Grissini/ Bread Sticks



Grissini or Breadsticks are addictive just on their own or by any dips or soups. So make sure you make enough for yourself. The train journeys remind me of these breadsticks with butter and tomato soup.  I've learned, this is the proper way to have one: You first scoop the butter with the breadstick and bite into it, and next sip the hot tomato soup. I wonder why, this way?  But it's okay, you can have it the way you want it. I eat my sticks with butter and tomato sauce. One could also dip into cream cheese, guacamole, chocolate fondue, cheese fondue, or marinara sauce. You could also add herbs, carom seeds, cumin to your sticks dough but I like them plain. You could also sprinkle poppy seeds or sesame seeds before baking. Brush some water and sprinkle them. You'll have your own sesame or poppy seed sticks. 




   To make this recipe, you'll need the following ingredients : 


All-purpose flour
225 grams
Instant  yeast
1 heaped teaspoon
Sugar
1 teaspoon
Salt
1 teaspoon
Lukewarm water
150 ML
Olive oil or butter
1 teaspoon


                                            Method : 

1. Firstly, add lukewarm water to a mug or a small bowl, followed by sugar and yeast. Mix well and set it aside for the yeast to froth up. 
2. Now to the flour, add the salt and the oil, and rub the oil into the flour with your fingers until the mixture appears crumbly. (Just like we do it for any shortcrust pastry)
3. Once the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes. 
4. Rest the dough until it gets doubled in its size. (cover and place it in a warm place. In my case, it's my oven)
5. Knock back the dough to degas and knead briefly.
6. Shape the breadsticks. (Make small dough balls and roll the balls into sticks). But do remember that they will rise as they bake. So, roll them thinner than you actually want them. The thickness of your little finger always works. 
7. Bake them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. Each oven works differently, so keep an eye on your sticks. This will give crusty tops and soft centers. If you want hard centers, then turn down your oven to the lowest temperature and bake for further 5 minutes, just make sure you don't burn them or over brown them. This way, they don't go stale and can be kept for few days in an air-tight container. 


                                                                          Pictorial : 


Add sugar to the lukewarm water



and yeast. Mix well and set it aside for the yeast to froth up. 



Now to the flour, add the salt 



 and the oil and rub the oil into the flour with your fingers until the mixture appears crumbly. (Just like we do it for shortcrust pastry)


Once the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes. 



 Rest the dough until it gets doubled in its size. 



Knockback the dough to degas and knead briefly.
 Shape the breadsticks. 


Make small dough balls and roll the balls into sticks. But do remember that they will rise as they bake. So, roll them thinner than you actually want them. The thickness of your little finger always works. 


Bake them in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. Each oven works differently, so keep an eye on your sticks. This will give crusty tops and soft centers. If you want hard centers, then turn down your oven to the lowest temperature and bake for further 5 minutes, just make sure you don't burn them or over brown them. This way, they don't go stale and can be kept for few days. 



Enjoy! 




Notes : 

1. If you roll out thick sticks, you'll get soft breadsticks.
2. You could add few more teaspoons of oil during kneading the dough. 
3. Water can also be adjusted accordingly. 
4. You could use an herb or garlic-infused oil in the preparation of breadsticks dough. 


Thank you for visiting Blessy's Kitchen :)










Peanut Butter/ Homemade Peanut Butter/ How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter




Am happy to make my own bread spread :) Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies were my 'wanted' things when I was asked by my cousins and other relatives if I wanted anything from overseas. A jar of this yumm butter would last for a week or so in my home! #pbholic  :) Now that I get here in India by Sundrop, am happy. Now, am even more elated because I can do it by myself. This is easy to make and can be done in a flash(if no power cut, lol)
To make good smooth peanut butter, use a good blender or food processor. I feel the mixer blender gives a smooth texture than the food processor. First, the mixture looks crumbly and dry but continue to blend, the oils get released from the nuts slowly, and that's how peanut butter happens! Add oil for even more creaminess. I do, I always do! Also remember, the longer you blend, the smoother your peanut butter is! 



"Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter."
- James A. Garfield



To make this recipe, you'll need the following ingredients : 

Roasted peanuts
1 cup
Powdered  sugar
3 tablespoons
Salt
1/8th teaspoon  -  1/4th teaspoon
Vegetable oil
1  - 2 teaspoons


                                                                   Method : 


1. Add all the ingredients to a blender jar, except oil, and grind well. 
2. Add a teaspoon of oil to the ground mixture and blend again. 
3. If you like your peanut butter creamy rather than being stiff and paste consistency, add another teaspoon of oil and blend well. I have used 2 teaspoons of oil in total. 
4. Your peanut butter is ready.. 


Spread love as thick as you would peanut butter!



Pictorial : 


Add all the ingredients to a blender jar, except oil, and grind well. 
 Add a teaspoon of oil to the ground mixture and blend again. 


Enjoy! 


 


Thank you for visiting Blessy's  Kitchen :)



Spicy Chicken Tikka


Chicken tikkas are one of the popular starters on the restaurant's menu. The word tikka means pieces or chunks of meat, which in this case is chicken, so it's called chicken tikka. This recipe is spicy, so if you can't handle the spiciness, reduce the spice measures to half in this recipe. Read the full post to know how to smoke your tikkas without using a smoking gun. Those who don't want to use an oven or experience regular power cuts can cook the tikkas on the stovetop using a skillet/tawa on high flame. You could also use tandoori chicken's recipe spices for the tikkas here. 



