Chicken Hotdog Stuffed Buns

  The morning of Kolkata is totally different as it looks in  the busy hours.  It is beautiful, serene and romantic. Less number of vehicles on the road and less crowded. Almost no honking - the morning always weaves a different story. My daily route to romance with the morning is passing by  the Rabindra Sarobar, Southern Avenue, Gol  Park then the Gariahaat Crossing to Kashba. The morning fresh breeze brushes my hair, kisses my face with a tender touch.  I keep on inhaling the fresh breath to store it for the whole day as much as I can before another side of Kolkata faces off pretty fast soon. Surprisingly I get to hear the birds chirping when I pass through the grovy and bushy lanes of Southern Avenue. I see all the young & old  on the road taking the pleasure of a morning walk. Some relaxing on a "Cutting Chai" or sipping hot tea in a Khuri ( small container made out of clay especially for serving tea in Bengal) or some drinking coconut water.  You will see the JhaNkawala Shabjiwala/ Folwala (The vendors who sell fruits/vegetables in a basket) busy in selling their stuffs to the morning passersby and with a hope in their eyes to gain profit as much as they can for the day.  Some devotees will be seen busy in enchanting the Mantras in front of Lake Kalibari. Whoever crosses through the road they will surely slow down their cars to show their respect and faith for god in front of the Temple.  A small and quick salutation will be seen touching the forehead then the chest and again regaining the speed to race with the traffic. I love this lane though I hate so many cars are parked blocking a lane. But here I get to see different kinds of busy morning and people where people are busy in relaxation. They are enjoying their morning walks or chatting with their everyday walking partners or laughing aloud on some jokes.  My car passes by and I keep on watching and storing all the stories of the different Kolkata lanes and the different scenarios in the weekdays. The Gariahat crossing tells a different story. It was then calm and quite. Only the cars and a handful of passersby will be seen. All the stores are deep in their somberness. A smile spreads soon after I cross this road. I smile at the tranquility of this place which in a few hours will be turning in to one of the craziest roads where it will be hard to drive through the road. All the passersby will come on road to either cross the road or to catch a bus/taxi/auto. The honking sounds from each and every vehicle will make your life like a hell. The traffic guards will be trying their best to make the traffic run smooth. But there will be no change. It will remain as busy and unorganized as it is. And here I should blame the people who are always prone to dissuade to make the city beautiful. Sigh...

The other day we the parents dropped lil K at her school and enjoying the drive way back home recollecting all the old new stories of our life. The weather was cloudy and the cool breeze made it more romantic to float down in a realm of romanticism. We crossed the ever enchanting Rabindra Sarobar Bridge and heading towards the Prince Anwar Shah Crossing. All of a sudden the Hubby Man hold his break and slowed down the car. A mother cyclist was carrying her little daughter on the back carrier of the cycle, crossing this speedy traffic prone road reluctantly. She crossed our car and the Hubby Man was just about to gear up the speed when we heard a bloodcurdling screeching sound of someone's car who pressed the emergency break and we saw the Mother and the child with a loud shout fell from the cycle. The Driver of that car and the Hubby Man stopped the car and rushed to them. I was sitting standstill and trying to understand what exactly happened in these last few seconds.  I got down from the car and went to the spot. By God's grace both the mother and the kid were fine. It was the driver of the car who had actually saved them. I saw my husband scolding that lady a lot for her recklessness. Frankly speaking I was feeling like slapping the lady for how irresponsible she could be. The way, she was crossing the road as if it was a playground totally ignoring the speedy moving cars.  Being a mother it is the first responsibility to protect your child and to teach all the rules & regulations of life. If we keep on ignoring them then in long run why to blame the kid. And moreover if something would have happened to them, everybody would blame the driver and might be beaten him to death, where the truth was the driver was actually the saviour. With a pounding heart all of us started moving to each other's destination.  The sweet morning within a fraction of second changed in to bitterness. And for few days I was not able to bear the fact of the recklessness of the mother and dreading the fact what worst could have happened. We always blame to reckless driving but every day I travel to and fro 80 kms and most of the time it catches my notice that the passersby are most of the time at fault.

