Paneer Tikki

Beautiful, gorgeous weather in Seattle for the last few days. We had a glorious weekend and a even better Monday! When there aren't very many days of sunshine in a place like ours, we learn to appreciate the sunny days a little more than what you blessed folks do. All we talk about is the "weather" when we meet with friends or anyone on the street!
This was so not the time to stay indoors and cook but there was one dish that I enjoyed making for a quick snack - Panner tikkis/cutlets. My daughter seemed to love it, so that means it should have been good!

Paneer Tikki




Ingredients

Paneer - 2 cups shredded
Potatoes - 2 medium boiled and mashed
Onion - 1 medium chopped finely
Cilantro - 1 cup chopped
Bread slices - 2
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp (You may use green chillies)
Salt - To taste
Olive Oil - About 1 tbsp for every 4 tikkis
Bread crumbs - To coat
A.P flour - 2 tbsp mixed in 4-6 tbsp of water. It should be pretty runny.

Method

Soak the bread slices in water. Squeeze out the excess water, tear it apart with your hands into small pieces and add to the mashed potato and paneer.
Add the rest of the ingredients to this (except the oil) and mix well.
Pinch out even balls and flatten into a disc shape.
Dip in the flour and water paste and then coat evenly with breadcrumbs.
Heat a non-stick pan (works better because of the less oil) and roast the tikki in batches, and on both sides.
I used about a tablespoon or two for every 4-5 tikkis/cutlets.

Serve with onions, mint chutney or ketchup.

Notes:

*Clean pan in between batches of frying the tikkis. It prevents the loose breadcrumbs from burning further.

* Dust off extra breadcrumbs before frying and ensure a good even coating

* Freeze the paneer for 30 min before shredding. This will make the grating a little easier.

* Use the cookie cutter to cut out the tikkis into fun shapes for the kids.

Potato Caraway Whole Wheat Bread

I happen to love rye bread for its aroma and slightly pungent taste. Caraway seeds are usually added to Rye breads which gives this very unique taste. Caraway is related to the fennel/cumin variety and that type of flavor is not unknown to Indian cuisine. So when I was trying to come up with a recipe that used these seeds into an easy simple bread, I just couldn't wait to get baking.
The potato gives this bread a nice softness on the inside. The crust is just beautiful and thin, and this is by far the best flavor I have had in a bread. It would blend beautifully into a panini or a simple grilled sandwich.



I finally got a well aerated bread. Here is a macro shot to prove what good hydration can do to your bread. Spraying the insides of the oven with water and placing a small bowl of water in the oven while the bread is baking are all methods which also help with hydration.



Bread baking by far is the most fulfilling experience in the kitchen.

Potato Caraway Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 3 cups
Whole wheat pastry flour - 1 cup
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Vital gluten - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Bakers yeast - 3 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Mashed boiled potato - 1 large
Caraway seeds - 2 tsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

Combine all the three flours, salt and vital gluten and set it aside.
In another large bowl, take the warm water and add the sugar. To this sprinkle the yeast and let it bloom for about 10 minutes. It should start to foam up.
To this add the dry ingredients, mashed potato, caraway seeds and olive oil. Add water as needed to form into a soft dough.
Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes by hand, lesser if you are using a kneader attachment on your stand mixer.

The dough will be pretty sticky. Do not add more flour, the dough should be very soft and supple.
Grease a large bowl with oil, and toss the dough around allowing it to coat well in oil. Cover and set in a warm place to rise and double in size. It should take about 2 hours.



After the first rise has taken place, punch down the dough (it will be sticky and kneading again is kind of tricky, so skip handling the dough too much.)
I just shaped mine into a round, and let it rise for another hour or so. If you'd like, use two loaf pans and divided the dough equally and let it rise again.



Bake at 375F for about 60 min or the bread manages to give a hollow sound when tapped at the bottom.



Allow to rest, and slice.

