Thursday 21 February 2013

Milk Toast /Bread pudding

Crisp,Juicy Milk Toasts

Milk toasts are wonderful for breakfast as well as dessert. Brown bread or multi grain bread with milk and dry fruits make it a wholesome breakfast especially for children who do not want to take milk. It is also famous by the name of Shahi toast which is not fried, so is healthier than the Shahi toast which is deep fried and then soaked in flavored sugar syrup. Crisp from outside but juicy from inner core they are delightful delicacy
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Preparation Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 30 min
Servings: 16 Milk Toasts

Ingredients Required for Making Milk Toasts:
  • 8 slices of brown / white/ multi grain bread
  • 250 ml. Milk (Full cream or Toned milk )
  • 5 Tea spoon of Sugar 
Milk and Sugar for Milk Toast
  • 2 Tea spoons Honey
  • 1/4Tea spoon Green Cardamom Powder
  • 10-15 cashew nuts
  • 10-15 Almonds
  • 3-4 Almonds
  • 10-15 Pistachios
  • 1 Teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter) / Olive oil / Butter
Directions For Making Milk Toast:
  • In a bowl take
    • Milk
    • Sugar
    • Honey
    • Cardamom powder
  • Mix till sugar dissolves and a homogenous solution is formed.
  • Cut the nuts and keep them aside.
  • Heat a thick bottom non-stick Tawa / pan.
  • Spread 1/4Tea spoon olive oil/ Butter / Ghee on the hot tawa.
Ghee spread on hot Tawa
  • Place the bread pieces on the hot tawa and lower the flame.
Bread slices kept on hot Tawa with ghee and being toasted
  • Let the bread pieces become light brown and crisp from one side.
Bread slices crisped on one side
  • Flip and cook the other side also to crispness.
Bread sliced toasted to crispness on both sides
  • Spread the milk mixture 4-5 tea spoons on one side. The slices of bread will become soggy initially during cooking. Allow them to cook on low flame till they become brown on the side touching the tawa/pan (Approximately 3-4 min). I like caramelized taste so I allow them to cook longer.
Milk being poured on the crisped toasts
Crisped Toasts soaked in milk being allowed to cook on low flame
Toasts with m,ilk cooked on one side and being cooked on the second side
  • Flip the toasts carefully and spread 3-4 teaspoon milk mixture on the other side also and allow the toast to cook to brown color on the other side also.
Milk Toasts cooked on both sides and one toast caramelized

  • Take out hot crisp juicy milk toasts on a plate and top them up with nuts.
Milk Toasts
  • Enjoy with a hot cup of tea / coffee / milk for break fast or after meal as desert.
Tips:
  • Due to sugar the toasts tend to caramelize. If you do not like the darker color then remove them before they start caramelizing. I personally like caramelized toasts.
  • After spreading milk  mixture the bread slices will become soggy. Do not flip till the toasts are of brown color on the side they are touching the tawa. 
  • Toasts should be cooked always on low flame.
  • Do not cut the brown edges of slices before making the toasts.
  • The bread slices should not be very thin else the toasts will break.
  • While flipping after adding milk on one side care should be taken so that the toast do not break.
Suggested Variations:
  • White sugar can be replaced with brown sugar as it is healthier and provides nutrition along with less calories.
  • Jaggery can replace sugar this will add iron to your toast.
  • Pinch of cinnamon powder can be taken instead of cardamom powder.
  • The old bread from in the fridge can be cooked to crispness with little butter and stored. These crisp toasts can be used to make milk toasts as and when required, this saves time and old bread is used instead of discarding.

Monday 18 February 2013

Mushroom Paneer Grilled sandwich

Mushroom Paneer Toasts with Tomato sauce

Cottage cheese is high in calcium and protein. And mushrooms are high in protein and Vitamin A. When paneer is mixed with mushrooms it makes excellent filling for toasted sandwiches.  Breakfast should never be taken just because it has to be taken; a nourishing, nutritious, less oily breakfast is the apt way to start the day. Healthy yet tasty,light yet filling and nutritious, these sandwiches are very good for breakfast, snack as well as lunch box of school going children. So next time you want to give pleasant surprise to your children just make these crunchy juicy mushroom paneer sandwiches and serve in breakfast or pack them in their lunch box.

