Tag Archives: snack

Foccacia with garlic and herbs


I have been making Foccacia over and over since few years but I don’t know why it did not occur to me to post it sooner. My family just loves this bread and more than half of it gets gobbled up no sooner it comes out of the oven while still warm and crisp.

Top it with chopped olives, roasted tomatoes, roasted peppers, caramalized onions, etc. Foccacia is best eaten alone as a snack, but you can use it for sandwiches or pair it with dips for a delicious appetizer.

Here are the step-by-step pictures and method.

Mix flour, salt and active dry yeast in a large bowl.  Add the water and with a wooden spoon or whisk, mix till all the flour is incorporated.  Cover the bowl and keep in the refrigerator for 8 hours upto 24 hours. Alternatively, if you wish to bake the same day, leave to rise at room temperature for 2 hours.

After the dough has risen, add the Italian seasoning and knead the dough to incorporate the seasoning. 

Take two rimmed trays 9” x 12” each and pour a tbsp. of olive oil in the centre of each. Divide the dough into two pieces and place each on the pan. 

Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for two hours or more till the dough  spreads and covers most of the pan. 

Preheat oven to 220  deg C or 425 deg F.  With your fingers make depressions all over the bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 

Bake for 25 minutes, until tops are golden and edges and underside are brown and crusty.

Foccacia with garlic and herbs

  • Difficulty: Average
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 4 tbsp. olive oil
  • Italian seasoning, as mentioned below
  • Flaky sea salt

Italian seasoning

  • 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
  • 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp. Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. Thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. Basil
  • 1/2 tsp. Rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • Mix all the above together and keep to infuse until required. I have used dried herbs, use fresh if available. Secondly, you may omit one or the other as per availability, but increase the quantity propotionately so the bread is well seasoned. You may also use chopped olives.

Method

  1. Mix flour, salt and active dry yeast in a large bowl.
  2. Add the water and with a wooden spoon or whisk, mix till all the flour is incorporated. 
  3. Cover the bowl and keep in the refrigerator for 8 hours upto 24 hours.  Alternatively, you can also keep to rise for two hours, if you plan on making it the same day.
  4. After the dough has risen, add the Italian seasoning and knead the dough to incorporate well. 
  5. Take two rimmed trays 9” x 12” each and pour a tbsp. of oil oil in the centre of each.
  6. Divide the dough into two pieces and place one on each pan. 
  7. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for two hours or more till the dough  spreads and covers most of the pan.
  8. Preheat oven to 220  deg C or 425 deg F. 
  9. With your fingers make depressions all over the bread, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, use more oil if required and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 
  10. Bake for 25 minutes, until tops are golden and edges and underside are brown and crusty.

Vada Pav


Click here for Laadi Pav recipe

Vada Pav is considered as the quintessential Indian Burger, made famous on the streets of Mumbai and in recent times Vada Pav chains have been launched under the brand Jumboking, Goli Vada Pav, etc. as the vegetarian equivalent to the likes of Burger King, McDonalds, etc.

This simple burger serves as a breakfast & snack to millions of people each day and being reasonably priced, even lunch and dinner to the thousands of poor people and immigrant labor that make Mumbai their home in search of economic sustenance.

However, for us it is always the street Vada Pav that is our go to breakfast the morning we land in Mumbai. Our red-eye flight to Mumbai usually arrives in the wee hours of the morning and after the airport formalities, as we make our way to Malad, in the cool morning breeze and deserted streets at the crack of dawn, when Mumbaites are barely waking up from their slumber, only a very few vada pav vendors would be open to serve those hurriedly heading to catch their train/bus for their morning shift and grab a quick ‘vada pav breakfast’ and chai! We stop at one of these stalls to pick-up a couple of vada pavs each (because one is never enough!), bottled water and milk for our first breakfast upon arrival.

The contentment of sinking our teeth into the warm vada pav, our first in months, satisfies our craving and annuls the ordeal of the preceding travel bringing pleasure, gratification and warmth to our hungry bellys.

With the ongoing COVID-19 Lockdown as our travel to Mumbai seems uncertain and distant, thought why not create our nostalgic experience right where we are!

So you too, go ahead try it and why not make it as your next Sunday brunch rounding it off with some Kulfi or Falooda for a satisfying meal. Making the Vada Pav from scratch including making the green and garlic chutney, baking the Pav (the dough was made the previous day and the pav kept for proving) took me two hours. But, you can plan and prepare the previous day. Gather all your ingredients on the Saturday, make the pav and keep for proving, make the green chutney, garlic chutney, and the potato balls, and refrigerate. Next morning bake the pavs, heat the oil in the kadhai, make the besan batter, fry the batata vadas, assemble and enjoy this delicious treat. Trust me, you will give your favorite Vadapavwalla down the street a run for his money!

