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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Mushroom and Capsicum Thin Crust Pizza


Learn how to make pizza base , how to make pizza sauce and top it with juicy mushrooms and Capsicum.
Mushroom and Capsicum Pizza
Serves- 2 personal pizzas
Prep time- 1 and 1/2 hours
Cooking time- 15 mins

Ingredients for pizza base
Maida flour / All purpose flour- 1 cup
Active dry yeast- 1 and 1/4 tsp
Warm water- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Homemade Pizza

Method
In a bowl dissolve sugar in warm water, sprinkler yeast on top and gently mix, cover with lid and set aside for 10 mins until yeast mixture becomes frothy.
In a large bowl combine maida flour, salt, olive oil and yeast mixture, knead for 15 mins until dough becomes soft and smooth.( If dough is sticky sprinkle few tbsp flour, knead and adjust). Set aside dough covered with damp cloth for 45 mins. After 45 mins when dough doubled in size, punch dough until air escapes and knead again for 10 mins. Again set aside for 20 mins covered with damp cloth. Once again when dough has doubled in size its ready for making pizzas.

Ingredients for topping
Sliced mushroom- 1 cup( 100 gms)
Sliced Capsicum ( Green Bell Pepper )- 1 no
Dried oregano- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 1 tsp
Grated Mozzarella cheese / Pizza cheese- 2 cups
Olive oil- 2 tbsp

How to assemble pizza and bake
Pre- heat oven at 200° C. 
Divide dough into two equal parts, roll out each dough into 1/4 " thick round. Placed rolled dough on baking sheet and wait for 5 to 7 mins until it slightly rises. Spread 1/2 cup pizza sauce on the top of rolled dough, arrange 1/2 of mushrooms and 1/2 of sliced capsicum on top, sprinkle 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp garlic powder on top. Finally sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese generously on top of pizza and drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on top of cheese.
Place the prepared pizza in the center rack of the oven and bake at 200°C for 15 mins or until pizza base is slightly browned and cheese melted on top. Serve hot.

Home made Thin crust pizza
Tips and Tricks for perfect pizza
Do not top pizza with too much of sauce, too much of sauce makes pizza soggy.
Do not over crowd pizza with lots of toppings, again too much of topping does not give enough space to cook pizza properly, which again leads to soggy pizza.
Two to three toppings and 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of pizza sauce is good enough for an perfect pizza.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Kadai Prawn Rice

Kadai Prawn Rice

Ingredients
Prawn / Shrimp- 250 gms
Cooked Rice- 2 cups
Onion medium sliced- 2 nos
Tomato medium chopped- 1 no
Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tsp
Garam masala- 1 tsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp(+/- to taste)
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves- few sprigs
Coriander leaves chopped- few tbsp
Prawn Rice
Method
Heat oil in a kadai, add onions and saute till onions turn light brown. Add ginger and garlic paste, chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder and fry for few mins. Add cleaned prawns and stir fry for 2 mins. Season with salt and keep stirring on medium heat until semi thick gravy is formed. Add the cooked rice to the prawn and mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Mexican Salsa Recipe / Salsa Picada

Learn to make delicious salsa recipe from Rick Bayless cookbook Authentic Mexican.

Mexican Salsa Recipe

Ingredients 
Tomato medium- 2 nos
Onion small- 1 no
Green chilli / Serrano pepper- 2 nos
Coriander leaves- 15 sprigs
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste

Salsa Recipe
Method
Finely mince onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander leaves. Add everything to a bowl and mix well with lemon juice and salt. Set aside for 5 mins and serve with tortilla chips or as an side to any Mexican food.
Salsa Picada

Homemade Tortilla Recipe


Learn how to make homemade flour tortillas.
Homemade Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients
All purpose flour / Maida flour- 2 cups
Cooking soda- 1/2 tsp
Butter or Olive Oil or Lard- 4 tbsp
Hot water- 1 cup
Salt to taste

