Stuffed Cutlets: Mutter ki bharwan tikki
Stuffed Cutlets: Mutter ki bharwan tikki
These cutlets are my all time favorite. You cannot go wrong with this 
. Simple yet delicious.
Ingredients:
For Stuffed Cutlets: [Approx. 12 cutlets]
Potatoes – 5 medium
White bread [decrusted] –2 slices
Green Peas [fresh or frozen] – 2 cups
Cumin seeds [Jira] – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 2 tsp
Oil for frying
salt as per taste
![Filling [green peas] and Dough [potatoes]](http://shvetahora.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dscn6025.jpg "Filling [green peas] and Dough [potatoes]")
Method:
1.Boil and peel the potatoes and keep aside.
2. Mash all the potatoes and add 1 tsp red chili powder and some salt to it. Also add 2 slices of bread. Combine the ingredients into smooth dough.
3. For stuffing, in a pan add 1 tbsp of cooking oil. Add cumin seeds to it. Let is splatter and then add fresh or frozen [defrosted] to the pan. Also add 1 tsp red chili powder and salt. Sauté the peas for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat.
4. In a grinder, grind the sautéed peas coarsely. Keep aside for cooling down. Make marble sized balls of the stuffing.
5. Take one drop of oil on both the palms and take lemon size mashed potatoes and stuff it with the stuffing balls and make round or oval shaped patties.
6. Heat oil in a pan on medium hot. Fry the patties in the hot oil till they become golden brown.
7. Drain the patties on a kitchen towel.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve hot patties with tea or coffee with green chutney or ketchup on the side.
Diwali special: Mathri [savory snack]
Happy Diwali!
Diwali celebration
Diwali [Festival of lights] is celebrated with great pomp and show throughout India and all around the world by Indians. Festive food, sweets and snacks play a huge part in the Diwali celebration. So I’ll be sharing few of my favorite recipes with you this week. Enjoy and happy cooking…
Mathri (Savory Snack)
Namkeen Mathri
Namkeen mathri is one of the most common north Indian snack. It is great on its own with tea/coffee and even tastes better with spicy pickle or mango chutney. It lasts for few weeks if stored properly in air tight container, so it is a great anytime snack.
For Namkeen Mathri [Approx. 30 pieces]
All purpose flour [Maida] – 1.5 cup
Whole wheat flour – ¾ cups
Yogurt [Dahi] – ½ cup
Vegetable oil/ Butter – ½ cup
Ajwain – 2 tsp
Whole black pepper – 2 tbsp
Water (enough to make firm dough)
Cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste
Namkeen mathri before frying
Method:
- Combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yogurt, ajwain seeds, vegetable oil and salt.
- Mix together well and add water very slowly(spoon by spoon) to make dough. Knead well to make it a firm dough .
- Keep the dough aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 parts. Make a long rope of each part.
- Take each rope and cut small discs with the help of knife. Now with the help of rolling pin, roll each disc into 2 inch diameter mathris. Prick each mathri with with the fork so that it will not puff when fried.
- Place one whole black pepper in the center of each mathri and press down gently.
- Repeat the process with the remaining 3 parts of dough.
- Heat cooking oil for frying the mathrisi. Oil should be medium hot.
- Deep fry mathris very slowly till it is crisp and golden in color.
- Drain it on paper towel and let it cool down. Store it in an air tight container.
Note: Mathris can be made in different flavors such as using Kasuri methi (one of my favorite) [fenugreek leaves], mango pickle masala in the dough etc.
Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy mathris with the tea/coffee any time of the day.
Navratri special: Singhada aloo vada [Water chestnut snack]
Singhada Aloo Vada
Navratri Special: Singhada aloo vada
Festivities are in the air. One of the most auspicious is Navratri. Fasting [vrat] is the part of navratri ritual. Here I’m sharing with you Singhada aloo vada. Singhada means Water chestnuts, its flour is often used in falahari or fasting recipes. This is also a kid’s friendly snack.
