Iyengar Veg Puffs

Iyengar Vegetarian Puffs

We will get Puff Pastry in any part of the world. But needless to say, anyone from India, more specifically anyone from Bangalore would have undoubtedly had these Vegetarian Puffs from the Iyengar Bakery at least once during their stay there.

The specialty of the Pastries or Puffs we get in Bangalore are more close to our childhood. (I am sure its for most of us) Its a memory of the days spent my Mom and sisters. We were having a happy chit chat with a hot cup of coffee and hot Puffs (Usually fighting for the extra bit) from the bakery near by as soon as I was back from College. It went on till I started work. And till I got married.

 Here you go with the recipe:

For 9 small Puffs we need:
Pastry Sheet: 1 no. (I picked Pampas Puff Pastry sheet)
Oil - 1 teaspoon

For stuffing:
Mixed Vegetable Palya masala (of your choice)

Method:
1) Keep the mixed vegetable palya that you wish to stuff ready. (Ideal if its in room temperature)
2) Take one pastry sheet. (try to keep it out of the freezer atleast 15 mins before you plan to bake)
3) Pre-head the oven at 250 degree Celsius.
4) While the oven is pre-heating, take a baking tray and place the pastry sheet on it.
5) Cut the pastry sheet into 9 squares. (this is upto your choice of shape too)
6) Put one tea spoon full of stuffing in the middle of each square and close it diagonally. You can just press the edges to close the stuffing.
7) Take a little olive oil or vegetable oil and brush it on the closed pastries.
8) By now, the pre-heating would have completed. Now, just put the tray in the oven and bake at 250 Degree Celsius for about 10 mins or check the Puffs and remove once the puffs have turned golden brown.
9) If you are trying it for the first time, I am sure you will be waiting to take these puffs out of the oven and sit comfortable and relish them. (thats exactly what I did).

I could not believe myself that I can cook the Vegetable Puffs just like its in the Bakery. Amazing results. Try it and enjoy.

Note: You can fold the pastry sheet in the way you want, Rectangle, triangle or even roundels. However you fold them, the oven will take care of the rest. 

Cheers!
Madhavi

Crispy Potato and corn Cutlet | Crispy Balls | Vegetarian Patties

Crispy Potato and corn balls (Coated with Poppy seeds)

Every time I open my freezer, I found frozen sweet corn in abundant. Was wondering how do I clear it off before it can get stale. :) It was on one rainy day in KL, we were so desperate to have some spicy and tasty snack. That's when I tried this recipe. It was so yum and quick. I never expected to complete the preparation for this so fast.

 Here you go with the recipe.

Ingredients:

To grind:
Cumin seeds - 1 tspn
Green chillies - 4- 5 nos.
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tspn
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Fried channa / Urgadle - 1/2 cup

For the dough:
Potato - 3 nos. (Boiled and mashed)
Corn - 1 cup
All purpose flour - as required

Dough: Potato, corn, ground masala and All purpose flour

For the coating:
Poppy seeds -about 1/2 cup and
Oil for shallow frying

Method:
1) Grind all the ingredients mentioned in the To grind list and keep aside
2) Now, in a mixing bowl, add mashed potato and corn and mix well along with the ground mixture.
3) Check if you can make lemon sized balls and they are binding well.
4) If not, add all purpose flour as required to absorb all the moisture in the veges.
5) Now, make lemon sized balls and keep aside.

Vegeballs ready for coating and shallow frying

Balls coated with poppy seeds in the Kuli paniyaram pan.

6) Now, take poppy seeds in a flat plate, and roll the balls over the poppy seeds just nice to coat it one layer and keep aside.
7) Now take the Kuli Paniyaram pan, and add 1/4 tspn of oil in each hole and place the balls one in each hole and cook on both sides.
8) The balls will turn out to be crispy outside and soft and spicy inside. Yummy.

Enjoy with sauce or sweet chutney of your choice.

