Thursday 30 July 2015

Papdi for Papdi Chaat - Chaat Items



Main ingredient for Papdi Chaat and Dahi Papdi Chaat is this Papdi. You can easily make these crispy round indian crackers at home. 


Ingredients

1 cup All Purpose Flour / Maida
1 teaspoon Ajwain
1 tablespoon Oil / Ghee
Salt as needed
Oil for deep frying

  1. Mix maida, salt, ajwain and oil. Add water little by little to make a smooth dough. Knead it well, cover it and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
  2. Knead it again with a tablespoon of maida. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Coat the dough with oil. Knead it again to a smooth dough.  
  3. Roll that into big thin circle and then cut small circles from it using a bottle lid or a round cookie cutter. 
  4. Heat oil for deep fry. When the oil is hot, reduce the flame to medium, gently place these circles in oil and fry until golden colour. Remove from oil , drain them on a kitchen towel.Allow them to cool.
  5. Store in airtight container.




Monday 27 July 2015

Aloo Tikki / Potato Patties- Chaat Items - Indian Street Food



Aloo Tikki's is our all time favorite snack with mouth watering crisy outer crust, spiciness and the colour. These shallow fried potato and green peas pattice can be anytime and can be used in making Aloo Tikki Burger, Ragda Pattice, Aloo Tikki Chaat and many more or just have it as it is with the chutnyes. This is a very polpular north indian street food. 

Click on the link for Green Chutney Recipe.


Ingredients (Makes 12) 

3 Potatoes
1 cup Green Peas
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Dhania Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
Bread Crumbs
Salt as needed
oil for shallow fry
Chaat Powder as needed

  1. Cut potato into 4 part with skin. Boil it for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker. Throw the water and let potato cool. You can also boil green peas along with potato. But if are using frozen green peas, boil it in microwave for 10 minutes. Remove the skin of potato, add green peas, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder, dhania powder. Mix it well.
  2. Make 12 equal sized balls with that. shape them in the way you want or flatten it like patties  Cover it bread crumbs all over. (You can store bought bread crumbs, but you can also make bread crumbs at home by cutting the brown edges of 3-4 bread slices and grind it for 2-3 minutes.)
  3. Keep all the patties or tikkis ready. Heat a pan with oil for shallow fry. Place the patties in the pan, cook it on medium flame for 2-3 minutes, Check the bottom of the patties. They should turn golden brown and should be crispy. 
  4. Turn the patties upside down and cook it till golden brown. Remove it from pan onto a kitchen towel.
  5. Sprinkle some chaat powder over them and eat with date and tamarind chutney and green chutney in a restaurant way. Enjoy.




Thursday 23 July 2015

Instant Crispy Rava Dosa - South Indian Breakfast Item



Ravva Dosa is another popular breakfast item and dosa variety from South India. This is crispy, delicious and almost instant. The batter for this doesn't require fermentation. This is the breakfast item I normally make when I am not prepared for any thing else and would like to have a dosa variety. Tastes excellent with Coconut chutney and sambar.

You can many varieties of ravva dosa by adding chopped onion, podis / powders on it or just have it plain with any podis.


Ingredients

1/2 cup Suji / Rava
1/2 cup Maida / All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup Rice Flour
3 Green Chillies
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
Salt to taste
Oil as needed 
  1. Mix suji, rice flour, maida and salt in a bowl, add a cup of water, mix it well. Then add 1/2 cup of water to make a batter with consistency like water. Add more water if required. Add cumin seeds and finely chopped green chillies. Mix it.
  2. Heat a flat pan. Check the consistency of batter every time before pouring it on the pan as suji absorbs water. Add more water if required. Pour batter from the edges of the pan towards the center. When the batter is light and is like water you can see more small holes on dosa. Dosa will be crispy and tasty if there are more small holes and gaps in it.
  3. Spread a teaspoon of oil around and over the dosa. When the bottom turns golden brown (you can see through the pores) Fold it and remove from the pan.  
  4. Serve it hot. 




Tuesday 21 July 2015

Cabbage Vada / Cabbage Garelu



Vada is a popular South Indian breakfast and snack item. We like Onion vada but Cabbage Vada has become our favourite recently and also I am making these quite often these days. It is easy to make and very delicious and crispy.

Vadas can be offered to god as prasadam. I usually make Medhu vadas / Garelu for prasadam but got bored with it recently and can't offer onion vada to god as there is onion in it. So found a better alternative in Cabbage Vada.   



Ingredients (Makes 12)

1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups finely chopped Cabbage
3 Green Chilli
2 sprigs Curry Leaves
salt as needed

  1. Soak urad dal in water for 2-3 hours. Grind it in pulse / juice mode with 4 tablespoons of water.Add salt and mix it. Finely chop cabbage,green chilli and curry leaves. Add all these to urad dal mixture. Mix it well.
  2. Heat oil for deep fry. Wet your palms with water, take a big lemon sized dough, turn it and shape it a ball, flatten it and with your thumb place a hole in the middle.
  3. Drop it gently in hot oil. Fry till vada turns golden brown on both sides. Remove it onto a absorbent paper.
  4. You can have these Crispy cabbage vada with coconut chutney or sambar.




