Pantry staples: TACO pizza?

TACOs are the TACO 'bout town (sorry for the lame joke) for being quick yummy and super versatile!

I have managed to combine two of the world's most viral foods- taco and pizza in ways that many people have accomplished before me but I still say mine is the best because this is my food blog.

As always, the ingredients are super versatile and substitutable. You can add whatever you like and you can cook them in a pan on the stove or the oven. I prefer oven because then I can walk away for 10 minutes and sip on my coffee while keeping up with celebrity gossip. This pandemic has been most exciting for all the nasty trolling and pretend supportiveness of the rich and famous for each other. The only thing I don't get anymore is random celeb smooch spotting, but back to the TAC-IZZAS for now (sorry, not sorry).

I used yellow corn mini tortillas from the store. These had some flour in them as well. You can use homemade maize tortillas or store bought wheat ones too. I think the corn is what gives these an amazing flavour so I definitely prefer those.

Next, smear the tortilla with cream cheese/ red pest/ green pesto and top with a mix of your favourite veggies and then cheese. I sprinkled them with some flaky salt and dry garlic granules as well. Place into a pre-heated oven at 200C for 10 minutes.

A word to the wise: always check your baked goods for readiness. You might need to plus-minus the cooking time according to the state of your oven and how hot it gets. All ovens are different and unique, just like people!

Take the taco-pizzas out and shkoff them down ASAP!

What do you think? Do you love them?
Do you also see that glass of pretty pink liquid and want to know how I made the best strawberry smoothie-shake?

Comment below and let me know!

Lazy girls make SOUP

While in lockdown or self isolation or restricted movement due to the global pandemic, cooking has transformed from chore to therapy. There is no more take out or delivery. There is no more eating on the go. We cook to pass the time and be productive.

However, supplies often run short and trips to the grocery shops cannot be as frequent. Also, somedays cooking does feel like a chore again. So, I came up with the most fool-proof and tasty soup recipe that will give you an amazing meal, tastier left overs and a bonus batch to convert into another recipe or eat as is.

This is my fallback soup and trust me, the ratio of work to deliciousness is so skewed, you will want to make this again and again.

To start, chop up all the vegetables you have in the house and want to get rid of. I used Napa cabbage, carrots, shitake mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli and green beans. Feel free to use zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes or cauliflower. The options are endless, but I would draw the line at adding eggplant and horse radish. Be creative, not crazy!

Dalgo-YES or Dalgo-NA?

The Dalgona coffee has taken the world by storm. Its origin though, is highly debatable. While some feel it was born in the southern Asian country of India (like me), others argue it is a product of the hip South Korean district, Dalgona. Whoever you agree with and whatever you call it, it is an Asian product.

I sat on the 'recipe' for this coffee whip for a while because I didn't want to whisk it by hand, dirty my electric mixer and consume so much sugar. However, the pressure of the internet was too strong and I fumbled.

Here is how I made it:

Add 2tbsp each of instant coffee, brown sugar (I thought it would be healthier) an
d water.
Whip with an electric mixer.

It only took about 30 seconds to reach semi-stiff peaks. I was really impressed and the scientist in me was curious to learn what else is in that instant coffee powder (they say only coffee on the bottle but now I doubt it).

I poured cold almond milk in one glass and cold 1.5% fat cow milk in another (for my dairy consuming friend).

The result: I should have resisted more. I hated it. I also hate the people who call it beat coffee because beat coffee is so much better! However, I am glad I made it for almost free at home rather than pay 10 euros post-corona in a hipster coffee shop.

The positive here is that it does make a pretty picture and I got to use my jelly bottomed glasses!

Do let me know if you liked it or are glad I wrote this post so you could resist.

P.S. It doesn't mix well in the milk either. No matter how much I stirred. And now I have a funny taste in my mouth and the increasing guilt of consuming all that sugar.

Tomato Asparagus Tart: Fancy Sophistication

What you eat is what you are. This is a really popular saying these days. People use it in different contexts and I’m definitely not one to argue. However, I tend to twist words to my liking. So, if I want to feel sophisticated, I make tarts. I find that they remind me of old time British tea parties with dainty cups of warm liquid and a cake stand displaying these gorgeous buttery bites.

There is no other way to make tarts than to make them savory. You might not agree and I will ignore your opinion. For me a tomato and asparagus tart is the definition of yumminess.

While I do take the time to make my own buttery pastry, you do not have to. I have tried store bought pastries and they are great to use. Just make sure that they are made with butter and not margarine or any other fat. The butter is really a game changer.

So, you start with ice-cold butter and fine flour. You can pop your butter stick into the freezer for fifteen minutes to make sure it really is solid cold. For the flour, try the tart with type 405 fine mill flour first. If you like the taste of the recipe and when you are confident with your pastry making skills, switch to half fine mill and half coarse wheat flour. Coarse flour is heavy and so the pastry won’t rise much, but it will be delicious regardless. Cut your butter into small cubes and massage it into the flour till you get a sandy texture. Do not try to make a proper dough and definitely don’t over knead. If your butter is softening, put the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes and then continue.

