Chirer Pulao / Beaten Rice Pilaf

Chirer Pulao / Beaten Rice Pilaf

Chirer Pulao / Beaten Rice Pilaf is a traditional Bengali Dish prepared with a rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes. These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold, as they absorb water, milk or any other liquids.

Ingredients:

• Beaten Rice/flatten rice:   1 cup

• Potatoes:                        1 medium thinly sliced

• Beans:                            1/2 cup cut into small pieces

• Cauliflower:                     Finely chopped a handful

• Green chilies:                  2 finely chopped

• Oil:                                1 tbsp

• Ghee:                             2 tbsp

• Groundnut:                     2 tbsp fried

• Sugar                             1 tbsp

• A pinch of turmeric powder

• Raisin:                            1 tbsp 

• Ginger:                           1 tsp Finely chopped 

{You can make it with only potato i.e (without the other vegetables) it tastes good too.}

Preparation:

1.First, soak the beaten rice in some warm water drain away the excess water.Keep aside.

2.In a skillet add some oil and cook the vegetables adding some salt and turmeric to it

3.Once cooked add the beaten rice as well the rest of the ingredients mix them evenly and switch off the flame.Serve hot.

Gluten Free Tandoori Roti

Gluten Free Tandoori Roti

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour*
• 2tbsp Xanthium gum
• 1 tbsp fresh yeast
• 2tbsp milk
• little sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tbsp curd
• ghee/butter for greasing

*(Soak the tapioca pearl balls/saboo dana which are easily available in any grocery store and makes the powder it's amazing how it holds the flour make it easy to bake make flatbread stuff flat bread and it makes it soft)

Method
1.Take the yeast in a mixing bowl add warm milk and sugar, 1 tsp rice flour and leave it aside for half hour.

2.Mix all the flours in a mixing bowl.

3.Now add the flours, gum, and salt to the yeast which has puffed up and make a nice dough by kneading adding water as required.The dough should not be too dry.Leave aside covering it properly.

4.After 2 hours the dough should have puffed up nicely gently divide the dough roughly into balls to make the flatbreads.

5.Take some dry flour roll the balls in it do not try to make it smooth and with the palms place it on a wooden floured surface.Press to make a flat bread.

6.Meanwhile, warm a tava/griddle where you are going to cook but not a non-sticky one.

7.Brush some water on the surface of the bread you just shaped and lift it up and flip the wet surface on the warm pan.

8.When bubbles appear on the surface hold the griddle and turn it over directly over the flame but make sure it's in a medium mode so you don't overdo the bread.Peep a little to make sure you get a brownish surface then straighten the pan let it rest on for a half minute and then remove.

9.Grease it with ghee serve it hot with some curry.

Gluten-free Meat Lasagna

Gluten-free Meat Lasagna

Ingredients:

For the Pasta Sheets:

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup rice flour

2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1¼ cups water

1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for brushing

• For the Sauce:
  • 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 5-6 whole tomatoes 
  • 1 jar of tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves (or 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped)
  • 2 bay leaves (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Lasagna:

• 200 gm ground meat
• 250 gm cheese grated
• 200gm sauteed capsicum
• Instructions:

• For the sauce:

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. 

Step 2
Add garlic and saute for one minute.
Step 3

Then, add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaves, thyme and salt/pepper.
Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.Simmer for 10-15 minutes to let flavors meld. (Can simmer longer if desired for a thicker sauce with a deeper flavor).
Step 4

Sauce is ready

For the Pasta Sheets:

Step 1
Add the rice flour, tapioca, starch, eggs (or cornstarch), salt and water to a mixing bowl. Mix and dissolve everything together well. You can also do it rice soaked in water for two hours grind it and then add the rest ingredients to make a uniform fine batter and make sure no lumps are there.
Step 2
Add 1 teaspoon of oil. Cover the liquid and let rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3

Warm a skillet add some oil pour 1 ladle of the liquid and spread the batter/liquid out evenly with no lumps.Cook it on low flame for two minutes until the upper portion is just done with no stickiness.
Step 4
Remove it and one can cut it into fine sheets or let it be as it is.Your lasagna sheets are done.Don't forget to brush some oil on them.

