Carrot Chutney

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Chutneys are such fun aren't they ? Not only does a good chutney add flavor and taste to a meal, I feel like a good chutney can elevate a meal from blah to something fab. And the best part, chutneys are so easy and quick to make that it can be included in any menu quite easily:)

Here is one that somewhat surprised me, I usually make this to go with dosai / adai (Savory Indian crepes) or idlis (savory steamed cakes), this time I thought of using it in a sandwich and I was just so surprised at how good it tasted in the sandwich. I just applied this chutney to the bread and stuffed it with a potato and mung bean curry like mixture that I had made to go in it and it turned out so well. I mean don't get me wrong this chutney tastes awesome in all the traditional pairings too, but I loved to find it out that it works just as well in an unconventional setting too. Give this one a try and tell me what you think about it :)



Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Carrot chutney
1 medium onion cut fine
1 small tomato cut fine
4 medium carrots cut into small pieces (yielded approx 1 and 1/2 cups of cut pieces of carrots)
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

1 tbsp oil
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
2 whole dry red chilies (or to taste) 
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Heat oil in a medium sized heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds to it, when the seeds begin to sizzle add onions and stir until the onions are cooked and become transparent. Add ginger and garlic and stir a few times.

Add green chilies and red chilies and stir a few times. Add tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Add carrots, salt to taste and sprinkle a little water, cover with a lid and allow the carrots to cook until soft. Stir a few times in between to ensure even cooking. When the carrots are cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool.
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Puree this mixture until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste and mix well.

Serve this chutney with any kind of Rotis/ chapathis/ phulkas (Indian flat bread) or with any kind of dosai / idli or with some raw veggies or use it in a wrap or a sandwich. This time I used it in a sandwich and was blown away by how awesome it tasted in a sandwich, plan to make it more often to go with my sandwiches:)

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Chilli Cheese toast- Open sandwich with onions and bell pepper

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Every time I traveled to southern India, I was fascinated by the kind of stuff offered in the bakeries there, it just seemed so totally different from the kind of stuff offered in bakeries back in Bombay.  For one, there seemed to be a lot more savory breads and stuffed breads being offered there. One such item that seemed unique to southern India at the time was a savory preparation made with sandwich bread called chilli cheese toast.

Essentially chilli cheese toast is a slice of bread topped with cheese, chillies, a small amount of onions and sometimes bell pepper, a kind of open sandwich. It is a fun tea time or even as an any time snack :) My version of this sandwich is a bit different from the ones I came across in bakeries in southern India.  Mine tends to be a bit heavier on the veggies, and I go light on the chillies. I feel like the one I make feels more "sandwich like" and a little less "toast like" :) This sandwich tastes great as a snack or even as a side to any kind of soup.




Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Chilli cheese toast
6 slices of wheat bread
2 to 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion cut fine
1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum/ koda molagai) cut fine
salt to taste
1 Thai or Indian variety green chilli cut fine (or to taste) (see notes)
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/kothamalli) (optional)
approx 1 to 1 and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese of choice (or more or less according to taste)(I used a combination of pepper jack cheese and mozarella cheese) (I have also used pizza blend cheese, cheddar and mozarella blend cheese for this sandwich in the past)

Pre heat oven to 350 deg F. Line a tray with parchment paper and keep aside.

In a small bowl add onions, bell pepper, green chilli, cilantro and salt and mix well. Add shredded cheese to this and mix again.
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Apply olive oil on one side of each slice of bread and place the side with the oil facing down on the pre lined tray.

Spoon two to three heaped tbsp of vegetable and cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Place tray in oven and bake until cheese has melted or until the lower side of the bread becomes an even golden brown.

I prefer my bread and the cheese on it to be "well done" so I bake the bread for approx 20 to 25 minutes or so. If you want it a little softer, take it out as soon as the cheese has melted or a couple of minutes after that.  The baking time will also depend on how much "stuffing" you place on each slice, if you use very little it could get done way faster.

Cut the bread slices in half, either diagonally or straight and serve hot with ketchup. This can also be served as a side for any kind of soup.  

