Zatar- Hummus - Egg wrap with the King Khan guest appearance.

 

 



 

 You know how most..most of the Indi-movie romance goes ?

 

 

The hero - heroine starts off the journey like this ! They neither look at each other....nor talk. Constantly...

 

dishoom..dishoom.....

But some minor twist..and they end up...

 

 this way.

 Dance..Music... and then the real show gets rolling !!!!

 

My attitude towards these two ingredients - Za'atar and Hummus  was exaclty in the very same lines.

 

I was introduced to the "yucky" looking dip for the first time (almost 8 yrs back) during an offficial lunch meeting, and   the host, a Project Manager of an other Engineering Consultant Group  and of Lebanese origin, knowing that I was new to Kuwait, was giving me an in-detail intro into their cuisine. And this..za'atar in olive oil mix was served as a dip for bread sticks.

 

For me, then, most of the time..food appeal goes by looks and this was definitly not appealing to my eyes. May be he, who was sitting right across me, noticed it and started..

 

"Sona ! you need to try it. In our country...our mothers used to force us to have it, cause it was said to be a wonder herb mix. Good for memory. We too as kids, never liked it much...but nevertheless, always used to have it on the day of our exams".  It's a belief that za'atar makes the mind alert and the body strong.

 

(This, however, is also believed to be a myth fabricated during the Lebanese civil war to encourage eating of za'atar, as provisions were low at the time and za'atar was of abundance)

 

 

 

Za'atar is generally prepared using ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt, though other spices such as sumac might also be added

When the dried herb is moistened with olive oil, the spread is known as za'atar-wu-zayt or zeit ou za'atar (zeit or zayt, meaning "oil" in Arabic and "olive" in Hebrew).

 

Not so willingly..i took a dip..and thought that would be my first and last.

 

 

Exactly the same with hummus too. More about this chikpea-dip here  .

 

But some where, down the line...things changed...and i gradually started liking these. Well not just me..my kids too. They love it. So, for a change it was a combination of these two which went as the spread for their dinner chapathi roll.

 

 

How to prepare hummus :

1 clove garlic

1 (19 ounce) chickpeas

4 tablespoonslemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini paste (store-brought)

1 teaspoonsalt

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.        
Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well.

Garnish with red paprika powder and throw few chick peas on top.   

 

While preparing the rest of the ingredients for the roll...a sneak-peep from the kitchen on to the tv screen     ......

Of course ! he knows the trick.

 

 

Ooh..please dont kajol darlin' ...hota hai rae... ;)

 

 

It's all coming back to me"her" now.......(the background music plays )

 

While Lady Kajol is definiely not unhappy with King Khan repeating his tactics...the cucumbers and tomatoes got sliced.

Line them in...

Few eggs turned into omlettes . They too get aligned.

 

Wrapped ..and gone !



         

meanwhile... the King is back with his "call".

 

Just need to wait and watch, who takes that call.

Those who are regular at my place defintiely will know that it is not the first time that Mr. King Khan makes a guest appearance on my writes. He was here, in  the Train Cake post

 

 

and here  as well,  

 

 

the "chaahun-me-yaah-na" post on Pick Quicks . Coincidently, all these three posts are of the  same concept but in different contexts thou.

 

I AM, his fan...need I say ?

Easy Egg Paratha with hidden veggies

 

This goes out to all mommies of fussy eaters out there .

 

The no - fuss, no mess bite-on-the-go rollon version of chapathi vegetable platter.

 

 

Our boys definitely like to have chapathis , but at the same time...they are not much keen on the "tear- dip-munch" routine of having it .

 

 

 ROLLS.

 

Thats how chapathis need to be fed, in our household.

 

 

And many a times, the demand is for "motta- chapathy" (rolled with omlette inside). The request is never turned down..coz, into the egg mix would have gone all the vegetables that was supposted to be , at the very first place, to be served with the chapathy. Be it anything..from dal to sabji..it would be mashed and mixed with the egg.

 

So, this time...for a change...decided to try the egg the other way round.

 Not on the inside, but on the outside.

 

The ingredients are all set.

 

Beat the egg and add some tomato ketchup to it. Pull out any vegetable curry that you have in hand.

 

Had some cabbage-beans thoran (click "here" for the recipe) which was prepared for lunch to be served with rice..so, straight it went into the egg. Salt and pepper to taste. Do check the salt level. you dont need it much, coz the thoran/poriyal already has all the flavours in there.

Dip the chapathi well in the egg veggie mix.

Turn over and let the egg coat well on either side.

 

Dab a tsp of oil on  a flat cooking pan, and lay the chapathi .

Add some more veggies at top.

 

Turn over till the egg is cooked well on either side.

 

Roll and off it goes , straight into the plates. No side dishes...no dipping sauces needed. All you do is bite bite till you are done and take my word....

 

The kids will definitely enjoy it and ask for more.

