Vegetable Cutlet ( India Coffee House Style )

You might be wondering why another 'cutlet' recipe ,where there are so many recipes and variations of the same on the Internet.But this one is comes from our very own South India's famous chain of restaurants 'India Coffee House' which use to make good and brisk business in the 1980s era.My husband would fondly remember the cutlet he would have with his family when he was a kid during their family outings.

For me, India Coffee House was about their famous coffee and the dosas, idlis and wadais.But the cutlet/tikki was the crowing glory..LOL.I decided to replicate the same and the cutlet was indeed the Indian Coffee House style,and our very own loyal customer aka my hubby approved it.

Vegetable Cutlet/Vegetable Tikki

Ingredients:

Potatoes(Boiled and mashed)- 2
Carrot and Beetroot(grated)- 1 cup
Onion(finely chopped)- 1
Red Chilly Powder- 1 tsp
Jeera/Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Lemon Juice- 1 tsp
Bread crumbs-1/2 cup+ 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying

Method:

1.In a wok/kadai, heat 1 tsp of oil and sauté the finely chopped onions till golden brown.
2.Add the red chilly powder , cumin powder and cook further for two more minutes.
3.Now add the grated carrot and beetroot mixture and cook till the carrot and beetroot mixture has no moisture.
4.Remove from fire and allow it to cool.
5.Add the mashed potato mixture, salt to taste, 3 tbsp of bread crumbs and lemon juice. Mix well and make equal sized flat balls.

6. Coat the flattened balls with the remaining bread crumbs.

7.Take a flat griddle and shallow fry the cutlet/tikkis on either side with few teaspoons of oil or just until they are browned well.

8.Serve hot with thinly sliced onions and lemon wedges.

Note:
We are not adding amchur powder/dry mango powder as this is a South Indian version of a vegetable tikki.


 

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Achari Mushroom/Achari Kumbh(Quick version)

Achari Mushroom has always been on my to-do list for dinner. This dish can be found on any restaurant menu in Northern part of India.'Achar' means pickle in Hindi. Ask any Indian, he would tell you how important 'pickle' is. No meal in India is complete without pickle in one corner of a plate.

This recipe is quite unique as it calls for actual pickle paste(out of the jar!) to be used as an ingredient. You can find various kinds of pickles in an Indian grocery store like the mango pickle,mixed vegetable pickle, lime pickle ,green chilly pickle , tomato pickle, garlic pickle, and the list goes on and on.

The only pickle which can be preferably used for this recipe is the Mango pickle. Lets get on with this lip smacking recipe.




Achari Mushroom

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms- 10 to 15 nos
Chickpea Flour/Besan- 5 tbps
Mango Pickle- 2 tbps
Red chilly Powder(if required)
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1.Clean the mushrooms and slice them into halves.
2.Pressure cook the mushrooms for four to five whistles. Drain the water and allow it to cool down. Pat dry the excess water with a kitchen tissue.
3.In a wok/kadai, dry roast the chickpea flour for five minutes on a low flame till it emits an aroma and the color changes to light brown. Allow it to cool down.
4.Spoon the pickle from the bottle. Take care to avoid all the mango pieces , only the paste part would do for this.
5.In a bowl, mix the roasted chickpea flour, pickle paste and salt to taste.
(Be careful with the salt, as there will be salt in the pickle. You might not need any!) 
6.Check how spicy you want the dish to be and accordingly add red chilly powder.
7.Marinate the mushrooms and the besan-pickle mixture and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

 

8.In a wok/kadai, heat 2 tbsp. of oil, and add the marinated mushrooms. Cook on a low flame for around 20 minutes until its gets roasted to a lovely golden brown color.

9.Goes well with chappaties or rotis.

Mushroom with a unique tangy flavor!!

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Baked Corn Samosa

S a m o s a is one snack which is so synonymous to India.The firangis/foreigners call it the 'Indian Triangle',but you dig deeper its a world famous dish with different names in different countries.

