Hokkaido Milk Bread

Things have been silent here for a while.I have been cooking and trying out new things more than ever, but am finding lesser and lesser time to blog about them and share them with you all. At the very least, I have been taking pictures, so we can hope that the posts could see the light of day at some point.

News on the Baby A front is that we celebrated his second birthday with a little party and a cake. So, he doesn't qualify to be called Baby A anymore. Since none of the established bakeries was willing to make a birthday at CNY, we placed an order with a home baker. We were so stunned by her creation. We asked her to put a few of A's favourite things: Thomas, Spot and Lightning McQueen. A was thrilled! A also started with a playgroup and seems to enjoy it. In his first week, he made pizzas at school! Another foodie in the making?

Earlier this year, I signed up with Aparna to bake 12 breads in 12 months with. I was in India for 3 weeks in February and so I dropped out of February's bread. We enjoyed the pull apart pesto bread so much that I was certain  I simply had to try the others. (OK, let's say the fear of being thrown out of the group also had something to do with the attempt.)

When we returned from India and were unwell for what felt like the longest time. I thought up every excuse in the book to opt out of this one. And then the pictures started pouring in. And I thought it'd be criminal to not even give this a try! So I went along with our credo: We Knead to Bake!

Hokkaido Milk Bread

A little time consuming, but very easy. The original recipe is for this bread is from 65 Degrees Tangzhong “65C Bread Doctor” by Yvonne Chen, and adapted from Kirbie’sCravings.

For The Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux)

1 1/2 tbsp Flour

1/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Milk 

Whisk together lightly the flour, water and milk in a saucepan until smooth and there are no lumps. Place the saucepan on the stove, and over medium heat, let the roux cook till it starts thickening. Keep stirring/ whisking constantly so no lumps form and the roux is smooth.

Watch the roux/ tangzhong until you start seeing “lines” forming and take the pan off the heat at this point.

Let the roux/ tangzhong cool completely and rest for about 2 to 3 hours at least. It will have the consistency of a soft and creamy crème patisserie.

For The Dough:

 2 1/2 cups Flour

 3 tbsp Sugar

 1tsp Salt

2 tbsp Milk Powder

2 tsp Instant Yeast

1/2 cup Milk

1/8 cup Cream

Tangzhong from the recipe above

25gm Unsalted Butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

Put the flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk and instant yeast in a bowl and mix with a hand blender and dough hooks. In another small bowl mix the milk, cream and Tangzhong till smooth and add to the processor bowl. Run on slow speed until the dough comes together. Now add the butter and process till you have a smooth and elastic dough which is just short of sticky.

Knead the dough to make it smooth. If the dough feels firm and not soft to touch, add a couple of tsps of milk till it becomes soft and elastic. When the dough is done, you should be able to stretch the dough without it breaking right away.  When it does break, the break should be form a circle.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl turning it so it is well coated. Cover with a towel, and let the dough rise for about 1 hour or till almost double in volume.  

Place the dough on the working surface. Divide the dough in 3 equal pieces. Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape, about 1/8” thick. Take one end of the dough from the shorter side of the oval and fold it to the middle of the oval. Take the other end and fold so it slightly overlaps the other fold.

Roll this folded dough with the rolling pin so the unfolded edges are stretched out to form a rectangle. Roll the rectangle from one short edge to the other, pinching the edges to seal well. Do this with each of the three larger pieces and place them, sealed edges down, in a well-oiled loaf tin. Cover with a towel and leave the dough to rise for another hour.

Brush the tops of the loaf with cream and bake at 170C (325F) for about 20 to 30 minutes till done and beautifully browned on top. Let the loaf cool in the tin for about 5 minutes and then unmould and transfer to a rack till slightly warm or cool. Slice and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Soft and so tasty. This is, by far, the best bread I've baked.

Savoury Bread Pudding

A few weeks ago, I had almost lost all my enthusiasm to cook. I was excited about being in a new house with a slightly bigger kitchen. But because my kitchen wasn't yet organized, I didn't seem to care that much about cooking. Also, thanks to some new cab routing issues, I was also getting home about an hour later than I used to earlier. So dinner was usually something I tried to "get over with" and lunch was anything that came together in 15 minutes or less.

