Homemade personal chicken pizza

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – ½ cup

Active yeast – 1/8 teaspoon

Salt – to taste

Sugar – 1 teaspoon

Tomato – 1 big (finely chopped)

Oil (preferably olive oil) – 4 teaspoons

Capsicum – ¼ (cut into long strips)

Onion – 1 medium (1/4^th finely chopped & rest diced)

Garlic – 2 cloves (1 clove finely chopped & another finely sliced)

Black pepper powder – ½ teaspoon

Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon

Small cubed chicken pieces – ½ cup

Tomato ketchup – 1 tablespoon

Butter – 1 teaspoon

Mozzarella cheese – ½ cup (shredded or grated)

Method:

In about 2-3 tablespoons of warm water add ½ teaspoon of sugar, and active yeast and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Marinate the chicken pieces with lemon juice, salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder.

In a bowl mix flour and salt. Then add yeast mixture and 1 teaspoon oil.

Knead it well to make firm smooth dough adding warm water. Make a ball of this dough.

Take 1 teaspoon oil in your palm and roll the dough on it so that the dough covered with oil.

Cover the dough with a wet cloth (wet the cloth with warm water) and let it rest for 2-3 hours (after 2-3 hours the dough will be double of its original size).

Now heat 1 teaspoon oil in a non-stick pan.

Add marinated chicken and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add cubed onion, sliced garlic and capsicum to it. Add little salt if required. Fry them together for about another 5 minutes and remove from heat. Pizza topping is ready.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and chopped onion to it. Fry for bout 1 min and then add chopped tomato, salt, ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder to it.

Cook until tomato is cooked. Now add tomato ketchup and butter to it. Mix well and remove from the heat. Pizza sauce is ready.

When the dough is ready (after 2-3 hours) knead it and divide in two balls. Roll the dough balls (on a lightly floured surface) until you get a circle of ¼ inch thickness.

Spread half portion of pizza sauce on each of these pizza bases.

Then spread ¼ portion of cheese on each of them.

Now add ½ portion of pizza topping evenly on both of the base.

Spread remaining cheese evenly on both of them.

Bake the pizzas in the preheated oven at 400F for about 20 minutes (until the crust is lightly brown).

Enjoy your homemade personal chicken pizza.

Hing er kochuri

Ingredients:

Urad Dal – 4 tablespoons

All purpose flour – 1 cup

Asafetida (Hing) – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Oil – 4 teaspoons + to fry kochuris

Method:

Soak Urad dal in water overnight (at least 8 hours).

Make a course rava-like paste of the soaked dal adding as little water as possible.

In a pan heat 2 teaspoons of oil.

Add asafetida to it. Then add the paste of dal and salt and fry until it becomes like dough; it should not be hard. Remove from heat and let it be cool. The filling is ready.

Mix flour and salt.

Then add 1 teaspoon oil and mix well.

Make firm dough by adding about 100 ml warm water slowly to it. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

Divide it into 8 small lime size balls.

On a smooth surface keep one dough ball and flatten it by using your hand in small (about 1.5 inch diameter) circle (the central portion should be thicker than the edges). Put about ¼ teaspoon of filling in the middle and join the edges to form a ball again. Repeat the process for all the remaining dough balls.

Roll the dough balls into about 4 inch diameter uniform circle.

Deep-fry it (fry both sides turning the kochuri upside down when one side is golden) one at a time in vegetable oil (the oil should be very hot). Kochuris should puff up.

Remove the excess oil using a paper towel and serve hot with “Chholar Dal” or your choice of curry.

