Pani Puri

Hello all the Bloggobuddies!! 
Re-posting this along with the recipe of Pani (the Puneri style) for Pani Puri. Pani for Pani Puri differs from city to city and all of them taste different and yummy.  But this one is specifically for "Punekars". This is specially for my friends here in Gothenburg. so friendssss here goes the recipe:-


For Tamarind Pani:- 
I would no specify the quantities here as it may defer according to the requirement. (But roughly the proportion for tamarind and jaggery is 1: little less than exactly 2)
Tamarind Pulp (Home-made/ readymade)
Dark Jaggery ( adding litle more than actually required jaggery for this; will make Pani more tastier and will give differnet flavour and colour)
Salt to taste
Chat masala 1 tsp.
Ajwain slightly crushed 1 tsp.
Mix in the tamarind and Jaggery very well and add water as per requirement. Mix in the salt, chat masala, ajwain. Chill it before using. Chilled water works best for Pani Puri.


For Tikhat Pani:-
Mint leaves, Green chillies, coriander, chat masala, jeera powder,fennel seeds, 1 inch piece ginger, 4-5 black pepper, 4-5 laung, 1 tsp. Ajwain, salt.
Grind everything together finely and then mix in water as per the required quantity. Chill it before using. Chilled water works best for Pani Puri.

I have received lot of requests from my friends to post the recipe for Puris for Pani Puri. In India it is widely available in every corner and nook of  every city. But Indians who are leaving outside India...it is really difficult for them to have panipuri as and when they want to. Of-course US and London are the exceptions that I know of, there may be many more places, but I did not have that privilege in Germany and now in Sweden. So for me, if I have to have Pani-Puri it requires a little bit of planning and patience. It takes a lot of time to make puris....haha...and if you make some 100 puris at a time then it takes patience...don't u agree.....so here goes the simple recipe:-

Refined Flour 1/4 cup

Fine Semolina 3/4 cup

Water 1/2 cup ( you actually require a little less water than 1/2 cup)

That is all you need and of course oil for frying. 

1. Now mix together Semolina and Refined Flour and add water little by little. Make sure that your dough does not become sticky. Cover and rest the dough for at least 10 mins. 

2. Divide the dough in 60 small parts and roll them out into a puri.

You can roll all the puris at once; just make sure you keep them covered on a wet kitchen cloth. (This will prevent the puris from drying and help them puffing evenly).

3. Fry the puris starting from the first batch that you rolled out in a really hot oil. Let them get proper colour and remove and drain on kitchen towel. Puris for Panipuri are ready.

Note:- If your dough becomes sticky, then use little oil while rolling out. But the puris will become soft eventually. Wait.......don't get upset. Pre-heat the oven on 200 o C and put all softened puris into the oven for 8-10 mins. and remove them. Once they get completely cooled down the puris will become crispy.

Appam with Vegetable Stew ( No yeast Recipe)

The joy that is no more a Joy!

Cooking………………It used to be  really a joy…….But nowadays it bugs the hell out of me because it has become an everyday chore……..Don't feel like cooking at allllllllll………….

It’s been almost 4 months….and what’s really changed in the last 4 months?

Have I started updating my blog regularly?

Have I  read other blogs and commented on them for their good work?

Have I  read my own posts for that matter?

have I participated in any blog events?

Have I done something nice for someone without expecting anything in return?

Have I felt positive about certain things?

Do I feel nice when I visit Nordstan?

Have I finally settled down in Gothenburg?.............................

Noooooooooooooo………not much has changed……. its still the same; the way it has been for last 4 months…..I still hate Gothenburg….. the weather still sucks out here…….I want to go back……wait a minute…not to India…..to Germany….

Anyway I know nothing is going to change…so let me get back to the post…..

Appam known by many names-Palappam,Vellayapam...Appam is a fluffy rice pancake made originally with toddy which gives it the unique sweet and sour taste. It is a quite popular breakfast item in Kerala. It is often served with kadala (kala chana) curry, vegetable stew or any other meat stew. The proportions vary from household to household. Most recipes use yeast for the fermentation of the Appam batter. But this is a no yeast recipe.

Raw rice – 1 cup

Cooked rice – 1 cup

Grated fresh coconut – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Baking powder – 1 tsp

1. Soak the raw rice for 4-6 hours.

2. Grind to a smooth batter adding the cooked rice ( completely cooled down) and grated coconut and enough water.

3. Mix well and keep it covered for 8-10 hours for fermentation.[I keep it overnight in the oven]

4. Next morning add the baking powder and salt, add more water if the batter is too thick-it has to be of pouring consistency.