Now let us move to today's recipe: Chicken Hotdog Stuffed Buns. It is very filling and healthy too. For the filling you can go wild with anything after your mind.

Ingredients:

(Yields 4-5 buns)

For the buns:

Flour - 1 cup

Instant yeast-  A bit less than 1 tspn

Warm Milk - 1/2 - 3/4 cup (More or less)
Olive oil - 2 table spoon

Salt - 1/4 tspn

Sugar - 1 tspn

Butter - 1 -2 tbspn

Sesame Seeds - 1 tbspn

For the Stuffing:

Chicken Hotdog - 2-3

Slices Onion - 1 small

Coloured bell pepper sliced - 1/2 cup

Chopped garlic - 2 tspn

Ginger paste - 1/2 tspn

Tomato Sauce - 1 tbspn

Worcestershire sauce - 1 tspn
Grated cheese - 1/2 cup (Optional)
Oil- 1 tbspn
Salt and Sugar ad per taste

Method:

Make the stuffing: 
Heat oil in the pan. Add the garlic and fry. Add the onion saute for a while then add all the other ingrediants apart from the cheese. Fry for few minutes on flame and then take off  from the stove. Make sure it is dry.
Make the buns:

1. Add all the dry ingredients with the flour. Mix well. Add warm milk slowly at a time and keep on needing. Don't pour all the milk at one time. One has to make a semi soft dough so add milk as per requirement.
2. Keep on kneading at least for 10 minutes. Then take a big bowl and cover the dough with a damp cloth or cling fling  and let  rise for 1 hour. After one hour again knead back the dough for 3-4 minutes and then again keep it for 40-45 minutes. Now take the dough and make 4-5 balls (Or more or less) out of it. Make sure the balls should have enough size to be stuffed.
3. Roll each ball in a small disc and then put the stuffing and cheese in it. And then join  together the edges and seal nicely and roll in to a smooth ball again. You can add a bit oil on your palm to avoid the stickiness. Make a nicely shaped buns rolling in between the palms.
4. Pre- heat the oven at 200 C for 6-7 minutes.
5. Take a baking tray. Grease it and put the buns. Brush the buns with melted butter and top with some sesame seeds on each bun.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the buns gets a nice brown tinge and the top is crispy enough.  Take it out and enjoy.

Note:

1. You can use egg white too to brush the top of the buns to get a nice brown top while baking.
2. For the stuffing anything can be added. You can go for a veg or a non- veg too.

Photography Notes::
I clicked it on Program mode. The ISO was 1600. I shot it at night time. It was clicked in normal Tube Light that we had in every house. The light was coming from far left and I had kept the right side dark. From my experience - dark background for night shoots suits best.

Stuffed Omelette

"What you have Chhotu?" 

Sandy was thoroughly drenched. There was no point of taking any shelter anymore. But he was starving for a cup of tea or coffee to warm up his tired limbs and naturally something to eat. He was on his way back home and hitching for last 20 minutes for a taxi. And moreover the sudden rain had ruined his entire romantic mood that was weaving the future he wanted to spend with Sai. 

"Namaste Dada!!! What you want?" The boy popped up from this dark shadowy roadside snack bar. Sandy was waiting outside and a bit in hesitant whether to enter or not. But the jocund welcome tone of the boy made him comfortable to reserve a corner sit for him.

"First serve me a hot tea and something to eat." Sandy replied.

"Ok. Then try our Egg Noodles.." Cackled the boy.

Sandy just wanted something to eat and the words -Egg Noddles, made his stomach rumbled with a jiggle. He nodded his head and ordered to bring it quickly. He chose a corner table next to the door. So that the dripping water drops from his body could flow down through the door, brushing the wet steps and then get mingled in the water logged street. Ah, this is his city of joy, where a 10 minutes heavy rain turns a dry road into a creek. He could see the two way traffic moving in slow space splashing the water which is curling down again to kiss the stagnant water. 

"Ah, Sai where are you!!!" Sandy felt a bolted emotion suddenly choked his throat. He was missing her so much. If she was here she would be jumping like a little girl and sharing her single precious excitement while enjoying the incessant rain and the music of the droplets paring with the splashing water. She loves rain......Sandy took out his phone and clicked a picture and sent Sai through whatsapp. A sad smiley blinked up right away and then:

"Missing me?"

