CORN-SPINACH SANDWICHE

Few days before I have seen so many posts of sandwiches from my friends on food groups on FB. So wanted to try sandwiches for breakfast and made this delicious and cheesy sandwiches with corn and spinach as I had all the ingredients there in my refrigerator. I have heard that this is a winning combo of course, but never tried before. Today I am going to share the recipe of Corn-Spinach grilled sandwiches which are easy to make and very good option for morning breakfast. The corn-palak can be had plain or can also be stuffed in sandwiches or wraps. Very easy and simple to make and filled with the goodness of corn and spinach and taste is just awesome. The procedure of making corn and spinach mixture is really easy and it is made in one step. Here I added cheese slice as don’t have cheese cubes with me.  You can try them for childrens birthday parties or kitty parties or for evening snack too. Perfect snack for kids for short break in school. This is quick and interesting enough too. At my place, any kind of sandwiches are our favourite. We usually have them as a light meal and sometimes enjoy them with a bowl of hot soup. I made it with white bread but you can use other bread too for this recipe. So give a try for this sandwiches on the weekends and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

 FOR Filling:

1 tablespoon Butter

2-3 Garlic Cloves crushed roughly

½ Inch Garlic crushed roughly

1 Cup Spinach, rinsed well and chopped

1 Cup Sweet Corn Kernels

2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour

½ Cup Chilled Milk

2-3 tablespoon Cheese

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon Curshed Black Pepper

½ teaspoon Chilli flakes

FOR Sandwiches:

6 Bread Slices

Butter for grilling

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Boil the corn kernels in water with little salt and turmeric powder. Once cool to touch, separate the kernels. [you can use frozen corn kernels]

STEP 2 – Also chop spinach and crush the garlic and ginger together.

STEP 3 – Heat the butter in a non-stick pan on medium heat.

STEP 4 – Once it is melted add crushed ginger and garlic in it and saute for a minute or till the raw smell goes away.

STEP 5 – Then add milk to it with all purpose flour, mix it well so that no lumps form. Always use the milk directly from the refrigerator so you won’t get any lumps of flour.

STEP 6 – Continuously stir it and when it comes to boil then add pepper powder, chilli flakes and salt in it and mix it.

STEP 7 – Simmer the heat and add chopped spinach to the pan and mix well.

STEP 8 – Add boiled corn kernels in it and mix well and sate for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 9 – Finally add cheese to it and mix it. The mixture should be really thick likepaste. If it is runny then sandwich will get soggy, soft quickly.

STEP 10 – Stir it well and turn off the stove.

STEP 11 – Remove the mixture to a bowl, so that it gets cool faster.

FOR Assembling Sandwiches:

STEP 1 – Take bread slices and spread butter on one side of each bread.

STEP 2 – Now spread the creamy corn-spinach mixture over one slice of bread.

STEP 3 – Cover it with another slice of bread. Repeat the same with the rest of bread slices.

STEP 4 – Now heat a grill pan on medium heat. Grill the sandwiches on it with little butter.

STEP 5 – When get crispy from one side, apply butter on other side and flip them and grill from another side. This butter will help to crisp up the bread.

STEP 6 – Press them lightly with spatula [don’t give too much pressure]

STEP 7 – When done, remove it to plate and slice it using sharp knife and serve hot sandwiches to your loved ones.

Serve the hot grilled corn-spinach sandwiches with tomato ketchup and green mint chutney and enjoy.

WHEAT FLOUR LADDOO

There are many variations of Laddoos . Atta ka laddoo is a easy, quick dessert or snack rich in taste. These are made with very few ingredients like whole wheat flour, clarified butter and sugar. Commonly made in every household with some variations. The recipe is simple but the texture and taste is outstanding.  Just few preparations needed before hand. Whole wheat flour laddoo is one of the easy to make Indian dessert recipes just like Rawa Laddoo, Coconut Laddoo, Moong Dal Laddoo. This can be made for Diwali and enjoy with your family as well as friends. Wheat Flour Laddoo can be prepared in different ways like in some recipes call for cooking flour in ghee. Some recipes uses jiggery instead of sugar. But this is my Aai’s authentic recipe and we all love this only. Laddoos are very tasty and I bet all the laddoos vanish within no time. Hope you all like this and try this. If you like this then don’t forget to bookmark this easy and healthy laddoo recipe and comment in the comment box. Try this whole wheat flour laddoo for this coming Diwali.……Happy Cooking……!!!!!

  INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1-1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar ( adjust according to your taste)

1/2  Cup Melted Clarified Butter/ Ghee (adjust the quantity and add some more if needed )

2-3 tablespoon chopped Dry fruits [ almonds, cashews and Pistachios]

½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Strain the wheat flour with a finer strainer/ colander.  [we need fine flour]

STEP 2 - Dry roast the flour in a wide pan till it changes to light brown colour on medium flame.[see notes].  You can smell the nice aroma of roasted flour.

