Grilled Vegetable Skewers

Grilling is often considered to be a healthy way of eating since it uses less cooking oil.Usually different types of meat are used. I have tried vegetables for grilling. Its always good to pick firm vegetables. If not they tend to  fall of from the skewers especially after marination. You can use your choice of vegetables. Panner(Indian cheese) also can be included.

I have used 1zucchini, 2carrots, 1 broccoli bunch, 2 red potatoes, 1 white onion  and 3 different colored bell peppers. Cut the vegetables in sizes(cubes,crowns and thick round slices) that can be skewered in.
I marinated the vegetable for 1 hr.

Ingredients for Marination
Curd - 1 tbsp
sour cream - 1 tbsp
turmeric pdr - 1/2 tsp
coriander and cumin pdr - 1 tsp
chat masala pdr or garam masala pdr - 1tsp
pepper pdr to your taste
salt to your taste


Method
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Add the cut vegetables to the marinate. Mix them and keep it aside closed for 45mts to 1 hr.
After one hour skewer  the vegetables. You can grill them on a grill.
If you do not have one use your oven. Preheat the oven at 375 degress. Arrange the vegetables on aluminium foil covered pan or iron skillet. Spray cooking oil so that it does not stick to the foil or the pan. Cook it for 30 to 35 mts. When it is 3/4 th cooked turn the oven to broil for 7-10 minutes.
Ovens can differ. Please check in between.
You can squeeze lemon juice before serving.

Veggie Kothu Parotta

Kothu Parotta is a road side delicacy. You can see them make it in what they call Thattu Kadai. They make it in an iron griddle coated with oil and mince it with an iron spatula very similar to meat masher. It is usually prepared with egg and meat.

Here I made an attempt to make it with vegetables and Malabar Parotta.

Malabar Parotta is a layered flat bread prepared with Maida and oil.I used the recipe for Malabar Parotta from My Treasure...My pleasure. It took me 4 to 5 times at least to come close to getting layers. Try it by using half of the ingredients. But you can always use it for kottu parotta since we are any way going to shred the parotta.

Frozen Parotta also works well. If parottas are unavailable try making it with plain parathas. It comes out good too.

Necessary items

Malabar Parotta/Plain Paratha - 6-8 in nos.( Shred them with your hands)

Onion - 1(cut long)

Green pepper, Red Pepper - 1 each(cut long)

Tomato - 1 (cut long)

Carrot - 1 _(Scraped)

Garlic - 4-5 cloves(dice them really small)

Turmeric pdr, Chilli pdr, Coriander pdr - 1 tsp each

Green chillies - 2 (cut long)

Tomato paste - 1 tsp

cumin seeds - 1tsp

Chaat masala - 1tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

salt to taste

Curry leaves - 3-4 in nos.

coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Heat oil in an iron skillet or a non stick pan. Keep the heat in medium.
2. Season with cumin seeds and curry leaves.
3. When the cumin seeds pops add chopped onions and green chillies.Fry them until light brown.
4. Add green pepper, red pepper,carrot, tomato and garlic paste. Fry until the raw smell goes away .
5. Then add turmeric pdr, coriander pdr, chilli pdr, chaat masala and salt. Fry them for couple of minutes.
6. Add the shredded Malabar parotta/ plain paratha.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Easy Samosa Chaat with left overs

When ever I have samosas and chole left overs from dinner parties this a favorite evening snack in my house for the next day. The recipe serves 2 people.

Necessary items

Cocktail Samosas -- 10 nos. or Regular Samosas - 4 nos.

Left over chole/channa curry - 1 cup

Onion - 1 (cut it into small pieces)

Tomato - 1(cut it into small pieces)

Coriander chutney and Tamarind date chutney(store bought)

Amchur powder

Chaat Powder

Yougurt - 1/2 cup

Sev for garnish(if you have it)

Coriander leaves for garnish

How to arrange them in a bowl

1. Since the samosas are already fried keep them in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 300 degree F.
2. Heat up the chole also in the microvave.
3. Take a bowl. Add the samosas in the bottom. Add the chole/channa curry over it. Keep it for couple of minutes so that the chole soaks in the samosas.
4. Add coriander and tamarind date chutney as per your taste.
5. Garnish it with cut onion, tomato, yogurt, amchur powder, chaat powder sev and coriander leaves.

NanKhatai(Indian Biscuits)

This is usually served with tea in India.

This is an eggless butter cookie liked equally

by young and old.

When I was small this used to be one

of my favorite summer project with my mom.

Those days we used to have the aluminum electric round oven that has a glass lid on the top.