Ingredients:
For Singhada aloo vada (8 vadas)
Singhada (Water chestnut) flour – 1.5 cups
Potatoes – 3 medium
Roasted cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2 (finely chopped)
Cilantro - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Lime/Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste
Method:
- Boil and peel potatoes. In a bowl, add boiled potatoes, salt, red chili powder, green chilies, cilantro, lime juice and sugar. Mix well and make 8 even balls of it. Keep aside.
Aloo balls before frying
- In another bowl, add Singhada flour, ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp red chili powder. Add some water, mix well and make an even batter of it.
- Heat cooking oil for frying the vadas.
- Cover the potato balls in the batter and deep fry them in medium hot oil.
- Drain it on the kitchen towel when turns golden and crispy.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup with a cup of tea.
Navratri special: Sabudana vada
Sabudana Vada
Navratri Special: Sabudana vada [Sago cutlets]
Festivities are in the air. One of the most auspicious is Navratri. Fasting [vrat] is the part of navratri ritual. Here I’m sharing with you Sabudana vada or Sago cutlets for fasting menu [falahar]. It is also a kid’s friendly snack.
Ingredients:
For sabudana vada (12 vadas approx.)
Sabudana [Sago] – 1cup
Potates – 3 medium
Peanuts – ½ cup roasted and coursely grounded
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2 finely chopped
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste
Method:
- Wash sabudana lightly and soak it in water for 3-4 hours. Sabudana should absorb all the water.
- Boil and peel the potatoes. Ina bowl, add potates and mash them evenly. Now add sabudana, finely chopped green chilies, cumin seeds, peanuts, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
- Heat cooking oil for frying the vadas.
- Apply little oil on your palms. Take small lemon size dough between your palms and make vadas or cutlets. Fry it in the medium hot oil. Repeat till all the vadas are done. It should be golden and crispy. Sabudana vadas are ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy garma garam [hot] vadas with ketchup, any chutney or yoghurt.
Spinach-Tomato Soup
Spinach Tomato Soup
Soups are the easiest comfort food to unwind a hectic day. Cozy up with your favorite soup and you feel totally relaxed. Soups are great as starters or as a simple meal itself. Spinach tomato soup is one of my favorite.
Ingredients:
For Spinach Tomato soup: [4 servings]
Spinach [Palak] – 1 lbs (fresh or frozen)
Onion -1 cup chopped finely
Tomato-2 medium [chopped in chunks]
Garlic -1/2 tbsp [paste]
Ginger -1/2 tbsp [paste]
Cilantro -1/4 cup finely chopped
Milk – ½ cup
Corn flour – 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Olive oil -2 tbsp
Dry Spices:
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) powder -1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Method:
1. Wash Spinach thoroughly in cold water. Boil the washed spinach and tomatoes using 2 cups of water or pressure cook it. Gently blend the cooked spinach and tomatoes with hand blender and keep aside.
2. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds. Let it crackle. Add asafoetida powder. Then add chopped onions and sauté it, till it turns translucent and light golden. Add garlic and ginger paste to it. Sauté for 2 minutes. Dissolve corn flour in ¼ cup of cold water and add it to the pan and let it sit for further 2 minutes.
4. Finally add blended spinach tomato puree and chopped cilantro to the above masala, and mix well. Also add black pepper powder, sugar and salt.
5. Mix it all together and sauté it for 8-10 minutes. Stir in milk and serve hot.
Khaman Dhokla: A Gujrati speciality
Khaman Dhokla
Khaman Dhokla: A Gujrati speciality
Khaman and Dhokla are actually two different Gujrati snacks, using two different kinds of batter. But here I’m sharing with you my mom’s Khaman recipe. I love Khaman dhokla since I was a little kid. It can be served as anytime snack. You can make it non-spicy and kids love it too.