Tamilnadu,India - Sumsa
West Bengal ,India - Shingara
Burma - Sumsa
Bangaldesh - Somucha
Pakistan - Samosa
Indonesia - Pastel
Africa - Sambusa
Israel - Sambusak
Maldives - Bajiyaa
Portugal - Chamucas

Think I went the whole world round with a 'Samosa' in my hand :D

As samosa is traditionally a deep-fried snack, I tried the baked version,which was so guilt-free binging.

Ingredients:

For Outer Cover:

 All purpose Flour - 1 1/2 cup
 Baking Powder - 1 tsp
 Salt - 1 tsp
 Oil- 4 tbsp+2 tbsp
 Water- 1/4 cup

For Filling:

Onion - 1
Tomato - 1 (small sized)
Corn Kernels(Boiled) - 1/2 cup
Potato(Boiled and Mashed) - 1/4 cup
Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 tsp
Amchur Powder/Dry Mango Powder - 2 pinches
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

For preparing the outer cover:
We are preparing the outer cover first as we need to rest the dough for half an hour.
1.Combine flour,salt,baking powder,4 tbsp of oil, and enough water to make a soft dough.
2.Cover and allow it to rest.

For preparing the filling:
3.Chop the onions and tomatoes very finely.
4.In a wok/kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil,add the onions and tomatoes and saute for 2 mins on medium flame.
5. Add red chilly powder,salt and cook for another 5 minutes.
6.Remove from fire and allow it to come to room temperature.
7.Add the boiled corn,mashed potatoes and amchur powder.Mix well and set aside.

Preparing the samosa:
8.Divide the dough and the filling into equal portions.Note that each ball that you roll ,will give you two samosas each.
9.Roll each ball into a small poori, and cut into two semi circles.
10.Using a basting brush,moisten the edges of the semi-circle with little water.This will allow you to form a cone and join the edges to seal the samosa.
11.Take both the edges of the semicircle and pinch them together, so that it forms a small cone.
12.Take 1 tsp of the filling,put inside the cone and seal it.Follow the same method for all the semicircles.

13.Arrange all the samosas on a greased baking tray or a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

14.Preheat the over at 200 degrees centigrade for 10minutes.
15.Before putting the samosas in the oven, coat the samosas with little oil using a basting brush.
16.Bake on each side for 10 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade in the centre of the oven.

Samosa Joke:(In hindi)

Ek Pathan Samosa khol kar andar ka masala kha rha tha
Ek admi ne pocha, pura kyun nahi khate ho,
toh Pathan bola"baba Doctor ne bahir ki cheez khane se mana kia hai".

Laugh and enjoy with a hot cup of tea !!

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Mutter Paneer ( with Almond n Cashew Paste )

Mutter Paneer is one the simple dishes which any one can cook.When my husband was longing for a paneer dish, I thought why not tweak a bit and make it really yummy.The result was mind blowing and once you attempt this, you would say a big goodbye to the boring old 'Mutter Paneer'.This dish has almond and cashew paste which makes this extra yummy and lip smaking.You can either make it the dry version or the gravy style, like how they would serve in any North Indian restaurant.The choice is yours.

Here I have made the dry version and added steps of making paneer at home.

Mutter Paneer

Ingredients:

For making paneer -
  Milk- 1.5 Ltrs
  Lemon Juice- 4 tbsp

Onion - 1 medium sized
Tomatoes- 2 medium sized
Peas- 2 cups
Ginger n Garlic paste- 1 tsp
Almonds(Blanched) - 4
Cashew - 4
Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
Garam Masala- 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

For making paneer


1.In a heavy bottomed pan,boil milk ,till its just about to boil over.Reduce the flame and add 4 tbsp of lemon juice.
2.Keep stirring the milk .This would result in curdling the milk.Now you will see that the whey water and the paneer  are getting separated.
3.Remove from fire and allow the contents to come to a room temperature.Take a thin muslin and pour the liquid thru it, to separate the paneer and the whey water.(See pic below)
4.Press the paneer to remove excess water and refrigerate for 1 hour before you use the paneer for the making the dish.This is basically to firm up paneer.

