BREAD ROLL (stuffed with potatoes and peas )

BREAD ROLL (stuffed with potatoes and peas )

(suitable for vegans)

When I talk about bread rolls, my mind goes back to the experience I got in 80's when I made these bread rolls for the first time on a very large scale, for non-Indians. This was when I was in Kenya, there was a big party in my husband's school, they asked me to prepare some vegetarian snack for the party. We both discussed at length on what should be made so that everybody can enjoy, as most of the people in that party were Africans. Our idea was to make something really nice, we wanted to impress people there with some nice Indian snack. Then we came to a conclusion that I will make bread rolls.

We ordered all the ingredients like bread, potatoes, peas etc in bulk because in the party around 100 people were expected. I made more than 100 bread rolls for that party, it took a very long time for me to prepare on such a large scale. At the end of the day we both, me and my husband, got a lot of appreciation from people at the party. They complimented us saying that they really enjoyed the snack, because they had not tasted a vegetarian snack so yummy.

This is a very crispy and tasty snack for either weekend breakfast, evening tea or can be served in parties or functions. Not only do they taste good, but they look good too. Bread roll making is a bit tricky, practice is needed to handle the soft bread and its filling. This recipe does not require very fresh or soft bread because soft bread is difficult to handle, 2-3 days old bread will do better.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

-500 grams potatoes

-100 grams onion

-100 grams green peas fresh or frozen

- salt to taste

-one tsp red chili powder

-two tsp coriander powder

-two tsp cumin powder

-one bunch of green coriander/ Cilantro

-two tablespoon oil for roasting the onion

-oil for frying

-one loaf of sliced brown bread

-4-5 green chilies (Optional)

-1-2 cups of water

METHOD

For Filling:

1. Wash and boil potatoes thoroughly in a pot or pressure cooker on a medium heat.
2. Boil the peas or microwave it for around 5 minutes till tender and ready to use. Leave it to cool both potatoes and peas.
3. When potatoes are cold grate them or chop them in very small pieces and mash them with fingers
4. Finely chop onions, green chili, and green coriander.
5. In a frying pan take 2 tablespoons of oil and heat on a medium flame, once hot saute the onions till golden brown, add all dry ingredients, mix well.
6. Add mashed potatoes, green peas, green chili and green coriander, mix well. Now filling is ready.
7. Give the cylindrical shape of this filling bit smaller in size which will fit inside one slice of bread. you can make around 10 and put it in a plate.

For bread rolls

1. Heat the oil on a medium flame in a wok.
2. Take some water in a deep plate, soak one slice of bread for few seconds, quickly take it out and press between your palms and squeeze all the water out, put the filling in the middle and roll the sides by giving the long cylindrical shape.
3. Keep it in a clean plate, fill 3-4 like this, when the oil is ready to fry them till golden brown, during frying turn carefully, they should not break. Repeat and finish all the bread rolls.

These rolls can be served hot with any sauce or chutney of taste with tea or coffee. It tastes better if you serve them hot. Around 15-16 pieces can be made, suitable for 6-8 people as an evening snack.

Note :- When making the roll, bread slice should not absorb a lot of water, if you are finding it difficult to soak the bread, Keep one slice of bread on your left-hand palm and can sprinkle some water on it and squeeze the water by pressing with both hands then put the filling and give shape, keep it in plate and then fry them. Remember the drier the bread slice is, the crisper the bread roll will be.

This recipe I am sending as my blog entry for the Heart and Soul event. And also for recipe of the week event. And also to the Cook, blog share event.

I am also sending this recipe for No waste food challenge event, and Credit Crunch Munch event .because in this recipe old and dry bread is used as I mentioned in the post, and for FoodYear linkup, and with Foodie Friday.

RED PLUMS YOGURT SMOOTHIE

RED PLUMS YOGURT SMOOTHIE

Winter is in full swing here, this week we got a good amount of first snow, but plums can still be seen on the shelves in the shop. Soon they will disappear, (it will be difficult to find them) so this is the time to use them, last time in this season. When we receive the first snow fall here, the surroundings look so good, everything is white and shining. But when we go out, the wind chill makes the cold even worse.