5. Heat a non stick appa chatti[appam pan] or any non stick kadai or any normal pan.

6. Pour a ladle full of batter into the pan when it is hot and swirl the pan in a clockwise motion spreading the batter to the sides of the pan.

7. Swirling the pan gives the appam the customary pretty lace edges and a spongy, thick center.

8. Close the lid and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. You don't need to flip over the appam and roast it from the other side, it should be cooked only from one side.

Remove the appam to a plate and serve hot with Vegetable stew.

 

Reshmi Kabab

February ...the Happening month  for me...really....Dad's visit....followed by Valentine's day.....followed by Birthday.....and gifts shifts n all...of course not to forget the World Cup.....then the Blogoversary......yayyyyy..yayyyy........!!!!

and cherry on cake would be tasty delicious dishes.....One of them that I am posting here...that is Reshmi kababs......

a perfect party snack...they are utterly delicious, irresistible,  tender, succulent and fragrant pieces of chicken that melts in your mouth as they are marinated in thick cream/malai, spices, mint and grilled to perfection. so just read on further...

Boneless Skinless Chicken –  2 breast pieces (1/2 Kg. boneless chicken)

Cream – 1/2 cup

Ginger & Garlic- 1 inch piece and 5-6 cloves respectively

Mint Leaves – a handful of them

Coriander Leaves – a handful of them

Green Chilies – 2-3

Salt – to taste

1.Grind together mint, coriander, ginger-garlic and green chillies. No need to add water.

2. In a large mixing bowl,take 1/2 cup cream and add salt. ( Watch out for the amount of salt; it should be enough for the marinade and the chicken as well)Mix well.

3. Now add the ground mixture and mix. Finally add chicken and mix well.

4. Cover it (with clink film) and keep in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours (If you have time on hand, it would be better that you keep it overnight).

5. Soak wooden skewers ( I did not have skewers so I used toothpicks) in water for 30 mins.

6. Take out the marinated chicken and pierce the chicken onto the skewers/ toothpicks and place on a greased baking tray.

7. Bake them in the pre-heated oven at 225 0 c for 10-15 minutes.

8. Make sure that you turn chicken over and continue to bake for another 5 – 7 minutes, until light brown.Reshmi kababs are ready to serve. Serve them with mint chutney.

P.S. I had some 6 paneer pieces and extra marinade so I marinated paneer pieces as well and baked it in the similar way.

Upma With a Twist

Fresh corn upma is filling and so refreshing.....read on for this simple yet delicious and quick recipe:-

2 cup Corn fresh

2 tsp Oil

1 Onion chopped

2-3 Green chillies chopped

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Fresh coriander leaves chopped

1/4 cup Fresh Coconut (optional) 

Few drops Lemon juice

Salt & sugar to taste

1. Heat oil and add mustard seeds let them splutter, add green chillies, onions and saute till onion get light brown color. 

2. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, corn , salt, coconut(optioal) and mix well. Add little water so that corn is cooked. 

3. Cook for 5-7 minutes or till all the water is evaporated and corn is well cooked. Add lemon juice and mix well.

4. Garnish with coriander leaves, coconut. Serve hot.

Its been a while since I......

I hate my blog these days so it has been deprived of updates...What's worse, I don't feel like updating it often enough! There are things about which I want to write but can't bring myself to! for whatever reasons.....

Its been a while since I......

        wrote a blog post!

        have read other blogs and have commented on them for their good work!

        read my own posts for that matter!

        have participated in any blog events!

        was genuinly happy for a looong loong stretch of time!

        relaxed completely and peacefully looked at years to come without a trace of anxiety!

        faced myself boldly, accepted facts and sought answers!

        did something nice for someone without expecting anything in return!

        felt positive about certain things!

        have gone for swimming!

 and I feel ridiculous about not being enthusiastic about all these small little things in life...............so now I shall get to doing just that! :)

So to start with....I know its tooooo late....but they say...its better late than never....so....

Wish you and your family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

This is my first post in this new year and I am very excited to post this as one of my fellow blogger Indrani  has tagged me. Thank you so much Indrani. Please visit her blog for lovely recipes. So the year starts on a good note and now as per the rule I have to answer certain questions (which I am not so sure whether i should;on the blog) and forward this tag to 10 other fellow bloggers. I think I will just get to do the latter. My Dear fellow bloggers just click here for the questions incase you want to answer them:-

 1. Priya 2. Satya 3. Kurinji 4. Malar 5. Siddhi 6. Sharmi 7. Arthi 8. Hari Chandana 9. Deepa 10. Preeti

Now let me begin with my recipe. Its Cheese and Potato Tikki.... I got an idea from one of the very popular comedy shows Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai..where Indravadan asks Maya to serve him Aloo cheese ki tikki; and thats when I thought lets just make it. so here goes the recipe:-

Boiled potatoes Medium 2-3

Grated Cheese 200 gms.
One medium size Onion fine chopped

Garlic cloves 2-3 fine chopped
Fresh Coriander leaves fine chopped
Salt to taste

White pepper powder 1 tsp.