Ingredients:
For Khaman Dhokla (4 servings)
Chick pea flour [Besan]– 1 cup
Citric acid crystals or Eno Fruit salt-1 tsp
Lime juice-3 tbsp
Cooking oil –2 tbsp
Water-1 cup
Sugar-1 tbsp
Cilantro leaves – ½ cup leaves [finely chopped]
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2
Curry leaves – 5-6
Sesame seeds [Til] –1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Method:
- In a large bowl, mix together besan, salt, sugar, oil, limejuice and water. Add little by little water to the mix and make it a smooth batter.
- On the stove, in a large vessel, add 1 cup of water and turn the heat on. It starts producing steam.
- Meanwhile, add Eno fruit salt to the batter and pour it in 2 greased shallow dhokla plates and top it off with the sesame seeds.
- Steam the khaman covered for 10-12 minutes.
- When khaman is cooked well, take the khaman plates out to cool don for 15-20 minutes.
- For tempering, in a pan, heat cooking oil and add mustard seeds. When it starts splattering, add green chilies and curry leaves and vegetables. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Cut the khaman in the plate diagonally.
- Now pour the tempering on the warm khaman dhoklas. Garnish it with chopped cilantro.
Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy warm Khaman Dhokla with green cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney.
Pav Bhaji: An authentic street food
Pav Bhaji
“Pav” is a kind of soft bread which is accompanied by “Bhaji” i.e. a kind of mix vegetable. It is spicy and tangy. Pav bhaji is one of the most popular Indian street foods. Every pav bhaji has a unique taste. I’m sharing my version with you. Hope you like it.
Ingredients:
For Pav Bhaji [6 servings approx.]
Gobi (Cauliflower)-1/2 cut into florets(not too small)
Potatoes – 2 (peel and cut into halves)
Green bell pepper- 1 chopped
Carrots – 3 medium [cut into chunks]
Peas – 1 cup
Onion -1 chopped
Fresh chopped Garlic -1/2 tbsp
Fresh chopped Ginger – ½ tbsp
Tomato – 1 medium (finely chopped)
Tomato puree – 2 tbsp
Green chili – 1 (cut into 4 pieces-lengthwise)
Cilantro -1 tbsp(finely chopped)
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Butter – 2 tbsp [optional ]
Pav [Bread] – 20 pieces approx.
Dry Spices:
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds -1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) powder -1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
Pav bhaji masala – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Method:
1. Cut the Gobi into florets and wash thoroughly. Keep in a colander for few minutes to drain all the water from the florets. Peel and cut potatoes as directed and keep aside. Cut bell pepper and carrots as directed.
2. In the pressure cooker, cook potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and peas for 15 minutes with ½ cup of water. Mash the vegetables roughly.
3. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida powder. When it crackles, add chopped onions to it. Sauté for 2 minutes add chopped green chilies. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes, add chopped garlic and ginger mix well. Turn the heat to medium-low for 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and keep sautéing till the tomatoes are cooked. Add tomato puree and chopped bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add mashed vegetables to the pan. Add all dry spices (turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt). Mix well. Keep it half covered for few minutes and then mix again. Add pav bhaji masala for the perfect aroma.
Garnish:
Garnish with chopped cilantro, a lime wedge and finely chopped sweet onions.
Enjoy hot with pan toasted fresh pav[bread] and butter.
Moong dal vada [Lentil fritters]
Moong dal vada
Moong dal vada or Moongode is a Rajasthani dish. I make this as an appetizer or a side dish. It is a great tea-time snack. Kids like it too.
Ingredients:
For Moong dal vada (6 servings)
Moong dal (yellow) – 3 cups
Onion – 1 medium [finely chopped]
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder- 2 pinches
Freshly grounded black pepper – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2 [finely chopped]
Cilantro – ½ cup [finely chopped]
Ginger – 1 tbsp [finely grated]
Cooking oil to fry
Salt as per taste
For Garnish/ Condiments:
Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
Tamarind Chutney –1 cup
Green Chutney – 1 cup
Method:
- Wash moong dal thoroughly and soak it in water for 6-7 hours.
