Aloo Sandwich | Potato Sandwich

Potato sandwiches are a great option for weekend brunch or weekday dinner.These are our current favorite! I pack them for my hubby's lunch too. These are quick to make & quite filling.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Adapted from: Manjula's Kitchen

Ingredients: (Makes 3 sandwiches)
Bread: 6 slices (I used Aunt Millies Potato Bread)
Melted butter: 1 tbsp
Boiled & mashed potatoes: 2 cups
Salt: As needed
Chopped coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
Chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Cheese slices : 3 nos (I used grated Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese)

Method:
Mash the potatoes thoroughly. Add in the coriander leaves, chili powder, lemon juice, cumin seeds, and salt to the potatoes & mix well.

Heat the tava/griddle.
Take 1.5 to 2 tablespoon of potato mixture & spread the mixture onto the bread. Press the mixture hard onto the bread. The potato mixture should stick to the bread.

Do the same on the other slice too.
Smear the butter over the potato spread.
Place both the slices of bread on the griddle (Potato spread should be facing down).

Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are cooked & turn crisp.

Flip one slice of bread. Add in the cheese & cover it with the other slice.

Cook again on both the sides till the sandwich turns golden brown.

Make two more sandwiches similarly.
Serve them hot with a dip/green chutney or tamarind chutney.

Notes:

• Along with the cheese, you could add slices of tomato, cooked beets slice, and a slice of paneer(cottage cheese) too. I often add paneer to this. It tastes great!
• The potato mixture is very flexible. You could play with a lot of flavors. I have tried adding carom seeds/ajwain instead of cumin seeds. I do add jalapenos for the extra kick sometime.
• The above ingredients & recipe is just to give an idea. You could use your imagination to build your own grilled potato sandwich.

Everyday sandwich: For a healthier you.

Off-late I am trying out a lot of sandwiches. Here is one such sandwich I prepare. I got this recipe from the Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana! Made few modifications according to the ingredients what I had handy.

Here is the recipe for you.

Preparation time: 10mins
Cooking time: 5-7mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients: (Makes 4 sandwiches)
Sandwich bread slices: 8 nos (Use any bread of your choice. I have used white bread here)
Sliced cucumber
Sliced tomatoes
Boiled & sliced beetroot (optional)
Sliced onions,
A slice of cheese for each sandwich
Salt & pepper for seasoning
Butter: 1 tsp, for each sandwich

For the spread:
Green chutney: 1 tsp*
Tomato ketchup: 1 tsp*
*For each sandwich 

Method:

• Take a slice of bread, add the green chutney & the tomato ketchup. Spread both of them evenly on the bread.

• Top it up with the sliced vegetables of your choice. Sprinkle the salt & the pepper over the vegetables.

• Add a cheese slice.
• Cover it up with another slice of bread. 
• Add around a tsp of butter to the griddle/tava/tawa or griller. Place the sandwich over the butter & cook it on a medium-low heat on both sides until golden brown. 
• Remove from the griddle. Serve it hot with a dip of your choice. Enjoy!

Notes:
Feel free to use any vegetable of your choice. I have added carrots, capsicum, raddish & many more to this basic sandwich recipe.
You can find the green chutney recipe here.

Breakfast Burritos - A Mexican Recipe: Step-by-Step

Every article we read about fitness suggest us to eat healthy morning breakfast. Never skip your breakfast! A fruit, vegetable & a source of protein plays a very important role for morning breakfast, but how many of us follow it? (I see many hundreds of nodding heads, including mine!) They are worth reading, nodding & advising :D

Burritos are one such breakfast item for our weekends. While vegetables provide the essential vitamins & fibre, whole meal tortillas & cheese provides the necessary  protein & energy. Here is the recipe for you.

This recipe is inspired from showmethecurry.

Serves: 2
Preparation time: 5mins
Cooking time: Maximum 10 mins

Ingredients:
Tortillas: 4 nos, whole meal (For more information about tortillas, refer here).
Grated cheese: 1.5tbsp, more or less (for each burrito)
Oil/Butter: 1 tsp each (for shallow frying)

For the filling:
Shredded vegetables: 1/2 cup (I have used cauliflower, baby corn & carrots).
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Garlic: 1 small pod, minced
Ground pepper: according to taste
Pickled jalapeños: 1 tsp, chopped fine (optional)
Salt: According to taste
Dried or fresh basil: 1 tsp

Method:
For the filling:
Shred or coarsely mince the vegetables.
Heat the olive oil in a small pan, when oil is hot, add minced garlic & saute for 30secs.

Throw in the vegetables to the pan & saute. Cook the vegetables on medium flame for 2-3mins.

Add the ground pepper, salt, basil leaves, jalapeños & mix well. Turn off the heat.

For burritos:
Heat a griddle.Warm the tortillas.
The griddle must be on low heat. Place one tortilla on the griddle.

Spread the cheese all over the tortilla.

Follow it by spreading the vegetable filling.

Place another tortilla on the filling. Seal the edges. (Melted cheese helps to seal the two tortillas wonderfully).
Carefully flip. Sprinkle the oil. Cook on medium heat, until both the sides are nicely brown.