5.Blanch the almonds and grind in into a very fine paste along with the cashew.Set aside.
6.Finely chop the onions and tomatoes.
7.In a kadai/wok, heat 4 tbsp of oil,saute the onions,tomatoes,ginger garlic paste on a medium flame till the tomatoes are tender.
8.Add turmeric powder,red chilly powder,cashew-almond paste,salt to taste and 1 cup of water.
9.Cook with the lid on for 10 minutes and lower the flame.
10.Add the peas and cook covered for another 10 minutes till all the water has evaporated.This is the step where you can decide if you want a gravy or a dry dish.
11.Cut the paneer into bite sized cubes, and add them into the kadai, and cook for another 2 minutes.
12.Garnish with garam masala and remove from fire.
13.Serve hot with naan or roti.

Tip:

1.If you don't want to use cashew and almond paste,the dish can be garnished with  1/4 cup of cream.
2.Don't throw away the whey water, it can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days, and used for kneading the dough for making rotis.This would give you very soft rotis.

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Chickpea Cutlets

Come weekends, it would be time to cook some good tiffin/snack for my hubby for  evening tea.I was so bored of the same potato based tikkis/cutlets and the same time I did not want anything fried every weekend.I was in the 'eat-healthy' mode for sometime.LOL..

Then I came across the chickpea cutlets which had not potatoes in them.Tasted quite good and goes well with hot masala chai.

Chickpea Cutlet

Ingredients:

Chickpea/White Kabuli Channa(pressure cooked and mashed)-1 1/2 cup
Onion(finely chopped)- 1
Tomato(finely chopped)- 1
Jeera Powder/Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder- 1 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 tbsp

Method:

1.Soak the channa overnight.Pressure cook the same till fully cooked.
2.Drain excess water, mash finely and set aside.
3.In a wok/kadai,heat 2 tsp of oil and saute the finely chopped onions and tomatoes.
4.Add cimun powder,red chilly powder,coriander powder,and salt and cook for 2 mintues.
5.Add 1/2 cup of water and cook for another 10 minutes on low flame till the water had evaporated and the masalas are cooked well.
6.Remove from fire,and allow it to come to room-temparature.
7.Combine the cooked onion-tomatoes with the mashed chickpea.
8.Make equal sized balls and flatten in the shape of a cutlet.
9.On a hot gridle,heat 1 tsp of oil and cook each side of the cutlet till golden brown.

Yummy hot channa cutlet is ready... :D

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Spinach Packets (Cottage Cheese Stuffed)

After having seen spinach packets in the frozen section of the supermarket,though I did not find it

appealing to pick it up,I attempted making an Indian version of the same at home.

This goes best with hot masala chai and btw......'Anything deep-fried is so yummmmm at anytime of the day'.

Spinach Balls with  Cottage Cheese

 

  

Ingredients:

Spinach(blanched and pureed)-1/2 cup
Potatoes(boiled and mashed)-1 1/2 cups
Paneer/Cottage Cheese- 50 gms
Jeera Powder/Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Gram flour- 4 tbsp(heaped)
Salt to taste

Method:
1.Combine spinach,mashed potatoes,cumin powder,red chilly powder,gram flour and salt.
2.Make 10 balls of this mixture and equally divide the paneer as well.
3.Grease both your hands with little oil,take a ball and envelop the paneer into it.
4.Repeat the same for all the spinach-potato balls and refrigerate for 1 hour.
(You can make this the previous day also and quickly fry them when needed)

5.Deep fry the balls on both sides until golden brown.Drain them and serve them hot with tomato ketchup.


