Falafel – Indianized version of the crispy balls

Fal-a-Fel = Fruit-A-Fruit... literal translation in Hindi, was a flying joke while our group of friends had these fried balls at one of the NYC stalls. We seriously thought that some kind of fruit went into these and we loved them then 8-| ; till I got familiar with the Food Blog World I was quite unknown to the fact that these are simple fritters made of Chickpeas. I tried it over the weekend, it turned out very well, we loved this Mediterranean yet Indianized version of crispy balls.

You Need :

• Chickpeas\chana: Soaked Overnight
• Onion: 1 medium
• Coriander Leaves: fistful
• Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tsp
• Green Chillies: 2 minced
• Cumin powder: 1 tsp
• Black Pepper: 1 tsp - crushed
• Fennel or Carom Seeds: 1 tsp
• Chickpeas flour: about 3 tbsp
• Oil for Deep frying
• Salt to taste

You Do:

1. Mix everything in BLUE, in food processor and make rough thick paste.
2. Mix Salt, then add Chickpeas flour to thicken it.
3. Heat Oil for deep frying in an open pan, make small balls of the thick batter and fry them till light brown.

Done!! This is normally served with Tahini or Hummus (I got to know this too from Food Blog World), I feel the Mayonnaise also falls in the same league we had it with Mayo and Spicy Sauce. Trust me these balls are very heavy, so don’t be “Bhukkad” gluttonous like me and limit them to 4-5 in one serving :P (we had this chana bloated tummy for long time @-) )

Sending this to Susan’s My Legume Love Affair # 23.

 

Bookmarked Launji

I tumbled upon a very nice blog – Mharo Rajasthan Recipes couple of weeks back and already I’ve bookmarked nearly dozen of her drooling recipes. I found this blog quite distinguishing with very diverse types of collection of recipes, especially the Rajasthani ones which are truly quite hard to find.

I had brought Raw Mango to prepare long time due – Uditmethi but the snap of – Kairi Ki Launji, made me change the mind. I was introduced to the “Kalonji Seeds” for the first time here we had this sour and spicy side dish as a chutney-pickle. We loved it – Thanks Priya !!

Happy Cooking and Posting about it !

Pappa’s Patent Saturday Special

I’ve been brought up in a culture where Dad being in kitchen is NOT weird awkward unbelievable. Its a very regular scene where every morning My Dad does all the cutting and readying up the vegetable and in his words –

“Mummy la fakt phodni deychi ahe :P ” (Mom has to just temper the vegetable, everything else has been handled).

Along with the weekday help; Saturdays were dedicated for his experiments, yeah... Saturday Lunch was Pappa Special. I wouldn’t go overboard with stating that he is a great cook but his culinary skills  are sufficed for our Lunch. He prepares decent simple veggies and his patent is Kaptyachi Bhaji (Simple Potato Vegetable).

So when I was noting my Mom’s specialty; I recollected my Pappa’s Saturday Special too and though very simple always knew it had to go on my Blog !!

Kaptyachi Bhaji  - Simple Potato Sabzi

You Need:

• Potatoes: 3 medium - Peeled
• Oil: To temper
• Asafoetida: To temper
• Mustard Seeds: To temper
• Curry Leaves: 3-4 in number – To temper
• Red Chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp
• Sambhar Powder: 1 tbsp
• Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste

You Do:

1. Cut the potatoes the way you prefer – thinly sliced or Pappa used V-Slicer to give it French Fries Look.
2. Heat Oil in Kadai – Add the tempering stuffs.
3. Follow with sliced Potatoes + salt + Powder Masalas mentioned.
4. Add sugar if required.Mix thoroughly then cover and cook.

Done. Stir in between so that the potatoes don’t stick to the base. I love a bit reddish tinge so I purposefully allow it to half stick to the Kadai then remove it.

Garnish with coriander leaves, use lemon wedge before serving.Goes great with Phulkas or Dal Rice. As you can finish this off within Twenty Mins; this goes to Nilofer’s Twenty-20 event.

V- Slicer

This is one of my oldest property – My Mom had given this when I left for US for the first time about 5 years back. I had not used this before that but had seen her chop everything quite fast. From then I use this nearly for everything – slicing – chopping- mincing. The variety of blades give you the option.

The shown blades – large ones give French fries type of slices while the other one gives very thin slices – can be used for finely chopping the veggies. So Do you use these ??

Happy Cooking and Posting about it !!

Cake .. Pudding or what ?

Yay !!! Congratulate me, I just baked refrigerated my first Cake Pudding (As Namitha puts it). Whatever it is I We Loved it !

