Raw banana pakoras

When we moved to our new place, we inherited a banana plant, which promptly gave us a flower which developed into a few bunches of fruit. Unfortunate, we have no idea about harvesting bananas, and left the fruits on the tree to ripen. For a month and more, we waited, till I saw them starting to rot at the tips. I got the fruits in but still have no idea how to ripen them. So raw banana it is, and a fine vegetable it makes!

3 raw bananas

Green chilli paste to taste

Ginger garlic paste to taste

1/2 tsp haldi powder

Salt to taste

3 tbsp besan

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Pressure cook the raw bananas for 20 minutes after the first whistle. Remove the peel, mash and keep aside

Add green chilli paste, haldi powder and salt, and mix well. Roll into balls and flatten slightly. 

Make a batter with besan, salt and water

Heat the oil (to a temperature where a blob of batter rises slowly to the top). Dip the flattened balls in batter, and deep fry till golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. 

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney. 

Ragi pakora

Ragi is a healthy alternative to the regular cereals, but sometimes you want to attempt something other than the steamed stuff. I was pretty amused to find a recipe for deep fried ragi pakodas- seems almost a contradiction in terms- but they were absolutely amazing.

1 cup ragi flour

1/2 cups besan

12 large florets cauliflower

1 tsp pepper powder

2 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp chopped cashew nuts

1 tsp sesame seeds

Salt to taste 

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients well. Add water to make a partially loose batter (similar to idlis batter)

Cut the curry leaves into small pieces

Separate the florets into bite sized pieces

Add curry leaves, cashew nut and sesame seeds to the batter and mix  well. 

Heat the oil. Dip the florets in the batter and fry in the oil, turning around once so both sides are browned. 

Serve hot with a curd based dip. 

Cabbage fritters

With onion prizes shooting through the roof, it is nice to be able to experiment with pakoras made with other vegetables.

These are cabbage pakoras made with cabbage left over after using most of it in a curry. 

Bread bombs

After making the bread pakoras, I had some stuffing left over and decided to make something that my mother often made for me when I was a child.

6 slices bread

1 medium potatoes

1 beetroot

1 big carrot

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Boil the potatoes. Peel, mash and keep aside. 

Peel and chop the beetroots and carrots. Steam till just cooked. Keep aside. 

Mix the potatoes, vegetables, spices, and salt. Divide into six equal parts. 

Start heating the oil. 

Cut the crusts of the bread, and moisten slightly. Put the stuffing in the middle, and fold the bread around it. Seal the edges by pressing lightly. 

Slide two balls at a time into the oil and fry till well browned and crisp. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve with ketchup or green chutney. 

Bread pakoras

There are days when the heart craves for deep fried stuff. You know it is a calorie bomb, but when the raindrops are pattering down and everything is clean and fresh, your heart overrules your mind, and ou give in to temptation.

8 slices bread

1 medium potatoes

1 beetroot

1 big carrot

1/3 cup besan

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Boil the potatoes. Peel, mash and keep aside. 

Peel and chop the beetroots and carrots. Steam till just cooked. Keep aside. 

Mix the potatoes, vegetables, and salt. Divide into four equal parts. 

Start heating the oil. 

Mix besan, haldi powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Add the oil and mix. Add water gradually to make a smooth paste. 

Spread the potato stuffing on the bread evenly. Cover with another slice and cut into triangles. 

Drop a bit of batter in the oil- if it immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready. 

Dip the triangles in the batter so it is coated evenly, and slide into the oil. Slide as many triangles as will fit comfortably. When one side is browned, turn over and let the other side brown. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve with ketchup or green chutney. 

Betel leaf fritters/ paan ke pakore

Once you discover the taste of betel leaves, it is hard not to experiment with it. While making kadhi, I decided to make a few pakore with betel leaves, and they disappeared in no time at all. Definitely something I'm making again.

2 betel leaves- pick the young and tender ones

1/2 cup besan

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1 tsp rice flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

Salt to taste

Cooking oil

Method:

Mix the besan, chilli powder, jeera powder, salt and soda. Add 1/2 tsp cooking oil, and make a paste with sufficient water. 

Tear each leaf into quarters. 

