A Lovely Valentine!

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Sugar is sweet 

And so are You

Will you be my Valentine?

Do you remember writing poems like the one above, when you were younger? I used to buy Valentine cards that have such sayings and give them out to my classmates in elementary and middle school.For my close friends, I included heart candies in the envelopes. It was easy to please your Valentine at that age. Now older and wiser, Valentine's Day is a bit more elaborate; it's all about wining and dining your date. How can you outdo the previous year's experience? I chose to lay low this year and had dinner with a friend over the weekend. We had a wonderful dinner followed by a couple of desserts. The first was carrot halwa which he made from scratch and didn't follow a recipe. It was pretty good for his first try. The second were cupcakes from Magnolia's Bakery from NYC. So many sweet celebrations! However, my Valentine's dining did not end there.  

Since I am now living with my parents, I wanted them to have a pleasant Valentine's too. At first I thought of sending the both off to a nice restaurant but Valentine's fell on a Monday and they both had to work the next day. So I hurried home after work, and prepped for an evening of cooking by none other than myself. Don't worry, I didn't poison them. I've had years of experience cooking for my sister when we were living together and she's never complained. I can cook a mean Chinese fried rice, mushroom risotto and curry puffs.
Anyways, I decided to keep it simple and make something right from our blog. Even though my parents love trying new cuisines, they always yearn for good ol' Indian cooking much much more.

I went the whole nine yards and made Aloo Parathas from scratch and we ate them with raita. My dad chipped in and helped me roll out the parathas and toast them on the pan. For dessert, I made chocolate covered strawberries which were served with dessert wine. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that my dad surprised my mom with a exquisite Japanese Ikebana flower arrangement. 

Quite stunning and intricate, I must say!

 Overall, the evening turned out well and my parents enjoyed themselves. Dinner Accomplished, woohoo!

You Gotta Love Rotis (Indian Flat Breads)

One of my favorite foodie spots when I was in college was The Kati Roll Company in New York City. They made the best kati rolls which are comprised of different ingredients stuffed inside Indian Flat breads. These ingredients range from spiced chicken kebabs, mixed vegetables to Indian cheese and pickle. These rolls were popular not just for the taste but also for their price 4.50 USD. My cravings for these rolls only grew as I got older and I spread the word about this place to everyone.  In addition I used to buy extra rolls for my parents whenever I was heading home for the weekend.
Since I loved these rolls so much, I decided to re-create them at home so I can have them whenever I want. And that's what brings me to today's post. I've perfected the kati rolls that are made with chicken but I'm not too good with vegetarian ones. That's where my mom's expertise comes in.  She's like MacGyver with cooking. You give her any random vegetable and some spices and she will prepare a magnificent meal for you. Well, I explained my dilemma to her about the vegetarian kati rolls and she began putting things together. I love watching her in the kitchen. It's like watching the Iron Chef or Chopped! competitions on TV. Now to get started on these famous Kati Rolls from NYC, you'll need the following to make 4-5 rolls. This all depends on how much you stuff in each roll as well.

 

- Paneer....................................................................... 4x4” block, cut into ½” cubes

- Bell Pepper - Green................................................... 1 large, chopped into ½” cubes

- Bell Pepper – Red...................................................... ½, chopped into ½” cubes

- Onion.......................................................................... 1 medium, chopped into chunks

- Achar masala.................................... ½ tsp OR 1 tbsp any type chili achar mashed

- Coriander chutney....................................................... ½ tsp

- Plain Parathas (round for better wrapping)................. Frozen packet

- Vegetable oil................................................................ 2 tbsp

- Salt.............................................................................. Adjust to your taste

Now the procedure for these rolls is not difficult at all. You have to just make sure all the spices and vegetables are mixed really well and place a small portion of the mixture onto each of the rotis. 

1) Heat oil in a non-stick sauce pan and saute peppers and onions with salt on medium heat. When peppers are soft, add paneer cubes and fry for 2-3 minutes. 

Add achar or achar masala and saute the mixture until it is mixed well (3minutes). Remove and keep aside.

2) Defrost the parathas for a 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Rub a ½ tsp of oil onto a grilling pan or flat frying pan and heat it on low – medium heat. Fry the roti slightly by tossing it in the pan.

OR 

3) Place ½ cup of paneer mixture in the middle of the roti and fold it from sides to cover the vegetable. Hold the roti flaps in place using a wooden tooth prick.

If you're looking for a filling snack besides that other stuff, I think these rolls would be perfect. They are great on the go like the Wendy's Chicken Go Wraps. Also, if you roll them up a bit tighter, you can cut them in half and serve them up as appetizers while watch a game. 

***Quick tip:If you have any mixture left over, store in a microwaveable container and save it for later.