Then came the end of November. And dear Nupur came up with her 40 recipes in 40 days schedule. She is to blame for a lot of things on this blog. Her series A-Z of Indian Vegetables is probably the very first blog event I ever participated in. Then, she very innocently put up this post about Eating Out While Eating In and that resulted in an entire series on my blog. So, I end this year with a mini 7-day marathon that Nupur is organizing.

Through Nupur's blog, I landed at Alanna's blog and bookmarked this recipe. Soon after, Nupur made this dish. I made it one winter afternoon, with several modifications, when I didn't feel like making a big lunch. It was a hit!

1 Onion, chopped

1 cup Spinach, chopped

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 Egg

3/4 cup Milk

2 tbsp Cream

1 tsp Mixed Herbs

1 tsp Chilli Flakes

2 tbsp Mustard (Dijon)

5 slices Bread, diced

1 cup Mixed Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Peas, Corn), diced and cooked

1/4 cup Cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Butter to grease the baking dish

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion for a minute. Add the spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt, stir well and keep aside. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a bowl, beat the egg well. Add the milk and cream along with the mustard. Add the chilli flakes and mixed herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Blend in the spinach onion mixture.

In the greased baking dish, place the bread and the mixed vegetables. Pour the egg-spinach mixture. Cover with grated cheese, season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

I thought bread puddings only tasted great sweet, but this recipe is a keeper. Thanks Nupur and Alanna.

Beetroot Patties

I have a colleague and cabmate, S, who has a colleague and best friend, D. D's mother is, like my colleague P's mother, an excellent cook. Since I leave for work very early, and since I cook our breakfast and lunch in the morning before leaving for work, I end up eating breakfast at work because there just isn't any time. Very often, S and D have their breakfast at the same time in the office cafeteria. Every once in a while, I taste D's breakfast and I must say that her mother makes the most unusual dishes.

Last week, D brought these beetroot patties for breakfast. I had one bite and found that I couldn't stop myself from taking the second... and the third. S gave me the recipe on the way back home that evening and I was all set to try it out this weekend. All I can say is that I will make these again and again, all through this winter.

1/2 cup Beetroot, grated

1/2 cup Carrot, grated

2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1 tsp Garlic Paste

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Amchur (Dry Mango Powder)

1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

2-3 slices of Bread

Salt to taste

Cornflour to coat the patties

Oil for frying

Heat the tablespoon of oil and fry the ginger, garlic and green chilli pastes for a minute. Add the beetroot and carrot and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the peanuts along with the salt, chilli powder, amchur, cumin-coriander powder and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the garam masala. Crumble the bread slices into the beetroot mixture and mix well. Take off the flame and allow to cool.

Form small balls of this mixture and flatten them slightly. Coat them in the cornflour and shallow fry on a pan until crisp on both sides. Serve with a salad on the side (or some tomato ketchup).

Please do remember that there are only two days left for the Tried and Tasted event. Do hop over to Sunshinemom's blog and pick a recipe that you've always wanted to try and send it over to me.

Vada Pav

The Indian Burger! That would best describe the Vada Pav. I don't remember when I ate my first vada pav. My strongest memory of the batata vadas dates back to the late seventies. As the Dadar Express pulled into Karjat, Amma would start looking out of the window. Somewhere amidst the Kedbari, Feystar, Jings ( Cadbury's, Five Star, Gems) she'd find a Batata Vada vendor and call him. They'd talk in marathi (and we didn't understand a word) and at the end of the conversation we'd have a newspaper with 6 vadas, some garlic chutney and a few green chillies. Every year, we looked forward to this moment. Finger licking goodness!

I got hooked to the Vada Pav much later. I tried several different vendors until I figured this guy outside the LIC building on my way to the station from Nariman Point dished out the best vada pav. I wasn't that keen on making the stuff at home, so I didn't pay attention to his chutney. (When you got it for 2.75 a piece, why would you bother?) I tried it at home years later. It wasn't as good as his, but it was definitely good.

For the Batter:
1/2 cup Gram Flour (Besan)

1/4 cup Rice Flour

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Garlic Paste

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Hot Oil

For the Filling:
3-4 Potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for frying


For the Chutney:

6-8 Garlic Pods
4 Red Chillies
Salt to taste


6 Pavs

Mash the potatoes and add the salt, chilli and ginger-garlic pastes, and coriander leaves. Make small balls and keep aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the batter. Add enough water to make a thick batter.

