Suruttai Poli - Indian Cooking Challenge, Feb 2011

Suruttai poli, a traditional sweet preparation of South India, was chosen by Srivalli as the recipe for Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of February, 2011. This recipe is suggested by Nithya of 4th sense cooking, who stated her mother�s traditional, tried & tested recipe.

I had never heard about this dish so it was a real challenge to attempt. When I searched the net for pictures, I came across Pavithra's recipe on how the final dish will look.

Suruttai means rolled up and poli, generally refers to the sweet poli. It somehow resembled patisapta (a traditional sweet / savoury preparation in Bengali), stuffed with fillings of khoya & kheer / grated coconut, mixed with jaggery and rolled tightly.

Here the outer covering should be thin, like a papad. It came out nicely and everyone enjoyed this delicious sweet treat. The only addition I made, I added some raisins in the filling mixture�.

Ingredients:

For filling:

• Roasted gram: 1 cup
• Sugar: 1 cup
• Cashews, chopped: 3-4 tbsp
• Raisins: 3-4 tbsp
• Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
• Coconut, grated: 2 tbsp
• Ghee: 1 tsp

For dough:

• All purpose flour: 1 cup
• Salt, a pinch
• Water, to knead dough
• Oil, for frying polis

For garnishing:

• Sugar, powdered: � cup
• Cashews, chopped: 5-6
• Raisins: 10-12

Preparations:

Method for filling:

1. Dry roast the gram and powder the roasted gram and sugar together in a mixer.
2. Heat ghee and roast the chopped cashew, add grated coconut and saut� them till golden brown. mix well.
3. Add the powdered gram & sugar mixture, mix thoroughly by stirring continuously and switch off flame. Pour the mixture in a bowl and keep aside.

Method to prepare dough for Polis:

1. Sift flour and salt in a bowl, add a little water and knead to prepare a soft dough (like chaapati consistency). Ccover and set it aside for 10-15 mins.
2. Powder sugar, sprinkle on a plate and keep aside.
3. Make small balls from the dough, flour the rolling surface and roll the dough into very thin circles. (like papad consistency) (You can prick the rolled dough with fork on the surface to prevent them from puffing while frying). After rolling, keep aside for 10 mins.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Gently release the rolled dough in the oil. Turn and lightly fry on both sides and ensure that it do not change colour (It should be flexible and should not turn brown or crispy).
5. Drain oil and place the fried poli on the plate, coated with the powdered sugar. Carefully and immediately add 2-3 spoon fulls of filling on one side and roll tightly to form suruttai poli.
6. Keep aside face down in a flat surface. (The polis should be soft when hot but once they cool down they will become crispy).
7. Repeat with all the dough balls and prepare a whole batch of suruttai poli.

For serving, arrange the polis on a serving plate. Sprinkle some powdered sugar, garnish with cashews and raisins and serve.

Khandvi, Indian Cooking Challenge, Dec 2010

Gujarati cuisine mainly consists of vegetarian recipe and have unique culinary traditions of India. Gujarati cuisine is also distinctive in its wide variety of Farsans or side dishes served with the main meal. Some Farsan are eaten as snacks / light meals.

Gujarati food mainly comprise of 4 major regions, North Gujarat, Kathiawad, Kachchh and South Gujarat. North Gujarat is popular for its traditional Gujarati thali consisting of rice, dal, curry, vegetables, sprouted beans, farsan, pickles, chutney and raita. Some of the popular farsans, popular for their tastes are Pathara, Khaman Dhokla and Khandvi.

Khandvi is a delicious savoury made with gram flour (beasn) and curd, tempered with sesame seeds and mustard seeds and served with fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Srivalli chose Khandvi as the recipe for the Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of December. Preparing Khandvi is an art by itself and requires lot of practice to perfect the dish. I have never prepared Khandvi before and had to try 2-3 times, before I got a perfect rolled Khandvi.

