Cheesy Crust Veg Pizza with Homemade Pizza Base (Step-by-step Pictures)

I tried this recipe from my Friend Mahi's blog. Thank you Mahi.  I followed all her steps except I prepared a cheesy crust. Check her recipe here.

For Topping :

1. Pizza Sauce - 1/2 Cup

2. Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 Cup

3. Mixed Vegetables of your choice - 1/2 Cup (Chopped)

For Dough :

1. All Purpose Flour - 2 Cups

2. Active Dry Yeast - 1 tsp

3. Olive Oil - 2 tsp

4. Salt - 3/4 tsp

5. Sugar - 1 tsp

6. Warm Water - 1 Cup

Procedure :

1. Add yeast, salt and sugar to warm water. Mix well and keep aside for 10 minutes.

2. Now, take flour in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture a little by little. Keep knead while you add the yeast mixture.

3. Make a soft loose dough. Now, grease your palm with olive oil and apply over the prepared dough.

4. Place a damp cloth over the bowl and keep in a warm place for 2 hours.

5. After two hours, dough would be raised. Gently press the dough and knead again. 

6.  Keep aside for another hour and allow the dough to raise.

7. Now, knead well. Here you may need a little extra flour if the dough sticks to your palm.

8. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 F.

9. Roll out the dough. Lightly dust the baking sheet with flour.

10. Keep the rolled dough carefully in the baking sheet ( I used cake baking pan).

11. Now, place the grated cheese around the corner. Fold the edge to cover the cheese.

12. Spread the pizza sauce. Place the vegetables. Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables.

13. Apply olive oil over the crust.

14. Bake for 35 minutes in the pre-heated oven.

15. Serve warm.

You may be Interested in :

1. Bread / Bun

2. Cakes

3. Cookies

This goes to my own event "Healthy Food for Healthy Kids - Italian Dishes" guest hosted by Sowmya.

Stuffed Brinjals / Ennai Kathirikai & Peanut Podi - A two-in-one recipe-with step-by-step pictures

Ennai Kathirikai is a delicious curry that goes good with Sambar sadam, Rasam sadam and Yogurt/Curd rice. This curry is different from "Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu". In this recipe, I have used groundnut & Sesame to stuff and spice up the curry. This combo gives a nice aroma and a wonderful taste.

Ingredients :

1. Fresh Brinjals - 8

2. Curry Leaves - A few

3. Gingelly Oil - 1.5 tbs

4. Salt - To taste

For Spice powder,

Dry roast and coarsely powder the following ingredients along with salt.

1. Roasted unsalted groundnut - 1.5 tbs

2. Gingelly/Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp

3. Urad Dhal - 1.5 tsp

4. Coconut - 1/2 tbs (Grated)

5. Red Chilly - 3 or adjust to your taste

This spice mix can be prepared in large quantity and stored. This can be either used as a rice mix or accompaniment to idly or dosa.

Procedure :

1. Select small and fresh green or purple brinjals(eggplant).

2. Remove the top and then make a criss-cross cuts.

3. Stuff the spice powder. Keep the remaining powder aside.

4. Now, in a pan add 1 tbs of oil. Gently place the stuffed brinjals. Medium the flame.

5. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook till the brinjal colour changes.

6. Now, throw the remaining spice powder on the top of the brinjals.

7. Add remaining oil and turn the brinjals gently. Allow to cook for another few minutes.

8. Switch off the stove. Garnish with curry leaves.

9. Serve as a side-dish to rice or roti.

You may be interested in :

Brinjal & Cluster Bean Curry

Chidambaram Kathirikai Gosthu

Who tried this recipe?
1. Yashodha

Pavarkaai Pitlai (Bitter gourd in spicy gravy)

Pavarkaai pitlai is a traditional dish and I used to make this often at home. This is a healthy dish with bitter melon and less oil. I know most of you would not cook pavarkaai (bitter gourd/bitter melon) because of it's taste. But this vegetable has lot of nutrients and it is considered to have high medicinal value. If you regularly consume bitter melon, you are sure to be away from lot of diseases. My mom used to cook lot of dishes with this vegetable. She also taught me how to reduce the bitterness in the bitter melon. If you really follow her steps, I'm sure you'l start to love bitter melon as much as I do. I have given the step-by-step procedure and hope you'l all start to cook bitter gourd and utilize it's health benefits.