Spinach Potato Naan/Flatbread - Stove top method

Notice the difference in my pictures in this post? My image copyright appears smack in the middle of the pictures. I used to think it was not very aesthetic to put my copyright overlaying in the middle of my images. But now with the frequency of plagiarism I see around, I would rather compromise with the beauty of my pictures rather than make it eye candy and leave it out there in the open. Thanks Sangeeth for caring enough to make me understand how important this is. She did mention that adding the copyright at the corners would be too way too easy for people to crop it out and re-post (which makes perfect sense.)

Seriously, it is not worth making your blog, pictures, and post look nice and perfect (without proper precautions) when somebody else is going to be effortlessly lifting it right in front of your eyes.
Here are some good articles from Sangeeth and Cham on how to protect your blog and pictures. Read them, implement them if you care.

If you remember, I had done a Garlic and Red chilly Naan/Flatbread using the oven method. It was my first try and I am sure getting better at this.
Who needs an oven when you can make these in a jiffy with resources that you have on hand?

Here is another nutritious version using the stove top method.
Requested by a reader, I have tried to make a better illustration this time for those who really would like to try it out.
Points to note:
That tiny bit of potato adds a nice softness to the bread. So I would call that ingredient mandatory.
I used 100% stone ground Atta (Indian whole wheat flour, it does give best results for this type of bread.
The dough is a sticky one inititally when you start to put everything together, so please be mindful of the water that you add while kneading.
Roll the dough out thin (check in the illustration below), it does tend to puff up when you toss it on the hot pan.

Head out to restaurants for naan?... nah! I think mine worked like a charm.



Spinach Potato Naan/Flatbread - Stove top method

Ingredients:

Atta/White Whole wheat flour - 3 1/2 cups
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Frozen Spinach - 2 cups (Thaw and squeeze out moisture completely)
Potato - 1/2 cup (Boiled and mashed)
Caraway Seeds - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Yeast - 2 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup

Method:

Add yeast to warm water and let it rest for 10 min.

After the yeast has frothed, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. You may or may not have to add more water depending on the moisture content from the spinach and potato.

Add warm water and combine to form a nice loose dough. Knead for 15 min by hand on a floured surface. Dust with flour as and when needed during the kneading process.
The dough should look like this when you are done.



Cover and let it double in size, which would take anywhere from an hour to two. Mine took two hours. It should look like this.



Fold the dough over about 4-5 times.

Heat a non stick pan on medium-high heat.

Dust a board with flour and pinch out a ball and roll it out with the help of a rolling pin. (Spreading with hands does not work for me)
I divide my dough equally, they will rise a little as you make the rest, so knead each ball slightly right before you roll it.

The rolled out dough should be thin, as it tends to puff up on cooking, giving it a flatbread texture. You can see how thin I rolled it out.



Transfer the dough gently onto the pan and cook till you see bubbles start appearing.



At this point, I like to smear a wee bit of little oil/butter on the top side and then flip it over.

Cook on both sides till you get a nice brown color and the bread is cooked through.

It will continue to cook for a while after it comes off the pan, so let it rest for a few minutes.

Dab a little butter/spread on top, and serve warm.

I store them out for a couple of days without refrigeration. You may re-heat by wrapping them up in a paper towel and microwave them till slightly warm. Alternatively, you may wrap them in aluminum foil and warm in the oven.

Yields: Around 10 flatbreads



Some great events that I am sending this to:
Susan's Yeast Spotting
Sangeeth's Eat Healthy - During Pregnancy

Cutlets wrapped in Roasted Eggplant blankets - Fight against plagiarism

What kind of person steals others hard work and take credit?
There have been many a bloggers who have been victims of plagiarism and just completely fell off the blogging world.
Writing a food blog is a lot of hard work, and almost becomes an extended part of oneself. In some cases, we look for some kind of a creative outlet through this work.
Cooking, taking pictures, in many cases coming up with your own recipe is not easy. And bringing it all together in a cohesive manner is even more tougher.
Malar Gandhi of "Kitchen Tantra" has been a recent victim of plagiarism, and has voiced her concerns in her post.
So please voice out your support to her and many others. This could happen to any of us.
Leaving comments and appreciating ones work is not only what we food bloggers are here for.
And if you have any suggestions about how to deal with this issue, please leave your comments on Malar's blog.

