Alu Patties

It was Divu's Pizza Party before his school reopened. Divu is my 6 year old friend. So there was no way I could miss this party. There were 4 more friends of his along with their moms'. The party was in full swing with these lil monsters running all over the house. Toys were all over the place with little or no place to walk. One could hear intermittent fights about sharing toys and about deciding which game they wanted to play. The girls tried to boss over the guys and these boys refused to listen ..... guess that's how it is everywhere !!

Anju (Divu's mom) was busy in the kitchen preparing pizza ...... sorry let me correct myself. She was busy preparing customized pizza for everyone. The kids demanded cheese pizza .... that was the perfect time when they could escape their mom's feeding them with any green stuff. Mom's were no less demanding ..... including myself. I wanted one topped with bell peppers, mushroom and onion with extra cheese.

But when it was time for 'Alu patties', everybody jumped in. We all made a bee line at the table to grab one. They were baked to perfection. That was the only time when the all the noise subsided and everyone was busy eating. But this was not for long. The kids went back playing and fighting. And mom's got busy asking the recipe for 'Alu Patties'. I made my trip to Anju's kitchen to grab my custom pizza.

Alu Patties are perfect for parties and get together. They are hassle free to prepare and you can never go wrong with them. Thanks Divu for the invite :-)

Preparation Time 30 minutes
Serves - 4

Ingredients
Puffs Pastry Sheet - 1 packet
Boiled Patoto - 3-4
Finely chopped Onions -1 Cup
Red Chilli powder per taste
Turmeric powder per taste
Salt per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method of Preparation

Thaw the Puff Pastry sheets for 30-40 minutes before
making the patty in room temperature. Thawing time also depends
upon the room temperature.

1 Mash the Boil Potato .
In a pan heat oil and sauté the onions and add turmeric, chilly powder and salt.
2 Mix the mashed potato and keep the prepared filling aside.
3 Set the oven to 400 degrees F.
4 Lay the Pastry sheets flat. If the sheets are thawed too much and becomes little sticky, use the all purpose flour
or maida to dust your hands a little.
5 Cut the single pastry sheet in small 9 squares. (So out of 1 packet you will be able to make 18 patties).
6 In the middle of the square put 1tbsp filling and fold the pastry square from middle in triangle shape.
7 Seal the ends of the filled triangles by applying little pressure on the edges.
8 Lay the filled triangles on the greased baking tray.
9 Once the oven is preheated to 400 degree, put the baking tray in oven and bake the patties for 12-15 minutes. Make sure to flip the patties in between so that they are evenly baked from both sides.
Serving Tips
Serve hot as snacks/starters or as breakfast . Serve with tomato sauce, chilly sauce or green chutney.
Variation
You may add green peas along with potato to make it more healthier. You may make any filling of your choice. Also you may egg wash them before baking them. This gives a nice golden color to it.
Other Names
All purpose flour/Maida, Green Chutney/Coriander sauce/cilantro sauce.

Mushroom 65

I flung open the refrigerator door ........ took a quick glance and banged the door close. Then walked back lazily and picked up the TV remote. Switched on the damn television, Chanel 29 - Food Network. Ina Garten was stirring a whole slab of butter and flour. Looked liked if she had just a day to live she would spend it eating butter. Can one really eat so much butter ...... may be yes but surely not me. Walked back to the kitchen ....... this time opened the fridge door gently. Again stared into it thinking what to prepare. The fridge looked like a black hole to me. Screaming from the kitchen I asked J 'What should I prepare for dinner?' Prompt came the answer, 'Anything that you want to prepare, I am fine'. I murmured to myself ' For that matter I don't want to prepare anything'. Disgusted and confused I picked up this packet of button mushrooms not knowing their fate .... curry/ fry / soup ...... god knows what !! Pull my laptop out and search for mushroom recipes. Plenty of them to confuse me.

