Pav Pizza Exotica

pav pizza exotica

A great recipe for your cocktail party menu or can also be served as a party starter to your guests.

This is a very easy recipe, even beginners can give it a try. Most of the ingredients of this recipe are generally available at home.

I made pav-bhaji one day and was left with many pav breads, so the idea sprung to my mind, why not prepare them like mini pizzas that can be relished at tea-time or with a soup. These pav pizzas can also be served as a side dish to pastas or noodles.

You can even use hot dog buns or the burger buns in place of pav breads.

Serves - 2
Makes - 6 pav pizza exotica

Ingredients :

Pav Bread - 2
Tomato (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Onion (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Capsicum (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Oil to brush the slices
Cheese grated - 4 tbsp

Ingredients for the seasoned butter -

Butter (softened) - 3 tsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Mix dried herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley etc) - 1/2 tsp

Procedure - 

1. Cut pav into three thick slices horizontally.
2. Mix all the seasonings into the butter.
3. Brush a little oil on the bottom and sides of all the pav slices and the seasoned butter on the top.
4. Bake these slices in a preheated oven at 200˚(400˚F) C for 5-7 minutes.
5. Take the slices out of the oven and put a little amount of tomato, onion and capsicum on the toasted pav slices.
6. Spread grated cheese over the topping and bake in a preheated oven at 200˚C (400˚F) for 10 minutes, till cheese melts and corners of the pav slice turn red and crispy.
7. Serve immediately with chili flakes, Italian seasonings and tomato ketch-up.

Best Accompaniments :  Chilled cold-drink or lemonade, pastas, noodles

Brown Bread Pizza sanwich

brown bread pizza sandwich

This is a very quick recipe, you can prepare it even on a busy morning(weekday) in very little time. It is made up of all the healthy ingredients.. brown bread, salads, cheese (definately healthy for kids ;) )

I've used diet eggless mayonnaise in the recipe, you can use the regular one too, that doesn't make any difference to the recipe or taste. Beginners may be new to this ingredient, so here is one screen-shot of the product. Also. I've used one more very tasty, store-bought, ready-to-use ingredient called 'pizza topping'. This is a great product from fun foods. Its creamy texture enhances the taste of pizzas, burgers and sandwiches many times. Screen shot of this product is also available here.

pizza topping

eggless mayonnaise

If you prepare this recipe for adults, you can avoid the cheese slice, but this sandwich tastes awesome with cheese :)

Makes - 4 sandwiches

Ingredients :

Brown bread slice - 4
Onion (finely chopped)  1
Tomato (finely chopped - 1
Capsicum (finely chopped)-1/2
Mayonnaise- 1 1/2 tsp
Dried mix herbs (like oregano, parsley, thyme) - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
cheese slice  - 2
Pizza topping/ tomato ketchup - 2 tsp
Oil - a few drops

Procedure :

1. Plug in the toaster to pre-heat it.
2. Mix onion, tomato, capsicum, mayonnaise, herbs. salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Brush little oil on one side of the bread slice.
4. On the other side of the bread, spread the pizza topping/tomato ketchup.
5. Place half of the salad mixture over the bread.
6. uncover the cheese slice and place it carefully on the salad mixture.
7. place another bread over the cheese slice.
8. brush a little oil on the upper side of the bread.
9. Place the sandwich in the toaster and cook till crisp.
10. Remove from the toaster carefully and cut into two triangular pieces.
11. Repeat the procedure to make two make more sandwiches.
12. Serve immediately with tomato ketchup. 

Tip : Use parchment paper/ baking sheet to avoid the oozing cheese from the sandwich getting spilled on your toaster element. Burnt cheese smells very bad.

brown bread pizza sandwich

Tomato-Capsicum Rice

I love basmati rice. For me, its a staple food. During lunch, I prefer rice as a meal rather than chapati and sabzi. So, the experiment with rice goes on a daily basis on my countertop and this invention deserved to be text and shared.