Shahi Mughlai Paratha

Ingredients:
For paratha:-
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Oil – 1 teaspoon + oil to fry paratha
Salt – to taste

For filling:-
Eggs – 2
Onion (chopped) -2 tablespoons
Green chili (chopped) – 2 (or according to your taste)
Ground chicken / small pieces of chicken – 4 tablespoons
Ginger + garlic + chili paste – 1 teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Garam masala powder – a pinch
Oil – 1 tablespoon

For potato curry:-
Potato – 1 big (peel and cut into 1 inch cubes)
Onion – 2 tablespoons paste
Ginger + green chili paste – 1 teaspoon
Tomato – two 1 inch cubes
Salt – to taste
Sugar – 1.5 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – 1/8 teaspoon
Cumin powder – ¼ teaspoon
Garam masala powder – a pinch
Bay leaf – 1
Green cardamom – 2
Cloves – 2
Stick cinnamon – 1 inch piece
Oil – 2 tablespoons

Method:
Mix ground chicken / chicken pieces, salt, turmeric powder and ginger + garlic + chili paste.
In a pan heat 1 tablespoon oil.
Add 1 tablespoon chopped onion to it. Fry until onion becomes golden brown.
Add chicken mixture to it and mix well. Cook it in medium heat until chicken pieces become tender/ well cooked. If required sprinkle little warm water. The cooked chicken should be dry.When the chicken is cooked, add garam masala powder and remove from the heat and keep aside.

In another pan heat 2 tablespoons oil.
Add ½ teaspoon sugar to it and caramelize. Add bay leaf, green cardamoms, cloves, stick cinnamon to it and fry till green cardamoms become light golden.
Add onion paste, ginger + green chili paste, salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder and tomato to it. Fry until masala becomes brown and tomato pieces become tender.
Add potato pieces ans remaining sugar to it and cook in medium to low heat covering the pan until potatoes become tender. If required sprinkle little water to it. The curry should be with very little gravy (almost dry).
When the potatoes are cooked sprinkle garam masala powder and remove from heat.

In a bowl mix all purpose flour and salt. Add 1 teaspoon oil and blend well. Add enough warm water to make firm dough.
Divide the dough into two halves to make two paratha from it.
In a smooth surface brush little oil and roll one dough ball into a very thin (as thin as possible so that the filling cooks properly) circular shape.
Beat one egg and add ½ teaspoon chopped onion, some chopped green chili and half portion of cooked chicken to it. Mix well and put this mixture at the center of the rolled paratha.
Fold four sides of the paratha to give a square shape and to secure the filling inside it.
Repeat the process of making paratha for the second dough ball also.
Heat enough oil in a pan (depth of the oil should be at least same as the thickness of the paratha with filling).
Fry the parathas (both sides) one by one in medium heat until each side become brown.
Drain excess oil. Cut the paratha in four pieces (by this way you will be sure that the filling is also cooked properly; if you find it is not properly cooked then fry the pieces again; this will not kill the taste of the paratha) and serve hot with potato curry (alternately you can serve the paratha with “kosha mangsho”), tomato ketchup and sliced onion-cucumber salad.

Spring roll

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 50 gm
Corn flour - 50 gm
Garlic (grated) - 30 gm
Carrot - 50 gm
Cabbage - 60 gm
Capsicum - 60 gm
Onion – 1 small
Spring onion (green onion) - 1
Beans - 50 gm
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Soya sauce - 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Black pepper – ¼ teaspoon
Oil – 4 teaspoons + for deep frying

Method:
Grate/chop finely all the vegetables.
Heat 3 teaspoons oil in a pan.
Add garlic and sauté well.
Add carrot, cabbage, capsicum and beans and sauté well.
Add sugar, Soya sauce, salt and black pepper and mix well.
Add spring onion and remove from the heat; let it be cool.
In a bowl mix all purpose flour, corn flour and salt.
Add 1 teaspoon oil and blend well.
Add warm water as required to make firm dough.
Divide this dough to small lime size balls.
Roll each dough balls to thin circular shape. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling in a long shape in one side of this circle (about 1” away from the 3 edges nearest to it). Moisten the edges of the wrapper with little water. Fold the top and bottom part over the filling to enclose the filling securely. Now roll it to the shape of spring roll.
Deep fry the rolls in hot oil till it becomes golden.
Serve hot with your favorite chutney or tomato ketchup.

Note: You can add small shrimps and/or cooked shredded chicken in the filling if you wish.