Notes:
If you want to avoid green chillies for any reason, you can also season this sandwich with black pepper powder or with red pepper flakes as per choice. Alternatively you can also add finely chopped jalapeno for a slightly different flavor and taste in this sandwich.

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Grilled Veggie Panini and a surprising discovery about my plant :-)

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Some of you may remember this pretty dahlia  picture that I posted in summer, it was my very first dahlia bloom. I fully expected that with the arrival of fall, my dahlia plant would stop blooming completely. I was surprised to discover that not only does the plant continue to bloom, the blooms amazingly have changed color and are now a beautiful deep golden color. I am not quite sure what to make of it.....but I am enjoying the sight of these blooms every chance I get. If any of you experienced gardeners have an idea if dahlia commonly changes color in the cooler weather, do let me know .......

 

Moving on to the grilled veggie panini, ever since we got this panini maker, I have been making and enjoying  many varieties of panini. This is the first time that I used the panini maker to grill vegetables and I was very nervous about it, but it worked out really well. The vegetables grilled evenly and  turned out flavorful.



In fact the veggies tasted so good straight out of the panini that I thought of tossing it together like a salad or side dish and eating it just as it is.....only this time I ended up using it entirely in the paninis. If you like veggie paninis, this simple, quick and flavorful panini may be something that you might be interested in....




Click here for a printable view of this recipe.

Ingredients and Method to make Grilled Veggie Panini
1 zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 Japanese eggplant (can be substituted with other types of eggplant
1 green bell pepper (capsicum/ koda molagai)
All vegetables except bell pepper cut into 3 parts, then sliced lengthwise.Bell pepper deseeded and cut into thin lengthwise strips.

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt ( or according to taste)
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper (or according to taste)
1/4 tsp paprika (optional)
1/4 tsp dried basil.

Sliced Italian bread as required
Sun-dried tomato pesto as required. Updated to add: You can find my recipe for sun-dried tomato pesto here
a little extra virgin olive oil to apply on the bread

In a small bowl, mix together oil, salt, crushed red pepper, paprika if using and dried basil and mix well.

In a small bowl with a lid, add 1 tbsp of the above mixture, then slices of one vegetable, then toss it so that  each slice is evenly coated with this mixture.Remove and keep aside.

Proceed in this manner for all the vegetables. Grill the vegetables in batches in the panini maker or a grill if you have one. Make sure not to grill more than one type of vegetable at one time in the panini maker to ensure even grilling.

Apply sun dried tomato pesto on one side of two slices of bread. Layer one bread with a few slices of each type of vegetable, then place the other bread on top. Brush a little olive oil on the outer side of each bread slice and place in pre heated panini maker. Remove when golden and serve hot with choice of soup or salad.
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I was able to make approximately 4 paninis with this quantity of vegetables. The quantity of paninis will depend on how much vegetables you stuff into each one :) If you have leftover veggies you can serve/eat it like salad or a side dish, it tastes pretty delicious.

Notes:
If you go not want to grill the vegetables, you can also bake it in the oven. Pre heat oven @ 400 deg F (approx 200 deg C) toss the vegetables in the oil flavor mix until evenly coated, line a large tray or two trays with parchment paper/ aluminum foil. Place the vegetables in it in a manner that it does not overlap. Place in oven and bake for 15 to 20 mins or until the vegetables are cooked yet firm. Remove and proceed with the rest of the recipe in the same manner.

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Tomato Mozzarella Panini and Cuisinart Gr-1Panini Maker Review

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Panini is a type of Italian sandwich, usually made with breads like ciabatta, grilled in a sandwich press and served hot. The first panini I tried was a tomato mozarella panini at Panera bread, this panini soon became a favorite and I looked forward to it, whenever I visited Panera bread. The combined flavors of sundried tomato pesto, fresh basil and mozarella in a grilled sandwich is simply delicious.

