Palak and Doodhi Pakodas

Palak and Dudhi are not very popular for snack but can be made into delicious, crunchy pakodas that are hard to put down.

Sharing the link on how to make them. Hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKfFUC8IJ1w

Paneer Tikkas

The Diwali festivities begin today with Dhanteras. All of us will have many visitors dropping in over the next few days. Along with the traditional tray of mithai and dry fruits,a savoury snack is always welcome. Paneer tikka can be got ready in just a few minutes. Here is how you can delight your guest with this yummy snack.

Ingredients:

250 grams Paneer/ Cottage cheese cut into cubes or fingers

1 tbsp gram flour/ besan

1tsp red chillie powder

1tsp amchur powder

½ tsp jeera powder

¼ tsp kala namak 

¼  tsp  slightly crushed ajwain (optional)

Salt & red color powder

¼ tsp Chaat masala or tandoori masala (optional)

I small onion peeled and cut into fine rings (optional)

Method:

Mix all the dry spices in a bowl and empty out on a plate or thali. Heat oil in a kadai. Roll the paneer cubes   in the mixture & gently drop into hot oil one by one. Deep fry for a minute or two till golden brown. Drain out excess oil and remove paneer pieces on a tissue. Arrange paneer tikkas in a flat serving dish and serve hot with  chutney or ketchup or onion rings.

A few days ago, I was at Chinmaya Vibhooti, attending a Pranayama Camp. The food served at the ashram was saatvik and vegetarian. No onion, garlic and minimal oil and spices. Inspite of that everything tasted delicious, completely busting the myth that masalas and oil make food more tasty. Whether it was veg pulav, tamatar bhaaji, dal, sambar or stuffed brinjals or the morning upma served with laddoos made from rotis, each dish was Superb! All of this reinforced my belief that food cooked with love and a passion for service always turns out superb!

Yummy Cheesy Cabbage Parathas.

All of us experience days when you are not in the mood to cook an elaborate meal, we look for ways to rustle up a quick meal that's tasty, filling and healthy. Cabbage and cheese parathas are perfect for such occasions. Something easy and tasty and a great way of using cabbage which adds a little bite to the texture.

Ingredients

225 gm  cabbage grated

100gm soft cheese , crumbled

2tbs , coriander leaves, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped.

Salt to taste.

All I do is put  diced pieces of cabbage and cottage cheese along with the  coriander and green chillies in a food processor, pulse for a  minute or two. Upturn in a bowl. When ready to actually make parathas, sprinkle salt to season, stuff in the whole wheat round and roll out like a thick roti. Cook on non-stick tawa till both sides are evenly done. Add a little butter for the last flip over which will bring crispness to the paratha. You can even serve with a blob of butter, any pickle or a bowl of yogurt and roasted papad.

Love this variation  for parathas as it is easy, no boiling, cooking  or squeezing of filling  required as in making parathas out of potatoes, radish, or cauliflower.  Besides even the seasoning is simple – salt and chillies.

Enjoy!

Goodies from Agra !!

I was in Agra last weekend and was amazed to see the large number of Petha and Daalmoth shops, but then  isn't  Agra known for these two delicacies? The funny part was that  all shops had the brand name Panchi, just like all chikki shops in Lonavla call themselves Maganlal Chikki!

The wide variety of Pethas offered include, Kesar Petha, Mango Metha, Kesar- Angoor Petha, Strawberry Petha, Santra Petha and many, many more.... innovation at work!

Having tried the very juicy and oh so sweet petha, the crunchy and spicy dal moth was a perfect add on. There is  a variety of Dal Moth offerings to select from too! No wonder the combination of petha and dal moth sells so well!! 

Add Zing to your Snacking with Coconut Chana Chutney

With Lord Ganesha's final visarjan yesterday, our ten day feasting on sweets has also come to an end. Its time for hot savoury snacks, accompanied by flavorful chutneys. A very simple and delicious chutney that goes well with vadas, dosas, idlis, pakodas and even chips is the Coconut and Chana chutney.
Its just takes a couple of minutes to make and stays fresh for 2 days in the fridge.

Ingredients                                                                     

1/2 Coconut peeled and cut into small pieces
An equal amount by volume of split yellow chana
2 green chilles
1 inch piece of ginger
Salt to taste

Method

Put all ingredients in the grinder, add half a cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. Serve with hot snacks or with chips.

While weekends are a time for indulging and giving in to your desires for yummy food and snacks, most people today are health and calorie conscious and looking for interesting, tasty options that are low on calories. An idea that I  find practical and easy to make is a capsicum, tomato, spring onion spread which I use in multiple ways -  on ragi or whole wheat crackers topped with grated cheese or as a dip for chips and it's equally good as base for grilled sandwiches and pizza toasts. It takes just a few minutes to make and can be stored for a few days. Here's how you can make it

Ingredients
1 medium sized capsicum very finely chopped
3-4 spring onions finely chopped or one medium sized  regular onion 
4 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1/2 tspn coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 tblspn Oil

Method
Heat Oil in a thick bottomed kadai. Add chillies, ginger and onions and saute on low flame for a couple of minutes. Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cover the kadai for a couple of minutes. When the tomatoes are soft and pulpy, add chopped capsicum, coriander powder and salt and mix well. Cover and allow to cook on a low flame for a few minutes till capsicums are soft and the whole mixture is homogeneous. Cool and use as you like - as a topping or a dip. Garnish with cheese to give that extra taste. In grilled sandwiches, you can use it as a base and top it with boiled potato or boiled egg slices.