Spinach Packets(Paneer Stuffed)

A truly fast snack indeed !!!

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Garlic Knots

Authentic Italian dinner rolls, garlic knots are made out of bread dough(with sauteed garlic) tied in a knot, baked and then brushed with olive oil. Usually served in pizza joints, made there out of left over pizza dough. This is a perfect tea-time snack.

Garlic Knots

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose flour - 2 cups
Yeast - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/4 cup
Olive Oil - 4 tbsp
Garlic (Crushed) - 10 pods



Method:


Preparing the yeast:
1.Heat 5 tsp of water to lukewarm temperature. Dissolve the sugar  and add yeast. Mix and cover with a lid for 5 minutes, until it foams up.Yeast feeds on sugar.
*If the yeast has not foamed up, that means the yeast is dead and you need to start with a fresh pack.
*Another reason, might be the water was too hot to kill the yeast.
*Also, too much of salt kills the yeast.



Preparing the Dough:

2.In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, salt, olive oil. After the yeast has been activated, mix along with the flour and make a soft dough using enough milk.
3.On a clean kitchen counter, place the dough, knead for 10 minutes using the heal of your hand.
4.Transfer the dough into the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Rest it for 1 hour. This is known as the 'first rise'.
5.After 1 hour, the dough would have doubled in size.
6.Punch back the dough.
7.Transfer the dough into the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Rest it for another one hour. This is the 'second rise'.
8.After this, the dough would have again doubled in size.
9.In a wok, saute the crushed garlic in 2 tsp of olive oil until cooked and allow it to cool down.
10.Mix the sauteed garlic along with the dough and knead well.



Preparing the knots:

11.Roll the dough into a long cylinder.For bite sized garlic knots,cut into small portions.
12.now roll each portion into a long snake form. Do a knot and place the same on a baking tray greased with oil or parchment paper.
13.Leave some space between the knots as they tend to expand while baking.
14.Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise for another 1 hour.
15.Finally brush with olive oil and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.

16.After the baking process is over, using the GRILL mode, and further cook it for 10 minutes. This step is basically to brown the top.(Check your oven instruction manual regarding the placement of the tray while grilling. My oven requires the top shelf placement for grilling.)



Delizioso..

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Sabudana Vadam

Come Summer, I would start dreaming of vadams.For South Indians, Vadams are synonymous to papads. There are various versions of it ,like the Koozh Vadam, Rice vadam and Javvarisi(Sabudana/Sago) vadam. For making vadams, sabudana  should always be cooked till transparent.Though this recipe involves a lot of hard work and patience,(sweat too...keeping in mind the Chennai heat ! ),but when you pop it in your mouth, you will know its worth the effort.

Sabudana Vadam- After Frying



Sabudana Vadam -  Before Frying





Ingredients:

Sabudana- 2 cups
Water- 6 cups
 Hing/Asafeotida- 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp.
Sesame Seeds(Black / White)- 1 tsp
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Edible Food Coloring- a pinch dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Method:
1.Soak the sabudana in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes.The propotion of the Sabudana to water will always be 1 cup sabudana : 3 cups of water
2.Add the hing,edible food coloring(I have used pink colour here), and salt to taste.
3.Pressure cook for 4 whistles and allow it to cool completely.
4.The sago should have turned transparent.
5.Now on a clean plastic sheet, drop one teaspoonful at a time as shown in the below picture.

6.This would take 2 days to dry ,and flip it once the vadam is dried on one side. Totally it would take 4 days for the entire batch to dry properly. I have made three batches of different colours.

A very crunchy munchy affair :-D


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Hummus

For quite a long time, I was wondering how to replace all the mayo and cheese spreads which we use at home with something healthy. Then, Hummus came to my mind.



Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea/white kabuli channa. This is a part of the Egyptian cuisine, which my hubby introduced to me when we were in Paris, France. Many a times we have had Falafel with hummus for our lunch ,but never knew how to make it at home. Hummus is had Falafel along with a green vegetable salad  or with pita bread as an appetizer.

