Belarusian Meat and Potato Pie -----Varity of Babka

Babka

On women's day my hubby gave me surprise dinner in Russian restaurant. It was fabulous to get treated by such good food. So this Sunday I tried one of its dish called Babka, though I have changed the original version slightly. I used lamb meat, instead of Bacon and added more veggies and some spices to make it more delicious.


Recipe:
Add oil and garlic in pan, saute it for few minutes and then add grounded meat. Cook it for 5 min on high flame and then add tomato puree, some spices (choices is yours, I added coriander powder, black pepper powder, some mustard seeds and cinnamon powder). Cook it for 3/4 min and then add cut veggies of your choice, I added one chopped onion, one bell pepper, and 2 cups of cabbage add salt and cook it for 3/4 min again.
While doing this boil 3/4 potatoes separately and mash them, add some salt. Preheat the oven. Now add some oil on the baking dish and spread half of the mashed potato in thin layer. Spread veggie and meat over the thin mashed potato bed and cover this up with a top layer of mashed potatoes. Spread some grated cheese. Bake it for 15 min or till the top layer becomes slightly golden brown.
Serve this with sour cream dip .
My daughter liked this dish so much that next day she asked me to prepare it again.

Wheat and Barley Bran flour Biscuits

I love baking but I hate to use very fine white flour. So, this time I have made biscuits from wheat flour and Barley Bran. These are perfect tea-time or evening snacks. These are also all time favorite of my daughter. As I used whole wheat flour and barley bran flour with home made butter, I don't suffer from any guilt when she eats 4-5 pieces at a time.

Ingredients:

1 cups sifted whole wheat flour,1/2 cup barley bran flour,
1 tsp. baking powder,
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. butter milk

Sift Flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift again now add sugar . Cut the butter and use your hand to mix it in the flour. Add butter milk if required so that you can make a soft dough.
Now wrap the dough in plastic film and keep in the fridge for 30 min.
Roll and cut with biscuit cutter. Bake on ungreased sheet in a 300-350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. My Big Help...........

Dried Curd in Mango pulp wrap

last weekend we had called one of our friends for lunch. When he came, he opened a box for me as a surprise. The box was full of sweets. He asked me guess what it is. Rather than guessing I put one piece in my mouth :)....
He had made it himself at home and it was really delicious. The outer cover is made from Mango pulp and inside is dried curd powder with sugar .
A quick recipe for a sweet. I really appreciate his idea and next time when I bring mango pulp-sheet I 'll try to prepare it.

Recipe :
Curd Powder,
sugar, pinch of cardamon powder/ saffron/ or any essence,
Mango pulp sheet.

Here, we get curd powder very easily. If you cannot get it, just hang fresh curd in cloth for 1/2 hour and add powder sugar, pinch of cardamon powder/ saffron/ or any essence and wrap it by mango-pulp sheet .