Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

This again is recipe I had seen years ago, in one of those Women's Home (UK),  Good Housekeeping (USA) magazines kept in our club house for the ladies to read. We kids would pour over the pictures and drool without knowing anything about its content. We were least interested in reading recipes or even finding out what they were. Cakes, desserts and such were oohed and aahed about. Non Vegetarian was accepted but personally I never ate. Years went by and I read a recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie. Looked interesting and easy. So tried my hand and everyone loved it. Over the years I made changes to the filling, tried various combinations. Most were successful. Some just ok. None was too bad or not edible. The topping was always mashed potatoes. Sometimes plain other times with herbs or cheese or even chillies and garlic.
So this here is my version of Shepherd's Pie. Original recipe is from the book Great Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma Dasa. Kurma Dasa belongs to the ISKCON family and does not use onion or garlic. My apologies to him, I have used garlic in my filling and the mashed potatoes too.

Ingredients:


1 cup cooked chickpeas/chole*
1/4 cup mini soya chunks*
1/4 cup grated carrot ( I used this only for the colour)
1/4 cup small pieces of paneer
2 cubes cheese, grated
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste.

*Soak chole in plenty of water for 6 to 8 hours and then pressure cook with salt in it till cooked but firm.
*Soak mini soya chunks in buttermilk for an hour and then pressure cook till two whistles, after the pressure drops drain and soak in  water and let sit for 10 minutes, drain and squeeze out the water.





Mix everything together. 

Put it in a greased baking dish/tray.

For the topping:

3 big potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed when hot
2 tblsp butter (amul or similar)
1 tblsp chopped herbs of your choice or just crushed black pepper 
1 tsp garlic paste or crushed garlic
1 tblsp cream
1/4 cup milk
salt to taste
Mash the potatoes when they are hot. add cream and the butter and beat well. Slowly add milk and beat to mix and become fluffy. Add salt, garlic and pepper and mix well. Spread evenly over the filling. 




Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes or till the top is crisp and golden brown in colour. 

Remove and cool slightly. 

                                                           

                                                                                                             

 Serve Hot or Warm. You can serve some whipped sour cream with this. I did not have it so I skipped it.

This is my 4th recipe in baked category.

Logo By Preeti

BM # 32 hosted by Srivalli of  http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in/

Peppy Peppers

Peppy Peppers

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. 

Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

Chillies are also known as peppers in some parts of the world so I have named these stuffed chillies Peppy Peppers for the alphabet P

I make these very often as everyone in our family like them. They are great with rice or with chapatis or even to eat as a side. I use to  shallow fry them till the cheese melted and the chillies were spotted with brown spots. The big fat chillies that are not hot or the Bhavnagri chillies  are very good for these. Of course if you like to eat very hot chillies go ahead and make with any kind of fat chillies. I normally use the long fat chillies that are used to make mirchi bhajis in the south. You could make a slit and stuff or even just remove the stalk and and remove the seeds from that hole and stuff. Normally I make a slit and stuff after removing the seeds but my maid cut them in two vertically so that is how I made it this time.

Ingredients:

 10 big fat green chillies of your choice

2 medium size potatoes, cooked and mashed

100 gms paneer, grated

4 cheese cubes, grated

1 tsp black pepper powder

1 tblsp finely chopped garlic

any fresh or dried  herbs of your choice

salt to taste + some more

juice of 1/2 a big lemon/lime

1 tsp green chilly, finely chopped (optional)

oil to coat the pan

Method:

Mix mashed potatoes, grated paneer and grated cheese lightly. Add the herbs, chopped garlic, black pepper powder and salt. Squeeze the lime juice, add the finely chopped green chillies, if using and mix again with a light hand. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Now wash and dry the chillies. Remove the stalk and cut into two vertically. Remove seeds and any white part inside. Sprinkle very little salt in each half of the chilly. 
Put about a tblsp of the potato mixture and stuff carefully. Do this with all the chilly halves.

Grease a baking tray and arrange the stuffed chillies and bake in hot oven for 12 to 15 minutes till cheese melts and the stuffing is golden brown.

 The Peppy Peppers are ready to eat. Crunchy and mildly spicy.

Serve as starters or with soup or as a side with curd rice or pulao.

If you are using the long and fat chillies then you can wrap the stuffed chilly in a chapati to make an awesome chilly frankie.

I was surfing one day and came across these wonderful baked chillies. http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2012/06/baked-jalapeno-poppers-eating-alphabet.html

So instead of pan frying I baked mine too.
Enjoy.


This is my 3rd recipe in International / fusion category

logo by Preeti.

