Peek into the Past -1 Brunch Specials

Cleaning my hard drive today, I found so many unfinished posts and tons of recipes I never blogged about! It was fun to revisit the  2 years of cooking explorations-some successful, some disasters  :) Most of these dishes were "first times" for me and thus deserve a special mention on this blog!! I will be posting these past pictures in between "real time" posts. This first post documents my experiments with breakfast/ brunch foods! 

A perfect Saturday brunch for me has to be something which is quick to make, requires minimum groceries and can fill me up for the day! (And yes it has to be HOT (as in off the stove), I am not too much  a fan of cold foods. Here are  some of my all time favourites :

Vermicelli Upma

Learnt the recipe from my mom. (Still haven't come across anybody else in my circle who prepares this). Its a fun and easy alternative to  rava upma and very hard to mess up!

Roast the vermicelli (seviyan) in a little ghee till browned. Keep aside. Heat some oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, chana dal and urda dal. Roast till the dals are browned. Now add chopped onions and green chillies. Once the onions are cooked you can add your choice of vegetables- (peas, carrots go well). Add salt and red chilli powder, cover the lid and cook for some time. Add the roasted vermicelli and water. cook till the seviyan are soft and cooked completely. We totally relish this upma with Molga podi and dollops of yoghurt!

Tomato Omelet/ Dhirda

The Indian/vegetarian alternative to an egg omelet. Made with besan, a pantry staple in most Indian kitchens. Great for days when there is nothing else in the refrigerator. ! Try it between two slices of bread with some hot chutney. mmmmm..:)

Mix besan (gram flour) with salt, red chilli powder, ajwain, diced green chillies, tomatoes and cilantro. Carefully add water while constantly beating the mix to avoid any lumps. The end batter should be easily spreadable  but not too watery. Pour the batter on a lightly oiled skillet. Cook till both sides are browned. Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

French Toast

When omelets and bhurji seem routine, we love to dig into this more 'exotic' alternative! :)

Beat eggs. Add chopped onions, diced onions, chillies, cilantro, a little milk, salt and pepper. Mix well. Dip bread slices into the egg batter (slightly stale/ hardened bread works better). Fry bread slices on a skillet till cooked completely and browned on all both sides. Enjoy with tomato ketchup!

Pohe

"ayushya he, chulhi varlya, kadhai tale kande pohe.." This new song by Avdhoot Gupte  is enough to describe the importance of Pohe (flattened rice) in a Marathi household..:)

I am still striving for perfection when it comes to pohe, so  I will skip the recipe. Every time I make Pohe there is something or the other wrong-  either the raw pohe smell lingers around, or the potatoes remain slightly uncooked or they end up in a soggy mess! Would love to hear from you guys any tips/ secrets to get this one just right! :)

Chao for now, I really enjoyed writing this post! (This one's for you Aai!! ) :)

Simple Comforts

Dahi Bhaat

(Yogurt mixed with Rice, tempered with mustard seeds, dried red chilies, curry leaves and Urad Dal )

Serve at room temperature, topped with lots of fresh cilantro

Khichadi che Thalipeeth

End of a week and I came home to an empty fridge. hmm..apart from the usual drinks and preserves,the only other thing in there was a bowl full of left over moong dal Khichdi which we had the day before. I had almost made up my mind to reheat it, add some fresh tempering, and serve it with some raita, but on closer inspection, the khichadi seemed too sticky n lumpy to recook. Thats when I decided to give it a complete makeover, and was born the"Khichadi thalipeeth":). It turned out something like a cross of missi roti and thalipeeth. Delicious and satisfying.

Here is the quick recipe :

1) Knead left over khichadi with some wheat flour (atta), gram flour (besan), salt, turmeric , chiili powder and oil. For the extra zing I added some amchoor powder, ajwain and saunf to the mix.You could use any mix ox masalas. ( add water as needed)

2) Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out the balls on a plastic sheet.

3.) Heat a pan and slowly turn the thalipeeth on to the pan. Allow it to properly cook on both sides, it will turn brown and slightly crispy ( add little oil on the sides as needed).

4.) Take it off the pan and enjoy hot with dahi n chutney of your choice:)

Veggie Fajita Quesadilla with spinach and corn rice

Quick fix Mexican - My entry for the "Summer Express cooking event"


Things you will need:

Wheat/Flour Tortillas
Can of fried beans ( I used a mix of Black beans, Pinto beans and Red kidney beans)
Kraft mexican grated cheese mix
One small onion
1/2 Bell pepper
Olive oil
Butter
Black pepper
Salt

Procedure:

1.) Prepare the Fajita mix ( 5-8 minutes)

In a skillet heat 1/2 tbsp o olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of butter. Saute' onions and green bell peppers ( sliced in thin long strips). Heat until the onions become translucent. Sprinkle freshly grounded black pepper and salt. Mix well and keep aside.Meanwhile also slightly warm the beans(1-2 mins) in the microwave.

Fajita mix - saute'd onions and bell peppers

2.) Assemble the Quesadilla( 5 minutes)

heat a little butter on a flat pan. place the tortilla and heat it till it starts getting a bit crisp. sprinkle cheese generously on one half of the tortilla, then spread the beans and the fajita mix. Add some more cheese and then fold the Tortilla in half. Heat the Tortilla on both sides till the cheese melts. Place carefully in a plate and cut into wedges using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.

Cheeeezyyy huh??

3. ) Relish the cheesy delight with a side of chips and salsa.
I also stir fried left over rice with spinach and corn to complete the meal. (8-10 mins). It took me close to 20 mins. to prepare the meal, but believe me we ate it all in less than 10!Enjoy...:)

Veggie Quesadilla and spinach fried rice