Srivalli provided two recipes for khandvi, I followed Lataji�s recipe, only difference is that, I used only mustard seeds for tempering�

Ingredients:

• Gram flour / Besan: 1/3 cup (heaped)
• Sour Curd / Yogurt: 1/3 cup
• Water: 1 cup
• Ginger & Green Chilli paste: 2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Cooking Oil: 3 tbsp

For tempering:

• Cooking Oil: 2 tsps
• Mustard seed: 1 tsp

For Garnishing:

• Grated Coconut: 2 tbsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Grease a flat plate and keep it ready before proceeding to cook Khandvi.
2. Beat curd and keep aside. In a bowl, add gram flour, salt, ginger-chilli paste, beaten curd, turmeric powder, asafoetisa and water and mix well to form a smooth batter (Ensure that the batter is thin and free of lumps).
3. Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and add batter. Stir the batter continuously till well cooked. (You will know that the batter is ready, when the batter take a light brown tinge & glaze from the oil and do not stick to the walls of the kadhai).
4. The batter should still be in a semi liquid state, tipping more towards solid state (Over cooking will result in a solidified mass which will not spread evenly).
5. Transfer the cooked batter onto the greased plate and spread uniformly into a thin sheet over the flat surface with a ladle. (Do this quickly or else the batter will thicken as it cools and become difficult to spread.)
6. Using a knife, make strip marks on the sheet. Carefully roll each strip into spirals and place the khandvi rolls on a serving platter.
7. Heat the rest of the oil in another kadhai, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Pour the tempering over the rolled khandvis.
8. Garnish the Khandvis with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Kara Sev - Indian Cooking Challenge, June 2010

Kara Sev was chosen by Srivalli as the Indian Cooking Challenge recipe for June. It's one of my favourite snack. There was a bhujiya shop near my school, where they used to sell varieties of bhujiya, ganthiya, chanachur, etc. While waiting for the bus, I used to watch the karigaar preparing these sev.

It was intriguing, as the person used a deft hand in pressing down the thick besan mixture on a big ladle with holes directly over oil, frying the sev in hot oil and immediately taking them out.

Thanks to Srivalli, finally I had the chance of preparing these savoury and crunchy sev. If the ladle (with holes) is not available, one can use the murukku press. Kara sev is quite easy and require very less time to prepare. I chose the first recipe as stated by Srivalli.

Ingredients:

• Gram flour (Besan): 2 1/2 cup
• Rice Flour (Chalguri): 1 cup
• Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
• Coarsely ground black pepper: 1 tsp
• Crushed garlic (optional): 2 pods
• Ghee: 2 1/2 tsp
• Cooking Soda: a small pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil, to fry

Procedure:

1. Take a bowl, sieve gram flour and rice flour together, mix well and make a pit (hole in the middle).
2. Add chilli powder, pepper powder, salt, crushed garlic, ghee and cooking soda and mix thoroughly with hands (It should resemble bread crumbs).
3. Divide the dough into 4 portions. Take one portion of this mixture, sprinkle water, knead like puri dough.
4. Heat oil in a kadai, use a ladle with lot of holes (Kara Sevai ladle / sev maker). Put some dough on the ladle and rub directly into oil (It will look like split string).
5. Deep fry in oil till the sev are well cooked and golden brown on all sides.
6. Drain excess oil, cool and store in an airtight container.

Sagu Biyyam Murukku / Sago Murukku - ICC for Mar' 2010

Sago /Sabudhana Murukku (a tasty savory snack prepared with sago, rice flour, besan flour and fried gram flour) was chosen by Srivalli for Indian Cooking Challenge for the month of March.

As Sri already challenged us to prepare murukku before, this was a little easy, though I have never prepared murukku with sago before. Stated below is the recipe by Srivalli.

Ingredients

• Rice flour: 2 cups
• Besan flour: 1/2 cup
• Fried gram flour: 1/2 cup
• Sago: 1/2 cup
• Oil: 50 gms
• Salt to taste
• Curd: 50 gms (half of half cup)
• Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp or as per taste
• Oil for frying murukku

Special Utensil: Muruku Achu

Method

1. Soak sago in buttermilk for 3 hrs (please ensure that you soak the sago well or else sago may burst while frying the murukkus).
2. Mix all the flour together, add salt and chilli powder. Heat 50 gms oil and mix to the flour.
3. Gradually add the buttermilk soaked sago and knead to a chapati dough consistency.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai for deep frying. Add the dough in the muruku achu. When the oil is hot, press down the dough directly in the oil as murukus.
5. Cook the murukkus on medium flame. Drain oil and store the murukkus in airtight container.