"Hun.."

"Love you.."

"Love you too.."

"Dada your tea and Egg Noodles.." Chhotu disrupted the song of the love birds and served the ordered dish.

"What is this?, I ordered for Egg Noodles." Sandy with a surprised face asked the boy.

The boy jovially replied, "Are Dada this is the special Egg Noodles. Once you eat, you will ask for more." The boy vanished inside in no time. 

Sandy took a look around the room. It was quite full. All were busy in chatting or engaged with their phones. Munching, sipping and gulping. Sandy's face reflected a kind of disappointment. Though he was an egg lover, right now he was not in a mood to have an Omlette. He was craving more for the Egg Noodles. His mind was slowly getting heated up. He clicked a picture of the dish and sent it to Sai:

"At which angle will you call it Egg Noodles??"

"What!! Are you kidding?? This is an Omlette... hahaha "

"I ordered for the famous Egg Noodles of this place and this is what I was served."

"Hahahaha...Enjoy..."

Sandy was very hungry and whatever was served in front of him had started to lure him. He cut a piece and forked it to make a way to his mouth. Oh, my what was this peeping out!!! Noodles!!!! Therefore the Omlette was looking so fatty than the usual one. A smile twinkled in his face. He took a bigger piece along with the noodles and then he closed his eyes. A sheer joy of happiness shivered down through his veins. He had never tasted such a tasty dish before in his life. 

"Sai, it is Egg Noodles!!!! And it is delicious. I will surely bring you here to taste it."

"What??"

"I mean it is Egg Noodles or rather I should say Stuffed Omlette with noodles."

"Hahahahaha.....So lesson learnt don't make assumption by name. Taste it and then decide... ;) :P"

Sandy finished his plate in no time. And the hot tea helped him to regain back his energy again to start his struggle to reach home through his water logged pathway.

"Chhotu, the Egg Noodles was awesome."

"I told you..It is the famous dish here.." The happy boy bid good bye to Sandy holding a tip of ten rupees in his hand.

Ingredients:

You need some stuffing. Her I have taken Vegetable Noodles (The normal way we make at home)

For each roll we need 2 eggs

Grated Cheese (as per requirement)

Tomato Sauce

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder

Oil/butter for frying

Method:

1. Beat two eggs nicely. Ad Salt and Black pepper powder as per taste.

2. Take a non-stick pan. Heat Oil/Butter and then pour the Egg. Make sure to spread it evenly in a round big circle. 

3. In a low flame let it cook till the surface looks done. Now take small portion of the stuffing (Here I added homemade noodles) and line vertically. Leave a little space on the top and the bottom. Top some grated cheese on it. In skilled hand roll the omlette and wrap the noodles. Let it be done for another couple of minutes. And then serve with some ketchup or salad.

Notes:

1. You can make many variations of it. Different kinds of stuffing can me made, like fried rice, stir fried vegetables, stir fried sausages, dry minced chicken or some stir fried boneless chicken  etc.

2. If you want to avoid the egg yolk then just make it with egg whites. It comes out pretty well. I often make it for my parents and in-laws as they are prone to cholesterol. 

 Nutritional Value:
For the kids it is very healthy and they like it when you serve it with the variations mentioned above. Along with the egg one can get the supplemented proteins, vitamins along through the vegetables too.

Egg Spinach Mushroom Grilled Sandwich

I am living with the sandwich lovers. And that reason always proved me a bad wife and a bad mamma. Let me reason the fact. I always try to satisfy the two hearts with the simplest sandwiches which will take hardly two minutes to make. Like the cheese sandwiches, salad sandwiches et al. Now the other day to relieve them from their boring and Yakki (in my daughter's word) breakfasts and of course to rescue myself from their fury, I decided to treat them with some YAMMY sandwich that I have never prepared before. And no need to say I got my pedestal back. I crowned to be the perfect cook and the best Mamma. So you all just keep on imagining how much praises I bagged in on that auspicious day……

Ok you guys are bored enough. Let’s jump straight to the Egg Spinach Mushroom Grilled Sandwich. Do make it and give a nice feedback which I am surely going to show my family… (Grinning till the ear ends). So recipe here follows:

Egg Spinach Mushroom Grilled Sandwich

(8 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

Egg- 2 ( beaten)

Sandwich Bread- 8 pieces (Brown /white- up to your choice)

Spinach(washed and chopped)- 1 cup

Mushroom(chopped)- 1 cup

Grated Cheese- 1/2 cup

Chopped Garlic- 1/2 table spoon

Salt & Sugar -According to taste.

