Here is the easiest version of Pizza I have made so far using All Purpose Flour. This is a good choice for beginners though there are healthier Pizza crusts like Whole Wheat Crust, Cauliflower Crust, Coconut Flour Crust and so on.

Home made Vegetable Pizza

A perfect crust can be obtained by baking the Pizza on a Pizza Stone at the highest oven temperature. If you don’t have a Pizza Stone, you can use a Pizza Pan or Baking Sheet. I have used  pie pans and cake pans for making my pizza.

Ingredients

1. All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
2. Yeast – 1 tsp
3. Warm Water – 1/2 cup
4. Salt – to taste
5. Sugar – 1 tbsp
6. Corn Flour/All Purpose Flour – for dusting
7. Canned Tomato Sauce/Puree – 1/4 cup
8. Dried Parsley Flakes – 2 tsp
9. Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp
10. Barbeque Sauce – 2 tbsp (optional)
11. Thinly Sliced Tomatoes  – 1 medium
12. Thinly Sliced Mushrooms – 4 or 5
13. Thinly Sliced Bell Peppers – half of one small bell pepper
14. Chopped Fresh or Frozen Spinach – 1/4 cup or less
15. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – 1/4 cup (You can use Low Fat Cheese)
16. Olive Oil – 2 tsp + 1 tsp (for coating the pizza pan)

 Preparation Method

1. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of lightly warm water along with 1 tbsp sugar. Keep it aside for ten minutes so that it becomes foamy.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, little salt, 2 tsp olive oil and the yeast solution. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough and leave it aside for ten minutes. You may have to add a few tablespoons of water while kneading.
3. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup of the canned tomato sauce, parsley flakes, garlic powder and salt in another bowl. You can also add 2 tbsp of barbeque sauce for an extra kick.
4. Dust your working surface with little corn/all purpose flour and roll the dough into desired shape. The crust shouldn’t be too thin but should be atleast 1/4″ thick. You can roll it into 10-12″ diameter approximately. Brush the top of the dough with little olive oil.
5. If using frozen spinach, defrost it. If using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly and then chop it.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Lightly grease a pizza pan, stone or baking sheet with olive oil and dust with all purpose flour or corn flour.
7. Transfer the rolled out dough to the pan and press lightly. Pinch the edges to keep the toppings inside.
8. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the crust. Top the crust with all the vegetables and shredded cheese.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes on the lowest rack until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Note

1. For a thin and crispy crust, roll the dough into a thinner circle and bake for 12-15 minutes on 450 degree F.
2. Feel free to top the pizza with vegetables of your choice like olives, basil, onions and so on but do not overcrowd the pizza with too many toppings.
3. You can also lightly saute toppings like onions and mushrooms in little oil before adding it to your pizza base.
4. Be careful with the amount of tomato sauce you spread on the base or else the pizza will become soggy.

Vegetable Pizza

Some use Grated Coconut, while other use Coconut Milk. Some use Whole Dairy Milk instead of Coconut Milk. Some use Yeast for fermentation while others use Coconut Water or Toddy.

Palappam is often served for Christian Weddings. It goes well with Fish Molee, Vegetable Stew, Egg Roast, Kerala Chicken Curry and so on.

Kerala Palappam

I make Appams for parties and whenever we have guests. Though it is time consuming, the end result is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

1. Raw Rice – 2 cups (Use any short or long grain rice)
2. Cooked Rice – 3/4 cup approx
3. Yeast – 1.5 to 2 tsp
4. Sugar – 1 tbsp + 3-4 tbsp or as needed
5. Salt – to taste
6. Thick Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup
7. Ice cubes – as needed
8. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Soak the rice for atleast 6 hours or leave it overnight.
2. Wash and drain the rice and keep aside.
3. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup of lightly warm water. Keep it aside for ten minutes until it foams.
4. Next, you need to grind the rice in several batches. Grind around two handfuls of raw rice along with a few tablespoons of cooked rice and very little water. I add 2-3 ice cubes while grinding each batch to prevent the mixie from overheating. Grind until you get a smooth batter.
5. Transfer the batter to large bowl. Continue doing this with the remaining rice.
6. While grinding the last batch, add the yeast solution to the mixie.
7. Leave the batter in a warm place for 6-8 hours. I usually leave it overnight. Enusre that the bowl is large enough to prevent the batter from overflowing after fermentation.
8. The batter would have risen after fermentation and will look foamy. Stir the batter and check the consistency. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of coconut milk to make a batter of medium consistency. If the batter appears thin after fermentation, skip the coconut milk.
9. Add sugar as per desired sweetness (3-4 tbsp) and salt to taste. Mix everything together.
10. At this stage, you can start preparing the Appams with this batter or for extra lacy appams, leave the batter untouched for half an hour. The batter will froth and rise again. Spoon the foamy layer from the batter and transfer it to another dish. Use this foamy batter for making Appams.
11. Heat a Palappam Chatti and lightly grease it with oil.
12. Once the Palappam Chatti is hot, pour a ladle full of batter and swirl the pan in one direction so that the batter spreads to the edges.
13. Keep it covered and allow the Appam to cook for a few minutes.
14. Once cooked the edges of the appam will start separating from the pan. Remove the appam carefully with a spatula.