Healthy potato corn balls ready to be served

Note: Alternatively you can also make a flat oval shapped Pattys / Cutlets and toast them on dosa pan or flat pan as well. It can be had as burger patties as well.

Cheers!
Madhavi

Chakli / Murukku

Chakli / Chakralu / Murukku :

Chakli is all time favourite savoury anyone / everyone will surely love to eat. It is such a tempting snack, I would think before I taste a piece. I am too scared that I cannot stop till they are all done. (Without thinking of the after eating effect )

Stopping here, I would jump to writing the recipe.

Ingredients:
For the Murukku Powder
(You can also use ready mix if available)
Rice : 4 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup

For making the dough
Butter : 100 grms
Sesame seeds - 3 tspn
Hing : 1/2 tspn
Salt for taste
Water enough to form a dough

For Chakli
Oil for deep frying

Method:
For making Murukku Powder
1) Wash Rice and Urad dal separately, drain water and spread it on a cloth. Let it dry in room temperature for about 30 mins.
2) Now, take small portions of urad dal and dry roast them till they turn light golden brown.
3) Similarly roast the rice, just enough to let go the moisture in it.
4) Now, mix both together and blend them into a fine powder.
For making the dough
5) Take a broad mixing bowl, and spread butter evenly all around the bowl, till you think its melting.
6) Now, add the powder to this and add sesame seeds, Hing and salt and mix all together.
7) Add water little by little and little and make it into a soft dough.
8) Now make equal portions of the dough just nice to fit into the chakli maker

Cylindrical Shapped dough portions. Ready to enter the Muruku/Chakli Maker / Press

9) Now, out of the options you get in the press use the one with single star, and put the dough into the maker and press on small plastic sheets / banana leaves / wax paper. (whichever is available) into spirals as big as you want.

10) In the meanwhile, take a deep frying pan, and heat enough oil.

11) Once hot, slowly drop the pressed chakli into the oil, and deep fry on medium flame till they turn light golden brown.



Murukku / Chakli pressed on small sheets of Plastic paper.

Pressed Chakli ready to be deep fried.

Chakli ready to be tasted.

12) Now, you can store these in air tight containers and best served with a hot cup of coffee / even along with sambar rice or rasam rice. :) Yum..

Note:
1) You need to knead the dough as much as you can. This will prevent the chakli from breaking in between while you are trying to make the spirals.
2) In case the chakli is breaking while pressing, you can use little water and make the dough a little softer (if it turned out to be hard) and knead again and press.

Cheers!
Madhavi

Green Peas Dhokla

Dhokla

This is one of my favourite steamed Gujrati snack and I was wondering how do I make it as fluffy as we get in the sweet stalls back in India.

That's when, I got the message that one of my Friend does amazing dhoklas and checked with her on the recipe. This is what my expert friend advised me, and the Dhokla's came out excellent. Thanks a lot Rikta for your valuable input. :)

Here you go with the recipe.

Ingredients
for the batter:
Besan - 1 cup
Semolina - 2 tspn
Salt to taste
Buttermilk - 1.5 cups (Approx)
Eno/Soda - 2 tspn or as desired
Ginger - 1 tspn (Grated)
Green Chillies - 2 (Finely chopped)
Peas - 1/2 cup (Optional)

For the seasoning:
Oil - 1 tspn
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tspn
Dry red chilli - 1 no (Broken)
Coconut - 2 tspn
Lemon juice - 2 tspn

Method:
1) In a bowl, mix the dhokla batter with all the ingredients listed under "For batter), except for eno/soda and keep aside.
2) Take a cooker vessel or a plate in which you wish to steam the dhoklas and grease it with some ghee or oil and keep aside.
3) Just before you want to steam heat the water in a cooker.
4) Now, mix eno / soda to the batter mix gentle and pour this mixture in the cooker vessel and place it in the boiling water.
5) Steam it for about 10-15 mins and turn off the stove.
6) Once done, take a pan, add oil, and once hot, add mustard seeds, red chillies and sesame seeds and hing and pour this mixture over the dhokla and using a spoon spread it all over the vessel.
6) Take a knife cut the dhoklas into the pieces of desired shape, and
7) Pour lime juice mixed with sugar and sprinkle some coconut.
8) Dhoklas are ready to be served hot with tamarind chutney and green chutney

Note:
1) The peas can be added after blending it to a smooth paste into the batter and then steam it for better taste and consistancy.
2) Optionally, you can also puree palak, or any vegetable of your choice.

