Crispy Cheese corn Balls

Crispy cheese corn balls make a great appetizer, be it special occasions or just an ordinary day. It would also make a perfect evening snack for kids. Wow! Who would'nt love to have a bite of this hot, stringy cooey cheese corn balls? I have put together this recipe after watching a couple of videos on youtube.

Ingredients:
Boiled corn- 1 cup
shredded Mozzarella cheese- 1/2 cup
boiled potato- 1 (medium size)
corn flour- 1 tbsp
bell pepper(capsicum)- 1/4 cup , chopped
chilli flakes- 1 tsp (optional)
dried oregano- 1/2 tsp
maida(all purpose flour)- 2 tbsp
bread crumbs- 1 cup
corriander leaves(cilantro)- 1 tbsp, finely chopped
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method:

• Mash the boiled potato. Add bell pepper, corn, chilli flakes, dried oregano, corn flour, cilantro leaves and salt. 

• Add salt only for the above mentioned ingredients. 

• Then add cheese and combine them well.

• Grease your hand with a little bit of oil and roll them into small balls.

• Heat oil in a deep frying pan.

• Combine water with all purpose flour to a pouring batter consistency.

• Dip the balls in the batter so that is gets coated on all sides and then roll them on the bread crumbs.

• Roll them between your palms to make sure that the breadcrumbs is well coated on all sides.

• Fry them until golden brown and collect them on a plate with paper towel to drain the excess oil.

• Serve them out with tomato ketchup.

Notes:
* Avoid chilly flakes if you are making it for kids.
* If you want to make it more spicy try adding finely chopped green chillies or Jalapeno
*If you want to make it more cheesy be generous in adding cheese.
* Fry the balls on a medium flame to get the desired golden brown color.
* Chopped parsley is a part of this recipe which I have omitted it as my family is not a big fan of        parsley leaves.

Broccoli Pakora

It was one of those day when your refrigerator is almost empty and you are trying to push one more day before grocery shopping. I was in that scenario when I found only Broccoli in my refrigerator and nothing else. And right at the moment an idea of Broccoli recipe sprouted. How about Broccoli Pakora I thought... I added stem also not just broccoli florets. A must try recipe....

Ingredients
Broccoli - 1 cup
Besan Flour - 1/2 cup
Corn Starch - 1/4 cup
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala Powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafetida - 1/4 tsp( less than that)
fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - one string
Cilantro - 2 tbs
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Color powder - A pinch
Oil for deep frying

Method

Wash the broccoli florets and slightly trim the stem.Dry the broccoli florets.

Mix gram flour ,Corn Starch , Curry leaves, Cilantro and spices together and little by little add water. Batter should not be too runny or too thick.

Now heat oil in a frying pan. Drop a little of batter if it comes up right away that means oil is perfect.

Dip each broccoli floret in the batter making sure it is coated from all sides and drop in hot oil. Fry them in small batches till they turn golden in color.

Drain on paper towel and Serve it hot!!!

Aloo Bonda / Potato Dumplings

 It was raining down from the skies; neither wasn’t pouring cats and dogs, it was a pleasant cold weather in the evening. So, thought of making some deep fried snacks. Today, I am coming with one of the famous dish Aloo bonda. Aloo Bonda's are balls of mashed lightly spiced potatoes dipped in chickpea flour and deep fried till golden brown. On a rainy evening this will taste heaven. Oh, it brings back many cherish memories. I remembered the rainy days in India; we used to buy it from the road side tea shops. Myself, my brother & sister used to have a tug of war to get more portion..

I wish there was someone to make this for me so I could enjoy them really hot…so hot that you’d have to huff and puff on them before you eat them and still manage to scald your tongue!

Ingredients
Potatoes - 4 ( boiled potatoes)
Green chilies – 1 or 2 finely chopped
Ginger – ½ tsp (grated)
Curry leaves – 1 string
Salt to taste
Asafetida -1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
Cilantro Leaves – 2 tbs finely chopped
oil -2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp

Other
Oil – as required, for deep-frying the bondas

For batter
Besan/Gram flour-1/4 cup
Rice Flour – 3 tbs
Salt to taste
Chili Powder -1/2tsp
Turmeric powder -1/4tsp
Asafetida -1/4 tsp
Baking soda – 2 pinch
Water – ½ cup

Method

In a bowl mix gram flour, Rice flour, turmeric, chili powder,asafetida,salt,Baking soda and water to make a thick batter..

Next, get the filling ready. Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds, when it pop add urad dal, asafetida, curry leaves, green chilies, ginger, turmeric & coriander powder. Stir well. Mash the pressure cooked potatoes and add them to the wok. Add salt, if you want, add coriander leaves also. When cool make the mixture into small balls.

