Potato and Corn Cake (Aloo Makai Tikki)

Serves: 4
Cooking time (approx.): 15 minutes
Style: Indian Vegetarian 

4  medium potatoes parboiled

1  cup(s) cooked corn

1  onion(s) chopped

1  tablespoon(s) grated cheese

2  green chilli(es) chopped fine

1  tablespoon(s) chopped coriander leaves

1  teaspoon(s) lemon juice

1  teaspoon(s) fresh cream

1  tablespoon(s) butter

 salt and pepper to taste  

1. Grate the parboiled potatoes along with the skin. Keep aside. Heat the butter in a pan till hot. Add the chopped onion(s) and saute on medium heat for about 2  minute(s)
2. Add the grated potatoes, cooked corn, salt, pepper, lemon juice, fresh cream, chopped green chilli(es) and coriander leaves. Mix well. Spread this mixture evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and keep on low heat for 6  minutes.
3. Lift the cake in one piece and turn it upside down. Keep again on low heat for 6  minutes till it is crisp and brown. Cut into squares before serving.

ONION PAKORA (PIAZ PAKORA)

• 150g chickpea flour, substituting up to 50g with plain flour to taste
• 2Tbs oil or oil/margarine
• 1TS Cumin (Jeera), roasted and ground
• Some lemon juice
• optional spices: roast and ground coriander seeds, garam masala, mild curry paste
• pinch salt
• 1-2 small green chilies, deseeded and finely chopped - or chili powder
• pinch baking powder (nobody else uses it, but I reckon it helps)
• 2 medium onions
• Oil for deep frying

Sieve flour, rub in fat, add spices, lemon juice, salt, chilies and slowly stir in water until the mixture becomes a smooth and thick batter. Whisk well until it becomes quite light in colour and stand for 1/2 hour.

Peel onions, slice thinly. Mix well with batter. Heat oil to 190~C (this is very hot and not always reached with domestic deep fat fryers). Shape about two tablespoons of the mixture into balls and deep fry until golden - do try a few to make sure they are't raw inside. You can also make onion-ring-style fritters.

This is a favourite starter, sometimes called Onion Bhaji (if there is a difference, please forgive me). You can use any vegetable, very good are peas or cauliflower (pre-cooked).

Pakora are slightly messy to make but *so* good. They are not quite as greasy as you might expect. Make just one or two with a spicy sauce as a starter, or more as a snack or great party food! You can make small ones and keep them hot in the oven, serve on toothpicks with dips

INDIAN-SPICED NUT MIX

10 min | 6 min prep


SERVES 2

1 liter vegetable oil
1 sliced onion
1 chopped green chilies
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
2 ounces chickpea flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in deep saucepan.
In a bowl mix the rest of ingredients with 2 tablespoons water to make a stiff, thick batter. If it seems too runny add more gram flour.

Check oil temp by adding 1 tbsp of oil from the pan to the bhaji mix, if it sizzles, the oil is ready.
slowly place teaspoon sized drops of the mix into the oil 5-6 at a time.
they take about 1 min to cook and turn golden.
they will be crunchie when cooled.

serve with yoghurt and mint raita.

ONION BHAJEES

(Makes 20 - 25)

• 12 oz gram (Chick Pea) flour
• 1 - 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon of caraway seed
• 3 - 4lb onions
• Vegetable Oil for Deep Fat Frying

Sieve the gram flour, salt & curry powder into a large mixing bowl and add the caraway seeds.
Mix well, Make a well in the centre and add 1 pint of water.
Mix with a wooden spoon into a thick batter.
Leave to stand whilst preparing the onions. Peel the onions and cut them into quarters.
Slice them thinly.
Add the onions to the batter and mix until they are all well coated with the batter.
Heat a deep fat fryer to 190 degrees C.
With two round dessert spoons form balls with the onion mixture and drop them into the oil until the pan is full.
After 1 minute use a slotted stainless spoon to make sure that the bhajees are not sticking to the bottom.
Continue to fry until the bhajees are a deep golden brown, turning occasionally.
Remove the bhajees from the oil, shaking off excess oil.
Repeat until all the mixture has been used up.
Best served immediately, crisp & fresh or they can be reheated in the oven, under the grill or in a microwave.
If they are reheated in a microwave they will lose their crispness but will still be delicious.