Oil to shallow fry

Fresh Bread Crumbs 

 

1. Mash the potatoes nicely and add the fresh bread crumbs ( for fresh bread crumbs just coarsly grind 2-3 bread slices). 

2. Add salt, chopped onion, garlic, chopped coriander leaves, and white pepper powder.  

3. Make medium size balls and stuff grated cheese in the potato ball. Make sure that cheese does not come out from the covering. 

4. Heat oil and shallow fry the tikkis from both sides till they get golden brown colour. 

Serve when they're sizzling hot along with Ketch-up. 

CornFlakes Chivda

Chivda is a quintessential Maharashtrian snack. But snacking crosses all boundaries and the simple chivda is proof of that.

Surprisingly easy to make but so satisfying that one truly 'can't get enough of it'.

Each Maharashtrian household has it's version of chivda and the variations are endless.

My version of this crunchy snack uses cornflakes cereal. Read on:-

Corn Flakes - 500 gms

Peanuts- 1/2 cup deep fried

Curry Leaves - 1/2 cup Depp fried (not brown; should retain the green colour)

Dry coconut - 1 cup thinly sliced and deep fried

Green chillies - 250 gms. chopped and deep fried

Raisins - 1/2 cup deep fried

Cashewnuts ( I did not use) - 1/2 Cup deep fried

Cumin and Coriander Powder - 2 tsp. each

Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup deep fried

Salt to taste

Powder sugar - 1/2 cup or as required

Oil - 4 tbsp.

For Tempering:-

Oil - 2 tbsp.

Turmeric - 2 tsp.

Asafoetida - 2 tsp.

1. Mix Corn flakes and all the deep fried items together. 

2. Add Salt, powdered sugar, cumin and coriander powder and Mix lightly.

3. Now for tempering; heat 2 tbsp of oil and add Turmeric, Asafoetida. Pour it over the Chivda Mixture.

4. The Corn flakes chivda that you get in the market is very oily; because the flakes are deep fried. Instead of deep frying the flakes what you can do is that; once everything is mixed, Divide the mixture in 3-4 separate parts.

5. Heat the remaining 4 tbsp. of oil to almost the smoking point and pour it over all the batches of Chivda mixture. In this way all the flakes will absorb the oil equally.

6. Mix everything together lightly making sure that you don't break the flakes. The CornFlakes Chivda is ready.

Matar Kachori

The Koraishutir Kochuri or The Matar kachori is basically a Bengali preparation.

It is the sweetness of the green peas paste and of the fried maida that makes such a tasty combined flavour. Yes, it has to be maida.

Of course you can deviate by using wheat flour but trust me it tastes better with maida covering.

So read on :-

For Covering

Refined flour (maida) 1  cup

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.

Salt to taste

Oil 1 tbsp.+Oil to deep fry

Stuffing

Desi ghee  tablespoons

Fennel seeds (saunf) 1/2 teaspoon

Green chillies, finely chopped 2

Green peas, blanched & crushed 1 cup

Asafoetida a pinch

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped a few sprigs

1. Knead into a smooth dough of maida using cumin, salt, a tbsp. of oil and sufficient water.

2. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside for half an hour.

3. Heat oil in a pan, temper with  fennel seeds, chopped green chillies, asafoetida and  sauté for half a minute,

4. Now add crushed green peas and salt. Mix well. Remove from heat and cool.Add chopped coriander leaves and divide into twelve to sixteen equal sized portions.

5. Divide dough into equal sized balls.

6. Flatten a ball just the way we do it for stuffed parathas and place a portion of the stuffing.

7. Cover, seal edges and flatten.

8. Roll out lightly with a rolling pin. Repeat with the remaining dough.

9. Heat sufficient oil and deep fry kachoris on medium heat till brown and crisp. Drain and serve hot.

Papdi Pizza

This is my 2nd entry for lovely event called Kids Delight hosted by Pari.

The popular pizza in its new avatar – the papdi base adds a unique crunch.

