Multi Layered Bruschetta

Bruschetta

An amazing preparation with veg or non-veg topping on bread slices bruschetta is best for breakfast or snacks. My daughter in-law is an enthusiast cook and modifies each and every recipe according to our taste. This version of bruschetta is her creation. We love to have it in our weekend brunch menu. It is a variation keeping in mind our love for mushrooms.

Preparation Time: 20-30 min.

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 10-12 Bruschetta

Ingredients Required For Making Bruschetta:

• 400 gm. Fresh Mushrooms
• Sliced Bread (Multigrain/Whole Wheat)
• 4-5 Leaves of Basil
• 100 ml. Thick Coconut milk/100 gm. Coconut milk Powder
• Salt to taste
• 10-15 gm. Walnuts
• 1 capsicum (small)
• 1 Tomato
• Pizza spread
• Butter

Direction For Making Fresh Coconut Milk:

• Grate fresh coconut after removing the kernel from the shell.
• Grind the grated coconut to fine paste by adding 100 ml. water in little amounts.
• Sieve the thick liquid from the paste.
• To the remaining solid add 50 ml. of water and grind again. Sieve the paste. This will give thinner liquid.
• Mix the two milky liquid obtained. Fresh coconut milk is ready.
• If you are using coconut milk powder then add the coconut milk powder to 100 ml. of luke warm water and stir till it dissolves. Heat for 1 min. on low flame with continuous stirring to ensure it dissolves completely.

Direction For Making Bruschetta:

• Wash the mushrooms nicely.
• Drain all water and pat dry them with a cloth.

Cleaned Mushrooms

• Cut the mushrooms to small pieces.

Chopped Mushrooms

• Remove seeds from capsicum and tomatoes and cut then to fine pieces and keep aside in separate bowl.

Finely chopped Capsicum

• Cut the walnut kernels to small pieces (size of pieces may vary as per liking).
• Put the chopped mushrooms in a thick bottom wok and cook on low flame. Mushrooms will start losing water and shrinking. Keep cooking with regular stirring.

Mushrooms cooking in thick bottom wok on low flame

• Once the water reduces considerably the total amount of material in the wok will reduce to half.

Mushrooms ready for Coconut milk to be added

• Add
• Coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• Shredded Basil leaves
• Cook on low flame with regular stirring till all liquid dries off and a thick mass of mushrooms is left. 

Mushrooms cooking in Coconut milk along with herb 

Mushrooms ready for Bruschetta

• Remove the mushroom cooked in coconut milk.

Mushrooms Cooked in Coconut milk

• Butter one side of bread slice and toast it on a pan till light brown repeat same on the other side also.

Crisp toasted slices  and coated with Pizza spread

• Apply pizza spread on one side and keep the slice of bread on hot pan/tawa with the side having pizza spread facing down.
• Toast for just one minute on low flame. Remove from pan and spread a liberal coat of cooked mushrooms above the pizza spread on the toasted bread slice.

Slice Toasted on Both Side 

Toasted Slice With Pizza Spread

Mushroom spread over toasted slice with Pizza spread

• Sprinkle
• 5-10 pieces of capsicum
• 5-10 pieces of tomato

  

  Capsicun and Tomatoes sprinkled over Mushrooms

• Sprinkle pieces of walnuts.
• Enjoy Hot, crisp juicy Bruschetta with tea/coffee/milk/fruit juices

Bruschetta

Tips:

Do not use butter too much slices are supposed to become crisp not full with butter.

Make sure the side with pizza spread should be cooked with care on low flame otherwise they will get burnt and the taste will get spoiled. It has happened with me so be doubly sure that the heat is on low while toasting the slice.

Burnt and blackned slices along with correctly cooked slices

• Basil should be always shredded not chopped with knife.
• Mushroom should not become dry and retain the moisture.
• Multigrain bread is best as the nutritive value as well as the taste gets enhanced.
• Fresh herb give the best flavor.

Alternative Suggestions:

• Sautee one medium size finely cut 100 gm. onion in olive oil till they turn transparent. Add finely chopped 150 gm. tomatoes till they get cooked completely and the mixture become mushy. Add salt to taste. Cook till the liquid start drying and the mixture starts leaving the edge of pan. Add one teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (or to taste), 1 teaspoon soy sauce and one teaspoon ginger-garlic powder. Cook for just one minute. Cool the cooked mixture and make a fine paste.
• Walnuts can be replaced with Almonds or 1:1 ratio of walnuts and almonds.
• Red bell pepper/yellow bell pepper can be chopped and mixed with capsicum for toppings.
• Basil can be replaced with fresh parsley/celery for change of taste.
• Each slice can be cut to four pieces before making bruschetta. It makes very good appetizer.
• Walnuts can be roasted before adding to toppings.