Ingredients :

1. Bitter Gourd (Pavarkaai) - 2

2. Thoor Dhal - 1/4 Cup

3. Channa Dhal - 1/4 Cup

4. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

5. Tamarind - juice from a gooseberry sized ball

6. Sambar Powder - 1 tsp

7. Curry Leaf - A few

8. Salt - Needed qty

9. Mustard - 1 tsp

10. Oil - 2 tsp

For dry grind :

1. Urad dhal - 1 tsp

2. Channa dhal - 1/2 tsp

3. Red Chilly - 2 or adjust to your taste

4. Coconut - 1 tsp

5. Coriander seeds - 1 tsp (I used coriander powder)

Dry roast all the above ingredients till brown and powder using small mixer jar. Keep aside.

Procedure :

1. Wash the bitter gourds and cut them in to small pieces. Remove seeds.

2. Transfer the cut pieces to a vessel. Add little water, half the quantity of tamarind juice, turmeric powder and little salt. (You can very well see in the picture that the water and tamarind juice just covers the vegetable) Let the bitter gourd cook till the water evaporates. (This is how my mom removes bitterness from the bitter gourd)

4. Meanwhile, cook both the dhals together. Mash and keep aside.

5. In a pan, add oil. Splutter mustard. Then add bitter gourd and curry leaves. Fry for a minute.

6. Add the remaining tamarind juice, salt and sambar powder. Cover the pan with lid and let the contents boil for 10 minutes or the raw smell of the sambar powder is gone.

7. Now, add the cooked and mash dhal. Allow the contents to boil for another few minutes.

8. Finally, add the dry ground spice powder. Mix thoroughly. If you wish, you can add a little jaggery to enhance the taste.

9. Switch of the stove when the contents get thickened.

10. Enjoy with hot rice.

Serves : 2

You may be interested in :

Milagu Kuzhambu

Karamani Kara Kuzhambu

Poricha Kuzhambu(with moong dhal)

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu

Apple Mor Kuzhambu

Mambazha Kuzhambu

Poricha Kuzhambu(with toor dhal)

Beet Stalks Dhal/kuzhambu

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu

Who tried this recipe?
1. Sharanya

Vegetable Poha Upma stuffed Bell Pepper - with step-by-step pictures

I used to prepare stuffed rice but this time just for a change, I stuffed aval/poha upma. I used idly steamer this time to cook the bell pepper. You can use oven to prepare these stuffed dishes. I'l come up with another dish using oven method soon.

Ingredients :

1. Bell Pepper - 1 (Any colour)

2. Poha - 1 Cup (Soaked for 10 minutes)

3. Onion - 1/4 Cup (Finely Chopped)

4. Peas - 1/4 Cup (Fresh)

5. Tomato - 1 (Chopped)

6. Green Bell Pepper - 1/4 Cup (Chopped)

7. Green Chilly - 2 (Chopped) or adjust to your taste

8. Mustard - 1 tsp

9. Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

10. Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

11. Salt - Needed Qty

12. Oil - 1 tbs

13. Curry Leaves & Coriander - For Garnishing

Procedure :

1. Wash and dry Bell pepper.

2. Cut the top of the bell pepper. Remove seeds.

3. Brush some oil and throw some pepper and salt. Keep aside.

4. Now, in a pan add oil. Pop mustard and then add urad dhal.

5. Add chopped onion, tomato, bell pepper, green chillies and peas. Fry well.

6. Add soaked and squeezed poha. Mix well. Cook for 5 minutes. Keep aside.

7. Now, Place the bell pepper in idly steamer. Steam for 10 minutes or till cooked.

8. Now, stuff it with the poha upma.

9. Cook for another five minutes.

10. Enjoy hot with Sauce or Chutney.

You may be interested in :

Idly Upma

Sweet Corn Sooji Upma

Fruit Bread Upma

Sprouted Black Channa & Tamarind Poha Upma

Podi Idly Upma

Vermicelli / Semiya Upma

Veggie Poha Upma

Bottle Gourd Adai / Sorakkai Adai - with step-by-step pictures

Sorakkai (Bottle Gourd) Adai, is one of the traditional breakfast dishes. I learnt this easy recipe from my husband's Grandma. I have not added onion here and if you want, you can add 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro and curry leaves.