Alternative method:

Step 1
In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients mix well and then add all the other knead it into a nice firm dough.Leave it aside for half hour.
Step 2
Now make small balls of equal quantity. Don't try to make too small balls then on flat surface flatten them into rectangular shapes and either you cut them into thin strips or you can use it as it is since rice ones tend to break up easily I suggest let them be big sheets only.

For the Lasagna:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 2
Place the ground meat into a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook the meat, chopping it into small chunks as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. 

Step 3
Place 2 noodles(if cut into strips) otherwise put two strips across each other side by side into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan; top with a layer of the tomato-basil (pizza-pasta) sauce, a layer of ground meat and veg mixture, and a layer of the cheese. Repeat layers twice more, ending with a layer of sauce.

Step 4
Cover the dish with aluminum foil.In case, the sheets which are cooked(first method) cooking time 20 mins is sufficient and need not cover with aluminium foil.

Step 5
Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese has melted about 40 minutes. Remove foil sprinkle top with the mozzarella cheese and bake until cheese has begun to brown, about 10 more minutes. Allow it to stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Simple Gluten free Cupcakes

How to make simple Gluten free Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4

• 3/4 cups rice flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour (reasons to have)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar (if you like your cupcakes very sweet, add a little more)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)

Preparation

1. Set the oven to 190C. 
2. Take the butter into a bowl and beat it until softened. Add the sugar, flour, salt, eggs and milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Leave it aside for an hour for better-puffed cupcakes since we are not using traditional wheat flour.
3. Use a traditional-style ice-cream scoop, or spoon, to divide the mixture between all the paper cases.
4. Place muffin tins in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then swap over the position of the tins over and bake for a further 3-7 minutes, cupcakes are a light golden colour. 
5. Remove the tins from the oven. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Rice buckwheat cake

Rice buckwheat cake

Rice buckwheat cake

Ingredients

Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Buckwheat flour - 1/2 cup

Sugar (Powder) - 200 grams

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Curd - 2 tbsp

Egg - 3 pcs

Milk - 2 tbsp

Vanilla - 1 tsp

Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Cooking butter / Oil - 1/2 cup

Raisins and cashew nuts (Optional)

Preparation

First mix the sugar and butter then add the eggs. In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix them thoroughly then start adding the liquid mixture little by little. Mix them thoroughly. Pour into greased 9 x 5 inch bread pan and allow to rise in a warm, still place until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until crust is a light to medium brown. Cool ten minutes in the pan, then to room temperature outside the pan before slicing.

Gluten free Bread

Gluten Free Bread

Ingredients

Tapioca flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Buckwheat flour -  1/2 cup

Sugar-2 tsp

Yeast-1 tsp

Salt-1/2 tsp

Egg-1 ( Optional )

Curd-1 tbsp

Milk-1 tbsp

Milk powder-1 tbsp
Oil - 4 tbsp + 1 tsp  for greasing the baking tray / Butter - 100 gms
Coconut oil - 1 tsp ( Optional for flavor )
 Xanthum gum - 2 tbsp (If you don't have powdered melt the solid one just before mixing)

Preparation

1. Take some warm milk in a bowl add the yeast and sugar and add some rice flour on it and keep it aside. 
2. Add 1 tbsp of rice flour to hot water in a bowl. Mix it until it becomes very sticky and then you can add rest of the flours and xanthum gum. Keep it aside for a few minutes. Then add yeast mixture, salt, beaten egg, curd, oil and milk powder. Mix them thoroughly and keep on mixing in a gentle circulating motion if required add some warm water to make a smooth paste sticky but not liquid.
3. Pour into greased bread pan and allow to rise in a warm, still place until doubled in bulk. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until crust is a light to medium brown. Cool ten minutes in the pan, then to room temperature outside the pan before slicing.

REMEMBER :  Add water to make it sticky but not watery