Walk back to the kitchen counter and start chopping the mushrooms. How about replacing mushrooms with chicken and trying the recipe for Chicken 65. Well it's my kitchen and I have all the rights to experiment. Sometimes I pity J making him the guinea pig . But isn't marriage all about adjusting . Thankfully not this time. Mushroom 65 was a hit ...... J and I relished it to the last bite.

Moral ......... It's your kitchen so do not fear to experiment ..... especially when you have an adorable husband :-D

Other Interesting incidents during the making of Mushroom 65

J made a 100 trips to the kitchen once the aroma of garlic was in the air. Sometimes he gave me his expert advice on how to prepare mushroom ........ which I didn't follow.

I dished out the mushroom to a plate and hurried to grab the camera. Click Click Click .......photographs look ok ...... not great. Run back to the sofa with this spicy mushroom 65. Dig into it. This time the TV is not switched on for a change. The concentration is 100% on food.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Button Mushroom - 1/2 pound

Minced Garlic - 1 tbsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilie Powder - 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1 pinch

Curry Leaves - few

Chili Garlic Sauce - 1/2 tbsp

Corn Starch - 1/2 cup

Salt per taste

Oil for frying

Method of preparation

1 Detach the stem from the mushroom. Cut into four pieces.

2 Make a thick batter of corn starch. Add little bit of salt and red chili powder to it. Dip the mushrooms in this batter. Heat oil and fry the coated mushrooms. Remove to a paper towel and keep aside.

3 In another pan drizzle some oil. When warm add the minced garlic to it. Saute for a minute. Add curry leaves, cumin powder, red chili powder and pepper powder and fry for a minute.

4 Add the fried mushrooms to it and give it a rough stir.

5 Finally add the chili garlic sauce and stir to coat the mushrooms well. If needed sprinkle a little amount of water.Remove to a serving dish.

Serving Tips

Serve warm

Notes

Do not over fry the mushrooms. Make sure the batter is not watery else it won't form a coat on the mushroom.

Variation

You may add spring onions to this recipe.

Other Names

Mushroom 65 - Spicy mushroom fry, Cumin - Jeera,

Gobi Manchurian

The kids love her and so do the kids at heart ! She is every body's favorite .... she is Anju Aunty. Always ready to throw pizza parties for the kids .... well mom's are also invited ! Did I also mention that she is my 'Chai' Partner. Always full of energy, she is a great friend to hang out with.

She was super excited when she heard about my guest recipe corner. But ..... she was the last one to share the recipes (hope she doesn't kill me for this).

Trust me her chinese specials are finger licking good. Thank you Anju for being being such a wonderful friend. You are such a darling !

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Cauliflower Florets medium size - 12

All purpose flour - ½ Cup

Corn starch - 1 cup

Crushed Garlic - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped Onions - 1 Cup

Soya Sauce - ½ tsp

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Red Chili sauce - 1 tbsp

Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp

Red dried whole chillies - 2

Ajinomoto - 1 pinch

Red or orange food color - 1 pinch

Crushed Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Salt per taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1 Cut the cauliflower in medium size florets. Wash and drain the florets properly.

2 Mix All purpose flour, corn starch, salt and food color.Slowly add water to make a thick batter.

3 Heat the oil for frying.

4 Coat the Cauliflower florets individually with above batter and deep fry them on medium heat till they are crispy. Keep the fried florets aside.

5 In a big Pan heat oil on high. Put whole chillies in hot oil for the spicy aroma. Now put the crushed garlic in the oil .After 1 min put the chopped Onions.

6 When Onions are little translucent put Ajinomoto salt, black pepper, soya sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce and tomato sauce in the fried mixture and mix it properly.

7 Add the fried florets in the above fried mixture so that florets are properly coated with the masala.

8 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serving Tips

Serve hot as snacks/starters

Variation

You may use Broccoli instead of cauliflower to make it more healthier.Add crushed pepper per taste.

Other Names

Ajinomoto - Chinese salt, All purpose flour - Maida, Coriander leaves - Cilantro

Chili Garlic Shrimp

If you are feeling lazy but still want to have something that makes your taste buds happy and also makes you feel no guilty about having a high fat/ calorie food ,here is the perfect recipe. You can prepare this for your guests when entertaining and make it look like you sweated it out !!