The above updates are after receiving feedback from Rikta. :)

Cheers!
Madhavi

Kajjikai / Stuffed coconut Pastry

Kadubu/ Kajjikai / Stuffed coconut Pastry

Its a festival time and  we are all looking for making lots of sweets, savories and cakes. Here is one of a very tasty savoury, which is one of my all time favorite.

The stuffing to this pastry can be of a lot of varieties, here is my recipe with a dry coconut stuffing/filling. Here you go with the Ingredients,

Ingredients:
For the dough
Maida/All purpose flour - 1/4 cup
Fine Semolina / Chiroti rava - 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Butter - 1/4 cup or
Hot oil - 1 tbl spn
Water sufficient to mix the dough

For the filling:
Dry coconut - 1 cup (Finely grated)
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee Roasted Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tspn
and oil for deep frying


Method:

For the dough:
1) In a mixing bowl, add Butter and spread all over the bowl. (if you are using hot oil, you can skip this step and add oil on top of the dry mixture and mix well and continue with step 3.)
2) To this add maida, salt, semolina and salt and mix all the ingredients thoroughly well.
3) To this add water as needed and make it into a dough (Just like how you make for puris) and keep aside.

For the Filling
4) Now, for the filling, add dry coconut, sugar, cardamom powder and cashews mix well and keep aside.

For the Pastry
5) In a frying pan, add enough oil for deep frying and keep the flame low.
6) In the meanwhile, make small lemon sized balls and keep aside.
7) Roll each ball into small puris (Preferably make oval shaped puris) and
8) Add 1 tspn of the filling in the center of the puri and close the puri to make it into a semi - circle leaving the filling locked inside.
9) Now, lock or seal the puri to make sure the filling is secure inside and does not spill out into the oil while deep frying.
10) Repeat this to the rest of the balls. and drop these stuffed puris into the hot oil and deep fry.
11) You will have crispy stuffed coconut pastry ready to be served for any festival or even as a dessert in your parties.

Note:
1) You can store these pastries in air tight container for more than 2 weeks.
2) You can customise the filling to your taste.
      Options for the filling: You can also add semolina, crushed Dalia, Crushed poppy seeds and many more.

Enjoy!
Madhavi

Cheese and Onion Toast

Cheese and Onion Bread Toast

Bread has become our most common breakfast during working days. And I wonder how anyone can eat slices of bread with Orange marmalade  or Mixed fruit jam (The spread that I have at home) always. :) So, after a leisure reading of my blogger recipes I came up with my own recipe.

This recipe is mostly cooked using a Oven, but I tired without oven and it was excellent. A perfect morning with Bread toast and a glass of Orange Juice.

Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients:
Bread - 2 slices
Cheese - 1/2 cup (Grated or you can also use Pasta Cheese)
Onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)
Green Chillies - 2 nos or as per your taste
Tomato - 1/2 (finely chopped)
Milk - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Italian herbs - 1 dash
Salt as per taste

Method:
1) Lightly toast the bread and keep aside.
2) Take a pan on medium heat and add cheese, onion, green chillies and tomato and mix well with little salt.
3) Make sure the raw smell of the onion leaves and now, add chilli powder and Italian herbs and give it a mix.
4) To this add milk, (Make sure the mixture is not too dry coz you need to spread it on the bread) and mix it well and cook for another 30 secs and turn off the flame.
5) Now, take this mixture and spread on one side of the bread and toast it on the tava/griddle or even better if you have a oven just grill it in the oven.
6) Now cut the bread diagonally (Or in your own way) and serve with tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

Cheers!
Madhavi

Bajji Masala

Bajji Masala

What a snack on the cool and rainy evening !!! Very simple and tasty. Mirch Bajji is a very famous Indian snack available almost every where. This is also one of very few dishes that men can make. Usually men do this for their cocktail parties. 

