ONION CORIANDER CHILLI STUFFED FLATBREAD

FEW MINUTES BACK I LEARNT ABOUT FETEER MESHALTET & EGYPTIAN LENZA!

I have learnt "roughly" about them, it feels I may try them some day!I do not try a completely new recipe much,I fear a failure, also that wastage of food is something I hate!From the pictures of Feteer Meshaltet/Egyptian layered pastry/cushioned pie, it seems the dough requires a lot of ghee or butter, then in each layer! There lies the problem; too buttery or ghee laden dough with sugar or meat in them cause me discomfort!Oil free ruti o mangsher shuruya or aloo pooler dalna work good enough for me! I liked the Egyptian Lenza thing, baked & stuffed tart kind of! I think since 1997, I am urging T to take me to two places; Lucknow & Egypt, there may not be any direct connection between the two but I love food & architecture laced with stories from the past! Can I ever forget how I loved reading "Tutankhamen er Guptadhan" by Syed Mustafa Siraj may be at the time of some semester in the school! I was never fond of text books & examinations, but unlike our friend Joy, I knew the importance of degrees, also had a mother to push me! If Joy's mother did not die early, I believe his life would not have headed rudderless! Father's go out to earn for the family, the maximum cannot manage both home & work! He is too well read & of high accord, how come he feared examinations? I am sure many degree holders do not have his level of knowledge!Anyway,I would make T take us to Egypt, although he says there is political unrest for long but I have to, I am least interested in resorts & starred hotel related travels! I would read more about Egyptian food & try some!

MY ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD IS BENGALI!

I tried to have a Bhelpuri lunch today, could not! I made such tries like having a salad lunch or titbit,I have seen I cannot have them, I just do not enjoy! Our friend Smita suggested this brand of Bhelpuri as she saw it in the Mustafa Centre, today I opened it, could not have it! She is not wrong neither this brand is wrong! You can see there are lots of peanuts, no misery at all!

But their chutneys are made as per the tastebuds of Central & Northern Indians I believe! I threw off a full bowl of it & had rice with "tilbata sheem & bhola mach er jhol"! This would not have been the case with parathas!

Till date, when it comes to street food, I swear by the Kolkata Street Food, which to my taste bud is the best! The reason is simple; I grew up having them! I did like Dal Bati Churma in Rajasthan but not their Panipuri, as per my tastebud, Kolkata fuchka is what I am used to! Delhi's sheekh kebab taste I still remember, few of Kolkata's old time restaurants may be making them same good but the city dwellers' food preferences are changing & the old restaurants are selling off leaving space for the new! I do not even go & see Kolkata anymore, it hurts to see the changing scenario of the Park Street & Esplanade area, the people, food, shops! I too changed, fear the crowd in the New Market area, on my next visit I would go! At 75 may be, our mother goes alone, shops & eats the roadside "chole bhature" or "dahi vada" which I think are the best tasted! I enjoy equally, in fact more in this island without the crowd, smell, getting iron kadai from India at 7:90$ & 10:90$, a wok for 16:90$!

 I was listening to music today & doing the cleaning part! I enjoy working in an empty home, just failing with the time management!

WHAT IS THIS ONION CORIANDER CHILLI STUFFED FLATBREAD?

You can call it my second attempt at the Afghani Fateer Pyazi! Although, I improvise a recipe learnt from here & there, there are some like this one that I wanted to do as is! Then, it requires more of practise; most importantly, my bake mode is not working for over a year! I am not changing the gadget because I am unable to do that as the other functions are running well! Although this vegan, vegetarian flatbread ONION CORIANDER CHILLI STUFFED FLATBREAD is not exactly a Fateer Pyazi that is usually baked, it is done on the stovetop with the same ingredients used in the former! Okay, I have used wholewheat flour! What can be better than a homemade, hot from the tawa bread; if it is stuffed just get your choice of sauce, chutney, achar! I was wondering if Egyptian Feteer has any connection with the Afghan Fateer Pyazi? I would read & research more about it, ask my blogger friends!

INGREDIENTS : 

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR : 2-3 COFFEE MUG

CHOPPED ONION : A BOWLFUL

CHOPPED CORIANDER : A BOWLFUL

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2 TSP FOR EACH FLATBREAD

PROCEDURE :

Take the wholewheat flour & 1/2 tsp flour in a bowl, mix well & add a little of water at a time, knead for 10-12 minutes to prepare a smooth dough not that soft!

Keep the dough for rest, covering it for 15-20 minutes!

Take all of the chopped vegetables & herbs in a bowl & add 1/4 tsp of salt to them, mix well!

Remove cover, knead it for 1-2 minutes; tear out portions from the dough and smoothen between your palms!