So for all the lazy souls hanging around, here is a yummy seafood starter.

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Shrimp - 1/2 pound (15 in number - mid sized ones)

Capsicum - 1 Small

Onion - 1 Small

Garlic - 6 Cloves

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Green Chilli - 2

Crushed Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Soy Sauce - 3 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Green Chili Sauce - 2 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Ajinomotto - 1 pinch (optional)

Method of Preparation

1 De vein and clean the shrimps. Cut the Capsicum and Onion into small cubes. Finely chop ginger and garlic. Slit the green chillis into halves. Keep aside.

2 Take 2 cups of water in a vessel and put the cleaned and de veined shrimps into it. Add a pinch of salt to it. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Once the shrimps start turning orange and opaque remove and drain the water.( I prefer boiling the shrimps to frying it as it gives the same flavor without compromising the taste and of course being healthy with no fat )

3 In a non stick skillet or frying pan put 3 tsp of oil. When the oil is hot put the slit green chillis and chopped garlic and ginger. Add capsicums to it and stir fry for 5 minutes.Then put the onions and saute till translucent.

4 Add the boiled shrimps to it. To this add all your sauces and stir fry on high heat for 3 - 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and ajinomotto.

Remove to a dish and garnish with chopped corrinader leaves.

Chilli Garlic Shrimps are ready to tickle your taste buds.

Serving Tips

Enjoy this dish as a stand alone starter. You can also have it as a side dish with noodles or chinese fried rice.

Notes

Chinese dishes taste great when cooked on medium - high heat flame. So make sure you stir it at regular intervals.Steam the capsicum in the microwave for 2-3 minutes before you fry them. This will reduce your cooking time.

Variations

Use yellow/ red capsicum for a colorful look.

If you are a vegetarian, try the same thing with paneer. But make sure that you add the paneer towards the end and give it a smooth stir to avoid breaking it.

Also try this with fish fillets. It turns out great !

If you like very spicy food, add a tsp of chilli garlic sauce. And if you like less spicy then add a tsp of tomato ketchup. It sweetens it a bit.

Other Names

Capsicum - Bell Peppers, Green Chillis - Jalepeno, Coriander leaves - Dhaniya patta.

Poha Cutlets

It was Ridhi's Birthday and Neetu had prepared cutlets for starters. I had a bite and kept wondering what those cutlets were made of. Could never think of Poha cutlets !! They tasted great. She had promised to share this secret recipe with me soon.

Two days back I got a call from Neetu. She invited me to catch up with her with my favorite cutlets.

I enjoyed eating every bite ..... I hope you will enjoy preparing and eating these cutlets as much as I did.

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Serves - 4
Ingredients
Soaked Poha - 2 cups
Boiled Potato - 4
Bread Slices - 4
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Green Chili - 4
Ginger - 2 inch
Chopped Cilantro - 1/3 cup
Semolina for rolling
Salt per taste
Oil for frying
Method of Preparation
1 Mash the boiled potatoes. Grate the ginger. Finely chop chilies. Moisten the bread slices with little water.
2 In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients (Soaked Poha + Mashed Potatoes + Bread slices + grated ginger + chopped chilies + chopped cilantro + lemon juice + salt)
3 Knead all the ingredients to form a dough.
4 Pinch out small balls and roll them into your desired shapes.
5 Roll them on Semolina.
6 Heat oil in a kadhai. When hot, deep fry the cutlets.
7 Fry till golden brown. Remove to a paper towel.
Serving Tips
Serve hot with your choice of sauce or chutney.
Notes
Make sure the poha is well soaked in water till soft. Drop a small ball into hot oil first. If it breaks then add some corn flour to bind it. (It will only break if there is excess moisture).
Variation
You may add red chilie powder instead of chopped green chilies. Add kasuri methi as an alternative to coriander leaves.
Rolling on semolina only adds to the texture and is optional.
Other Names
Poha - Beaten Rice, Semolina - Suji, Coriander - Cilantro

