry puris in moderately hot oil. If the oil is too hot you'll get burnt puris and less hot oil will makethe puris absorb too much oil.
• Ingredients and quantity of stuffing can be changed as per taste.

Wheat flour soup

The best way to beat the winter chill is a steaming hot bowl of soup.Try this healthy wheat flour soup with goodness of vegetables, aromatic spices and condiments.

Wheat flour soup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup wheat flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder
• Sugar a pinch( optional)
• 1/4 bowl chopped veggies of your choice( I used carrots and beans)
• Some chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4 tsp mixed herbs( oregano, thyme, rosemary)
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice ( optional)
  

Method:

• In a wok heat oil, add chopped garlic, cinnamon stick and cloves and sauté for few seconds.
• Add wheat flour and cook for a minute or two just to eliminate the raw flavour, do not over cook.
  
• Add water, salt, black pepper, sugar, herbs, chopped vegetables, coriander leaves and mixed herbs and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
• Add lemon juice for tanginess.
• Discard cinnamon stick and clove before serving.
• Add butter if you want.
  

Notes:

I like my veggies little crunchy you can choose to par boil or steam your vegetables before adding it to the soup.