Cottage Cheese & Veggies Borek#BakingBloggers

Cottage Cheese & Veggies Borek is simple and flaky.  Can assemble this dish in advance and bake it two to three hours before your guest arrive.  

Serve it as an appetizer or even as a side dish on a party table.

Ingredients  

250 Grams Cottage Cheese - Homemade 
5 Small Cauliflower Florets 
1 Big Carrot
1 Big Potato
½ Cup Coriander Leaves
¼ Teaspoon Garam Masala powder
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Paprika powder
2 Medium Onions - finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Ginger Garlic paste
Phyllo Pastry Sheets - Homemade - as required
Method 

In a pan heat oil, saute the onions , till translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute or two then add all the veggies, saute for a minute, add all the spices and salt to taste, saute and cover till veggies are done yet firm. Add the cottage cheese and coriander leaves mix well, Switch off the flame. Take it out into a bowl and let it cool completely.

To Assemble the Borek

In a well buttered Pyrex dish, layer a sheet of Phyllo pastry, brush it lavishly with melted butter, I layered 6 sheets and brushed each with melted butter. After the 6th sheet , spread the  filling evenly and press it lightly. 

Now add the remaining phyllo pastry 6 sheets, brushing each sheet with melted butter and then keep the next sheet.

 See the layers

After all the sheets are placed, brush the top lavishly with butter. 

Give cuts with knife , as per your desired size pieces right till the bottom taking care not the separate the sheets.  Now brush it with egg or milk wash.

Bake it in a preheated oven at 170 C, for 35 to 40 minutes or until it gets a nicely golden. 

Cottage Cheese & Veggies Borek  is ready to serve. These are flaky and scrumptious. A perfect party treat.

My Notes

While layering the sheets tend to tear or break, but do not worry since they will be covered with other sheets. You can use even the cut sheet or torn sheets for layering.
Labels : Cottage Cheese, Borek, Middle Eastern, Baking Bloggers, Phyllo Pastry, Homemade, Baked, Turkey

 

Baking Bloggers February 2020

Middle Eastern Baking
Apricot Pistachio Cake from Food Lust People Love
Basbousa Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
Cottage Cheese and Veggies Borek from Sneha's Recipe
Laffa Bread from Making Miracles
Lebanese Sesame Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Mana'eesh (Palestinian Flatbread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Maqluba (Upside Down Rice) from Palatable Pastime
Parda Pulao - Iraqi Parda Plau from The Schizo Chef
Roast Chicken Shwarma from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Umm Ali from Caroline's Cooking

Vegan & Gluten Free Dubki Wale Corn

Dubki Wale Corn is tender corns,  cut into big pieces and  cooked a thin onion tomato gravy.  This brought fond memories of my childhood days, eating corn on cob on street carts.  If you have eaten corn on cob and sucked the corn till the end, then you will enjoy this gravy it's also Vegan, Gluten free.

Ingredients

4 Corn Cobs - cut into two or three pieces
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste 

For the Gravy

4 Medium  Onions-   grind to a smooth paste
4 Medium Tomatoes -  chop and blend to a paste
1½ Tablespoons Ginger Garlic paste
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
¾ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1½ Teaspoons Level Coriander powder
2 Teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chilly powder
1 Teaspoon Level Garam masala powder
For the Whole Spices
4 Cloves
8 Black Peppercorns
1 Bay leaf
2" Cinnamon stick
2 Green Cardamons
2 Tablespoons Oil
2 Tablespoons Ghee

3 Tablespoon Fresh Cream
For GranishingChopped  Corainder & Mint Leaves 
Method
Let's boil the corn 

Clean the corn well, remove all the hair. Wash and cut into big pieces .

Boil the corn pieces in a pressure cooker, with salt, turmeric and enough water.  Take  2 -3 whistles on high flame. Switch off the flame andlet the cooker cool on its own.

Once cooled,  separate the corn and water in a bowl.

For the Gravy

Heat oil  and ghee in the same p, add  cumin seeds  when the crackle, add whole spices, saute for a minute.  Take this pan off the flame and then add in the in onion paste and mix well then place  the pan back on the flame.  Fry it on medium high flame, stirring constantly, till it will turns golden and start leaving the sides. Now add ginger garlic paste, saute for  2 minutes. 

