Mini Pizza Pies

Posted in Puddings and Pies, Ramadan, Savoury by Spatula in My Pocket

The recipe I am sharing today is a Family FAVORITE.

All families have certain dishes they love to cook and eat. Mine goes gaga for these mini pizza pockets! Put 12 dozen in front of them and they’ll still demand more.

I am sure you will face the same situation with your siblings, cousins, random guests when you try these magical pockets of dough and cheese and everything nice. (unless they are gluten intolerant. Oops)

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

This recipe is especially handy because it makes A LOT of mini pizzas pies (3 dozen to be exact). So they are the perfect, fuss-free party food. Easy to make, fun to eat.

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

The chicken mixture is a scaled down version of the filling in the Chicken Bread I posted eons ago. A very simple, creamy chicken filling made with loads of butter, milk, and cheese. Divine. (calories, what calories?)

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

Also, these pies feature:

fresh bell pepper
sweet corn
tomato

You can customize the vegs according to your own taste. Leave out the corn if it makes you gag. Add mushrooms instead, or even olives would be lovely.

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

The recipe is super fun to make. Get your kids or siblings involved and make a kitchen party out of it like we did!

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

I rolled out the dough, got my sisters to cut it out in circles, place them in the cupcake tray, and then fill em up.

First the pizza sauce or chili garlic sauce, then comes the chicken filling, then the vegetables, all topped with shredded mozzarella. Bake till the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly on top.

An easy crowd-pleasing one pot meal that the whole family will love! Everyone will be begging for seconds!

Dip into a bowl of this sweet and sour imli chutney and I dare you to stop at one.

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

If making for a party, you can prepare them beforehand, cover the cupcake tray with foil, and keep refrigerated till you’re ready to bake them. They take literally less than 20 minutes to cook. They also freeze well. Line the unbaked versions in a airtight container or a ziplock bag and freeze for upto 3 months. The day you need to use them, leave to thaw till the oven gets preheated and then bake as you would normally.

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

You’ll be the Queen/King of the household after you make these… Or their pizza pie slave forever.

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

Try the recipe and let me know how they turn out by sharing a picture on Instagram with this hashtag #spatulainmypocket!

Happy baking!

Mini Pizza Pies

Yields: around 3 dozen

Ingredients:

Homemade pizza dough (for the recipe click HERE)

CHICKEN FILLING
1 Tablespoon butter

4 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped

1 chicken breast, boiled and shredded

1 Tablespoons flour, heaped

½ teaspoon salt, leveled

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon mustard powder (optional)

¼ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon dry oregano

2 Tablespoons ketchup

2 green chilies, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Storebought pizza sauce

TOPPINGS

Tomato, chopped

Sweet corn

Green Bell Pepper, chopped

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Prepare the dough and allow it to rise according to the instructions mentioned HERE.

For the filling: In a pan melt the butter and add the onion. Fry till the onions become soft and transparent. Add the chicken, flour, salt, black pepper, and mustard powder. Mix till combined. Take the pan off the heat and add the milk. Turn on the heat again, at low to medium flame, and stir constantly with the help of a wooden spoon. Add the oregano leaves, ketchup, green chilies, and coriander. Allow to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C and grease a cupcake tray lightly with cooking oil.

On a floured counter top, roll out half the dough in a rectangle. Cut out circles using a round cookie cutter.

Fix each round of dough in the cupcake tray. Add a dollop of pizza sauce in each, followed by a spoonful of the chicken filling, the vegetables. Top with cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes till its golden brown.

Repeat till all the dough and filling is used up.

Notes:

· Best served fresh out of the oven. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave before serving.

· You might end up with leftover dough. You can freeze it or use it to make pizza pockets filling them up with sausages and cheese.

Mini Pizza Pies. The perfect snack idea!

Tamarind (Imli) Chutney

Posted in Ramadan, Random shizz, Savoury by Spatula in My Pocket

Happy Ramadan to you all! May this month be full of blessings, happiness, and peace for you and your family.

As soon as the holy month of Ramadan begins, I march towards the kitchen with all my cooking books in hand, ready to take on the kitchen by storm.

The first that I do make is this iridescent chutney.

Sweet and tangy; this imli ki chutney is the perfect complement to all your iftari delicacies.

Sweet and tangy; this imli ki chutney is the perfect complement to all your iftari delicacies. Be it samosas, chaats, or just plain fries; this chutney goes with everything.

Sweet and tangy; this imli ki chutney is the perfect complement to all your iftari delicacies.

It’s quick, easy and unbelievably yummy! No Ramadan is complete without this accompanying pakoras in my household.

It’s a Shireen Anwer recipe that I swear by. I first made it six years ago, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made it again since then.

Sweet and tangy; this imli ki chutney is the perfect complement to all your iftari delicacies.

It takes literally 10 minutes to make (not including the tamarind pulp part), and makes enough to last the whole of Ramadan.

Pop it into a jar and keep stored in a refrigerator.