Ingredients for making a plateful of Bajji Masala (6 bajjis)

Bajji (Green Pepper, Capsicum)

Onion finely chopped - 1 cup

Carrot grated - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves for garnish - 1/4 cup

Lemon juice (fresh) - 2 tbsp

Meetha - 1/4 cup

Green chuntney - 1/4 cup

Chaat masala - 1 tbsp

Salt for taste

Garam masala - 1 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Prepare bajji's. Refer to bajji preparation section. 

2. Slit the bajji's and place it in the plate. 

3. Sprinkle salt evenly on all the slit bajji's

4. Sprinkle Chilli powder, Garam masala, Chaat masala evenly on all the split bajji's

5. Spread Meetha and Green chutney on all bujji's (use spoon).

6. Garnish chopped onions, carrot and coriander leaves. Squeeze lemon finally. 

7. Enjoy..... A hot tea or a chilled beer makes perfect evening with this snack. 

Cheers!

Balu

Kodbale

Kodbale/Koloda

 It literally means, "a bangle made out of a mixture". I figured this out during a casual conversation with my in laws and they gave me this explanation.

Anyway, now you know, with in-laws around we have experts/pros on board and am back with an authentic snack recipe.

This is a snack which most of the Kannadigas love to eat and relish. We love to eat these with Hot cup of Filter coffee / Tea during the evenings. Usually, this is a delicacy we enjoy when anyone returns from Bangalore and a must for my MIL to make. (You know why.. its my Hubby's fav snack) :)

Here you go with the detailed recipe and enjoy making it and storing it to relish with a HOT CUP OF COFFEE.. :)

Kodbale, Travelled all the way from Bangalore to Kuala lumpur :)

Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 4 cups (We used Red rice flour/ Kempuakki hittu)
Maida Flour/all purpose flour - 1 cup
Fried Gram dal / Uragadle - 1 cup
Chiroti Rave / Bombay Rava - 1 cup
White sesame / Till - 1/4 cup (around 4 tspn)
Jeera - 4 tspnButter - 1/4 cup (around 50 grms)
Hing - 1 tspn (around 25 grms)
Fresh Coconut - 1 cup grated
Dry coconut - 1 handful (Optional)
Dry Red chillies/Byadige mensinayi - 1/2 cup (or as per your taste)
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Take Maida/all purpose flour and dry roast till good aroma comes out and keep aside.
2) Take Chiroti Rava/Bombay rava and dry roast till good aroma comes out and keep aside.
3) Take Roasted bengal gram/Urgadle and blend it to a fine powder and keep aside.
4) Now take Byadige menasina kai and blend it to a course powder and keep aside. (Make sure it is dry enough if not, you can dry in for 1-2 hours under sunshine on a hot day)
5) Now take fresh coconut and dry coconut and blend it to a fine powder with as little water as possible, and keep aside.
6) Now take a broad basin and spread butter all around the basin till it melts and add Hing to it and mix well.
7) Take another basin, and make a mixture rice flour, maida, chiroti rave, uragadle powder and chilli powder and mix well.
8) Add this mixture to the basin where you have butter and then,
9) add till, salt, jeera, and hot oil (1/4 cup) to this and mix well.
10) Now, add ground coconut and mix well.
11) In another small basin, and keep aside 1/4 portion of the mixture and mix well with enough water to make a hard dough.
12) Now, make small ball from the dough, knead it well and roll it to make a long cylindrical string, and shape it into a bangle as you see in the photo. (make sure the dough is not dry and does not crack.)
13) And now these are ready to deep fry. 14) Repeat step 11 to 13 for the remaining flour.

NOTE:1) Do not make a dough with large quantity of mixture. It will make the kodbale sour and tends to break while kneading / frying.

