Baked Mathri - Holi Special!

Ingredients

Maida (all-purpose flour) - 1 Cup
Besan (chickpea flour) - 2 tbsp
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4th tbsp
Red chili powder - 1/4th tbsp
Salt - 1/3rd tbsp
Sugar - 1/4th tbsp
Baking powder (I used double acting baking powder) - 1.5 tbsp
Kasuri Methi - 2 tsp (you can use fresh fenugreek leaves finely chopped as well)
Milk - 2 tbsp
Butter - 1 tbsp

Procedure

1. Take a big mixing bowl and add maida, besan, salt, sugar, baking powder and oil. 
2. Now with your hand mix all the dry ingredients very well for 5 minutes. The oil will help roughly bind the flour mixture when you press them inside your palm. At this point your dry ingredients is ready.
3. Now add cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder and kasuri methi.
4. Add little water at a time and make a dough. The most important point here is the dough should NOT be very hard. It should be little hard than a chapati dough but soft then what we make for deep fried mathri (See the below image). 
5. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes

Mathri Baking

1. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes
2. Make small balls and press them between your palm and give them shape of mathri by pressing with 3 fingers. The most important factor her is you should NOT make very thin mathris, because while baking they become very hard if they are very thin (See the image).
3. Now grease the baking tray and place all the mathris on it
4. With the help of brush, apply milk on top of the mathri. Apply generously and do not worry if they look sticky and soft. This will actually prevent the mathris from drying out
5. Bake them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, then remove them and apply another coat of milk with brush and bake for another 7-8 minutes. 
6. Remove them again and flip them and bake for 5 minutes
7. Remove them from oven and place the mathris on rack to cool down (See the below image) 
8. Apply butter with the help of brush on the piping hot mathris. This will help avoid drying out of the mathris while cooling down

This Holi, enjoy you Favorite Crispy, delicious and Healthy Mathri with a twist :) :) Bake it and Enjoyyyyy it... Don't compromise just because you are following a healthy diet :) :) Share your experience with me, would love to hear!!

Tandoori Roti Without Tandoor

Ingredients 

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup
Active dry Yeast - 4 grams (1 tbsp)
Salt - 1/2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/3 tbsp
Olive oil- 1 tbsp

Procedure

1. Warm 1/2 cup of water in a microwave (I did it for 30 second) and dissolve the yeast and let it rest for 5 minutes
2. In a mixing bowl take the wheat flour, sugar, salt and olive oil. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly for 2-3 minutes.
3. Now add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and make a soft (not sticky) dough
4. Keep it aside for proofing at warm place for 1 hour, until the the dough has doubled in size
5. Take the dough out and punch it to remove all the air and knead for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a bit of wheat flour and knead again until if is soft and non-sticky
6. Make balls out of the dough and keep it covered with a wet towal.

How to Tandoor on Tawa

1. Heat the iron tawa on a high flame for few minutes.
2. Roll the dough balls into thick chapati
3. Take little bit of water in your palm and apply on one side of the chapati. Do it 2 to 3 times until water is being applied all over 
4. Now remove the chapati from the rolling board and put the wet side on the hot TAWA. This will help the roti to stick to the tawa. Let it cook on one side for a minute or until you see it bubbles up
5. Now hold the tawa upside down on the flame and let the tandoori roti cook on medium flame for a minutes or until it is done (See the figure below).

Once done remove the Tandoori Roti from the tawa and serve hot with your favorite curry!!!

Enjoyyyyyy your home made amazing tasting Tandoori Roti!

Happy Cooking!

Upside of your Tandoori Roti                     Back side of your Tandoori Roti

Honey-Oats Multi-grain Bread loaf!

Ingredients

Multi-grain Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Oats (powdered) - 1 Cup

Active Dry Yeast - 8 grams/2 tbsp

Honey - 2 tbsp

Olive Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tbsp

Procedure 

1. First warm 1 cup of water (I microwaved it for 45 second). then add yeast and stir it to dissolve completely. keep it aside for 10 min.
2. Take wheat flour and oats powder in a bowl and mix salt to it. Give all the dry ingredients a mix
3. Now add the yeast mixture and honey to the dry ingredients and make a very sticky dough.
4. Take 1 spoon full of Olive oil and knead the dough with it for 10 minutes. After 10 minute your dough should be very very soft but not sticky. If it is still sticky, sprinkle little bit of flour and knead.
5. Rest the dough for 1 hour at a warm place (keep it covered). After 1 hour the dough must be double in size
6. Now punch the dough and remove air and knead for 4-5 minutes.
7. Make a bread loaf as shown in the picture and keep it on baking tray. You can give egg wash to achieve a beautiful brown crusty outer look (take egg and mix with a bit of water and apply it with brush on the bread loaf just before baking). I also made diagonal slits and sprinkled some oats to give it a better look :)

• Allow the bread loaf to rest for 10-15 minutes, until your oven is pre-heating at 350 degrees F.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. 
• Once done, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a rack. Cut them into pieces and serve as per your wish....