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja/Pyaaza (Indian Savory Of Mushroom)

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja

Mushroom-do-pyaja is a preparation of Mushroom with double the amount of onions. I got a request from one of reader Saagi to blog how to prepare Mushroom-do-pyaja, Due to my preoccupation with domestic responsibilities I could prepare and post it now. Saagi I hope you will find the recipe easy to make and satisfactory. To begin with I want to tell that Mushrooms do not impart much flavor to the gravy but get over whelmed with the flavor of spices and herbs if added in excess thus do not think in the same line as making mutton-do-pyaja, spices added to the gravy enhance the taste of mutton. Secondly mushrooms are never cooked for a long time as they lose the juiciness and become chewy. Mushroom-do-pyaja can be had with roti/chapati/parantha/nan. I love it best with Lachcha parantha. http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/10/lachcha-parantha-pan-fried-indian-bread.html

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4 Large Servings

Ingredients For Making Mushroom-Do-Pyaja:

• 200 gm. Mushrooms

• 400 gm Onions

• 1 Medium size Tomato/3 Teaspoon tomato puree

• 1 Teaspoon Ginger Paste

• 1 Teaspoon Garlic paste

• 1/2Teaspoon Red chili Powder
• 1/4Teaspoon Turmeric powder

• 2 Teaspoon Fresh cream/canned cream

• 3-4 Teaspoon Milk.

• Salt to taste

• 10 ml. Olive oil/any cooking oil.

Directions For Making Mushroom-Do-Pyaja:

• Wash mushrooms in flowing water and dry with a cloth.

Cleaned and dried Mushrooms

• Cut the washed dried mushrooms to big pieces.

Mushroom cut to pieces

• Make paste of tomato if you are not using puree.

• Cut 200 gm (half of the onions) to thin long pieces.

• Cut the remaining 200 gm. onions to small pieces.

• Take 5 ml. of oil in a thick bottom wok and heat on high flame. When the oil is hot add 200 gm of onion cut to small pieces.

Onion being cooked on low flame

• Cook on low flame till it becomes brown in color. It may take 10-15 min.

• Take it out on a plate and allow to cool.

Onion cooked to brown color

• Make paste of them using as little water as possible.

Paste of brown-cooked Onion

• In the same wok add 2-3 ml. of oil and heat. When the oil is hot add 200 gm of slices of onions and cook on low flame till light brown in color. Do not let the slices of onion to become dark as pieces of onion were done.

Sliced onions being sauteed

• When the slices of onions become light brown add ginger and garlic paste and cook on low flame with constant stirring. The ginger, garlic paste will stick to the bottom do not worry try scraping it slowly. 

Ginger-garlic paste added to cooked sliced onion

Slices Onion and Ginger-garlic Masala ready for cooked onion paste

• After 1-2 minutes of cooking the ginger and garlic paste will be cooked, add the paste of cooked onion pieces. Mix nicely.

• The moisture of the paste will loosen the ginger, garlic paste from the wok bottom.

• Cook the mixture for 4-5 minutes.

• Add

• Salt

• Red chili powder

• Turmeric

Salt and spices added to Onion-garlic-ginger paste

• Mix nicely and cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame with constant stirring.

Onion Masala ready for Mushrooms

• Add mushroom pieces and mix nicely so that mushroom pieces get coated with the masala nicely.

Mushrooms Cooked in Onion Masala

•  Add tomato puree and mix.

Tomato Puree added

• Cook with turning the mixture occasionally for 5 minutes on medium heat / flame.

• Add cream and milk and mix.

Cream/Milk added after Tomato Puree gets cooked

• Cover and cook on low flame for just one minutes. Mushroom-do-pyaja is ready.

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja ready to be served

• Remove from wok the cooked Mushroom-do-pyaja in a serving bowl.

• Garnish as per your taste and likings.

• Serve hot with roti/chapati/paranthas.

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja

Tips:

• While purchasing mushrooms make sure they are firm, white and fresh. Limp, old mushrooms will spoil the dish.

• Do not cut thin and small pieces of mushrooms. If the mushroom is large then cut it to six pieces else four. Small ones to two pieces only.

• Never cook mushrooms for a very long time they will become chewy.

• This dish tastes best when cooked either in olive oil.

• Never add too may herbs and spices to mushroom preparations they have very delicate flavor.

• If mushroom preparation is not being served immediately and will be heated before serving then cook it for 2 minutes less than given in the recipe so that when heated the mushrooms retain their firmness and juiciness.
• Every gas stove/cooking range have different flow of gas at low/medium/high so do change the timing accordingly .

