Banana Cashew Bread, Honey Peanut Butter and Pear Sandwich

Ha ha! Such a long name for the sandwich. It does sound like a call out for Emperor Akbar! Jokes apart this is a sandwich we loved and so here to share.

Some time ago I made a Cashew version of my Banana bread, its a large loaf for a family of two. So after enjoying warm slices of a fresh baked banana bread on it's own, I wrapped the loaf and stored it in the fridge for later.

Then after few days on a chill evening we wanted to indulge in a high tea. So I made fresh Honey Peanut butter and sliced some pears to sandwich between the lovely bread. What came together was a gourmet sandwich and thought you guys might like it.

So here is the recipe and a half that it is, yeah its simple assembly but a brilliant combo. 

Method

Slice the banana bread thick. 

Toast it on both sides. 

Spread a generous amount of Honey peanut butter on one slice.

Wash and slice pears. Remove core and stem.

Layer the pear slices on the peanut buttered slice.

Cover with the second toasted slice of banana bread.

Enjoy along with a mug of warm milk or your choice of a steaming hot drink!

This picture was clicked for 365project. 

Yes I jumped onto the wagon. So many things keeping me busy and how I am loving this life! Go check out my project. Do leave comments I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Smörgåstårta, It's A Sandwhich Cake!

We are a family that loves our local sandwich, the club sandwich that you get all over Mumbai. It is while I was in Blr, I had posted about the ubiquitous Mumbai Sandwich. It continues to top my most popular all time posts.

For the Birthday Party I decided to make healthy and pretty open sandwiches. I was looking for ways of decorating open sandwiches when I hit upon this word Smörgåstårta, Scandinavian in origin and following this link it lead me to the world of Sandwich cakes!

Cake? yes Cake in the way it is decorated. You have to just let your creative juices flow to create a beautiful looking sandwich cake. I put together my sandwich cake in just 15 mins with the help of my Dad. He buttered the slices of bread and I arranged the cake. Since we did not have time I did not do an elaborate decoration but even this simple decoration surprised my family so much. No one expects it from a sandwich.

There are ways and endless ways how you can decorate yours but I know you definitely want to know how I did it. You must be cringing at the cream that covers the cake, thinking that much cream! Read on to find out if it really is?

Ingredients for the decoration

2 cups finely chopped cilantro

1-1.5 cups of Homemade Veg Mayo

slice onion, cucumber and beetroot

First choose a serving dish you want to use. It should be large enough to hold 4 regular slices of a loaf.

The bread slices need to be buttered, this will prevent the slices from sogging. If you like spicy ones like us apply green or red chutney. Make tiers of bread slices and vegetables of choice. I used cucumber, beetroot and onion slices between the bread. Keep the edges to let the cake hold shape. If you need a recipe for making the sandwiches use my recipe of the Mumbai Sandwich.

I used five slices to give the cake a height. You will need to make a total of 4 such to get the large square foundation for the cake.

Then slather the veg mayo generously onto the cake foundation, to cover the top and all four sides.

Now take the finely chopped cilantro and shower on the sides. The cilantro will be held by the cream to give it a nice ivy covered wall look.

Last, make 4 rosettes with cucumber slices. On top of the rosettes place a slice of beetroot to make it look like a flower. The veggies used on top for decoration should be the ones that are used inside so people know whats inside before the cake is sliced up. Hey but if you want to surprise people more use decoration that are not used in the layers but go well with the overall taste.

When you cut up the Smörgåstårta, use a sharp knife to be able to cut thru the vegetables all the way into the cake. Make slices and serve the hungry party.

With all the food we had this cake stayed good right upto next day in the fridge, store it above the crisper and it will not get soggy.

Creamy Corn and Herbs

Finally after all went well with the SnS wedding Dad is now back with me in Blr. He has been in Mumbai for two months, helping Somu with the wedding preps. I would have loved to be in Mumbai too but work kept me in Blr and two months is just not possible. I did whatever little I could here and then when I went down to Mumbai a few days before the wedding did a bit of running around.

