Kerala Pizza

          

Kerala Pizza

Here’s another lip smacking dish from Lakshmi Nair. Try it out & u would definitely love it. It tastes good when served hot. For best results use cheese slices instead of grated cheese.

Ingredients:-

For the pizza topping:-
Chicken chopped – 1 cup / 225 g (I used Al Saffa Chicken breasts)
Capsicum – 1/4 cup chopped
Pepper powder – 1 tsp.
Soy sauce – 2 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Butter/ Oil – 1 tbsp
Mozzarella cheese slices as needed (I used grated cheese)

For the batter:-
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Milk – 11/4 cup
Egg – 1
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp

Method:-

To make the pizza topping,  at first cook the chicken pieces with 2 tsp soy sauce & 1 tsp pepper powder adding 1/2 cups water (I didn’t add salt). Let boil. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes till all the water has evaporated. Heat oil/butter. Add the cooked chicken pieces and the chopped capsicum. Stir fry till the chicken pieces turn golden brown. Sprinkle a little salt if needed while sauting the chicken.

To make the batter sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and milk; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Blend in melted butter.

Heat a pan. When it becomes very hot,  grease the pan, pour a ladleful of pancake batter and reduce heat to low. When u see bubbles on the surface,  place little filling on top of the pancake batter. Also sprinkle little cheese. When the underside turns golden brown carefully flip the pancake and cook the other side till the cheese melts.
 

Paneer Akuri Pockets – A fusion recipe

      

Paneer Akuri Pockets

These pockets are delicious, a bit spicy, crispy on outside & has a very soft interior. Makes a perfect tea time snack/ dinner.

Ingredients:-

For the pockets
All purpose flour – 2 cups
Active dry yeast – 11/2 tsp
Granulated sugar – 1 tsp + 3/4 tbsp
Water – 3 tbsp ( lukewarm)
Egg – 1, medium/ small + egg white of 1 egg for brushing on top( optional)
Canola oil – 2 tbsp + a little more
Salt – 1 tsp
Warm milk – 2/3 cups
Vegetable ghee – as needed ( I used Aseel)
White sesame seeds – as needed for sprinkling on top ( optional)

For the Paneer Akuri masala
Paneer - 350 grams, grated ( I used my food processor)
Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
Garlic cloves – 3 big, chopped
Ginger – a small piece, minced
Curry leaves – 3 to 4 leaves
Greenchilly – 3 numbers, chopped
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Salt – 11/2 tsp / as needed
Tomato – 1 big, chopped
Cilantro – 2 tbsp, chopped

Method:-

Dissolve yeast & 1 tsp of sugar in 3 tbsp of lukewarm water; keep aside for 10-15 minutes/ till frothy.
Add 3/4 tbsp sugar & 1 tsp of salt in the warm milk & mix well.

Beat the egg. Make a batter with the flour, beaten egg, 2 tbsp of oil, yeast mixture & the milk. Apply little oil on hands & knead till you get a very smooth & elastic dough. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl & coat it with oil. Keep covered for 1 hour/ till the dough doubles in volume.

Meanwhile make the paneer akuri masala. Chop the onions, garlic cloves, ginger, greenchilly & curry leaves in your food processor. Heat the oil & add this chopped mixture. Stir fry till it turns golden brown. Add pepper, cumin & turmeric powders; stir for a while. Add the chopped tomatoes & saute till it turns mushy. Now add the garam masala powder, grated paneer & 1/8 cup of water. Cover cook on low heat for 4 minutes/ till the paneer turns soft. Finally stir in the chopped cilantro. Let this masala cool to room temperature.

Paneer Akuri masala

After 1 hour punch down the dough & knead it again.To make the pockets transfer the dough to a floured surface & dust both sides of the dough with the flour. Roll out to a long rectangle – of 14 x 8″ size. Apply vegetable ghee on 2/3 rds of the rolled out rectangle leaving 1/4″ margin all around. Fold ungreased third over middle third, and greased top third down over that.

 

 

Ghee applied on 2/3rds of the rolled out rectangle

 

 

 

 

The first folding

Turn 90 degrees, so that folds are to left and right. Roll out to a rectangle. Apply ghee on 2/3rds of the dough as you have done before; fold in three again.


Again turn the rolled dough by 90 degrees. Repeat the application of ghee on 2/3rds of the dough & the folding process. .( So you have to repeat the same process 3 times).
Roll out the dough into a rectangle & cut it into 4, 10 cm. rectangles. ( / cut into triangles & shape them into croissants.)

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Take a rectangle & palce a little paneer filling on one end & close it with the other end. Press the ends of the dough to seal thoroughly & make a secure paneer pocket. Fold the long sides of the rectangle backwards as shown.



Transfer to a greased baking sheet with the folded edges down ( Yeah, I had baked them the other way round). Beat the egg white well; add 1 tbsp of water & apply this egg wash on top of the pockets. Sprinkle the white sesame seeds. Bake at 200C for 10 minutes & 100C for 20 minutes/ till golden brown in color.
 

Kerala Trifler – Pudding made with Kerala Banana, Sweet potato & Rice flakes!

 

This pudding is quiet unusual. It has 3 layers as the name suggests & is not at all bad with those crsipy rice flakes on top & smooth rose flavoured sweet potato layer.
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee & toast 10 cashews & 1 tbsp of spit bengal gram /pottukadala & keep aside. Chop 1/4 cup of dates & reserve.
Make a thick syrup with 2 cubes (180 grams) of brown jaggery. Powder together 1 clove, 7 cardamom, a little nutmeg & 1″ piece of cinnamon in your coffee grinder. Add this powdered spice mixture to the molten jaggery & mix well.
For the first layer:-
Steam cook 2 big Kerala Bananas till soft. When cool, peel the bananas & chop them. Add the bananas to half of the prepared jaggery syrup & leave it undisturbed for 1 hour. Also add 25 grams of butter to the banana mixture when still hot.
For the second layer:-
Powder 1/4 cup of palm sugar cubes/ panamkalkandum. Boil 1/2 cup of milk & add 2 tbsp of finger millet/ ragi powder to it. Steam cook 2 medium sized sweet potatoes & mash them well. Add 25 grams of butter & the ragi-milk mixture to the mashed potatoes. Add 1/2 cup of condensed milk & the powdered palm sugar cubes & beat well till well combined. Add 1/4 tsp of rose essence & mix.
For the third layer:-
Heat 50 grams of butter. Fry 11/2 cups of rice flakes in this butter till crisp. Pour the remaining jaggery syrup over the rice flakes & keep aside for 1 hour. Add 1/4 cup of milk to the rice flakes & cook it on low heat for 5 minutes.
To make the pudding:-
Grease a 6″ pudding dish with butter. Place the banana mixture in it & cook it on high power for 3 minutes in your microwave oven. Allow this layer to cool completely.
Place the sweet potato mixture on top of this layer & microwave for 3 minutes. Let this second layer also cool completely & set.
Arrange the rice flakes over the second layer & again cook it in your microwave oven for 3 minutes. Allow the pudding to cool completely.
Spread 1 cup of heavy cream over the top of the pudding.
Garnish the pudding with toasted cashews, pottukadala & chopped dates.
Refrigerate for 10 hours before serving.
Source:- Malaya Manorama Newspaper, Sunday supplement