 

Mine...just did ! They were not very pleased seeing the vegetable curry along with the egg..but once eating this..they defintiely wanted more servings.

 

 Well ..not just Mr. President, but felt me too wanted to have that banner flying high up..then !

 

Carbs, protein, vitamins, fibre...have all gone in one single pack..no mess..no fuss. Just "mamma...can I have one more of this please..." to be heard from the dining table.

 



Pepparoni Pizza Muffins / Paniyarams

 

Saw these mini bites posted on Meena Kumar's space - Elephants and the Coconut Trees (what's in the name, Meena ? ) i knew..this was definitely next in my to-do list. The making seemed too easy to resist. Followed her  recipe with some slight changes in the seasoning and reduced the quantity of  cheese too and it yielded around 20 mini muffins.

 

So...off to this simple, quicky snack which works great with kids.

 



 

Ingredients :All purpose flour - 3/4 th cup
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Pepperoni - 6-8 (chopped)
Cheese grated - 3/4 cup
Red chili flakes - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dried herbs (rosemary, oregano....or as in exact recipe, its Italian seasoning, that was used)
Bell pepper- 1/4 of 1 (chopped )
Egg-1 lightly beaten
Milk -1/2 cup-3/4 cup

Salt and pepper, to taste


Method

First mix the flour with baking powder, dried herbs, chillie flakes, salt and pepper.

 

Beat milk and egg together. Add to the dry mix and whisk until combined .

 

Now goes in the cheese....

 

....pepperoni and bell pepper. Mix until combined.

 

Let it stand for 10 minutes. Scoop into the lined muffin tray and bake at 375 F for 20- 25 minutes until top is golden brown.

Alternatively, just gave a try of making these as paniyarams, out of curiosity and trust me..it worked.

 

 

Ask me, which was better, the muffins or the paniyarams..well..time wise, the latter is more quick. Its done faster on stove top than in the oven...but texture wise, i prefered the muffins. So, its upto you..if short of time...go for stove top...else, keep it as muffins.

 

Serve hot with some sweeet-chille sauce.
..................

 

 



LoR: 07 - Egg Burji with leftover Tomato curry

LoR 07  - Leftover Remake Series

 

 

Quick Egg Burji with leftover Tomato Curry.

 

 

This has become kindof customary in our household now. Each time we have this tomato curry on board, as a dinner side for chapathi, a small portion of it will be moved aside for this remake .

Can go in as a dish by itself, or even sandwich filling.

 

To make the tomato curry ,

 

You need :

Oil (coconut oil) 1 tablespoon 
Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves few
Green chilly 2
Onion (sliced) 2
Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon
Chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Tomato 4
Salt to taste
Water 1/4 cup

 

Method

1. In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add green chillies and curry leaves. Saute it for a few seconds.

2. Then add sliced onions and saute it till they become brownish in colour.

3. Next stage, add all the dry powders, turmeric powder, chilly powder and coriander powder. Saute till the raw smell goes off.

4. Now add chopped tomatoes and saute till oil starts separating. Add little salt at this stage.

5. Now add 1/4 cup water, bring it to boil, simmer the stove, cover with a lid and leave it to cook for some time.

 

May add some coconut milk too to it at this stage, but its optional. I have not added in here.

 

 

(these two does indeed go well together)

 

 

For the remake, in a wok heat a few tbsps of oil and add 3-4 beaten eggs.

 

Scramble ..scramble !!!

 

 

 Once the eggs are almost cooked, add in the leftover tomato curry.

I do not have any specific measurements, just as you see in the picture..kindof what is enough to well coat the eggs.

You do not need any additional spices as its already there, in the curry. May be an extra dash of salt, would be sufficient.

 

Mix....Mix !!!!

 

shouldn't we ???
 



 

Alright...in goes, some peas too...

 

Mix..Mix...Mix !!!

 



 

Serve HOT..HOT...HOTTT !!!

 

click "here", to go to the previous post in the LoR Series.

A century .... First guest post and the very BEST of yest year !

 

Alright..I have all rights to be HAPPY today !

 

and not just simple..plain HAPPY..its goes...with glitters and smile...100 %

 

 

 

Am not a regular blogger, my posts are never consistant...but somehow,

I did hit a century !

 

 

(cumilative of my two blogs together, that is. Quick Picks..which is this..and Pick Quicks, the other sister blog. Its not a big deal for many..but for me, well..it indeed is .

 

My 1st post of the year and My 100 th post as well.

 

And even more excited am I today, to have a really lovely "someone" on board...

 

She has a big craving for chocolates..keep tempting us with fb shares of Daily Milk and other chocos .... a big seeker of "Happiness"....and yes..she shares it the world too. It's like literally looking forward to what next is in her "Happiness is...." series...each day on her fb page.

Those regualr bloggers will definitely be able to make out by now, who she is...

 

The Lady behind "The BIG SWEET TOOTH"...

 

 



 

 a big hearty welcome ...... Ms. Rafeeda !!!