A few points to remember: Ensure that the sago soaked in buttermilk is soft or else it will burst while frying the murukus and also to cook on medium flame to ensure even cooking.

I didn�t make the usual round shape. The murukkus turned out real crispy, a perfect accompaniment for evening tea / coffee.


A little late in posting due to machine problem....Better late than never...

Khasta Kachori, ICC for Jan' 2010

The Indian Cooking Challenge for Jan 2010 is Khasta Kachori, an all time favouroite savoury snack. Srivalli came up with this snack after discussing with Medhaa who suggested to prepare tasty Kachoris and provided authentic recipe combining that of her aunt and Tarla Dalal.

Kachoris are a speciality in Northern and Western India (including Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh), but even then they occupy heart of every Indian. Kachoris are often served with a chutney, made from tamarind, mint / coriander and sometimes accompanied with a curry made of spicy potatoes and chickpeas (chana / chhole)....

Sri stated three different fillings: Moong Dal Filling, Peas Filling and Onion Filling. I prepared kachori with all the filling and all of them were perfect. The dough is same for all the fillings.

You can catch the step by step procedures below. I could manage to take the photos with the green peas filling only...

Recipe:
Resting time for the dough: 1/2 hour - 1 hour approx
Frying time for the Kachoris: 20 mins for each batch approx
Soaking time for the filling: 1 hour approx
Cooking time for the filling: 15 minutes approx
Yields - 15

For the Dough
Ingredients:

• All purpose flour / Maida: 2 cups
• White Oil / Ghee: 1/4 cup
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
• Water for kneading

Method:

1. Mix the flour and salt, add oil / ghee and mix till you get a bread crumbs texture.
2. Slowly add water and knead thoroughly to make a soft and smooth dough. Knead well for about 8 minutes.
3. Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside to rest for atleast half hour (or else it will dry up and not puff up when frying)

Fillings:

Khasta Kachori - Moong Dal Kachori
Ingredients:

• Split Moong Dal (yellow): 1/2 cup
• Cumin Seeds / Jeera: 1 tsp
• Hing / Asafoetida: a pinch
• Curry Leaves, finely chopped: 2 tsp
• Green Chilli & Ginger paste: 1 tsp
• Sauf / Fennel seeds powder: 1 tsp
• Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
• Mango powder / Amchur: 1 tsp
• Oil: 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and Soak dal in water for 1 - 4 hours. Drain water and grind the dal to a coarsely mixture.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the hing and cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and then add the dal.
3. Lower the heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes till the dal stops sticking to the pan.
4. Cook for another 10 minutes on low till the dal turns slightly brown. Add all the masalas.
5. Cook for few minutes till the aroma of the spices hit you. Add Salt.
6. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Special Tips / Notes for the filling:

• The fillings have to be really dry if not when rolling they will ooze out when rolling.
• Adjust the masalas as per your taste.
• If you try to press out using a rolling pin, the filling may come out and make holes in the kachori. So it will have to be just pressed out using your palm.
• Fry the kachoris on medium low to get a crisp outer layer.

Mattar Ki Kachori from Tarla Dalal:
Green Peas filling - Ingredients:

• Green peas, shelled: 2 cups
• Green chillies, chopped: 1 tsp
• Ginger, grated: 1 tsp
• Nigella seeds / Kalonji: 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds / Saunf: 2 tsp Bay Leaves: 2
• Red Chilli powder: 1 gtsp
• Garam Masala: 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves finely chopped: 4 tbsp
• Oil: 2
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Coarsely grind the green peas,green chillies and ginger in a blender without using any water. Keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan,add the nigella seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves and ground green pea mixture and saute over a very slow flame for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the chilli powder, garam masala, coriander and salt and saute for 2 more minutes.
4. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Divide into 12 equal portions.