 2) Deep fry on a medium flame, till they are golden brown.
3) If you are making small quantity, you dont need to split the flour to make a dough.

Cheers!
Madhavi

Bajji

Bajji:

Bajji falls under Indian crispy and quick snack category. Thats why I take this liberty to mention that this is the only snack all the men would love to cook. (especially during their bachelor party days). :) 


 
Ingredients.
Besan flour - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tspn
Jeera - 1/2 tspn
Salt as required
Hot Oil- 1 tspn
Soda - a pinch (optional)
Oil for deep frying
Water as required

Vegetables which can be used :
Potato
Ridge guard
Onion
Raw banana
Bread

Method:
1) In a bowl mix the besan, chilli powder, jeera, salt, soda, and hot oil and mix well with little water to bring it to a idly batter consistency.
2) In a pan add oil enough to fry the bajjis and turn on the stove.
3) While the oil is getting hot, cut the vegetables of your choice into thin round slices, and keep aside.
4) Once the oil is hot, take one slice of vegetable and dip it into the bajji batter and drop it carefully into the hot oil. (You can add min of 5 bajjis in one go, based on how big or wide the pan is)
5) Deep fry the bajjis till they turn golden brown and now they are ready to be served with green chutney, sweet/tamarind chutney or even coconut chutney. It can also be eaten with tomato sauce or any dip of your choice.

Click on this link for chutney reciepes.

Reposting and sending this entry to : http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2011/11/announcing-snacks-mela.html

Cheers!
Madhavi

Walnut and Dates Cake | Vegetarian Microwave Cake

Pizza Hut "EBONY AND IVORY" Cake

Ingredients :

All purpose flour / maida - 1 cup
Heavy cream / Whipped cream - 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
Dates - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1/2 tspn

For Garnishing :
Walnuts
Hershey's Chocolate syrup (Optional)

Method :
1. Soak the dates in milk for 2 hours and blend into a fine paste and keep aside.
2. Mix maida and baking soda and sieve the mixture 3 times to make sure its well mixed.
3. Take a mixing bowl and add heavy cream and powdered sugar and whip it.
4. To this add maida and soda mixture and the dates paste and whip it to make it to a idly butter consistency.
5. Take a baking dish and grease the dish with butter and sprinkle some maida.
6. To this baking dish pour the mixture and sprinkle some finely cut walnuts and put it into the microwave for 5 to 6 minutes till the cake is baked. (To check if the cake is baked, pierce a knife into the cake and check if the dough inside is cooked)
7. The cake is now ready to be served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a generous helping of Hershey's chocolate syrup


Notes:
If you are using a conventional OTG, then preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the cake for 45 min.






Cheers!
Madhavi

Yellu Unde/ Sesame Seeds Sweet Balls

Yellu Unde/ Sesame Seeds sweet Balls

Ingredients

Sesame Seeds - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup (Finely crushed)
Dry nuts - 1/4 cup (Optional)

Method:
1) Dry roast sesame seeds and blend them into a course powder
2) Mix the powder to jaggery and mix them thoroughly, making sure to remove any lumps of jaggery.
3) Now, mix the dry nuts and make small lemon sized balls of this mixture .
4) Yellu unde is ready to be served topped with 1/2 tsp of honey if desired.

This recipe is going to Yummy Dessert 4 New Year hosted by Pranati nath. http://pran-oriya-recipies.blogspot.com/2011/12/eee.html

The event will run from 14^th dec – 14^th Jan 2012 and

Cheers!
Madhavi

Rave Unde / Semolina Sweet Balls

Sweet Semolina/Rava Unde

Ingredients:
Rave - 1 cup (Preferably chiroti/very fine semolina)
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup or as required
Coconut - 1/2 cup (Preferably dry)
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Dry fruits and nuts - 1/2 cup (or as desired) - cut into small pieces
Saffron - 5-6 strands (Optional)
Cardamon powder - 1 tsp

