Egg Salad

Egg Salad

Egg salad is a simple and yummy appetizer. It can also be used as a filling for sandwich. This recipe is inspired from French and German Jew style egg salad which uses raw salted onions. You can also mash the eggs to attain a chunky texture. There are also a variety of ingredients that you can use for this salad like sauteed shallots, sauteed mushrooms, bell pepper, chopped nuts etc.

Ingredients
Hard boiled eggs- 3
Tomato-1
Salad Cucumber- 1 small
Shallots- 4-5
Ground black pepper- 1/3 tsp
Paprika-a pinch
salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Fresh parsley or dill- 1to 2 tsp
Lemon juice- a few drops
Lettuce and black olives for garnish

 In a pan saute shallots till golden brown. Add parsely, ground black pepper and a pinch of salt and mix well.
Slice boiled eggs and arrange on a bed of cucumber and tomatoes. Layer the caramelized onions and sprinkle black pepper, paprika and salt. Drizzle lemon juice and garnish with olives and lettuce.
If you want a chunkier texture, crumble the boiled eggs with a fork and mix with caramelized shallots. Serve with cucumber and lettuce. Serve with bread or with crackers.

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy!

Peach Galette

Baking partners challenge for this month is Galette. When Swathi asked me to make and share this recipe, I was excited to try and immediately decided to make one with a peach filling.
Galette is an open crust French pie. It has a flaky pastry dough like pies and tarts and a filling that can be either sweet or savory. They have a very rustic look. The filling is placed in the center and the dough is folded in an over lapping fashion on top of the filling. Galettes are perfect for pot luck parties as they are sliced and served like a pizza. You can make with any kind of fruit like peach, strawberry, blueberry or apples. Try using tomatoes/sun dried tomatoes, sausages,meat and cheese if you like the savory version.

Recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonama ...http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/berry-galette.html
 Julia Child's recipe of Fast French Puff Pastry( Book:Julia Child and Company,Alfred A. knopf,Inc, US,1978

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 1 cup
Cake Flour- 1/2 cup
Butter- 1 stick (chilled and unsalted)
Sugar- 2 tbs
Salt-1/4 tsp
Ice water- 4 tbs

Filling
Peach sliced-3
sugar-4 tbs

Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon

corn starch- 1tsp
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

For berry filling
Blue berry- 1 cup
Sugar- 3 tbs
Lemon juice- 1/2 tsp
Flour- 1 tbs

Sugar- 2 tbs

Flour- 1 tbs

In a bowl mix flour, salt and sugar.
Cut butter into small cubes and add to the flour. Using a pastry blender cut in through the flour, rapidly till the mixture becomes course. The flour will look like large flakes and the butter in the size of peas.
If you are using a food processor, first pulse the flour, sugar and butter. Then add the butter and pulse for 7- 8 times till the dough attains the above mentioned texture.
Slowly add ice cold water,two tbs at a time and mix until the dough starts coming together. make sure that the dough masses together roughly but the butter pieces remain about the same size.
Transfer this into a lightly floured work surface.Flatten like a rectangle rapidly push the dough with heal of your palm to the side away from you,starting from the top left corner to the bottom facing you.
 Rapidly pat and smooth the top. Lift the dough off work surface using a pastry sheet. Flip the bottom of the rectangle to the middle and the top down to cover it like an envelop.Tuck the two sides towards the bottom. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour to relax the gluten.

Meanwhile make the filling. Pit and slice peaches into 1/4 or half inch slices. Add sugar, vanilla, corn starch and juice of half lemon, mix and set aside. Repeat this with the berries too.

Pre heat oven to 350 degree F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll into 1/8 inch thick circles. You can use a plate and cut into the desired size.

Fold the disk into half and gently transfer into the baking sheet. Unfold it and sprinkle a mixture of flour and sugar. You will need around two tbs.
Arrange the peaches in a single layer in the center of the disc  leaving 3 inches border. Fold the edge up over the filling forming loose pleats. Gently press the pleats so that it stick together.Sprinkle course sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down a bit in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Beans Poduthol

Beans Poduthol

Healthy vegetable stir fry is easy to make and a perfect side dish for steamed rice.Poduthal is a North Kerala style vegetable dry dish. You can use other vegetable like long beans, cabbage,bitter gourd etc., to make this recipe.


Ingredients
Beans chopped- 2 1/2 cup
Grated coconut- 3 tbs (a hand full)
Onion- 1/2
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Dry chilly flakes- 1/2 tsp
Garlic-1 pods
Curry leaves- a few
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Coconut oil- 3 tsp
Pappadam- 2 (optional)
Salt to taste

Chop beans and onions. In a bowl add the chopped beans, onions, coconut,chilly flakes, turmeric powder and salt, rub and mix well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when they splutter add urad dal , crushed garlic and curry leaves and roast. Add the beans mixture and saute on medium high till the beans are tender and cooked. This will take about four to five minutes. Just before switching off the flame add powdered pappadam (this is optional). Serve with rice.

Try this
Hope you will enjoy!

Fish Masala Roast

Fish Masala Roast

Fish Masala is versatile recipe which you can make with any kind of fish. I have tried several variations of this recipe with King fish, Salmon, Mackerel, Cat fish etc.Some time I use tomato as the star ingredient and sometimes green masala. But for this fish masala, I added lots of pearl onions.The gravy has a touch of natural sweetness of pearl onions. It is a spicy and aromatic sauce. If you do not want to add this much pearl onions add some chopped tomatoes instead.

Fish Masala can be served as side dish with steamed rice, ghee rice, appam or pathiri. Some times I make this for Sunday lunch. 

 Ingredients

Fish - 1 lb
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Pearl onions/shallots thinly sliced- 2 cup
Sliced coconut pieces- 3 tbs
Tamarind- goose berry sized ball
Green chilly-1
Ginger chopped- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Roasted coconut powder- 1 tbs (optional)
Thick coconut milk- 3/4 cup
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Fennel powder- 1/3 tsp
Curry leaves- a few

Clean fish and cut gashes. Marinate with turmeric powder, salt and pepper powder and keep aside for ten minutes. Heat two to three tsp of oil and fry the fish till it is cooked. Keep the fried fish aside.


Soak tamarind in half a cup of water and squeeze out the pulp. Cut shallots into thin slices.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When they splutter add curry leaves  sliced and chopped coconut and fry till it changes color and there is a nice aroma. Next add diced shallots,green chilly, ginger and salt. Continue sauteing in medium flame for about 8-10 minutes  till the onions change shade to brown and crispy.
Add chilly powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,roasted coconut powder and fennel powder and saute for a few seconds. Add tamarind pulp and adjust consistency. Place the fish in this masala and spoon the masala over the fish.Cover and cook in low flame for about three minute.Pour thick coconut milk and after a minute switch off the flame.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!