Pyaz ki Kachori
Onion filling - Ingredients:

• 2 cups onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds (saunf)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1� teaspoons green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Bengal gram flour (besan)
• 2 teaspoons coriander (dhania) powder
• 2 teaspoons chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the nigella seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, green chillies and onions and saut� till the onions turn light brown in colour.
2. Add the gram flour, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt and saut� for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the chopped coriander and mix well. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Divide into 12 equal portions and keep aside.
   

Method to make Kachoris:

1. Make a small ball from the dough. Roll out into a 2 inch diameter circle or flatten the ball using your fingers having the center thick and sides little thin. Place about 1.5 tsp of the filling in the center of the rolled dough.
2. Cover the filling with the dough by slowly stretching it over the filling. Seal the ends and remove excess dough. Repeat with all the balls and keep aside for 5 -7 mins.
3. Flatten the balls by lightly pressing it with your palm. Cover and keep aside. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Heat oil for deep frying. (The oil should not become smoking hot. Test to see if the temperature is right by dropping a tiny ball of dough and see if it is rising slowly to the top).
5. Drop the kachoris in batches of 3-4 gently into the oil. It should rise up slowly. After they rise up, turn them over. Cook till the side down gets a golden brown color.
6. Turn again and cook the other side till the kachoris are golden brown in color. (The whole process requires 18-20 mins atleast). Remove from fire and soak the excess oil in a tissue paper. Cool and store in an airtight container.
7. Serve with coriander chutney and tamarind chutney. Enjoy!!!!

Chegodilu-Chekodi - ICC (November) Challenge

Chegodilu / Chekodi is one of the popular snacks in Andhra. Another new recipe from Srivalli for the Indian Cooking Challenge for November� 09. I was unaware of this recipe and also didn�t know how the final dish will look like as no pictures were specified. I was confused at first, so I decided to search the net and came across some clicks for chegodis / chegodilo and only then understood why Sri was calling them �ring murukku�. From the clicks, the chegodis looked crisp and yummy and so I started to prepare this tasty snack.

I prepared using the second of the two recipes as stated by Srivalli. The chegodis / chegodilu came out perfect and crisp. Here is the recipe, which I followed

Ingredients:

• Rice flour (chalguri) : 3/4 cup Maida / All purpose flour: 1/4 cup
• Ajwain: 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder: 1/4 tsp (I used 1/2 tsp)
• Turmeric powder: a pinch
• Ghee: 2 tbsp
• Water: 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

How to proceed:

1. Boil the water in a deep pan and add salt. When the water starts boiling, remove the pan from the fire.
2. Add ajwain, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and rice flour & maida. Stir well with a ladle to ensure that all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
3. Pour ghee, cover with a lid and leave aside for a few minutes. Once it cools, knead to form a smooth dough.
4. Take small portions of the dough and roll them like threads between your palms, bring the ends together and seal them to form small rings. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, slide the prepared chegodis into it. Reduce heat and deep fry until well done. Remove from the oil and drain on absorbent tissues.
6. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers. Repeat with the rest of the chegodis.

Another way to prepare Chegodi / Chegodilu

Ingredients:

• Rice flour 1 cup
• Water 1 cup
• Split yellow dhal (moong dhal) 2 table spoons
• Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
• Sesame seeds 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder 1 teaspoon
• Ghee/ oil 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

How to proceed:

For the dough:

1. Soak moong dal in water for half an hour.Drain after soaking, just before adding to the water.
2. In a deep bottom pan, boil water. Add the salt, ghee and the drained moong dhal.
   Bring to a boil, allow to simmer and stir in the rice flour gradually. Keep stirring to achieve lump- free dough.
3. When the dough looks cooked (as in outer dough for kozhukkattais), switch the stove off.
4. Mix well and cover. Keep this aside until the dough cools down, say for about 15- 20 minutes.
5. Add to the dough the chilli powder, sesame seeds and cumin seeds. Mix them well.

Frying the chegodis:

1. Make small balls of the dough and roll them in ropes of about an inch and a half. Bring together the two ends of the rope and seal well.
2. Heat oil in a pan and once the oil is of optimum temperature, slide the prepared rope-rings into very hot oil. Fry only very few at a time.
3. Reduce the heat to low and fry the chegodis on both side until the sizzling of the oil subsides. Remove from the oil with slotted ladle and place them on absorbent tissues. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers.