One day I and my daughter had a discussion about the seasons in Canada, she was explaining to me about the four seasons here, their duration and timings etc. Then I told her that according to me, there are only two seasons in Canada, the first one when everything and surrounding is really green and the other one when everything and surrounding is white. Then we laughed a lot because that is a true scene here.

Sometimes fruits are sitting in my fridge, and my children have no time to eat. They find it easier to eat a banana because they can just grab and go, but fruits like plums- they have no time to cut and eat them. So I use my own ways of feeding them fruits by making fruit chaats or drinks like smoothies, shakes. In this way I satisfy my self by assuming, I am helping them and saving their time, on the other end I assume they will at least get the benefit of the nutrients in the fruits.

When I am talking about all these summer fruits here, I am thinking of my friends in South Africa, who might be welcoming the summer season with open arms as I use to do when I was there, as I really love summer fruits. Soon my friends there will be enjoying all summer fruits, to name few of them like plums, peaches, mangoes and grapes. I miss South Africa where fruits and veg shops are full of locally grown, fresh fruits in huge sizes in summer. Being in the southern hemisphere, the summer season there lasts from October to March.

This is a flavorful, colourful, sweet and sour smoothie, which everybody likes in my family. The colour and taste both are awesome and it is very easy and quick to make.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 medium size plum
• 2 tbs sugar (to taste)
• 1 cup water

METHOD

• Wash and cut plums in small size, remove the stone.
• Put water and plums in blender and pulse for 2 minutes
• Add yoghurt and sugar and pulse again for 2-3 minutes.

One big glass of smoothie is ready. It should be served cold with breakfast or lunch depending on your preference.

This recipe I am sending as my blog entry for event here.
This recipe I am sending as my blog entry for the First blog anniversary event.

       

 This recipe I am also sending as my blog entry for the event, and another event, and for Recipe of the week event, and for Weekend Recipe link up,and with Meatless Monday.and with What'd you do this weekend, and with Food year linkup.

  

BEETROOT SALAD WITH GREEN LEAVES

BEETROOT SALAD WITH GREEN LEAVES
(Suitable for vegans)

Beetroot has a distinctive quality of red colour. In all its recipes, whether we eat raw or cooked, it's nice red colour appeals people like me to eat it because very few vegetables have such a beautiful red colour. When beetroot is cooked with other vegetables its colour overpowers the colours of other vegetables.

When I was working in Botswana, our senior education officer was organizing a lot of workshops and meetings for teachers, I had attended many of them. The big problem for me in those meetings was to get vegetarian food, though in some instances I used to order a vegetarian meal, well in advance. Normally they were not catering for vegetarian people but sometimes I was lucky enough to get grilled potatoes if it were there in the menu. The second option was to eat salads only and beetroot salad was always there in those meals because beetroots are an integral part of an African meal. So I really enjoyed and ate a lot of beetroot salad in those workshops and meetings.

In this salad, I have lightly boiled the beetroot, and I am also using its green leaves with some thinly sliced onions.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large beetroot with leaves
• one large onion
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• one tbs lemon juice
• 8-10 walnuts

METHOD

• Boil the beetroot for 15-20 minutes till they are tender, leave it to cool.
• Wash and chop the green leaves, spread as the base in the serving dish, sprinkle the lemon juice.
• Chop the onion into thin slices, spread on top of the leaves.
• Grate the beetroot and mix olive oil, spread as the top layer of the salad.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on it, decorate with walnuts and serve.

This can be served to 4-5 people as a salad to accompany the main meal.

This recipe I am sending as my blog entry for the event, and for Tasty Tuesday January 6th event.

                                                                                                                                                           



I am also sending this recipe for another event, and one more event, and Cook blog share event,and for Inspire me Monday event., and No croutons required February, and Delicious dish Tuesday.