Hariyali Paneer Tikka

One of my favourite vegetarian items is any paneer dish. I just love to gorge on paneer tikkas, palak paneer, kadhai paneer, matar paneer, paneer pakora, paneer butter masala, yummmm, the list in endless.

Paneer is a basic source of protein for the vegetarians other than lentils. Here is the recipe for Hariyali Paneer Tikka, a vegetarian�s delight & tempting appetizer / snack, prepared with paneer (fresh cottage cheese) and marinated in yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 500 gms paneer, cubed / diced
• 1 big capsicum, de-seeded & diced
• 2 red & firm tomatoes, de-seeded & diced

Marinade:

• 1 cup hung curd / yogurt
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
• 4-6 green chilies, paste
• 2 tbsp onion paste
• 2 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp ginger paste
• � tsp turmeric powder
• � tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp roasted caraway seeds powder (shahi jeera)
• 1 tsp chat masala powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp white oil
• juice of 1 lemon

Procedure:

1. Beat the curd and combine the other ingredients of the marinade. Take the paneer and chopped capsicum & tomato pieces, add the marinade and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 mins.
2. Place the marinated paneer and vegetables on the high rack on a microwave safe flat dish and grill 15-20 mins till light golden brown on all sides.
3. Reposition the paneer and the vegetables frequently (after a gap for 3-4 mins) and brush with oil.
4. Sprinkle a little chat masala and roasted shahi jeera powder; garnish with coriander leaves and serve with salads / chutneys.
   

Yellow is the color of sunshine and associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity and is often associated with food. I love the particular colour of this dish.

Sending this to FIC-Favourite guest hosted by Sweath, event started by Sunshinemom...This paneer dish is also going to to My Favourite Things-Cheese and Think Spice-Think Caraway Seeds guest hosted by Sathya of Appetite Treats

Doi Boda / Dahi Vada

Dahi vada (also known as thayir vada in Tamil and perugu gari in Telugu, mosaru vade in Kannada and Doi Boda in Bengali) is an Indian chaat, prepared by soaking vadas in thick yogurt (dahi / doi).
It is a great starter or can be served as a cold appetizer, prepared from lentil (black gram / urad dal) based fried balls soaked in yogurt mixture and sprinkled with spices like chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, rock salt (kala namak), grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves and often served with tamarind chutney.
The hot deep fried vadas are first put in water and then transferred to thick beaten yogurt. For best results, soak the vadas for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Here is my version of preparing Doi Boda...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups black Urad Daal without skin (black lentils)
• 3 cups curd / dahi / yoghurt (ensure that curd is not too sour)
• water (to make curd mixture)
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2" piece of ginger grated
• 2-3 green chillies (to taste), finely chopped
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tsp red chilli powder (to taste)
• 1 tbsp chaat masala (to taste)
• 2 tbsp roasted cumin seeds powder
• white oil, for deep frying the vadas
• chopped coriander leaves to garnish
• tamarind chutney
• green (dhania-pudina chutney)

Procedure:

1. Soak the urad daal in a bowl with enough water for 12 hours (preferably overnight). Drain water and combine the soaked lentil with grated ginger, green chillies and a pinch of salt and grind it into a course paste (add a little water, but ensure not to add too much of water).
2. Beat the ground lentil batter well for quite sometime to a thick lentil batter.
3. Combine curd / yogurt, water, salt, sugar and a pinch of red chili powder, chaat masala, roasted cumin seeds powder and mix well to form a smooth yogurt mixture. Keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a deep-bottomed kadhai,
5. Grease your palms with a little oil and put a ladle of lentil batter and form a round shape.
6. Carefully make an impression in the middle by inserting your fingers to form a vada in the shape of doughnut.
7. Slide each vada into the hot oil, deep fry on medium flame till light golden.
8. Remove these deep fried bodas (vadas), drain excess oil and transfer them into a bowl of luke warm water and place them in it for 5-10 mins. Remove and gently press between your palms to squeeze out the excess water. Keep aside.
9. Finish making vadas with the rest of the remaining batter in the above mentioned process (repeat from step 5-8).
10. Arrange the soaked vadas in a serving platter, pour the curd / yogurt mixture evenly over them to cover the vadas completely. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving.
11. To serve, put 1 or 2 Dahi Vadas in a plate, sprinkle chaat masala and garnish with bhujiya / sev, chopped coriander leaves and tamarind chutney and green chutney.