It  is something one can have as a great appetizer during parties.A super fast way of enjoying bite size crispy pizzas without doing all the work of a real pizza.I am definite you all will like it. It was little tedious for me coz I had to make papdis at home; but that's ok.

for this you will need:-

Crisp puris (papdi) 10

Onion 1 medium

Pizza sauce 1/2 cup

Potato boiled and sliced 1 medium

Processed cheese, grated 200 grams

Red, yellow,Green Bell Pepper seeded , sliced horizontally 1 cup

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut onion into thick roundels and separate the rings. 
2. Grease a baking tray and arrange the papdis on it. Spread pizza sauce on the papdis. Place potato slices on some and onion rings on the rest. Heap grated cheese and place red, yellow, green bell pepper slices on some of them. Put a little pizza sauce on top of some of the pizzas. You can make your own combination in this as well. 

3. Bake in the preheated oven till the cheese melts. Serve hot.

ohh and don't forget to grab some ....

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Indo-Chinese cuisine is every foodie’s favorite. Infact all Indians love this fusion food. You are bound to come across many small Indo-chinese restaurants and food stalls at every corner in Pune.

I for one like this finger food called spring rolls immensely. They are so delectable and have a unique taste. Very simple to rustle up and are full of flavours and colors too. so read on for the recipe:-

For this you will need:-

Spring roll wrappers - readily available in market (if not then)

( Read the instructions written on the packet carefully)

The recipe for making spring roll sheets:-

Cornflour/ corn starch 1 cup

Refined flour (maida) 1/4 cup

Salt to taste


To make spring roll wrappers:-
1. Mix cornflour, refined flour and salt to taste in a mixing bowl. Add two cups of water and whisk thoroughly.
2. Strain the batter and set aside for fifteen minutes. Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding a little water if required.
3. Heat a pan and brush it with a little oil. Now pour a ladle-full of batter into it. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and pour the excess batter back into the bowl.
4. Cook over moderate heat till the edges start curling. Peel off or remove in one swift motion. Cool and sprinkle a little cornflour so that the wrappers don't stick to each other. Repeat the process to make remaining wrappers.

For Filling:-

Oil 1 tbsp.+ to deep fry

Onion , thinly sliced 1 medium

Carrots, grated 1big

Green capsicum, cut into thin strips 1 medium

Cabbage, finely shredded 1/2 small

Light soy sauce 1 tbsp

pepper powder 1/4 tsp.

Spring onions with greens, sliced thinly -handful of them  
 

1. For the filling, heat a tablespoons of oil and add onion and carrots and stir-fry for half a minute. Add green capsicum and cabbage and continue to stir-fry for one minute. 
2. Add soy sauce, pepper powder and salt. Add bean sprouts(optional) and spring onions with the greens and stir-fry for about half a minute. Remove and cool the filling to room temperature.  ( Sorry I do not have the picture of this particular stuffing)
3. Mix one tbsp.of cornflour and two tbsp. of water to make a paste. 
4. Divide filling into eight to ten equal portions or according to the number of wrappers. 
5. Place a portion of filling at one end of each wrapper and roll tightly, folding the sides in while you roll. 

6. Seal the ends with the cornflour paste (step 3). The below picture will help you in understanding this process better.

Pictorial tutorial to help you wrap up a Spring roll

7. Heat sufficient oil, deep-fry two or three spring rolls at a time turning frequently, till crisp and golden brown. 8. Drain and place on an absorbent paper and serve hot with Schezwan Sauce (Sichuan sauce). 

Instant Rava Masala Dosa

Hi guys!! I know I know , I have been as bad as never before. Neglecting my blog for few days now. Just did not feel like blogging; but now I am back and have something wonderful to share. Wonderful yet very very simple to make. So read on:-

you will need:-

Semolina (rawa/suji) 1 cup
Rice flour 1/2 cup
Maida 1/4cup 
Asafoetida 1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Ginger, finely chopped 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies, finely chopped 2-3 
Dry coconut  grated 3 tbsp.
Chopped coriander 2 tbsp.
Cashewnuts, crushed 12 (optional) 
Peppercorns, crushed 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds, crushed 1 tsp
Pure ghee 2 tablespoons 

1. Blend rawa, rice flour, maida and two cups of water to make a thin (literally) batter. 

2. Add asafoetida and salt. Add ginger, green chillies, grated dry coconut , coriander and crushed cashewnuts to the batter. 

3. Crush peppercorns and cumin seeds and add.

4. Lightly grease a non-stick tawa. Pour a ladle full of batter and spread by swirling the tawa. 

5. Pour a tsp of ghee around and on dosa and cook till it is crisp and golden in colour. Once it gets cooked and becomes crisp; it automatically leaves the side of the pan.