NOTES
You can use your favourite curry powder, Madras seems to be a good choice.
Use less or more according to taste.
Serve with a vegetable curry and rice or as part of a buffet.
They can also be eaten as a hot or cold snack.

PAKORAS (LENTIL CAKES) WITH TOMATO CHUTNEY

• 1 C yellow split peas-washed and soaked overnight
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small chilli
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 - 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 1 - 2 tbsp besan (chick pea) flour

Drain peas.
Place garlic, chilli, cummin and fennel seeds in a blender with peas and process till peas are coarsley ground. Mix in salt, onion and coriander.
Add besan and 1 - 2 tbsp water to make a sticky mixture.
Shape teaspoonfuls of mixture into small patties and fry till golden brown on both sides.
Serve as a snack with tomato chutney.
Tomato Chutney

• 1 large tomato - blanched and quartered
• 1 clove garlic
• 1cm piece ginger
• 1 - 2 small chillies
• 1 C coriander or mint
• 1/2 tsp salt

Blend all ingedients except the salt.
Store in fridge.
Add salt just before serving.

SIMPLE PAKORAS

• 4oz Chickpea Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 baking soda
• Canola oil
• Veggies: eggplant, onion, cauliflower florets, potato

Mix flour, a little water, chili and baking soda in a bowl to make the batter. Mix well and leave to rest for about 5 mins. Heat oil until very hot and then dip the vegetables into the batter mixture and drop into the oil, and lower the temperature.

Serves: 4; Preparation time: 30 min

PAKORAS 3

Pakoras (vege fritters) are the simplest thing that comes to my mind:

• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 chopped potatoes
• handful of spinach - chopped
• half cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. coarsely ground coriander seeds
• salt to test
• 2 chopped jalapenos (optional)
• 1 small eggplant chopped

Mix the above well. Add very little water to make it into thick paste like consistency.
Heat oil in a wok.
Drop spoonful of mixture in the wok and deep fry till golden brown.

TOMATO PAKORAS

For filling

• Tomatoes 2 (medium sized)(paste or puree)
  
• Garlic Paste of 8 - 10 cloves of garlic
  
• Ginger root 1/2" piece (in paste form)
  
• Greeen Chillies 6 - 7 (finely chopped)(optional)
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Cumin seed 1/2 teaspoon
  
• Oil
  

For Pakoras

• Bread slices - 5 (medium sized)
  
• Gram flour - 2 table spoons
  
• Rice Flour - 1 table spoon
  
• Curd - 2 Table spoons
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Red Chilli powder to taste
  
• oil for frying

Cut the bread slices into four parts by cutting horizontally from the middle and then vertically from the middle, such that four equal pieces of bread are made. mix around i cup water in curd and dip the bread pieces in the curd. Drain extra curd and keep the bread pieces aside.
Filling

Heat oil in a saucepan and add cumin seeds and garlic paste. Fry the paste till brown. When done add tomato paste or puree. Cook till tomato pate becomes dark red and oil is seen on the pan, add ginger paste, green chillies and salt to it. Cover and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. The filling is done. Keep it aside and let it cool.
Put about one teaspoon filling on the bread pieces soaked in curd and cover it with another piece of soaked bread.

Mix Gram and Rice flour, salt cumin seeds and red chillies powder. Add water and make a batter of medium consistency. Dip the sandwich of bread pieces and filling in this batter and deep fry.
Serve hot with green corriander chutney.

VEGETABLE PAKORA

Ingredients 2 cups of vegetables, cut into large pieces (You can use green bell pepper,cauliflower,onion) 1 cup besan(bengal gram flour) 1/4 cup water 2 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp cumin seeds A pinch of hing(asoefetida) Salt to taste Oil for deep frying

  Method

Made a thick batter with the water, flour, red chilli
powder, cumin, hing and salt.
Coat each vegetable piece with this batter and deep fry.
Serve with tomato ketchup.