- Grind soaked dal with using very little water. Add asafoetida powder, cumin seeds, black pepper and salt. Add chopped onions, ginger, cilantro and green chilies to the batter. Mix the batter for few minutes. It will incorporate some air to the batter and make it light.
- Heat cooking oil for frying the vadas.
- Take small marble size batter and fry it in the oil. Repeat till all the vadas are done. It should be golden and crispy.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve warm and crispy with a cup of tea, coffee or lemonade. Serve with green chutney and tamarind chutney.
Aloo Patties [Fried potato balls]
Aloo Patties [Fried potato balls]
These aloo patties reminds me of Vijaywala’s chat in Indore [India]. I feel nostalgic eating them. Although this is an altered recipe for those patties but still worth trying. I have learned these patties from my mother-in-law. And I wanna share the recipe with all of you.
Ingredients:
For Aloo-Patties [10 patties approx.]
Potatoes – 5 medium
Coconut [fresh] – 1 cup grated
Raisins [Kishmish] – 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts – 1tbsp coarsely chopped
Green chilies – ½ tbsp finely chopped
Amchur powder – 1tsp
Sugar – ½ tsp
Black pepper powder –1 tsp
Oil for frying
salt as per taste
Method:
1.Boil and peel the potatoes and keep aside.
2. Mash all the potatoes into smooth dough.
3. For stuffing, combine grated fresh coconut, cashews, raisins, salt, sugar, green chilies, amchur powder and black pepper powder. Mix well. Make marble sized balls of the stuffing.
4. Take one drop of oil on both the palms and take lemon size mashed potatoes and stuff it with the stuffing balls and make round even patties.
5. Heat oil in a pan on medium hot. Fry the patties in the hot oil till they become golden brown.
6. Drain the patties on a kitchen towel.
Serve hot patties with tea or coffee with green chutney or ketchup on the side.
Bread Rolls [Stuffed bread, Indian style]
Bread Rolls
Bread roll is one of the most common snacks we had as a kid. It is great with a cup of tea or coffee. Usually it is stuffed with potato based stuffing but you can add any vegetable or nuts for kids. Kids love this easy to eat snack in their lunchbox too. So try this yummy snack anytime of the day.
Ingredients:
For Bread Rolls [8 rolls]
White or brown bread -8 slices
Potatoes – 3 medium
Onion- ½ chopped
Green chilies – 2 [finely chopped]
Cilantro – 2 tbsp [finely chopped]
vegetable oil- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Cooking oil for deep frying
Dry Ingredients:
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Amchur(Dried mango powder) -1.5 tsp
Garam masala -1 tsp
Roasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp (powdered)
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Method:
To make stuffing:
1. Boil and peel potatoes. Mash them coarsely and keep aside.
2. In a bowl, combine boiled potatoes and all dry ingredients and mix well.
3. In a pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add chopped onions and green chilies to it. Fry it, till onions become translucent.
4. Add the potato mixture in the pan and mix well for couple of minutes. The stuffing is ready.
To make bread rolls:
1. Take 1 cup of water in a shallow bowl and keep aside.
2. Cut the brown edges of all the bread slices. Now take one slice of bread on your palm and sprinkle some water from the bowl kept aside. Make both the sides wet but not soggy. Press it gently to remove excess water.
3. Now put 1 tbsp of stuffing on the wet bread. And very gently roll the sides of the bread to cover the stuffing. The stuffing should be completely covered. And try to make the seam even.
4. Once the bread roll is even on all the sides, place it on a dry plate. Repeat the process with rest of the bread slices.
5. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying the rolls. Oil should be medium-hot.
6. Carefully fry the bread rolls in the oil. Keep turning after couple minutes, till done. They should be brown and crispy. Drain the bread rolls on the kitchen towel.
Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.