Thursday 16 July 2015

Date and Tamarind Chutney / Sweet Chutney - Chaat Items



Chaat is incomplete with out sweet chutney and green chutney. This sweet chutney has a perfect balance of sweet and sour because of tamarind and dates. This chutney can be used in making many chaat items like aloo tikki, samosa chaat, sev puri, paani puri, bhel puri, dahi puri.

This chutney stays good for 2-3 weeks so make it less.


Ingredients

1/4 cup seedless Tamarind tightly packed
1/4 cup seedless Dates
1/4 cup grated Jaggery
1 cup of Water
Big pinch of Cumin Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Red Chilli Powder
Salt as required

  1. Cook tamarind and dates together in water for about 10 minutes on a low flame ot till they become soft. Add jaggery and continue to cook until the jaggery dissolves and the mixture thickens. 
  2. Now add cumin powder, red chilli powder and salt. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Let the cool down and then grind it to a smooth paste. Add water if required while grinding.  
  3. Store it in an airtight container and keep in refrigerator. You use it in making chaat items.




Monday 13 July 2015

Mint Coriander Chutney / Green chutney - Chaat Items



Green chutney and sweet chutney are must for making chaat items. This chutney is easy to make and can be refrigerated for a about a week. This can be used in chaat items, sandwiches and also kebabs.


Ingredients


1/2 cup Coriander leaves
1/4 cup Mint leaves
1 Green Chilli 
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 inch piece Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
Salt to taste
Water as required
  1. Clean coriander and mint leaves. Grind all the ingredients to a small to a smooth paste. Add water while grinding if necessary. Add more salt and lemon juice according to your taste. 
  2. Keep this in an airtight container in a refrigerator. Use it in making chaats and also sandwiches.






Thursday 9 July 2015

Vegetable Puff / Veg Puff



Veg puffs are a perfect tea time snack for all ages. You just can't wait to eat these crispy , crunchy puffs with vegetables stuffing. Making the stuffing and puffs is very easy.

I always liked puff pastries from Crown's bakery near Complex in Vizag. All my friends will never forget this place and these veg puffs. I never thought I could make these at home. I tried it for the first time it came out very tasty.  

I forgot to coat the puffs with oil at the end as I was expecting guests and was busy taking pictures. So the colour is not so great in the pictures but taste hmm.. excellent. Try it. 


Ingredients (Makes 18)

Readymade puff pastry sheets (I used puff pastry slices of 5cm x 10 cm)
2 Carrots
2 Tomatoes
1 Onion
1 cup Green Peas (I used frozen peas) 
1/2 teaspoon Ginger Garilc Paste
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
pinch of Turmeric Powder
salt as needed 
oil as needed 



  1. Remove the puff pastry sheet(s) from freezer, leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. I bought puff pastry slices, If you are using a puff pastry sheet cut the sheet into slices after 30 minutes. Meanwhile make the stuffing. Peel the skin and cut carrots to small pieces. Boil these pieces for 15 minutes. 
  2. Cut onion to small pieces. Deseed tomato and cut to small pieces. In a pan, add oil, saute onion till translucent. add ginger garlic paste and all powders. saute for 2 minutes. add green peas. Saute for a minute, then add tomatoes. Saute for 5 minutes.
  3. Discard water from carrot, add boiled carrot to pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Stuffing is now ready. Let it cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Pastry slices would be ready to fold by now. Check those by folding one slice. If it is bending with cracks then it is ready. Now place the stuffing on one side of pastry slices. Pastry slices which I used were 5cm x 10 cm rectangles. So I placed only a teaspoon of stuffing. 
  4. Dab the edges of pastry with water or milk and then gently the opposite edges closer. Dab the edges slightly so that the edges stick properly. Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees. 
  5. Brush the puffs with oil or milk. Keep these puffs on a baking tray greased with oil and bake them for 15- 20 minutes or till the puffs turn golden brown.
  6. Serve them hot with tomato ketchup 



Tuesday 7 July 2015

Semiya Kesari / Vermicelli Kesari



Vermicelli Kesari / Semiya Kesari is a yummy dessert recipe. This is a quick and easy to make. I always make Vermicelli payasam but wanted to make a vermicelli dessert without milk and here is what I made. 

It takes about 15 minutes to make this and tastes excellent. Because it is easy to make you can make it for your unexpected guests too. They will be surprised with this. 

I used the normal vermicelli but the fine vermicelli gives best results and takes less water and time to cook. You can add yellow or orange food colour to it.


Ingredients

1 cup Vermicelli
1 1/2 - 2 cups Water
1/2 cup Sugar
2 drops of Food Colour
few Strands of Saffron
3 teaspon Ghee
pinch of Cardamom Powder
10 Cashew nuts
5 Kismis

  1. Break vermicelli to small pieces. Roast vermicelli in a teaspoon of ghee till it turns to light brown. Then boil this in water till it becomes soft. Make sure the vermicelli cooks very well and becomes really soft. Add more water if necessary.
  2. Now reduce the flame to medium. Add sugar and let it dissolve completely. Add food colour and saffron.
  3. Mix it well and keep it aside. In another pan, melt ghee, add cashew nuts, fry them till light brown and then fry kismis. Kismis will take few seconds to fry. Mix cashew nuts and kismis to vermicelli.
  4. Enjoy this yummy dessert.