Ingredients :

1. Raw rice -1/2 cup

2. Idly rice -1/2 cup

3. Green Chilly - 2 or 3

4. Bottle gourd (Sorakkai)– 1 cup (Grated)

5. Salt - Needed Qty

Procedure :

1. Soak raw rice and idly rice together for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Grind the rice with green chillies and salt. Use a little water while grinding. The batter need to be in thick consistency.

3. Now, Wash, peel and grate the bottle gourd.

4. Squeeze the grated bottle gourd and add it to the ground rice.

5. Mix the ground rice and grated bottle gourd well.

6. Now, heat a dosa pan, add a teaspoon of oil.

7. Gently place a ladle of batter in the centre of the dosa pan. Just spread it with the ladle or you can spread with your hands, if you have experience already. Drizzle another teaspoon of oil over the surface of the adai. Let it cook on medium flame. It will take few minutes to cook.

8. Now, flip the adai and allow to cook for another few minutes.

9. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

You may be interested in :

Thoor Dhal Adai

Who tried this recipe?
1. Babitha
2. Sharanya

Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu / Brinjals in Spicy & Tangy Curry with Step-by-step Pictures :

Last weekend, when I saw these fresh, small brinjals in the Indian grocery I couldn't resist myself from buying. I prepared this spicy and tangy ennai kathirikai kuzhambu for the weekend lunch. It tasted great.

Ingredients :

1. Brinjal - 6 (Small and fresh)

2. Onion - 1/2 Cup (Finely Chopped)

3. Tomato - 1 (Medium sized, finely chopped)

4. Curry Leaf - A few

5. Tamarind - Lemon sized

6. Coconut - 1/4 Cup (Grated and ground to a paste)

7. Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp (Heaped)or adjust to your taste.

8. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

9. Fenugreek Seeds - 10

10. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

11. Mustard - 1 tsp

12. Salt - Needed Qty

13. Oil - 2 tbs (I use Gingelly oil)

For dry grinding,

1. Urad Dhal - 1.5 tsp

2. Thoor Dhal - 1/2 tsp

3. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

4. Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp

5. Red Chilly - 2

Dry roast and powder the above ingredients.

Procedure :

1. Extract juice from lemon sized ball and Keep aside.

2. Now, select small and fresh brinjals.

3. Remove the top of the brinjals. Make a cut in the brinjals in the centre.

4. Stuff the dry powder inside the brinjals.

5. Now, in a kadai add 1 tbs of oil. Place the dry masala stuffed brinjals.

6. Cook on medium heat till the brinjal colour changes.

7. Now, gently remove the brinjals from the kadai. Keep aside.

8. In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Splutter mustard. Add asafoetida and fenugreek seeds. Fry for a minute. Then, saute onion, tomato and curry leaves.

9. After few minutes, add turmeric powder and red chilly powder. Mix them well. Add tamarind juice and salt.Allow the contents to boil for 5 minutes.

10. Now, gently drop the stuffed oil fried brinjal.

11. Allow the contents to boil well and when the contents starts to thicken, add the ground coconut and medium the stove.

12. When oil starts to leave the sides of the contents, switch off the stove and transfer to a bowl.

13. Serve hot with rice.

Note :

A little jaggery can also be added to enhance the taste.

You may be interested in :

Milagu Kuzhambu

Karamani Kara Kuzhambu

Poricha Kuzhambu(with moong dhal)

Paruppu Urundai Kuzhambu

Apple Mor Kuzhambu

Mambazha Kuzhambu

Poricha Kuzhambu(with toor dhal)

Beet Stalks Dhal/kuzhambu

Pavarkaai Pitlai

Brinjal & Cluster Bean Curry

Kathirikai Gosthu (Chidambaram Gosthu)


Who tried this recipe?
1. Asiya
2. Priya Satheesh