Heat oil in the kada/wok, dip the balls one by one into the batter and deep fry them…Drain on paper towel..So the tasty potato bonda is ready to serve..Serve hot with chutneys or sauce ….

Home-made simple Potato chips

Potato Chips is a universal snack and its loved by people of all age group. This dish can be served as a appetizer, side dish or a snack. According to the traditional story the original potato chips was created in Saratoga Springs, New York, 1853. In the 20th century, potato chips spread beyond chef-cooked restaurant fare and began to be mass produced for home consumption. Potato chips are a predominant part of the snack food market in English-speaking countries and numerous other Western nations.
Now coming to my story, potato chips are my favourite and I was longing for a long time to make them at home. Yesterday was ekadhasi and in our tradition we fast from grains and beans on this particular day. So when I was thinking of making a nice snack without grains and beans, it suddenly stuck me why shouldn't I try to make some potato chips.I thought wow!!..thats a good idea. Although I had watched my mom making potato chips at home during my childhood day, I vaguely remembered the steps. So I googled and found how to make potato chips at home at videojug and was excited to experiment it. My experiments were fruitful.

Ingredients
Russet Potatoes- 2
Oil- 500 ml
salt for seasoning

Method:
Wash and peel the potatoes. Make thin even slices of the potatoes using a mandoline. If you don't have a mandoline, you could us a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to make thin slices. Pat them dry using a paper towel or line the slices in a cotton cloth and allow them to dry for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in deep pan. Drop the thin slices one by one and fry them on a low-medium heat. Use a slotted spoon to turn the potatoes slices frequently to make sure that the slices are cooked evenly. Once the potato starts turning brown and becomes crip, remove them from the oil using the slotted spoon and transfer it in to a plate with paper towel on it. Leave it for five to ten minutes and then season it with salt.

Healthy Sprout Salad Recipe

Salads are uniformly low in fat, full of vitamins and makes a perfect accompaniment to a variety of dishes. Sprout salad is a very refreshing and healthy salad. Dal when sprouted turn out to be sweeter and this combo goes well with any raw vegetables.
You can easily have it for breakfast and dinner, I can assure you it will keep you full and satisfied as it is quite tasty as well.

Ingredients

Mixed Sprouts - 2 cups
Carrot - 1 ( Cut them into small cubes)
Sweet Corn Kernels - 1/2cup ( Put it in hot water for 5 mins)
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Bell pepper - 1
Tomato - 1

Dressing
Lime Juice - 1 tbs
salt - Acc to taste
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Method

Take the mixed Sprouts in a bowl , followed by chopped carrot.
De seed the tomato and bell pepper and chop them into small cubes. Add the same into the bowl.
Remove the kernels from the water .Filter the water and add it in the bowl .
Add the roasted peanuts.
Give a good mix by adding salt and pepper.
Finally pour the lemon Juice mix well and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookies(eggless)

Ingredients
Unbleached white flour- 1 1/2 cup
BrownSugar- 1/2 cup
turbinado sugar- 1/4 cup
butter- 1/2 cup
Baking soda- 1 tsp
water/milk- 1 tbsp
grapeseed oil- 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
Chocolate chips- 1 cup

vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Method

• Beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy. 
• Add flour, baking soda, vanilla essence, salt and mix them well to get it into a dough consistency. 
• Fold in the chocolate chips
• Make small balls out of it and gently flatten it in between your palms and place them on a cookie sheet. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F and place it  in the oven and bake it for 12 mins. 
• Remove from the oven and cool it before serving.

Bread Pakora

Bread Pakora is tasty and delicious snack. This Pakora is stuffed with mashed potato, then dipped in besan batter and fried .You can even make a plain bread pakora just by dipping in the besan batter without stuffing too. One can experiment with the filling inside the bread by using paneer/cottage cheese, potato, cauliflower, cabbage, peas or combination of your favorite veggies. Here I have used grated potato. Bread Pakora is an easy snack and simple recipe to prepare when sudden guest come over to serve kids in the evening. Bread Pakora goes well with green chutney and tomato sauce.


Ingredients
Bread slices – 4

Besan Batter /Chick pea batter
Besan – ½ cup
Red chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
Amchur powder – 2 pinches
Garam Masala – ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Water for the batter


Stuffing
Potato – 3
Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Green chilies – ½ finely chopped
Ginger- Finely chopped (few pieces)
Red chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
Cilantro leaves - 2 tbs
Salt to taste

Method

Boil the potatoes; peel and mash the boiled potatoes. In a hot oil pan add cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, red chilli powder, coriander powder, smashed potatoes, salt, and cilantro. Fry it for 2 mins. The stuffing will become dry. Now take besan in a bowl, add salt, amchur powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and add little amount of water ( 1 ½ tbsp) and mix well to make a smooth paste. Now cut the edges of the bread and spread the potato mixture on the bread slices. Cover it with another bread slice. Cut the bread into four slices/ two slices. Heat the oil for deep frying. Take the prepared bread slices and put them in the oil. Fry them two sides till they turn golden brown in color.