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Dip the potato balls in the gram flour batter and drop carefully into the oil. Deep fry the batata vadas until they turn golden brown all around. Drain on absorbent paper.

Grind together all the ingredients for the chutney. Slit each pav horizontally (not all the way) and spread some chutney. Place a batata vada over the chutney and enjoy your snack.

P.S. S had a new version of vada pav at the Mumbai airport recently. He said the vada was baked int the bun. A little more time consuming I'm sure, but he says it is a very non messy way to enjoy the snack. With all this baking going on, can I say no?

Crumb Tossed Vegetables

We've switched to having soups for dinner. Since we have dinner quite late (given our very hectic evening schedule tha includes the gym), this is an attempt to cut down the amount of carbohydrates that we eat at night. Actually, it is an attempt to cut down on rice. Since I have about 15-30 minutes on any day to make dinner before we rush to the gym, I end up making rice. I don't have the patience to come back from the gym and start rolling chapatis. (I don't have the patience to roll chapatis even if I've rested all day and have the entire evening to just make chapatis.) I decided to make some soup and a side dish. I made Amma's famous tomato soup, some chilli soya, and this. The meal was more than just filling.

1/2 cup Broccoli florets

1/2 cup Cauliflower florets

1/2 cup Carrots, diced

2-3 tbsp Bread Crumbs

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Chilli Flakes

1/2 tsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Roasted Garlic

Salt to Taste

Place the carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle a little water over the vegetables and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the chili flakes, parsley, garlic and basil. Add the cooked vegetables and the salt. Toss well and cook for a minute or two. Add the bread crumbs and toss again. Transfer this to a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.

I'm sending this over to TC as she hosts this month's edition of JFI. Check out : Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawana, Raaji, Ruchii, Anu, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya M, Lakshmi, Lakshmi Venkatesh , Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

Bread Upma

Weekend mornings. Don't we live for them? I think I most definitely do. I don't like waking up and having to think about what to make for breakfast. To emerge victorious here, we used to step out of home for a leisurely breakfast at our favourite south indian restaurant, Naivedyam. Of late, we've gotten bored of that routine. So, on most days, it is a fruit shake followed by a full fledged meal.

On one weekend morning, we were up fairly early. We had 5 slices of bread left over from the week and a couple of potato buns from my baking escapade. Since we weren't in the mood for eggs on toast, I decided to make this spicy upma.

6-8 slices Bread, torn to small bits

1 Onion, choped finely

1 tsp Oil

¼ tsp Cumin Seeds

¼ tsp Mustard Seeds

¼ tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 Green Chilli, slit

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard, cumin and the asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the green chilli and the onion. Add the curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and the salt. Add the bread and mix well. Sprinkle some water over the bread. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy your breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.

Check out what my friends are up to: DK , Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Anu, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya M, Lakshmi, Lakshmi Venkatesh, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, DK, and Pavani.

Garlic Bread

One of the things I love about dining in at Pizza Hut is the garlic bread that they serve. I don't like it when it is delivered. It tends to get a litle soggy by the time it arrives. The only time I eat it is when we eat at the restaurant (which isn' often). Now, when I want to eat garlic bread, I make it at home.

8 slices of a Baguette, lightly toasted
3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Garlic Paste
2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1 tbsp Mixed Herbs
2 tbsp Cheese Powder
Salt to taste

Mix the red chilli flakes, garlic paste, salt and mixed herbs with the olive oil and keep aside for 5-10 minutes. Brush the toasted slices with the olive oil mixture and sprinkle the cheese powder over them. Bake in a hot oven (450F) for 10 minutes.

I made this garlic bread to go with the corn and vegetable chowder. It tastes great with the soup, but I also like this with pasta or on its own, as a snack.