Daal Masala Vada

The sky turned grey and I heard the pitter patter of the rain drops. As I looked through the window, I saw the lush green trees swinging to music of the rain.
I decided to make something before J was back in the eve and set the table for a cozy rainy eve.It was the perfect time for a hot cup of ginger tea and a spicy snack over some chit chat.
Preparation Time 30minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Split Yellow Chana Daal - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 Cup finely chopped
Green Chilis - 4
Curry Leaves - few
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4 cloves
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method of Preparation
1 Soak Chana Daal for 30 minutes
2 Coarsely grind the Chana Daal along with green chilis,curry leaves, ginger and garlic.Make sure you dry grind it.
3 Mix with finely chopped onions
4 Add Salt to the batter and mix well.
5 Heat oil in a Kadhai on medium- high heat.
6 Make small patties from the Daal Batter and deep fry till cooked.
Serving Tips
Serve Hot. Sprinkle some Chat Masala on the Vada. Serve with Tomato Ketchup and Chili Sauce.It is a great snack with hot tea/coffee.
Notes
Ensure that you do not make the batter watery, else it will not bind to form patties. In case the batter is little watery,add gram flour(besan) to correct the consistency.
Variation
Add Cumin and Corriander powder to the batter if you wish.
Other Names
Masala Vada - Daal Vada/ Piaji.

Baigani ......... Eggplant Fritters

There is a big tamarind tree opposite our house. One of my favorite pass time was staring at that tree for hours. I would look at it and my imagination would take a flight of fantasy. Many a times that tree would look like a big black monster .... the huge trunk representing the face and the branches looked like unkept hair !! It was home to many birds ..... every year I would see a lot of cranes and crows making their nest there. Some how I never got bored staring at it..... I could do that for hours.

One evening when I was in my world of fantasy ......... I was woken up by a loud voice. My mother was asking me to run to the terrace to pick up the washed clothes from the cloth line. The sky had turned grey and there was a mild cool breeze. It could rain any time. I hurried towards the terrace like an obedient child and started picking the clothes. It had begun to drizzle. I handed over the clothes to my mother and ran towards the veranda. I didn't want to miss watching the rain. Pitter Patter ..... it had started to come down and the aroma of the parched earth had spread every where. Sooner the small water droplets had turned into big blobs .... there were tiny winy rainbows on each water bubble before they bursted in a fraction. I climbed on the big cane chair on our veranda .... and sat there watching the downpour.Like the tamarind tree this chair was also permanent ..... I had never seen anyone move it around.

The birds on the tree continued their loud chattering ..... I thought they were getting uncomfortable with the sudden downpour or may be their mothers were yelling at the disobedient ones asking them to get inside the nests. My imagination took wings till I saw some kids from our neighbourhood come out on the roads with umbrellas, splashing water at each other and jumping into small puddles of water. They talked loudly as they walked past our house. I felt jealous of them and wondered how liberal and good their parents were !!

I went inside and carefully pulled out an old newspaper from the pile. I started making paper boats and was waiting for an opportunity to float them. Just to my rescue there was someone who came to our house with an umbrella. He had come to visit my grandpa.

I noticed everyone inside the house were busy. It was a golden opportunity for me. I took his umbrella and sneaked out of the veranda into our garden. I too jumped in the small puddles trying to imitate the kids who had walked past and rowed my paper boats. But moments of happiness don't last long.I had to hurry back. Else I was afraid mom would hold me by my ears and drag me inside !

I scurried back to my favorite spot and started watching the family of birds chattering away. I saw my mother walk up to me with a plate of Baigani. She looked concerned seeing me a little wet. She held me softly and ruffled my wet hair as I munched the fritters with some ketchup.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Chopped Eggplant - 3 cups

Gram Flour - 1/2 cup

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1 Cut Eggplant into thin long slices. Wash and keep aside.