Tips:

1. While moulding the chegodis, keep the rest of the dough covered. Let the dough not dry in the air. Take out just as much of the dough to prepare enough number of chegodis that will fry in the oil.
2. Keep oil on high heat when you are sliding the rings in and reduce the heat to low as soon as the chegodis bounce back to the surface of the oil. They have to be fried really well or you might end up with oily, soggy chegodis. Proceed with the entire dough.

All the fried chegodis came out crisp, a perfect snack to enjoy with a cup of tea / coffee.

Murukku - ICC September

Murukku is an all time favourite crunchy snack for every Indians. It can be prepared in various ways and it is generally prepared on special festive occasions. Srivalli stated the Murukku recipe using rice flour and roasted urad dal flour.......

Jantikalu or Murukku

Preparation Time : 20 - 30 mins
Cooking Time : 20 - 30 mins
Makes : app 250 kg of Muruku
Cuisine: Andhra & Tamil Nadu

Utensils needed:
Muruku /Chakli Press
Kadai

Ingredients Needed:

Raw Rice - 4 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Water - app 1/2 cup or more

For Seasoning

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Asafetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 75 gms

Method to prepare:

• Wash and drain the rice. Shade dry the Rice for 1/2 hr. Dry roast the Urad dal to light brown. Allow it to cool (If you are using more quantity, you can get it ground in rice mil, else use your mixie to grind both Rice and Urad dal).
• First grind rice into a fine flour, keep it aside. then grind the urad dal to fine powder.
• In a wide vessel, take both the flours along with salt. Mix well. Add cumin, Sesame seeds to the flour, mix well.
• Whether you use Asafetida powder or the solid ones, you got to mix it in water, make sure it is dissolved before adding to the flour. If its not dissolved properly, when deep frying the muruku, there are chances for the hing to burst our due to air bubbles.
• Mix in the hing to the flour and finally add the butter. Gather everything well and you will get more of a crumbling mixture. Now slowly add water and knead a dough which is little more softer than the puri dough.
• Heat a kadai with oil enough to deep fry. Once the oil is hot enough, simmer to low flame.
• Take the Muruku Aachu, wash and wipe it clean. Then divide the dough into equal balls. Fill the Muruku maker with the dough. You can either press it directly over the flames or press over a paper and gently slide it down the hot oil. But since the quantity mentioned here is less, you can press it directly over the kadai.
• Cook over medium flame, using a slotted spoon, turn it over to other side to ensure both sides turn golden colour. You will know by seeing the colour that its cooked.
• Remove to a kitchen paper and store it in a air tight container.

I pressed the dough over a paper and then released the murukkus in the oil.

Thanks to Srivalli for choosing this savoury snacks as the ICC Challenge for September......I prepared exactly as she stated and got the perfect crunchy Murukku....

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.

Rava Idli

Idli is a healthy food and much loved South Indian snack, made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. Most often eaten at breakfast or as a snack, idlis are usually served with green / coconut chutney and sambar. One of my colleagues used to bring idlis with molagai podi (mixtures of crushed dry spices).

Rava Idli is a popular variety of idli, a speciality of the state of Karnataka in India. Rava means semolina (suji) in the native Kannada language. Rava Idli is usually found in restaurants that serve the Udupi cuisine. During our stay in Bangalore, we tasted Rava Idli in a popular restaurant �Udupi Park Family Restaurant� on Airport Road, opp Kemp Fort.

