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Archive for the ‘savoury’ Category

Chicken and zucchini pot pies: the healthy edition

Posted in savoury, tagged , , , , on May 6, 2013 | 5 Comments »

Pot pies are located smack in the middle of the comfort food zone.


Think about it. Bite-sized pieces of veggies and chicken covered in a creamy sauce and topped with a flaky, buttery, crisp puff-pastry cover.


pot pie 1


Soo good.


But all that cream and butter, you say?


I hear you, my darlings.


Which is why I’ve given these pot pies a healthy spin. Don’t worry – they still taste as comforting and creamy. But a touch healthier.


I substituted the cream with yogurt which allowed me to retain the creaminess minus the fat. Also, I chose to load up on the 1 vegetable I used because I love it.


The zucchini-chicken filling is simply flavoured and the puff pastry is store-bought so it’s super easy to put together.


pot pie 2


If you’re a puff-pastry purist, and you only make it yourself and wouldn’t dream of using store-bought, I can only say this:


pot pie 3


If you’re a baker, I agree you should know how to make it, but once you do, you realise HOW much easier it is to buy it! And it’s tastes just as good, if not better :)


Healthy chicken and zucchini pot pies


Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Makes: 3-4 mini pot pies


Ingredients:


1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
100 g cooked chicken, shredded (or boiled with salt and pepper, then shredded)
1 zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
100 g yogurt
butter, for greasing
flour, for dusting
1 sheet puff pastry


pot pie 4


Method:


1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the onion and garlic. Stir for a few minutes on medium heat and then throw in the herbs and chicken, mixing well. Add the zucchini, season, and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Take off the flame and stir in the yogurt, mixing to coat everything well. Leave to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Grease 3-4 small ramekins lightly with butter. Divide the cooked mixture between the ramkeins.
3. Dust a clean surface with some flour and roll out the puff pastry. Use a cutter or a bowl to cut out 3-4 circles the size of the ramekin tops, and then use to cover the mixture in the ramekins. Seal the edges by pressing in a downward motion with a fork. If you have leftover bits of pastry, cut out shapes and stick over the top. Like this heart :)


pot pie 5


Make a slit on the top of each pie and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden. I switched to the grill setting for the last 5 minutes and got a lovely crusty top. Remove from the oven and eat warm.


pot pie 6



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Coloured devilled eggs and Happy Easter!

Posted in healthy, savoury, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Happy Easter everyone!


This year I’m not at home with my family, and so I’m a little sad.


If I was home I’d be in Church with everyone. There would be a happy family lunch, and I’d most definitely get an Easter egg! (Mom called and told me mine has been bought and I’ll get it the next time I meet them :) )


So I needed some joy. Some colour. Some happy way to celebrate Easter.


This is what happened.


coloured eggs 1


Aren’t they the cutest darn things you’ve seen?


All you have to do is soak hard-boiled egg-white halves in any food colour you want.


coloured eggs 2


I did four colours.


coloured eggs 3


The yolks are mixed with yogurt and mustard. I decided to lay off mayonnaise just to be healthier. It tastes wonderfully creamy and the minced garlic gives it even more flavour.


coloured eggs 4


I think I didn’t make quite enough. These things are so cute and so delicious, you can very easily eat a ton of them without realizing it. They’d make such adorable appetizers for a party too!


coloured eggs 5


I had so much fun making these.


coloured eggs 6


The next time you need a pick-me-up, a pop of colour, or just have an egg craving, make these. You’ll love them :)


Coloured devilled eggs


Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 12-15 mins
Makes: 8 pieces


Ingredients:


4 eggs
red, purple, yellow, and green food colour
3-4 tbsp thick yogurt
1 tsp mustard paste
1/2 tsp minced garlic flakes
salt and pepper to taste
sliced black olives, optional


Method:


1. Boil the eggs for 12-15 minutes. You need them to be hard-boiled. Once cool, peel off the shells and slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks and place in a bowl. Carefully rinse the whites, and place them on tissue to dry.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon of each food colour with about 50ml water in 4 separate bowls. Add 2 egg-white halves into each bowl, and leave for 10 minutes. Try to use small bowls so the eggs are completely submerged for an even colour.
3. Add the yogurt, mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper to the egg yolks and mix to a smooth paste. Place this mixture in a zip lock bag, pushing it to one corner. Tie it up tightly with a rubber band.
4. Remove the egg-white halves from the colour and dry on tissue. Once dry, snip the corner of the zip lock bag, and pipe the mixture into each egg-white half in a swirl. Top with a piece of black olive if you like, and serve.


coloured eggs 7


Happy Easter! Have a wonderful day and stay blessed :)


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Music memories and a Broccoli, sausage, and almond stir fry bowl

Posted in healthy, savoury, tagged , , , , , on February 28, 2013 | 10 Comments »

Recently I took out my Ipod which I’ve not used in a long, long time.