STEP 3 – Now just remove it in another plate or bowl. Let it cool just for 5 minutes.

STEP 4 – Then add powdered sugar when it is moderately warm and mix well.

STEP 5 – Now time to add clarified butter. But don’t add the whole at one time.

Add it little by little and mix well. You should get the crumbly mixture.

STEP 6 –  Stop adding clarified butter if you are able to roll the laddoos.

STEP 7 - Add chopped dry fruits in it and mix it.

STEP 8 – Take a small portion of the mixture and start rolling the laddoos.

STEP 9 – Like this make the laddoos with the rest of the mixture and stud them with roasted chopped almonds or cashews.

STEP 10 – Store them in an air tight container and use them for 10-15 days.

Serve the ready laddoos to your family and friends and enjoy.

Before you follow this recipe the before hand preparation needed:

STEP 1 – Wash the wheat grains with running water for 2-3 times.

STEP 2 – Then keep this in a colander and drain the excess water from it.

STEP 3 – Now put it on a cotton cloth, add some salt in it. Close the ends of the cloth and keep it for 2-3 hours.

STEP 4 – Now just before grinding it, open it and make it dry in shadow only for ½ an hour. [ this is mostly needed in rainy seasons, otherwise water get dried when we keep it in cloth.]

STEP 5 – Let it be grinded very fine in grinding mill. You specially mention it to the girniwala.

STEP 6 – Strain it with very fine sieve and then ready to use.

NOTE: This flour have only 8 -10 days shelf life, so be careful.

          If you want to store it for longer then just roast it well and keep it in refrigerator. It will good remain for a month in refrigerator.

         As this is my Aai’s authentic recipe do follow the steps properly.

NOTES: Take care the flour should not be burnt. So better roast them on low-medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally.

             Roast the flour well else laddoos will have a raw smell.

           If powdered sugar is not available ready then make it while roasting the flour. Add cardamom seeds to it while grinding.

          The quantity of clarified butter may vary. Just check the mixture and if needed add more.

DRUMSTICK CURRY

Drumstick curry is a simple and easy recipe and a very good option for the dinner. It curry can be made differently at different places as only Indian cuisine can boast of such a variety!!!! Drumsticks are widely used in South Indian cooking. They impart a lovely aroma to every dish and  can increase the flavour of the dish. Apart from this unique flavour that it has, this is a vegetable also having numerous health benefits. They are good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber. You can prepare hundreds of recipes with a single vegetable. Here is an irresistible recipe featuring aromatic and flavourful drumstick tempered with traditional spices and powders. The combination of tender drumsticks and traditional spices is absolutely delightful. I have two different recipes for this drumsticks of which I am sharing one with you all. Hope you like this recipe, if yes then don’t forget to comment in comment box below.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Drumsticks cut into small pieces.

2-3 tablespoon Onion-coconut paste [see notes]

¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

2-3 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder

2 teaspoon Dry Coriander Powder

3 teaspoon Kala/ Goda / Garam Masala [I used kala masala for my gravies]

Salt as per taste

Oil

Water for gravy

Chopped Coriander

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash and pat dry the drumsticks. Cut them  into desired sized pieces. Boil them in salt water till tender.

[see notes] Don’t throw the water, just use it for the gravy.

STEP 2 – In a wide pan heat oil

and add the onion-coconut paste in it. [see notes]

STEP 3 – Add dry spice powders in it,

mix well and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

STEP 4 – Now add the cooked drumsticks in it

and give a nice stir and cook it in masala for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 5 – Now add sufficient water for the desired thickness of curry.[if cooking drumsticks in water before hand and using the same water for gravy then don’t add salt in the gravy as it’s already there in the water, adjust it if needed].

STEP 6 – Let it boil and cook further for 5 minutes.

STEP 7 – Switch off the heat and garnish it with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Serve hot with chapatti, jowar bhakri or steamed rice and enjoy.

NOTES: ONION-COCONUT paste:

*Dry roast the chopped onion with little oil. Dry roast sliced dry coconut separately. Cool it. Then add ginger and garlic cloves in it with the thick coriander stems [which we generally throw away in dustbins]. Grind it in a mixie till fine paste. [don’t use much water while grinding, it minimise the shelf life of the paste].  Use this paste for any veg/ non-veg gravies. I always keep this ready, stored in my refrigerator for weekly purpose.

*You can skip STEP 1 if you directly cook the drumsticks in the gravy itself.

*No need to roast the paste for a longer time as we have roasted it before grinding.