Method:
1) Boil milk along with the saffron strands and keep aside.
2) Take a non-stick pan, and add 2 tsp of ghee and roast the dry fruits and nuts till they turn golden brown, if you are adding raisins wait till they puff up.
3) Once done, immediately add rava/semolina and roast till it spreads good aroma and its turning golden brown. (Roast rava on low flame to avoid burning)
4) Now, add sugar and mix well and add 3 tsp of milk and coconut and mix well.
5) At this stage add cardamon powder, the remaining ghee and gently mix all the ingredients together.
6) Now, take a large mixing bowl, and pour this mixture and wait for it to cool.
7) Once the temperature is just nice for you to handle it, take small portions of rava and add 2 tsp of milk and mix the rava with the milk and make lemon sized balls (Size is up to you) and keep them in a open plate.
8) Repeat this for the rest of the mixture but adding enough milk to mould the rava into balls.

Note:
1) Using lot of milk makes moulding easy, but it gets dried late and gets hard.   
2) Use milk just nice to mould the rava into a ball.
3) Once the balls/under dry, they are dry outside and soft inside and taste really yummy.


This recipe is going to Yummy Dessert 4 New Year hosted by Pranati nath. http://pran-oriya-recipies.blogspot.com/2011/12/eee.html

Cheers!
Madhavi

Rice Flour Puris

Rice Flour Puris

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Maida - 1/2 cup

Chilli Powder - 1 tspn

Jeera - 1 tspn

Salt to taste

Butter - 2 tspns

Hot oil - 2 tblspn (For mixing the dough)

Water for mixing the dough

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1) Take a broad vessel, and spread butter all over the vessel till it melts.

2) Now add the rice flour, maida, salt, chilli powder and jeera and mix well along with the butter which was spread in the vessel.

3) Now add hot oil and mix it well.

4) Add sufficient water to mix the flour to make a soft dough.

5) Take small portions of dough to make a lemon size balls and on a plastic sheet flatten the dough to make a small circle. (using your palms)

6) In the meanwhile, take a kadai, and heat enough oil for deep frying the puris.
7) Drop the flattened puris into the hot oil and deep fry them.
8) Now puris are ready to be served with jaggery and ghee / chutney.

Cheers!
Madhavi

Badam Puri with a twist

Badam  Puri with a twist

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Salt a pinch
Baking soda  a pinch
Ghee - 1 tspn
Butter - 1 tspn
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tspn
Oil for deep frying
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup

Method:
Making the dough
1) In a wide vessel smear  butter and then add all purpose flour, ghee and salt and mix well.
2) Now add enough water to form a smooth  dough. Mix it really well and keep aside for 5 - 10 mins


Making the syrup
3) In the meanwhile, take a vessel and add sugar and water just enough to cover the sugar and bring it to a boil.
4) Add cardamom powder and keep in simmer till you can get a one thread consistency of the syrup and switch off the stove.


Making the Puris
5) Take the dough and make small lemon sized  balls and roll out small puris and  fold it in the center to make it a semi circle and fold it again to make another half. Continue to do this for the rest of the puri's

Badam puris with a twist
6)Roll the puris as usual, and make 3 slits on the puris lengthwise. (Make sure you dont slit too long)
7) Now roll them width wise and them as shown in the picture.
8) Heat oil in a frying pan and fry these in the oil.
9) Now, drop these fried puris into the sugar syrup and turn them to coat all the areas with syrup and take them in a plate.
10) Once they come to room temperature the sugar gets nicely quoted and will be very crispy and tasty to eat.

Notes:
1) You can garnish the puris with badam powder.
2) Dip the puris in a bowl of badam milk and serve cold or warm .

