Shakshuka |How to make shakshuka from scratch

Hello every one .Hope you all are doing well .After a holiday I am back to the grind.Hope you all have enjoyed the scheduled posts.Today's post is an Arabic classic breakfast - S H A K S H U K A.A tongue twister indeed.Shakshuka is one of the commonly available breakfast here apart from falafel ,hummus ,foul.

Pizza sauce from scratch| Home made pizza sauce| Pizza sauce free from preservatives

Pizza sauce  is the elixir of pizza !!.The magical ingredient that transforms a bread (pizza base) into pizza ,apart from the toppings . The juicy ,aromatic sauce ,together with the cheese and the toppings, gets one self  hooked to the pizza till  the last bite. 

Ooohhh!! I am literally salivating at the very description of a pizza ,I know you all will agree with me .Pizza sauce  is such a versatile ingredient  that can be used  pasta  ,spaghetti  or noodles as a sauce.

When you are really short of time just boil the pasta ,add sauce to it and serve it or pack it as a lunch box .Make ahead sauces really ease the work especially during the morning hours when every one is in a hurry to reach school or office.

To be frank I have never used bottled pizza sauce .Once when I was thinking of buying it just went through  the instructions where it was written "use it within 1 week of opening "."How can any one use the complete 500gm bottle in 1 week "...)p. Just left the bottle where i had picked it  from and with a rough knowledge of the ingredients listed on the bottle tried it at home .Surprisingly it was much better,and a super duper hit with the family .Home made is always a bliss ,apart from being with in your budget .

Since then it has been a regular one on the table ,my kids love it with their bread too!!.

So here is the way to the pizza sauce made from scratch ......with readily available ingredients ,in your pantry .

Kofta curry /kofta salan

"Kofta" is basically minced meat balls blended with spices and onions .Unlike Italian meat balls which we generally love to have it with our spaghetti, Indian meat balls are blended with spices and half cooked with onions . 

This is a traditional recipe of my family you can call it our " khandaani recipe" .Koftas ,kebabs are generally mughlai dishes which were introduced to Indian cuisine with the invasion of mughals in India .An another mughlai dish shaami kebab that I have already shared with you is also worth giving a try .

As a child I used to hate koftas !!.The day koftas were made I used to have loads of tears in my eyes and finish my  plate with gulps of water .(they aren't that bad, yes , i know a childish behaviour)Pitying at the plight of me my grand mother(dadi)used to direct my mother to prepare some other dish for me for dinner :).My dadi was really sweet isnt it?

I carried my unusual unliking for koftas althrough..... after marriage too .My in laws used to ask me "you don't like koftas ,but why"?...The answer to this why was really very difficult !!!!!,actually I myself don't know the reason why ?????

Fortunately my kids have not inherited my genes in this particular matter(at least).During  one  of our trips to India I had seen them enjoying the koftas with their grand mother(dadi),and asking me "mom you don't make these balls ,they are quite yummy ,you should make them !(mummy woes).

So started making these balls for my kids ,and gradually started liking it (may be as we grow up our likes and dislikes change)  .I think I must stop my ramblings here ,"don't you think so "?

Lets start cooking : 

Bottle guard - tomato curry

Bottle guard is the most humblest and lightest of the vegetables .In India it is called lauki or doodhi in Hindi and sorakaaya in Telugu .Bottle guard is an integral part of Indian cooking .Its preferred for its light on stomach and wallet too!!!!.

I have already made the sweet version of it in kaddu ki kheer and here comes the savoury version of it .Bottle guard on its own is bland in taste but when cooked with proper spices and technique gives a stiff competition to any non veg dish .You can look at the enormous nutritional benefits of bottle guard here .

lets start cooking