Mixed Vegetable Tikka

              For a nation that takes its food and colours very seriously...Holi is one such festival; where there is a perfect combination of both, colours and colourful food!! Here's a spicy 'Holi'day snack idea that you can relish with your family and friends after all the fun. 

MIXED VEGETABLE TIKKA

Ingredients :
Vegetables of choice (diced into large pieces) - Cauliflower, Red, Green and Yellow bell peppers, Broccoli, Onion, Zucchini
Paneer (large cubes) 
Tofu (optional) - cut into large cubes
Marination :
Curd (as drained as possible)- 1/2 cup (Increase quantity according to amount of vegetables you will marinate in one batch)
Roasted gram flour (Besan) - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1.5 tsps
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves - 1 few

Method :
1. Blanch cauliflower and broccoli florets in boiled water along with turmeric. Drain and wash with cold water. Keep aside. 
2. Blend together ginger-garlic, 1 tbsp curd, gram flour and coriander leaves. Add half the remaining curds, salt to taste, chili powder, turmeric powder and whisk well.  Divide this mixture into 2 bowls - one for the vegetables and one for paneer/tofu. 
3. Drop in the veggies and gently mix to coat them evenly with the marination. Leave aside for 20-30 mins. Do the same with the paneer/tofu cubes.

4. Heat a grill pan and pour a little oil. Using long skewer sticks, pierce and arrange the vegetables and paneer/tofu pieces alternately as desired. Place gently on the grill pan and let cook on medium flame till golden brown on all sides. 
Another option is to arrange them on a baking tray, brush with oil & grill at 180 deg C till done.

5. Remove and drain excess oil. Using a fork, carefully transfer the tikka on to the serving plate, or serve with the skewers intact too! 

Serve sizzling hot Tikka with green chutney and ketchup with some sliced onion on the side.

Eggless Choco-Chip Cupcakes (Micro)

            Microwave Baking is a blessing for many in many ways..in terms of time, mainly. If you are a person who likes to use their Micro for more than just re-heating then I am sure you have invested in a variety that offers combination controls. Though it can never replace the conventional oven, those pressed for time will still swear by the wonders they can get their microwave ovens to do :)
           Our theme for the 30th Bloghop was anything Microwave, so that would be cooking, baking, grilling, et al. I chose a simple, yet delectable Choco Chip Cupcake. Ready in minutes, this will rarely survive beyond one tea-time session :)

EGGLESS CHOCO-CHIP CUPCAKE

Ingredients :
Refined or wheat Flour - 2 ½ cups
Baking Powder - 1 ½ tsps
Soda Bicarbonate - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Cocoa powder - 2 tbsps
Powdered Sugar - 2 cups
Softened Butter - ¾ cup (170 gm), 
Fresh curds (as drained as possible) - 1 cup at room temp
Warm Milk - ½ cup
Vanilla Essence - ½ tsp
Chocolate Chips - 1/4 cup

Method : 
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder & salt into a ckean bowl. 

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, curds and milk till well blended. 

3. Add in the sifted flour mix and gently cut and fold. Finally add the vanilla essence and chocolate chips and give it a final folding.

4. Pour into cupcake moulds and bake in the microwave at 200 deg C for 7 minutes (Used a combination oven and Micro+Convection mode) followed by 4 more minutes at 170 deg C. Check with a toothpick or clean knife if done. 

5. Remove from the oven, let cool a bit before unmoulding. Your yummy cupcakes are ready :) 

Masur Dailor Bor (Red Lentil Fritters)

            Exploring the flavours of #NorthEastCuisine for the 29th #FoodieMonday #Bloghop, I picked a popular Assamese dish - 'Masur Dailor bor' or Red Lentil fritters that are usually served on the side with rice and Dal. A variation as always, used Pearl millet / Bajra flour along with Rice.

MASUR DAILOR BOR (RED LENTIL FRITTERS)

Ingredients : 
Red Lentils (Masoor dal) - 1 cup
Rice - 2 tbsps
Pearl millet (Bajra) flour - 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1/2 tsp
Green Chili (chopped) - 1 big
Coriander leaves, chopped
Chopped onions (optional)
Spinach leaves, chopped (optional)
Asafoetida powder (hing) - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Method :
1. Wash and soak the lentils and rice together for 3 hours. 

2. Drain water and coarsely grind in a mixer. Add the bajra flour, salt to taste, hing and grind again to a thick paste using as little water as possible. Remove to a bowl.

