Envelope Parathas

I just made this today, adapted from one of Tarla Dalala's recipe books,  these parathas are easy and tasty. I enjoyed making them though I was not in a mood to cook.

For the Stuffing.

*Boiled and mashed potatoes - 1 cup
*Mixed vegetables - carrots, peas, cauliflower, corn - 1 cup
* Green chilli - 1
* Chopped coriander - a few stems ( 4-5)
* Gharam masala - 1/2 tsp
* Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
* Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
* Salt

Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing and keep aside.

For the parathas,

* Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
* All purpose floour - 1/2 cup
* Oil - 2 tbps
* Water -as needed

Mix all the ingredients above adding water slowly to form a firm but soft batter.

Divide the batter into small balls. Roll each ball out into small tin chappatis.

Place the stuffing in the center and fold on all sides to close the stuffing. The paratha should look like a rectangular envelope.

Place on heated pan and cook till both sides are cooked properly. U can use ghee if required to cook the parathas.

Serve with ketchup or boondi raitha.

Here is a picture of what I cooked today, though the parathas don't look very appetising in there, I am sure they will look much better the next time I make them. Happy Cooking :D

Vegetable Parathas ready to be eaten :)

Had to do with ketchup this time, next time will try the boondi raitha. 

Health Breakfast drink - Magh nu Pani ( Sprouts water).

There are these days during winter when you'd like a hot cup of something other than the regular coffee or tea in the morning. Magh nu pani , as we call it in gujrati is a great breakfast drink, filling and also very health. This is my grandma's recipe, every summer when my sister and me used to visit my grandparents this drink would definitively be on the table for breakfast. This recipe reminds me of my childhood days, I hope you enjoy making the drink and serving it to your family creating memories. :)

You 'll need around one cup of green moong dal, cumin powder, salt, pepper and a dash of lime juice.

1) Soak the green moong dal overnight in water ( 2- 3 cups) .
2) The next day , boil the moong dal with the same water until they are soft. Note that if there is extra water its okay, so dont throw away any water.
3) Mash the dal with a hand blender and let it pass through a sieve.
4) If needed, use a spoon to mash up the remaining moong in the sieve and discard it once done.
5) Heat the sieved sprouts water for 3-4 minutes, adding salt, cumin powder, pepper and lime juice and serve immediately. It tastes the best when its drunk hot !

This is indeed a easy and healthy breakfast recipe. And in the cold chilly mornings, it just makes me feel great ! Have fun cooking. 

Hot Sprouts water

Asparagus Soup

It's been a while since I posted any recipes, I have been too lazy to take pictures while cooking and a recipe without pictures is like a painting without colours. Ah well, I promise to take pictures while I cook , but just for once lets start with today's recipe without pictures. Asparagus, I have never seen one until I lived in Adelaide , Australia but I had tasted the ready to make cream of asparagus soup my grandpa used to get us, from Mumbai. It was delicious and so ever since I wanted to make fresh asparagus soup and enjoy the creamy rich soup. Asparagus is not only low in calories and sodium it is also a good source of dietary fiber which we don't get in all foods.


So here's what you'll need to make this soup
* Asparagus - one bunch
* Small Onion - half finely chopped
* Unsalted Butter - 1 tsp
* All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
* Milk - 1/2 cup
* Fresh cream - 1/2 cup
* Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Boil the asparagus and onions with enough water ( or vegetable broth) to cover all the pieces. Boil until the asparagus is soft and looses its bright green colour to dull green.
2. Let it cool for a while.
3. Blend the boiled mixture entirely till the asparagus is crushed completely.
4. In a pan melt the butter add 1 tsp flour and add salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. Do not let the flour brown.
5. Add 1/2 cup water and let the flour dissolve if needed add more water to dissolve lumps.
6. Then add the blended mixture, milk and cream, let the mixture boil for a while.
7. Serve with croutons or garlic bread.

Isn't things a quick and easy recipe to make a great dinner. What you waiting for go ahead and try it and let me know how you liked it. :)

Food carts Portland - Artigiano Pasta Wagon

There have been a few news articles of late proclaiming Portland to have the best street food in the world, and I must say its true.. US News on Portland. My husband and I, have been trying out different food carts off late and the one we recently tried was "Artigiano- Pasta Wagon" in Woodstock Boulevard in SE Portland. This little  foodcart which in italian means "artisian" is truly the best place to try authentic italian fare, not only do they make their own pasta but also use local produce to create their dishes.