Happy Cooking!!!! Enjoyyyyy!!

Spicy Yummilicious OATS Upma - Taste Bhi Health Bhi!!

I know many of us eat that boring oats with just milk because it is healthy and we have to follow a diet regimen. Well!! once you have made this one, I can assure you... You will want to eat OATS everyday....

Ingredients

Oats - 1 cup
Potato (chopped in quite small pieces[1 inch cubes])- 1 small
Green peas - 2-3 tbsp
Sweet corn - 2 tbsp
Onion (chopped) - 1 medium
Tomato (chopped) - 1 medium
Coriander Leaves/Cilantro (optional) - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp (you can add more if you wish to cook in more oil)

In spices

Cumin Seeds - 1/4th tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4th tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chili powder (optional) - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to Taste

Procedure

1. Wash the oats thoroughly (best is to keep it in a sieve and let the water run through it), and keep aside
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and put cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add chopped onions, potatoes, green peas, and salt together. Let it fry for 3-5 minutes at medium flame until they are cooked
3. Now add sweet corn, tomatoes, turmeric powder,  chili powder, coriander powder and cook it for a minutes just by stirring it.
4. Add soaked Oats to it and give it a good stir, add 1/3 cup of water from the sides (do not stir at this point) and put the lid on.
5. Cook it at low flame for 4-5 minutes.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve it hot hot...

PS: You can add more number of veggies like carrot, broccoli etc etc (I will leave it to your imagination). You can also add curry leaves if you wish to :) :)

So.... what are you waiting for?? Gooooooo and make it... and share your experience with me... Eagerly waiting to hear :) :)

Eat Healthy Live Strong!!

Instant Blueberry DIET Cake/Muffin

Ingredients

All-purpose Flour/Maida - 3 tbsp
Oats (non-roasted) - 2 tbsp
Honey - 3-4 tbsp
Egg white of 1 egg
Baking powder - 1tbsp
Butter/Olive oil (optional)- 1tbsp
Milk - 1 tbsp
Blue berries - 7-8

Procedure

1. Take a mixing mug and mix egg-white and honey and butter very well. 
2. Now add rest of the ingredients (except blue berries) and mix. Remember not to over mix.
3. Add blue-berries and fold just once or twice, let it rest for 5-10 minutes if possible for you to wait (for me it's the toughest part).
4. Microwave it for 3-4 minutes.....

What???? You are done... Take it out and eattttttttttt :) :)

Eat Healthy Live Strong!

Super Soft Wheat Pav Bread!

Ingredients: 

Whole wheat 2 cups
Active yeast - 8 grams (1 tbsp)
Milk - 1/2 cup (warm)
Butter/olive oil - 2-4 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
Sugar - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. First warm 1/2 cup of water (i microwaved it for 30 second). then add yeast and stir it to dissolve completely. keep it aside for 10 min.
2. take wheat flour in a bowl and mix salt and sugar to it.
3. now add the yeast mixture and warm milk to the wheat flour and and make a very sticky dough.
4. Take 1 spoon full of butter and knead the dough with it for 10 minutes. After 10 minute your dough should be very very soft but not sticky. If it does, sprinkle little bit of flour and knead.
5. Rest the dough for 1 hour at a warm place (keep it covered) with. After 1 hour the dough must be double in size
6. Now punch the dough and remove air and knead for 2-3 minutes.
7. Make small balls our of the dough and keep them on baking tray (remember to leave space between the dough). you can give egg wash to achieve a beautiful shiny outer look (take egg and mix with a bit of milk and apply it with brush on the pav just before baking)
8. Allow the bread balls/pav to rest for 10 minutes, until your oven is pre-heating at 350 degrees F.
9. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyy!!

Italian Herbs-Infused Grilled Chicken Over Lettuce

Ingredients

Chicken breast - (2 pieces medium size)

Oregano, thyme, rosemary, chili flakes, basil, black pepper powder (1/4th tbsp each)

salt to taste

Lemon juice - 1.5 tbsp

PS: If you do not have all these herbs, just buy "Italian seasoning" and you are done....

Procedure

1. Cut the chicken breast into pieces as shown in the image.
2. Mix everything together (except salt) and keep it aside for 20 minutes for the herbs to get infused.
3. Now grill them (don't forget to sprinkle salt) on high 15 minutes and then 3 minutes each side.

Take lettuce and chop them and add little of mayo (say 1/2 tbsp) and enjoy it with Super juice Grilled chicken!!

Happy Cooking!!

Grill and Bake like a PRO