Raisin Vanilla Bread Pudding

I began the week with a recipe from my paternal grandmother and I shall end it with one from my maternal grandmother. Many amchi recipes I have inherited from her through Amma. Ammamma, as I would have called her had I met and known her, is supposed to have been a wonderful cook. Appa cannot stop singing praises for her cooking. Amma thinks she may be 50% as good as her mother and I think I may be about 5% of what Amma is. My aim is to get to at least 50% in this lifetime. The thing is that there are many things that I make well, but when it comes to replicating Amma’s recipes, I am never able to replicate the same taste. Mothers’ always have a little pixie dust methinks.


This is one recipe that I have loved from the very first time I tasted it. I learnt how to make it from Amma and would eat it for breakfast at the hostel when I had to rush for French class at 5.45 in the morning. It is supposed to be dessert, but hey, milk and bread’s supposed to be good for you. I made this last week immediately after dinner and we ate it piping hot. I ate the leftovers the next morning for breakfast. Lipsmacking delicious.


The funny thing is that Ammamma didn’t eat bread. So, although she left this fantastic recipe for her youngest granddaughter, she had no idea how great this tastes. (She passed away 3 months before I was born. Next week, it will be 32 years since she passed away.)

I also participated in the Open Sesame event and for the riddle, I was sent this

I am a grass , or am I a cereal or a grain

I am everywhere and in almost all the foods you eat

My whole being used in many ways without restrain

I offer you something which is so hard to beat

I am as old as you can think of me to be

Thought to be originated from the land of camels

I am breakfast, lunch and dinner for all to see

Or be it desserts from cakes , pies to caramels


I am famous all over the world from east to west

As breads, flatbreads , cookies to muffins

I am v healthy and like a treasure chest

For ppl - weight conscious and its healthy kins


Buckle up and take a pen and a paper

I am yellow when alive, brown when put to 'dust'

Eating me makes you look so dapper

Now think hard and tell me what is that grain that we all genuinely trust

I guessed “Wheat” and what do you know, I was right! I am glad this recipe fits in so beautifully.


4 slices Bread, roughly torn
2 cups Milk
3 tbsp Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla
2 tbsp Raisins


Boil the milk with the sugar and the vanilla. Add the raisins and boil for a minute. Place the bread slices in a dish. Pour the milk mixture over the slices. Pressure cook for 1-2 whistles. Serve hot or cold.

This is really one of the simplest desserts I have ever made. It is fat free since I use toned milk from which the fat has been removed. The bread is whole wheat. There is no egg to beat, no butter to melt, no preheating, no lining and dusting. Just good, wholesome, yummy dessert.

Pizza Style Sandwich

Thank God I overcame my fear of yeast last year. I have been baking bread, pizza and rolls regularly since then. Each time I make a yeast bread, I wonder why I hadn't started earlier. Pizzas have become weeknight regulars at our place. The weather ensures that my dough rises to the occasion. I baked a pizza a couple of weeks ago and had some sauce leftover. (Lightning does not strike liars, does it?) No, I didn't have sauce leftover. I kept aside some sauce so I could make sandwiches for breakfast later on.

4 slices Brown Bread

1 tbsp Butter(optional)

2 slices Low Fat Cheese

For the sauce:

1 Onion, sliced

2 medium Tomatoes, chopped finely

1 Capsicum, sliced (I used small portions of green, red and yellow capsicum)

2 tsp Chilli Flakes

1/8 cup Sweet Corn

1/8 cup Paneer, cubed

3 pods Garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp Fresh Basil, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

For the sauce:

In a pan, heat the oil and add the garlic and onions. Fry for a minute or two. Add the capsicum, paneer, and corn and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the parsley, basil, oregano, chilli flakes, salt, sugar and pepper and fry for another minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the ketchup and cook the mixture for a couple of minutes.

To proceed:

Place a slice of cheese on a slice of bread. Place 2-3 tbsp of the sauce over it. Cover this with another bread slice. Repeat with the other 2 bread slices as well. If using butter, apply some butter to both sides of the sandwich (outer sides) and grill in a sandwich maker.

This is great at breakfast time as long as you are able to eat pizza in the morning. (My brother and I can eat pizza at any meal and as many times.) Else, you can have it as a snack or a light meal.

This is off to Anupama's Sandwich festival.