Food Bloggin Marathon # 32 organised by:

http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.in/

Grated Potato Pancake

Grated Potato Pancake

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

In one very old issue of Women and Home (British edition) I had read about European food and those days  I was only interested in cakes and desserts. But there was this picture of Swiss Rosti, a golden crisp looking pancake made of potatoes that got me thinking, how  it was similar to our very own potato pancake. Of course the spices and binding was totally different but the picture and recipe stayed with me for many many years.

With the internet and world getting smaller each day I was able to Google and search for the recipe and compare it. Here I am giving you my take on 'Swiss Rosti' which is "Maharashtrian Batatyache Thalipeeth"

This goes under International / fusion recipe. Most of the European countries too have a version of this recipe.
This can also be eaten for fast,  but then instead of rice flour isabudana/sago or shingada/water chestnut flour is used. 

Ingredients:

2 big potatoes grated
1 cup grated fresh coconut
1/4 cup roasted ground/peanut powder (coarse)
1 tblsp chopped green chillies or to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/4 tsp cumin/jeera
1/4 cup rice flour
salt to taste
Oil/ghee for shallow frying          




Grated Potato in water




                                                      

Method : 

  Peel and grate the potatoes in water and keep aside for 15 minutes. Drain and wash grated potatoes well using a colander till the ware runs clear. Most of the starch will be washed away. 

Now add all the ingredients and mix well with a light hand. 

 Lightly brush a tawa/griddle with little oil or ghee and spread about 1/2 cup of mixture to make a thin pancake. make a hole in the center.  Drizzle oil/ghee around it and a little in the hole. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or till golden brown on the underside.

  

Flip over and cook uncovered for further 5 minutes or till both the sides are golden brown.

 Remove on a plate and  serve hot.

 

Enchilada

 Enchilada

Food Blogging Marathon from 2/9/2013 to 30/9/2013. Each day a new alphabet. 4 categories. 

Regional Food, 

Baked Dishes, 

International Flavors / Fusion flavors, 

Street Food / Condiments / Misc / Recipe less Posts on Food

Today it is E for Enchilada and my recipe is in

International flavours /Fusion flavours category

I live in a small rural town in a tribal area and availability of things is minimal. We as yet do not get any of the new veggies or spices or even regular out of season veggies/fruits/grains etc. Many time I have had to improvise and sometimes it becomes a whole new recipe, much liked by my daughters and so made often. 

Another big disadvantage I use to have here is electricity. We had heavy load shedding, upto 10 hours a day so baking was just not an option. That is why these Enchiladas are pan fried.

Luckily now we have our own solar power and I am able to bake a lot.

Enchilada

Ingrdients:

2 cups Kidney beans/rajma soaked for minimum 6 to 8 hours 
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin/jeera powder
1 tsp coriander/dhaniya/dhane powder
1 tblsp juice of lemon/lime
2 big tomatoes chopped fine
2 big onions chopped fine
2 tblsp chopped garlic
1 tblsp chopped green chilly or to taste

1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
1 cup chopped fresh coriander/dhaniya/kothimbir leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint/pudina leaves



1 cup grated cheese + some more to put on top
Salt to taste
1 tblsp oil
10 to 12 fresh chapatis/rotis made of whole wheat flour
Readymade bottle of egg-less mayonnaise (mexican flavour) or make your own mayonnaise and add chilli powder and garlic paste to it. 

Method: 

Pressure cook soaked kidney beans/rajma in plenty of water for 15 minutes after two whistles. Do not drain the water. 
Heat oil and add rajma, add cumin and coriander powder, red chilly powder and salt to taste. Boil on high heat till all water dries up. Switch of heat. Cool. Add lime juice, oinons, tomatoes, garlic, chillies, corn, coriander and mint leaves. add 1 cup grated cheese. Add salt to taste and mix well with a light hand. Don't mash the rajma too much.






To make the Enchilada:
Place the chapatis on clean surface and add a tblsp of mayonnaise. Spread evenly.

 Add a big spoon or about 1/2 a cup of rajma filling in vertical line in the center of the chapati.

 Now fold the Enchiladas as shown in the following pictures.
Fold the two sides 

then fold the bottom slightly and roll into a small packet.

Rolled Endhilada.

Do this with all the chapatis.

 Now shallow fry the rolled enchiladas very carefully. First put them seam side down and fry for a couple of minutes. turn carefully and fry the other side. They should be light brown in colour and crisp on the out side.
Serve hot with lots of grated cheese on top.

 If you want you can bake the enchiladas too. Put them in a buttered baking dish top with some tomato sauce and sprinkle lots of cheese and bake in moderate hot oven till cheese melts and is light golden brown.

My other posts in FBM # 32
A - Alu Vadi
B - Besnache Ghavan
C - Chilly Cheese Toast
D - Dak Dhokli