Puff pastry is a very common snack in my hometown with the only difference being that it would be store bought as we hardly bake it at home. Well, surprisingly Yes… and it’s because a conventional oven was not common at homes during my good old childhood days, until recently. Unlike in the US where there are a variety of sweet and savoury puff pastries, we are so used to the savoury ones; be it a vegetable masala, egg, chicken or a meat puffs. In fact, if we have guests visiting for tea or a party at home, curry puffs would be first dish we would be running out for to our nearby bakery. To my memory, puffs held the royal first place as my favourite “Snack / Appetizer” until recently where the dominance of samosas and cutlet started to creep in…!

Curry puffs aka the Indian version of the vegetable puffs, is made of a light stuffing of veggies like potato, green peas, carrots or beets, in a spicy masala. Here I have tried to give my western touch to the classic curry puffs, making it non-spicy with mushrooms and broccoli combined in a creamy white sauce. The preparation is soo easy and similar to any other puff pastry; rolled and toasted until golden and flaky. The melted cheese inside makes each bite ooey, gooey, and seriously addictive.

 If you are a fan of Puff Pastry, I am sure you gonna love this combination of mushrooms and broccoli. Serve these wonderful puffs as an appetizer for your parties or as a snack for your tea time.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!!!

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Prep time: 20 mins; Baking time: 18 – 20 mins
Serves: makes 12 nos

INGREDIENTS

For white sauce

• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt (a pinch)
• ¾ cup milk

For puffs

• 8 oz. mushrooms (chopped )
• 1 cup broccoli florets (chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (finely minced)
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt (as required)
• pepper (as required)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 2 sheets of puff pastry (thawed, cut into 12 squares)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation of white sauce

1. Melt butter in a pan, add flour and whisk vigorously.
2. Add milk and whisk on a low heat for 2 minutes till it thickens. Season with salt.
3. Remove from heat as the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.

Preparation of puffs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a pan, saute garlic until fragrant.
3. Add mushrooms, saute for 3 minutes until they turn tender.
4. Add broccoli to the pan, saute on a medium flame (1-2 mins). Switch off the flame and mix with the prepared white sauce.
5. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, grease with cooking spray, and keep aside.
6. Carefully open thawed pastry sheets to a clean lightly floured flat surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the sheets to even and smoothen, refer notes section for details.
7. Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut the pastry sheet into equal square shapes as per your preferred serving size.
8. Add 1 tbsp filling to the center of each square and top with some mozzarella cheese. Carefully fold and seal all four edges and brush generously the sides and top with egg wash. This helps to make the crust look golden.
9. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden.
10. Remove from the oven and allow it cool for a few minutes before serving.

Note:

1. Using mozzarella cheese and white sauce are optional. If you don’t want the creamy cheesy texture, go ahead with the veggie mix alone.
2. While preparing the white sauce, whisk vigorously to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. The puff pastry sheets should be kept frozen till ready to use. Once taken out from the freezer, thaw it at room temperature for not more than 40 minutes or until they unfold easily. The sheet should still be cold, and unfolded to a floured flat surface. If it cracks, sprinkle water at the edges and press together to seal. Grease with flour and using a rolling pin, roll and shape to your preferred size and thickness.

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Sometimes I feel totally lazy, just wouldn’t want to open the kitchen… and if it’s one of those days when your hubby takes you for a drive and a night out, aww that’s special!! We love going for drives without any planned destination, silently in the dark with only light music playing in the car, till hunger strikes, and then a lookout for a good restaurant, a scrumptious dinner… ohhh what a night !!!

One such night took us to a Thai restaurant; it had been a while since we tried Asian food. But I must say, it was delicious! Pad thai, Panang curry, basil fried rice – some of our favourites… and that night I decided it was time for a new post with something Asian.

Tadaaa, here you go… my bowl of rice noodles with chicken n veggies.

When preparing this recipe, make sure you do not overcook the rice noodles as it can quickly turn sticky and clumpy. I suggest you cook the noodles after the preparation of chicken and mix it immediately with the saute as the sauces keep it separate and loose.