I apologized for ignoring it and then charged it. I think there were no hard feelings, because I was immediately rewarded with a bunch of crazily nostalgic, deliciously dreamy tunes.


They took me back.


I remembered my mother singing and dancing to MJ’s – The way you make me feel, and my brother and I jumping around with her.


I remembered slow dancing with an old boyfriend to Red red wine and thinking this is what love is. (Hilarious it seems now :P )


I remembered rewinding Quit playing games a hundred times on my walkman, feeling like the song was written for me. (I know. SO embarrassing.)


I remembered discussing what the sign in Ace of Base’s I saw the sign was with my best friend. (I still don’t know. What was the sign?)


I remembered singing I want to hold your hand with my band in school and feeling like we were the coolest singers in town.


Music brings back so many memories. And when you remember old things, they’re all coloured with the mist of nostalgic happiness. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy :)


To go with all the happy memories, I needed a bowl full of comfort food.


I checked my fridge and saw I had broccoli and sausages. That is how this yummy stir fry was born.


Broccoli sausage stir fry 1


It has all kinds of textures and flavours going on.
Crispy broccoli, crunchy almonds, plump sausage bits, the sour hit of fish sauce, and yummy garlic that I could eat in everything.


Broccoli sausage stir fry 2


And it’s healthy too.


Want a bite? :)


Broccoli sausage stir fry 4


Broccoli, sausage, and almond stir fry bowl


Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Serves: 2


Ingredients:


1 head of broccoli
2 tsp olive oil
8 medium chicken sausages
1 onion, roughly chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
a handful of almonds
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dark soy
salt and pepper to taste


Method:


Broccoli sausage stir fry 3


1. Chop the broccoli into florets and blanch. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a wok or deep pan and fry the sausages for a few minutes, until cooked. Remove, cool, chop into pieces (on the diagonal) and set aside.
3. In the same wok, add the remaining oil, and fry the onion and garlic till light brown and fragrant. Add the broccoli, sausage, and almonds. Stir well.
4. Mix up the fish sauce, vinegar, honey, and soy in a small bowl. Add this sauce to the wok and mix everything together. Add salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to 2 big bowls. Eat hot.


Listen to an old song you loved while you eat this. Savour the last whiff of winter and some wonderful memories :)


Do you have a favourite old song? Tell me about it :)


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Veggie couscous

Posted in healthy, savoury, tagged , , , , on February 7, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Delhi saw a strange torrential downpour two days ago. The sky was dark in the middle of the afternoon and the rain was incessant.


Although flooded streets are not my thing, I was able to pull out my new rain boots.


rain boots


Aren’t they cute? And they have little white dogs on them :)


In other news, I’ve been eating out a whole lot of late. And I’m eating meat. Lots of it.


This has led to my body actually asking for some veggies. Like even a shred. Poor thing is begging. So I thought I should oblige.


Look at this plate.


veggie plate 1


Now look at the other side.


veggie plate 2


Doesn’t that make you feel healthy just by looking at it?


A little chopping and boiling, and twenty minutes later, I had this delicious, fresh bowl of couscous ready.


couscous 1


It was just what I needed.


Veggie couscous


Prep time: 20 mins
Serves: 2


Ingredients:


150 g couscous
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp honey
juice of 1 lemon
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
large handful of sliced or whole black olives
large handful of almonds, blanched
coriander to taste, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste


couscous 2


Method:


1. Boil about 2 large cups of water in a pan. Place the couscous in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water. The water should cover it by about an inch. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, honey, and lemon juice together. Set aside.
3. Gently fluff up the swollen couscous with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and the dressing. Mix well and serve warm.


When my belly asks for veggies, I provide.


couscous 3


Happy belly :)


PS- An article I wrote on food was published in Hindustan Times, Brunch last Sunday. Read it here and lemme know what you think.


PPS- My next post will be a BIG BIG one, my darlings. I’m not telling you much, but let’s just say you don’t want to miss it ;)


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Crispy cauliflower poppers

Posted in healthy, savoury, snack type things, tagged , , , , , on October 29, 2012 | 9 Comments »

Epic battles.


Greeks versus Trojans.


David versus Goliath.


Sauron versus (free) Middle-earth.


Batman versus The Joker.