2 Sprinkle salt, red chili powder and coriander powder on them.

3 Add the Gram Four over it. Sprinkle some water to make a thick batter that sticks around the Eggplant pieces.

4 Heat oil in a kadhai. Drop the Eggplants and fry till cooked.

Serving Tips

Serve hot with your choice of ketchup

In Odisha, people eat by mixing puffed rice

Variations

You may prepare a batter of gram four separately and dip the eggplant and then fry.

To make it more crunchy, add some rice flour.

Other Names

Baigani - Bringjal Fritters, Eggplant Fritters, Eggplant - Bringjal/ Baingan ,Coriander - Dhania

Chat Pat Papdi

How was your weekend ? I intermittently got on the internet to see what was cooking in the kitchen of my fellow bloggers. There were a whole variety of things ..... everything drool worthy. I just looked at the pictures and wondered if I could eat out of it. I got a little over excited and motivated seeing the variety of food from my lovely blogger friends.
I too wanted to prepare something different ....... Pani Puris crossed my mind ! I got on the internet to check the recipe for it. I remarked 'Oh this is so easy, I can make it' !! It was not until I rolled the puri's out and put them in the oil. The first one didn't puff up ....... 'May be the oil needed to be more hot' I thought as I waited for some more time to place the second one. The Puris' refused to pop up ....... May be one in every 5 Puri would Pop up. I would jump like a kid, for that was a moment of achievement for me !! But I am not the kind of person who would accept defeat ...... If not Pani Puri, it can be something else !! How about chat pat Papdi ........ does this name sound fancy enough to make you drool !!
Preparation Time - 60 minutes
Makes - 30
Ingredients
For the Papdi ( I wish I could write Puris :) )
Semolina - 1/2 cup
All Purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Warm water for kneading
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
For Stuffing
Boiled Mashed Potatoes
Cumin Powder
Curd
Chat Masala
Salt
Sugar
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Onions
Sev - Store bought
(I am not writing the specific amount for the ingredients for the stuffing as you can eye ball it.)
Method of Preparation
1 Mix Semolina and All Purpose Flour in a bowl. Add salt. Add 2 tsp oil. Use warm water to prepare a soft dough. Keep it covered with a moist cheese cloth for 20 minutes before rolling out.
2 Pinch out a ball of the dough and roll it to a flat bread like shape. Take a sharp edge bottle cap and cut out small puris (papdis) from it.
3 Heat Oil in a Kadhai. When hot drop them and fry till golden brown.
For the stuffing
Mix cumin powder, salt and chat masala to the mashed potato as per taste. In another bowl take some yogurt and mix cumin powder and chat masala. Stuff the potatoes into these papdi's. Drizzle yogurt on it. Garnish with chopped onions, cilantro and sev.
Serving Tips
Serve as an evening snack or a starter.
Notes
Don't get disappointed if something doesn't turn up the way you wished (like my Puri's). Instead make best use of what you get :)
Variation
Choose your own stuffing. I would be glad to get suggestions from my readers for this.

Fish Croquettes

How was your weekend ? We (myself n J) went to the beach, made sand castles, collected conches and pebbles, played frisbe ,read a book,listened to our favorite music ......... overall our weekend was great !!

It was wonderful taking a break from the routine life. These sweet nothings of life bring us so much joy.And celebrations are incomplete without great food and drinks. I prepared fish croquettes and it was a terrific combination with some great wine. Now I am fully rechared ready to begin another week.
Preparation Time - 60 minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Fish Fillets - 2 Medium size
Potato - 1 Big
Semolina - 1 tsp
Corn Flour - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 3
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Finely Chopped Onion - 1/2 cup
Egg white of 1 egg
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Salt per taste
Oil for frying
Method of Preparation
1 Wash the fish fillets and wipe dry (I used Tilapia). In a non stick pan fry the fish for 2 minutes for each side (Till the meat looks opaque and white). Keep aside and let it cool. Crumble the fish using a fork.
2 Boil and mash the potato.Finely chop the green chillies.
3 In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients (fish+potato+salt+egg white+chopped onions+ginger garlic paste+garam masala + green chillies+semolina+corn flour) to form a dough like thing.
4 Pinch out small portions and give it a desired shape.
5 Take some semolina and spread it on a dry plate. Roll the pinched out portions on the semolina.
6 Heat oil in a kadhai or deep bottom pan. When hot, deep fry the croquettes.
7 When uniformly brown, remove and place on paper towel to soak excess oil.
Serving Tips
Serve Hot with Ketchup or your favorite sauce.
Notes
Make sure that the oil is properly hot, else the croquette may break in the oil.
Variation
Instead of frying the fish fillet, microwave them for 3 -4 minutes (depending on the power of the microwave).