Vada Pav

  • Servings: 8-10
  • Difficulty: Average
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Batata Vada – Ingredients

4 large potatoes

½ tsp coriander,  roasted and crushed

¼ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp. turmeric

Pinch of asafoetida (optional)

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

2 sprigs curry leaves

1 tbsp. oil

4 tbsp. green chutney * (recipe below)

Boil the potatoes, peel and chop. Heat a pan, add the oil and heat, then add mustard seeds. When they crackle add the asafoetida & curry leaves and switch off flame.  Immediately add the crushed coriander, cumin powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and the boiled potatoes.  When mixture is cool add *4 tbsp. of the green chutney and mix well and mash the potatoes roughly while mixing.  Make 15 to 20 balls of the potato mixture.

Vada Pav Besan Batter

Besan (gram/chick pea flour) Batter – Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gram flour (besan)

1/2 cup water

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. chilli powder

¼ tsp. turmeric

1 tbsp. hot oil (from the oil you will heat to fry the vadas)

Oil as required for deep frying

Heat oil in a kadhai.

Mix the besan with the salt, turmeric, chilli powder.  Remove 1 to 2 tbsp. of the hot oil and add to the besan batter.  The hot oil lends a certain flakiness to the batter.  Add the water and whisk to a smooth paste thick enough to coat the vada. Add a tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick but make sure its not runny.

Add a drop of batter to test the oil, which should immediately rise to the surface and turn golden brown.

Dip the potato balls in the batter to coat fully and drop gently in the hot oil and deep fry for 5 minutes to golden brown and crisp.  Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Vada Pav Green Chutney

*Green chutney – Ingredients 

1 small bunch coriander leaves

1 bunch mint leaves

5 green chillies

1 tsp. salt

Juice of 2 lemons

½ tsp. sugar

½ cup water

Blend the above (without the water) till smooth.  *Add 4 tbsp. of this paste to the potato mixture. Add the 1/2 cup water to the remaining chutney, mix and reserve.

Vada Pav Garlic Chutney

Garlic Chutney – Ingredients

¼ cup garlic

1 tbsp. peanuts

½ cup dry coconut grated or dessicated coconut

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

3 tbsp. Kashmiri chilli powder

Salt to taste

Dry roast the garlic, peanuts, coconut & sesame seeds each separately, till light brown.  When cool grind in a dry grinder with the chilli powder and salt to a coarse powder.  Cool and store in an airtight jar.

To assemble:

Take a pav and slit horizontally keeping the end intact.  Apply the green chutney on the base of the pav, top with garlic chutney, place the vada in the centre of the pav and serve hot.

  • Vada Pav – One is never enough!

Click here for Laadi Pav recipe

Dibba Rotti


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Dibba Rotti… I am so glad I came across this recipe. Didn’t know of this Andhra speciality until I chanced upon it recenly on the net and have already made it a couple of times.

Makes a great breakfast, snack or a meal besides being easy to prepare. All you need is a frying pan! Although the taste seems like a combination of idli and medu vada, you don’t require an idli steamer, idli molds or a medu vada maker. It’s like a huge fried idli! Nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Eat as soon as it is made 😉

Would also go perfectly with any curry for lunch or dinner. Try it with chicken or mutton roce curry or sorpatel.

So here’s the video recipe on YouTube..

Dibba Rotti

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Urad Dal
  • 1 Cup Idli Rawa
  • ½ tsp. Cumin seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. Ghee

Wash Urad dal and soak in water for atleast 4 hours.  Wash the idli rawa, drain all the water and set aside.  Grind the urad dal to a smooth paste adding water as required.  Keep the paste thick. Mix the urad dal paste and idli rawa together,  add salt and cumin seeds.  Mix well.  Leave aside for 30 to 45 minutes.  If you wish, you may leave to ferment overnight but not necessary. 

Heat a frying pan, add ghee and when melted, pour 4 to 5 ladles of batter (to a small pan).  If the pan is larger more batter may be required to get the desired thickness.  The above quantity will give you two small dibba rottis or one medium.

Lower heat, cover the Pan and cook 10 to 15 minutes till the underside turns golden brown and crisp.  When the rotti starts leaving the sides and turns brown, flip and cook the other side for 10 to 15 minutes till golden.  Remove to a plate, cut into wedges or squares and serve with Idli Podi, coconut chutney and or anyother chutney of your choice. Would taste great with some sambar too.

How to make Idli Podi, check out this link: https://youtu.be/epSo2X6c2Vw below

Pao-Bhaji – Mumbai’s Iconic Street-Food!


Pao Bhaji – Pav Bhaji

Published: October 22, 2015

Pao-Bhaji (or Pav Bhaji) is a simple potato and tomato dish, made famous on the side streets of the city that never sleeps and loves to eat out.

I can gorge on street-food anytime and my favorite is undoubtedly Pao-Bhaji. In the late 70’s when I used to work at New Marine Lines, behind the Income Tax Office, the office boy would gladly fetch Pao-Bhaji for my lunch on days I did not carry tiffin from home. This happened very often as it gave me an excuse to have this mouth-watering meal.  Those familiar with this area would have tasted this and many other delicious lunch-time options available on the lane leading to cross maidan.  The food-carts now, most certainly upgraded to food stalls.

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