Maddur Vada

I am so glad to welcome September  .... For us this month brings in a flurry of excitements, beautiful inspirations, new beginnings, a much awaited time for the utterly beautiful moments and a peek behind the screen. With the strike of 15 on the calendar, I would join my family to travel to the most peaceful and spiritual place on earth ...  Mecca - a place which rejuvenates your soul cleansing it through and through, providing the most cherished moments of privacy between the Almighty and his servant. The wonderful sense of excitement and beauty, the notion of maintaining a healthy mind and body comes back to life with great vigor.

So I will be off from this space for a few days and will be back early October. And I promise to come back and fill you in with more happenings in my kitchen. Before I go, I will post in more recipes. My drafts is flooding again and the posts can't wait to be shared. Most of them tried during the holy month of Ramadhan for our Iftars.

Now this is another no-fuss recipe that I have. And is super simple to make! I think its safe to say we all have the ingredients for this in our pantries. The flour-most likely and Semolina-uh, yeah! I seem to have these ingredients on hand all the time. I chopped the herbs very fine and allowed the batter to absorb all the spices for a while. Flattened the patties and deep fried them. They brought life to my table immediately. We made them in Ramadhan and enjoyed them on one of the Iftar evenings.

The recipe for these evening snacks is as below:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Semolina
1/2 cup Rice Flour
Salt to taste
1 Onion chopped finely
1 tsp Ginger chopped finely
1 Green Chilli finely chopped finely
1 sprig Curry leaves chopped finely
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped finely
2-3 tbsp WaterOil - 2 tblspn + for Deep frying 

HOW TO MAKE:

 1) Take flour, semolina, rice flour and salt in a bowl.  Add in 2 tbsp of oil and crumble them with your hands so that it resembles a crumble.

 2) Now add in onion, green chilli, curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger and mix well.

3) Now pour in some water and make it into a stiff dough. Don't add more water because the onions will release little water and the dough will lose its stiffness.

 4) Let the dough rest for 10 mins. Divide the dough into equal balls. Flatten the balls with your hands into flat rounds and set aside.

5) Deep fry these flat rounds in oil and serve them with a chutney or a dip. 

 

Potato Garlic wedges

I cant even begin to explain how incredibly beautiful the weather was yesterday afternoon when it turned all cloudy and dark with howling winds giving everyone a strong feeling of rain.  And just when we began to get the smell of rain, it was like as if we were woken up from a blissful dream.

It was late in the evening when we realized that the sky had turned blue and the rain clouds had drifted away from our city. And that meant the weekend was going to be another normal one. Well, nothing exciting coming up so I am back to my old weekend plans of some cooking and friends and evenings outdoors for strolls and fresh air.
To make the evening more charming, I decided to make some hot fries thinking that it would rain and we could enjoy them watching the rain from the balcony. And that is why I went on to try out the potato wedges which I usually don't remember to make because we always have them when we dine out for pizzas.

I was lucky to find an interesting version for this recipe and instead of frying them, I baked them. They turned yummy with the seasonings used and when paired with the chilli mayo dip, it was a heavenly snack for a pleasant spring evening.

INGREDIENTS:

8 garlic cloves, minced or grated
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 potatoes each cut into 12 wedges parboiled.
3 tbsp. cornflour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder


HOW TO MAKE:

1. Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl, warming it until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Transfer 5 tablespoons of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to the baking sheet, coating it well.
3. Add the potatoes to the bowl with the garlic mixture and toss to coat. Microwave the potatoes with this mixture for 90 seconds.
4. Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat.
5. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Serve with ketchup, mayo or sour cream.

For the chilli mayo dip, you can remove some mayo (3 tbsp) in a small bowl, add grated garlic, chilli sauce or ketchup (1 tsp) and a few drops of water and mix well to get a smooth paste.

 

Rice pooris

I really cannot believe it's the last week of April. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just terrifying the rate at which 2015 is disappearing in front of my eyes, just worried at the rate I am aging....

This weekend has also flown by, but mainly because I've been doing a lot of work and have kept myself busy. Almost every day over the last week has involved something new in the kitchen. I've made something or the other which is new and I am still not sure if I made everything perfectly. The sad thing is that first impression is certainly the best impression. And if something is not cooked well in the first attempt, then the chances of the same dish being repeated in the near future is very less. No, I should not do that. I should try it out and perfect myself on it. Or else I cannot be a good cook. I am wary of that!!!

Anyways I'm heading into next week with more of the same on the horizon, and feeling like an extremely energetic girl. Tomorrow is Thursday and that means I am a day just before the weekend and I need to list down what I would like to try out in the weekend. Baking is certainly on my list and what else ? I will get to know tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am excited.

