Mini Curried Vegetable Pie - A hearty sunday brunch

Hey people, I am back on the blogging saddle. YAYYYYYYYY ! It's almost 2 months now and my dear space has borne the brunt of my absence. My sabbatical from blogging also meant that the hearth too missed all the sizzling tasty action. I realised how much I miss cooking blogging flaunting about my {or for that matter of fact my hubby's} humble culinary exploits. Ahem----
On a relevant note, I was immensely touched to see mails from some of you enquiring about why I was MIA. Really glad to know that I was missed. I am not going to bore you with details of my absence ; simply put life and its innumerable shades kept me alive and busy. 

Sunday means something special in my hearth. It need not be very elaborate or exotic always but it definitely spells warmth and comfort. Mostly, the breakfast is given a boot and a hearty brunch gets the nod. This is where today's recipe comes in. It screams a big YES to all the sunday parameters - it is hearty, warmth laden, creamy and YUM ! 

The recipe is from a book called as the Royal Indian Cookery by Manju Shivraj Singh. What I actually have is not the hard-copy of the book but the xeroxed papers of the same and they are very yellowed but the recipes in it are really a treasure. What had my attention of this recipe was that the pie is sans any pastry dough. 

Besides all the ingredients were pantry friendly !

What's in it :-

• Onions - 2
• French Beans - 150 grams
• Carrots - 4
• Tomato - 1
• Fresh Green Peas - a fistful
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Grated Cheddar Cheese - as required

For the white sauce :-

• Butter - 25 grams
• White Flour - 25 grams
• Milk - 225 ml approx
• Salt - to taste

For Garnish

• Coriander Leaves - chopped

Here's How:-

Chop the onions,beans,carrots and the tomato. Heat the oil in a wok, add the cumin seeds and see it splutter and sizzle. Tip in the onions and fry till the onions are beginning to brown. Add the beans,carrot,tomato and peas together with the red chilli powder and turmeric powder and salt to taste. Stir together and add little water.  Cook over gentle heat until the veggies are tender and all the moisture has been absorbed.

In the meanwhile, make the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir the flour. Add the milk gradually, stirring all the time to keep the sauce smooth. When it has thickened, add  salt to taste and remove from the heat.

Grease mini pie dishes. Spoon the vegetable curry into it. 

Pour the white sauce evenly over the vegetables, then sprinkle the grated cheese. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 10-20 minutes,until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Sprinkle with chopped coriander. Serve hot with toasted bread or warmed bread rolls

This is off to Avant Garde Cookies - July:Week 1. Enjoy !