Pizza (Homemade from scratch)

In early 70s, we had some American families in our residential campus. So, we were exposed to baking cakes and pizza etc. As there were no super markets, most of the ingredients were not easily available locally. We never heard of pizza bases, pizza cheese or pizza sauce in any shop!! We had to make the crust (base), and sauce at home! Of course, thanks to our American friends, who shared some of the ingredients with us, we could experiment many recipes. I may say, quite a few of our friends were introduced to pizza and eggplant parmesan in our house.

Now, even though we can get hot pizza delivered at home or make pizza at home using the pizza base and pizza sauce bought in the super market, homemade pizza has its own charm and taste!!

So look for yourselves  whether it is worth to make pizza from scratch!

Dough just after it is kneaded:

Dough after about an hour:

Dough just before it is rolled:

Rolled pizza:

Pizza after the sauce and toppings and cheese are spread:

Ingredients:

For yeast mixture:

•      1 1/2 tsp yeast
•      1 tsp sugar
•      1/2 cup  lukewarm milk      
•      1/2 cup  lukewarm water      

For the crust:

•      3 cups flour
•      2 tbsp. ghee or oil
•      1 tsp sugar
•      1/2 tsp salt
•      2 or 3 tsp oil for kneading
•      2 tsp oregano

For topping:

•      2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
•      1 or 2 capsicum
•      1 or 2 onion
•      1 or 2 tomato
•      A few mushrooms
•      Some olives
•      Any other toppings of your choice ( non veg etc)
•      1 cup tomato sauce(posted earlier)

Directions:

1.      To lukewarm milk diluted with water, add sugar and yeast.
2.      Mix and let it sit for 15 minutes.
3.      Yeast starts bubbling up by this time.
4.      To the flour, add salt, sugar and ghee.
5.      Add some of the activated yeast mixture to the flour.
6.      Mix it well.
7.      Keep adding the fluid mixture and keep mixing the flour.
8.      The dough should be soft and wet to touch and not stiff. Only then you get a soft pizza crust.
9.      If the milk mixture is not sufficient to get pliable dough, you may add some water.
10.      Add oil and knead the dough well for 10 to 15 minutes.
11.      Cover with wet cloth and keep in a warm place (27 to 35 degrees C or 80 to 95 degrees F).
12.      In about an hour, the dough doubles in volume.
13.      Press the dough and let it rise again.
14.      Cut the capsicum, onion, tomato and olives into thin rings.
15.      Marinate them in a little salt, pepper and oil for about half an hour. Or
16.      Dice them into small pieces and sauté them in a pan.
17.      Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C (400 degrees F).
18.      Grease and dust the surface of a pizza pan or oven safe plate.
19.      Dust the surface and roll half the dough into a round disc.
20.      Roll the pizza disc into thickness of your choice (thin crust or thick crust).
21.     You can roll it to a quarter inch thick round for good results.
22.     You have to roll it from center to the edge of the disc.
23.     Spread the rolled pizza carefully onto the greased pan.
24.     Spread 2 or 3 tbsp. of sauce on the crust uniformly.   
25.     Spread the vegetable toppings on the sauce.
26.     Sprinkle grated cheese on the toppings.
27.     Sprinkle oregano on the cheese.
28.     Place the pizza plate in the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.
29.     Check the top of the pizza to see whether the cheese has melted.
30.     When the cheese is melted and the crust starts browning, the pizza is ready.

Note: Temperature and time control are dependent on the oven. Please check the pizza to decide how long you have to bake.

Tomato sauce for pizza, eggplant parmesan etc.

This sauce is used as pizza spread and eggplant parmesan etc. When tomatoes are available in season, you can make plenty of sauce and freeze the same in small zip lock bags which are enough for one or two pizzas. The sauce comes in handy when you can make pizza using the frozen sauce.