Heat the oil, and put a drop of batter- if it rises immediately to the surface, the oil is ready. 

Coat the leaves with batter and drop into the oil. Fry till cooked on both sides. 

Serve with tomato ketchup. 

Til karanji

When we were discussing kozakattai and modak in office, someone mentioned til modak. Since I love the combination of jaggery and til, I wanted to try it out. But what I eventually ended up making was til karanji, which was really nice too.

1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1 tsp ghee
pinch of salt
Water to make batter

4 tbsp sesame seeds/ til
4 tbsp grated jaggery

Oil for deep or shallow frying

Method:
Knead the flour with salt, ghee and sufficient water to make the dough. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside
Divide the dough into 8 parts, and roll each into a circle.
Mix the grated jaggary and til seeds, and divide it equally between the rolled out dough
Fold in half, seal the edges and either deep fry or shallow fry*.

* - if you increase the amount of ghee in the dough, you can also bake it

Potato curd pakoda

When you have excess oil, one of the easiest things to make is pakodas. Here's a batch of curd based pakoras that I whipped up on an impulse- using curds as the binding agent added a new dimension to the taste.

1 cup besan

1/2 cup curds

1 potato 

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

 

Rock salt or chat masala for garnish

Method:

Dice the potatoes and then cut into small pieces. Add salt to the potatoes and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Pour the besan over the potatoes, mix well.

Add the curds gradually till you get a good (but not runny) batter.

Add the spices and mix well.

Heat the oil, test the temperature by dropping a bit of batter in the oil- if it rises up immediately, the oil is ready.

Reduce the flame, drop the batter into the oil using a spoon, and keep turning till done. 

Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Test the temperature before making the next batch.

Sprinkle with chat masala/ rock salt before serving

Methi matri

One look at the photograph, and I knew I had to have it. I first wondered if I could try baking it instead, but the instructions were so precise, I though it best to do it the right way at least the first time. I'm happy I did. Next time, baked!

1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
1/4 Cup Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi)
1/2 Tsp Salt
Pinch Soda B-carb (optional)
1/2 Tsp Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
1/3 Cup Gram Flour (Besan)
3 Tbsp Pure/Desi Ghee
1/4 Cup Water
Oil - Enough For Frying
1/4 Tsp Crushed Cloves
Method:
Making the Mathri Dough-
Take a big enough bowl to contain all flour and make the dough. Add All-purpose-flour, Gram Flour, Salt, Carom Seeds, crushed Cloves, Desi Ghee, Soda and Dried Fenugreek Leaves. Knead them with the help of your hand.
Once mixed, add water gradually and knead to make a hard dough. Do not make it soft like chapati dough. The total amount of water for making this dough should not exceed 1/4 Cup as mentioned in the ingredients simply because we want a harder dough. Don’t think that we are talking about a rock solid one here but a decent one that can hold itself tight.
Once dough is ready, cover it and keep aside for 10 minutes. This would help in making crisp Mathri.
Rolling the Methi Mathri-
Take a small portion (about 2 inch thick) from dough and roll it in round shaped ball with the help of your palms.
Repeat the same with the rest of the dough.
Now pick up each ball and use your palms again to press it into a flat-bread by creating a sandwich (of your palms). You may use a rolling pin as well but we recommend using just your hand.
Now, we are ready to fry. Lets move on.

Frying the Mathri-
Take a frying pan, add Oil and heat it up on high flame for 2 minutes.
Now, turn the flame on low and add raw Mathri for frying.
Fry until they turn golden brown.
When they turned golden brown from all the sides, take them out on a Oil soaking paper napkin.
Switch off the stove and the Methi Mathri is ready to serve hot.

Medu vada

I absolutely love medu vada, but am far too lazy to make them the conventional way. While the doughnut shaped ones do look good, I am not sure if getting the perfect shape is worth all the trouble, specially since the funny shaped ones taste almost as good. So this time, while making tair vadai for Holi, I decided to reserve a few just for myself.
I also tried out a couple of modifications, which gave it an extra crunch.