BREAD PAKORA

Bread Pakoda Preparation

Bread Pakora is a tasty snack which is also an easy recipe to prepare when guests come or to serve kids in the evening.
Ingredients:

3 Bread slices each cut into 2 triangle slices
1 Cup Gram flour
1 cup Mashed potatoes
1 cup Chopped mint leaves
1 pinch asafetida (hing)
1/4 tsp. Mango powder
1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
¼ tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
Salt to taste
Oil

Method of Preparation
Mix gram flour, red chili powder, salt and water in a bowl to make a smooth batter which is neither too very thick nor too thin and keep aside. In another bowl mix the mashed potatoes, chopped mint leaves, asafetida, cumin powder, mango powder and black pepper powder. Stuff this mixture between the two parts of each bread slice to form a single piece. Deep fry this bread pakodas until golden brown. Serve hot with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Flour crispies (Nimki)

ingredients

serves: 2 - 4

2 1/2 cups (250 g) 9 oz Refined flour (maida)
2 tbsp (30 g) 1 oz Ghee
2 tsp (8 g) Salt
4 tbsp (60 ml) 2 fl oz Water
4 tsp (6 g) Onion seeds (kalonji)
Vegetable oil for frying

method

1. Mix together the refined flour, ghee, and salt.

2. Add the onion seeds and water; knead into a firm dough.

3. Divide the dough into small equal-sized balls.

4. Flatten the balls and roll them out into discs. Dust flour on both sides of the discs and then fold each into quarters (will be triangular in shape).

5. Heat the oil in a wok (kadhai); fry the quarters on medium heat till crisp and golden in colour. Remove and drain the excess oil.

Deep-fried puffs filled with gram and tamarind water (Golguppa)

ingredients

serves: 4 - 6

2 cups (200 g) Refined flour (maida)
1 cup (100 g) 3 1/2 oz Semolina (suji)
Cold water to knead

filling for the golgappa:

2 tbsp Sprouted brown gram (chana), boiled
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Potatoes, boiled, peeled, diced

for the tamarind water:

6 cups (1 1/2 lt) 48 fl oz Cold water
3 tsp (4 1/2 g)Cumin (jeera) powder
1 tbsp (6 g)Tamarind (imli), soaked for 30 minutes in 1 cup water, strained
1 1/2 tsp (3 g) Black salt (kala namak)
2 tsp (4 g) Black pepper (kali mirch) powder
2 tsp (12 g) Ginger (adrak) paste
1 cup (15 g) Mint (pudina) leaves, chopped

to serve with papri:

1 tbsp (18 g) Chickpeas (kabuli chana), cooked
2 Potatoes, medium-sized, boiled, peeled, diced
1/2 cup (100 g) 3 1/2 oz Yoghurt (dahi), whipped
3 tsp (6 g) Chaat masala
1/2 tsp (1 g) Red chilli powder
3 tbsp Tamarind chutney

method

1. For the golgappa and papri, mix the flour and semolina with water and knead to a stiff dough. Divide the dough equally and make 3 cm balls. Roll each ball out into thick rounds. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside.

2. Deep-fry the rounds till crisp and puffed up. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Papri is made in the same way except that the rolled out rounds are pricked with a fork before frying, so that they remain crisp and flat.

3. For the tamarind water, mix all the ingredients with the water and stir well. Keep this water in a ceramic
jug

4. To serve golgappa, make a small hole in the centre of the puffed up balls, put in a couple of sprouted brown gram, a little potato and fill with tamarind water. It should be eaten whole and immediately.

5. Serve the papri with chickpeas, potatoes, yoghurt, sprinkled with chaat masala, red chilli powder and tamarind sauce.

Kebabs made with yoghurt (Dahi Ke Kebab)

ingredients

serves: 4

2 cups (400 g) 14 oz Yoghurt (dahi), hung
1/2 cup (50 g) 1 3/4 oz Roasted gram (chana), powdered
Salt to taste
2 tsp (4 g) Red chilli powder
1 tsp (2 g) Clove (laung) powder
1/2 tsp (1 g) Green cardamom (choti elaichi) powder
a large pinch Cinnamon (dalchini) powder
1/2 tsp (1 g) Black pepper (kali mirch) powder
1/2 cup (100 ml) 3 1/2 fl oz Vegetable oil
2 tsp (12 g) Garlic (lasan) paste
1/4 cup (30 g) 1 oz Onions, sliced, fried, ground
3 tbsp (45 ml) 1 1/2 oz Milk

method

1. Add the roasted gram, salt and half of all the spices to the hung yoghurt and mix well.

2. Divide the mixture into 20 equal portions. Flatten each portion to get a smooth, even shape.

3. Heat the oil in a pan; fry the kebabs, a few at a time, to a light golden colour. Keep aside.

4. In the same oil, add salt, garlic paste, ground onions, and the remaining half of the spices. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the kebabs and turn gently till each piece is coated with the mixture.