Tortilla Recipe
Method
In a large bowl add flour, cooking soda, required salt and butter, mix well with your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs. Add hot water to the flour little by little and knead flour for 10 mins until a smooth and soft dough is formed. Set aside the tortilla dough for 5 mins. Divide dough into equal lemon sized balls, roll out each dough into thin circle using roller pin.
Heat a griddle or tawa, lay each of prepared rolled dough on the hot tawa and cook on both sides until light brown spots appears on tortillas.( Cook tortillas on griddle without any oil or butter). Wrap cooked tortillas with a cloth or keep it in tortilla warmer.
Flour Tortillas

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Dindigul Thalapakatti Biryani / Thalapakattu Mutton Biryani Recipe


Thalapakkatu biryani also known as thalapakatti biryani is popular Dindigul biryani. I got this recipe from local magazine Num thozhi. Why this biryani is called as thalapakatti biryani, Mr. Nagasamy Naidu who ran the Ananda villas hotel in Dindigul wore a thalapa( Indian turban) while serving his customers. Later the taste of biryani and his thalapa( turban) stayed in peoples memory and henceforth called thalapakati Biryani.
Dindigul Thalapakatti Mutton Biryani
Ingredients
Mutton pieces with bone- 1/2 kg ( 500 gms )
Jeera Samba Rice- 1/2 kg ( 3 cups)
Small onions / shallots- 300 gms
Tomatoes medium- 3 nos
Green chillies- 4 nos
Ginger and Garlic paste- 4 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 2 to 3 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Purina leaves- 1 bunch
Coriander leaves- 1/4 bunch
Salt to taste
Ghee- 4 tbsp( optional )
Water- 4 and 1/2 cups

Masala tempering
Bay leaves- 2 nos
Cinnamon stick 1" piece- 2 nos
Cardamom- 4 nos
Cloves- 6 nos
Marati moggu- 1 no
Annachi poo- little
Star Anise- 1 no
Oil- 1/4 cup

Thalapakatti Biryani
Method
Peel and chop the shallots. Chop the tomatoes. Clean and chop both pudina and coriander leaves. Break the green chillies into half. Wash the rice and soak in 4 cups of water for 30 mins. Clean and wash mutton pieces. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the whole spices tempering to the hot oil and saute for 1 minute. Add onions and green chillies to the pan, saute until onion turns pale. Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute until raw smell of ginger and garlic leaves. Add chopped pudina and coriander leaves( reserve some to garnish) to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the mutton pieces and fry for few minutes until mutton turns pale and slightly dries. At this stage add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder to the mutton and mix well until tomatoes are tender. Add a 1/2 cup water to the pan, cover with lid and pressure cook mutton pieces until tender for 10 mins or for 3 whistles. Once pan pressure is released, add soaked rice along with water and required salt to the mutton and bring to boil. Stir well until 1/2 of the water is absorbed by the rice, reduce heat, cover pan with lid and cook for about 15 mins until rice is tender( do not pressure cook rice). Once rice is cooked and tender, add ghee, remaining pudina coriander leaves and mix well. Serve hot dindigul thalapakati biryani with dalcha and onion raita.
Thalapakattu Mutton Biryani

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Indian Style Pizza / Desi Pizza / Chatpata Pizza recipe


Learn how to make easy Indian style pizza with ready made pizza base.
Indian Style Pizza Recipe
Serves: 2 personal pizza
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 8 to 10 mins

Ingredients
Ready-made Pizza base- 2 nos
Mint chutney- 1/2 cup( for mint chutney recipe click here)
Mushroom sliced- 50 gms( 1/2 cup)
Capsicum sliced- 1/2 no
Tomato sliced- 1 no
Dried oregano- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 1 tsp
Grated Mozzarella cheese/ Pizza cheese- 1 and 1/2 cup
Butter- 2 tbsp
Olive oil- 2 tsp
Desi Pizza
Method
Pre heat oven at 200°C, spread both sides of pizza base with 1 tbsp butter and grill pizza base in oven for 2 mins. Allow to cool the grilled pizza base, once reached room temperature, spread 2 tbsp mint chutney on top of pizza base, arrange required mushrooms, capsicum slices and tomato slices on top of mint chutney. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp oregano and garlic powder on top of veggies and top it with 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil on top of cheese. Place the prepared pizza in the center rack of the oven and bake at 200°C for 6 to 8 mins or until pizza base is slightly browned and cheese melted on top. Serve hot.
Chatpata Pizza