Serves: 8-10 idlis

Ingredients:

• � cup semolina / rava / suji
• 150 gms / 1 cup sour curd
• 1 tsp fruit salt / eno
• 1 tbsp cashewnuts
• � tsp soda-bi-carbonate
• 6-8 curry leaves
• 2-3 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 3 tsp white oil
• water (as required, for batter)
• 1 tsp ghee
• salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a kadhai, add the curry leaves and mustard seeds and let them splutter.
2. Lower the flame, add the cashewnuts, dry red chilies, saut� a little and then add the semolina (sieved).
3. Roast till the semolina is light brown (don�t fry too much). Remove from flame and let the mixture cool thoroughly.
4. Put all the ingredients in a mixer and blend to form a smooth powder.
5. Take a bowl, add the powdered mixture, add curd and soda-bicarb & salt. (Add water as required, but not too much).
6. Mix well to form a thick batter and keep aside for atleast 2 hours.
7. Grease the microwave safe idli moulds with ghee and pour a ladle full of batter in the moulds (Remember not to fill the moulds to the top).
8. Microwave (covered) at 60% power for 5-6 mins. Let it be in the microwave for 5-6 mins.
   Demould and serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

Tip:
First time I made idli in a microwave, I found that the idlis are not as soft as those made in a steamer / pressure cooker. So next time, I used butter milk instead of water while making the idli batter.
Be sure to use enough water in a microwave idli maker as the steam from the water helps in making soft idlis.

Calcutta Chicken Roll

Kolkata is famous for roadside eateries and roll corners. There are varieties of rolls like egg roll, chicken roll, egg - chicken roll, chicken tikka roll, combination of the above mentioned ingredients, the list is endless, even vegetarian roll like paneer roll is available these days.

Chicken Roll originated in Kolkata (Calcutta) and is often known as the Calcutta Kati Roll where spicy & cooked chicken cubes are placed & wrapped in parantha. A perfect recipe to enjoy in a get-together of family & friends. I prepare the chicken cubes beforehand. So when guests arrive, I only assemble the rolls and serve hot.

Here is the recipe for chicken (tandoori) roll. Though the recipe may look lengthy, it is really easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 500 gms boneless chicken, skinned & cut into 2" cubes
• 250 gms (2 cups) yogurt / curd
• 3 tbsp tandoori chicken masala
• � tsp nutmeg powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp mustard oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Paranthas:

• 1 � cup plain flour (maida)
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• � cup water (as required, for kneading dough)
• 3 eggs
• white oil, to fry the paranthas

Assembling:

• 2 large onions, finely sliced (lengthwise)
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• tomato sauce
• chat masala
• 1 lemon, halved

Procedure:

Chicken stuffing:

1. Wash the chicken cubes and beat a little with a kitchen knife.
2. Sprinkle salt, lime juice and mustard oil over the chicken pieces and rub altogether.
3. Add tandoori chicken masala and the nutmeg powder.
4. Whip the yogurt & pour over the chicken cubes, add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Take a non-stick pan and melt butter. Take out the chicken cubes from the marinade and fry them till tender and cooked thoroughly.

Making paranthas (for roll):

1. Beat the eggs well with a little salt and keep aside.
2. Sift the flour, add salt and oil and knead to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into roundels (the roundels will be slightly bigger than those for making roti / chapatti).
3. Take a rolling board, and roll out a circular parantha (a little thicker than ordinary roti / chapati).
4. Heat tawa / griddle and place the parantha on the heated tawa / gridldle. Cook one side then flip to cook the other side.
5. Pour 1 tsp oil on the tawa / griddle and coat the parantha with the oil. Keep aside.
6. Add 1 tsp of oil again on the tawa / griddle and pour a little portion of beaten egg on the tawa / griddle. Quickly put a parantha on the egg and allow the egg to set.
7. Flip the parantha over to the other side (egg side up) and cook till both sides are evenly fried.
8. Remove the fried parantha from tawa / griddle. Keep aside.

Assembling the roll:

1. Place the parantha (egg side up) on a serving plate and lay a portion of the cooked chicken pieces in a straight line in the middle of the parantha.
2. Place sliced onions, chopped green chillies on the chicken cubes, add tomato sauce and sprinkle chat masala. Finally squeeze the lemon on the chicken cubes.
3. Roll the parantha with the chicken stuffing firmly so that the chicken cubes do not fall.
4. Wrap the roll in a tissue paper and serve hot with tomato sauce / chilli sauce.

Besan Dhokla

Dhokla is a popular & delicious Gujarati (vegetarian) recipe. Dhokla can be of various types like Khaman Dhokla, Khatta Dhokla, Cheese Dhokla and Rasia Dhokla and even innovative Sandwich Dhokla (a combination of any 2 Dhoklas).