We reached the pasta wagon at around 8 , which is almost an hour before their closing time. Since it was also raining , we were the only customers. We ordered garlic bread, Yukon gold gnocchi with zucchini and Ravioli. The food was hot, beautifully served and authentic. We loved the Yukon gold gnocchi a lot and ordered a second serving. Just before we left Racahel , gave us complimentary chocolate truffles .. oh I can still feel them melt in my mouth. They were the most delicious truffles I have tasted and where hand made right at the cart !!!.

If you have time, you should head out to Artigiano and give yourself a real treat :). You can check out their website online for menu and other interesting updates Artigiano. Or if your just too lazy to check online just drive to their food cart which is located at 4804 SE Woodstock Boulevard Portland, OR 97206.

The Pasta Wagon !!!!

Garlic Bread 

Hungry Hungry

Ravioli 

Yukon gold gnocchi ..yummieee

Here are a few pictures from our visit. Until the next time I right, Have a great day and Bon Apetite.

Bachalorette Party cake

I just baked a cake for my friend's bachalorette party, It was a fun cake and was themed to be like a bed, with a guy sleeping on top. :) .. Here are a few pictures.. 

Vegetable Pies

Today I baked two vegetable pies for lunch, they were simply filling and tasty too. This recipe is very easy and takes very less effort , prepared in a jiffy.
All you need for this recipe is

Unsweetened Pie dough - I bought mine at Trader Joe's
Frozen / fresh mixed vegetables - I got the buttered frozen vegetables from TJ's as well
pepper - to taste
salted butter - 2 tbsp
flour - 2 tbsp
milk - 1 cup
Medium cheddar cheese - grated

1) The pie dough takes around 2 hours to thaw, so keep your pie dough out of the refrigerator much before you plan to cook.
2) Line your pie tins with pie dough and bake in the oven at 400F for 15 - 20 mins. I baked mine for 20 mins and they were nice and golden but not brown.
3) To make the white sauce, take a heavy bottomed non-stick pan and melt the butter, add in the flour stir to avoid making the sauce very lumpy. Add in the milk and keeping stirring until the sauce thickens out.
4) To the thawed vegetables add the white sauce , mix in oregano seasoning, salt and pepper to your taste.
5) Now pour in the vegetable sauce mix into the prepared and lined pie tins. Grate cheddar cheese on top and bake in the oven for 10-15 mins.

Vegetable Pie - good on a cold rainy day

and Enjoy........ :)

My happy husband eating away :)

                    

Hellooo World !!!

Its been a while now, I have been wanting to write and I am glad I finally did it today. I will tell you a little bit about myself, I am Priyanka, live in Hillsboro, Oregon just graduated looking for a job and meanwhile reading, cooking and enjoying everything life has to offer.

The one thing that keeps me going these days is cooking, just about anything. So I decided to start this blog and share the recipes and some of my thoughts. Through my cooking I also slowly hope to discover the science behind cooking :) .. Well I hope you enjoying making these wonderful recipes, as I have loved and enjoyed making them.

My first recipe for today is something sweet and something spicy which goes well with your evening tea /coffee - "The Chai Masala Tea Cake"

For making this cake you will need the following Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 - 3 tsp Chai Masala

* Mix all the ingredients together to make a course mixture which will be used as a stuffing and topping for the cake.

For the Batter

Flour - 1.25 cups ( 1 + 1/4 cups)

Salt - 1/8 th tsp

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Baking Powder -1 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla Essence - 1 tbsp

Eggs - 2 

Yogurt - 3/4 cup

Unsalted Butter - 7 to 8 tbsp

* Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to avoid forming any lumps.

* In a mixing bowl cream together butter (softened) and sugar.

* Add the eggs one by one into the mixture. Make sure the eggs are blended well into the batter.

* Now in small batches add the sifted flour mixture and yoghurt to the mixture of eggs, sugar and butter.

* Add slowly to avoid forming lumps.

* Once the batter is prepared, take a medium/small baking loaf pan, grease with butter and dust with flour.

*Pour half the batter into the loaf pan, on this add 3/4 of the topping mix prepared earlier. The remaining topping will be added to the crust of the cake.

* Now add the remaining batter and coat with the topping.

* In the oven bake for 40-45 mins on 350F.

Enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee !!!

Recipe adopted from showmethecurry.com recipes.