We as a family are happy that as planned the wedding was a simple ceremony with all the sanskars right from morning to evening attended by just the closest family and friends, about 50 people. That was a feat in itself for a family that has its entire clan in Mumbai and Alibag. The pooja is still pending and will be held in Thal.

So for all the hard work that Dad did I decided to make a special day for him today. I know he hates to come to blr but he has to for my sake. So there was a special thali for him.


Clockwise: Ghadichi Poli, Shrikhanda, pickle, Methichi bhaaji, Bharli mirchi and Varan bhat.

Then for the evening it was Creamy Corn and Herbs served on Snacky Chili flakes and sandwiched in a bun.

Guess what's common in both the plates?

Didn't figure it out. Dumbo! It is the Chakka!!

Now on I will always keep some chakka aside for this savory treat.

I hung curd early in the morning to make the Chakka (thick hung curd). Chakka is mixed with sugar to make Shrikhand but I thought of making something savory using some chakka. So I kept aside 1/2 cup of it for later use. Rest of the chakka was used to make Kesari Shrikhand that I served for lunch.

I know you are drooling so here is the recipe for you.

Ingredients

1/2 cup thick hung curds
1/2 cup chopped fine herbs (cilantro + basil)
salt to taste
1 green chili chopped fine
1 cup sweet corn kernels boiled
1 teaspoon lime juice

In a medium bowl mix together hung curds, herbs, green chili and salt. Keep aside for min 2 hrs for the herbs to flavor the curd.

After 2 hrs or just before putting together the starters or sandwiches. Add the lime juice and corn kernels and mix well.

Spoon the Creamy Corn and Herbs onto the Snacky chili flakes like I did OR toast a bun on a grill with little butter on the inner side. Fill it up with the very yummy and fresh Creamy Corn and Herbs.

This is a much lighter dip than mayo or cream cheese so qualifies for my Slim N Trim tag.

I love the creamyness of the curd, the light and fresh flavors of the herbs, the bite of the chili and the sweetness of corn all in one. It is a dip/ spread/filling for versatile use. The colors are soothing and children will love it.

Sending this off to Srivalli @ Cooking for all seasons. This time the monthly mingle is about lunches for kids and was started by Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey

Veg Sandwich From The Streets of Mumbai

Some places conjure the images of gastronomical experiences, others of healthy food and some others of the aroma of ghee.

Mumbai street food in definitely gastronomical but rarely will it stand for healthy food. Though everyone loves the vegetable sandwich this side of the country, people never list it as their first favorite.

When we were in college on returning home if we refused food we would be taunted "Must have hogged Vada pao." Mom and Aunts felt relieved if we said we had veg sandwich for a filler.

You will say what is so great about Veg Sandwich? Yeah this I realized when I heard some young boys from Mumbai comment in the cafeteria at work on the sandwich they were served. In typical Mumbai lingo, "Salon ko sandwich bhi banana nahi aata." Good here in Bangalore people don't grasp Mumbaiya Hindi. However I do understand their frustration and sympathize with my Mumbaikars outside Mumbai.

You will understand why when you try out this recipe. The Veg sandwich made on the streets of Mumbai bursts with flavors and veggies. It is not just a treat for the taste buds but is as colorful as a rainbow.

Every college has a cafeteria yet you will always find a sandwichwala outside the college gate. Kids build relationships with the Bhaiya (Sandwich vendors are mostly from Uttar Pradesh) and they know the regulars preferences. One does not have to specify the order. He would know who likes the sandwich with onions and who does not also who prefers to skip the beetroot.

We would love to watch him butter the slices, apply the chutney (wondering if the chutney was made in hygienic conditions) and then he would skillfully slice the vegetables thin, holding it in hand. We always feared he might slit his hand but his acumen was worth an applaud. Then he would pull out his tin of chat masala tap it on the portable counter and as if in a practiced dance movement sprinkle it over the fresh slices of veggies. This sandwich is always a club sandwich ie. of 3 bread slices. The final slice would cover the riot of colors. He would then apply a little pressure with his palm to hold all the stuff together and run his long bread knife along the edges to trim them and to cut the pieces, always 6 rectangle ones. The sliced bread used is generally Britannia or Modern. They use the large sized slices as the edges are trimmed. Many kids while they watch the Bhaiya prepare their sandwich like to grab the trimmings and eat it with a little ketchup. Most Bhaiyas don't mind this behaviour of the kids. Then depending whether you wanted to eat it at the stall or pack away, he would slide the sandwich off the board onto a plate layered with butter paper or a piece of the bread wrapper sheet. Finally handing out the serving to you. If you were eating in front of him he would hand over the ketchup squeezee to you else pack the ketchup in a small Ziploc pouch.