When your sand is ready, simply bring it together into a ball, wrap in plastic and put in the fridge to chill for at least thirty minutes. Roll out the cool pastry to about half a centimeter thickness and pop back in the fridge.

Now, we make our butter spread. Yes, this recipe calls for a lot of butter so it is not for the faint of heart (literally). People with a cholesterol problem can stop reading and run now.

For the butter spread, melt some butter in the microwave and add a clove of crushed garlic, some grainy mustard, a pinch of dried thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well and spread onto the cold rolled out pastry. Top it with chopped jalapenos (optional) or large slices of juicy, red tomatoes. Scatter chopped asparagus over the tomatoes. Now, cut the pastry such that one large tomato slice covers one individual tart.

Place in an oven pre-heated to 200°C for 25 minutes. Take out of the oven after and let it cool for at least 10 minutes before biting into the most exquisite flavor sensations!

And a word of caution- the only tough part in this recipe is to resist the urge to open the oven half way through baking time to see if your pastry is indeed puffing. But, don’t. Trust me. I know it is difficult but I promise that your patience will be well rewarded.

And now, for everyone’s pleasure, I shall write down the exact recipe. Please do try it and do not be afraid to test out different topping combinations. Do share pictures, your experiences and thoughts if you end up trying this recipe (or not)!

TOMATO AND ASPARAGUS TARTS (makes 12 tartlets)

Ingredients:

·      4 cups flour

·      150 grams cold butter

·      3 large Roma tomatoes

·       4 asparagus sticks

·      1 crushed garlic clove

·      1 pinch dried thyme

·      1 tablespoon salted butter

·      1 teaspoon grainy mustard

·      salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1.     Rub the flour and butter between your fingers to get a sandy texture. Ball together and wrap in plastic. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2.     Roll the dough out to ½ cm thickness, place on parchment paper and chill for another 30 minutes.

3.     Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

4.     Melt salted butter in the microwave and add garlic, grainy mustard, thyme, salt and pepper to it. Mix well and brush onto rolled puff pastry.

5.     Top with large slices of Roma tomato. You can get 4 slices out of 1 large one.

6.     Sprinkle with chopped asparagus.

7.     Cut the pastry into 12 individual tarts.

8.     Place tarts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at a distance of at least 1 inch from each other.

9.     Pop into the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.

10. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Demystified Chutneys: Green and White (Green and dahi ki Chutney)

I do tend to dramatize things. For what are we but characters in this stage of life? As in all plays, you tend to remember only those who have left a mark. A mark being the prized possession, in my opinion, of the most dramatic. Yet, if you like my favorite YouTuber Lauren Toyota are unhappy with my rambling, you are free to jump straight down to the experiment like denotation of my recipe. I honor you as much as any other reader of mine who bears the patience to know me.

This is however going to be a short post regardless. I am simply making this one as an extension of the two dips I talked about in my last recipe- green chutney and dahi ki chutney. To start off, green chutney is a nut free coriander pesto with the Indian trio of ginger, garlic and chili. Dahi means curd or yoghurt in Hindi. This is just a spruced up version of Greek yoghurt (yes, you have to use the full fat one).

Both of these are super easy and super delicious to make. You only need to blend up a ginger, garlic, onion, Indian green chilies, fresh coriander, salt and lemon juice to make the vibrant green pesto. It really is that simple. The only difficult part here is balancing the salty- sourness and of course, adjusting the amount of chili depending on how hot you want it to be. A good thing to remember here is that ginger and garlic are also spices. So they too provide some heat. Specifically ginger. Too much will take you by surprise!

For dahi ki chutney, I used full fat Greek yoghurt, but you could use plain yoghurt too. Just place the plain yoghurt in a bowl lined with cheesecloth, hang it up to let some of the water drip out for 15 minutes. This will give you a thick Greek yoghurt like consistency. Now grate some cucumber or chop it really finely and mix it in with the yoghurt. Chop up some mint leaves and mince some garlic and add these in. Also add some black salt, chaat masala and a pinch of salt. Mix well and there it is!

You can enjoy these dips with not just matar ki tikki, but also with chips, vegetables, pakoras (recipe coming), sandwiches and an endless list of things! Be courageous! Do share what you tried these with.

And now, for all you people who are extremely scientific and require the exact measurements (instead of using the sixth sense), I have the recipe written down below as always. Also, before I take leave of you, I urge you to check out Lauren Toyota and Hot For Food on YouTube (I'll leave their links at the end of this post). No, they didn’t ask me to promote them but I think you will love their sassy approach to vegan food. Do share pictures, your experiences and thoughts if you end up trying this recipe (or not)!