Now coming to today's recipe. I found this recipe in one of my books and I really liked it. I made them for breakfast and accompanied them with a vegetable curry. They are called as Rice pooris or Rice puffs. Quite an interesting concept because they are not very common in our breakfasts or in most restaurant menus. They are fluffy, crispy and fresh. You are sure to love them.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups rice flour

1.5 cups water or add as required

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp cumin powder

a pinch of fenugreek powder

1 tsp oil for the dough

1/2 cup Dill leaves finely chopped

salt as required

oil for deep frying the pooris

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Mix the spices and salt with the rice flour.

 

2) Heat the water till its begins to boil. Add the hot boiling water to the rice flour mixture along with the dill leaves.

 

3) With a spoon stir well. cover with a lid and let this mixture become warm, for about 20 to 25 mins.

 

4) Add 1 tsp oil  then begin to mix everything with your hands. Knead till smooth using a bit of oil.

 

5) Cover and let the dough rest for 25 to 30 minutes more or till it cools completely. Make small balls from this dough.

 

6) Roll each of the small ball into a flat bread type and deep fry them until light golden in hot oil.

 

7) While deep frying, you can gently press  the poori, in circular motion, so that the poori puffs completely.

 

8) Serve them hot.

 

 

Spinach n Cheese fries

The start of this week was an absolute nause for me and I feel as if the days are really dragging. Can't believe that it is only Monday today and I still have 3 full days left for the next weekend to come. But  I am sure that my days will definitely improve towards the weekend.

Well, other than an utterly revolting meal yesterday which seemed to be soul food without a soul... there'll be a review going up shortly, but it was bleak. I am trying my best to bake a cake. Trying since quite a while. Somehow something or the other comes up and I postpone the whole damn thing and then the same old thoughts and plans are carried to the next day only to find the schedule packed for cooking and for the evening.

Unfortunately, I’ve acquired a bit of extra “padding” from the holidays, so I’ll be working on some interesting recipes now for a while. To start us off, how about some delectable spinach fries which are lightened up with low fat cheese? These dreamy fries have all of the cheesy taste and texture of sour cheese but without any of the added fat! Wondering how? Have a look at the recipe below.

This recipe is so easy to make and results in super-tender chunks of spinach infused with spicy cheesy sauce flavor…mmm, good. You can use them for a starter in your parties or as a weekend appetizer or as an evening snack or to munch during a picnic or any way your heart desires.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Bread slices
1 cup Chopped spinach
1/2 cup Grated cheese
2 Green chillies (chopped)
Salt  as per taste
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
Oil – for deep frying.

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and sauté spinach till it becomes dry and soft. Take this in a bowl.

2) Add grated  cheese, chopped chillies, salt , pepper powder and mix well.

3) Remove the corners of the bread. Dip a bread slice in water and press between two palms to remove the water.

4) Place a spoonful of the cheese, Spinach mixture and close it from all sides.

5)  Roll it pressing slowly into oval shaped or round rolls. Prepare the same with all the slices.

6)  Heat oil in a pan and deep fry these rolls till they are golden brown on all sides.

7) Serve hot with tomato sauce.

 

Cornflakes fritters

Happy Sunday! I’ve been craving fritters lately; maybe because the spring weather makes our souls joyful and I’m starting to think about all of the yummy things we can eat before summer arrives.

Although tasty, fritters really aren’t that healthy. Anything that is fried and then dipped in a buttery sauce doesn’t exactly make the health food hall of fame. So, I decided to make a healthier recipe that not only tastes great and will keep your family happy munching them for a quick evening tea.

You can also add some grated cheese for a cheesy flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Chickpea flour
2 Onions
1 cup Cornflakes
3 sprigs Curry leaves
Coriander leaves – few
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 3
Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Salt – as required
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Oil – for deep frying

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Take a bowl and add finely chopped onions, green chillies , curry leaves, coriander and mix well.

2) Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder,  garam masala powder, ginger garlic paste, salt as required and mix again.

3)  Now add chickpea flour  and corn flakes and mix well.

4) Heat oil in a pan. Take the mixture with hands and drop in small bits .

5)  Fry till they change to golden color on all sides and serve hot.

 

Cheesy corn balls

This morning we walked out of our homes to chilled-fresh air, wet roads, grey sky and drops of water scattered on the tree leaves. The after effects of some good rainfall that we witnessed last night. Now who can expect it to rain when yesterday was just another day with bright sunshine and good breeze? And all of a sudden the clouds darken the sky as the night falls and the rain comes pounding over even before we could stare out of the window all surprised?  The rain Gods have surely been eves-dropping this time I guess!!!

In our childhood days, rains were a welcome sign for all the spicy, mouth watering dishes that would get cooked in the traditional way. Sometimes our elders would use earthern pots made from local red clay, and firewood to impart a smoky flavor to dishes and give it that cold wet day's feel to the food.