3. Heat oil for frying. Add the cumin seeds, chopped green chili, coriander and spinach leaves and mix well with the batter. Check for salt.

4. Using a spoon or hands, drop small fritters or portions into the medium hot oil. Take care to let them fry first on low- medium flame then increase so that the batter within gets evenly cooked as well. Remove once fried to golden brown.
Drain excess oil, serve with accompaniment of choice, or as a side with Rice and lentils.

Omapodi / Thick Sev

       Diwali is right round the corner!! And that means lights, new dresses, new decor for the house, everything new!! Not to forget - savoury snacks, sweets, which keep disappearing the moment they hit the storage jars :)
We start off with a pretty simple savoury snack, called Omapodi, a thick variety of sev, that can be had on its own or crushed and used for the South Indian mixture as well. The name comes from Omam, which means Ajwain or Carom seeds; in the olden days the ajwain was manually ground in the Roller stone, Silbatta (Hindi) or Ammi (in Tamil). But to make it easier now, one can use the ready made Ajwain water available in the market, or simply prepare at home by boiling some carom seeds in water and letting it cool down to room temperature before use.

OMAPODI / THICK SEV

Ingredients : 

Bengal gram flour (Besan) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Ajwain water - enough for kneading the dough
Clarified butter (Ghee) or unsalted butter - 2 tbsps

Method :

1. Sift together besan, rice flour and salt so as to remove lumps.

2. Add chili powder and knead into a smooth but stiff dough using sufficient ajwain water and ghee or butter.

3. Prepare the Sev press by fitting in the pin-hole plate. We use the traditional press made of brass, which has inter-changeable plates for different savouries. It's also available in stainless steel, as also with brands such as Anjali.
 

4. Divide the dough into equal portions that will fit into your sev/savoury press instrument. Meanwhile heat oil for frying in a wide kadhai or wok.

5. Reduce the flame to low and slowly press the dough through the instrument and into the oil, into desired shapes. Try to to make connected swirls, much like Jalebi or smaller ones, depending on the size of your wok. Increase the flame to medium heat and let fry till light golden. Remove and drain excess oil.

6. Once cooled down to room temperature, store in an air-tight container.

Quick & Easy Chat

Fourth #FoodieMonday #BlogHop - Kiddie food :) 
Kids love junk food, anything that ir crunchy, crispy, quick to grab and eat, except that it isn't healthy !!! So here's something that is crunchy, tasty, can be put together quickly and is healthier :)

JHATPAT CHAAT

Ingredients :

Boiled potato - 2 (medium), diced
White chickpeas - 1 cup (Soaked overnight and drained)
Fresh Pomegranate seeds - as required
Chopped apple - as required
Brown bread slices - 4 to 5
Boiled sweet corn - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Green chutney - as required
Tomato ketchup - as required
Sev or other Farsaan (optional)
Jeera powder
Chaat Masala
Chopped Coriander (optional)

Method :

1. Cut the bread slices into squares and roast without using oil till crisp on a tawa, or in a microwave.

2. In a bowl, mix together the diced potato, chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, diced apples, boiled corn and brown bread squares.

3. Add the green chutney and ketchup and mix lightly. Sprinkle Jeera powder and chaat masala. Mix lightly again.

4. Just before serving, garnish with the Sev/farsaan, chopped onion and chopped dhaniya. Serve.

Paneer Lentils Tikki

Post a recent festival, a bowl of Dal Vada batter was found hiding in the corner of our fridge. Quick way out would have been to make small bondas or mini vadas for a tea-time snack. But, how predictable!!! And, what's a recipe without a twist!! So here goes...

PANEER LENTILS TIKKI

Dal Vada recipe can be found here ....

Ingredients :

Tikki Mixture :
Crumbled Paneer - 250 gms
Rice flour - 2 tbsps
Soya flour - 1 tbsp
Chili Powder - 2 tsps
Salt to taste>
Crushed Kasuri Methi - 2 tsps
Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsps

Stuffing :
Finely chopped carrots - 1/4 cup
Finely chopped capsicum - 1/4 cup
Blanched and chopped spinach - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsps

Method :

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan, add the chopped carrots and sauté for a bit. Add salt and stir once. After about 3-4 minutes add the capsicum and sauté for 4-5 minutes more. We do not want the vegetables to become over-cooked, as they will be re-cooked along with the tikki. Finally add the chopped spinach and chili powder. Let cook for 2-3 minutes more, remove and cool.