1 cup urad dal, soaked for at least 6 hours

1 half inch piece ginger 

1 green chilli

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp sooji/ rawa

1/2 tsp baking soda

salt to taste

oil for frying

Method

Grind the urad dal with ginger, chilli and curry leaves, and very little water

Pour the batter into a bowl, add salt, baking soda, and rawa, and whisk well with the hand till nice and fluffy (you can test it by dropping a bit in water- if it sinks down, and then rises up, it's done, if not, beat a bit more).

Heat the oil in a kadhai- test by dropping a bit of batter in the oil- if it rises up with bubbles, the oil is just right.

Take a bit of batter and drop it gently into the oil, turn it around a bit to ensure it is well brown.
Ensure you check the temperature of the oil before every batch.

Serve hot with green chutney, or reserve for tair vadais.

Cauliflower Chilli Fry

When there are only so many vegetables your family eats, you try to find new ways of cooking it, so they don't get tired of those few veggies also. This cauliflower was super yummilicious. But I am not sure if I will make it again, because it was far too messy. But again, given the fact that even the Younger One lapped it up, maybe I should make it again though not too soon.

1 cup diced cauliflower3 tsp curd
2 green chillies
4-5 curry leaves


For the Batter to coat the Cauliflower:
2 tbsp rice flour
Red chilli powder, to season
Salt to taste
Water
Oil to deep fry

 

 

Method

Mix all ingredients to make a thick batter or paste.

To this add the cauliflower and deep fry. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and lightly saute the curry leaves.

Add green chillies and curd.

Finally add the cauliflower. Mix well.

Serve pipping hot, either as a starter or with rice and dal.

Dhania patta ke pakore

Today was perfect pakoda weather! For the last couple of weeks, the city has gone crazy. There was a winter like none other I have encountered in January in the city, and just when I was getting used to it, in the course of a single day, it went from deep winter to the early days of summer. For about a week, we sweated even in our sleeveless clothes, but the day after I put the winter clothes away, winter was back again.
It looked like it might drizzle today (though of course, it didn't), and I just had to make myself a plate of pakore to go with my crime novel.

1 cup besan
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
salt to taste
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/3 cups chopped dhania patta
oil for frying

Method
Mix all the dry ingredients well, then make a batter, but carefully adding water. Whip a couple of times so it is well aereated, and keep aside for about 15 minutes
Heat the oil (to check the temperature, drop a tiny bit of batter- if it rises to the surface, the oil is ready for use), and drop in spoonfulls of the batter.
Fry till crispy, remove, and drain on a kitchen towel.
Enjoy with garam-garam chai, and a good book.

Mini samosas- the triumph of sensibility over sense

What do you do on that rare day when your husband comes back home early, you decide to have a quick beer, and yet you want something more substantial than peanuts to go with it? If you are sensible, you either curb that desire, or fry some kebabs. But when you are more prone to sensibility, you decide to use the hingwala aloo left over from last week's dinner party, to rustle up some mini samosas!

1 measure maida
1 measure whole wheat flour/ atta
2 tbsp oil
large pinch ajwain
enough water to knead the dough
salt to taste
oil for deep frying
leftover aloo subji (or make your own)

Method
Mix the flours with salt, oil, ghee and ajwain, and combine to form a crumbly mixture.
Now slowly add enough water to make a pliable dough, not too soft. Divide the dough and shape into balls. Keep aside covered with moist cloth for 15-20 mts.
 Roll each ball with the rolling pin into a slightly thin puri, slightly elongated in shape. Take a knife and divide the rolled puri into two by cutting through the center.
Now take a semi-circle piece of the roti, and make a fold in the shape of a triangle, pressing with your fingers to seal along the fold. Now place this cone between your thumb and index finger and place a ball of the stuffing inside. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the dough with water and seal to enclose the stuffing.
Press the ends firmly so that the filling does not come out during the deep frying process. Prepare all the samosas in the same manner.
Heat enough oil in a wide vessel to deep fry the samosas. Heat the oil till hot but not piping hot. Reduce flame to low medium and drop 2-3 samosas into the oil slowly and deep fry them till golden brown, turning them carefully to the other side so that it cooks on all sides.
Serve with green chutney.

