Cheesy Caramelized Yam Flower Cups.

Well..i have been loving yam right from my childhood where my mom makes crispy yam that has been boiled and shallow fried with very basic spices..i would eagerly wait near my mom and love to eat the fried yam as soon as it was removed from the tawa/pan..i have tasted some other dishes using yam but never have tried anything modern with it..So there was lots of yam lying idle in my fridge and as usual i wanted to try something different and that could be enjoyed by my kids as a evening snack..i love caramel so thought why not try caramelizing the yam..(weird right.. i know i know..i love weird stuffs and mostly i succeed with weird dishes..LOL)..

So i tried to combine flavours that could merge with caramelized yam and derived this new recipe and to my surprise each and everything that went into this dish blended so well.i have used readymade spring roll sheets here but you can use homemade sheets too..i will be adding a separate blogpost on how to make the spring roll sheets at home and will update here...

this recipe is served best when hot and before the cups loses their crispiness..

this recipe is super easy to make with very minimal ingredients...and can be served when you need something to be aesthetic at your party tables..i got my child to do the layers..and she was so happy to be helping me in this..so it is that easy ...I love anything that is caramelized and i wanted something to be different than the regular veggies used..i came up with this recipe and used caramelized yam clubbed with cheese..the final Flower cups filled with the caramelized yam tasted divine with the outer super crispy layer..please do try this recipe and lemme know your feedback

          Ingredients:

1. Homemade/readymade spring roll wraps  -  12-15 strips
2.       Yam   -   250gms
3.       Cheese – 4 cubes
4.       Dark brown sugar -  5 tbspns
5.       Butter  - 2 tbspns
6.       Salt     -  a pinch
7.       Melted butter – 2 tbspns

Method:

1.       Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 6 cavity muffin pan.
2.       Wash and clean the yam and boil till soft.
3.       Drain and Chop the yam finely.
4.       In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat the butter and add the chopped yam.saute for a minute
5.       Now add the brown sugar and salt and mix well.
6.       Let it boil and thicken. stir occasionally so as not to burn the sugar.
7.       Switch off and let cool.
8.       Now cut the spring roll strips into equal squares.take one square and apply melted butter with a pastry brush.next place another square on top of the buttered square so that the edge of the top square is slightly adjacent to the edge of the bottom square.now butter the top layer and place one more square strip on top in the same way.(pics attached below for easy understanding).keep adding layers until you are satisfied and all the edges are almost done placing next to each other.(if using homemade sheets..slightly dust the working floor before assembling)

9.       Now lift the layers and place it in the muffin cavities.be gentle ,lifting them roughly tears the sheets.
10.   Bake in the oven for 10mins or until slightly browned.remove from oven and cool on wire rack.when removed they tend to be crispy and will hold their shapes like flowers.
11.   Grate the cheese cubes finely.Add a teaspoon of the cheese to the flower cups.on top of it place a tablespoon of caramelized yam and top it with another teaspoon of grated cheese.repeat the process for all the flower cups.
12.   Now bake the flower cups again for 3-5mins at 200°C.the edges should darken .remove and cool in wire rack.
13.   Serve hot with ketchup or ranch.

Cook's Note:

1.always serve the cups warm before the cups loses their crispiness.

2.when serving to very small kids slightly trim the tips of the cups so that they dont prick their soft tissues when they take a bite.

3.if you dont have brown sugar you can substitute regular white sugar but i brown sugar adds more flavour to it.

Chicken pizza rolls

I am a great fan of pizza and so are my kids..i wanted to do something different for the kids that includes all the flavours of pizza and also should be a light snack in the evening for kids..this pizza roll can be loaded with any veggies or meat of your choice. I have used chicken but you can use any meat or a combination of meats and also you can make it purely veggie rolls by omitting the chicken..it tastes yum even when made it as veggie rolls..i love to use homemade pizza sauce but you can use store bought sauce too..enjoy this cheesy cheesy pizza rolls

            Ingredients:

For the pizza base:

      1.       All purpose flour/maida  -  250gms

       2.       Active Dry yeast  -  1 ½  teaspoons

3.       Salt                -   ¼ th teaspoon

                            4.       Lukewarm water  -  160ml (adjust accordingly)

5.       Sugar              -     1 teaspoon

   6.       Olive oil         -      1 tablespoon

For the pizza sauce:

     1.       Onion  -  1 finely chopped

2.       Tomatoes  -  2 pureed

3.       Garlic   -    4-5 cloves

4.       Oregano – 1 teaspoon

5.       Basil – 1 teaspoon

             6.       Bell pepper – 1 small chopped

    7.       Pepper and salt as needed

8.       Sugar  -  1 teaspoon

              9.       Tomato ketchup – 1 tablespoon

10.   Bayleaf – 1

               11.   Cinnamon – 1inch stick (optional)

12.   Olive oil – 1 tablespoon

For the filling:

     1.       Chicken -  250gms

                                             2.       Mozzarella cheese – 400gms finely grated.

                             3.       Onion    -  1 large chopped finely

                                       4.       Bell pepper – 1 medium chopped finely

 5.       Tomatoe -  1

        6.       Pepper    -   1 teaspn

7.       Salt as needed

                  8.       Garlic    -   4 cloves crushed

Method:

• ·         To make the pizza base , warm the water slightly (it should be bearable to touch/lukewarm).add the sugar and yeast and mix well.close the bowl and place it in a warm place.let the mixture sit for 5 mins
• ·         Meanwhile sift the flour with salt.
• ·         After 5mins the water yeast mixture bubbles/froths. .if you don’t see frothing then its time to buy new yeast packet or you can use instant dry yeast which doesn’t need proofing and can be added directly with the dry ingredients.
• ·         Make a well in the center of the flour and add the water yeast mixture and olive oil all at once and slightly knead them till they come together.
• ·         Oil a bowl generously and place the dough in it.
• ·         Loosely cover the bowl and let the dough to double up (around 1-2 hrs)
• ·         Meanwhile make the pizza sauce and filling and keep it ready
• ·         For the pizza sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and add the cinnamon n bayleaf.saute for a min.
• ·         Next add the garlic,onions and fry till golden.
• ·         Add the bell pepper and fry for another 3mins
• ·         Now add the tomato puree,ketchup,oregano,basil,pepper salt and mix well.
• ·         Cover and cook for 4-5mins mixing inbetween.
• ·         Let it cool .remove the bay leaf and blend in a food processor to a fine paste.
• ·         If you love chunks you can use as it is without blending.i like it smooth.
• ·         For the chicken chunks…wash n clean the chicken.in a pressure pan add enough water and add the chicken pieces,onions ,garlic ,pepper and salt.let it cook for 3 whistles.let the pressure subside and drain the chicken..you can use the broth to make some soups.dont discard.remove the bones from chicken and chop it finely or into cubes or as how you like it to be.
• ·         Preheat the oven to 200 degree celcius.grease your oven tray liberally with olive oil.
• ·         Now the dough should have risen.do not punch the dough.slightly bring the dough together and refrigerate for 10mins.
• ·         Dust the working surface liberally with all purpose flour/maida.
• ·         Roll the dough into a rectangular shape dusting with apf when they become sticky.
• ·         Now spread the pizza sauce .
• ·         Sprinkle the chicken pieces,tomatoes and bell pepper.
• ·         Sprinkle cheese liberally all over the filling.
• ·         Now roll the dough starting from the lengthy side .and cut them into equally sized rolls.
• ·         Place the rolls in the oven tray such that the spiral side is facing upwards.sprinkle some more cheese on top.
• ·         Let it rise for another 15mins.
• ·         Bake in the preheated over for about 15-20 mins or until golden.
• ·         Serve hot with ketchup or any dip of you choice.enjoy

      COOK’S NOTE:

• ·         The dough feels slightly sticky when you try to knead or shape up, do not worry, lightly dust the working floor and your hands with some flour and start working.
• ·         The remaining dough can be refrigerated in an airtight box and can be used within the next 4 days.
• ·         This dough can also be used for flat pizza base .
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