I would check the oven every 2 minutes and see how it expands and lightly brown on the bottom. I was telling my kids this story and they wanted to do the same thing with me. Kids had so much fun making them and they were very proud of the final product.

I have made some variations in this recipe to suit kid's likings.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 3 cups

Butter - 1 cup(room temperature)

Sugar - 1 cup

baking pdr - 2 tsp

baking soda - 1 tsp

cardamom pdr - 1tsp

cocoa pdr - 2 tbsp

pistachio (ground) - 1 cup

cashew , almond - few for decorating

Strawberry/peach jam for decorating

Method

1. In a bowl mash the butter with a spatula. Add the sugar and make it into a paste by stirring for 8-10 minutes.
2. Then add the flour,baking powder and baking soda and mix well. The dough should not be too soft.
3. Divide the dough into 3 different portions.
4. Add vanilla essence to one portion.
5. Add cocoa powder to the next portion.
6. Add cardamom and 1/2 of the ground pistachio to the 3rd portion.
7. Roll the dough into small balls. Flatten them in your palm.
8. Decorate them with dipping them in ground pistachio or cashew or jam in the center.
9. Make a small ball of white and cocoa dough. Combine them to make desired pattern.
10. Take a cookie sheet. Spread parchment paper and put the cookies 2 inches apart.
11. Preheat the oven to 310 degree fahrenheit. Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes in the oven. Keep an eye since oven can vary. The cookie is done when you can see light brown color on the bottom of the cookie.
12. Take it out and keep it for cooling before tasting and storing.

Crisp Potato Rounds

Ingredients

Potatos – 2
Bread crumbs(seasoned )– 1 cup
salt
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Pressure cook the potatoes adding salt.
2. Peel and mash it well.
3. Add the bread crumbs and and mix well.
4. Make it into small balls. Prick the center with a toothpick.
5. Deep fry in hot oil.

Kuzhiappam

The English like to have tea with scones . But we Indians eat with some hot snack like samosa,bajji or may be 2 britania biscuits.
But today I decided to make kuzhiappam. It was cold and rainy today. Though I am not a noon nap person today I felt like taking one. I got up around 3 pm feeling little cold. My husband was working from home. When I opened the fridge to take milk for tea I saw some dosa batter.
Immediately I remembered my days with my parents. My father would always ask my mom to make kuzhiappam(we call sometimes it moorappam) on rainy weekeends. She would make crispy appam and we would enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee.
So back to the present I also decided to make them. Me and my husband enjoyed it with a cup of tea sitting in our deck , starring at the pouring rain. So here I am sharing it with you.

For kuzhiappam

Dosa batter(3-4 days old) – 2 cups
Rice flour – 1 tsp
Onion – 1 small
Green chillies – 1
Ginger – small piece
Pepper(whole) – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil for frying

Cut the onions,greenchillies and ginger finely. Coarsely powder the pepper.

Add the above,cumin seeds and rice flour to the dosa batter. The batter should not be too liquid. Add a pinch of salt also to this. Mix well.

Pour oil in the appakkaral. When it is hot pour the batter . Let both sides become light brown and cook. Take it out out put it on tissue paper so that the oil is all absorbed.

For Tea

Boil 2 cups water add 1 tsp tea leaves. Crush a small piece of ginger , 2 cardamoms and 3 tsp sugar(as your taste) to the boiling tea. Off the heat, Close the tea pot and let it stand for 5 mnts . Warm ½ cup milk and add this to the tea water. Strain it. Enjoy it with your favourite snack.

Aloo Bonda

Ingredients

Gits pakoda packet - 1
Potatoes - 3
Green chillis - 2
ginger - small piece
musturd seeds - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
oil - 1 tsp
curry leaves -2-3
turmetic pdr - a pinch
salt to taste
lemon juice from half lemon
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Pressure cook the potatoes adding salt and turmeric pdr . Peel the skin and mash it.
2. In a pan add 1 tsp oil. Add musturd seeds and cumin seeds. When it pops add curry leaves, crushed green chillis and ginger . Add the potatoes. Add lemon juice to it. If necessary add more salt. Mix it well.
3. Make it into small balls.
4. Add required quantity of water specified in the gits packet to the flour ad make a semi solid batter.
5. Dip the potatoes in the batter and deep fry it.

Dahi Puri Chaat

Chaat is very popular through out india Today though it originated in northIndia. Popular types include Bhel puri,Pani puri,Sev puri,Dahi puri,Papdi chaat. It is had as an appetizer now a days before food. Being from Kerala we never used to get chaat when i was small. When ever we go to Bombay for vacation my uncles would take me and my cousins to Chaoupatti Beach to have some variety of Chaat. Each of us will order a different variety and share so we get to eat all of them. It used to be a treat go for noon show, play in the water, going merrygo round and have chaat before going home.


