IYENGAR'S BAKERY OPEN SANDWICH

Bakery style Open Sandwich...

Mysore Iyengar's bakery are famous for its tasty veg puffs, open sandwiches, dil pasand... the list goes on and on. I just tried making the open sandwich for the girls.I am sure many of us have tasted it in our times.

The recipe seemed simple. I just had to bake the bread for about 15 minutes after placing the masala curry on it (that is what the bakery owner told me!!).
Delighted I walked home to give a treat to my girls.After all the preparation to my horror found the oven cannot work... NO POWER FOR 9 HOURS THIS DAY!!! said the paper.Why did not have the sense to read MORNING PAPER in the morning...
Well now that I had stuff ready.. I used the Tava (flat girdle to get the desired effect.) It did turn out nice... But the next time I will surely make good use of paper like Radio for weather forecast.
Ingredients:
One loaf of sandwich bread

One cup Carrot - Grated

One cup potato - Grated

1 or 2 green chillies (to taste) - chopped finely

1 inch ginger - grated

One cup -chopped finely

small piece of Cabbage - Grated or chopped finely

Capsicum - chopped finely

Turmeric a pinch for the colour

Noodles masala or garam masala

oil for seasoning

butter to spread

jeera/cumin seeds (half a spoon)

salt to taste
Method
In a kadai or deep bottom pan add one spoon of oil.When the oil is hot add cumin seeds, turmeric for colour and curry leaves.Then add green chillies,ginger, onion,capsicum and saute them till the onion turns red. When onion is done add the rest of the grated vegetables (carrot,potato and cabbage).Add a little water to cook them well. According to your taste add the masala.. either noodles masala or garam masala and Salt. Cook till the potatoes are cooked and soft. Keep the spread aside.
Take the bread slices, smear the butter and the masala spread evenly. Place in the OTG for about 15 minutes at high. Serve Hot.
Since I had no power. I placed them with a little oil on a Flat girdle.. covered it up with a deep bottom pan... giving the desired effect. It turned out as delicious.
Try this and let me know...
Ciao.

Valentine special, VEG CUTLET

Valentine day fever is around everywhere... Never heard of it as a child or growing up years... but now a days it is more popular than Shivaratri festival which is just around the corner. Well personally I would not celebrate it but then I don't think I would give anyone the right to tell us what to celebrate and what not. I live by my choice not in the fear of others. My way of protest to the outfits which are not allowing may not be going around with hand in hand with my valentine but then showing them the only way I do... cooking.

The other day I made vegetable cutlets, the restaurant way... dark brown in colour. always crispy. My aunt L gave me the recipe and here it is for you valentine special veg cutlets to try... the secret ingredient for the colour was a beetroot giving it the brownish rather reddish colour...
Veg Cutlets

Valentine spl veg cutlet

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes
1 cup grated beetroot
1 cup peas
1/2 cup finely chopped beans
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped capsicum
garam masala to taste
amchur powder to taste
salt to taste
Ginger-Garlic paste 1 spoon.
oil to shallow fry
breadcrumbs - two cups

Method of preparation:
Boil the potatoes and grated beetroot.Keep them aside.Boil the peas,beans and carrots separately with a pinch of salt.
In a kadai add two spoons of oil. When hot add ginger- garlic paste. let the paste turn brown and add capsicum,saute for a few minutes and add the garam masala powder.

Meanwhile mash the potatoes and mix with the beetroot well.
Add the boiled peas, carrots and beans. let it cook in the masala for a while. Now add the potato - beetroot mix. Add salt and amchoor powder to taste. Mix well with the other vegetables and let it cook for a while.Make sure the mixture is thick enough to make patties of desired shape. If you feel the mixture is a tad too soft. You can add some breadcrumbs and mix well while making the patties.
Make round patties and dab them generously with the breadcrumbs and shallow fry on a flat girdle/tava. Add butter/ghee/oil minimum quantity to cook it to brown colour. Alternatively they can be baked in a oven.
Enjoy with Green chutney....