Repeat the same with the remaining two tortillas.
Cut the burritos & serve them hot with tomato salsa or any dip of your choice.

Notes:

• For those who are new to tortilla, here is a brief. Vague definition for tortilla, it is very similar to Indian chapathi. Tortillas are made using corn flour(makki aata), plain flour(maida), whole wheat flour. I am sure you can easily find the tortillas in any supermarkets in India. I have seen them during my last visit. If you really cant find tortillas & want to prepare these burritos, go ahead making them using your chapathi dough. Roll 2 chapathis (same size) & lightly toast them. Keep them aside. Prepare burritos! For people in Singapore, you get them at Mustafa, Fair price & other shops too. Here is how they look.

• Any vegetable of your choice could be added to make these burritos. I have made burritos with grated potato  filling, paneer filling & many more.Scrambled egg could also be added as a filling.
• Basil leaves could be replaced with fresh & finely chopped coriander leaves.
• If you don't prefer Garlic, replace it with ginger

Grilled cheese tomato sandwich: Beginner Series

Here goes my second post for the beginner series that I started last month. Though I have an electric griller, I always prefer to grill these sandwiches on my griddle/tawa/kavali. 

I know most of my cousins (including my brother, sister) prefer these without garlic. So, if you do not want to use garlic butter, go ahead & use the plain butter instead. This sandwich tastes great either ways :)

Serves: 1

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 2-3 mins

Ingredients: (For 2 sandwiches)

Wholewheat bread slices: 4 nos (White bread could also be used)

Finely chopped tomatoes: 3 tbsp (1.5tbsp for each sandwich)
Shredded/Grated cheddar cheese: 2 tbsp (1tbsp for each sandwich)
Butter: 1 tsp
Garlic: 1 pod (minced)
Salt: According to taste
Mixed & dried herbs: 1/2 tsp (1/4th tsp or a dash for each sandwich) 

Pepper powder: 2 big pinches (1 for each sandwich)




Method:

• Mix the butter & the minced garlic & keep them aside. 
• Take a slice of the bread. Spread the finely chopped tomato(1.5tbsp) on the bread.
• Sprinkle the salt, pepper & dried herbs.
• Spread the cheese on top of the tomatoes.
• Take another slice of bread & place it on top of the cheese.
• Heat the griddle. When the griddle is medium hot, add few drops of garlic butter to the griddle. Reduce the heat. (The sandwich must be grilled on a low heat).
• Place the sandwich on the garlic butter & let it brown for a minute. Repeat the same for the other side of the sandwich too.
• Repeat the above steps for another sandwich. Cut them & serve them hot with a dip of your choice.

Notes:
Garlic butter enhances the taste of the sandwich. If you do not prefer them with garlic, go ahead & add normal butter. 
If you cannot find mixed herbs, then add finely chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves. These leaves add a nice flavor too.

Open Semolina Sandwich

I owe the concept of this recipe to Purva. The day I saw her recipe, I was sure to try it out. I am preparing this from almost 10 months & each time I prepare this.., we all relish it thoroughly.  This is a great option for weekend brunch. You can see her recipe here. Here is my version of the same.
 

Ingredients: (For 8 slices)

Bread slices: 8 (I use whole wheat bread, but will taste great with white bread too)
Finely chopped vegetables: 1.5 cups (I used shredded carrots, green & yellow capsicum, grated paneer, sweet corn kernels, onion & tomato)
Chiroti Rava/Small semolina: 2 tbsp
Thick Yogurt: 2 tbsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves: 1 tsp (finely chopped) (optional)
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp (adjust accordingly)
Chaat masala: ¼ tsp (optional)
Italian dried herbs: 1 tsp (optional)
Rock salt: a big pinch (optional)
Salt: According to taste
Mozzarella cheese (shredded): 1 tsp for each slice
Butter: 1tsp for each slice

Method:

1. Combine the vegetables, semolina, Italian herbs, red chilli powder, chaat masala, rock salt, salt & yogurt in a large bowl.  Mix them well. (If needed, add few drops of water).
2. The mixture should look like a cutlet batter. See picture below.

3. Take a slice of bread & smear butter on both the sides. Spread the cheese on one side of the bread. To the same side, spread a tablespoon of vegetable-semolina mixture.
4. Heat the griddle. When griddle is hot, place the slice of bread. (Note: The vegetable-semolina mixture must be on top). Cover the griddle & cook on a low heat for a minute. Flip the bread & again cook for 30-45secs.
5. Repeat the procedure 3 & 4 for all the remaining slices of bread.
6. Serve it hot with a dip/sauce of your choice.

 Notes:

• This sandwich is very flexible. Throw in whatever spices you need or just make it plain without any spices. It tastes great however you prepare it.
• Red chilli powder could be replaced with finely chopped green chillies or even be skipped!
• I am planning to prepare it with grated paneer only next time. Will let you all know the result.