This also goes well with toasted bread and indeed a very healthy alternative to any store bought cheese spread.

Hummus




Ingredients:


Chickpeas/Channa(White)- 1 cup
Sesame Seeds(White)- 1/2 cup
Olive Oil- 1 cup
Garlic- 2 pods
Salt to taste



Method:



1.In a kadai/wok, saute the sesame seeds till they start to splutter.Remove from fire and allow it to cool down.
2. Soak the chickpeas overnight in water and pressure cook till tender.This would take 4 to 5 whistles.Allow it to cool down to room temperature.
3.In a mixer, first grind the sesame seeds tilll fine powder.Then include the cooked channa/chickpea,olive oil, garlic pods, and salt to taste.Grind till you reach a very fine consistancy.
4.Can be store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a week.




Hummus, Vegetable Salad, Toasted Brown Bread

Best when had like this...

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Thai Green Curry

Thai cuisine is a potent mix of herbs and spices that add so much flavour and richness to the simple vegetables which we use in our day-to-day life.

Thai food is known for its balance of five fundamental flavors in the overall meal - spicy(hot), sour, sweet, salty and bitter.It offers some of the freshest and taste-bud awakening flavors.
Thai green curry is such a versatile dish where any type of vegetable can be added that you like.Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the ingredients - when they're put together what results is toooo delicious.

Read somwhere:“The best Thai food looks like a mess, but tastes like heaven”.

Ingredients:

Carrots(Diced) - 1 cup
Beans(Diced) - 1 cup
Cauliflower Florets - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Coconut Milk- 1 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil- 3 tsp
Salt to taste

For the Green Sauce:
 Fresh Coriander with stems - 1 cup
 Fresh Mint Leaves - 1 cup
 Green Chillies - 3
 Tomato - 1 medium sized
 Onion- 1 medium sized
 Ginger- 1 inch sized
 Garlic- 4 pods
 Lime Juice- 2 tsp


Method:

1.Pressure the diced carrots,french beans,cauliflower florets and peas in a pressure cooker for one whistle with enough water and 1 tsp of salt.
2.In a wok/kadai,heat a 1 tsp of vegetable oil, and saute the diced tomato,onion,green chillies,garlic,ginger,fresh coriander and mint leaves for 2 minutes.
3.Remove from fire and set aside to cool.
4.In a mixer,grind the above with 1 cup of water and 2 tsp of lime juice to a fine paste.
5.In the same wok/kadai, heat 2 tsp of oil and add the ground paste,cumin powder and cook on medium flame for 5 minutes.
6.Now add the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes on low flame with covered lid.
7.When the vegetables have absorbed the flavors,adjust the salt and remove from fire.
9.Now add the coconut milk and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Goes great with, simple steamed white rice or Ghee rice.

Simply 'Aroy'.           


                                                           


Tip:

1.Do not cook the gravy after adding the coconut milk,else it would curdle.
2.Always include a little bit more spice,as the coconut milk will bring down the spice content of the dish.
3.If the curry is watery, add 1 tsp of cornflour diluted with 4 tsp of water and cook the gravy till your desired consistancy has been achieved.

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Okra Pepper Fry

Okra or Bhindi is a magical vegetable whose texture will vary depending on how you cook it.Try this recipe to savour my favourite veggie which is so full of fibre.

Okra Pepper Fry

Ingredients
Okra - 20
Peppercorns- 10
Jeera/Cumin- 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder- 1 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Amchur/Dry Mango Powder- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp

How to Buy Okra
Choose okra which are firm and dark green in colour.The stems should snap well but should not bend.

