Kothu roti

My (Sri Lankan) friend’s mum is a really good cook. I love the way she makes tomato rice, string hoppers (the best ever) and Sri Lankan-style potatoes and dry coconut chutney.

But, one dish of hers that fascinates me the most is the “kothu roti.”

Kothu roti is a popular spicy Sri Lankan street food, which is a stir-fry of shredded roti (Indian flatbread), vegetables (and/or meat and egg), and coconut-based spice mix.

I had been wanting to try this dish out myself for the longest of time.

Yesterday for lunch, I finally did. My friend always says that it is the quickest thing to whip up – and I got to test this claim for myself.

She was right! This dish only took me 15 minutes to make (I had roti’s ready on hand), and another 5-7 minutes to devour it up entirely.

When it comes to flavors – you will be floored by the warm comforting tastes from the coconut spice – the combination of coconut and curry leaves make everything so warm and earthy. And the chopped tomatoes provides just the perfect balance of tanginess that is needed to complement the sweetness from the coconut. Once this spice paste combines with the roti’s, it is an absolute medley of flavors.

Because I took the quick, cheats way out, I didn’t bother putting in any vegetables. But you can add shredded vegetables. If you eat eggs, be sure to add them too – scrambling eggs into kothu roti is very popular.

One last thing before moving on to the recipe – the pic below isn’t my proudest capture. I was obviously too excited and plated it up while it was still piping hot, resulting in a fogged, somewhat mushy looking thing. BUUUUUUUUT it’s really good in taste. So ignore the way my miserable image looks and hop right over to this incredible recipe!

Ingredients:

• Roti: 3-4, shredded
• Onion: 1/2, finely chopped
• Tomato: 1 medium, finely chopped
• Coconut milk: 1/2 cup
• Garlic clove: 1, minced
• Curry leaves: 6-7
• Dry red chili: 2
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Turmeric: 1 tsp
• Red chili powder: 1 tsp (or more, based on your spice preference)
• Coriander powder: 2 tsp
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Salt: To taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add dried red chilies, mustard seeds and curry leaves
• Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt
• Stir well and add chopped onions and garlic
• Saute the mix under medium flame for 2-3 minutes,or till the onions soften
• Next, add in the tomatoes and give a good stir
• Cook the mix till the tomatoes become tender, and the mixture starts assembling into a unified paste
• Lastly, add in the coconut milk and stir well
• Cook till the solution slightly thickens and switch off the flame
• Remove the spice into a separate bowl
• Place the pan back onto the stove, and under medium flame, toss in the shredded roti’s
• Give a quick stir and once the roti’s are evenly heated (they should start to crisp up at this point), add in the coconut spice mix
• Stir quickly, ensuring the roti’s are well coated with the spices.
• Switch off flame and serve hot

Focaccia topped with caramelised onions, cherry tomatoes, thyme and parmesan

Baking bread is magical; a lump of dough rising majestically into golden specked beauty is a sight worthy of seeing for any baker.

Focaccia brings back memories of the times mum and I would go to the nearby bakery to buy fresh bread. Focaccia would always be on the list of “must buys” and we would always end up arguing on which sort to buy: the olive studded ones (my favourite) or cherry tomatoes (my mums favourite).

Now that I finally have my own oven, I have been on a roll with trying out different types of bread. Last weekend was spent by experimenting with focaccia. My goal was to get the perfect crispiness on the exterior and soft sponginess in the interior, whilst making sure that the bread was fully cooked (nothing worse than having a wonderful smelling bread with an awful dense and undercooked interior).

The results were quite incredible; I wasn’t expecting to remove a tray full of well-baked bread.

A perfect starter for a weekend party, try it out. It will not disappoint your guests!

Trying to make focaccia for the first time ever, I couldn’t think of any topping better than cherry tomatoes. It tasted delicious, but maybe I’ll use olives next time.

[Recipe credit: Nikita Gandhi]

Ingredients:

Bread:

• Bread flour (or plain flour): 5 1/4 cups
• Warm water: 1 3/4 cups
• Active dry yeast: 2 1/4 tsp
• Sugar: 1 tbsp
• Salt: 1 tbsp
• Extra virgin olive oil: 3/4 cup

Topping:

• Cherry tomatoes: 2 cups
• Garlic: 4 cloves, minced
• Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tsp
• Onion: 1 small, thinly sliced
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Thyme: 1 bunch (you can alternatively use chopped rosemary or basil)
• Parmesan cheese: 1/4 cup, finely grated (the amount of cheese can be moderated based on preference)
• Salt: To taste
• Black pepper powder: To taste

Method:

Preparing the bread:

• In a mixer bowl, mix together warm water, yeast, sugar and half the flour
• Add in remaining flour, salt and 1/2 cup olive oil and knead the dough for a good 10 minutes on medium speed using the dough hook attachment
• Alternatively, you can knead the dough with your hands as well – it will only require some more kneading time and elbow grease
• Once the dough is smooth and not too sticky (it will be slightly tacky and that’s okay), shape it into a ball, transfer it to an oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and rest in a warm spot for about an hour (or till the dough doubles in volume)
• Once the dough has rested and doubled, pour the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil into a large baking pan and gently transfer the dough into the pan
• Using your fingers, push the dough out to cover the bottom of the pan, making sure it’s even all over. Press into the dough using your finger tips making sure to dent it all the way till the bottom (it’s okay to get violent here)
• Try to keep the dough slightly thin in width, since it will need to be kept to rise again. A very thick focaccia (though tasty) means a more prominent bread taste and less of the toppings
• Cover the pan and leave it aside for 45 minutes to double in volume again

Preparing the topping:

• Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and toss them in 1 tsp of olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper
• In the remaining 1 tsp olive oil, sauté the onions with sugar on medium heat till it turns light brown. Season with salt and pepper and keep aside
• Dip thyme strands in olive oil and keep aside (this helps further bring out the flavour as the bread bakes)

Baking the bread:

• Evenly spread the onions on the risen dough
• Randomly distribute cherry tomatoes across the dough – make sure that the cherry tomatoes face upward (else the seeds will make the interiors of the bread soggy)
• Dip the thyme in olive oil, and pluck/sprinkle the leaves all over
• Bake in a preheated oven (220°C/425°F) for 20-25 minutes till the sides are crusty and golden and the toppings are well charred
• Give a light drizzle of olive oil once you remove it from the oven (this is totally optional)
• Let the bread cool completely before slicing
• Warm it in the oven before serving
• Serve fresh with chili oil, balsamic vinegar or herby olive oil!

Wholewheat crust pizza with balsamic-caramelised onion & spinach

This pizza is light and healthy, without compromising on taste. The flaky crust combined with sweetness of onions, crispiness of spinach and umami tastes of parmesan makes it the perfect lunch option, with a side of fresh summery salad.

[Partly adapted from Pillsbury and Nikita Gandhi]

Ingredients:

Crust:

• Wholewheat flour: 150 grams
• Plain flour: 100 grams
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Olive oil: 1/4 cup
• Water: 1/2 cup

Topping:

• White onion: 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Sugar: 1 tbsp
• Balsamic vinegar: 1 tbsp
• Spinach: 250 gms (1 packet), shredded and par boiled
• Garlic: 2 cloves, minced and finely chopped
• Parmesan cheese: 1/8 cup, finely shredded (or as per preference)
• Salt: To taste

Method:

Caramelised onions:

• Heat oil over medium-high heat and add onion, sugar and balsamic vinegar
• Allow the onions to caramelise, stirring frequently. This should take about 8-10 minutes. The onions will turn golden brown as they caramelise.
• Add salt and garlic to the onion, mix for equal distribution and remove it into a bowl
• Roll the dough

Crust:

• Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and add the oil
• Mix the dough with a fork
• Add the water and continue to mix the dough with the fork until the liquid is absorbed
• Subsequently, knead the mixture lightly until the dough comes together into a ball
• Tightly cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured counter, and sprinkling a little flour on the dough, roll it out into a large circle (alternatively, divide the two into two and roll out 2 smaller pizzas)
• Keep sprinkling little flour underneath and on the dough when it seems on the verge of sticking to the counter.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the rolled out dough carefully onto it

Assembly:

• Evenly spread the onions
• Liberally top with shredded spinach and sprinkle parmesan all over
• Bake the pizza for about 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven (425 degrees F), till the crust is golden brown
• Serve hot

3-pepper chilli cheese bread rolls

Sandwiches happen to be one of my family’s favorite most breakfast, afternoon snack and occasionally even dinner meals – we all love it so much.

The frequency of our sandwich consumption is such, that mum and I most often than not try to come up with different fillings to keep our collective taste buds excited.

A simple bread butter jam is a hard no no for us. Rather, the sandwich has to have a spicy bite with a good mix of vegetables, adequate amount of calcium (i.e. cheese) and a well-paired condiment (mayo, mustard, chutney).

The spice mix used for this particular sandwich recipe post is a family favorite. You can choose any toppings, but the spice combination is a total win – eat it as much as you want, you will most likely never tire of it.

Back home, mum and I coat the bread slices with a generous lather of spicy coriander chutney before adding in the filling and tossing it into the grill. Last week, for experimentation sake, I replaced the coriander chutney with truffle balsamic vinegar, and it was a total hit! No less that what you would get in those fancy petite cafes down the roadsides.

Be sure to try it out, especially if you are surrounded by those who love sandwiches as much as we do!