This is Day 5 of the Recipe Marathon and my fellow bloggers have posted:

Siri: Hash Brown Melts
Lakshmi: Mango Fool

Arundathi: Bell Peppery curry

Srivalli: Andhra Mutton Pepper Fry

Dhivs: Fried Herb Mozarella

Swati: Aloo n Gobhi

Divya: Carrot rice

Ranji: Banana Chips

Bhags: triangularly yours

Peach Apricot Bread Pudding

There are recipes that are handed down through generations. Intact as they pass from mother to daughter until they reach the likes of moi! Some day, I'll share my grandmother's recipe for a bread pudding with all of you. It is what I consider the ultimate comfort dessert. For now, you'll all have to be content with my new version. Peachy, you say. I agree.

I made this last night for dessert. And I'll have more of it through this week. And I'll also send a bowlful to Mansi for the A Fruit A Month (AFAM) event.

4 slices Brown Bread

2 tbsp Peach Apricot Crush, diluted with 2 tbsp water

1 cup Milk

3 tbsp Sugar

Soak the bread slices in the peach apricot juice mixture and arrange in a baking dish.

Bring the milk to a boil and add the sugar to it. Pour this mixture over the bread slices and cook in a microwave for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy it hot. Keep it in the fridge and enjoy it cold for a few days after that.

I'll upload the pictures of this dish later. Have been swamped and haven't had a chance to upload any pictures from my camera.

Bread Upkari

Upkari is the konkani name for a curry that's made with tadka, cooked in its own steam and is served with scraped coconut. (At least in my books, that's what it is!)

This is probably called Bread Upma or something like that elsewhere, but for me, it is Bread-a Upkari, which literally means, upkari made with bread.

Usually made with left over bread, I sometimes start craving this when we get a fresh loaf at home. I remember a trip to Adyar Bakery House with Amma many years ago. We came back home with a huge loaf of brown bread and as soon as we got back home, I said to Amma, "Makka atta breada upkari khaunchasa. Karta vey?" (I want to eat Bread Upkari now. Will you make it?) She laughed and said that it is usually made out of old bread and that her mother would have laughed had she known that someone was making it out of fresh bread. Even now, sometimes I feel like making this when we buy a loaf. But I find that there are so many things one can make with a loaf of fresh bread and so I leave this for the third day.

6-8 slices Bread, cut into cubes

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Urad Dal

1/4 tsp Chana Dal

7-8 Curry Leaves

2-3 Red Chillies

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Scraped Coconut for garnishing

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, urad and chana dals. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and the red chillies. Add the cut bread pieces and fry for a little while.

Dissolve the sugar and the required amount of salt in a little water and pour over the bread. (Rememner that the bread is already salted). Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and allow some pieces of bread to brown. Garnish with scraped coconut and enjoy this at any time of the day.

Usal Pav

I was born in Bombay and have spent countless summers there. Amma was an out and out and Bombay girl until a few years ago when she, maybe because of my influence, became a hard-core Madras ponnu. As with any city, you can take a person out of Bombay, but you can't take Bombay out of a person. Mother and daughter enjoy doing things together in Bombay even today. Drinking sugarcane juice in Matunga, eating Pav Bhaji in Vile Parle, Pani Puri at KP, or Vada Pav near Churchgate. I, on my own, have done a lot more street eating than even some of my cousins who have lived there all their lives. I can tell you where in Nariman Point you get the best Sev Puri and where to go for the best dosas. I suffer from GERS and IBS and have not let any of this affect my eating habits. I am careful where I have to be and carefree at others, but never careless about what, how much and where I eat.

I'd never eaten Usal Pav in Bombay. The first time I had it was in Baroda, at a local joint. Misal, I'd had when my friend Prajakta's dad made it for me in Madras. But a few years ago, my aunt (yet another amazing cook)made Usal Pav with the help of her neighbour for me when I was visiting. (Of all the 14 grandchildren in the house, I'm the youngest but the least finicky about food. That means that all aunts have wanted to make things for me, because they always knew I'd eat without a fuss. Spice, I cannot tolerate beyond a point, but, that apart, I've always been a good girl!)

I was then visiting Bombay from Hyderabad and my aunt gave me a packet of Usal mix. I never used it. I didn't have the heart to open it and try my hand at it. The packet went with me from Bombay to Hyderabad and then to Bangalore before it travelled yet again with my stuff to Gurgaon. I'd been meaning to make Pav Bhaji for ages now, and then I found this packet of Usal mix. Still good after all these years. I chucked the Pav Bhaji idea and settled for Usal Pav. This was going to be my big day.