Note

• You may need to adjust the amount of cooked rice used in this recipe. If you use too much of boiled rice, the appams will become sticky. If the rice used is less, appams won’t be soft. Try using 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked rice but not more than that.
• While grinding the rice, try adding very little water. The unfermented batter should be thick as it will rise and thin out after fermentation.
• To make appams with brown laces, increase the amount of sugar.

Aloo Paratha (Mashed Potato Stuffed Indian Flat Breads)

These Aloo Parathas were made by my mother-in-law. The recipe is very simple and uses minimal ingredients. Onions are not used in this recipe but you may saute onions and mashed potatoes to make the stuffing.

Ingredients

For the Dough

1. Wheat Flour – 2 cups
2. Water – 3/4 cup
3. Salt – to taste
4. Vegetable Oil – 3 tsp
5. Wheat Flour for dusting & rolling – as needed

For the Potato Stuffing

1. Potatoes – 2 medium sized ones
2. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
3. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
4. Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Finally Chopped Cilantro – 2 to 3 tbsp (Optional)
6. Salt – to taste

Making the dough

1. Take wheat flour in a big bowl. Add little salt and 1 tsp oil to the flour.
2. Add water little by little and start kneading to form a nice and smooth dough which is not sticky.
3. Drizzle a few drops of oil so as to coat the final dough.
4. Cover with a wet cloth or paper towel and keep it aside for 15-30 minutes so that the dough sets.
5. After 30 minutes, take the dough and knead it one more time for a few seconds.

Making the Potato filling

1. Pressure cook the potatoes along with salt until they are thoroughly cooked. You can also boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until tender.
2. Remove skin and mash the potatoes thoroughly using your hands until there are no lumps.
3. Add salt, cilantro, turmeric, chilly and cumin powders to the mashed potato and mix everything well.

Rolling out Parathas

1. Using your palms, make big lemon sized balls from the dough.
2. Flatten each ball and start rolling it on a rolling board to form a thick disc of 3-4″ diameter.
3. Place 2 to 3 tbsp of the potato filling at the centre of the rolled out roti. Lift the edges of the Paratha and bring it towards the center and seal it to make a ball.
4. Flatten the potato filled balls and dust it lightly in flour. Roll it out carefully to make a flat paratha. Dust it in flour as you roll out the parathas. Make sure that the filling doesn’t come out when you roll the parathas.
5. Heat a tava or non stick pan and place the rolled out paratha on it. Cook on medium heat until small brown spots start appearing on the underside.
6. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown and starts puffing. Apply a dab of oil on both sides of the paratha to make it soft.
7. Serve these hot Alu Parathas with Curd/Raitha and Pickle.

Note

1. To retain the softness of the Parathas, cover them in a cloth and place it in a Casserole so that it remains fresh.
2. Do not use grinder/mixie for mashing potatoes since the potatoes will stick to the blades and you will have a tough time cleaning the sticky mess.

Fish Stuffed Parathas

This is an excellent tiffin for kids. If you have fish fillets, you can make this quickly.