2. For the Tikki mixture, in a bowl, add the dal vada batter, followed by the rice flour, soya flour, crumbled paneer and mix well. 

3. Add the chili powder, salt, kasuri methi and garam masala. Mix well again and check for consistency if you are able to assemble into a tikki. If the mixture is too crumble, add 1-2 tbsps milk to add little moisture.

4. Divide the tikki mixture and vegetable stuffing into equal number of portions. Take one portion of the dough, place the stuffing and seal gently. Roll and flatten into Tikki shape. Prepare the others in the same way.

5. Heat oil in a tawa enough for shallow frying. Place the tikkis in the oil and shallow fry till golden brown on both sides. 
Remove and serve hot with desired accompaniment. 

Nutri Burger

When you love to experiment with food, the Kitchen's your studio!! In my continuing bid to use different ingredients to lessen the guilt-factor, I chose banana flowers and bajra flour for my burger patty. The crunch it added was amazing, plus no bread-crumbs or refined flour either...so read on!!!

HEALTHY BURGER

Ingredients : (Makes 6 patties)

For the patty :

Boiled potatoes - 3 medium

Boiled peas - 1 cup

Crumbled Paneer - 1/2 cup

Raw Banana flower (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Chopped coriander - as required

Boiled Carrots - 2 medium

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Chili powder - 2 tsps

Bajra(Millet) flour - 2 tbsps

Soya flour - 2 tbsps

NOTE : Once cleaned and chopped, best to leave the banana flowers in diluted buttermilk (in the fridge, if not using immediately) to avoid them turning dark.

Other :

Burger buns, halved

Crushed Oats - for rolling the patties in

Olive oil - for shallow frying

Cheese spread of your choice, I used Amul Spice Dip and Oregano Pickle flavours

Tomato sauce (to make it interesting, one can add Jeera powder to the plain tomato ketchups)

Sliced onions, tomatoes

Shredded cabbage (Chill till serving time)

Method :

1. Add all the boiled vegetables to a bowl and mash but not too fine, leave the vegetables slightly visible and chunky.

2. Add the uncooked and chopped banana flowers, paneer, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala and chili powder and mix with a light hand, but well enough so the spices mix with the vegetables.

3. Finally add the Bajra and soya flours, along with the chopped coriander and give it a final mix using your hand.

4. Heat about 2-3 tbsps Olive oil on a flat griddle pan. Divide the veggie mixture into patties. Spread the crushed oats on a flat plate. Coat the patties with the oats and shallow fry till golden brown. 

5.While the patties are getting ready, apply the cheese spread on the halved buns. Place the fried patties on the bottom half, spread the flavoured tomato ketchup on the patty. Arrange the onion and tomato slices on top and finish off with the crispy shredded cabbage. If you have lettuce, even better!!!
Cover with the top bun half and serve.

Mango Cupcakes

Mangoes are in and one can be forgiven for going crazy thinking what next they can try with the King of Fruits, before the season is over !!!

Here's a simple but delectable cupcake recipe...

EGGLESS MANGO CUPCAKES

Ingredients : (makes 12 cupcakes)

Mango pulp - 1 cup + 2 tbsps (for decoration)
Refined flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Warm milk - as required
Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
Softened butter  - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Icing sugar - 2 tbsps

Method :

1. Sieve together refined flour, baking powder and a pinch salt into a clean, dry bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar and condensed milk. Now add in the yoghurt, mango pulp and vanilla essence and whisk again.

3. Gradually fold in the flour, mix leaving no lumps. Add warm milk, a little at a time as required, to get a thick cake-like batter.

4. Spoon the batter into the cup-cake moulds and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 deg C for about 15-20 minutes. My baking time was 7-10 minutes since I use a microwave.

5. Remove and cool to room temperature. Meanwhile stir together the remaining 2 tbsps mango pulp and icing sugar till well mixed.

6. Arrange the cupcakes on a serving tray and decorate with the mango-icing sugar mix.

Multi-grain Samosas

No time is a good time for Samosas!! No..really, I mean it! Because ANYTIME is a good time for Samosas after all :)

The idea of using refined flour was weighing heavy and rendering guilt (especially after a heavy lunch), but the craving was still there...Way out? Give it a healthy twist by using every other grain flour and just a wee bit of Maida, add in a dash of sprouts and voila! Guilt-free indulgence....well, almost!!