Tips: It�s best to serve with the spices and chutneys separately so that one can help himself as per taste and preference.

Sending this to the Sunday Snacks - Chaats/Indian Street Food event, hosted by Pallavi of All Things Yummy!

Papdi Chaat

Chaat is a type of mouth watering and popular roadside snack all over India, sold by street hawker in food cartss. These days there are specialized �chaat� shops� The word chaat means to taste (to lick) as the Chaat dishes make you lick your plates clean, hence the name�They are so yummy that just by thinking about them makes my mouth water!

Traditionally, chaats are served which may vary from region-to-region and also vary as per taste of the people (us of course!!!)�But if you are making them at home, you can let your imagination turn wild and prepare a chaat recipe as per your liking with as many ingredients available at hand�

If you do not have time to make Papdi, you can always buy ready made packets of Papdi (papri) from the Bhujiwala (Mithai Shops).

Papdi Chaat, is made of crispy wafers garnished with a delicious combination of potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, yogurt and flavored with spices and red & green chutneys.

Ingredients:

Papdi: (Use a pack of 250 gms ready made papdi if are unable to prepare papdi at home)

• 1-� cup all purpose flour (maida or plain flour)
• � tsp thymol (ajwain) seeds
• A pinch of baking powder
• 1 tbsp oil (to knead dough)
• � tsp salt
• � cup lukewarm water (as required)
• white oil, for deep frying

Other Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized potato, boiled & cut into small pieces
• 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
• � cup chickpeas, boiled
• 2 besan dhokla, crumbled
• 2-3 cups sour curd / yogurt (whipped)
• 1 tsp rock salt (to taste)
• 1-2 tsp roasted cumin seed powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder (to taste)
• green chillies (optional)
• bhujiya (as per taste)
• dhania (cilantro / fresh coriander leaves) chutney
• tamarind (imli / tentul) chutney

Procedure:

Papdi:

1. In a bowl mix flour, ajwain, baking powder, salt and oil. Add the water a little at a time while kneading until it forms a firm dough
2. Cover the dough and set aside for approx 30 mins. Divide the dough into balls. Add a little oil on the rolling board and roll out a big circle. Prick with a fork / toothpick all over (to emnsure papdi do not puff while frying). Make impression with a glass or any circular cutter (cover of jam bottles). You will get about 4-5 circular papdi at one go.
3. Take out the rolled out dough carefully and place on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. (It should not be too hot or else papdi will not be crisp, to check whether the oil is ready or not, put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should sizzle and come up to the surface slowly. If the dough rises immediately, lower the flame, let the oil cool slightly and try again).
5. Release the papdis in small bathches and fry slowly, flip and turn continuously to both sides are a light golden-brown.
6. Remove fried papdi with a perforated ladle, transfer to a plate and soak the excess oil in a tissue paper. Continue cooking the remaining papdi in batches.
7. After the papdi cool to room temperature they should be crisp. (You can store the papdis in airtight containers for about 1 month and use as required).

Garnish:

1. Beat the yogurt with a little salt (Add a little water, if required). Keep aside.
2. Arrange the papdi on a large plate. Now add the rest of the ingredients one by one on the papdis.
3. Apply the beaten curd / yogurt and cover the papdis. Add dhania and tamarind chutney. Add bhuiya, chopped coriander leaves.
4. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, red chili powder and little rock salt as per your taste.
5. Serve immediately to taste the crisp papdi chaat.
   
   

Tips:

• It will be quite nice, if you serve all the ingredients separately in small bowls, for the people to help themselves according to their taste and liking�
• You can even name the chaat as per your choice with mix and match of the ingredients like dahi papdi (adding more of dahi to the papdis), channa tikki chaat (adding more of roasted channa / chickpeas)�..

Sending this to the Sunday Snacks - Chaats/Indian Street Food event, hosted by Pallavi of All Things Yummy!