Sauce when it is ready for use:

Spices used in making the sauce: jeera, oregano, red chili flakes and ajwain:

Onion, garlic and ginger:

Initial stage of making the sauce:

Ingredients: 

•      15 or 20 ripe tomatoes
•      3 or 4 diced onions
•      3 or 4 pods of garlic
•      1 inch ginger 
•      3 tsp oil
•      1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
•      3 tsp dhania (coriander) powder
•      3 tsp jeera
•      3 tsp ajwain
•      Chili powder to taste
•      Salt to taste
•      1 cup finely cut coriander (cilantro)

Directions:

1.      Boil enough water in a deep pot.
2.      Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and turn the heat off.
3.      Let the tomatoes soak for about half an hour.
4.      Peel the tomatoes and pure them.
5.      Grind onion, ginger and garlic into a paste.
6.      Heat oil in a deep thick pot.
7.      Add the onion paste and fry it for 3 to 4 minutes.
8.      Add all the powders and fry for a few minutes more.
9.      Add tomato pure and keep stirring.
10.      Add jeera and ajwain.
11.      Let the mixture simmer till it thickens. Add salt.
12.      Add cilantro and keep stirring.
13.      When the sauce is thick enough, turn off the heat let it cool.

 

Cholé

 

Cholé is a popular dish from north India and is usually served with roti, naan, puri or rice. When served the cholé is garnished with onion, green chili and cilantro.
The dish can be prepared using small darker chana (desi variety) or kabuli chana (white chana). Nutrition value for the small chana is more as there is more fibre content in the same.

 

                                      

Ingredients:

• 2 cups kabuli chana (chick peas) or 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 medium sized onion
• 3 or 4 pods of garlic
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 3 or 4 medium sized tomatoes diced
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 3 or 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 or 3 black cardamom pods
• 3 or 4 cloves
• bay leaf
• 2 tsp amchur
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• salt to taste 
• 3 tbsp finely cut onion for garnish (shallots taste good)
• dhania (cilantro) for garnish 

 Directions:

1. Grind onion, ginger and garlic to a paste.
2. If using kabuli chana or dry garbanzo beans, you have to soak them overnight. If using garbanzo from the cans available, wash and clean.
3. Add turmeric powder and baking soda and pressure cook with enough water for 4 to 5 whistles.
4. In a deep thick pot, add oil and when heated, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves.
5. Add the bay leaf after 2 or 3 minutes.
6. Add the onion paste and keep stirring.
7. When the onion paste is cooked, add the turmeric, chili, and amchur powders.
8. Remove the cooked and mash some of it.
9. Add the chana along with the mashed amount to the onion mixture.
10. Add some water and cook for 10 minutes.
11. Add chopped tomatoes and keep stirring once in a while. Let it simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
12. Add garam masala and let cook for a minute.
13. Garnish with dhania (cilantro) and onions.

Note:

     To make a richer and tastier version of chole, grind 2 teaspoons of fresh/dry coconut, 4 or 5  soaked and peeled almonds and 5 or 6 cashews and add to the chole. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
     Generally, in India two varieties of cardamom are used. They are called green and black cardamom or small and large cardamom. I am inserting a picture of both the varieties for reference. They are available in all the Indian stores in USA.

Tomatoes stuffed with mixed vegetables

When tomatoes are available in season, stuffing them with sautéed vegetables makes a very attractive and healthy dish. Children are fascinated by the look of the dish. You may use as many vegetables as you want like beans, corn etc. so that the dish becomes more nutritious.

After stuffing, they can be baked in an oven or microwaved.  

You may even pan fry them on low heat without turning them around. Time needed to cook may be adjusted according to baking or direct cooking. 

While choosing the tomatoes, you have to look for medium sized, not over ripe and firm tomatoes. If buying in India, what are known as hybrid tomatoes are preferred to “desi” variety.

Ingredients:

     ·        8 or 10 medium sized tomatoes

     ·        ½ tsp jeera seeds

     ·        1 carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes

     ·        2 potatoes,  peeled and cut

     ·        2 tbsp finely cut onion

     ·        2 tbsp green peas

     ·        Salt to taste

     ·        ½ tsp chili powder 

  

Directions:

1.     Cut the top of tomato flat so that the juice and seeds etc can be scooped out.  Put them upside down in a plate so that they are drained.  Leave them for about half an hour so that the juice is completely drained out.