Suggested Variations:

• Cream can be replaced with whole cream milk.

• After switching off the heat little amount of Kasoori methi can be added.

• If you like red color in this dish then add 1/2teaspoon of Kashmiri mirch powder which imparts color but not spiciness. Do not use artificial colors they are not good for health.

• Change the amount of red chili powder as per your taste and the spiciness of your red chili powder.

• Red chili powder can be replaced with 1:1 ratio of red chili powder and garam masala.

• If you are wanting more gravy then change the amount of onions cut to pieces and browned and made to paste to 300 gm. and slice to thin pieces only 100 gm.

• Instead of making paste of half the amount of onion, all onion can be cut to 1 inch piece and sauteed to transparent state then spices and mushrooms can be added and cooked. This will give the non-gravy, dryish version of Mushroom-do-pyaja.

Chili Mushroom (Mushroom Cooked With Capsicum and Spring Onions)

Chilli Mushroom

I am very fond of mushrooms and paneer. So while cooking Chili Chicken I thought why not make chili Mushroom. When I made it for the first time the amount of onions became too much thus made it again. Permutation and combination resulted in the birth of this dish. Tender juicy mushrooms, crunchy capsicum and wonderful flavor os spring onions and sauces is simply delicious and if made slightly drier version then it can be had as appetizer also.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min.

Cooking Time: 20 min

Servings: 6 Large servings

Ingredients Required For Making Chili Mushroom:

• 1 Medium size onion
• 400 gm. Mushrooms
• 1 Bunch of Spring Onion (Having at least 8-10 tender spring onions)
• 200 gm. Capsicum
• 20 ml. Soy sauce
• 20 ml. Green Chili sauce
• 4-5 Green chilies
• 10 ml. Vinegar (Preferably fruit based)
• 2 Tea spoons Corn flour
• Salt to taste
• 2 ml. Olive oil / any cooking oil

Directions For Making Chili Mushroom:

• Peel and cut onion to fine pieces or thin long pieces.
• Wash mushrooms in running water.
• Remove all limp stalks and cap of mushrooms cut them to long thick pieces.

Washed  and Cut Moshrooms

• Set aside for later use.
• Peel onions and cut them to thin long pieces.
• Remove the seeds and stalk from capsicum and cut then to 2 inches pieces.
• Clean spring onions of all yellow leaves and roots and wash nicely.
• Cut the green leaves and shallots to small pieces.
• In a thick bottom wok take oil and heat it.
• When the oil is hot (Not smoking) add the pieces of onion and shallots and cook on low flame with regular stirring till they turn transparent. Stirring and low flame is important as that will avoid onions to go brown.

Onions being fried on low flane

• When the onion  are nicely transparent add capsicum and green chilies and cook on high flame for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.

Capsicum added to trasparent onions

• Add spring onion leaves and shallots. Cook on high flame for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.

Shallots and spring onion added 

Ready for Mushrooms to be added

• Add Mushrooms and stir and cook for 2 min on high flame.

Mushrooms added to the mixture of greens

Ready for Corn Flour to be added

• Bring the flame to low and add roasted corn flour and stir to mix.

Corn Flour Added and Mixed

• Add
• Soy sauce
• Chili sauce
• Vinegar
• Salt and mix nicely.
• Mixing the sauces, flour and vinegar should not take more than 2-3 min.
• Add 50ml. water and bring the flame to high.

Sauces added

Ready to Serve

• Cook with continuous stirring for 2-3 min. Water will help corn flour to get cooked and all ingredients to get mixed with mushrooms nicely.
• Remove from wok in a serving bowl and serve hot with roti/parantha/garlic bread and any soup.

Chili Mushroom

Tips:

• If you want your chili mushroom less spicy and hot then add less green chilies and green chili sauce.
• Mushrooms should never be over cooked as they will lose the juiciness and will become limp and tasteless.
• Make sure the onions are cooked to transparent state on low flame if not cooked properly the raw onion taste will spoil whole vegetable. (First time I made chili mushrooms I made two mistakes 1) Too much onion, 2) Onion partially cooked. Result was bad)
• If the shallots are too big then onion can be avoided.
• Add salt in the last as mushroom juice starts leeching with salt

Suggested Variations:

• Pieces of Paneer (cottage cheese/Ricotta cheese) can be added along with mushroom to make Chili-Paneer-Mushroom.
• Finely cut Garlic can be added when onions are being cooked.
• Do not try to add too many flavor of herbs etc. because mushroom taste will get over powered.