To make this recipe, you'll need : 

Chicken  chunks
250 grams
Red chili powder
1 teaspoon
Coriander powder/ dhania
1 teaspoon
Cumin powder/ jeera
1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder
½ teaspoon
Turmeric  powder
1/4th teaspoon
Salt
½ teaspoon
Yogurt/curds/dahi
2 tablespoons
Mustard oil
½ teaspoon 
Butter
As required to baste

                                                   
                                         Method :

1. Mix all the ingredients to the cleaned and patted dry chicken chunks, except butter.
2. Rest the chicken pieces for 1 hour. You can leave them in the refrigerator for the whole night too.
3. Skewer the chicken chunks. (Soak the wooden skewers in water prior to this step, for about 10 minutes).
4. Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. Turn to broil mode and further cook it for 5 minutes. All ovens don't work the same, so keep an eye on your chicken tikkas. You might baste the chicken tikkas in between with its own juices.
6. Finally, brush the tikkas with butter.
7. Serve hot.

                                            Pictorial :


 Add red chili powder, coriander powder/dhaniya,  cumin powder/jeera, turmeric powder, 


garam masala powder, ginger- garlic paste, salt, curd and mix well. 


Add oil and marinate for 1 hour.  Skewer the chicken chunks. (Soak the wooden skewers in water prior to this step, for about 10 minutes). Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. Turn to broil mode and further cook it for 5 minutes. All ovens don't work the same, so keep an eye on your chicken tikkas. You might baste the chicken tikkas in between with its own juices.
 Finally, brush the tikkas with butter. Serve hot.




Notes : 

1.  Add half of the quantity of spices if you don't want your tikkas to be spicy. 

2. You can smoke your tikkas. Simply place a piece of coal on the stovetop, once it's heated, place the coal in a container, add a few drops of oil to it. The coal will start to smoke. Now, place this near to the chicken tikkas and cover it completely for smoke not to escape for 10 minutes.



3. You can sprinkle chaat masala before serving if reduced the spice measures. 
4. You could also add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the chicken marination. 



Enjoy! 

Thank you for visiting Blessy's Kitchen :) 





















Pav Bhaji




Mumbai's iconic street food, Pav Bhaji! Pav bhaji literally means bread with vegetable curry.
 Pav = bread and Bhaji = vegetable curry. Every Mumbaikar relishes this almost every other day!
 Pav Bhaji was born when textile mills were flourished in Mumbai. The workers there in the mills had less time to consume their food (we Indians have a widespread most of the time). So, the workers couldn't eat their entire lunch because that would make them go drowsy, and getting back to physical work troubled them. So a trader realized this problem and came up with his own solution. He replaced the roti( Indian flatbread) with Pav and curry with a spicy veggie mix which is called Bhaji and hence this dish came in focus and it flourished whole Mumbai and has won many hearts and got ranked as their favorites. It is served along with a knob of butter, onions, and lemon. Try this at your home and enjoy it with your pals. It's utterly butterly delicious! 

To make this recipe, you'll need : 

Pav  buns
As needed
Onions (big size, finely chopped)
2 no
Bell peppers/ capsicum (finely chopped)
1 no
Tomatoes (finely chopped)
4 nos
Potatoes ( boiled)
4 nos
Carrot (boiled)
1 no
Cauliflower florets (boiled)
½ cup
Green peas (boiled)
½ cup
Red chilli powder
2 teaspoons
Pav bhaji masala
2 teaspoons
Salt
1 teaspoon (or) to taste
Ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon
Red food color (optional)
As needed
Lemon juice
1 teaspoon + to drizzle while serving
Butter
4 tablespoons + to serve
Oil
1 tablespoon



Are you interested in making your own pav? check here 


Method : 

1. To prepare the bhaji, pre-cook the veggies (potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, green peas and keep them aside. 
2. To a kadai, add 2 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of oil, let it heat up, and add finely chopped onions, cook until translucent. 
3. To this add, finely chopped capsicum and cook for 1 minute. 
4. Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until done. 
5. Now, add ginger garlic paste, a teaspoon of red chili powder, a teaspoon of pav bhaji masala, salt, and saute well. 
6. Once the tomatoes are cooked well with the spices, add the pre-cooked veggies and start mashing with a potato masher.
7. Add leftover each 1 teaspoon of red chili powder and pav bhaji masala for the veggies. Add water according to the bhaji consistency.
8. Add red food color, lemon juice, and finish it off with 2 tablespoons of butter. 
9. Garnish with fresh coriander, serve with pav, chopped onions, butter, and a drizzle of lemon juice.

Pictorial : 


 To a kadai, add 2 tablespoons of butter 


add a tablespoon of oil, let it heat up 



add finely chopped onions, cook until translucent. 



         To this add, finely chopped capsicum and cook for 1 minute. 




Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until done. 



Now, add ginger  garlic paste



a teaspoon of red chilli powder, 



a teaspoon of pav bhaji masala, 



salt and saute well. 





Once the tomatoes are cooked well with the spices, add the pre-cooked veggies,



start mashing with a potato masher.




Add leftover each 1 teaspoon of red chili powder,



 pav bhaji masala ( add chili and PB masala for the second time, only if you like it spicy)




Add red food color,



lemon juice, mix well and finish it off with 2 tablespoons of butter, garnish with fresh coriander, serve with pav, chopped onions, butter, and a drizzle of lemon juice. 


Enjoy!