The packet contained 7 types of lentils. Moong, Matki, Green Chana, Brown Chana, Chawli, Vaal, Vatana. I made a quick call to my mami and asked her how to proceed. She told me I could use any number of mixed lentils and didn't have to rely on a packet of Usal mix.

Ingredients:

500g Mixed Lentils (soaked overnight and cooked)

2-3 Onions, chopped

3-4 pods of Garlic, chopped

1 tbsp Ginger-Chilli-Garlic paste

2 tbsp Oil

2-3 Tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

2 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Garam Masala

Salt to Taste

8 pieces Pav

Butter to roast Pav

To serve:

2 tbsp Coriander, chopped

2 Onions, chopped

200g Sev

Lime wedges

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai and fry the onions. When the onions turn brown, add 1-2 pods of garlic, chopped. Add the ginger-chilli-garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Cool this mixture and grind to a fine paste.

Heat the remaining oil. Add the remaining garlic and fry for a minute. Add the ground paste and fry until the oil separates from the paste. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes. Add plenty of water and salt. Add the cooked lentils and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Mash the mixture a little and add some chopped coriander leaves if you like.

Slit each pav in the centre and smear some butter on the cut surface. Toast on a hot tava untl the sides are brown.

Serve the usal in a bowl. Sprinkle the onions, coriander and sev over this. Serve with toasted pav and lime wedges. (I served everything separately because that way people could mix and match the amount of onions and sev on their own.)

Once the lentils have been soaked, the entire dish doesn't take more than 20-25 minutes to put together. So, this goes to Mallugirl’s Express Cooking challenge.

Cinnamon French Toast

After sampling Eggless Masala French Toast, I wanted to have the usual french toast. But then again, I didn't feel like the usual stuff. So, I decided to bring in a "kahani mein twist" (a twist in the tale). I added cinnamon to the egg-milk mixture and had lovely breakfast this morning. Topped with maple syrup and eaten while hot, can there be a better start to the day?

Ingredients:

4 slices Whole Wheat Brown Bread

2 eggs

1/2 cup Milk

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon Powder

Butter for frying

Beat the eggs well. Add the sugar, cinnamon powder and milk and mix well. Dip each bread slice in this mixture and then place on a hot tawa. Cook with a little butter. When one side is done, turn the slice over and cook the other side till it browns.

Drizzle some maple syrup over the slices and enjoy them for breakfast.

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn and hosted by Anna of Anna's Cool Finds.

Eggless Masala French Toast

All my bags are packed I am ready to go!

I'm not talking about John Denver's song.

Oops I did it again!
No, I'm not talking Spears' song.

I'm talking about what I just did... for the second time in 2 weeks. Found a recipe on a blog I visit and made it within a few hours. I leave home in an hour or two to go home. I didn't feel like cooking something just for myself. I didn't feel like Maggi or a dosa or any of those things. As I was winding up my work for the day, I went to Food Blog Desam and saw that Coffee had put up a post that said "Guess". I clicked on that link but it didn't take me to the page where I could find a guessing contest. I browsed a little and found a recipe for an Eggless French Toast. I decided that this was what I wanted to eat.

But I only had some Amul Masti Buttermilk and no curds. No ginger paste. So I said, let me make do with what I have. I remembered the packet of Vegit Aloo Mash. Thanks for the inspiration, Coffee. I loved eating this for a light lunch just now.

Ingredients:

2 slices of Bread

1 small Onion, chopped finely

1 green Chilli, chopped finely

100 ml Amul Masti Spiced Buttermilk

1/4 cup Aloo Mash (or a medium sized potato, cooked and mashed)

1/4 cup Rava

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

Mix all the ingredients except for the bread and oil and let the mixture wait for a minute or two. The potato mash powder should soak up the liquid and become soft. Dip the bread slices in the batter and coat both sides evenly.

Shallow fry on a tawa using oil as necessary and enjoy it with Tomato Sauce.

And I am giving Coffee a taste of her own medicine... oops... french toast! This is my entry to The Spice Cafe for July's Monthly Blog Patrol: Going Lite.