#WorldSamosaDay

MULTI-GRAIN SAMOSAS

Ingredients : (Makes around 12 medium pieces)

Whole Wheat flour - 1 cup
Bajra Flour - 1/4 cup
Soya Flour - 1/4 cup
Oatmeal (or coarsely powdered cooking oats) - 1/4 cup
Refined Flour - 1/4 cup (mainly for extra elasticity)
Salt to taste
Black Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsps
Clarified butter / Ghee - 1 tbsp

Filling : 
Boiled and lightly mashed potatoes - 1 1/2 cups
Boiled Green peas - 1/4 cup
Green gram (Moong) sprouts - 1/4 cup
Chopped coriander 
Salt to taste
Chili powder - 2 tsps
Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsps
Coriander seeds - 1 1/2 tsps

Misc :
Oil for frying

Method : 

1. For the samosa dough, add in the dry ingredients to a bowl and toss well. Add oil and ghee and rub the dry mixture with your fingers. Now add water little by little and knead into a soft dough. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside while we prepare our filling.

2. In another bowl, add the boiled and crushed (not mashed) potatoes, boiled peas, sprouts, salt to taste, chili powder, dhaniya powder, chopped coriander leaves and garam masala. Mix well.

3. In a small pan, add the whole coriander seeds and lightly roast (without oil) for about 2 mins. Remove and transfer to a clean counter or Chapati disc and crush using a rolling pin till reduced to flakes. Do not powder too fine. Add to the bowl with the rest of the filling and mix again. Check for salt and divide into 12 equal portions.

4. Divide the dough into 6 equal rounds. Roll into a thin round and using a knife, cut into half. Take one semi-circle and fold to form a cone. Wet the edges lightly if needed so they stick well. Now make a fold/pleat directly opposite to the cone joint. (This 'spine' is very important in shaping the samosa!!)

5. Place a portion of the stuffing inside and gently seal the top edge, again using a little water. Now using a fork, carefully make impressions on the sealed top edge or simply fold in using your hands as we do for Gujjiyas.

6. Heat oil for frying on medium heat. Prepare the rest of the samosas and keep them ready for frying. Depending on the size of the vessel, drop in one to three samosas and fry on medium heat till golden brown. Take care not to fry on high heat else the outer crust will be done even before the heat gets to the filling. Remove and drain excess oil.(If you can get hold of Rice bran or Extra light Olive oil for frying, even better!)

Serve hot with desired accompaniments.

Baked Beans Samosa

A can of baked beans in the larder is always a source of comfort and inspiration alike.
Had a spark today. ..how about a samosa :-)
#WorldSamosaDay

BAKED BEANS SAMOSA

Ingredients : (Makes 14 medium-sized samosas)

Filling :
Baked beans - 1 can
Potatoes - 3 (medium)
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Chili flakes - 1 tbsp
Green peas - 1/4 cups
Roasted & crushed coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander
Olive oil - 2 tbsps

Dough :
Maida (refined flour) - 2 1/2 cups
Ghee (clarified butter) - 4 tbsps
Ajwain (carom seeds) - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method :

1. Boil, peel and mash the potatoes.

2. Mix together maida, salt and ajwain. Add ghee and prepare a soft (but not stretchy) dough using a little water.  Cover with a wet muslin cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.

3. For the filling,  heat oil in a pan. Add the peas and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Strain the beans to separate the tomato sauce using a wide-eyed strainer. Add the beans alone to the pan.

5. Add salt to taste,  jeera powder, chili flakes and mix well. Add the mashed potatoes and mix again. Stir well to let the moisture evaporate.

6. Now add the crushed coriander seeds and chopped coriander leaves. Mix and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the flame and cool to room temperature.

7. Divide the dough into 7 equal rounds and the filling into 14 portions. Roll out one dough portion into a chapati and cut in half. Wet the edges with a little water. Fold into a cone and fill the stuffing. Make a small fold in the side facing the joint. This 'spinal bend' is very crucial for a healthy samosa !!!

8. Heat oil for frying. Deep fry the samosas in medium hot oil. Drain excess oil and serve hot.
Oh...and I didn't waste the strained tomato sauce :-). Added some salt, jeera powder, chili powder and a 1 tbsp tomato ketchup. Et alors ! A dip was ready......