One of my co-SIL had mentioned about this recipe quite long back but I totally forgot about it till I saw it here. (Look out for the details in the original recipe) I planned to prepare it over the weekend and brought Marie biscuits as mentioned but totally forgot about the Cocoa Powder; and so at the last moment thought of substituting it with molten Chocolate bar.So this adaption also goes to Nupur’s Blog Bite 3 Adaption.

I Google searched for melting a chocolate bar – there were couple of videos and write ups but I preferred my original way :P – I boiled the milk +sugar and went on adding couple of chocolate pieces at a time; stirring vigorously. Done – the molten chocolate should be thick enough. I used Swedish Choco Bar – The Foodie had brought it couple of months back from Finland – these had Almond Croquants and helped to give the rich taste.

Just Dip each Marie biscuit into this dip and keep it one over other – like Lagori :P  Refrigerate it till the chocolate freezes – slice and serve cold. 

I had poured remaining chocolate over the cake hence the dripping look.

There was no single reason for us to celebrate with sweet – may be Akshay Trutiya :D They say whatever you buy on this day is never diminishing – though I prepared this sweet it din’t even last a Day … do try it out ;)

This also goes to No Bake Cake event by Aparna.

P.S. – I just completed About and Contact page. Do Peek :)

Mom’s speciality vegetarian style…

When Jyoti announced her Mother Day Special Event, My immediate reaction was – I can send all of my posts to this event. My whole blog is dedicated to single person who is not only my inspiration to cook but also to eat.

My Mom is a working woman but still she prepares (even now) Heavy Breakfast; All chapattis + chutney + koshimbir + sabzi for our lunch box and for dinner chapatis + rice + dal + chutney +koshimbir + sabzi. If this is not enough as soon as she used to return from work my first question used to be – “Momma khayla kay ?? ”; Entered fast track evening snacks for us. Thanks to her my tummy grumbles even now as soon as Clock turns 5.00 p.m. Unbelievable naah …. I’m Superwoman's Daughter!!

There was not a single occasion when Mom asked me to enter kitchen with a pretext of learning cooking, so I’ve learned her recipes mostly from Phone when I started staying away. Yeah I’m a Pampered Child that way, and I’m quite proud of it!!

With a gun point on my forehead if I’ve to select a single recipe of my Mom – that has to be Kheema – yeah she does prepare world’s Best Kheema.. infact she is quite famous among my relatives as Khema Specialist ;)

Now married to a Pure Vegetarian created this conflict that I can’t try my Moms specialty; but we do have solution to all -- I tried the same version with Soya Kheema – Trust me Guys – this is the exact Replica of my favourite dish.

P.S : For non-vegetarians the Minced Soya chunks can be easily replaced by Minced Meat.

 

Vegetarian Soya Chunk Kheema

You Need:

• Soya Chunks: About 20
• Green Chillies: 3-4 medium
• Garlic: 3-4 cloves
• Ginger: 1/2 inch 
• Onion: 2 medium – finely minced
• Tomato: 1- finely minced
• Turmeric Powder: 1tsp
• Malvani Masala \ Garam Masala: 1tbsp
• Bay Leaf: 2
• Cardamom: 1
• Coconut: About 3-5 tbsp (preferable dry coconut) – grated
• Cinnamon stick: 1/2 inch
• Black Pepper corns: 7-8
• Cloves: 2
• Coriander Seeds: 4-5 tbsp
• Poppy Seeds: 2-3 tbsp
• Tamarind Paste: 2-3 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves: for garnishing
• Lemon Juice
• Oil for tempering
• Salt to taste

You Do:

1. Add soya Chunks to sufficient boiling water and let it boil for about four minutes, then let it cool.
2. Grind the RED ingredients.
3. Mince the Soya chunks through food processor or hand grinder. Mix the above grinded stuff along with some salt and soya kheema.
4. Pressure cook this mix for 2 whistles and then let it cool.
5. Till this time Roast the BLUE ingredients (except tamarind paste).Grind the roasted ingredients to rough powder.
6. Add the tamarind paste to this and make a smooth paste – Vatan.
7. Heat Oil in Kadai; Add Bay leaf and cardamom let it splutter then add the minced onion, sauté till it caramelizes.
8. Add tomatoes and sauté till oil separates distinctly.
9. Add pressure cooked soya kheema mix along with vatan – the grinded paste to this.
10. Follow this with salt as required + Malvani Masala + turmeric powder.
11. Cover and let it cook till kheema is soft and done.

Done ! Garnish with Coriander Leaves and use lemon juice before serving. This goes off well with Paav or even Rice and Solkadi.