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min.
Servings: 8 – 10 Sandwiches

Ingredients Required For Making Mushroom Paneer Toasted Sandwiches:
  • 1 Bread
  • 250 gm. Paneer (Cottage Cheese)
Paneer
  • 8 – 10 Large mushrooms
Mushroom
  • 1 Small Onion
Onion
  • 4 -5 Cloves of garlic 
Garlic
  • 1 Green Chili
Green Chilies
  • 1/2Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 – 4Tea spoon Olive oil / Butter or any cooking oil
Directions For Preparing Mushroom-Paneer Sandwiches:

    Step1. Making Filling of Mushroom and Paneer:

  • Wash and towel dry Mushrooms.
  • Crush the mushrooms to small pieces.
  • Cut Paneer to pieces.
  • Mash the paneer pieces.
  • Cut onions finely.
Finely cut Onion
  • Cut garlic finely.
Cut Garlic
  • Cut Green chili finely.
  • Tale 1 ml. oil in a wok and heat
  • When hot lower the flame and add finely cut onion.
  • Cook with continuous stirring for 2 min. (the color of onion should become transparent)
  • Add finely cut garlic and cook for just one min. with regular stirring.
  • Add mashed paneer and cook for a 2-3 min.
  • Add crushed mushroom and bring the flame to high.
  • Mix nicely and cook for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.
  • Add
    • Salt
    • Green chili
    • Red chili powder
  •  Mix nicely
  • Bring the flame to high and cook with continuous stirring for 1 min.
  • Remove from gas and take out in a bowl and allow it to cool. (The mixture of filling should be removed just when the mushrooms start leaving water in wok)
Mushroom - Paneer filling for sandwiches
Step2. Making Sandwich:
  • Sprinkle 2-3 drop of oil on both side of sandwich toaster.
Toaster heated with 2 drops of olive oil on each section
  • Heat the sandwich toaster.
  • Take a slice of bread on a plate and scoop 2-3 tea spoons filling on it.
Bread Slice with Mushroom Paneer mix
  • Place another slice on it.
Second slice put to cover the slice with Mushroom Paneer mix
  • When the toaster is hot then place this sandwich in a toaster.
Sandwiches of Mushroom Paneer mix kept on hot Toaster
  • Toast for 2 min.
  •  Open the toaster and sprinkle 3-4 drops of oil, close the toaster and toast again.

Sandwiches being toasted
  • Toast the sandwich till brown and crisp from both sides. (It should take 5 min.)
  • Take out hot mushroom-paneer sandwich and serve with tomato sauce.
Mushroom Paneer Toasts with Tomato Sauce
Tips:
  • After adding mushrooms cooking should be done on high flame.
  • Do not cook for too long after adding salt.
  • Do not mash mushrooms, crush them to small pieces.
  • If you find mushroom juices coming out too much add make crumb from one slice and add to the filling. (1 /2 tea spoon stored dry bread crumb can also be added)
  • The toasted mushroom paneer sandwiches taste best if made in olive oil or butter.
Suggested Variations:
  • Onions and garlic can be avoided and replaced by 1 tea spoon cumin seeds.
  • Oregano / basil/parsley can be added to the filling to give different flavor to the sandwich.
  • Finely cut coriander leaves can be added to the filling.
Finely cut fresh coriander sprigs
  • Instead white bread brown bread or multi grain bread can be taken to increase the nutritive value of sandwich.
  • For oil less sandwich, use nonstick toaster.
  • Edges of bread piece can be cut. The edge pieces can be sun dried and made to crumbs and stored in dry container for future use,

Kadai Pulav (Fried Rice With Vegetables)


Kadai Pulav with Salad and Coriander-Mint chutney

Rice with lots of vegetables in it makes a complete meal. Fried rice is one of the best methods to make children eat vegetables. For me till date it remains the best preparation of rice. It is absolutely easy to make and tasty with all sort of nutrients accumulated in a singal dish.Beans and Nutrela provide proteins,Carrots and cauliflower vitamin A.,Onion provides sulfur and vitamin C along with Potassium. Apart from these much needed dietary fibers and micro nutrients come from these vegetables.Rice provides the carbohydrates. Thus making this dish a complete food.