Green chutney...
We did not have coriander when in Romania. It made rare appearance in the market and so we were reluctant to use it lavishly. We had to think of new ways to make do with other stuff.Even though i get lot of coriander now I am stuck with the older recipe with less coriander.. it definitely tastes good if not the same as the mint-coriander chutney usually served with snacks in the hotel..Mrs.N. cook par excellence... was a person who would not share her recipes.. but this one I was lucky she did. Thanks to her, my chutney is finger licking good.


Ingredients
one small bunch of mint.
half a bunch of coriander
one bunch of spring onions
4 to 5 green chillies
One tomato
One whole lemon.. peeled
.one inch ginger
2 cloves of garlic
chat masala - 1 spoon
cumin powder - 1 spoon
(1 capsicum and 1 kiwi fruit options if you have no coriander/mint at all it helps to give the green colour)
salt to taste

Method

Grind all of them together to a smooth paste and enjoy with anything.

Ciao,,, keep me posted how the dishes turn out. I know many of them are usual and simple but if you have a varition I could try them out and enjoy the difference!!!!

AVAREKALU BHATH

January/February is a season of pods in India... specially this year I am in Mysore and it is lovely time for the beans like AvarekaLu, Soppina kadalekai,Tograri kaLu.
It is almost next to impossible to avoid avarekaLu.. it is almost used in every dish... akkirotti,usli, bhath, uppittu (upma), avrekaLu saaru and of course the delicious avarekaLu sambar. This beans known as navy/flat/hyacinth beans in English has a unique fragrance and taste. here is one tasty recipe.
AVAREKALU BHATH
This is a variation of the famous Vangibhath. Bhath being rice gets the name of the vegetable used in it gets the name... methi bhath, capsicum bhath, vegetable bhath and what not....As mentioned earlier.. this season AvarekaLu is used in everything and so bhath isn't any different.

Ingredients:
One cup - Surti lilva papdi /avrekaLu (cooked)(known as Hyacinth beans or navy beans )

One large capsicum diced

two cups of rice

One lemon sized tamarind

MTR Vangibhath powder

1tbsp turmeric powder

one-two pinches of asafoetida-hing

three or four spoons of freshly grated coconut
2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp Mustard

1 tbsp cumin ( jeera)

1 tbsp Urad dal (black gram )

1 tbsp Chana dal (Bengal gram)

Few of Curry leaves

1-2 Dry red chillies

Salt to taste

Method:

Cook rice and let it cool.

Take 2 tbsps of oil in a pan,when hot add mustard seeds .

when they splutter add cumin, turmeric powder, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida. red chillies Saute them till urad dal turns golden brown and then add the diced capsicum. Add some salt to taste and two to three spoons of vangi bhath powder.When the capsicum is done add tamarind water , grated coconut and the cooked AvarekaLu or beans (can be substituted peas).
Add cooked rice and mix them well till there is a lovely aroma.Taste for salt... Serve with fryums (sandige or happaLa )or raita.
Serve hot with raita or fryums.

MTR Vangibhath powder is one of the best powders which can be used for the bhath varieties.. however you can make the powder yourself with the following recipe I found good enough.

Vangi bath powder ingredients:
2 tbsp chana dal(Bengal Gram)

2 tbsp urad dal (Black Gram )

¼ tsp fenugreek (methi seeds)

1 tbsp dry coconut (copra)

6 red chillies or to taste

½ tbsp coriander seeds

½ tbsp cumin seeds

2 cloves

1 cardamom

1” Cinnamon stick

1/2 tbsp of oil

Vangi bath powder preparation:
Roast all the ingredients until they turn into light golden brown colour. Remove from flame and allow it to cool for sometime. Then grind it to a coarse powder. Allow it to cool, then store in an air tight container. Use as required. This will keep fresh for months in an air tight container.