From fritters to Kebabs, warm soups to French fries, hot food never fails to impress anyone on a cold rainy day. But over the years, cooking styles have evolved and traditional methods have been gradually replaced by modern, gourmet creations. And so is our style for a rainy day's choice -  Cheesy Corn Balls.

Crunchy from outside and cheesy from inside, this is a delight to eat. It includes a mountain of cheese types which melt incredibly with every bite filling in a whole amount of goodness through your soul.

Lets hit the recipe now

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Cheddar, grated
1/4 cup All purpose flour
1 big boiled Potato
1/2 cup Corn
2 Green chilies, finely chopped
2 tbsp Cornflour
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp Oregano powder
Salt to taste
Freshly grounded Pepper powder
Oil for frying


HOW TO MAKE:

1) In a mixing bowl put all varieties of cheese and mix with a fork. Add pepper powder and salt to taste and mix thoroughly.

2) In a mixer grinder take corn and grind to a coarse paste. 

3) Take another bowl and knead the boiled potato, corn, oregano along with all purpose flour and sprinkle some salt again. Now add the cheese mixture to it and make small balls of same size.

4) Make a paste of cornflour with 2-3 tsp water, dip the balls in the cornflour paste and coat with breadcrumbs, shaking off the excess and place them in dry plate.

5) In a large deep frying pan, heat oil and fry them in small batches till golden brown for 2 minutes.

6) Serve them hot with mayo or Ketchup.

Bedmi

Bedmi is a popular North Indian breakfast made up of wheat flour, lentils and spices. It is also enjoyed as a street food widely in North India. It is a puffed up stuffed bread which is deep friend and eaten with a side dish. It is preferably eaten during the winters because it is quite heavy and people love heavy food during winter. It is usually paired with a side dish made up of potatoes which is generally tangy and spicy.

So I leave you here with the recipe of our popular Indian snack/breakfast called the Bedmi
 
INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling:

1 cup urad ki dal-soaked in water for 3 hours (black gram lentils)

1/8 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp cumin seeds roasted

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/8 tsp powdered black pepper  

For the Dough:

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 tbsp oil water to knead the dough

Oil for deep-frying

 

HOW TO MAKE

 

1) Mix the salt and oil into the flour. Knead into a soft and pliable dough with water.

2) Cover the dough and rest for at least half an hour.

3) Grind the lentils coarsely, and add the rest of the ingredients for the filling.  Shape into small rounds.

4) You will need to wet your palms off and on, to make sure that the filling does not stick to them.

5) Make walnut-sized smooth balls with the dough and flatten between your palms.

6) Take one round, and pinch and wet the edges all around.

7) Place a round of filling in the center. Bring the edges together and pinch to seal.

8) Flatten by pressing gently and roll into rounds.

9)  Heat the oil and deep fry over high heat till golden on both sides.

 

Cottage Cheese & Bread Rolls

I enjoyed the holy month of Ramadhan thoroughly. Working only 6 hours a day and using the afternoons for small naps and spending time with my little one were something I really miss now. And not to forget the new delicacies that we tried almost everyday for our Iftars.

When I look back at the month, I am quite pleased at the number of comfort foods I tried and that too with common ingredients available at home. Planning the menu to include no-fuss recipes for a phenomenal Iftar treat, plating the food, choosing the right combinations and presenting it, basking in the glory of their admiration was something I had been obsessed with.

From refreshing drinks to fast-to-fix fries & salads we were happy to indulge our appetite to a glorious excess. Hugging onto the coolness of the glass after witnessing sweltering heat throughout the day was the most ideal way to chill out and cool down our bodies. A real refreshing and an amazing experience.

 Invariably some of my experiments were a good success and very few did not work out, but yes - gathering this experience has been a truly delightful one and which is motivation enough to keep me going.

I have a downright irresistible fancy appetizer with me which can be snacked on a fun-evening.It’s super healthy minus all the usual hassle of baking. I am talking about Rolls here which can be turned easily in a shallow frying pan and do not take long to get browned. They taste simply moreish and you can savor every bite pretending to be on some exotic location.

Now let us hit the recipe for them.

 

INGREDIENTS:
 

1 cup crumbled cottage cheese

1 small onion, chopped fine

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp powdered cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala (It is a powder of cinnamons, cardamom, cloves & peppercorns)

A small bunch of coriander, chopped fine

1 tsp or a bit more tomato sauce

4 slices of bread

Butter to toast

Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, chopped coriander, chopped onion, and jeera to this. 

 

2) Then add the tomato sauce and keep aside.

 

3) Remove the crusts from your bread and roll out each slice as thin as you can.

4) Place about 1 tsp or so of filling on one end of the rolled out bread slice. 