White pepper- A dash

Oregano Seasoning - 1/4 tea spoon

Tomato Sauce- 1 tea spoon

Olive oil- 1 table spoon

Butter to grease.

Method:

1. Take a pan or kadai heat the  oil and add the garlic. Then add the spinach and the mushroom. Saute for few minutes then add all the other ingredients except the Egg, Cheese and Bread. Stir nicely till the spinach is well cooked and dry. Then add the egg, fry nicely till it takes a perfect dry texture. Take off the stove.

2. Take the breads and cut the sides. Spread the Spinach spread on 4 breads and top them with grated cheese. Cover the four breads with the other four breads.

3. Now grease the Sandwich griller with butter and grill the sandwich till it is done. Cut it in a triangular shape and enjoy with sauce or some dip.

Sweet & Sour Baby Potatoes

Tiffin for the kid becomes a big trouble mainly when your kid is very choosy. My Little one makes most of my options closed for a healthy meal. She doesn't want any  noodles, vegetables, Fruits or  Roti in her Tiffin box. So I have three staple meals that I rotate in the five working days what my little one enjoys - Sandwich, French Toast and Bread with Sweet & Sour potato. Yes she does like Pistachio what I add and a small Banana. I have to wake up 5.00 am in the morning to make her tiffin and the breakfast for the family as K (read my daughter) leaves for school at 7.00 am. I have only less than hour to make  something tasty, brisk and healthy for her.  

Most of the kids love potato very much. So here is a very easy to make and very tasty dish that all mom can try it out. So here is the recipe. It takes hardly 10-12 mnts to cook. Taste wise it is a Kid's as well as an adult's delight for sure.

Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes -  15 

(You can make it with large potatoes cut into cubes also)

Tomato sauce- 1 & 1/2  table spoon

Soy Sauce- 1 tea spoon (Optional)

Salt and Sugar according to taste

White pepper- a pinch

Oregano Seasoning- 1/4 tea spoon

Oil/ butter- 1 table spoon

Method-

1. Boil the potatoes with salt. 
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Pour the strained potatoes . Fry it for a minute. Add the sauces, pepper, oregano seasoning and sugar. Taste it and see if salt is required. Fry it for couple of more minutes. And serve with bread.

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Pancake Roll

I prepared and took the snaps of the Pancake Roll, when Priya of Priya's Easy n Tasty Recipes, announced the Pancake event, a decade back. And then I totally forgot to post it and to send it for the event. I am like this. Due to my forgetfulness I rarely participate in the events. Today while spending few moments with the old memories I suddenly found the snaps which I treasured very nicely in my web album. Before I forget again I am posting it right now. Priya this is for you. This is a very common breakfast at our home. Both my daughter and hubby like it very much. Very easy to make and taste too good.I think it is also common in your kitchen too. Let me share how I make.

Ingredients:-

Pancake:

• Flour-1/2 cup(approx)

• Milk-1/2 cup

• 2 eggs

• Salt- As per taste

• Sugar- As per taste

Filling:

• Chopped Tomato, carrot and cucumber-2 cups

• Mayonnaise- 1 table spoon

• Italian seasoning- As per taste

• Black pepper-As per taste

• Grated cheese -1/2 cup (optional)

• Salt & Sugar-As per taste

Butter/oil to fry

Method:-

1. Mix all the ingredients written under pancake and make a nice and smooth batter. If you feel its too watery then add little bit of flour more. Or if you think its too thick then add little bit of milk.

2. In another bow mix all the ingredients written under Filling. And mix well together.

3. Heat oil/butter in a non stick pan. Pour the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Flip the other side when its done. Take a spoon full of filling and pour in a line on the pancake. Then fold the right side then the left side in roll shape.

4. Serve hot with sauce.