Thanks to CSN stores I now get to make this and more varieties of paninis in my own home. I have done a review of the panini maker below and I have to admit I just love this gadget, it is such a fabulous addition to my kitchen. In the short time that I have had it, I have already tried so many different types of panini.

Since tomato mozarella panini is such a favorite I started with that one first. I tried it a few times with ciabatta bread, a couple of times with some other types of Italian bread. Instead of using fresh basil, which is a little difficult to find right now, I used a pinch of dried basil. The verdict.....this panini exceeded my expectations and I was so happy with it, every variation of it tasted very good. It is also great that it can be put together in a matter of minutes making it ideal for quick dinners or lunches. 




Here is another view of the panini......



Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Tomato Mozarella Panini
Ciabatta bread or any other Italian bread as required
Mozarella slices as required
Tomato slices as required
Sundried Tomato Pesto as required
Crushed red pepper flakes as required (optional)
pinch of dried basil (optional, see notes)
a little Extra virgin olive oil to brush on the bread

Switch on the panini maker to pre heat.
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To assemble the panini, cut a ciabatta bread horizontally. Apply sundried tomato pesto to both sides of the bread, layer one side of the bread with tomato, mozarella, sprinkle a pinch of basil and a little red pepper flakes if using. Place the other bread on top.

Brush the outer sides of the bread with a little olive oil and place in  the pre heated panini maker. Close and hold down gently for a few seconds. When done, remove and serve hot with soup of choice.

I think this Minestrone soup, or this Minestrone with pesto  would go very well with this Panini.

Notes
In case you want to use fresh basil, use about 2 to 3 leaves, washed and cut into small pieces in each panini

Cuisinart GR-1 Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press Review

Finally here is the review of the Panini maker that I first referred to in this post. As I mentioned before, CSN stores is one of the largest growing online specialty retailer with over 200 stores offering a wide range of products. Whether you want a bathroom sink or some cookware, some lighting or home decor CSN stores seems to have it all.

They recently approached me to do a product review from their site.They sent over this Cuisinart Panini and Sandwich press to use and then do a review. Thanks CSN for giving me this opportunity. A panini maker has long been on my list of things to buy and the idea of making different variations of paninis in my own home is very appealing. 




Here is another view of the panini maker...............



How does this panini maker work?

It has a preset temperature and all you have to do is to plug it in, the red light comes on and it starts to heat to the preset temperature.This panini maker does not have an on/ off switch, so you need to plug it in to start the machine and pull out the plug to stop it. 

When the preset temperature is reached, the light turns green indicating the unit is ready to be used. It just takes a few minutes for the light to go from red to green.

It has non stick surface and so far, since I began to use it, clean up has been a breeze. After the unit cools down, I just wipe it with a damp kitchen tissue and follow up with a dry tissue and it is clean and ready to be stored. The panini maker also comes with a scraper, but I have never needed to use it until now.

Some favorite features of this panini maker....

The flexible floating hinge makes it easy to make paninis that are both thin or thick.

Pretty large surface, can handle more than two paninis at the same time.

When plugged in, the unit heats up fairly fast, it gives me just enough time to put together the panini. Usually when I am done assembling the panini, the units light turns green indicating that it is ready, I just place the panini and close the lid and in a few minutes, I have an evenly hot and golden brown panini ready to eat.

Has a neat cord storage at the back that allows me to wrap the cord out of sight.

Features that would have been nice to have in this panini maker................

One minor quibble with this unit is that it cannot be stored upright, so it occupies a little more space in my kitchen. It would have been nice if this panini maker could be stored upright.

The other small quibble is that it would have been nice to have an on /off switch, other than this I have really not seen any big cons to this panini maker.


Disclosure:

This is an honest product review. My review was not influenced in any manner by CSN stores or Cuisinart. In compliance with FTC rules, I disclose that this product was provided free for the purpose of a review. This was not a paid endorsement nor have I received any compensation in any form to do this review.