Method
1.Wash the okras well and pat them dry with a kitchen towel/tissue.
2.Chop the head and the stem portion.
3.Now chop all the okras into a centimetre length.
4.In a kadai or wok,heat 4 tbsp of oil,and add the cumin seeds.Once the start to crackle, add the roasted cumin powder.
5.Now add the chopped okras, and saute on high heat for 2 minutes.
6.Add the crushed peppercorns,chilly powder ,coriander powder and salt to taste.
7.Close with a lid and cook on very low flame for 15 minutes.
8.Do not add any water , as the okra's will become soggy.
9.Now open the lid and cook on low flame for 10 minutes or until the moisture has evaporated.
10.Finally sprinkle amchur/dry mango powder,toss once and remove from heat.


Best when served with hot rotis accompanied with yogurt/curd.
 

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Paruppu Kari

 

 

 


 Paruppu Kari

 
Ingredients:
 
 
Toor Dal-1/2 cup
Bengal Gram/Kadalai paruppu/Channa Dal- 1/2 cup
Green Gram Dal/Payatham paruppu - 1/2 cup
Onion- 2 medium
Sounf/Sombu/Fennel Seeds- 2 tbsp
Grated Coconut- 1 cup
Red Chilly Powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp

Method:

1.Wash all the three dals and soak in water for two hours.
2.Chop the onions finely.
3.Heat 4 tbsp of vegetable oil in a kadai/wok ,add the fennel seeds and fry for few seconds.
4.Now add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown.Allow it to cool.
5.Strain the water and coarsely grind all the dals with salt to taste,1/2 tsp of chilly powder and 1/2 tsp of coriander powder with very little water.
6.In a mixing bowl, add the coarsely grounded dal  mix and fried fennel seeds with onions and grated coconut.

Coarsely Grounded Dal



 
 

7.Make small balls(see pic) and steam cook for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker.
8.After the steaming process is over, the steamed balls would have firmed up.
 

9.Allow them to come to room temperature, and slice into thin pieces.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
10.In a kadai/wok, take 2 tbsp of oil and shallow fry (on a low flame) the thinly sliced parrupu kari for 5 minutes on each side.

 
Best when had with rasam rice.
 

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Paruppu Podi

Paruppu Podi

This is a very delicious version of parappu podi which you can have with hot rice or with dosa/idly.Should be mixed with gingelly oil/til oil/ghee otherwise it would irritate your throat.



Ingredients:

Bengal Gram Dal/Pottu Kadalai- 1 cup
Peanut(unsalted)-1 cup
Sesame Seed- 2 tbsp
Kashmiri Chillies- 5 to 6
Hing/asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Salt- 1 tbsp



Method:

1.In a thick bottomed pan, heat a tsp of oil, add sesame seeds, Bengal gram dal and peanuts. Roast on a medium flame till the dal changes colour, peanut become brownish and the sesame seeds start to splutter.
2.Transfer the same onto a plate and cool for 15 mins.
3.In the same pan, heat a tsp of oil, add the mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter, add the curry leaves and asafoetida.Switch off the flame, and allow it to cool.
4.In a mixer, transfer the roasted dal/peanuts with salt and grind on low pulse for five minutes. It should be a coarse powder.
5.Now add the curry leaves and grind for a minute.
6.Finally add the garlic pods and grind for half a minute. Be careful not to grind more at this point, as it would become lumpy.



P.S: Best when had with hot rice and ghee :D

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Potato Fry with a TWIST

Potato Fry with a TWIST

Ingredients:

Potato- 5 (cut lengthwise into wedges)
Sesame Seeds- 2 tbsp
Dry red chillies-4
Fennel Seeds- 2 tsp

Method:

Dry roast Sesame seeds ,red chillies,fennel seeds.Put it in a mixer and coarsely grind the same.Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the potatoes,cook for 5-10 minutes.Add the coarsely ground mixture ,salt and turmeric powder and cook further for another 5 minutes.Add enough water so that the potatoes can be cooked.Cook with closed lid for 15 minutes till water had evaporated and crisp.Yummy....!!!

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