Luchi (Puri)

Ingredients:
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Salt – to taste
Warm water – about 100 ml
Oil – 1 teaspoon + oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix flour and salt.
Then add 1 teaspoon oil and mix well.
Make firm dough by adding about 100 ml warm water slowly to it. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
Divide it into 8 small lime size balls.
Roll the dough balls into about 4 inch diameter uniform circle (it should not be thin somewhere and thick elsewhere).
Deep-fry it (fry both sides turning the luchi upside down when one side is golden) one at a time in vegetable oil (the oil should be very hot; otherwise luchis will not be good). Luchis should puff up.
Remove the excess oil using a paper towel and serve hot with your favorite curry.

Singara (bengali samosa)

Ingredients:
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Oil – 4 teaspoons + oil for deep fry
Water (warm)– to make dough
Salt – to taste
Potato – 1 medium (peel and cut in small cubes)
Cauliflower – 2 florets (cut into small pieces)
Green peas – 1 tablespoon
Peanut – 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Sugar – 1/2teaspoon
Cumin powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala – 1/8 teaspoon
Panch phoron – 1/8 teaspoon
Bay leaf – 1
Dried red chili – 1
Asafetida (hing) – a pinch

Method:

Heat 3 teaspoons of oil in a pan.
Add bay leaf, dried red chili, asafetida and panch phoron.
When panch phoron starts to splatter add potato and cauliflower. Stir for few minutes.
Then add salt, turmeric powder, sugar, cumin powder and coriander powder. Mix well.
Now add peanuts and green peas and cook covering it until potatoes are tender. If required add very little water. The curry should be dry but not like fry.
Now add garam masala powder and turn off the heat. Let the curry be cool.
Mix flour and salt into a bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon oil and enough warm water to make firm dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and roll into a ball.
Divide the pastry into equal lime-sized balls (around 8 balls) and roll out into a thin oval shape.
Divide this into two equal pieces with a knife.
Brush each edge with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge.
Fill the cases with the cool potato-cauliflower curry and press the two dampened edges together to seal the top of the cone.
Deep fry the singaras in hot oil (medium heat) until crisp and brown.
Take out and drain on a paper towel.
Serve hot with your favorite chutney or tomato ketchup.

Besan dhokla

Ingredients:
Gram flour (besan) - 3 tablespoons
Water – 2 tablespoons (about)
Curd (should be a little sour) – 1 tablespoon
Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
Ginger + green chili paste – ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Salt to taste
Coriander (chopped) - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 3 teaspoons
Boiled green chilies – 2-3 (optional)
Shredded coconut – 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds – 1/8th teaspoon
Curry leaves – 4-5

Method:
Put gram flour in a bowl and mix in curd, water and beat to a smooth thick paste. Leave aside to ferment for 4-5 hours. The mixture will increase in size.
Add ginger + chili paste, salt, and turmeric powder to the batter.
Heat the steamer or pressure cooker with about 2 cups water for steaming the dhokla. Make sure the water does not get into the container in which you will cook the dhokla.
In a small bowl, mix baking powder, 1 teaspoon oil and lemon juice.
Add this mixture to the fermented flour mixture and mix well. This will increase the volume of the mixture.
Pour immediately into flat greased vessel or a thali or a cake tin.
Steam with cover for about 20 minutes. Do not place the weight if you are using pressure cooker.
Let the cooked dhokla be cool for few minutes.
Cut the dhokla into your desired shape.
In a small pan heat the remaining oil. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
When they start spluttering stop heating and pour over dhokla pieces.
Sprinkle chopped coriander, shredded coconut, boiled chilies.
Serve with tamarind chutney.

Chicken Lollypop

Ingredients:

8 chicken drumsticks1 tablespoon corn flour
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon Soya sauce
2 tablespoons curd
½ teaspoon tandoori masala

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper powder

Oil for deep frying

1 egg

Method:
Make 4-5 slits on each drumstick length wise so that masala can get into it.
Marinate the drumsticks with ginger-garlic paste, salt, black pepper powder, curd, tomato ketchup and tandoori masala for 1 day. You can refrigerate it if you wish to marinate for more than 1 day. More time you marinate better will be the taste. I prefer to marinate for 2 days in refrigerator.
Add corn flour, all purpose flour and beaten egg to the marinated chicken before frying.
Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and pour in the drumsticks and deep fry until the chicken turns reddish brown.
Serve hot with fresh salad.