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Cilantro Mint Chutney, Paneer Curry and Paneer stuffed Sandwiches

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Recently I mentioned how much I admire people who plan  their menus well in advance and how easy it must make their lives in terms of shopping for groceries etc. I still think that, but I learned recently that sometimes spontaneity in the kitchen  is not really that bad. Yes we sometimes find ourselves without some essential ingredient required in our menu, but sometimes that is what causes us to come up with solutions that turn out well right ? Wondering what I am talking about ?

This is what happened this past week, I wanted to make sandwiches, initially the plan was to make Bombay sandwich with cucumber, tomato, potato etc etc. But suddenly I thought it might be a better idea to make a paneer curry to stuff in the sandwich. The only problem I had no paneer on hand and I did not want to make a trip all the way to the Indian grocery just to pick up this one item.



So I decided to make paneer at home, this was my first try making paneer at home. I relied essentially on my cousin S's tips on making paneer and it turned out fabulously. In less time then it would have taken me to go to the store, I was able to make it at home itself, that too without very much effort. R and I could not get over just how fresh and tasty the paneer turned out, I think I might never go back to store bought paneer after this..... I would have never tried making paneer had I not found myself without it in the nth hour, so this one time my lack of menu planning turned out well for me :-)

Updated to add: Since a lot of you asked for it, I have posted about how to make paneer with stepwise pictures here.

Cilantro Mint Chutney

 

Click here for a printable view of the chutney

Ingredients and Method to make Cilantro Mint Chutney

1 handful mint leaves (about 15 large mint leaves)
1 bunch cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/ kothamalli) cut fine (yielded 2 packed cups of leaves)
1 thin sliver of ginger (adrak/inji) cut fine
3 thumb sized pieces of tamarind (imli/puli) (optional but recommended, see notes)
3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or according to taste) cut fine
salt to taste (I used approximately 3/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp cumin seed powder (jeera powder) (optional)
2 and 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt (curds/dahi/thayir)

Assemble all the ingredients except salt and lemon, place in a blender and grind until it turns to smooth paste consistency.

Add salt to taste, give it another turn in the blender. Taste test and add lemon juice and give it another turn in the blender
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Remove, keep in a dry airtight container and store in the refrigerator and use in a sandwich or serve with samosas or any other snack or serve as a dip with vegetables. This chutney tastes best within a few days of making it.

Notes:
If you use tart variety of yogurt, you can skip the tamarind. Also if you are avoiding tamarind for any reason and your yogurt is not of the tart kind you can add a little more lemon juice if needed to add a touch of tartness to this chutney

Paneer Curry




Click here for a printable view of the curry

Paneer Curry
Ingredients and Method to make Paneer curry
2 cups of crumbled paneer
1 large onion cut fine
1 large tomato cut fine (optional, see notes)
1 large bell pepper (capsicum) de seeded and into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp oil
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
salt to taste
2 pinches kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala (or any other curry powder)
a Tbsp of water or milk if required

Heat oil in a medium heavy bottomed pan, add cumin seeds when it sizzles add onions and saute until transparent. Add tomatoes (if using) and saute until soft and mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, kasuri methi if using and garam masala, stir a couple of times.
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Then add bell pepper , stir until it is cooked yet crisp. Add paneer, salt to taste and stir a little until it mixes well and absorbs some of the spices. If you need some moisture add a few tbsp of water or milk ( I did not require any but if you use store bought paneer you might need just a little for a little moisture, especially if you do not use tomatoes)

Remove from heat and use as stuffing in a sandwich or as a side dish for rotis/ phulkas

Notes:
The tomatoes are not necessary in this curry, I have made it with and without and both versions taste good. 

Sandwich




To assemble the sandwiches
Whole wheat bread as many slices as required
Cilantro mint chutney as required
Paneer curry as required
a little butter/  oil/ ghee to apply to the top of the bread

Apply chutney as required to two slices of wheat bread. Place a tbsp or two of the above curry on one slice and close with the other. Eat as is or if using a sandwich maker, apply a little oil/ butter/ ghee to the top sides of the bread and place in sandwich maker/ panini maker until it turns golden. Serve with ketchup or tomato sauce.

This entire quantity of curry yielded about 7 to 8 full sandwiches.

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