Use any fish fillet of your choice.

You may also add little lime juice to the fish croquette mixture.
In case you want it spicier, add more green chillies or red paprika powder.
Other Names
Fish Croquettes - Fish Cutlets, Fish Chop, Macha Chop, Macher Chop.

Chana Garam

If you have travelled by train in India anytime, you are sure to bump into a hawker selling Chana Chat(popularly known as Chana Garam). As a student I used to travel sleeper class between Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar and there was a specific station where hawkers selling this chat would hop on the train. In a bat of an eyelid they would chop all the vegetables and mix it with the boiled Chana and hand it over to you in a paper cone. And not to forget they top it with a small piece of tender coconut. If the guy is little friendly he may give you an extra piece of the coconut too.

The Chana Dal sitting on my pantry self had been pleading me for a while to take it and make it a part of my menu and may be my blog if I get little generous. The Chana Dal brought back so many old memories that it became difficult for me ignore it any further.

Preparation Time - 20 minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Chana Dal - 1 Cup

Onion - 1/2 Cup finely chopped

Boiled Potatoes - 1/2 cup cubed

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies - 2

Tomato Chopped - 1/2 cup

Chat Masala - 1 tsp

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Curry Leaves - few

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Soak the dal for few hours. Add salt to the water and pressure cook it till soft.

2 In a frying pan add about 2 tsp of oil. When hot add mustard seeds to sputter. Add chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Add onion and saute for 2 - 3 minutes

3 To this seasoned oil, add the boiled dal and mix well.

4 Remove to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients ( boiled potatoes + tomato + Chat Masala + Lemon juice) and mix well.

Serving Tips

Serve hot.

Variation

You may also add chopped cucumber, carrots,cilantro and freshly cut tender coconut.

Other Names

Chana Garam - Chana Chat, Chatpata Chana

Sweet Corn Chaat

I cleaned the kitchen, lit the candles and set the table for dinner. My friends were coming over this eve for a casual dinner and chit chat. I felt something missing ..... yes, it was the appetizer !! I quickly looked at the clock .....I had only 30 minutes for my friends to arrive. I panicked .... went up to the kitchen and scanned the refrigerator .... I had some ready to eat samosas but that was not what I could serve them .... those greasy looking monsters (samosas). My friends belong to the category of healthy eaters ..... they count their calories as they eat. (Hope they will not kill me for this).

I wanted something quick,easy and different (after all it was a golden opportunity to show off !! .... I didn't want to leave any chances to demonstrate my culinary skills ! ).

Eureka !! I knew what I was going to serve ..... Sweet Corn Chaat !

Preparation Time - 20 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Sweet Corn Kernels - 2 cups

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Boiled potato - 1

Chopped Onions - 1/2 cup

Tomato - 1

Cucumber - 1

Green Chillis - 2

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Chat Masala - 2 tsp

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Butter - 1/2 tsp

Salt to Taste

Method of Preparation

1 Boil Potatoes and cut into small cubes. Finely chop tomatoes, cucumber and green chillis.

2 Heat oil and add cumin seeds and chopped green chillis to sputter. Add chopped onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Add the Corn Kernels and mix well. If the kernels get watery fry for 5 minutes to remove unwanted moisture.