I would love to eat my sandwich fresh before it gets soft as this is not a toasted one. Going on to dot it with ketchup. It was always impossible to talk while eating as even the single piece loaded with all those veggies would stuff your mouth. After this came the best part when the entire gang of friends would pretend to act as if they were set on fire by the chutney and demand, "Bhaiya sukha dena" sniffing hard to drive the point. But Bhaiya knew us too well and he would keep a little triangle of buttered slice ready for each of us!

All this for just 5-7 Rs. Now I don't even know how much the Veg sandwich costs. I have not had one in years on the streets of Mumbai.

Would you like to try it out?

Make two.

Ingredients

For Green chutney

1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 green chilies

Grind together to get an aromatic paste.

For the Sandwich

8 slices of bread
butter
1 beetroot, boiled
2 small potatoes, boiled
1 onion
1/2 cucumber
1 big tomato
Chat Masala

First butter all the slices. Keep aside 2 buttered slices for the sukha.

Apply green chutney on the remaining 6 slices. One by one slice the vegetable on bread slices like shown here. Sprinkle a large pinch of chat masala over each layer. Do you see the specs in the picture? They are slightly visible on the beets.

Assemble all the slices veggie side up obviously. Cover with a buttered and chutneyed slice with the plain side up. Press gently with your palm while cupping the sandwich with your fingers. Run the bread knife to trim the edges.

Then cut up into small 6 rectangular pieces like here.

Dot with ketchup and enjoy! I ate straight from the cutting board but if you are serving this to someone slide it off onto a nice plate and handout a tissue, putting a piece of this sandwich in your mouth without messing is a practiced art.


Don't forget the sukha buttered slices. Put together the buttered slices and trim the edges and cut up into four triangles. Tradition says only one small triangle of sukha after one full Veg sandwich. It helps cool off the heat of the green chutney yet lets your Jivha soak up in the wonderful flavors of a true Mumbai Veg sandwich from around the corner on the street.

Russian Sandwich

This is a desert sandwich called Russian sandwich. As a kid when my Uncle took me out for a treat this was one of my favorite deserts. I was always mesmerized by libraries and Petit library was one of them. My Uncle was a member there and so I went along with him on Saturdays. It is next to the Khadi gram udyog building in Fort and only 5 mins away from my home in Fort. After lunch my Uncle would walk me down to the library. I would get introduced to the peons there and then would get access to the three floors of books.

I liked to sit in the balcony where there were old teak wood recliners, almost like beach chairs. Many a times you would see a Parsi Bawa dozing there while reading.

This library has some beautiful stained glass windows and all three floors full of books and endless books. They have a huge collection of Marathi books too besides the predominantly English collection.

Then on the way back home I would get my treat at Lalit Lunch Home that I keep mentioning about.

Ingredients

Makes 2 sandwiches

6 slices of bread
1 banana
¼ cup chopped pineapple
2 tablespoons mixed fruit jam
2 teaspoons butter

Trim the edges of the bread. I normally don’t fuss about the edges of the slices but for this sandwich I prefer trimmed slices to make it more delicate. Don’t throw them away feed it to your pet or a street dog.

Butter the slices. Layer them with jam. Now arrange the sandwich. Keep one slice jam side up ofcourse. Then slice the banana in rounds over it. Place the next slice on top, layer the pineapple. Cover with the third slice with the jam side in. Press the sandwich together lightly. Cut with a serrated knife into small pieces. You could use a variety of spreads instead of jam and a whole different medley of fruits.

Enjoy it after dinner as a dessert or as evening snack with a tangy juicy or ice tea.

What's a hot dog?

Hot dogs and soup, our last nights dinner

Faux Sausages, made of potatoes, beets and spices.