This recipe is easy, simple and a Yummilicious dinner bowl for a good nite…

Prep time: 30 – 40 mins
Serves: 2 – 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 7oz rice noodles (200 gm)
• 1 large chicken breast
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• ½ cup yellow onions (sliced)
• 1 tbsp ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 green chilies (sliced )
• ½ cup broccoli
• ½ cup carrot(sliced lengthwise)
• 4 tbsp soya sauce
• spring onions (chopped)
• oil (as required)
• pepper (as required)
• salt (as required)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation of chicken and broccoli

1. Clean and slice chicken into thin strips.
2. Mix chicken with salt, pepper and corn flour. Fry until golden brown. Place the chicken in paper towels to remove excess oil.
3. In the same pan, saute sliced onions, green chilies, grated ginger and garlic, broccoli and carrots with a little salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are cooked and translucent.
4. Add the fried chicken pieces and mix well with the vegetables.
5. Add soya sauce, toss and saute until properly mixed and coated. If you want it to be saucier, add more soya sauce as needed.

Preparation of rice noodles

1. Cook either according to package directions.

OR

2. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 10 – 15 minutes. In the meantime, bring 2 cups of water to boil. Transfer noodles to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain quickly.

Mix immediately cooked noodles with chicken and toss well. This will help to prevent noodles from sticky. Garnish with spring onions.

Serve hot.

The post Rice Noodles with Chicken & Veggies appeared first on Pepper Delight.

So here is my second dish from my recent California trip; a new combination of broccoli and red cowpeas with my coconut mix, and trust me… it tastes delicious and hearty.

We had a weeklong trip to California to meet our family, and it was fun roaming around, visiting places, trying out new food/ cuisines/ restaurants, and cooking with my sister. Cooking was special as it was a break from my usual lonely kitchen time to sharing the kitchen with someone who also loves to cook and explore. My sister being a vegetarian also gave me an opportunity to try some new veggie dishes. Thanks to her for this recipe.

A healthy diet includes food loaded with vitamins, proteins and other minerals. Cowpeas are an excellent source of protein and have different varieties like the black, brown, and white creamy peas.  Red cowpeas also known as Lobhia or Vanpayar, is one of my favorite legumes and goes well with a combination of vegetables.

I love broccoli but most of the time end up cooking its easiest recipe; steamed broccoli. Never thought broccoli would taste so delicious with a coconut mix, this dish is perfect with steamed rice.

Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turns out. Enjoy…!!!

Interested in more thoran/Kerala stir fry recipes? Check these out;

• Tender Jackfruit/Idichakka Thoran
• Cabbage Carrot Thoran / Stir Fry

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare. Rate us if you love it!

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Broccoli Thoran/ Broccoli with Red Cowpeas

Healthy Kerala Style Broccoli Thoran / Stir fry made with red cowpeas, coconut and chilies. The perfect side dish with steamed rice.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Kerala

Keyword broccoli, cabbage thoran, kerala

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized broccoli (grated)
• 1 cup red cowpeas/vanpayar (soaked overnight)
• ¾ cup grated coconut
• 2 garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon jeera
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 green chilies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• salt (as required)
• oil (as required)

Instructions

• Clean and grate broccoli florets after discarding stems and set aside.
• Pressure cook red cowpeas with a little salt and 2 cups of water on a medium flame for up to 2-3 whistles. Take the cooker off the flame, and allow it to rest till the pressure goes off. Drain the cowpeas.
• In a pan, add some oil and splutter mustard seeds, then add dry red chilies and curry leaves.
• Add grated broccoli and a little salt, saute for 5 minutes on a low flame till its rawness subsides. Try not to close the lid to retain the green color.
• In the meantime grind grated coconut, jeera, turmeric powder, garlic and green chilies to a fine paste.
• Add the grinded paste to the pan, saute to mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the cooked cowpeas, miix everything together and cook for another 2 minutes. Check for the seasoning. Switch off the flame and serve with steamed rice.

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