Note: Popularly white bread is used, however brown bread can also be used.

Khandvi / Chickpea flour rolls

Khandvi is a delicacy from the Gujarati cuisine which is made of Chickpea flour (Gram flour).This can be served as a snack or a light fast food or as an appetizer. I learnt to make Khandvi from Srimurti Devi Dasi, who cooks amazing preparations for Their Lordships Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakdish, at Los Angeles ISKCON temple.


Ingredients
Khandvi
Gram flour/ Chickpea  flour- 1 cup
yogurt- 1 cup
water- 1 cup
Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
hing/ asafoetida- a pinch
green chilli- 1
ginger- 1 inch
salt to taste


Seasoning
Mustard- 1 tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Hing- 1/2 tsp
curry leaves- 1 string
shredded coconut- 3 tbsp
oil- 2-3 tsp


cilantro for garnishing

Preparation:
Shift the chickpea flour and mix it with yogurt, water, salt, turmeric powder, hing. Grind the green chilli and ginger to make a paste and add it to the chickpea flour yogurt mixture. Mix them well and make sure that no lumps are left. Pour the mixture in a heavy bottomed vessel and cook it on a medium flame stirring continuously to make sure that the paste doesn't burn at the bottom. Continue to cook until it becomes a thick paste and starts leaving the side of the vessel. Turn off the heat and with a spatula spread the paste immediately on a clean  flat surface evenly. Leave it for 5-6 minutes. Cut them vertically and roll them to desired size. To prepare the seasoning for khandvi, heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, sesame seeds. When the mustard seeds splutters add shedded coconut, curryleaves hing and turn of the heat and pour over the khandvis. Garnish with cilantro(coriander leaves). Serve them with Tamarind dates chutney and green chutney.


I'm dedicating this recipe to my mom for Mother's day. This is one of her favourite dish which she herself has never made at home and I learnt to make it. "Amma you have done so much to me for which I'm indebted". I dedicate this Khandvi dish to you as a token of love.


Sending this recipe to Mother's day event hosted by Panchpakwan

Cabbage Pakoda

Pakoda is usually served as a evening snack during winter along with a cup of herbal tea. The usual pakodas are cashew pakoda and cauliflower pakoda. Today am gonna share the recipe for cabbage pakoda.

Ingredients:

Cabbage -2 1/2 cup ( 2 inches length )

Besan flour - 3tbsp

Rice flour - 1 1/2 tbsp

Corn flour - 1 1/2 tbsp

Pakora Masala - 1/2tsp

Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida - 2 pinch

Orange food color - 1/4 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil for deep frying

Method

In a vessel add all the flours, pakora masala, chilli powder, turmeric, food color, asafoetida, salt then add the chopped cabbage. Mix well and sprinkle few drops of water. The flour should just stick to the cabbage. Heat oil in a wok.Take the mixture in the hand and sprinkle them on to the hot oil. Deep fry the pakodas. Crispy pakodas are ready to serve.

Note : Sprinkle very little water at one portion of the mixture and then mix completely.

Samosa

The samosa family is large and varied and spread across five continents. The limitless possibilities that the samosa offers — the opportunities to play with tastes and textures; size and seasonings, fragrances and fillings — has inspired cooks down the age. 

Samosa is considered as one of the popular snack not only in India but throughout the entire Indian sub-continent. It makes a great appetizer. Traditionally samosas are triangular or conical in shape. It consists of a shell,  made of all purpose flour, and a spicy filling usually made of potatoes and green peas and deep fried. There are wide varieties of filling for the samosas. In Bengal the samosas are filled with sweetened reduced milk. But whatever the fillings are- samosas are treasured snack and goes well with a cup of hot herbal tea.

My mom is an expert in making samosas. I learnt it from her. I made my samsoas with the routine potato filling.

Ingredients
Maida/ all purpose flour- 1 cup
Semolina/ sooji rava- 2 tbsp
oil- 2 tsp
salt to taste
warm water to knead the dough

Filling
Potatoes- 4
Green peas- 1 cup
green chillis- 4
Coriander powder- 2 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- 2 tsp
Amchur powder/ Dry mango powder-  1 1/2 tsp
 Jeera/ Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Cilantro (coriander leaves)- 2 tbsp

Oil to deep fry the samosas

Preparation

Mix the all purpose flour, water salt and oil and kneed it into a dough and allow it to stand for 15 minutes. 