Suppli

Suppl� is an Italian snack (originated from Rome) kind of croquette, consisting of a ball of rice (generally in the form of risotto, which is a traditional Italian rice dish, pepared with tomato sauce) bound together by eggs around a piece of mozzarella; the prepared ball is surrounded by breadcrumbs and then fried.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grained rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp powdered saffron
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley / coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp grated cheese (parmesan / mozzarella)
• 2 eggs, for rice
• 2 eggs, for coating
• 75 gms (10-12 cubes) fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 60 gms flour
• olive oil / white oil, frying oil
• 200 gms bread crumbs, to coat

Procedure:

1. Beat 2 eggs with a little salt. Keep aside.
2. Wash rice. Heat 2 tbsp butter, add the chopped onion. Saute for 1-2 mins. Add the washed rice and stir fry for 2 mins. Add saffron, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken broth (you can use water instead), bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat till all the water is absorbed (about 10-15 mins) and rice is cooked. Cook for 2 more mins, ensure that the rice is absolutely dry and remove from fire.
4. Add the chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp grated cheese. Mix well, lay the rice out on a board to cool.
5. Beat 2 eggs and mix carefuly with the rice. Divide the rice mixture into 10-12 equal portions.
6. Make a ball with a portion of rice mixture. Flatten it. Place a mozzarella cheese cube inside and completely cover with the rice mixture. Flour the croquettes and repeat with all the rice mixture.
7. Dip the prepared croquettes in the beaten eggs, roll over bread crumbs and press firmy. Keep in the refrigerator for 2 hours (this will set the bread crumbs).
8. Heat oil and fry the suppli till golden brown (turn constantly to ensure even colouring on all sides). Serve hot with tomato salsa / ketchup.
   
   

Stuffed Bread Dahi Vada

Dahi vada (also known as Dahi valle in Punjab, Thayir vada in Tamil, Perugu gari in Telugu, Mosaru vade in Kannada and Doi boda in Bengali) is a mouth watering Indian snack, prepared by soaking vadas in thick yogurt / curd / dahi. Generallly the hot deep fried vadas are first put in water and then transferred to thick beaten yogurt.

For best results, the vadas are soaked for at least a couple of hours before serving. To add more flavor it can be topped with coriander leaves, chaat masala, chili powder including grated coconut, bhujiya, the list can be endless. Sometimes a green chutney / tamarind chutney are serve with the dahi vadas.

Sambhar / rasam vadas (vadas soaked in sambhar / rasam are also popular snacks in southern India.

Here is the recipe for stuffed bread dahi vada, an innovation on the traditional dahi vada which is generally prepared with uraad dal.

Ingredients:

• 8 bread slices
• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 500 ml yogurt / curd
• water (to dip bread slices)
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp roasted cumin seeds / jeera powder
• � tsp red chilli powder
• oil, for frying bread vadas
• 1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
• sweet / tamarind chutney, curd / yogurt, rock salt, bhujiya (to serve)

Procedure:

1. Strain and whip the yourt well (to remove lumps) with a little salt. Refrigerate.
2. Wash the potatoes, make slits at both the ends and pressure cook with 2 whistles.
3. Drain water, remove the outer skin and mash the potatoes. Add salt, chilli powder, roasted jeera powder and coriander leaves and mix well to form the stuffing.
4. Take water in a deep bottomed bowl. Dip a bread slice in the water for 2-3 secs and take out the bread slice.
5. Press the bread slice with both hands and squeeze out the excess water.
6. Put 1 tbsp of stuffing on the bread slice and fold the moist bread on all sides, seal the top edge properly to form a round ball. Press slightly to form the shape of a vada. Repeat process with all the bread slices.
7. Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the bread balls (one by one) until light golden brown (turn continuously to ensure even colouring on all sides).
8. Place the bread vadas in a serving bowl. Add the chilled curd on top. Sprinkle rock salt and chutney on top. Serve with curd, chutney, rock salt and bhujiya for extra helpings.

Tips:

1. Don�t soak the bread vadas in yogurt beforehand as they may become soggy and mushy.
2. These dish can also be served chilled (though I prefer the hot & crunchy vadas served with the chilled yogurt.