Dust the balls and take on a rolling base, roll out roundels, place atop it some of the veggies & herbs mixture!

Fold it and roll again from the sides! I could not do this step like a pro would, I admit! But homemade is better than the frozen goods!

Dust again the stuffed balls with wholewheat flour & lightly roll out! I could not make them perfect round!

Roast one at a time well & both sides, add the oil and cook again well both the sides until brown spots occur!

Keep the heat level at low while frying them, at times low to medium!Take out & best if we can serve & have them straight from the tawa/ pan/griddle!

 

LITCHI OATS CHOCO FLAVOURED CAKE

IT FELT LET US HAVE A SLICE OF CAKE EACH; NO MATTER IF IT IS VIRTUALLY!

Our friends left this morning! In Cristine's absence, it seems a bit empty! We wanted the son to study abroad, learn to be independent is true but the void that is created in our life at times get too visible! We are not party goers, neither fond of crowds, not that we get bored at home; just that it seems too empty & silent with both Cristine & the son at far! In such a scenario, the friends' visit was like a fresh air, specially if they are like family! T considers Dibyendu his brother from a different mother; us wives had been the right accompaniment to this friendship, the Chattopadhay family hosting a get-together beside the river last Saturday evening was an icing on the cake! At home & outside of home we chatted & only chatted! I wish to share the album in public, it would take few days to arrange it! Smita makes amazing cheese cakes, kebab, kochuri; yet says she hates cooking! Dibyendu is an occasional cook & developed a love for aquarium; I wish to share their hobbies, creations with everyone around after the Saraswati Puja is over, until then I am extremely busy! These are the friends who stood strong beside T when he needed that help!

AFTER FIVE LONG DAYS, I WENT FOR A WALK TODAY, DID A 5.9KM BRISK WALK!

We actually walked everyday; on the very first day of their arrival we went for a cable car ride! On Thursday & Friday day time, I took Smita for shopping, that was a bit of walking but I do not consider such walks constructive, given my eating pattern! Friday evening we went to the East Coast Park & Saturday evening to the Clarke Quay area with the Chattopadhay family, there was no walk but over eating! Sunday, I declared they must eat the rustic Bengali Food at every meal throughout the day! I would share all of them with my readers in public! Today morning they left and would reach their home sooner! They stayed in Chennai for twelve years & shifted to Mumbai last April! I am happy about this development, their daughter is studying Fashion Designing in another city! The girl of the Chottopadhay home would leave the island to study computer science sooner!

WHAT IS THIS LITCHI OATS CHOCO FLAVOURED CAKE?

I cooked this cake last July, thought of sharing it a couple of times, did not happen! Because it is a special day in the family with a birthday & an anniversary; I felt let us get it to the blog! There is still a little bit of Hershey's syrup left I got for the son on December, 2022! July is the season of the super sweet Litchi, a love since my childhood! We get here all of the fruits we have grown up eating! I try various combinations in my cakes, that the ace bakers may not choose to! At times my experiments fail & those that turn out well go to the blog! This day is associated with an Indian nationalist leader who played an important role in the country's freedom movement! But I think all these mentions on a particular day do not add any value! Neither I like talking about the family events in public, I would just touch the events in the post that I document on this good day! If you go through the steps next, get to know this LITCHI OATS CHOCO FLAVOURED CAKE is done with few ingredients; is gluten-free & vegetarian! You just skip the plain yogurt, add mashed banana or a non-dairy milk to make it vegan! I simply enjoy baking cakes on the stovetop! I must mention today is the second day of the CNY celebrations!

INGREDIENTS :

OAT FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

RICE FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

CORN FLOUR : 2 TBSP

BAKING POWDER : 1 TSP

BAKING SODA : 1/2 TSP

LITCHI [DE-SEEDED] : A BOWLFUL

PLAIN YOGURT : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

HERSHEY CHOCOLATE SYRUP : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

SUGAR : 2 TBSP

VANILLA ESSENCE : 1 TSP

OIL : 3-4 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Grind the oats to a powder & take in a bowl! Add the rice flour, corn flour, baking powder & soda to it & mix together well!

Blend together the Hershey Chocolate Syrup, plain yogurt, sugar, oil, vanilla essence to a paste and add to the flour mix!

Fold in well to a paste like consistently! Add the seedless, washed flesh bits of the litchis! Fold in well & keep aside for 15-20 minutes!

Grease a cake tin with oil at first & then dust with some rice flour or oats flour! Put a butter paper at the centre to take out the cooked cake easily!

Add the batter to the bowl and tap lightly on the kitchen top!

Place a wok on the gas top & on top of it a wired stand! Heat it and then place the cake tin on it!