We were having tea together and as I have observed many times W is always thinking a lot. There is a riot of thoughts running in the mind. I try to make the mood lighter.

Suddenly

"What's a hot dog?" blurted W.

Me, "It's a type of a sandwich with a sausage in the middle."

(The sausage is called a hot dog but over a period of time and evolution of language usage the sandwich itself is now known as a hot dog.)

"Gulabi has been asking for it."

"May be she has seen someone eat it at school."

Without asking W if knew what a sausage was? It's unlikely.

"But is that edible for her"

Saw a blank confused look on W's face.

Another friend joined us and the conversation on hot dog ended there. Later I was thinking there would be many parents or vegetarian families who would definitely like to give their children a hot dog. So I thought of creating a veggie one here. I know I cannot send this to Gulabi though I'd love to, atleast W can explain to her that the hot dog she is asking for has ingredients that she must not eat as the family is vegetarian. Kids do understand when explained to them. May be when they meet W can make it for Gulabi and give me feedback on the recipe.

Ingredients

2 medium sized boiled potatoes

1/2 boiled and grated beet

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder

1/4 cumin seeds

1/4 coriander powder

2 green chilies sliced finely

1 handful fresh cilantro chopped fine

1/2 cup bread crumbs

salt to taste

oil to spray

2 Long buns/ hot dog buns

mustard sauce

Some salad ( lettuce/ cabbage, grated carrots)

Mix and knead together the potato, beets and the spices. Roll them into long 1 inch thick and 4-5 inch long cylinders. This should give you just 3 vegetarian hot dogs. Spray oil on the griddle or on a baking tray. Place the veg hot dogs on it and either shallow fry or bake till crisp.

Meanwhile slit the long buns. Fill in the salad. Place the veg hot dog in the middle. Draw a zig zag with mustard sauce on it and munch on.

Though I have used beets in this recipe they can be substituted with carrots, cauliflower or any other vegetable or even a medley of veggies should be good. The recipe is basically that of a cutlet just shaped like a hot dog. I used beet just to mock the actual sausage but if they don't appeal to the vegetarian in you, feel free to use any other.

Story of the Making:

Last night I wanted to make these for dinner so I could post about it. So the hunt for long buns started at work itself. I checked out both the superstores on campus but they didn't have it. So I got off at the place a little away from home to check out another one that normally stocks different breads. They too didn't have it. Finally I knew where I could find them. I walked a few blocks to Cakes n Slices. The counter help told me they don't have plain ones. Well then give me the cream n jam buns I told him!

Once at home made the faux sausages. Scooped out the cream n jam from the buns and tucked in the sausages. Actually these buns are softer than the hot dog buns. I didn't have time to make the salad and there was no mustard sauce available. So served the hot dogs without any frills with hot soup. I had bought 4 buns so made 2 hot dogs and the other 2 cream n jam buns served as desert.

Then when I set up the plate to take pictures my digicam didn't have batteries that worked! So took pictures with my cell phone.

This post is to celebrate a parent child relationship for W and Gulabi & my Baba and Me !

Thank You W for your valuable advice!

Peanut Butter N Banana Fried Sandwich

When the ghost of Elvis Presley visits our home I shall make this for him. I am prepared to treat The King.

This is the first time I made this sandwich actually to test and blog the recipe here for friends who are seeing so much peanut butter in the US that they requested for this recipe. It is a recipe ideal for bachelor cooks.

Legend goes that Elvis would eat 12 of these sandwiches when he was depressed and it is also one of the things that killed him. Overeating caused obesity related problems and a swollen heart. So caution !!!

Moderation is the Mantra of Good life.

Ingredients

1 very ripe banana

2 slices of bread

2 teaspoons peanut butter
(mine is homemade so unlike American bottled ones I make without sugar)

1/2 teaspoon butter

1 tablespoon honey/ maple syrup

Apply peanut butter to both the slices of bread. Slice and place banana on one slice of bread and cover with the other. Fry this sandwich on a gridle till golden. My touch, drizzle with honey or maple syrup!

I had loved Asha's post on ELVIS'S PEANUT BUTTER-BANANA SANDWICH!:) .