Support, and let the world know that we won't let our fellow blogger(s) down.
Voice it out, and voice it out loud.
Probably as big as this Eggplant!



Keeping today's recipe simple...
Remember my Garbanzo and Potato cutlet?
This is just kicking it up a notch, making it look pretty and what not...
Would be a perfect appetizer for a party and fun events.

Cutlets wrapped in Roasted Eggplant blankets

Ingredients:

Garbanzo Cutlets

Large Eggplant - 1
Salt - To taste
Pepper - To sprinkle
Olive oil - To roast eggplant slices

Method:

Make the Garbanzo cutlets and set aside.



Preheat oven to 400 F.

Slice the Eggplant into thin slices lengthwise.

Heat oil in a large flat griddle.

Lay on the eggplant slices and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides and cook till soft.



Wrap the cutlets in the roasted eggplant slices and seal it with a toothpick.

Bake until lightly brown and crispy.



Remove and serve along with tomato sauce or chutney/dip.

Works well as an appetizer.

Garbanzo beans & Potato Cutlet

I love(d) playing the guitar... but before you get any ideas as to how much of a pro I am... I was a beginner student at the Trinity school of music back home, and sadly never went beyond the basics. How pathetic. My guitar, as we speak is rigorously gathering dust beneath my armoire at home. Sorry all you musically inclined buffs, I mean no disrespect to music or the instrument, but that is how the way it is.
And boy! I did really lose touch with playing it. Isn't that one of the things that would come back to you even after a long hiatus? Like for instance driving a bicycle! And did I suck at that too recently. Not even gonna go there.
But I guess I could justify saying that I never knew how to play it thoroughly...

There goes one of the many things I have tried my hands at that didn't see the dawn of day. Is that why they call people "Jack of all trades, master of none?" And why is being master of any one trade "better" than the former? I never understood the assumption behind it.

With that story, can we get on to more important things like... making these figure-friendly garbanzo patties/cutlets! :)

Chick peas/Garbanzo beans are a true source of protein for vegetarians. They are very low in fat, and are also good ways of getting zinc, fiber and folate into your diet.
I always have a few cans stacked up in my pantry. It is great for and in curries, gravies, patties, hummus, or even in rice. Only thing I haven't tried yet is in desserts! Hmm, thinking of which... it might not be a bad idea!
Addition of potatoes in these patties are purely for the binding property to bring all of the ingredients together. And a potato or two never hurt, right?
Vegetables and herbs are completely flexible, and you could add what you have at hand, except tomatoes, that would be one soggy cutlet.
These are best eaten warm/hot right out from the pan. Microwave them before eating if you plan to store them longer.

Garbanzo beans & Potato Cutlet

Ingredients:

Garbanzo beans/Chick peas - 2 cans
Potato - 1 large (Boiled, peeled and mashed)
Red onion - 1 medium (finely chopped)
Green bell pepper - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Carrots - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Green onion - A handful (finely chopped)
Cilantro - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Curry leaves - 4-5 (torn into small pieces)
Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup (optional)
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Olive oil - Just enough to cook the cutlets (we are not frying them)

Method:

Dry blend the garbanzo in a food processor without water. It will end up with a crumbly texture.

Add the mashed potatoes to the beans and mash together well.

Add all the vegetables (red onion, green pepper, carrots, green onion) and herbs (cilantro and curry leaves) and mix well.

Add the chilly powder, pepper, chilly powder, garam masala, & salt and combine.

Lastly add the bread crumbs. Mix. This is just to absorb the extra moisture.

Taste the raw mixture to check for salt/spice. If the flavors are balanced, shape into small patties and set aside.

Heat a pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil on medium heat, and add the patties and let cook on one side for about 5 minutes or till golden brown. Flip to the other side and add oil if needed. I did not have to as you can see from the image below.