6. Remove and serve hot along with Masala Bhaji, Sambar and chutney. 

Mixed Vegetable Cutlets (Restaurant Style)

I have nothing much to say on this particular post. This is another restaurant style (well..you get similar taste and coloured cutlets in most of the restaurant in Pune atleast) snack dished out by me....so read on for the recipe.............. 

Potatoes, boiled and mashed 2 big  

Beetroot, grated 1 medium
Carrots, grated 2 small

Green peas, blanched & crushed 1/2 cup

Oil 1 tbsp + to shallow fry

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp.

Ginger, finely chopped 1 inch piece

Onion , finely chopped 1 medium 

Red chilli powder 1 tsp.

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp.

Salt to taste

Cashewnuts, crushed 10 (well... did not use any) 

Refined flour( (maida) /Gram Flour(Besan)/Corn Flour 2 tbsp.

Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 

Lemon juice 2 tsp.

Bread crumbs/ Fine Semolina (Rava) 1/2 cup (i used semolina)

1. First heat 1 tbsp.of oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger and onion and sauté for two minutes. Add  red chilli powder, turmeric powder and sauté for a minute. 
2. Add beetroot,carrot, green peas and mix. Add salt and continue to sauté for two minutes. Adding salt at this time will make vegetables leave the water. 
3. Take out the vegetables once they are completely dried and cooked with no water content and let them cool down.
4. Now in a bowl add crushed cashewnuts(if you are using), the vegetable mixture, refined flour,  mashed potatoes in a deep bowl. Add coriander leaves and adjust salt. Add lemon juice and mix. 

5. Take a portion of the mixture, shape the cutlets and roll in breadcrumbs/semolina. Similarly prepare more cutlets.
6. Heat sufficient oil in another pan. Shallow fry till both the sides are evenly golden. Drain and place on an absorbent paper and serve hot.

Nachos with Corn Salsa Sauce

Nachos are a popular corn-based food of Mexican origin associated with Tex-Mex cuisine that can be either made fast to serve as a snack or prepared with more ingredients to make a full meal. In their simplest form, nachos are tortilla chips or totopos covered in melted cheese. The original nachos consisted of fried corn tortillas covered with melted cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeno peppers.

They are perfect for hectic weeknight meals, late-night snacks, or Friday nights…n that is what I made for dinner on a Friday night….( short cut…you know!!). Deliciously crispy in the oven, they are also microwaveable for 5 minutes cooking. What a treat!

Nacho chips (Corn chips.. readily available in market – can use plain/ cheese/masala nachos) 

For Salsa Sauce:-

Onion , chopped 1 medium

Tomatoes, chopped 2 medium

Carrots chopped – ¼ cup

Yellow, Red, Green Bell Pepper chopped 1 cup

Green Peas – ½ cup (optional)

Corn kernels – ½ cup (boiled)

Jalapeno, chopped 1 small (optional)

Green chillies, chopped 2-3

Garlic, crushed 5-6 cloves

Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 2 tbsp.

Salt to taste

Oil 1 tablespoon
Grated Cheese ½ cup 

Microwave recipe:-

Mix onion, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, green peas, corn, jalapeno, green chillies, coriander, garlic and salt for salsa sauce in a bowl and set aside for some time till all the vegetables get tender and then cook it in microwave for high on 2-3 mins.  Spread the corn chips on a serving plate.  Pour Salsa sauce on the chips and top it up with grated cheese. Again keep it in the microwave for just 1 min. and serve hot.

Note:- Do not make and keep it before hand as the nachos will become soggy.

Sprout Pohe

A combination of sprouts and poha that’s simply brimming with protein, vitamin B3 and iron.

You will need:-

1 cups jada poha (beaten rice flakes)

1/2 cups mixed sprouts (matki, green moong, whole masoor,red chana)- soaked for 7-8 hours and then par-boiled

½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1/2 tsp Asafoetida 
1 medium onion finely chopped 

1 to 2 green chillies, chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger-garlic

Fresh Coriander Leaves chopped

Fresh Coconut

1 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tsp oil

salt to taste

1. Place the poha on a sieve and wash lightly. Drain and leave aside for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, onion and green chillies and sauté till the onion turns translucent.Add chopped Ginger-garlic and sauté again for few seconds.

3. Add the mixed sprouts, sugar, salt and sauté for 3 to 4 mins.

4. Add the poha and mix it well. Cover it and cook for 3 to 4 mins

5. Add lemon juice. Serve hot garnished with the chopped coriander and fresh coconut.