I could go on, but you get the drift.


Here’s personal battle:


Delicious food versus Staying fit.


Are you familiar with that one? Bet you are!


I’m constantly surrounded with food.


I have a dessert-baking disease.


My work involves looking at pictures of food and writing yummy recipe descriptions.


My friends/co-workers/parents/dog ALL love food and if we’re not talking about food, we’re eating it while simultaneously planning our next meal.


I often have the wonderful opportunity to review restaurants and food festivals and eat all kinds of scrumptious things.


So since food is pretty much my entire existence, and I want to live to see my grandchildren, I’ve realised that staying fit is important.


I already do the stuff we all know: portion control, kickboxing, filling up on water, blah blah – but what really helps, I’ve found, is a recipe that’s healthy AND yummy. And I can tell you, my friend – there aren’t that many.


A friend sent me this book recently.



It’s a rather hilarious read with funny chapter names like “PMS (Pissy mood snacks)” and funnier recipe names like the “Denver Bitchlette for two” for instance. Essentially it’s a vegan cookbook with strange ingredient requirements like vegan beef strips and vegan chicken patties.
Seriously?! I would not eat that. Like. EVER.


The philosophy of the book however, is making healthy food delicious, which is something I can totally get on board with.


And in that spirit, I present this.


Crispy cauliflower poppers. Beautifully caramelized. Crunchy in part and chewy in part.



It’s no secret I’m not a fan of vegetarian food. But these are SO good. Each floret has lovely brown, crispy parts.


Slightly sweet and slightly savoury. Entirely yummy.


Dunk in a yogurt dip. Guilt-free, healthy food never did taste this good.



Crispy cauliflower poppers with a garlic-yogurt dip


Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 45-50 mins
Serves: 2


Ingredients:


2 medium heads of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper


For the dip


200g yogurt
1 tsp garlic paste
sprinkle of dry minced garlic (you can leave this out if you want- I just like my dip really garlicky)
paprika salt (or regular salt, but paprika salt is prettier :P )



Method:


For the cauliflower poppers


1. Preheat the oven to 180º C.
2. Dab the cauliflower florets with kitchen paper to remove any water. Mix the olive oil and honey in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the florets a few at time into the oil and honey mixture and toss to coat well. I like to use my hands here, so the cauliflower gets nicely coated. Place the florets on a baking tray. Make sure they are spread out. This will ensure each one gets caramelized.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes, turning the florets two or three times during the process.


For the dip


1. Mix all the ingredients for the dip together and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Serve with the cauliflower poppers. Dunk and enjoy!



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2 ingredient, 5 minute pizza dough (You read that right)

Posted in savoury, tagged , , , , on September 24, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Sometimes it’s good to break the rules.


To not think things through.


To do something on a whim.


To take a short cut.


That’s what I did with this pizza dough.


I know, I know, the right way to do it involves yeast, and resting, and more time, but I’m feeling like a culinary dare devil these days ;)


2 ingredients. Like seriously. How amazing is that? (Here is the original recipe)


You end up with dough that looks like this.



After that it’s only a question of rolling it out on a greased baking tray, pre-baking for a few minutes, topping it with whatever catches your fancy and baking it again.


You will end up with this yummy, yummy pizza.



I’m not even going to bother writing out a recipe for this one.


The next time you want to eat pizza, and eat it NOW, here’s what you do: Mix 200g self-raising flour and 180g yogurt together. Now you may need a little more flour if it’s too sticky, so have some extra at hand. Mix together till you have rough ball of dough and then knead on a floured surface for a few minutes. At this point, pre-heat your oven to 250º C (Yes, I know that’s crazy hot, but just go with me on this, won’t ya?) Divide the dough in two, grease a baking tray (you’ll get 2 pizzas out of this amount of dough, if you stretch it thin enough to cover a standard baking tray), and spread out one half of the dough on the baking tray. Use your hands to spread the dough out as thin as possible, reaching the corners of the tray. Pop this pizza base into the hot oven for 4-5 minutes, and then remove.


Now, at this point you can do one of two things.


1. Be fancy. This means you make Marinara or Pesto from scratch, buy some deliciously stringy, melty cheese, and make some toppings that require more love and attention than cutting open a packet of pepperoni.
2. Be cool. Bravo if you choose this one. I foresee a great friendship in our future. You will start by looking inside your fridge. If you see tomatoes and onions you will smile and proceed to chop them up, cook them in some oil, add a dash of herbs, some salt and sugar, and look mighty pleased at your impromptu Marinara! Then you will look in your freezer and fish out the packet of pepperoni that was sitting there, and a few cheese slices. If nothing else, you pull out your all-time fav kitchen love- the egg <3



Slather your sauce over the pre-baked crust, cover with toppings, and bake again for about 35-40 minutes, at the same temperature. You’re done!
Proceed to stuff your face with yumminess.