PS: Guys enjoy the fragrances and eat well. Eat a lot of fruit instead of the junk thats easily available there. Enjoy your trip!

Whole Wheat French Bread

Whole Wheat Bread is an inspirational post to healthy option for bread yet it took coaxing from Anita for me to try it out. When I did I chose to make a french bread as I had my reservations. I wanted the goodness of wheat but didn't want it to smell of it. I see you guys rolling your eyes at that. Well Anita uses Italian herbs to good effect so I used a mix of dried basil and oregano. Also a hard crust bread guarantees abolishment of the smell of wheat.

I wanted to try just one loaf so the measures are changed here. My attempt to turn my prejudice around by making it a success for me which meant oil to be replaced by butter. Also the time for proofing is adjusted to the weather conditions here in Blr and it is summer now so needed to be cut down.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 cup warm water

In 1/2 cup warm water added the sugar and sprinkled the yeast. Let is foam.

In a big bowl measured out the 2 types of flours. Mixed in the yeasty foam with a wooden ladle. Then added the rest of the ingredient and mixed to get together a ball. On a floured counter kneaded it for 10 mins. Oiled a bowl and transfered the dough into it and left it for proofing for 4 hrs.

The doubled up dough then beckoned for a puching session. On a lightly floured surface practiced boxing on the dough. Shaped it to an oval. Greased the tray and placed it in the center. Let is rise for 2 hours.

Preheated oven on max for 10 mins. Inserted a tray of water at the bottom of the oven and pushed in the tray of shaped dough. I was gone for 40 mins. Checked the oven and LO! the french bread was something I approved of immediately. I had to hold myself back till the bread cooled well and it permitted perfect slicing. This activity was post lunch so I was going to attack it only at tea time.

My Dad loved it as he is a big fan of Brun and this was whole wheat so we made open sandwiches for tea.

To make sandwiches as seen here:

We buttered the slices of bread placed torn red cabbage, cucumber, sliced tomatoes and drizzled green chutney.

Green chutney- made with 1 cup mint and 1 cup cilantro plus 1/2 lemon juice and 1 teaspoon sugar and salt to taste

We enjoyed the crunchy sandwiches so much that we didn't miss ketchup at all. The big kid at home actually didn't ask for ketchup. I can't believe it!

Three Cheers for Anita!!! I am a convert and yes it tastes and smells gorgeous!

Rumble Tumble on Toast!

I was a poor veggie eater as a kid so Dad created this fab recipe which looked good and tasted amazing and went well will ketchup. Who doesn't like ketchup as a kid! These open sandwiches were many a times our sunday breakfast. Living in Mumbai most people give their breakfast a miss but on Sundays we always looked forward to the leisurely breakfast when we were allowed to sit with our plate in front of the TV to watch the Tom and Jerry Or Spiderman shows that Doordarshan aired in the late 70's at 9.00 am. Those childhood sundays are memorable and we were never confused about what to watch on TV as we did not have the numerous channels we have now it was only Doordarshan. Sunday and the idiot box was our idea of a weekend morning. The paneer in the recipe kept us energetic till the late Sunday lunch that Mom/ Dad slogged over and it was always elaborate as it is the peacetime in most Mumbai households more on that in the future.

Yeah and what got me excited to eat these sandwiches was the name Dad coined for it.....Rumble Tumble on Toast!

_________________________________________

Ingredients

50 gm paneer

1 carrot grated

2 chopped chillies

1 handful chopped cilantro

1 finely chopped tomato

1 onion (optional)

1 table spoon chopped french beans

6 slices of bread

salt to taste

Crumble the paneer in a bowl by rubbing paneer pieces between the palms of your hand. Add the carrots, chillies, cilantro, beans, tomato and salt and mix well and keep aside. Lay out the bread slices in a greased baking tray. One can butter the slices but that is optional even plain tastes good and is healthier option. Now put little mix on each slice top it up with onions. At home if this dish is made as breakfast we skip the onions but we like it with them in the evening. Now grill the open sandwiches for 15 mins or untill the onions are browned by putting the tray itself in the oven. Watch out for the slices they should not get chared.