Swirling the patties around in the pan helps with the even browning of the cutlets and the little oil in the pan is evenly distributed as well.
Do not push the patties down with the spatula since it tends to break.

After the patties are cooked on both sides, remove from pan, and serve with sliced onion, and chutney or tomato sauce.
None of which are in the picture!



This goes to Vandana's Lunchbox special event & Sra's My Legume Love Affair event

Oven-roasted Garlic Potato wedges - Vaccuming woes

One thing I desist doing is vacuuming. It is just a boring monotonous job and takes up so much time.
There are some of my friends who "actually", believe me... who like to vacuum the house. Yeah, they get pretty excited! Unfortunately I don't fall into that category.
Then the discovery of iRobot's "Roomba" happened, and named her (it???) "Nancy" (LOL) and it has been bliss ever since.
I would like to point out that I am not marketing this or any other product on my blog, I have been using this product for a couple of years and it just makes life so much more easier, so I decided to share the information here.
When there is a gadget out there that can actually make life simpler, why not use it.
It is available at all stores that carry good vacuum cleaners, I think even Costco carries it. They have different versions in the carpet cleaning robot, which is called the "Roomba", and the hardwood/tile cleaning robot is called the "Scooba" which actually preps, washes, scrubs and squeegees the floor. It even docks itself into the charger once it is done cleaning the house.
They have a lot more models, but my guess is that these are the commonly used household models. As usual, please do your research before considering any product. You can check out the iRobot website for more details.

To see the Roomba in action (videos):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo5lPlG1Khw&feature=related
http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=122 (Click on "Watch Video" on your right)

As you go through the physically daunting task of imagining your home getting cleaned by the robot, I baked up a batch of Oven roasted potato wedges, my answer to those deep fried starchy wonders.
Why fry them when I can bake 'em?

Oven-roasted Garlic infused Potato wedges

Ingredients:

Russet baking potatoes - 4 large cut into wedges with skin (that is the part that gets really crispy)
Olive oil - 3-4 tsp
Garlic cloves - 4 halved
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
Dried oregano - 1/4 tsp
Salt - To taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large pot, add cold water and soak the potatoes with a little salt. (It is important to start the potatoes in cold water)

Bring it to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer for 3-4 minutes. Not more than that.

Drain water and set potatoes aside.

In another pan, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and let it turn slightly brown. Remove garlic from the oil. Now add the black pepper, chilly powder, oregano, salt and turn off heat.

Add the partially boiled potatoes into the oil and toss well till coated with oil and spices.

Grease a baking sheet, and place potatoes in a single layer and bake at 425F for about 30 minutes or till golden brown and crispy.

Serve with tomato sauce, or light mayo.



Off to Hima's Sunday snack event

Potato nuggets

Happy Indian Independence Day!



Peel, grate, and fry = hash browns.
Peel, grate, and bake = my potato nuggets!
It is a no-fry recipe that I came up with after eating a greasy hash brown. The kind where you taste the oil first before tasting the potato itself.
This is one of the easier recipes I have tried, and does'nt take up too much labor.
A little note, I know I have used red potatoes, but that was for the lack for russet (baking) potatoes when I made it. If you have russet potatoes, I would recommend using them, or else if you could buy some, it is totally worth it. They tend to bake much much better than the red ones.
It is a very simple dish, and I dont have much to say... so let us get on with the recipe.

Potato nuggets

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes - 3 medium
Salt - To taste
Pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - A handful chopped
Hardware: Muffin tray

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 F

Peel the potatoes, grate, and mix salt, pepper, and chilly powder just before baking them. (Note, mix salt only before you stuff them into the muffin trays, otherwise the potato will get soggy)



Stuff them into a greased muffin tray and brush with oil on top. Use only small muffin trays, the bigger ones result in softer nuggets since there is more surface area.



Bake for about 15 min or till golden brown, turn over the nuggets and bake for another 10-15 min. Scoop and serve hot with tomato ketchup.
I used it in a veggie wrap and it was delicious.