GREEN CHUTNEY (this will last in your fridge for a week)

Ingredients:

·      200g fresh coriander leaves and stalks

·      1 tablespoon lemon juice

·      ½ a Vidilla onion

·      Salt to taste

·      1 thumb size piece of ginger

·      3 large garlic cloves

·      3 Indian green chilies

Method:

1.     Wash the coriander extensively to remove any dirt stuck in the stalks.

2.     Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender (I use my magic bullet) and blend till it turns into a chunky pesto consistency.

3.     You can substitute the vidilla onion for a red onion if you can take the heat. Also, increase or decrease the amount of chilies to your taste.

4.     If the chutney does not blend properly, add a tablespoon of water to assist it.

5.     Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

DAHI KI CHUTNEY (this will last in your fridge for a week)

Ingredients:

·      200g Greek yoghurt or hung curd

·      1 small cucumber (grated)

·      ½ a clove of garlic (minced)

·      Salt to taste

·      ½ teaspoon of black salt

·      ½ teaspoon of chat masala

·      Few mint leaves

Method:

1.     Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

2.     Adjust salt to your taste.

3.     Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Hot For Food: https://www.youtube.com/user/hotforfoodblog

Lauren Toyota: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx-S6eBuL9SlwNZTHI6P9Bg

Potato Pea Croquettes (Matar ki tikki)

I like to sleep with my curtains open so that each morning, I can wake up abusing the sun for coming out so early. I know that is paradoxical. I mean, how difficult is it to get up and pull the curtains over the rather large window I have been blessed with? To be quite honest, I do enjoy waking up grumpy. It makes me happy. Now you know another reason for why no one has ever been able to decode a woman’s thoughts.

My rambling aside, I associate cold rainy days with fried food and hot tea, as do most Indians. When you’re at home, lovely mothers or cooks do the hard work for you. All you need to do is wrap yourself in a warm comforter and enjoy deep fried love!

This living alone thing has its ups and downs. Mostly, it isn’t really allowing me to pursue my hobby of ultimate laziness. So, in a place like Hannover where the weather is mostly wet and gloomy, after three months, I pushed myself into boiling potatoes one day. They stayed in the fridge for another three days and troubling dreams till I made myself get up one Saturday morning. I didn’t take a bath and I didn’t brush my teeth. I scrunched up my hair and wiped the sleep from my eyes. I made my way into the kitchen with last night’s dirty pan (to be washed). This was my day, my moment. I made matar kit tikki.

Let me translate this dish for you. It is quite simple. It’s a mashed potato croquette with a spicy peas filling, pan seared to golden brown perfection.

I started with peeling a few potatoes that I had boiled earlier in the week. I added some salt and a spoonful of regular flour to it, mashed it all together and put it aside.

For the peas, I heated some oil in a pan and added a teaspoon each of sesame seeds and flax seeds. I waited for them to pop and then I added a pinch of turmeric, garam masala and chili powder. I cooked this till my spices were aromatic and then I added some frozen peas directly to the pan. I cooked this till the peas were lightly blistered.

Now comes the tricky part. I rubbed some oil onto my hands and that definitely helped. Also, the flour mixed into the potatoes makes the mix a little drier and easier to handle. I took some potato mix and flattened it into a thin disc with my fingers. I placed a spoonful of peas into the center of it and covered the filling by pulling the edges in. This is a difficult thing to do. It does need some practice and I’m sure I’ll get it some day. But I think it would be easier just to make two disks of similar size, stuff the peas in the middle and squeeze the edges of both patties together. If it is the road taken that you prefer, then go for it. I myself prefer challenges and I didn’t do too badly.

I took a tablespoon of oil in a very good non-stick frying pan and placed the cutlets in it when it was hot. You only need to cook them for two minutes per side. Then put them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

I ate them with hari chutney, dahi ki chutney, flat bread and half a green apple (to feign being healthy). A translation for the rest you ask? Well, if I gave it all out in a single post, I wouldn’t have any more ideas in my bag and I’m sure you would end up being bored of my incessant ranting. As always, I leave the exact boring recipe below this entertaining monologue for all you adventure seekers. Do share pictures, your experiences and thoughts if you end up trying this recipe (or not)!

MATAR KI TIKKI (for 6 tikkis or 2 people or just me)

Ingredients:

·      2 large boiled potatoes

·      1 tablespoon regular flour (type 405)

·      Salt to taste

·      1 tablespoon oil

·      1 teaspoon sesame seeds

·      1 teaspoon flax seeds

·      ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

·      ¼ teaspoon chili powder

·      ¼ teaspoon garam masala

·      ½ cup frozen peas

Method:

1.     Mash the potatoes, salt and flour together with a fork into smooth dough.

2.     Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry sesame and flax seeds till they begin to pop.

3.     Add all the spices in and cook for 30 seconds.

4.     Add the frozen peas and cook till the peas are lightly blistered. Remove from heat.

5.     Divide the potato dough into 6 parts and roll each part into a small ball. Flatten to form a disc and stuff with some of the peas.

6.     Pan fry in hot oil for 2 minutes per side.

7.     Serve piping hot!