Chilli Cheese Corn Toast

Chilli Cheese Corn Toast - my little variation on Chilli Cheese Toast. Can't put my finger on when and where I had this for the first time. Must've been during one of my trips to Gurgaon probably. One can call it a very simple version of Indianized pizza. Saw a few recipe options around the web and created a combination with some slight twists here and there. A very quick and easy snack for a weekend evening.

Ingredients:
1) Bread slices (I used wholemeal bread - any kind would do).
2) Green Chillies - finely chopped
3) Capsicum (Bell Pepper for Americans) - Green (and Red if you like more colour) - diced.
4) Sweet Corn kernels
5) Grated Cheese - preferably mozzarella for the ooey gooey effect. (I used a 3 cheese mix - mozzarella, parmesan and tasty cheese).
6) Onions - finely diced
7) Vegetable spread (or butter if you don't mind)
8) Chat masala
9) Salt
10) Kashmiri Chilli powder


Method

1) Pre-heat oven to 150 deg C.
2) Mix all the ingredients (#2 - #10) in a bowl.
3) Apply the vegetable spread on both sides of the bread slices.
4) Place the bread slices on a tray covered with aluminium foil.
5) Spread the mixed ingredients evenly on the bread slices.
6) Pop the tray in oven for about 5-10 minutes until the cheese turns brown.
7) Cut the slices in triangles and serve hot with some tomato ketchup.

Note: If you have young kids at home you might want to pick the green chillies out of toast.

Masala Pori - Spicy Puffed Rice

Masala Pori - one of those snacks from Tamil Nadu one couldn't have avoided growing up with. Be it the home made variety with all the nuts and spices or the one you would get in a school canteen (or the Marina beach) with just the masala. I still remember buying packs of maybe 10-20 grams each for 25p ($0.005). Haven't had many opportunities to relish this snack once I left Salem (or maybe since middle school?). About 2 years ago Uma got to learn this recipe from her mom when she was in Sydney. As expected this is a huge hit with the kids - young and old. Since then we have been enjoying this every once in a while. It's school holiday time in Sydney and am sure very soon in some parts in India as well. This could turn out to be a simple, quick and handy snack to have at home for the holiday season.

Ingredients

1. Pori (Puffed Rice)
2. Mustard seeds
3. Garlic
4. Dried Red Chillies
5. Curry Leaves
6. Roasted Channa Dal (whole/split)
7. Peanuts (Raw or Roasted)
8. Sambar powder
9. Turmeric
10. Red Chilli powder
11. Salt
12. Vegetable Oil

Method

1. Heat a few table spoons of vegetable oil in a large kadai / wok.
2. Saute the mustard seeds until they splatter.
3. Saute garlic, chillies and curry leaves for a few minutes until the garlic gets fried.
4. Add the roasted channa and peanuts and saute for a few minutes
5. Add the spices - salt, chilli powder, sambar powder and mix it up.
6. Add the puffed rice and mix it thoroughly under heat for a few minutes.

Voila - Masala Pori Ready!!

Happy Cooking

C