Add tomato paste, fry till the oil start to leave the sides now add powdered spices, turmeric, red chilly and coriander powder add 1/3 cup water from the boiled corn and the fresh cream keep stirring till all the water evaporates and oil surfaces.  Then add rest of  the water or more according to gravy you want  and cover and cook till  oil  surfaces . The gravy is  done, now taste for salt, add if necessary , add the corn pieces and mix well  so that corn is coated with the gravy . Cover and on high flame take 2 -3  whistles.  When the cooker cools  open and  check for  the gravy since this will tastes best when the gravy is quite thin and runny. 
Transfer this  to a serving bowl.

 Garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves.

Enjoy  with  rotis, paratha, or  with bread or  steamed rice. This curry is a treat for sweet corn lovers.

My Notes

The gravy should be a little spicy and thin, it's like soaking bread pieces and  sucking  the juices.   as the fun is in breaking and soaking your bread in it.

As I, mentioned above  the fun way to enjoy this to the very end is when the kernels are all eaten, then to keep dipping the cob in the gravy and suck the juices out as in Mumbai we say "chus - chuske  khana"  i.e. till its dry...  This is the ultimate experience and  highlight of the whole corn in gravy.  Try this and you will love it.

Labels :  Corn On Cob, Vegetarian Curry, Vegetables, Main course, Corn, Vegan, Gluten free

Doubles Chickpea And Potato Curry With Urad Bara#EattheWorld

Doubles in Trinidad is a Fried bread called Urad Bara . This a street food traditionally turmeric, split urad beans, bandhania/ chadon beni leaves and other common ingredient are used to make this Urad Bara. This is served with this delicious Chickpea and Potato curry which a purely vegetarian combo.
Usually eaten for breakfast / brunch or as a late‑night snack as well.

This cuisine has it similarity to Indian cuisine, I,  believe that there are many Indians who have settled there.
This bara is slightly crispy on the outside, fluffy and soft in the middle with a mild garlic flavour. 

It’s a messy sandwich to eat, that’s  ok since it yum in taste! It’s quick, tasty and your sure to have another ..doubles! These are more like sloppy “sandwiches”.
Yields 10-14 Bara (depending on the size)
Ingredients 
2 Cups All Purpose Flour 
½ Cup Split Urad Dal/ Beluga Lentils  
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic - chopped 
1 Green Chilly 
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon Instant Yeast 
½ Teaspoon Salt or to taste 
Oil for deep frying
Method

Wash and soak the split urad dal for at least 5 -6 hours.  Wash to remove as many as possible all the loose skins from the lentil.  
Grind with green chilly to a fine paste adding just a little water to make a thick paste.

Mix rest of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Add the ground paste and knead until a smooth, loose and stretchy dough is formed.

Add a tablespoon of oil  and water over the dough and cover with a cloth and let it rest for at least 1 hour or until double in size.

Wet your hands take a small ball of batter and  flatten it on your hand into a circle/a  puri.

Heat oil over a medium low flame.

Fry in hot oil on both sides for 1 or 2 minutes turning the side on medium low flame and then drain on paper towels.

These are so light and  fluffy bara.  
Chickpea And Potato Curry
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 Cups Boiled Chickpeas
3 Medium Potatoes - cubed
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 Small Onion - finely chopped
3-4 Cloves Garlic -  minced
2 Tablespoons Curry Powder,
½  Teaspoon Cumin powder 
½  Teaspoon Paprika powder
2  Cups Vegetable Broth
½  Cup Fresh Scallion- chopped
2 Teaspoons Fresh Parsley -  chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1  Tablespoon ghee, mixed with 1 Tablespoon of flour
Method

Chop the scallions and keep the green and whites of the onion separate.
Heat the oil in a large spot over medium high flame and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add the curry , cumin and paprika powder  and  potatoes stir fry well so that the spices coats the potatoes. Add the vegetable broth , and stir to combine. 

Add the scallions and parsley. Season with salt. Cook until the sauce is thick and the potatoes are almost tender, about 20 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and remaining vegetable broth, and mix.
Add the ghee and flour mixture to the pot and stir to incorporate.
Cook on medium-low heat until the potatoes and chickpeas are tender and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. 

The Curry is ready!!  

To serve with Bara as a sloppy sandwich then evaporate the liquid as much as possible.
Now Let's make the

Cucumber Chutney 
1 Medium Cucumber – finely sliced
3 Garlic cloves - chopped
Juice of ½ Lime
1 Green Chilly - chopped
1/2 Teaspoon  Brown sugar 
2 Tablespoons  Coriander Leaves - chopped
Salt to taste
Method

Take all the ingredients and pulse it once.  Stir it lovingly into a bowl. Season to taste if necessary.  

Enjoy with Doubles!!!
To Assemble the Doubles

Take a bara, 

place a tablespoon or two of the chickpea filling, top it with the cucumber chutney and Enjoy!! 