Ingredients

For the stuffing

1. Tilapia Fish Fillets – 2 (You can use any Fish of your choice)
2. Finely Diced Onions – 1 small
3. Diced Tomatoes – 1 large
4. Finely Diced Green Chillies – 2 (Optional)
5. Minced Ginger – 1 tbsp
6. Minced Garlic – 1 tbsp
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Red Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp (Alter according to your Spice Tolerance)
9. Fish Masala Powder – 1 tbsp (I used Eastern Fish Masala powder)
10. Black Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
11. Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 to 1 tsp
12. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
13. Salt – to taste

For the Paratha

1. Wheat Flour – 2 cups
2. Salt – to taste
3. Warm Water – as needed
4. Oil/Ghee – few teaspoons
5. Wheat Flour (for dusting) – as needed

Fish Paratha

Preparation Method

Making the dough

1. Combine wheat flour, little salt and 1 tsp oil in a bowl.
2. Slowly, add warm water and start kneading to form a smooth dough which is not sticky.
3. Drizzle a few drops of oil to coat the outer surface of the dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.

Preparing the Fish Masala

1. Wash the Tilapia fillets and soak it in water along with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Rinse and drain after 5 minutes.
2. Marinate the fillets with salt, turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp red chilly powder.
3. Microwave the fillets for 4-5 minutes. Shred the fish with a fork and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and saute onions until translucent.
5. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a few minutes.
6. Add tomatoes along with salt to taste and cook until soft and pulpy.
7. Reduce heat and add 1/2 tsp chilly powder, 1 tbsp fish masala powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, garam masala powder and saute for 2 minutes.
8. Add the shredded tilapia pieces and mix everything well. Sprinkle 2 tsp lemon juice.
9. Cover the pan and cook on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes till it is completely cooked and dry.

Rolling out Parathas

1. Make big lemon sized balls from the dough using your palms.
2. Flatten each ball by dusting it lightly in wheat flour.
3. Place the flattened dough on a rolling board and start rolling to form a thin circle of 4-5″ diameter.
4. Make 2 such Parathas and keep aside.
5. Take a spoonful or two of the fish masala and spread it on the surface of one paratha.
6. Take the second Paratha and place it on the first Paratha and seal the edges thoroughly by pressing it.
7. Continue to make Stuffed Parathas with the remaining dough.

Baking the Parathas

1. Heat a tava or non stick pan/griddle on medium high heat. Place the stuffed paratha on the hot tava.
2. Cook  both sides of the Paratha on medium heat  till it is starts puffing and small brown spots start appearing.
3. With the back of a spoon dipped in oil, you can dab oil on both sides of the paratha to make it soft.
4. Serve these Fish Parathas with any Raitha and Pickle.

Notes

1. You can also use Canned Fish for this recipe. Canned Tuna is an excellent choice.
2. Fish Masala Powder is optional. You can use Coriander Powder and Fennel Seeds Powder instead of Fish Masala Powder.

Methi Roti

Here is Mamma’s recipe for making Methi Chappati. You can use fresh or dried Fenugreek Leaves for this Roti.

Ingredients

1. Fresh or Dried Fenugreek Leaves – 1/2 cup
2. Wheat Flour – 2 to 3 cups
3. Salt – to taste
4. Oil/Cooking Spray – as needed
5. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

Making the dough

1. If using dried fenugreek leaves, soak it in water for 5 minutes. Drain the water and squeeze out the leaves.
2. Combine wheat flour, fenugreek leaves and little salt in a bowl.
3. Slowly, add water and start kneading to form a soft dough which is pliable.
4. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and keep it aside for atleast 30 minutes to make soft Rotis.

Methi Roti Dough

Rolling out Rotis

1. Make lemon sized balls from the dough using your palms.
2. Flatten each ball by dusting it lightly in wheat flour.
3. Place the flattened dough on a rolling board and start rolling to form a thin disc of 4-5″ diameter.

Baking the Rotis

1. Heat a tava or non stick pan/griddle on medium high heat. To ensure that the tava is hot, sprinkle a few drops of water and if it sizzles, it means your tava is ready. Place the rolled out roti on the hot tava.
2. When you see small bubbles appearing on the surface of the roti after 30 seconds to 1 min, flip the Roti.
3. Reduce heat, allow it to cook on medium-low heat till it is starts puffing. You can press the roti with a towel or tissue paper so that it puffs up.
4. When small brown spots start appearing on the underside, flip the roti and cook the other side similarly.
5. With the back of a spoon dipped in oil, you can dab oil on both sides of the roti to make it soft or you can spray some cooking oil.
6. Serve these Methi rotis with any spice Curry, Raitha and Pickle.