5. Pour milk over the kebabs and let the mixture sizzle for 10 seconds. Serve hot.

SPRING ONION PAKORA

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups besan/gram dal flour/chickpea flour
2-3 tbsps rice flour
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
pinch of cumin pwd
pinch of garam masala pwd
8-10 spring onions whites, finely chopped
spring onion greens, finely chopped
few curry leaves, tear
salt to taste
pinch of baking soda
water as required
oil for deep frying

Combine both the flours with salt, soda, spring onion whites and greens, cumin pwd, garam masala pwd, chilli pwd, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves. Add enough water and mix well that it forms a thick batter, similar to idli batter.
Heat enough oil for deep frying in a deep frying vessel. It should be piping hot, reduce flame to medium and use your fingers to drop the batter in the oil to form small fritters. Deep fry till they turn golden brown. Use a ladle to keep turning the fritters so that it cooks on all sides.
Once they turn golden brown, remove them on to absorbent paper. Serve as evening snack over a hot cup of  (spiced tea).

MIRCHI BHAJJI

• JALAPENOS 10
  
• BESAN 11/2 CUP
  
• RICE FLOUR 2TSP
  
• SUJI 2TSP
  
• PEANUTS(ROASTED) 2SPS
  
• SESAME SEEDS(ROASTED0 1TSP
  
• AJWAIN 1TSP
  
• TAMARIND LITTLE
  
• SUGAR 1/2TSP
  
• SALT ACCORDING TO TASTE
  
• BAKING POWDER PINCH
  
• OIL FOR DEEP FRY

MAKE A PASTE WITH PEANUTS,SESAME SEEDS,SUGAR SALT,TAMARIND AND AJWAIN.IT SHOULD BE THICK.
SLIT THE JALAPENOS REMOVE SEEDS AND STUFF WITH ABOVE PASTE.
MAKE A THICK BATTER BY ADDING BASIN RICE  FLOUR ,SUJI, BAKING POWDER , SALT AND WATER.
DIP THE JALAPENOS IN THE BATTER AND DEEP FRY UNTIL IT TURN INTO BROWN.

Batter fried cauliflower roasted in tandoor (Tandoori Phool)

ingredients

serves: 4

2 small flowers 800 g (28 oz) Cauliflower (phoolgobhi), break into florets, washed, dried
Salt to taste
4 tsp (8 g) Chaat masala
2 Juice of lemons (nimbu)
4 tbsp (40 g) Gram flour (besan)
2 tsp (4 g) Red chilli powder
Vegetable oil for frying and basting 1 Cucumber (khira), sliced
2 Tomatoes, cut into wedges

method

1. Marinate the florets in a mixture of salt, chaat masala, and lemon juice for 30 minutes.

2. Mix gram flour with 1/2 cup water into a smooth batter. Season with salt and red chilli powder.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan; dip the florets in the batter and lower gently into the hot oil; fry on low heat. Remove. Once the florets are cool, cut into pieces.

4. Put on skewers and roast in a tandoor for 5 - 6 minutes till golden brown or roast in a preheated oven at 140°C / 275°F for 10 minutes. Baste with oil while roasting.

Remove from skewers and serve with cucumber and tomato wedges.

