Vegetable Pancakes

Looking for a light vegetarian snack to serve to your guests this festive season, try making my version of vegetarian pancakes…

Ingredients:

For the filling:

·        1 small bowl of fresh green peas

·        1 medium sized potato , boiled, peeled and finely chopped

·        1 medium sized onion finely chopped

·        2 green chillies finely chopped

·        1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped

·        6 to 8 curry leaves

·        A few coriander leaves finely chopped

·        ½ tsp mustard seeds

·        ½ tsp jeera or cumin seed powder

·        1 tsp dhania or coriander powder

·        ¼ tsp red chillie powder

·        ½ tsp Amchoor powder

·        Salt to taste

·        2 tbsps oil

For the Pancakes:

·        2 Eggs

·        4 tbsps Maida

·        1 cup milk

·        Salt and pepper to taste

·        2 to 3 tbsps oil for frying the pancakes

Procedure:

For the Filling:

Boil peas in a little water till soft. Drain out water and keep aside. Heat 2 tbsps oil in a kadai. When hot,lower flame and add mustard seeds. Allow to crackle, then add ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Now put in chopped onion and sauté till translucent. Next add boiled peas and potato. Add dry spices , salt to taste and coriander leaves , turn around well for a minute or two. Cover kadai and allow to cook on lowest flame for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove lid, turn around the mixture and keep aside.

For the Pancakes:

In a large bowl, break eggs and beat well with an egg beater. Slowly fold in the flour/maida spoon by spoon and milk, (alternating) to have a  smooth and well blended batter . Add salt and pepper to taste and your batter  for pancakes is ready.

Heat a non stick pan with 1 tsp oil. Lower flame and pour one ladle of the pancake batter. Turn around the pan so that the batter is evenly spread out. Allow to cook for a minute till golden. Turn over the pancake and do the same on the other side. Take out the pancake on a chopping board. Put one tbsp of the peas –potato filling at one end of the pancake, and roll it to the other end. Cut off any uneven edges on the sides with a knife. Fry all pancakes and fill and roll similarly. Arrange pancakes in a tray/serving dish and serve hot with tomato ketchup/chillie sauce or green chutney.

3. Moong Sprouts in Canapes:

Ingredients:

·        1 bowl of sprouted moong

·        1 medium sized onion finely chopped

·        1 medium sized tomato finely chopped

·        2 green chillies finely chopped

·        1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped

·        4 to 6 curry leaves

·        ½ tsp Jeera or cumin seeds

·        ¼ tsp red chillie powder

·        ¼ tsp haldi or turmeric powder

·        ½ tsp dhania or coriander powder

·        A few drops of lemon juice

·        2 tbsps oil

·        Salt to taste

·        A few coriander leaves finely chopped

·        1 small bowl of bhel (fine) sev

Procedure:

Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, add jeera seeds, green chillies , ginger and curry leaves. Allow to splutter. Add chopped onion and cook till translucent.  Next, add tomato and cook on low flame for a couple of minutes till soft. Now put in sprouted moong and all the dry spices with salt to taste. Mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off flame and allow to cool a little. Arrange canapés on a tray. Fill each canape with a spoon of the  cooked moong mixture and serve garnished with sev and coriander leaves.