Cook it at minimal heat for 5o minutes, insert a tooth pick to check if it is done! If done, the tooth pick would come out clean!

It came out easily! Turn over and decor as you wish!

I am not good at decorating cake tops, chose a simple way to make it look & taste good!

 

GULA MELACA PUDDING

DESSERTS MADE AT HOME ATTRACTS ME THE MOST!

I work out different ideas and produce sweets & desserts in my convenience!This way, I use way less amount of the sweeteners!Presently,I am looking for a stevia plant to get home! Stevia at the stores are quite pricey, also they may not be in the purest form! I liked the idea of extracting stevia powder from it's leaves but the number & amount of sweets or desserts I would make may require a lot of it!Same is the case with Agave & Taikoo Golden Syrup, I am not comfortable with their price tag! There enters Gula Melaka, this island & it's neighbour's love, widely used!In our twelve years of stay here, I did not buy!Last week; I got one though I have our most favourite date palm jaggery in stock!The other jaggery varieties I alway stock are coconut rock sugar & sugarcane jaggery!I must tell none of these are suitable for a diabetic except for the stevia! But I wished to make a good use of the Gula Melaka in a recipe that tasted near to our loving liquid date palm jaggery!

OUR FRIENDS JUST ARRIVED WHO LAST VISITED US IN 2016!

They reached here Wednesday morning, there was only chat sessions going on; in the evening we went for a cable car ride from Mount.Faber to the Sentosa island!It was my first ride because I never agreed to it,I fear heights! Today, they insisted me to accompany & I agreed to get their company but the ride? It was a terrible experience for a weak heart like me! 

                           

At a certain point, I felt I would not see the son & the rest of the family anymore! T & Dibs were scaring me saying the floor had to have of glass; the other lady Smita was cooler than I had been in the situation!Back in 2016,their daughter accompanied them, our son too joined; we travelled to the Malaysia too! T & Dibs are friends of many decades! I enjoyed walking in the beach most today, it was the sunset time & the atmosphere was right to make us happy!We did not stay there for long!Back home, the chat session went on & your's truly is writing her blog at an unearthly hour!She has to take Smita for some shopping on Thursday daytime, her husband is here on work!It is not compulsory to write a blogpost but consider it my contribution to the CNY celebrations!

WHAT IS THIS GULA MELAKA PUDDING?

Gula Melaka is a kind of Palm Sugar derived from the sap of the coconut palm or other palm varieties!Wiki says it originated in the state of Malacca in Malaysia & hence is called Malacca sugar in English!I liked it & found it nearer in taste to our beloved "khejur gur" that is the most important part of this post! Although supposedly I am to get my this year's "patali gur"stock sooner from the Rajdhani Stores, I would not mind keeping a "Gula Melaka" bottle in my pantry, way better than having honey, no I am not fond of it! Actually,I was aiming at doing a Gula Melaka vegan, gluten-free patishapta crepes!That did not work out, may be I used a bit more water in the rice paste! I did not take the hassle to correct them, straightaway cooked this gluten-free, vegan pudding with gula melaka, one tablespoon of sugar, rice paste, shredded coconut, green cardamom powder!I named the dessert GULA MELAKA PUDDING!You can top it with dry fruits or you may not! The dried figs came from Lahore!

INGREDIENTS :

SHREDDED COCONUT : 2 COFFEE MUG

RICE GRAIN : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

GULA MELAKA / LIQUID PALM SUGAR : 150 ML

SUGAR : 1 TBSP

GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 2 TSP

OIL : 1 TBSP

I USED ROASTED DRIED FIG, CASHEW NUT, PISTACHIO TO GARNISH

PROCEDURE :

This is Gula Melaka which in English is Gula Malacca because this sweetener was made in Malacca at first, says the Wiki!

Actually, my intent was to prepare a Bengali style crepe with using the Gula Melaka to sweeten the dish! It did not work out as planned, I cooked an easiest but yummy pudding / halwa! 

I started with a different plan, hence soaked some idli rice! For this pudding, readymade rice flour would work!

After soaking the rice grains for 4-5 hours, paste it fine in a blender!

Take it in a bowl, add the oil & mix well!

Add the shredded coconut, half of the Gula Melaka, sugar to a wok, switch on the gas stove!

Keep stirring at low heat for 10-12 minutes & add the green cardamom powder! Fold in well!

Cook it for another 5-6 minutes, take down!

Here is our cooked coconut & the rice flour mix, both could have made good stuffed crepes but did not!

I mixed everything together adding little more of Gula Melaka!

In a heated wok, just dump the mixture & cook it at the minimal heat until the mixture starts coming out from the sides clean!

Serve it warm garnished with your choice of dry fruits!