Hmmm..simply delicious and yum!! 

You can slice into a pocket like a mini pita sandwich, or fold it like I did  or sandwich two bara’s together with a serving of curried chickpea and potato, hence the name ‘Doubles’.

Labels : Doubles, Chickpea, Potato, Cucumber, Chutney, Urad dal, Puris, Trinidad, Eat the World, Healthy, Brunch, Snack, Vegetarian, Vegetables

Join us as we Eat the World!!!

Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to visit a country and explore their foods. This month it's Trinidad & Tobago.

Check out all the wonderful Trinidad & Tobago dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! 

Palatable Pastime Chickpea and Potato Curry 
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Chicken Curry, Trini-Style 
Pandemonium Noshery: Trini Spiced Macaroni Pie 
Sneha’s Recipe Doubles Chickpea And Potato Curry With Urad Bara##EattheWorld
Making Miracles: Pelau
Kitchen Frau: Peanut Butter Stuffed Prunes
The Schizo Chef: Phulourie - Split Pea Fritters
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Trinidadian Stir Fry Shrimp
Cultureatz: Trinidadian Corn Pie Recipe
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Trini Macaroni Pie

Mushroom Pepper Fry - Side Dish

In my house we love mushrooms and this veggie is a must at least once a week. This is a protein packed mushroom dish, it's simple and yummy. A person who does not like mushroom will also love this dish. This is a dry dish with no gravy.

Ingredients 

1 Onion - finely chopped 
1 Tomato - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
1 Stick Cinnamon
4 Peppercorns
2 Green Cardamons
3 Cloves
1 Teaspoon Ginger- Garlic paste

1 Teaspoon Coriander powder

1 Teaspoon Cumin powder
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper powder
1/2 Teaspoon Red chilly powder

1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
Salt to Taste
1 Teaspoon Lemon juice

3 Tablespoons Oil

A Spring Curry leaves

1 Green chilly -  finely chopped

1 Packet Mushroom - chopped

For the Tadka

1 Tablespoon Butter
5 Peppercorns
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
4 Cloves Garlic

1 Tablespoon Coriander - chopped  for garnishing

Method

Heat oil in a pan , add whole garam masala, cumin seeds and when they crackle add chopped onions ,salt.  turmeric,  ginger garlic paste and tomatoes,  fry till tomatoes turn soft and mushy .  Then add curry leaves,  green chilly and add mushrooms, coriander, cumin, chilly and pepper powder, stir fry for  a minute, then cover and  cook till the mushrooms are done.  
For the Tadka

Roughly crush the garlic. pepper and cumin seeds in a mortar  pestle. 

In another pan add butter , add crushed garlic, pepper,cumin seeds mixture just stir fry for a minute. Pour this over the cooked mushroom mixture, add  lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves serve hot with chapatis and rotis or as side dish.

We had this for our afternoon lunch and it's yummy. 

Labels : Mushroom, Vegetarian, Vegetables, Side Dish

A Side Dish With Baby Potatoes- No Onion No Garlic

An Easy Side Dish With Baby Potatoes , so tasty and delicious. This has no onion no garlic and no red chilly powder, prefect Vrat Ka Khanna.   The masala paste coated on the fried potatoes taste awesome. 

Ingredients

½ kg Baby Potatoes - boiled
3 Tablespoons Butter or Ghee
3 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Fennel seeds
½ Teaspoon Cumin powder
1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon Level Black pepper powder
1 Teaspoon Ginger paste
125 Grams Yogurt - whisked
½ Teaspoon Garam Masala / All Spice Powder
2 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander leaves
2–3 Green chilies - finely chopped

Salt to taste

Method

Boil ½ kg potatoes and skin them then prick using toothpick.
Heat oil and butter or ghee in a wok, add in boiled potatoes and fry till golden brown.

Now remove the potatoes and keep aside. In the same pan add the fennel seeds saute till it releases an aroma, add the green chilly,  ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper and turmeric  powder, mix well . Fry for 2 minutes on medium low flame, now add the fried potatoes , saute well  till it coated with the spices.  

Now add the whisked yogurt, salt to taste . Mix well, stirring continuously till the potatoes are coated with the yogurt.  Simmer on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes or till the moisture/ gravy dries.  Add the garam masala powder and give it a stir.

 Take it  out,  on to a serving dish , sprinkle with dash of garam masala powder, fried green chilly and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot...

Labels:  Vegetarian, Vegetables, No Onion No Garlic, Baby Potatoes, Vrat, Side Dish, Main course