Lastly, I have received awards from Suhaina of SingaporeKitchen. Phew.., I am again late in accepting & publishing the awards. Thanks a lot dear. It means a lot. I have mentioned more about me here. I will display the awards in side bar.

Spanish Rice: My version

I am one of those nuts who watch all cookery shows without a book & pen in hand. I just enjoy watching the show. Sometimes, few dishes attract me soo much that I start memorizing the ingredients & prepare it on the same day or the very next day. I note the ingredients in a small chit & prepare it.. One can see soo many such chits floating in my home; hubby keeps wondering as to what those chits are for!!

Spanish rice is one such dish I saw in Zee Kannada Channel. I found it to be a very simple dish. It was prepared the very next day at my home & since then this recipe is treasured in my list. Cook it & relish it to believe me. It is very tasty & filling.

Ingredients:

Long grain rice: 3 cups (I used basmati)

Water : 6 cups
Onion: 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Capsicum: 1/2 to 3/4th cup ( chopped into 1 inch cubes)
Tomato paste: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Red chilli: 8-10 (adjust according to your needs)
Cheddar cheese: 3tbsp (grated)
Butter: 1 tbsp
Cilantro: 2tbsp (finely chopped)
Lemon juice: 1 tsp (optional)

Parmesan Cheese: a big pinch (for garnishing, optional)

Method:

1. Wash the rice 2-3 times in running water & cook it by adding 6 cups of water. Allow it to cool.
2. After the rice is warm, spread the rice & let it cool completely.
3. Meantime, make a fine paste of red chillies & garlic. Add a tbsp of water if required while grinding.
4. Heat the butter in a broad pan, when butter is hot, add onions & saute till turn soft (need not wait for it to turn golden brown). Add capsicum & cook it on a medium-high heat for 2 mins.
5. Add the chilli-garlic paste, tomato paste & saute for a minute.
6. Add the cooked rice, salt, cheese, mix well & cook till the cheese melts.
7. Add lemon juice, mix & garnish it with cilantro
8. Serve it hot/warm with wafers or papad

Awards:

Asha of "Asra Ashaon Ka"has showered me with a lot of awards. Thanks a lot Asha. It means a lot. Here is a quick peek into the awards.I'll put them soon in my sidebar too.

Peperonata: Pasta in Sugary-Peppery Sauce

Once upon a time, the name pasta was enough for me to skip the office party, as I used to hate it. May be I never felt like giving a try because of the ‘not so usual’ shapes of pasta & also because I tasted it at a wrong place first time. My first experience with pasta was in one of the restaurants in Central Mall, MG Road, Bangalore. It was pathetic. After that, I avoided all pasta parties. I repent my decision now after tasting delicious pastas here. I see a whole lot of change in myself within a year. I have not only started eating pastas, but started experimenting at home too.

All food bloggers love to blog hop. I’m not an exception to that; however my blog hopping is limited. My hubby takes control over my blog hopping & does not let me do it for more than 10 minutes. So, I always forget to bookmark the wonderful dishes that I dream to cook someday. One such recipe that I wanted to try from sometime was this pepperanata. I found this simple & delicious recipe at Madhuram’s place. I made few modifications to suit my needs & cooked it couple of weeks before. The sugary-peppery sauce with cheese makes you crave for third & fourth helping too. Thanks a lot for the nice recipe Madhuram.




Ingredients: (Serves 3)
Pasta: 250gms (I used whole wheat penne)
Yellow capsicum: 1 cup (cut into strips)
Green capsicum: 1cup (cut into strips)
Onion: 1 medium to big sized (sliced)
Green chilli: 2 nos (slit into 2)(Original recipe didnot have this)
Garlic: 4 pods (minced & finely chopped)
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Salt: According to taste
Pepper powder: 1tbsp
Parmesan cheese: 4 tbsp
Tomato: 2 nos (discard seeds, pulp & cut into strips) (Original Recipe didnot have this)
Water: 1/4th cup
Pasta Herbs: 1 tbsp
Olive Oil: 2 tbsp





Method:

• Cook the pasta until soft by following the package instructions.
  
• Add oil & salt while cooking. Drain the water & preserve some water to be used while sautéing the vegetables.
• Heat a broad pan, add oil to it. When oil is hot, add minced garlic, and fry till it turns golden brown.
  
• Add, onion, capsicum, water & cook it on a high flame for 2-3 minutes.
• Reduce the flame, add sugar, pasta herbs & cook the capsicum, onions on a medium to low flame for 10-15 minutes.
• Throw in the tomatoes & cook again on high flame for 1 minute only.
• Add cooked pasta, salt, pepper powder, cheese & toss them well. Serve it hot/warm with a bread of your choice.

PS:

• If available, use cherry tomatoes instead of tomato strips.
• I followed Madhuram’s suggestion & did not skip the sugar. She was right, addition of sugar takes this pasta to a different level altogether.
• I strongly recommend you to add cheese (this was not in the original recipe) as it blends quite well with the “sugary-peppery” sauce. However, you can be flexible on the quantity of cheese.

Update: Goes to MFT:Cheese hosted by Poornima Nair of tasty treats & started by Bindiya.