Ingredients: (makes up to 6 sandwiches)

Filling:

• Bell peppers: Red, yellow and green, 1 medium each: finely chopped
• Red onion: 1 medium, finely chopped
• Green chilli: 1, finely sliced (add another for an added kick)
• Cumin powder: 3 tsp
• Coriander powder: 4 tsp
• Scallions: 3-4 strands, finely chopped
• Sharp cheddar/Monterey jack/Colby cheese: 1/4 cup
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Salt: to taste
• Butter: 1 tbsp

Reduced truffle balsamic vinegar:

• Truffle balsamic vinegar: 1/4 cup (replace with balsamic vinegar alternatively)
• Sugar: 1/8 cup

Toast:

• White bread: 12, sides removed

Method:

Filling:

• Heat butter and toss in onions, chilis and bell peppers
• Mix and let it cook on medium-low flame
• Add scallions and toss to distribute evenly
• Add all spices and allow it to infuse into the vegetables till they are cooked aldente (keep mixing in between to avoid burning)
• Taste and adjust spices as needed
• Switch off flame and add cheese
• Give a quick stir for the cheese to melt all over the filling

Reduced truffle balsamic vinegar:

• Heat the balsamic vinegar in a pan along with sugar
• Allow the solution to simmer
• Switch off flame once the vinegar starts to bubble continuously
• Pour the solution in a bowl

Sandwich:

• Gently flatten out each slice using a rolling pin
• Butter each side generously
• Put a spoonful of stuffing on the flattened bread slice, keeping 1 cm at the end of the bread slice free from the filling
• Lightly drizzle 2 tsp reduced truffle balsamic vinegar
• Add a thin layer of shredded cheese on top of the filling and vinegar
• Carefully roll the bread into tight roll, sealing it at the end (the butter should help with the sticking)
• Heat a pan, add a dollop of butter onto it and swirl for the entire pan to get uniformly greased
• Once the butter melts, toast the sandwich rolls until it gets deep golden colour all over
• Repeat with remaining slices

To serve:

• Place the rolls on the plate and drizzle some more truffle balsamic vinegar over it
• Serve immediately

Note:

• You can opt for a traditional grilled sandwich or even an open face sandwich – they taste just as good.

 

Wholewheat beetroot crust pizza with caramelised onions and fennel

I picked up a bulb of fennel on complete whim during my weekend grocery shopping yesterday. I use fennel seeds quite a bit in my cooking and had been wanting to try the real fresh stuff for a long time.

When I got it, I had no clue what to do with it. I was craving pizza for lunch today but was weary of excess cheese and carb-overdose. So I decided to make a feel-good healthy version of thin-crusted pizza, using my purchased fennel and onions as the topping. For my pizza base, instead of keeping the traditional tomato sauce, I thought of improvising by using cream cheese instead, and then skipping out on mozzarella altogether.

Now, I had also gotten beetroot yesterday, so I wanted to use this as well. But instead of keeping it as a mere topping (so boring), I  decided to funk up my pizza by adding beetroot to my crust.

And boy oh boy, am I super stoked with the end result. It was ridiculously healthy (the crust is wholewheat), really tasty (the sweetness of caramelised onions and fennel, creaminess from cream cheese; it had to be tasty!) and so darn eye-catching (stark red thin crust courtesy the beetroots!)

And like always, easy to make! Here goes the recipe.

Note: I had to make do with stove top cooking since my oven has broken down (I know, a bake-free pizza; sounds weird, right?). But rest assured, it turned out good. However, if you want to go for the conventional route, you can use the oven instead.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• Wholewheat flour: 1/2 cup
• Plain flour: 1/3 cup
• Beetroot puree: ~1/2 cup
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Topping:

• Yellow onion: 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
• Fennel: 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
• Cream cheese: 1/2 cup, at room temperature
• Mint: 1-2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Salt: To taste
• Black pepper powder: To taste
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp

Method:

Crust:

• Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and give a quick mix for uniform dispersion
• Add the oil and mix it in with a fork
• Add half the beetroot puree and knead lightly
• Continue adding the puree and kneading till the dough comes together into a ball
• Tightly cover the dough in a saran wrap and refrigerate for half an hour

Topping:

• For the pizza base, whisk the cream cheese and finely chopped mint together to a smooth, creamy consistency
• Keep aside
• Heat olive oil in a pan and add sliced onions and fennel
• Add salt and pepper to taste and mix
• Cook the topping under medium-low flame, occasionally sautéing to avoid any charring
• Cook for approximately 15 minutes or till the onions are golden and soft and fennel is tender
• Keep aside

Assembly:

• Divide the dough into desired smaller portions (I divided mine into 3)
• Place one of the dough balls onto a lightly floured surface
• Sprinkle little flour on the ball of dough and roll it out into a large circle (thickness should be equivalent to a thin crust pizza)
• Keep sprinkling little flour underneath and on the dough when you feel it is starting to stick to the surface or when it is becoming difficult to roll out
• Heat a lightly greased non-stick pan
• Place the rolled out dough into the prepared pan and using a fork, stab the dough randomly all over, to ensure that the dough does not fluff up
• Cook dough on one side under medium-low flame for 1-2 minutes, or till you feel it is adequately cooked
• Flip it over
• On the dough facing upwards, evenly spread out the cream cheese-mint base
• Top it up with the caramelised onions and fennel, ensuring that the topping is evenly spread
• Cover pan with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes under low flame
• Remove lid, check the base of the crust, ensuring that it is not burnt and continue cooking in open air for another minute or two, for extra crunchiness
• Cut the pizza into slices and serve hot with a sauce of your choice

Bon Apetit! 🙂

Note:

• Since the pizza is creamy and sweet due to the caramelising, a spicy sauce compliments it well; I made a chilli-mint-lime sauce to go with it