She is soo consistant with her posts..and even best part is that she does make it a point to drop by everyones space...leave a comment or a word of appreciation..without fail !!! Really really appreciate that . You knew how excited I was when you accepted my request to do a guest post . Thanks a bunch once again....

 

over to you !

 

**********************

When Sona came by with a request for a guest post, I was really glad. She is one of those few bloggers in my little list who come by like a ray of sunshine with her zesty comments. What I really love about her is her sense of humor and her style of writing. Those who regularly follow her two blogs will agree to me on this. She has this subtle but hitting way of writing, which ensures that she gets through her point without being really evident. I wish I could master that craft from her! Of late, one of her blog posts that I really loved was this one, so apt, so poignant…"So far..yet too dear"

For the readers of Sona’s space, a little introduction about myself. My name is Rafeeda, who blogs at a little space called “The BigSweet Tooth”. A working mother of two beautiful daughters, who looks at cooking as a perfect stress buster to get rid of the daily tensions of life! I started my blog hardly a year ago and Alhamdulillah, am very glad the way things have looked up for me. Just like my name suggests, I have an immensely dangerous liking for sweet stuff, but I am trying my level best to control my intake so that I can manage my see-sawing weight – a difficult task though!

 Just like Sona, I am also a Keralite based in an Arab country – me in the UAE and Sona in Kuwait. However, being a working mother in an outside country has somewhat the same effects and I really connect with her in that case! Over the past few months, I have loved my interaction with this chirpy madam and would have never said “no” to any request of her. So there you go, deciding on what to give her was a dilemma, as has been a case for all my guest posts. She told me to feel at home… it felt like I was given her best seat, the best plate and the best cup with the best chai in it… hehe…

 

In this part of the world, eating breakfast is like a luxury in itself. Offices and schools start so early that 90% of the population does not have a proper breakfast. I normally get out of home just with a mug of warm water with honey and have my breakfast at around 9 in the office, which is mostly a bowl of cereal with milk. It is only during the weekends that we really have a meal called breakfast, but I still doubt about it, as waking up late becomes a norm during the weekends. Our weekend breakfast is always ChakkaraGothambu (Wholewheat in Jaggery), Kichadi (Sweet Rice and Lentils) or scrambled eggs, as these are easy to whip up in no time. However, if I am assured that nobody would bother for a breakfast – eg. if HD is already off to work while I am sleeping, B not in town, etc. I would just settle for whatever is in the kitchen to feed myself.

One such lazy Saturday, I made this sandwich which was quite easy – nothing fancy as such – coupled with a mug of Horlicks (yes, I am still not stronger-taller-sharper!!! Hehe…) and the weekend magazine to spend some silent “me” time till the kids woke up. You can see that I opened up the food section of the magazine while having my little sandwich, thinking that what I was eating was what I was seeing. Actually, don’t many of us love to do that? I have heard a friend say to eat an apple thinking it is a piece of chicken and it really gives ultimate satisfaction!!! So much so for the power of the mind!

 

I must definitely say that this was one meal that kept me going till afternoon without much hiccups, that filling the sandwich was! Don’t we all love meals that are simple yet give the power to take all the punches! Going off to the recipe:

Scrambled Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Serves 1

 

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil

2 medium eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 slice cheddar cheese

2 sliced of large wholemeal bread

 

Method:

 

Heat oil in a saucepan till heated. Break in the eggs, add the salt and pepper and scramble them. Cook till done. Keep one slice of whole meal bread ready on a plate. Spread the hot scrambled egg on it and immediately put the slice of cheese on top. Close with the other slice of bread and keep untouched for a minute. The warmth of the egg would melt the cheese and get into the egg. Devour yourself with a mug of Horlicks, just like I did!!! Yummm….

 

 

Notes:

This is just a basic sandwich. You can add onions, cucumbers, sprinkle in some more masalas while scrambling eggs– the possibilities are infinite. The combination of egg and cheese is what makes the sandwich really good. I would really suggest whole meal bread, as the bites of seeds they provide gives the sandwich a really nice feel.

I know I am bragging, but this is definitely the best pictures that I have ever taken in my blogging life. I really loved the shade that came and loved the way the whole picture looks. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep the same tempo in any of my pictures after this. L So Sona, I am giving you the best – as per me, that is! – that I’ve taken till date, because it is for you! J

Hope you all have enjoyed the post, as much as I have enjoyed doing this for my homely host. More than that, I sincerely hope that she has loved the post as well! Wishing all of you in advance, the best of the season…

 

*************************

 

now what else, do I need. A lovely person whom I just came across through blogs.. and she says..."I have given you my best !!!

 

With all the warm wishes for a great year ahead....

 

 

and before I sign off , a peep back into what would have been the "best" of 2013.

 

 

Super man, finally did look at himself the mirror, and realize something was just not worn right ! Agree ??

 

Yours truly..

 

Ms. Chirpy

....she named me so...and am sooo keeping it ;)