So once in a while do things the crazy way. The (delicious!) results may surprise you :)




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A pizza masterclass with Chef Theo

Posted in Bloggers meet, friends, savoury, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2012 | 4 Comments »

My ALL time favourite food show is Masterchef Australia.


It’s fun and honest and the focus is always food (not random drama like in the Indian version).


Also the judges are so adorable. Like don’t you want to just hug them?



(image from: http://www.masterchef.com.au/)


Masterclass is an integral part of learning on the show. The mood is relaxed and the focus is only on learning new techniques and skills to add to your cooking/baking repertoire.


So when the folks at Hilton, Mayur Vihar invited us over for a Pizza masterclass with their Italian chef Theo, we (our CAL Blogger’s table) all jumped at the opportunity.


Focused yet funny, Chef Theo took us through the basics of pizza dough, Marinara sauce, and ways to bake the crust properly.



Just look at this wonderfully reduced Marinara sauce.



And these fluffy balls of rested pizza dough.



I learnt that a wood fire oven has the advantage of really high temperatures, so you don’t need to pre-bake your crust. In the ovens we use at home, pre-baking your crust is essential. This was a massive revelation to me and I can’t wait to try it this way.



Also overloading your pizza with toppings is a rookie mistake. Do that and you’ll have a soggy crust.



A thin crust, a few simple toppings, and a rich, well-reduced tomato sauce base is all you need for a great pizza.



We tasted the pizzas fresh as they came out of the oven and they were divine. See?



Very inspired, I’m going to try my hand at a home-made pizza soon!


Thank you Hilton, Mayur Vihar for hosting us. It’s always amazing to learn first-hand from chefs who know their stuff like Theo.


Here’s what the rest of the Blogger’s table had to say:
Ruchira @ Cookaroo
Sushmita @ My Unfinished Life
Sid @ Chef at large
Sangeeta @ Banaras ka Khana



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An Onion tart at home

Posted in family, savoury, tagged , , , , , on August 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »

I’m a bit late with this post. Been busy- but that’s no excuse. Regular posts from here on out! :)


So when I was home last week, in between cuddles from my dog Simba, large mouthfuls of divine food, and general happiness, I realized my fingers were itching to bake something.


I didn’t want fancy. I wanted comforting and wholesome and warm. Something like home.


And something like that has to be made with ingredients you’d always have at hand.


A little bit of kneading, chopping, and whisking later I had exactly what I wanted.


This gorgeous Onion tart.



The tart case was flaky and buttery.
The caramelised onions were a beautiful honey-colour and slightly sweet.
And the cream and eggs provided an undeniable warmth.


One slice of this baby, and you’re guaranteed to close your eyes in a deep sigh.



It tastes of home.


Caramelised Onion Tart
Adapted from: Step-by-step Baking


Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 80-85 mins
Serves: 6


Ingredients:


150 g plain flour
75 g butter, chilled and cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
1 egg yolk


For the filling:


2 tbsp olive oil
25 g butter
500 g onions, finely sliced
salt and pepper to taste
200 ml cream
1 large egg, plus 1 yolk


Method:



For the tart case


1. Rub the flour and butter together in a large bowl until you have fine crumbs. Beat the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of cold water and add it to the crumbs. Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Lightly grease a 22 cm (9in) loose-bottomed tart tin with butter. Roll out the dough gently and then use your hands to spread it evenly all around the base and sides of the tin. Make sure there aren’t too many bumpy parts. Use a fork to make some holes all over the dough and then cover with some baking parchment. Top with baking beans and bake for about 25 minutes. Take out from the oven, remove the parchment and the baking beans and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove and leave to cool.



For the filling and assembling


1. Heat the oil and butter in a large non-stick pan. Add the onions and season well. Cook on high heat until the onions just begin to brown. Then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring once in a while. Remember that we want the onions to become soft, but not burn them. Take the cover off, and cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes till any liquid in the pan dries up. Once sightly cool, spoon this onion mixture into the cooled tart case. Spread it out evenly all over the base.
2. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Whisk the cream, egg, and yolk together and season well. Pour this mixture over the onions and spread it out evenly.
3. Place the tart on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. For the last 2 minutues, use your grill setting to get a lovely brown top. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Remove gently from the tin and place on a serving plate. Slice and enjoy :)


Drop me a comment telling me what food defines “home” for you :)

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Mini gooey cheese souffles

Posted in savoury, tagged , , , , , on August 10, 2012 | 5 Comments »

So a couple of weeks ago I won a contest on Chef at Large and the prize was delivered last week.