Its a quick recipe, free from onion-garlic i.e, its a jain/satvik recipe

Serves - 2-3 people

Preparation time - 5 min
Cooking time - 10 min

Ingredients :

Long Grain Basmati Rice (Cooked) - 5 cups
Tomato (medium size, pureed) - 3
Capsicum(finely chopped) - 1
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) - a pinch
Turmeric powder (Haldi) - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder (dhania powder) - 1/2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure : 

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Crackle cumin seeds and asafoetida. Then add turmeric powder, corriander powder and salt. cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add pureed tomatoes, capsicum and pav bhaji masala, cook open on a medium flame for 4-5 min till the mixture starts releasing oil on the sides of the pan.
4. Add cooked rice, simmer the flame. Mix everything very nicely. (Make sure there are no lumps in rice before you add it into the masala-mixture.)
5. Cover the wok with a lid and let it cook for 2 min on sim flame. Stir occasionally.
6. Tomato Capsicum rice is ready!

Suggested Garnish - 1 tsp chopped fresh corriander.

** I've used finely chopped capsicum and one slit cherry tomato for the garnish. You can garnish like that too :) For kids, you can add a cube of butter.

Khatta Meetha Poha - Low Calorie Breakfast

A perfect breakfast recipe for daily routine. Easy to prepare and easy to digest, yet tasy and healthy. Good thing about this recipe is people on diet can have it on their eating plan.

Khatta Meetha Poha

Serves - 2 people

Ingredients :

Poha (thick beaten rice flakes) - 2 cups

Potato - 1 large

Onion (finely chopped) - 1 Large

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Green Chilly (finely chopped) - 1

Salt to taste

Sugar - 2 tsp

Lemon Juice - 2 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Rai (Mustard Seeds) - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Corriander - 1 tbsp (optional)

For Garnish : 

Peanuts - 1 tbsp (roasted or shallow fried)

Tomato (finely chopped) - 1

Bhujia- 2 tbsp

Procedure  :

1. Peel, wash and cut the potato into thin and small slices. Wash again and microwave it in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid for 5 min with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 cup water. Discard water after boiling the potatoes, if left.
2. Put the poha in a sieve and hold it under running water for a few seconds and then place the sieve tilted at a safe place on your kitchen slab till we require it.
3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
4. Crackle mustard seeds.
5. Add onions and saute on medium flame till they become translucent pink.
6. Add boiled potatoes, poha and all the seasonings. Mix well with a light hand.
7. Sprinkle 2 tsp water over it, cover the pan, reduce the flame to minimum and let it cook for 2 minutes, stir occasionally.
8. Garnish with peanuts, tomatoes and bhujia at the time of serving.

Poha

Its time to relish your tasty poha!!  :))

Bread Pakoda - a perfect sunday brunch

Bread-pakora is every-one's favourite. It can become a perfect sunday brunch or a tea-time snacks. The aroma of deep-frying the bread pakoras is so appetizing that it makes my family members to make a bee-line towards the kitchen. The excitement on everyone's face to drool over the dish is worth the effort to make this dish.

Bread Pakoda

Generally, people dont apply chutneys and ketchup inside the bread pakora, one can make that way also. But try this recipe once and i'm sure you would not like to go for the simple ones!

So, here's the recipe

Ingredients :

Bread Slice - 4
Tomato ketchup / Tamarind Chutney- 2 tbsp
Green (Pudina) Chutney-2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying

For Stuffing :
Potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed) - 1 cup
Peas (boiled) - 1 tbsp
Fresh coriander (finely chopped) - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) - a pinch
Coriander Powder (Dhaniya powder) - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Raw Mango Powder (khatai) - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

To be mixed into a smooth batter :

Gram flour (besan) - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure : 

To prepare the stuffing :

1. Heat oil in a pan. Crackle cumin seeds. Add asafoetida and all the seasonings. Mix well.
2. Add potatoes and peas. Mix thoroughly. Cook for a minute on medium flame.