Preparation Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 15 – 20 min
Servings: 4 Large servings

Ingredients Required for Making Fried Rice:
  • 250 gm. Rice
  • 50 gm. French Beans
  • 50 gm. Carrots
Carrots and beans cut thin pieces
  • 4-5 florets of Cauliflower
  • 1Onion (medium size)(optional)
  • 2 cm. Piece of Ginger
  • 10-15 Nutrela
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2Tea spoon Red chili powder
  • 1/2Tea spoon Garam masala
  • 10 ml Ghee  / Olive oil or any cooking oil
  • 2-3 Sprigs of Fresh Coriander leaves
  • 1/2 Tea spoon Cumin seeds
  • 1-2 Bay leaves
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 1 Green chili
Green chilies
Direction for Making Fried Rice:
  • Wash the rice and soak it in water for 20-30 min.
  • Soak nutrela in water for 1 hr.
Soaked Nutrela
  • Boil the rice in a container or cooker till it gets cooked but does not become extremely soft and sticky.
  • Cut ginger to small pieces.
  • While the rice is cooking cut the Onions long and thin
  • Cut Carrots, Beans Cauliflower florets long and thin.

Vegetables and Nutrela for fried rice
Cauliflower florets cut to long pieces
  • Squeeze water from the soaked Nutrela, throw the water and keep soaked nutrela aside.
  • Grate ginger.
  • Slice green chili from middle length wise and remove the seeds.
  • Remove the boiled rice and pass lots of water through it so as to remove all excess starch from cooked rice. This will avoid cooked rice grains from getting stuck to each other.
  • Keep aside the cooked rice.
Boiled Rice
  • Add cut onion a long and thin.
Long thin cut Onion
  • Heat ghee / oil in a thick bottom wok and when the ghee is hot add 
    • Cumin seeds
    • Bay leaves and 
    • Cloves and cook for 30 sec.
  • Add grated ginger,onion and green chili.Cook on low flame till they become translucent.
Onions fried to translucent state
  • Add soaked nutrela and cook for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.
  • Add cut vegetables and stir cook them for 3-4 min.

Nutrela and vegetables added to translucent onion
Vegetables and Nutrela cooked for 3 min. and ready for spices to be added
  • The vegetables will change the color but will maintain the crunchy texture.
  • Add 
    • turmeric
    • Garam masala,
    • Red chili powder
    • Salt and mix nicely.
Spices added to Vegetables
Spices mixed in vegetables and being cooked for 1 min.
  • Add cooked rice (boiled rice) and mix nicely.
Rice added to vegetable and spices mixture
  • Cook with continuous stirring for 1-2 min.
Rice mixed with spices and vegetabl
  • Cover and cook for 2-3 min. with occasional stirring.
  • Switch off the gas after 2-3 min. of cooking. Let the rice stand for 1-2 min. The spices flavor will soak nicely in the rice.
  • Garnish with Coriander leaves.
Add caption
  • Serve hot fried rice with salad, chutney and raita.
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/mango-pickle-north-indian-style.html
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/tangy-mango-pickle-maharashra-style.html
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/spicy-mixed-vegetable-pickle-less-oily.html
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html
http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/07/pahari-kheere-ka-raita-cucumber-and.html

Kadai Pulav with Salad and Chutney
Tips:
  • If rice is being cooked in the cooker then once the pressure is built in the cooker cook for 2 min and switch off the gas.
  • If rice is being cooked in open container then excess water can be taken and once rice is cooked the remainder water should be drained off.
  • Saffola rice is low on starch and the rice grains do not stick to each other.
  • If you wish to add cabbage in the fried rice then do not add onion, onion and cabbage do not go too well together.
  • Left over rice from meals can be used for making fried rice.
Suggested Variations:
  • If you do not like yellow color in fried rice then turmeric should be avoided.
  • Cottage cheese, shredded chicken / mutton can be sauteed and added along with the vegetables.
  • To add color and nutrition red, green, yellow bell pepper can be added along with other vegetables.
  •  Fresh green peas can be added to the onions and cooked for 2-3 min. before rest of the vegetable s are added.
Green Peas

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