(FYI: If you enjoy talking about food all day and want to chat with the most serious food lovers around you need to join this FB group. Like now. It’s a ton of fun!)


My prize was a beautiful set of conical ramkeins form Urban Dazzle.


You can get yourself a set here.


I’ve been wondering what to make in them since they arrived and decided on gooey cheese souffles.


The weather’s been rather strange here: rainy and miserable some days, hot and humid on others.


Nothing that a warm, cheesy souffle straight from the oven can’t fix :)



What I love about this recipe is that it’s quick and makes exactly three small servings. Even though they’re small, they’re pretty lethal. Especially if you use a bad-ass cheese like I did.


This bad boy came back from my parent’s trip to Germany. It’s seriously smelly. Like hard-core smelly. But I love that about it. This cheese is sure it wants to be smelly and rocks at it.



I’m pretty sure this recipe would work with any cheese, but using a mild cheese would make a mild souffle, and who wants that when you can have one bursting with flavour, right?



These are wonderfully decadent by themselves, but great with a fresh salad on the side as well. Just eat them the minute you take them out of the oven. I had to take pictures so they fell a bit flat, but still tasted amazing.


This is what happened 5 minutes after I took them out.



Mini gooey cheese souffles
(Recipe adapted from here)


Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 18 mins
Makes: 3 mini servings


Ingredients:


30 g butter, plus extra for greasing
2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs
25 g flour
1 tsp grainy mustard paste
150 ml milk
2 eggs
50 g Camembert, grated (or any other cheese of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste



Method:


1. Preheat the oven to 200º C. Grease the ramekins with butter and dust with the breadcrumbs, tipping out the excess.
2. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, and stir in the flour and mustard, cooking it for a minute. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the milk a little at time until you have a smooth sauce. Put it back on a medium flame and keep stirring until the sauce thickens to almost a paste. Remove from the heat, place in a bowl and allow to cool.
3. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites until stiff with an electric whisk.
4. Stir the yolks into the cooled white sauce. Add the cheese and season. Very carefully fold the egg whites into the cheese mix trying to keep the volume.
5. Spoon into the ramekins, filling each about two-thirds full. Create a “top-hat” by running a blunt knife around the edge of the mixture, all around the inside edge of each ramekin. Place them on a baking tray and bake for about 18 mins. Remove and eat immediately.


Have a fun, fun weekend folks! :)



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Conquer breakfast: savoury egg muffins

Posted in breakfast, savoury, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Breakfast is the most difficult meal of the day for me.


It’s because I’m not a morning person.


These three examples from Pinterest depict my morning emotions perfectly.





Are you a morning person? How do you do it? HOW?


I don’t like waking up at all, let alone waking up and then cooking a breakfast.


So after months of dad’s long distance yelling about the importance of breakfast, being miserable after eating biscuits each morning, and feeling very unproductive, I decided to fix things.


I turned to my favourite ingredient of all time: eggs.


Last Saturday night, I decided I would conquer breakfast. And I did.



These savoury egg muffins are the perfect breakfast food. Make 10 on the weekend, and freeze them in sets of two. All you have to do in the morning is microwave and eat! Maybe with a slice of toast. But they’re great with just a dash of tomato sauce.



The best part is you can put anything in them.


Here are some combos you could try:


Tomato, ham, and cheese (yum)
Peppers, mushroom, and corn (yummers)
Salami, spinach, and broccoli (yummest)


Savoury breakfast egg muffins



Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Makes: 10


Ingredients:


7 whole eggs
5 tbsp milk
1 tsp vegetable oil, plus a bit more for greasing
1 large red pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
50g salami, chopped
garlic flakes
mixed dried herbs
salt and pepper to taste


Method:


1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the milk and whisk well.
2. Heat a non-stick pan, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil and lightly toss the red pepper and tomato in it for a few minutes. Set aside.
3. Add the chopped salami, garlic, herbs, and cooled pepper-tomato mixture to the egg mix and stir everything together. Season to taste.
4. Grease 10 individual silicone muffin cases, or a non-stick muffin tray. Divide the mixture into each of them, filling them about 3/4th full. Put into the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. The muffins should rise and come away from the sides of the cases. Remove from the cases, cool, and then freeze for upto 1 week. Or just eat right away :)




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