Ingredients

For Puri

Maida(All pourpose flour) - 1cup
Suji rava - 1/2 cup
urad flour - 1/2 cup
soda - a pinch
salt - 1/2 tsp
oil for deep frying

Method
Mix all the ingredients and knead well.
Keep it closed in a wet cloth. After 1 hr make them into small balls.
Roll them into small puris with a rolling pin.
Deep fry in oil. The puris should puff up.









When they cool store it in an air tight container.

Other Ingredients

Potatos(boiled and peeled) - 2
onion cut finely - 1 cup
curd(lightly beaten) - 1cup
Sev - 1 cup
coriander chutney
tamarind chutney
coriander leves
chaat masala - 2 tsp
redchillipdr - 1/2 tsp

Method

Crumble the potatoes with hand.
Mix the chat pdr and redchilli pdr.
Poke whole in the center of the puri.
Put little potatoes.
Add 1/2 tsp coriander and tamaind chutney.
Then 1/2 tsp curd.
Garnish with onions,sev and coriander leaves.Sprinkle the chaat and redcilli mix on top.

Ulundu Vadai

Ingredients

Urad dal - 1 cup
Grrenchilli - 2
curry leaves- 3-4
coarse pepper powder- 1tsp
soda - a pinch(optional)
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method

1. Soak 1 cup urud dal in sufficient amt of water for 1 hour
2. Grind into a thick and fine adding very little water .
3. Add a pinch of soda, 2-3 chopped green chillies, 1 tsp coarsely powdered black pepper, a bunch of curry leaves and mix well.
4. Add salt just before preparing the vadai so that it does not become watery.
5. On a plastic paper apply oil place a ball of this and flatten it by hand. Put a hole in the center. Wet your hands lightly each time you do this
6. Deep fry this in oil and turn over until the vada turns golden brown.

Onion Pakora

Ingredients

Onion – 2
Redchilli pdr – 1 tsp(to your taste)
Cuminpdr -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Asafeotida a pinch
Besan -1 cup
Rice flour-2 tsp
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Cut the onions into small pieces and Add all the other ingredients to it. Add little water to bind it all together.
2. Keep oil in frying pan.When smoke starts to come, pinch small pakoras into the oil and deep fry it. Turn the heat to medium.Put it in a paper towel after frying so that excess oil settles in it.
3. Serve it with Coriander or dates chutney or ketchup.

Ragada Patties

Ingredients

For the Patties

Potatoes – 3 potatoes
Peas – 1 small cup
Bread crumbs- 1 small cup
Semolina(rava)-2tbsp
Chilli pdr to taste
Salt to Taste
Oil for frying

For Ragada

White Peas-1 cup
Onions- 1 large
Green Chillies-2
Oil/ghee-2tbsp
Coriander seeds (Dhania)- 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds ( sounf)- 1 teaspoon
2 inch Cinnamon pieces
3 Cardamoms
6 Garlic petals
1/2 inch piece of Ginger
Handful of Fresh green Cilantro (Coriander) leaves chopped finely.
Two pinches Asafoetida (Hing)
tamarind –lemon sizes(take the juice)

Method

For Ragada

1. Soak the white peas overnight.
2. Cook them in the Pressure cooker.
3. Cut the onions and fry it in 1 tsp oil/ghee.Add green chillies,garlic, ginger,Dhania seeds, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cardamoms, garlic petals
4. Allow the above mixture to cool, and then grind it to a smooth paste adding the tamarind juice for the gravy.
5. Heat a little oil in the pan, add finely cut onion and asafoetida ,fry it and add the ground paste, and the cooked white peas. Add little water. Add salt to taste and coriander leaves. Your ragada is ready. Now make the patties.

For Patties

1. Boil the peas and potatoes( peel them) adding salt and mash them .
2. Add oil in a hot pan and add chilli pdr,mashed peas and potatoes ,Bread crumbs,Semolina(rava) and mix it well.
3. Knead the mixture to form a dough-like ball.
4. Make 8-10 equal portions (balls) of the above mixture, and flatten them by hand to form the pattties.
5. In a hot tawa brush some oil and start putting the patties.pour some oil over each patties and shallow fry them when one side is golden brown turn to the other side and fry till it turns golden brown.You can press the patty every now and then with a flat spatula..The rawa and bread crumbs will make it crispy outside.

The patties can be deep fried in hot oil also.

While serving, Put the patties in the bowl, and then put ragada on it. You may add Tamarind Chutney ,Coriander Chutney,lightly beaten curd,finely cut onion and cilantro to it for making it more tasty.