Boil the potatoes and peel the skin and cut them in to small pieces.

Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add cumin seeds. When it breaks add the green chillies, corriander powder, amchur powder, garam masala and fry them for a minute and then add the green peas and saute it. When the green peas becomes tender add the potatoes and salt and saute it for 2 minutes. Remove it from the heat and garnish with cilantro leaves. Now the filling is ready. Allow it to cool for sometime. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium flame. Knead the dough nicely for 2 minutes and divide them into 8 equal balls. Roll each ball using a rolling ping of about 6 inch diameter and cut it into two equal halves. You would get 2 semicircles. Spread few drops of water on to the sides of the semicircle and fold it into a cone shape. Now stuff the cone with required amount of filling and close the cone by pressing the ends. Repeat the same steps for the remaining dough. Check the heat of oil by dropping a tiny bit of the dough in the oil. When the dropped bit comes up on to the  surface of the oil slowly then consider that as the correct heat for frying the samosas. Now fry the samosas slowly on a medium flame until golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce or dates- tamarind chutney or coriander chutney.

Note: Samosas should be fried on a low medium flam. When it is fried on a high flame the inner layer of the patties doesn't cook well.

Gobi 65/ Fried Cauliflower/Cauliflower Pakoda

Fried Cauliflower is a dry recipe. I often prefer to take it as a evening snack or as a side dish for roti. Here comes my husband's favorite.. the lip smacking Cauliflower dry !!!!:-). Its easy to make and does not take much time to do if you have all the ingredients.

Ingredients

Cauliflower - 1 clean and cut into small florets
Corn flour - 4 tbs

Rice flour - 6 tbs

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Ginger Paste - 1 tsp

Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Pepper Powder - 2 pinch

Asafoetida - a pinch ( Optional)

Lime Juice - 2 drops

Orange food coloring - 1/4 tsp

Salt - Acc to taste

Oil - for frying 

Method:

In a vessel of water put the cauliflower florets and add some salt and boil it for 15 minutes. Drain the water completely by using sieve. Shift the boiled cauliflower into a bowl and add the corn flour, rice flour, ginger paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, asafoetida, salt (as per taste) orange food coloring ,lime juice,toss well in the bowl. If need sprinkle very little water in the bowl. Refrigerate it for some time (may be half an hour). Heat oil in a deep frying pan and take the marinated florets from the fridge and deep fry in the heat oil in medium to high fame till golden color.

Note: Asafoetida gives nice aroma. Pepper and lemon juice can be sprinkled on the cauliflower dry while serving. In the heat oil pan add the florets one by one because if you add so much it may stick together.

Pav Bhaji- Juhu Chowpatty style / Bread with spicy curry

Pav Bhaji is a very popular fast food in India. It is a Maharashtrian dish. Pav means bread in Marati and Bhaji means curry. Juhu is a suburb in Mumbai famous for beach, food stall and ISKCON temple. It is the hot and favourite destination for the tourists visiting Mumbai. I adopted this recipe from a food stall at Juhu called Chandan Laxmi Pav Bhaji food stall and have made it without onion and garlic. Pav Bhaji can be consumed as a snack, in between lunch and dinner. This is also party favourite.

Ingredients:
Pav bread - 8 
Potatoes- 2
Tomatoes- 3
Carrot- 2
capsicum- 1/4 cup (chopped)
ginger- 1 inch
Peas - 1/2 cup
Kasuri methi (dry methi leaves)- 1 tbsp
Pav Bhaji masala- 1 tbsp
Kashmiri mirch powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric- a pinch
Hing- a pinch
salt to taste
Butter- 1 1/2 tbsp for bhaji
Butter reqired quantity to toast the Pav bread
Lemon- small wedge
Cilantro (corriander leaves) for garnishing
Water

Preparation:

Boil and mash the potatoes. Boil the carrots and green peas. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a pan. Add a pich of hing, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger, pav bhaji masala and fry them for a minute in low flame. Add the tomatoes and fry them until they become tender. Add little water to avoid the tomatoes sticking to the pan. Now fry the capsicum until they become tender. Now add the mashed potatoes and boiled carrots and peas and add little water. Mash them well so that the vegetables loses their identity in the curry. Allow them to cook for sometime. Add kasuri methi. Garnish with cilantro. Heat a flat pan and add little butter and Pav bhaji masala and cilantro leaves. Slit the pav bread horrizontally and spread it on the flat pan so that the butter mixed with masala gets spread on the Pav Bread. Serve the hot pav bread with bhaji with 1/2 tbsp of butter and a wedge of lemon.

Note: Pav Bhaji masala is a special blend of spices similar to garam masala which is available in Indian grocery stores. I used Badshah Bombay Bhaji Pav masala.