Assembling the Bread Pakoda :

1. Spread tomato Ketchup or tamarind Chutney on two slices of bread and pudina chutney on the other two slices.
2. Take one slice of bread on which you applied ketchup and spread half of the stuffing on it.
3. Place another slice of bread over it on which you applied the pudina chutney.
4. Press it lightly. Cut diagonally into two equal pieces.
5. Repeat step 2,3 and 4 to get two more pieces.
6. Dip each piece in the batter such that they get evenly coated with the batter.
7. Deep fry in hot oil over medium flame till golden-brown.
8. Drain on absorbent paper.

To Serve :

1. Cut each Bread Pakoda into two pieces so that stuffing peeps out.
2. Sprinkle some chat-masala over the pakoras and serve with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

Best accompaniment - Hot Masala Tea / Coffee

Best Season - Rain :)

Tip : Buy the bread loaf same day when you have to make the bread pakoda.

Variation : You can add a slice of paneer to make them more tasty and filling.

Bread Pakoda

TRIcolor Sandwich

tricolor sandwich

These sandwiches can be made in the morning for kid's tiffin, or one may even carry it while travelling.

I've used white bread for this recipe because it is softer than brown bread but you can use brown bread equally. Also, I've used cheese slice in this sandwich as I prepared it for my kiddo, but for adults u can skip cheese slice. For Pear Jam, you can find the recipe here

Recipe :

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time : NA
Serve : 4 Sandwich

Ingredients :

White Bread : 4 slice
Kisan Mix Fruit Jam : 2 tsp
Amul Butter : 1 tsp
Pear Jam or Any Green Color Jam : 2 tsp
Cheese Slice : 1

Procedure :

1.  Cut the corners of all the bread slices.
2.  Apply Kisan Mix Fruit Jam on 1 slice.
3.  Cover it with 2nd slice of bread and apply amul butter on it.
4.  Place a cheese slice on this buttered bread slice.
5.  Cover it with the 3rd bread slice and apply pear jam on it.
6.  Cover it with the last bread slice.
7.  Cut into four triangles and serve.

Tip :

If the sandwiches are to be consumed after a few hours, then wrap them individually in cling-film, sandwich will remain fresh.

Pear Jam / Nashpati Jam

 

This bright green color jam is so attractive and tasty, my hubby says its much tastier than any store-bought jam. No doubt, its healthy, nutritious, made in hygiene of your kitchen and tastes amazing.

This jam was made to get rid of a batch of unripe pears, the fruit-seller decieved me. I wanted to buy fully ripened pears to make fruit-salad but could use them as they were unripe. They were hard, not that sweet and juicy. So, instead of waiting for the pears to get ripe, I decided to make a jam and the outcome was delectable.

My daughter loves the tricolor sandwich I prepare for her using this jam. I also make open green toasts with this jam. Here's the recipe of tricolor sandwich.

This jam has a shelf-life of 3-4 months.

Recipe

Ingredients :

Grated Pear (washed and peeled) - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Green color - 5-6 drops

Method :

1. Take a non-stick pan and mix everything except the color.
2. Put the pan on medium-high flame till the mixture starts boiling, stir the mixture oftenly to avoid the fruit from sticking at the base of the pan.
3. After a boil, reduce the heat and cook the mixture for 40-45 min, stirring occasionally, so that pears get cooked and become soft. Do not cover the pan.
4. Mix the green color.
5. If u notice alot of water on the sides of the pan, cook the mixture on high flame by making a well in the centre of the pan (this speedens up the procedure of evaporating water thereby minimizing the risk of burning the food at the bottom).
6. Cook till it gets thick and jam-like. Remember, we will keep it in fridge and the mixture will get thicker after cooling down and upon refrigeration.
7. Let it cool at room temprature.
8. Store in sterelized, air-tight glass jar.
9. Refrigerate.

Note : If you want to have a very fine texture of the jam, u can puree the pears.
You can also flavour it with cinnamon, for that, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder in step 1.