Cheers
Madhavi

Mangalore Bonda

Mangalore Bonda / Mysore Bonda

Ingredients:

Maida Flour/All purpose flour - 1 cup
Thick Sour Buttermilk - 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Green chillies - 2 (Finely Chopped)
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - 4 -5 leaves (Finely chopped)
Fresh Coconut - 2 tspn (Finely Chopped)
Ginger - 1 tspn (Finely chopped)
Onion - 1 no. (Finely chopped)

 

Method:

 

1) Mix maida flour, salt, buttermilk into a fine thick batter. (If the buttermilk is really sour, we can make the bonda's immediately if its not sour, then let the batter ferment for at least 4 -5 hours) 

2) Now to this mixture, add chillies, onions, ginger, coconut, curry leaves and Hing and mix well.

3) Now the batter is ready to make bondas.

4) Take a deep frying pan, add enough oil to deep fry,

5) Once the oil is hot, drop the batter in small round portions. (You will not be able to make the portions and keep aside, so just take enough batter in your hand and drop required portion into the hot oil carefully)

6) Fry them till they are golden brown and its ready to serve with any chutney or any sauces of your choice. (I always make Ginger Chutney with this.)

 

Cheers!

Madhavi

Bread Toast

Bread Toast
There is always a moment during the weekends while me and my hubby gets nostalgic about the easy access bakery items, chats, etc in Bangalore. That is when we start to feel extra hungry and start to crave for those which are not available here.

This is one of them, so we just tried (Coz its the easiest of the lot, and we dont need an Oven). Its easy and delicious. Just nice for evening snacks accompanied with a cup of hot filter coffee..  Hmm ...

Here you go

Ingredients:
Grated carrot - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (Finely chopped)
Fresh Coriander - 3 tbl spn (Finely chopped)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
Oil - 1 tspn
Butter - 1 tspn
Jeera - 1/4 tspn
Tomato - 1/2 (Finely chopped)
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
Bread  - 4 slices

 Method:
1) In a small pan, add oil, once its hot, add jeera, and onions, salt and saute till onions are done.
2) Once done, add tomato, and grated carrot and saute till carrots are cooked.
3) Now, add chilli powder, turmeric powder and mix chopped coriander and saute for few seconds.
4) Now mix well and keep aside.
5) On a flat pan, toast bread with little butter on both sides and keep aside. (You can also use a toaster if you have)
6) Now, to set the sandwich, take one slice of bread and add 1 tspn of carrot mixture and close the bread with another slice of bread and cut them in the middle / diagonal (As you wish)
7) Now repeat the same for as many pairs of bread slices as you want. ( the above serves for around 2 -3 pairs of bread)
8) And serve with ketchup and a cup of hot coffee / tea

I am sending this as an entry to http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2011/06/announcing-sandwich-mela.html  hosted by Srivalli


Cheers!
Madhavi

Potato and Chickpeas Chat

Potato and Chickpeas Chat

This is a quick and easy salad which is ideal during Kitty parties (Which we have almost every weekend;) ) as a side salad / starter etc.

Most of us love to eat potatoes just like that and this is an ideal dish which is catchy to your guests.

Ingredients:
Channa Dal - 1 cup (Soaked and cooked with little amount of salt)
Potatoe - 2 small (Boiled and cut into large pieces)
Pudina - 4 -5 leaves (Finely Chopped)
Coriander leaves (Finely chopped) 1 tbl spn
Chat masala - 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Lemon - 1 (Cut into 4 pieces)

Method:
1) Toss chopped potatoes and channa dal together.
2) Sprinkle pudina, chat masala and salt and give it another gentle toss.
3) Garnish with salt and lemon
4) Check for the seasoning, if required add some more chat masala / you can use garam masala as well.

Cheers!
Madhavi

Bhel Puri

ಭೇಲ್ ಪುರಿ

Ingredients:

Puffed rice - 1 cups
Onion finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Tomato - Chopped - 1/4 cup
Sev - 1/4 cup
Green Chutney - 2 tea spn
Tamarind Chutney - 2 tea spn
Chat masala - 1/2 tea spn
Salt to taste

Optionals
Fried Channa dal - 1 tea spn
Fried ground nuts - 2 tea spn
Grated Carrot  - 2 tea spn..
lime juice

Method

1) Mix all the dry ingredients first with the puffed rice and keep aside.
2) Then mix all the wet ingredients and mix them with the puffed rice and garnish with same sev and coriander and fried ground nuts.
3) Serve immediately before the crunchy puffed rice gets softened.