Dhokla is a steamed food preparation, so it can be used as a healthy snack to other fast foods.

Previously making Dhoklas for me was buying those ready made packs and preparing dhoklas by following the instructions. If the measurements written at the back of the pack was not followed properly, the dhoklas did not turn out to be fluffy.

After I had a microwave, I tried making dhoklas with the proper ingredients and procedure. Believe me, the final dhokla did look nice and tasted delicious too (though I had to try a couple of times to get that perfect looking dhokla!)

Ingredients:

Dhokla:

• 1 cup curd
• 1/2 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda / soda-bi-carbonate
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• a pinch of sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp eno fruit salt
• 1 cup water
• salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp green chillli paste
• 1 tsp mango powder (optional)

Tempering:

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 4-5 curry patta (curry leaves)
• 5-6 whole green chillies (slit lengthwise)

Garnish:

• 1 bunch coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp grated coconut

Method:

Dhokla:

1. Grease a microwave safe flat dish with little oil. Keep aside.
2. Take a bowl, mix all the ingredients of dhokla and beat well.
3. Pour the mixture into the greased dish.
4. Microwave (covered) at 60% power for 5-6 mins.
5. When ready, pour 1 cup of water (with mango powder, optional) over the dhokla till the dhokla absorbs all the water. Cover and keep aside.

Tempering:

1. In another microwave safe bowl, microwave oil at 100% power for 30 secs.
2. Add all the ingredients (except grated coconut & chopped coriander leaves) and microwave for 2 mins.
3. Take out the dhokla and transfer in a serving plate.
4. Spread the tempering evenly on the dhokla and cut into pieces.

Serve: Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with white (coconut) chutney / green (dhania) chutney or with imli (tamarind) chutney.

Tempura

I like trying out new recipes from across the world which my kid can also have without making a fuss coz he don�t like eating vegetables unless and until they are served in some kind of fried variety maybe plain or with batter coatings!!!

Well here�s Tempura (a Japanese recipe) which can be used as a starter / snack item having a variety of vegetables and which everyone will like�

Ingredients:

• 8-12 small prawns
• 2 medium fish fillets
• 1 medium eggplant (brinjal)
• 1 medium onion
• 8 button mushrooms
• 8 ladyfingers
• � medium cauliflower
• 1 lotus root
• carrot
• 4 french beans
• � bunch spinach
• batter (1 egg)
• � cup refined flour / maida
• salt, to taste

Procedure:

1. Shell, de-vein and wash the Prawns thoroughly. Pat dry on a kitchen towel.
2. (If desired, keep the tail of the Prawn on and make a few incisions on the lower side of the prawn to prevent curling while cooking).
3. Cut the Fish into small even sized strips.
4. Wash, trim and cut the Brinjal into thin slices, sprinkle some salt and leave aside.
5. Rinse and dry the Brinjal. Peel, wash and finely slice the Onion. Clean, wipe and cut the Mushroom into two.
6. Wash, wipe and cut the tip of the Ladyfingers and make a slit on it without cutting through.
7. Cut the Cauliflower into even sized florets.
8. Wash the lotus root thoroughly, dry, cut into slices and keep aside.
9. Wash, peel and thinly slice the Carrot.
10. Wash, string and cut the French Beans into 1 inch pieces.
11. Wash and pat dry the Spinach Leaves and keep them whole.
12. Heat oil in a deep pan or wok.
13. While it is getting hot, quickly make the batter by whisking the Egg with � cup cold water.
14. Gradually mix in the flour and salt. Mix the batter well with a very light hand without working it too much.
15. When the oil is hot, start frying the ingredients one by one.
16. Dip each piece into the batter, shake the excess batter off and slide into the hot oil.
17. Cook till crisp, drain on an absorbent towel / tissue paper.
18. Serve hot with your choice of dips / sauces.

Pl note: As the batter is light and only just coats the vegetables, it allows a glimpse of the ingredient colour to pep through after cooking, enhancing the attractiveness of the cooking.

Picture courtesy: google