Vada Pav

Vada Pav, not something that us Pakistan think about when we want something for a snack. Our snacks are usually samosa, pakora and stuff. But why not give this a try too?

I had Vada Pav at a small chaat place here in Muscat. I fell in love with it. I've had it countless times since than. But now since I live much further from that chaat place, I thought why not try to make it myself.

So this is the recipe that I came up with. 

The recipe of Garlic chutney is adapted from Tarla Dalal

Ingredients:

(For Vada):

1/2 tsp of Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp of Cumin 

1/4 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste

2 Green Chilies (roughly chopped)

1 small Onion (diced)

1 tsp of Red Chili Powder (adjust according to taste)

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp of Turmeric powder

a pinch of Chaat Masala (optional)

2 large Potatoes (boiled and roughly mashed)

Juice from half a Lemon

(For the Batter):

1/2 cup of Besan (Gram Flour)

a pinch of Baking Soda

Salt to taste

a pinch of Red Chili Powder

a pinch of Cumin

(For Green Chutney)

1/2 bunch of Coriander

1/2 bunch of Mint

1 Green Chili

1 clove of Garlic

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Cumin

2-3 tbsp Tamarind paste

(For Garlic Chutney)

6-7 Cloves of Garlic

3 tbsp of grated Coconut

1 tbsp of Red Chili powder

Salt to taste

(Other Ingredients)

4-6 Pav/Burger buns

Method:

(For Green Chutney)

For the Green Chutney, Blend everything together with a little bit of water. Keep Aside. 

(For Garlic Chutney)

For Garlic Chutney, heat a little bit of oil in a small frying pan, cook garlic cloves till they are light brown. take out the garlic than roast grated coconut. Blend garlic, coconut and red chili powder. Add salt. Keep aside. 

(For Batter)

Mix besan, baking soda and the spices. Make a lump free, medium consistency batter with water. Keep aside. 

(For Vada)

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add Mustard Seeds. When they start to splutter,

add Cumin,

and ginger garlic paste.

When fragrant, add Green Chilies,

Onion, salt, turmeric and red chili powder. Cook for a minute. Add a splash of water if the spices starts to burn.

Add boiled potatoes and lemon juice.

Mix and keep aside to cool.

Make balls of the potato mix. 

Dip in besan batter and deep fry till light golden brown. 

To assemble Vada Pav, lightly toast the pav, apply green chutney and dry garlic chutney. Place vada on top and lightly crush with the top half of the bun. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Subway Sandwich

I love Subway Sandwiches. The contrast of crunchy lettuce, meat and sauces is incredible.

I never actually thought i'd ever make these at home. They are pretty cheap as it is, but there is some inner satisfaction in knowing how to make this sandwich from scratch.

The whole obsession with the sandwich started when we bought Salami (turkey and beef)

Ready-made french bread was pretty hard on the top, so i thought i'd just make the bread.

I search around on the internet and found this recipe, its incredible. the bread is so fragrant and really soft. 

This recipe makes 2 really big sandwiches.

For The Bread:

Recipe adapted from Melissa Griffiths

1 1/2 cup of Flour

2 tsp Yeast

2 tsp of Sugar

3-4 tbsp of Milk

1 tbsp of Oil

1/4 cup of warm water

Sauces :

(Honey Mustard):

2 tbsp of Mustard

1 tsp of Honey

(Onion Sauce):

2 tbsp of Mayonnaise 

1 tsp of ketchup

a few drops of Chili sauce

1 tbsp of finely chopped Onion

pinch of Salt

pinch of Black pepper

a few drops of White Vinegar

a few leaves of Coriander

a few drops of Lemon Juice 

a few drops of Olive oil (optional)

Other Ingredients:

Meat of any kind  (grilled chicken, roast chicken/mutton/beef, Salami, sausage, hot dogs)

I used Salami (beef and turkey)

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

Gherkin (pickled cucumber)

Capsicum

Tomato

Iceberg Lettuce (Any lettuce would do)

Olives

Other Toppings that you can use :

Cucumber

Onion

Spring Onions

Roasted garlic

Caramelized Onions

To Make The Bread:

Add yeast and sugar to warm water. (water should be not be hot, just warm), Mix and leave for 5 minutes to foam up. Than add milk, oil and salt.

Add flour, mix to make a soft dough. Add more warm water if needed.

Leave to Rise for 30 minutes.

Grease baking sheet. Divide the dough in 2 (if you want big sandwiches) or 4 (if you want smaller ones) roll into a log. Place on the sheet and leave for 20 minutes to rise again. 

Meanwhile preheat oven at 200 degree centigrade,

See these beauties?

Pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Take them out when they are golden brown on top and bottom

They would have a hard crust on top.

To make them soft, rub the top with butter and cover with a dish towel. Leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile prep the toppings.