3 Remove to a separate bowl.Add butter when still hot. Mix boiled potatoes, cucumber and tomatoes to it. Also add lemon juice and chat masala. Give it a rough stir to mix the ingredients well.

4 Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serving Tips

Serve warm

Variation

Use frozen corn kernels for a quick fix appetizer. You may also use the fresh ones. Fresh always tastes better !

If you want it more spicy, add more green chillis.

Adding potatoes makes it wholesome. You may add more of cucumber and tomatoes instead of boiled potatoes.

Use any oil if you do not have olive oil.

Instead of lemon juice and chat masala, use any store bought Italian dressing as well.

Other Names - Sweet Corn Salad.

Broccoli Fritters

Kids always dream of quickly growing up to become adults for reasons more than one. I too felt so when I was a kid - I hated eating anything green !! But now when I am an adult I not only buy my own but decide to eat it as well. And that's the irony !!
Usually I eat broccoli in salads. I decided to experiment making fritters with it ....... surprisingly it came out great. I can eat my veggies now and I love them !
Preparation Time - 20 minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Broccoli - 1 medium size (1/2 pound)
Gram Flour - 1 cup
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method of Preparation
1 Chop the florets of the Broccoli to medium size pieces. Wash and keep aside
2 In a mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients (gram flour + Cumin Powder + Coriander Powder + Red Chili Powder + Ginger Garlic paste + Salt). Slowly pour water to make a thick batter.
3 Heat oil on medium heat.
4 Dip the florets of Broccoli to coat them with this batter and deep fry till cooked.
5 Remove and keep on a paper towel for excess oil to get soaked.
Serving Tips
Sprinkle Chat Masala on it and serve hot with Tomato Ketchup
Notes
Make sure the batter is thick in consistency. Else it will be difficult to coat the florets.
Other Names
Gram Flour - Besan,Coriander Powder - Dhania Powder,Cumin Powder - Jeera Powder.

Chicken 65

Spice Up your Friday .............

If you are the person who likes spicy food, I am sure you will relish this dish. I had this impression that people from the South of India are masters in Dosa and Idli until I tasted this chicken recipe. I have to say that this deep fried chicken recipe will change the entire idea about recipes from the south.
I hope you will prepare this dish and spice up your Friday Eve !!
Preparation Time - 40 minutes
Serves - 4
Ingredients
Chicken - 1 pound
Egg - 1
Green Chilli - 2
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Garlic Chopped - 1 tbsp
Ginger Chopped - 2 tsp
Chilli Garlic Sauce - 2 tsp
Crushed Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Lemon - 1 tsp
Corn Flour - tsp
Ajinomoto - Optional
Red Color - Optional
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
Method of Preparation
1. Cut chicken into small bite size pieces. Clean and place on a paper towel to remove moisture from it. Finely chop ginger and garlic.
2 Marinate chicken with salt, a pinch of ajinomoto, 1 tsp pepper powder and corn flour.Combine all these ingredients real well. Then add the egg to it such that the egg forms a nice coating on this chicken.
3 Heat oil in a deep pan and fry these chicken pieces well.Make sure you fry the chicken in batches. Remove and keep aside.
4 In a wide mouthed pan, pour some oil. When the oil is warm add chopped ginger and garlic and fry. Make sure you reduce the heat else you may end up burning the garlic. Add the curry leaves. Now add Cumin Powder, Red Chilli Powder and to it. Pour 2 tsp of chilli garlic sauce to it. Add few drops of water before you toss the chicken into it. (If you wish add the food color to this water)
5 Mix well with all the spices.
6 Sprinkle few drops of lemon before serving.
Serving Tips
You can enjoy this dish as an entree/starter or even as a main coarse.
Notes
Make sure you cook the spices on medium heat. Also this is a dry chicken recipe, so do not add more water.
If you like it a little less spicy, you can reduce the amount of green chillis or red chilli powder.
Variation
I prefer making this item with Chicken Breasts but you may use chicken thighs as well. Use chicken with or without bones.
Ajinomoto and Red Color are optional. Incase you do not want it, you may avoid adding the same.