                                                                

2.     In a pan, heat oil add jeera and onion, and fry.

3.     When onion is turning translucent, add the potato and carrot pieces. Keep stirring and cook for 5 minutes.

4.     Add green peas.  When all the vegetables are tender, add salt and chili powder. Set aside.

5.     Set the tomatoes in a microwave safe tray or pie plate.

6.     Fill the tomatoes with the stuffing.

7.     Cover with a small piece of bread and add a dab of butter on top.

8.     Microwave for 8 to 10 minutes. You may bake or grill for 2 minutes after microwaving and remove from the oven. (If you are using an oven, you can bake the tomatoes for 8 to 10 minutes).

Upma with semiya (Vermicelli)

Vermicelli known as semiya or sev in India is a popular breakfast or dessert ingredient.  Upma which makes a good one course meal is easy to make and does not need too much time to prepare. When made along with vegetables, it is quite nutritious. A popular dessert called kheer (kind of rice pudding) is also made of semiya.

Ingredients:

    ·        1 cup  vermicelli

    ·        1 cup  boiling water

    ·        1 green chili chopped

    ·        ½” ginger, cut into small pieces

    ·        A few curry leaves

    ·        ¼ onion, finely chopped

    ·        1 carrot, finely diced

    ·        1 potato peeled and diced

    ·        2 tbsp green peas

 

For seasoning:

    ·        3 tsp oil

    ·        1 tsp Chana dal

    ·        1 tsp Urad dal

    ·        ½ tsp Mustard  seeds

    ·        Salt to taste

    ·        2 tsp ghee

    ·        2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.     Microwave potato and carrot pieces till done.

2.     Heat oil and fry dals and mustard seeds till mustard starts spluttering.

3.     Add green chili and ginger and after a minute add the curry leaves.

4.     Add onion and keep stirring. 

5.      When the onion is translucent, add green peas.

6.      Add vermicelli and keep stirring.

7.      When the vermicelli is slightly brown in color, add carrots and potatos.  

8.      Add salt and mix.

9.      Add the boiling water and keep stirring. Keep it covered.

10.  When the water is fully absorbed, add lemon juice and ghee. 

11. Let the upma sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Note:

It is a variation of sooji upma.

To make the upma richer and tastier, you may add  cashew nuts to the seasoning and let it fry with the vermicelli.

Vermicelli is available in most of the Indian stores in USA

Velagapandu pacchadi (wood apple chutney)

Velaga pandu, wood apple is native to the Indian subcontinent

In many parts of India, wood apple known as velaga pandu in Andhra Pradesh and kaitha in north India is available in winter months. When ripe, the pulp is rather sweet and has a specific flavor. Like coconut the outer cover of this fruit is hard. Break open the cover and scoop out the pulp.

When available, the pulp can be dehydrated after adding salt and jaggery (optional). The pulp can be solar dried till it is completely dehydrated. The dehydrated  cakes are  easy to transport and also can be used throughout the year. I am giving some pictures of the pulp being dehydrated.  

I try to give the recipe for the fresh chutney and also for dehydrated version.

Ingredients:

       ·        2 or 3 green chilis, finely chopped (adjust according to taste)

       ·        3 tsp cut cilantro for garnish

            ·        ½ tsp tamrind (optional)

Seasoning:  

      ·        2 tsp oil

      ·        2 red chilis

      ·        1 tsp chana dal

      ·        1 tsp urad dal

      ·        ½ tsp mustard seeds

      ·        ½ tsp jeera seeds

      ·        A pinch of hing

      ·        Salt to taste

Directions:

        

1.     Soak velaga pandu pulp in just enough boiling water to cover. It will become soft. Make a soft pulp.  Seeds can be removed if desired but are generally included.

2.     Add the jaggery, chilis and cilantro and mix well.

3.     Add the red chili and dals to the hot oil.

4.     After a minute, add the mustard, jeera seeds and hing and pour it over the chutney.

5.      Mix it well. Add enough water to get the consistency you like.

For dehydrated pulp

·        3 inch block of dried velaga pandu  (about 100 gms or 3 oz )

·        4 tsp jaggery (optional)

      Here is the procedure to make the chutney using the dehydrated cake whenever   needed.

      Soak velaga pandu cake in enough boiling water to cover. The rehydration  takes quite some time. Sometimes a full day!! If necessary briefly reheat the bowl in the microwave for making a nice pulp. Then the same procedure, as mentioned above can be used to make the chutney. After transporting the dehydrated cakes to the other place, it may be easier to rehydrate and store the same in the freezer!