Vegetable seekh kebabs

ingredients

serves: 4

4 Potatoes, boiled
500 g (1.1 lb) Yam (jimikand), boiled
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Cauliflower (phool gobhi), cut into florets, boiled
100 g (3 1/2 oz) French beans, finely chopped, boiled
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Carrots (gajar), finely chopped, boiled
125 g (4 oz) Cottage cheese (paneer), mashed
1/2 cup (60 g) 2 oz Cashew nuts (kaju), ground
2 tsp (12 g) Ginger (adrak) paste
2 tsp (12 g) Garlic (lasan) paste
1/2 cup (150 g) 5 oz Onions, minced
2 tsp (10 g) Green chillies, minced
1 cup (25 g) Green coriander (hara dhaniya), minced
1 tsp (2 g) Cumin (jeera) seeds, roasted
1 tsp (2 g) Red chilli powder
Salt to taste Vegetable oil for basting

method

1. Mash the boiled vegetables together to a fine paste. Add the remaining ingredients (except oil) and knead to a stiff dough. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

2. Spread the mixture along the length of the skewers. Bake in a preheated oven (150-180°C or 300-350°F) for 10 minutes. Remove, baste with oil and bake further for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from the skewers and serve hot.

Potato patties with green gram stuffing

ingredients

makes: 11 - 12

1 kg (2.2 lb) Potatoes, large, washed, boiled, peeled, mashed
2 tbsp (30 ml) 1 oz Vegetable oil
1 cup (200 g) 7 oz Green gram (moong dal), soaked for 30 minutes, drained
2 tsp (4 g) Turmeric (haldi) powder
1 tsp (2 g) Red chilli powder
3 tsp (6 g) Cumin (jeera) seeds, lightly roasted, powdered
Salt to taste
1 cup (250 ml) 8 fl oz Water
1 tsp (2 g) Mango powder (amchur)
Vegetable oil / Ghee for shallow frying

method

1. Heat the oil in a pan; add green gram, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, and water. Cook covered on medium heat until almost done.

2. Add the mango powder and cook for a few more minutes, ensuring that the green gram grains remain intact. A little more water may be added, if required. Keep aside.

3. To the mashed potatoes, add salt to taste. Divide this equally into lemon-sized portions. Grease your palms and roll each portion to make a ball, then flatten into a smooth, round patty about 1/2 inch thick. Put 2 tsp of the green gram filling in the centre. Fold the edges together and seal the filling inside. Flatten again with the fingers to a 3 cm thickness. Keep aside and shape all the pieces this way.

4. Heat a few drops of oil / ghee on a griddle (tawa) or a non-stick frying pan; lay the patties flat on it. Cook on medium heat, adding a few drops of oil around the edges. Turn over when deep red and crisp. Repeat on the other side. Remove and drain the excess oil on absorbent kitchen towels.

5. Serve hot with mint chutney

FRIED GRAM FLOUR CRISPIES

Ingredients

serves: 4 - 6

1 cup (100 g) 3 1/4 oz Bengal gram flour (besan)
1 tbsp (15 ml) Vegetable oil
1/4 tsp (1/2 g) Black pepper (kali mirch) powder
1/4 tsp (1/2 g) Red chilli powder
a pinch Asafoetida (hing)
2 pinches Soda bicarbonate
Salt to taste
4 tbsp (60 ml) 2 fl oz Water
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method.

Mix the Bengal gram flour and oil with black pepperpowder, red chilli powder, and asafoetida.

  Dissolve the soda bicarbonate and salt in water and then boil it at once. When this mixture cools, mix it with the Bengal gram flour mixture. Add enough water to make a stiff batter.

  Heat the oil in a pan; put the batter in a mold with holes and press over the oil. Fry till golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on absorbent kitchen towels.

  Cool and store in airtight containers.

Aloo Rolls (Refined flour rolls stuffed with potatoes)

ingredients

serves: 5 - 6

500 g (1.1 lb) Potatoes, boiled, mashed
2 1/2 cups (250 g) 9 oz Refined flour (maida)
2 tsp (10 ml) Vegetable oil
1/2 tsp (1 gm) Cumin (jeera) seeds
1 inch Ginger (adrak), finely chopped
a few Green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp (1 g) Turmeric (haldi) powder
Red chilli powder to taste Salt to taste Vegetable oil for deep-frying

method

1. Knead the flour with enough water to make a medium-soft dough. Keep aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan; add cumin seeds. When it starts crackling, add ginger and green chillies. Mix well. Add potatoes and the remaining spices; mix well. Remove and keep side.

3. Divide the dough equally into 10 portions. Roll each out into a round roti; roast and shallow fry each roti with oil. Repeat till all the rotis are made.

4. Spread 3 tbsp of potato stuffing on each roti and roll tightly. Serve hot.