5)  Roll up the bread slices this way and butter them as shown in the picture.

6) Shallow fry in a frying pan till lightly browned.

 

 

 

7) Serve them with Tomato Ketchup.

 

 

 

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Sesame Gold coins

A year back we had toured this beautiful place called Salalah in Oman which offered us a delightful and an unforgettable experience of nature's infinite bounties. Living in a country like Oman which is mainly comprised of  dry desert plains, sparse fauna  and rocky mountains without any vegetation on them, rainfall and greenery is a rare sight for us.

However, this is a beautiful country where pristine beaches meet the golden desert to form a land of untouched beauty.

Salalah offered us a totally different taste of Oman. It receives seasonal rainfalls and is dotted with fresh greenery especially during the months of June-September - this season is called the Khareef season and Salalah gets thronged by tourists to witness this.

From Salalah, we travelled daily to various amazing tourist spots. One such place is Mughsayl which is famous for its blowholes and limestone rocks that line its coastal areas. I found Mughsayl beach so beautiful that I went on to click several pictures from my Blackberry and decided to share them on this space. I hope you enjoy these shots followed by a recipe for the most pin-worthy snacks called Sesame Gold coins. Ooooof !!!! I am sorry :( .... We are talking Bread again but they are so impressive and zesty, that I am not able to take my eyes off them.

INGREDIENTS:

6 bread slices
1 tbsp Oil
2 potatoes peeled and coarsely mashed
Butter for spreading
Sesame seeds to sprinkle
1 onion chopped finely
1 carrot grated
1 capsicum chopped finely
1/2 tsp soya sauce
 1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chilli powder
Salt

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat Oil in a pan, fry the onions and add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.

2)  Add the potatoes, soya sauce, salt, chilli powder, pepper and vinegar, then saute it for 2 minutes.

3)  With a cutter or sharp lid, cut out small rounds  about 1 1/2 " diameter of the bread.

4)  Butter both sides of each piece lightly.

5)  Spread potato mixture in a slight heap on the round piece of bread leaving edges clean. Press. Sprinkle the sesame seeds.

6)  Set Oven for 180 degrees celsius and preheat. Place gold coins on grill rack and bake for 12 minutes or till edge become crisp.

7)  Serve dotted with chilli garlic sauce.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   Medium              
             RATING  POINTS         :    8/10

 

 

Cheesy bread bowls

We had a few Ho-Hum days to deal with and nothing could pep up my mood the last weekend. We have hit the month of June and that means we are talking of scorching heat, broiling sun and heavily humid weather. So it surely is a daunting task to even think of planning an outdoor trip or relaxing the evenings in the midst of nature's lap. To top this, the stifling heat has wilted us so much that we dread imagining that we need to deal with all this for at least 3 more months. Phew !!!

I yearn to at least spend the evenings listening to sweet chirping of little birds and enjoying the gentle breeze hitting my face and the rustling leaves combined with the chiming sound of the magical winds,gazing at the playful kids in the park - these are the best ways to relive myself off the stress that has built up during the tight & juggling weekdays.

So I have been in a "no elaborate cooking mode" to keep myself away from the warmth of the hob. But I chanced upon a few irresistible yummy morels and I decided that they should be tried no matter how high the mercury soars. The best thing about them is, you can prepare the topping with exciting flavors and twists, bake them or fry them topped with shredded mozzarella, olives and pepper — very versatile.

 

Well, we are talking Bread & Cheese again but this time it is something to deal with a real wow-factor that can appeal to all age-groups. I call them trendy, hip, chic and fabulous treats because they are delicious to eat and are a joy to look at. Bonus? They serve as a grab n go Snack and their toppings can be prepared in a myriad ways. Surely a crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients
 

5-6 white bread slices

Vegetable oil for frying

Chopped coriander for stuffing

Grated cheese for stuffing

Chilli flakes to taste

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 tbsp. Green chilli and ginger paste

2-3 drops lemon juice

Tomato ketchup for garnishing

Shredded cabbage and mint leaves for garnishing

 

 

 HOW TO MAKE:
 

1)   Mix coriander, grated cheese chilli flakes in a bowl. 

2)  Add ginger chilli paste, salt and pepper according to taste. Add 2-3 drops of lemon juice to the mixture. 

3)  Soak the white bread slice in water for a second, drain out the excess water  and then  place a little stuffing in between of the bread slice. Collect all the ends of the bread slice and make it into a potli(sack shape) or balls. Keep 4 -5 potlis ready and in the meanwhile keep  little oil for heating. 

4) Once the oil is ready fry the cheesy potlis until they turn golden brown. Cut it into half garnish it with tomato ketchup, grated cabbage, pudina leaves. serve it hot.

 

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   Medium              
             RATING  POINTS         :    7/10