Take out the Salami

Cut the vegetables

Mix the ingredients for Onion sauce. Keep aside.

Mix mustard and honey. Keep aside.

Cut the bread in half, keep it attached on one side.

Add cheese (either cheddar or mozzarella) I used shredded mozzarella.

Toast in the oven if you want.

Add the meat

Spread the Onion sauce on the upper part of the bun.

Spread vegetables on top.

Top it with sauces.

ketchup and honey sauce.

Use aluminium foil or butter paper to fold it close.

Its super juicy and so delicious.

Enjoy !! 

Garlic Bread

I love Garlic bread, and i'd be surprised if somebody here says that they don't!

Who doesn't love a nice piece of buttery, garlic-y bread !

And to take it to a next level, I made the french bread from scratch too ! :O

i know, i couldn't believe it myself :D

haha :D

You can definitely use ready made french bread if you don't want the hassle of  making one from scratch 

So down to the recipe

Ingredients: (for the bread) 

(this makes 1 large loaf of bread)

2 1/2 cup of Flour

1 tbsp of Yeast

2 tsp of Sugar

1/2 a tsp of Salt

1 cup of Warm Water

(for the garlic bread)

French bread sliced diagonally 

5-6 tbsp of Melted Butter

2-3 Large cloves of Garlic (Crushed)

a pinch of Salt (if you are using unsalted butter)

1/4 tsp of Black pepper

1/2 a tsp of Mixed Italian herbs (You can use any other herbs you like)

1/2 a cup of Cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)

Place warm water in a bowl, add sugar and yeast. 

Leave to bloom for 5-7 minutes

Than add all the flour and salt

Mix and knead to form a medium dough.

Leave to rise for an hour.

Look at this beautiful airy dough.

Punch it down (dont cringe, it will rise again).

Make the french bread shape and place it on a lightly grease baking sheet.

Place it in a COLD oven. than turn it on at 160 degree centigrade. 

I repeat, DO NOT PREHEAT THE OVEN.

Turn it on when u place the bread in.

Check after 25-30 minutes. It should be lightly brown on the bottom and on top.

Take it out and leave to cool.

Meanwhile mix together melted butter, black pepper, italian seasoning and garlic. Leave for 10 minutes for the flavors to blend together.

Cut the bread in diagonal slices.

Brush with generous amount of butter mixture

top it off with cheese. Sprinkle with a bit of oregano (totally optional)

Bake in a preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or till the cheese is melted.

Enjoy !!!!

Sharing recipe with Thursdays treasures

Pull Apart Chicken Bread

My sister wanted chicken bread for Iftar today and we had some leftover boiled chicken, so i thought why not !

but i had to do something easier than the braid i made before (that is really difficult to maneuver).

I used the same recipe as i've used before, You can get the recipe here

Chicken Bread

I used 3/4 amount of the recipe.

As for what i did, here goes

Take a small amount of dough 

Flatten it

Place a small amount of filling in the centre

Pinch in the sides to make a small parcel.

Continue making til all the dough is used.

Place them side by side on a greased pan. I used 11 inch cake pan with de-attachable bottom.

Brush with egg.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for 25 to 30 minutes

Enjoy!!

Chicken Bread

This is my first attempt at making a bread. I've had this recipe for a while in my diary, just couldnt summon up the courage to try it. But today I got downright brave and made chicken bread :D
It looks difficult maybe but its really easy to do !

This recipe makes 1 large and 1 small bread.

So here goes..

Ingredients :
(For the Dough)
Flour : 4 cups
Yeast : 1 tbsp heaped
Sugar : 1 tbsp
Milk : 4 tbsp
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Egg : 1 beaten
Oil : 1/4 cup

(For the Filling)
Butter : 2 tsp
Onion : 1 medium chopped
Flour : 2 tbsp
Milk : 1 1/2 cup
Salt : to taste
Black Pepper : 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
Chicken : 250 gm boiled and shredded
Green Chilies : 3-4 chopped
Coriander : 1/2 bunch

Method :
(For the Dough)

Dissolve sugar and yeast in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water.

Mix everything and knead into a soft dough.

 Leave to rise for 1 hour.

Meanwhile make the filling :

 Melt butter and  saute onions till transparent.

Add flour, salt, black pepper and garam masala. cook for 1-2 minutes. Take off heat...

...than add milk. put on very low flame to thicken slightly.

 Add shredded chicken, coriander and green chilies.

Mix. Leave to cool.

To assemble the bread :

 Roll out the dough in a rough square and cut the sides diagonally with a knife.

Spread the filling in the middle.

 Now do this :D

Transfer on a baking tray (this was the most trickiest part, it got all wobbly :D, so i had to ask mum to help me with this). Brush with a beaten egg. You can sprinkle it with sesame seeds if u like.

 Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degree centigrade of 30-35 minutes

Happy Baking !


Submitting this recipe to Turning the Table