I loved this cos it gave the same taste as the original one while The Foodie relished the spicy vegetarian mince; which he found quite different from usual special Sunday Lunches :D

Happy Mothers Day .. Momma … Love you !!! Muuah !!

My favourite also goes to one more Mother’s Day special Event - Shabitha's Celebrating Mom.. and also to PJ’s Think Spice – think Tamarind originally started by Sunita.

Wrap the Frankie

Name changes but the product is the same – Call it Wrap OR Burrito OR in our style Frankie.  It’s Roll of chapatti OR Tortilla with stuffing of your choice.  We have this famous Mumbai’s Tibb’s Frankie at Shivaji Park. It’s a small Stall but serves delectable assortment of Frankie and street food is always favourite, rt ;;)
My Mom used to prepare a simple wrap inspired from the Chinese Egg Frankie, and this goes to Divya’s Global Kadai: Indian flavored Burrito originally started by Cilantro.
We had these for our breakfast – quite tasty and totally stodgy.

You Need:

• 
  
• Chapatis or chapatti dough for 2
  
• Eggs: 2
  
• Green chillies: 2 – finely chopped
  
• Mix Vegetables: shredded I used – Cabbage, Capsicum, Onion
  
• Chinese Sauces of your choice: 1tbsp – I normally use Soya, Red chilli and Vinegar
  
• Milk: 2 tbsp
  
• Mayonnaise: 2 tbsp
  
• Ketchup of choice: 2tbsp
  
• Ghee\Butter: 1-2 tbsp
  
• Coriander Leaves: for garnishing
  
• Pepper to taste
  
• Salt to taste

 
You Do:

1. Roll out Chapatis\Phulkas out of chapatti dough OR Use readymade tortillas\ Chapatis.  Heat griddle, Cook the Chapatis from both side.
   
2. Beat the egg vigorously; add milk + salt + pepper + finely chopped chillies.
   
3. Heat Oil in a pan, sauté all veggies for couple of minutes, Add salt + pepper + all the sauces. Sauté for few more minutes and turn of the flame.
   
4. Heat pan – add ghee\butter; Pour Egg mixture- in about one minute when half done press the Chapatti over it
   
5. Let the omlette stick properly to the chapatti; flip it and heat for half a minute. This completes our wrap.

This completes the preparation; assemble it with adding the sautéed veggies in the centre on the omlette side, garnish with coriander leaves; distribute ketchup + mayonnaise.
Wrap it across the way you want and bite it while in a car (which is not advised) OR preferably bite it while you are half lying on your Bean bag and reading your favorite gossip in the newspaper ;)
Happy Cooking and Posting  about it !

Sabudana Vada from the Ghats..

Have you travelled Mumbai-Pune by train?? If not then; you have missed on something heavenly.

The weather, Ghats- Valleys, Monkeys on varied points, Pleasant greenery, mild chilling wind – this just makes you going. If this is not suffice there is Karjat cha Vada-Pav or Lonavala chi Chikki – though not authentic yet apt for the time.

Along with these you get wonderful Omelettes, Cutlets, Bread rolls, Sabudana Vades etc – thanks to Indian Railway Catering Services. I may not be big fan of them (due to its oil dripped stuffs) but I admire the way they provide regional + national delicacies; this pleases all varied types of passengers.

Though Sabudana Vada with coriander chutney is one of the famous Maharashtrian evening Snack; thanks to IRCTC it has become Mumbai-Pune patent fried snack.

You Need:

• Sabudana \ Sago: 1 ½ cup
• Potatoes: 2 Medium – Boiled, Peeled and Mashed
• Green chillies: 3-4 finely minced
• Peanut Powder: 3-4 tbsp  ( Roasted Peanuts grinded to rough powder )
• Coriander Leaves: 5 tbsp finely minced
• Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
• Lemon juice to taste
• Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste
• Ghee for deep frying

You DO:

1. Soak Sabudana in whole lot of water for about 15-20 minutes. Drain the water and keep it about 4-5 hours
2. Mix all ingredients except ghee; with light hands (don’t overdo as we don’t want to prepare dough – keep it granular).
3. Make small balls of the mixture and flatten to make it in patties shape.
4. Heat Ghee in Kadai; and deep fry the vadas till light brown and crispy.

Done! Serve with Fast Special Green Chutney.

This is one of my favourite chutney – Grind Coriander Leaves + Green chillies with salt, sugar and cumin seeds. Mix with curd. This gives light green chutney. 

This goes to Jagruti’s Joyful Eating while travelling.  and also to CWS : Cumin Seeds hosted this month by Sara and originally started by Priya.