Plantain fritters

Plantain fritters are a favorite at home so I make it once almost every week. Plantains are very rich in iron and vitamin A and these fritters are not deep fried which makes it a healthy side dish or snack. You can find these in almost any of the grocery chains, pick once which are a bright green and firm if they are yellow the fritters will end up mushy and tasting slightly sweet.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Green plantain, washed, peeled and cut in 1/4th inch thick slices(refer to the pic for a rough idea)
2. 1 tsp Chili powder
3. Hing 2 pinches
4. 1 tsp Salt
5. 1/4 cup Bread crumbs or Sooji
6. Oil 2 tsp
7. Water 2 tbs


Method:

1. Mix all the above ingredients except bread crumbs, oil and water
2. Set aside for 15 minutes
3. Heat a griddle or pan on medium heat, spread a tsp of oil to avoid sticking on the pan
4. Roll each of the plantain pieces in bread crumbs and place them in the hot griddle
5. Sprinkle 2 tbs of water on the pan and put on the lid
6. After about 5 mins flip the plantain pieces to grill the other side(make sure the first side you are grilling has turned golden brown before flipping)
7. Grill the other side until golden brown, turn off the heat.

Serve with Tomato Ketchup, Mustard or any kind of chutney you like. Enjoy :)

CholeTikki

If it looks appetizing, I hear you! Its exceptionally delicious and very simple to make. I had a phobia for making chaat, each attempt up till this one had been a disaster :( However, when I checked out this recipe in a recipe book(I cant recollect the name now) I thought I must give it a try. Pushing my phobia aside I ventured and the end result? It was to die for, seriously! I am totally enamored :)

Ingredients:

For making Tikkis:

1. 2-3 large potatoes (boiled and mashed)
2. 3 finely chopped green chillies(or as per taste)
3. 2 tps Cumin-Coriander powder
4. Pinch of Hing (optional)
5. 2 Bread slices soaked in warm water
6. 2-3 sprigs of cilantro finely chopped
7. 1 tsp lemon juice or alternately amchur powder(dry mango powder)
8. Salt as per taste

For making Chole(chickpeas):

1. 1 can of chole or if you like to make your own: soak whole dry chole overnight->drain->pressure cook
2. 1 Tomato chopped
3. 2-3 Green Chilies finely chopped
4. 2 tbsp Besan(chickpeas flour) dissolved in water(stir well to avoid lumps)
5. 1 tbsp cumin-coriander powder
6. 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
7. 2 tbsp oil
8. pinch of turmeric
9. 2-3 sprigs of Cilantro and mint chopped (optional)
10. 2 tbs Oil
11. Salt as per taste

Method:

For Chole

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add cumin-coriander powder, green chillies, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 min
3. Add tomatoes,stir and saute until the tomatoes cook
4. Add Chole and salt. Mix well
5. Pour Besan liquid cover the lid and let it cook until Chole is soft and slightly mushy.

For Tikkis:

1. Mix all the ingredients for potato patties in a bowl
2. Make round balls(ping pong ball sized) and flatten them in your palm in the shape of a patties
3. Heat a griddle or pan on medium heat, spray some oil to avoid sticking and then place the patties on the pan one by one.
4. Let the patties grill until golder brown and then flip over to grill the other side.

Once done serve Tikkis with the chole. It tastes amazing!

Gobi Manchurian

Each time I opened my refrigerator this week there was a lone fella screaming for attention, this cauliflower head had been sitting bored in the refrigerator for a week now. After much deliberation I settled for Gobi Manchurian.

Indian dhabas(street side vendors) usually carry these, they are a bright red and look so appetizing, crunchy at the top and as you sink in deeper you have a sudden explosion of all tastes heaven! Definitely a must try.

1. 1 cup all purpose flour(or Maida)
2. 2 tbs Corn flour
3. 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
4. 2 tsp Red Chilli powder(adjust depending on how much heat you can take)
5. 2 tsp Salt (adjust as per taste)
6. Water

For seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds
2. 5 Garlic cloves finely chopped
3. 1 medium Onion chopped thinly lengthwise
4. 1 medium Bell Pepper chopped thinly lengthwise
5. 4 tbs Soy Sauce

For garnishing:

1. 2-3 sprigs of cilantro chopped finely
2. 2 spring onions chopped finely
3. 2 tsp lemon juice.

Preparation:

1. Add a pinch of salt to 3 cups of water and bring to a boil
2. Add cauliflower florets and let boil for a minute
3. Turn off the heat and let the florets rest in the hot water with lid closed for 5 mins
4. Drain the florets and set aside.
5. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under the Batter section, except for the water
6. Slowly start adding water to the mixture until you get a thick consistency.(The batter should be thick enough to stick to the florets when dipped in the batter)
7. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. When its warm enough(hold your hand above the pan, if you can feel the heat its hot enough.)Note: take care not to over heat the pan, if you see vapors from the oil it means the oil is over heated.
8. Start dipping the florets in batter and fry until they turn golden brown. Set aside the florets
9. Take a pan with 1 tbs oil, add mustard seeds
10. Once they start spluttering add onions and saute
    
11. Add chopped garlic and bell pepper and a little salt(as per taste)
12. Stir occasionally and cook until the bell pepper is done
13. Add the fried florets and soy sauce, stir well and turn off the heat after 2 -3 mins

Garnish and serve!

My first day here and cheers to a (hopefully) long journey

I love cooking. Let me say that again, I LOVE COOKING. I read cookbooks and blogs, watch food network, discuss traditional Konkani recipes with my mom, dissect the dish in front of me when we dine out, ask people to guess what the ingredients are when I have them over for lunch.. Things I do may sound lame but let me tell you I enjoy it every bit.

I usually end tweaking recipes. You ask Why? Hmm..let me say, because I just cant resist the temptation of adding something that the recipe never called for.

When i am cooking I have people looking over my shoulders with wrinkly noses, knitted eyebrows, constipated looks :-p but that doesn’t deter my unconditional resolve to try out something different. They are not always a success but it leaves me amused and then the remote possibility that I might end up on “Food network”

However when my attempt in the kitchen is a success, it makes it here.