Thekua

Growing up, as I did, in what is now Jharkhand, I was seeped in Bihari culture long before I knew something called "culture" even existed. If Holi meant malpuas and dahi vada, even before Diwali got over, you started thinking of Chaat Puja and the thekuas that went with it. While the adventure of going with the large crowd of devotees to the nearest stream at sunset, and sneaking onto a rock and dipping your feet in the cold water gave you the greater thrill, you knew that there was an equally lovely treat to look forward to after you got back home.
I had forgotten all about thekuas, till a recent post, which opened the floodgates of my memory. Decades after I had last had one, I could actually taste the unique taste of thekuas. With a little bit of help from my friends at IFF, and by relying on my own memories, I managed to recreate something that tasted almost exactly like what I remembered it to be.

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)

a pinch of salt 

4 tbsp ghee 

1/3 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (you will have to adjust till you get the taste you want)

2 tbsp saunf powdered on a mortar and pestle

2 tbsp grated coconut

Water

Oil for deep frying

Add the salt and ghee to the flour, and mix well.

Add the powdered sugar, the ground saunf and the coconut, and knead till you get a stiff dough. You will have to keep adding the water a little at a time, and rely on instinct to get it right.

Taste a bit of the dough, and add more sugar if you feel you need it.

Roll out into thickish "rotis", and cut into circles (I used a bottle cap).

Heat the oil, and when a tiny piece of dough rises up immediately, reduce the flame and add the cut pieces. Fry in batches and drain on kitchen towels. Allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Cheesy cashews

In my quest for savouries to make for Diwali, I came across this recipe posted by Manisha Shah in IFF. For a moment, I thought they were real cashewnuts coated with cheese, but once I figured out what they were, I knew I had to make them right away.
And I did.

250 gm maida

4 tbsp cheese grated

2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp fresh powdered black pepper

salt

water to bind a stiff dough

oil for deep frying

 

Mix all the ingredients to make a stiff dough. Add water gradually, and only enough to make it stiff.

Roll out a large roti. with a soft drink bottle cap make cuts in semi circle / kaju shapes.
Deep fry on low till pink but crisp.

 

My kajus looked amazing, but were slightly soft. The next time, I will do what my mother does- heat the oil to the highest temperature, but fry on a low flame.

Rich kofta curry

When I was young, my mother used to regularly make kofta curry using the papayas from our garden. I'll always retain a fondness for that, and somehow koftas made with lauki never seemed good enough.
But then I saw a raw papaya at my vegetable vendor, and decided to make koftas with it. Wanted to try out something new, and this is the result.

For koftas
half raw papaya grated

besan- I went by estimation- enough to bind, but not too much as to overpower the taste
1 tsp amchur

1/2 tsp haldi

1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp punjabi garam masala
oil for deep-frying
salt to taste

for The Gravy
2 medium onions, chopped

2 tbsp cashewnuts

1/2 tsp jeera
4-5 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

2 green chillis

1/2 tsp dhania powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

4 medium tomatoes- chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

3 tbsp fresh cream

oil

salt to taste

 

Method
For the koftas
Squeeze the grated papaya till all the water drains out.
Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and divide into 16 equal sized koftas.
Heat the oil in a pan and deep-fry the koftas 4 to 5 at a time till they are golden brown in colour.
Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.
 

For the gravyHeat 1 tablespoon of the oil in pan, add the cashewnuts and sauté till they turn golden brown.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the jeera. When they crackle, add the onions and sauté till they turn translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies ad sauté for another minute.
Add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomatoes and cashewnuts.
Cook till the oil separates from the gravy.

Allow it to cool down, then puree till smooth.
Add punjabi garam masala, 3/4 cup of water, cream and salt and bring to a boil.
Add the koftas to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes.
Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Poori

Poori with aloo subji was always Sunday lunch at my mother's place. When we had a full-time maid, the four of us would be gathered at the table, and be fed hot hot pooris. After we moved to Calcutta, my mother would fry the pooris, and my father and I would engage in a battle with her to see if she could feed us pooris faster, or we consume them faster. Naturally, when I got a chance, I wanted to try my hand at pooris, and the first attempt wasn't half bad!