Tamarind (Imli) Chutney

Yields 1 ½ cup

Ingredients:

250g tamarind

1 cup boiling water

½ cup shukr *brown sugar

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon minced garlic

Directions:

For the Tamarind Pulp: Soak the tamarind seeds in the boiling water for over an hour. When cool to touch, squeeze the pulp and the juice out. Throw away the tamarind seeds.

You can now sieve the remaining tamarind pulp or carry on without sieving, it’s optional.

For the Chutney: Blend together the prepared tamarind pulp, brown sugar, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and garlic. Blend till smooth.

Then transfer to a pan, and cook on a low heat for just a minute till it comes to gentle boil.

Cool, and store in airtight jar in the refrigerator for upto a month.

Notes:

Shukr is the raw unprocessed form of sugar. It can be substituted with brown sugar or even plain white sugar. Or even dates.

Sweet and tangy; this imli ki chutney is the perfect complement to all your iftari delicacies.

Chicken Roll Parathas

Posted in Savoury by Spatula in My Pocket

When your parents are off to a wedding and leave you in charge of dinner, what do you do? You make roll parathas! And go a bit overboard and make three types of chutneys too. And salad.

Roll parathas are a popular street food here in Pakistan. My favorite is the one from TRP (Taimoori Roll Paratha) in Islamabad. Their hot parathas filled with succulent pieces of chicken tikka and loads of yummy chutney are to die for!

That fateful day, I craved a roll paratha with all my being but was too lazy to go out. So, I made my own roll parathas, and they turned out…wait for it…even better than TRP (if I do say so myself)! These parathas are fresh, tangy and super filling; a complete balanced meal all in one wrap. Save yourself some time and money, and try this homemade version of roll parathas, and quell those cravings!

These enticingly tangy roll parathas take only a few minutes to prepare, provided you have all the prep done beforehand. I have used store-bought frozen parathas here, which makes the whole ordeal even quicker. You could go ahead and make your own parathas with flour, salt, warm water, and clarified butter (aka ghee). I always opt for MonSalwa when it comes to parathas. They are somewhat reasonably priced and are super flaky and taste amazing.

Marinate the boneless chicken pieces in all of the spices and little bit of salt and leave it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. You can even marinate it the night before and just fry it or grill it the next day. I smoked the chicken in the end, which is totally optional, but I do recommend it. The burning coal leaves the most exquisite BBQ flavor in your chicken, and leaves your kitchen smelling like a real roadside BBQ joint.

The condiments are all up to you. You can put any sort of chutney in, however much you like. I used tamarind and alu bukharay ki chutney, both of which I usually always have on hand. I fill up jars of the chutneys and freeze them for future roll parathas emergencies. I also made a fresh mint yogurt raita to accompany the roll parathas. It’s just yogurt, pinch of freshly ground black pepper, ground coriander, salt and chopped up mint leaves.

If you want, I can put up a detailed post on the chutneys next. Just let me know in the comments box below.

Grill the parathas till golden brown. Top each one with some fresh salad leaves, pickled onion, and cucumber. Then pile on the juicy bits of chicken, along with drizzles of chutneys. Top it off with some fresh coriander leaves, and squeezes of lemon or lime juice. Wrap it all up in a piece of parchment paper for the authentic TRP style or just prick in some toothpicks to help hold the entire thing. And tada! There you have it….homemade roll parathas ready in a jiffy. Now clear away all the mess before parents return home o.o

Chicken Roll Parathas

Yields: 8 parathas

Ingredients

8 frozen roll parathas, store-bought or homemade

Filling

400g boneless chicken, cut in cubes

1 teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon allspice or garam masala powder

1 tsp salt

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 Tablespoon plain yogurt, heaped

2 Tablespoon oil

Extras (see Notes below)¹

Tamarind chutney (imli ki chutney)

Plum chutney (alu bokharay ki chutney)

Mint yogurt raita

Onion²

Cucumber, sliced

Salad leaves, sliced

Directions:

Marinate the chicken in all of the filling ingredients mentioned above except the oil, for at least half an hour or overnight. Pan-fry the marinated chicken in 2 Tablespoon of oil, till it is tender and juicy. Give it the smoke of coal.³ Set aside.

Heat a griddle and drizzle some oil. Fry the parathas on low-medium heat till golden brown on both sides.

To assemble the parathas, take a prepared parathas, place nits of chicken in the middle, top with onion rings, cucumber, the salad leaves. Drizzle chutney and raita. Squeeze some lemon juice. Roll tightly, and keep it in place with toothpicks.

Serve hot alongside some mango slices.

Notes

1. These are my preferred choice of fillings. You can omit or substitute with anything you like; tomatoes, mint leaves, green onion, mango relish, lettuce…

2. Slice the onion thinly in the form of rings. Squeeze some lemon juice, and toss well.

3. For the smoke: put the burning coal on a piece of bread on top of the chicken. Drizzle with oil and immediately cover the pan.