Cheers!
Karu...

Masala Puri

ಮಸಾಲ ಪುರಿ

Its been a month that I am back from Bangalore and I started missing those snacks and the evening junk food so soon. So wanted to make masala puri and bhel puri for dinner today.. :)

We unfortunately don't get ready made pani puris here and so we have to make even the puri all by ourselves. Anyway its fun and myself and my hubby enjoyed it :)

Below is Masala puri recipe. Click for Bhel puri recipe.

Masala Puri

Ingredients :

For the base masala:

Dry Green Peas - 1 cup (Soaked over night)

Fresh Coriander Leaves - 1/2 cup

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tbl spn

Coriander Powder - 1/4 tbl spn

Garam Masala - 1/2 tbl spn

Black Pepper powder - 1/4 tbl spn

Green Chillies - 2-3 nos

Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch

Garlic paste - 1 tbl spn

Ginger paste - 1 tbl spn

Onion - 1 small

Salt to taste

Method

1) Pressure Cook the soaked peas and keep half of the peas aside for later use.

2) Grind rest of the masala mentioned above along with half of the cooked peas to a fine paste.

3) In a kadai, add little oil and pour the ground masala and cook it for 4-5 min till the raw taste of the masala leaves and keep aside.

Home made Puris

Ingredients for the puris:

All purpose flour/Maida Flour - 1-2 tbl spn

Chiroti Rava/Small semolina - 1 cup

Warm Water enough to mix the dough

Oil for deep frying

Salt as per taste

Method

1)  Take a basin/broad vessel and add Chiroti rava and salt.

2) Pour little warm water and knead well for sometime till all the water is absorbed by the rava.

3) Now add maida and knead well to form a dough. Now add 1 tbl spn of oil and mix well (Make sure its not too soft neither too hard) and keep aside for 10 - 15 mins.

4) Make the dough into small lemon sized balls and roll them just like chapati as thin as possible.

5) Take a cutter / cap of any bottle (Check for the size, it should closely match the puris size) and cut them into small round puris.

6) In the mean while, add enough oil in the deep pan and once the oil is hot, drop the cut puris in and let them puff like a baloon. (Cook on low flame only)

7) Now puris are ready to be used in masala puri/pani puri. whatever you are making.

Ingredients for Green Chutney

Green chillies - 10 nos
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Jeera powder - 1/4 tbl spn
salt to taste

Method
1) Grind all the above ingredients to fine paste and use ..

Ingredients for tamarind masala.
Tamarind - big lemon sized soaked in water / tamarind extract/tamarind paste
Jaggery -1/4 cup
Jeera powder - 1/4 tbl spn
Garam masala (optional) - 1/4 tbl spn
Salt a pinch

Method
1) Squeeze the tamarind juice and pour it in a vessel and bring it to boil.
2) Add jaggery, jeera powder, garam masala powder and salt and bring to boil once again.
3) Keep boiling till the mixture thickens. (The mixture will thicken even more while it gets cooled) so turn off from boiling before it gets very thick.

Ingredients for the masala puri:

The peas base (Recipe showed above)

Puris (Recipe showed above)

Green Chutney (Recipe showed above)

Tamarind Chutney (recipe showed above)

Chat masala - 1/4 tbl spn

Onions - finely chopped - 1/2 cup

Tomato - finely chopped -1/2 cup

Sev - 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves - finely chopped 1/4 cup.

Boiled peas which we kept aside 2 tbl spn

Method:

1) Crush 5-6 puris on a plate

2) Add boiled peas, and add the base masala.

3) Add chat masala, tamarind chutney and green chutney. Add little salt if required

4) Garnish with chopped  onions, tomato, sev and coriander and serve hot.

(Optionals.. You can add yogurt, lemon juice to this mixture to give you a spl taste.)

Cheers!

Karu..