3 Cups- Wheat Flour
2/3 Cups- Water to knead the dough
1 tsp – Ajwain (Carrom Seeds)
 Oil for deep frying

Method 
Knead the dough using the flour, water and the ajwain. The dough should be non sticky and smooth.
Rest the dough for half an hour.
Make balls of the dough and roll them out into small rounds of 4-5 inches diameter.
When you are nearly done, heat oil in a Kadhai till it is very hot. To test the oil, put a small flattened piece of the dough in the oil and if it immediately rises up the oil is ready.
Put one rolled out poori into the oil and lightly press it with a spatula so that it swells up.
Now flip it over and once both sides are golden brown, take out the poori. Drain on kitchen napkins, and serve hot.

Falafel- the start of my love affair with Lebanese food

Fifteen years back, when I first moved to Bombay as a resident, one of the first things I fell in love with was Falafel. There was a Lebanese Point that delivered my my locality, and I don't think a single fortnight of my stay in that house went by without me ordering "one plate falafel and one packet pita bread" at least once. After we moved, it became something that could be indulged in only rarely, but indulge in it, I still did at every opportunity.
But did I ever think of making falafels? Oh no. That was something other people did. Not me.
And then Kiki Petriti posted a recipe for falafel, and I told myself that the worst thing that could happen was that it would become a disaster, and I tried it. It was with a lot of trepidation that I placed it in front of my husband, but within moments, he gobbled it all up, and was back demanding seconds.
A success, me thinks

250 grams chickpeas
1large onion
2 cloves garlic
½ cup Parsley, chopped
½ cup Coriander, chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp red chilli powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons self rising flour
Oil for frying



Soak chickpeas overnight in enough water.
The next day, drain and purée them. in a food processor little by little. (you can put a Tsp of water so you can work easily the mixture)
 We put the chickpeas purée into a bowl and set aside. In the food processor we add the onion (quartered), garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and puree them too.
We mix the chickpeas with the onion mixture and then we add the flourr, the spices, parsley and coriander and mix well. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a few hours before frying.
We make round balls and fry them until browned on both sides.
Place them on paper towels to absorb the oil.
 
 Note: If the falafel mixture is not thick enough add some extra flour

Gokulashtami Sweet Appams

My grandmother always made sweet appams on Janmashtami, and for the first time in my life, I decided to follow on her footsteps. I should have known better. Domestic Diva I will never be. After all that roasting and grinding and mixing and kneading, when I poured the batter into the hot oil, instead of the perfect circles I was expecting, I got maps of undiscovered continents.
In the entire batch, I got three appams that with a bit of imagination looked like what they were supposed to look like. I do, however love the taste, so will make it again with my trusty paniyaram pan.
I can only hope that the new born Krishna will be more concerned with the taste!



Raw flour - 3/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder -1/4 tsp
Grated jaggery - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying
Take the rice flour, grated coconut, cardamom powder and grind it to a smooth paste, adding a bit of water.
Add grated jaggery to it and mix well till it dissolves.
Add wheat flour and mix well .The appam batter should be of dosa batter consistency, so adjust accordingly.
Heat oil in a small kadai, keep it in medium flame, take a small amount of batter in a table spoon or small ladle and drop it gently into the oil.
When it puffs, turn over and cook the other side also till golden brown. Drain the oil using a slotted ladle and take it out from the kadai. Deep fry one appam at a time.
Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.

Gokulashtami Special- Tattai

One traditionally makes deep fried savouries on Janmashtami. I am never entirely comfortable with deep frying, but since it is our first festival in the new house, I had to make an exception. And the results were quite satisfactory, even though a purist might say they should be a bit more crispy.
The recipe is not mine, though. It was taken from here, though I did halve all the quantities.

4 cups Rice flour

4 tbsp Urad flour (Roasted and powdered) 

2 tbsp Butter/Ghee

2 tbsp Chana dal, soaked

1 tbsp White sesame seeds

2 and 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

Water to knead the dough

Oil to deep fry

Curry leaves few

A Pinch Hing

2 tbsp Salt

Soak the chana dal for about an hour before using it.

In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients except oil and water,mix well.

Now add water little by little and knead the dough,till it become soft. Roll into small balls (slightly larger than a marble)

Grease a ziplock bag, or an empty milk packet, place the balls on it, and pat into small discs.

Heat oil in a kadai,transfer the discs carefully into the oil.

Deep fry till golden colour. Store it in air tight container.