Veggie Pan Pizza

What can be better than to make your own pizza right from the scratch... It will be healthy and also nutritious.... :)

Ingredients:

For the base:

Wheat Flour - 2 cups

Yeast - 2 tsp

Sugar- 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

For the sauce:

Tomato - 1 

Onion - 1 

Garlic pod - 2 

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt to taste 

Coriander - 2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

For the topping:

Capsicum
Onion
Cheese grated

Method:

Mix sugar, salt and yeast in luke warm water. Cover it and keep it aside for 5 mins till the yeast foams up.

Add this to the flour. Also add the oil and mix well. Add enough water and make a soft dough. Cover it with a wet cloth and leave aside for 1 hour. The dough doubles up in size.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. Add roughly chopped onion, tomato and garlic to it. Add salt, sugar and coriander and saute it till the tomatoes are cooked properly. Cool this mix and grind it to smooth paste.

Now knead the dough well with your fist till the dough becomes smooth. Add little dry flour while kneading.

Take enough amount of the dough and roll it till it is about half a centimetre thickness.

Place the rolled dough on a pan. Spread the sauce on it properly. Cut the capsicum and onion into small pieces and place them on the pizza base. 

Now spread lots of cheese on it as per your taste. 

Heat a flat tava preferably dosa one and place the pan with pizza on the flat tava. Cover it with a lid and cook on low flame till the base is cooked properly and the cheese melts.

Serve hot with Italian seasoning and ketchup.

Note:

1. Don't place the pan directly on flame. This can burn the pizza base. 

2. You can add more toppings on the pizza or simply spread only the cheese and still have a great taste.
3. You can roll the dough based on the thickness that you need for your pizza.
4. I have used wheat flour, you can also use maida or all purpose flour. That would taste great too.

Enjoy cooking :)

Hirekayi Bajji / Ridge gourd Fries

      This dish needs no introduction. It is simple and very easy to prepare and is best to be eaten on a rainy evening... 

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd - 1
Gram Flour - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour / Corn Flour - 1/2 cup
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

Peel the skin slightly and cut the ridge gourd into thin slices. Mix gram flour and rice flour together.

Add the cumin, coriander and chilli powder to it. Also add salt and mix well. Add enough water and make a semi thick batter.

Heat oil in a pan for frying. Once it it hot, add one tsp of hot oil to the batter and mix.

Dip the ridge gourd slices in the batter and fry on medium flame till they are golden brown. 

Serve hot with tomato ketchup :)

Note:

1. You can replace corn flour for rice flour since I have only added them to make the bajji's crispy.

2. You can avoid using soda by adding a tsp of hot oil to the batter. 

Majjige Palda / Majjige Huli

        This is a traditional recipe made in South Indian homes. It is called with different names in different states. Kadhi is also a similar dish. You can use various vegetables in this and can even use garlic in it. But I have prepared without garlic.

Ingredients:

Ash gourd (wintermelon) - 1/2 kg
Curd - 2 cups
Gram flour - 2 tsp
Green chillies -  3
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1" piece
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 8 to 10
Coriander - for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the ash gourd into medium size pieces. Pressure cook them for one whistle.

Grind green chillies, ginger, cumin and coriander powder and grated coconut in a grinder.

Add two cups of water to the curd. Add gram flour and turmeric to it and beat well so that no lumps are formed. Add more water if required.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Add mustard seeds, channa dal and urad dal to it. 

Now add curry leaves to it. Add the beaten curd to it. Drop in the ash gourd.  

Once it starts to boil, add the grounded paste to it. Mix well. Let it cook for another two minutes. Add salt to it. Remove from flame and garnish it with coriander. Serve hot with rice.

Note:

1. You can cook the ash gourd openly with enough water. But it takes longer.

2. Do not over boil it, as it thickens soon due to gram flour.

3. You can also use, Lady's finger or Chayote Squash in this recipe.

4. Ash gourd is called Boodu Kumbalekayi in Kannada.

New Year Special - Eggless Orange Cake

      Wishing all the people who have given me so much encouragement for this blog a very happy and prosperous new year. What can be better option than to welcome the new year with a beautiful cake. Hence here I am posting Eggless Orange Cake recipe.

Ingredients:

Maida (All purpose flour) - 1 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Orange Juice - 3/4 cup
Orange zest - 1 tsp
Orange Essence - 1/2 tsp
Tutti frutti - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 pinch
Corn flour - 1 tsp

For Icing:

Cream Powder - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Orange food colour - 1 pinch
Chocolate powder - 2 tsp

Method:

Pre heat the oven or microwave to 180 degrees centigrade.

Sieve all the dry ingredients together like Maida, baking powder and soda and cornflour.

Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the orange juice and essence and mix well. Now add the dry ingredients, orange zest and salt and mix well. Also add the tutti frutti to it.

Add little water to get it to the cake batter consistency. 

Bake in the oven for around 15 mins approx. This might vary with your microwave settings.

Insert a knife and check if it comes out clean. Remove the cake and allow it to cool down.

For the icing, mix cream powder and water together and whisk till it becomes fluffy. Keep aside a small quantity of the cream. Add chocolate powder to it and mix well. This is to get the brown colour. 

For the rest of the cream, add the orange food colour. I have used to colour shades for this.

Decorate the cake the way you like it. Enjoy baking.. :)