Vegetarian Mini Thali

This was a bribe for my little one after trying to get him to do what I wanted. He loves the concept of a thali after having one at an Indian restaurant. Also, it's just pretty to look at and feels like a lot of love and effort was put into making this. 

I have the recipes for the Naan and the Kadai Paneer in my previous posts and those take the longest to make. The rest of the dishes are simple and the whole thali can be made within a hour and a half (not including the resting time for the naan dough).

I got some stainless steel bowls and the thali looks best served in these!

Contents of the Thali:

Butter Naan

Kadai Paneer

Veggie Rice

Aloo and Brinjal Fry

Peanut Chaat

* Please click on the Dish name above to go to the Recipes for the Naan and the Paneer dishes.

Recipes:

Veggie Rice:

Ingredients:

Veggies: 1/2 Cup (Peas, Carrots, Corn)

Cumin Seeds - 2 Tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tsp

Green Chilis - 4

Salt - to taste

Basmati Rice - 1 Cup

Water - 2 Cups

Butter/Ghee - 2 Tsp

In a shallow pan, add the Butter and the Cumin Seeds. Add the slit green chilis, chopped veggies, ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 min. Add the rice and sauté till slightly translucent. Transfer to a Rice Cooker and add the water and salt. Turn on the Cooker about a half hour before you are ready to serve.

Aloo and Brinjal Fry:

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 small 

Potatoes - 2

Small Indian Brinjal/Eggplant - 6

Salt - to taste

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Mustard and Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp each

Red Chili Powder - 2 Tsp

Coriander and Cumin Powder - 1 Tbsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Boil and peel the potatoes and cube them. Slit the onion and cube the brinjals. In a pan, add the oil and splutter the Mustard and Cumin seeds. Add the onion slices and sauté till golden brown.

Add the brinjals and cook till almost done. Add the turmeric, red chili, coriander and cumin powder and salt. Add the boiled potatoes and mix. Sprinkle some water and cook for a couple more minutes. Top with chopped cilantro.

Boiled Peanut Chaat:

Ingredients:

Fresh Peanuts - 1 Cup

Small Onion - 1/2 

Green Chilis -2 

Tomato - 1 small

Cilantro - a few sprigs

Lime - 1/2

Salt - to taste

Boil the peanuts in a cooker for 8 to 10 whistles. Finely dice all the veggies.

Remove, cool and mix all the veggies with the Peanuts and add the salt. Squeeze the lime.

Place all the curries and chaat into mini bowls, add the rice and naan to the plate and serve hot.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is a fool proof recipe for the Pizza base. It comes out perfect every time and Pizza nights have become a regular in our home for a family or a friends night. I use Instant Yeast and there is no resting time required for this yeast. However, I do rest the dough for a half hour and this makes it soft and easy to work with. 

I Grilled some chicken breast and used Store bought BBQ sauce. My favorite is the Devil's Spit BBQ sauce and it's delicious. However, any BBQ sauce of your choice will work well here.

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust:

All Purpose Flour - 2 Cups

Instant Yeast - 1 Envelope  Flieschmann's Pizza Crust Instant Dry Yeast

Sugar - 1 1/2 Tsp

Salt - 1 1/2 Tsp

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Water - 2/3 Cup Warm 

Toppings:

Chicken Breast Cut into Cubes - 3/4 Cup

BBQ Sauce - 1 Cup

Red Onion - 1/2 

Black Olives - 1/2 Cup

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 Cup

Mix the Yeast, Sugar and Salt in warm water and leave it for 2 min. Add to the Flour with oil and mix well. The dough will be slightly sticky. Cover and rest in a warm place for 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, cut some chicken breast into small cubes and sauté with some salt and pepper. Add a Tbsp of the BBQ sauce and sauté will cooked through.

Chop the Red Onion into Cubes.

Once the dough has rested for 1/2 hour, preheat the oven to 425F.

Use some dry flour and roll the dough into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick round base. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes until the base is cooked 1/2 way through. This is the secret to baking a perfect pizza base.

Remove and add spread the BBQ sauce on the base and top with chicken, olives, red onions and bake again for 4 min. Remove and top with the shredded cheese and bake again for 4 min.

Remove and let it rest for a minute before slicing it. Serve hot.