Potato Cakes / Aloo Tikki

I know there has been no post for a long time now. Its all thanks to a new job and the major move from the Big Apple. Since I settled in just a little bit, I decided to update the blog.

This is a simple recipe and I made it for a get together with friends before I left NY. Less ingredients. Less hassle

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes (medium sized) - 5 

2. Salt - to taste

4. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

5. Cilantro - 2 sprigs

6. Green Chilies - 2 (finely chopped)

7. Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tea spoon

8. Oil 

Preparation Time : 15- 20 mins

Cooking Time : 10 mins

Method:

1. Boil potatoes until tender. 

2. Once boiled, peel the sking and mash them.

3. Add all the ingredients (except for the oil) and mix well.

4. Check for taste and adjust salt and spice accordingly.

5. Now , roll out the mashed potato micture using a rolling pin to about 1 inch thickness.

6. Using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut into rounds or desired shape.

7. In a skillet take 2-3 tablespoons of oil and shallow fry them till golden brown.

8. Serve with mint chutney and enjoy!

Fish fry

Ingredients:

2 - Tilapia Fillets

2. Salt - to taste

3. Red Chilli Powder - to taste

4. Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp

5. Turmeric - 1 pinch

6. Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs

7. Cooking oil - 5 tbps

8. Cashews - optional

Method:

1. Cut the tilapia fillets into cube sized pieces.

2. Take salt, chilli powder, masala, ginger garlic in a bowl and mix well. Add the fish pieces to the marinade and set aside.

3. In a frying pan, take 1/2 tbsp of oil and fry the cashews and curry leaves. Keep them aside .

4. Now, add remaining oil to the pan and fry the fish pieces until they are cooked. On medium flame is better.

5. When serving garnish with fried curry leaves and cashews.

Baked Hashbrowns

Okay, I am a sucker for hashbrowns at Waffle House. The only downside being that there is no Waffle house close to where I stay:( . So I set about trying to satisfy my palate for some crunchy , tasty potatoes :)

Preparation Time: 15-20 mins

Cook Time : 15 mins

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 1 (large)

2. Onions - 1/4 onion diced (optional)

3. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

4. Salt

5. Pepper

Method:

1. Slice the potatoes , as thin as you can. Remeber you are not making french fries. If you have a grater, just grate your potatoes.

2. In a vessel take the oil, salt, pepper, onions and mix well.

3. Add potatoes to this and make sure the potatoes are coated well enough with the oil mixture

4. Take a baking pan and line it with a baking paper. Place the potatoes on the baking paper as seperately as you can. Make sure they dont stick.

5. Bake for 10-15 mins at a temp of 350 F.

6. Serve Hot.

Samosa

A rainy afternoon, some hot samosa's and cup of chai with a good novel is a perfect combination. So I decided to try my hand at making samosa's. A big deviation from my diet, but the weather was so perfect for a samosa snack

Preparation Time : 10-20 mins
Cooking Time: 5-10 mins

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 cups

2. Oil (2- tbsp)

3. Water

4. Salt to taste

5. Ajwain Seeds

Making the dough : Add all the ingredients except the water, and mix well. Add few drops of water to knead the dough like you would for pooris.

Stuffing:

6. Potatoes - 3 No.s (Boiled and cut into pieces)

7. Green Peas (Carrots optional)

8. Cumin Seeds

9. Curry Leaves

10. Chaat Masala

11. Red Chilli powder


Method:

1. Take 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and let them splutter.

2. Now add salt, red chillie powder, turmeric, coriander powder, chaat masala and add half a cup of water,

3. Then add the green peas, potatoes. Mix well and close the lid.

4. Allow to cook for 5-10 mins. Granish with coriander (optional) . Open cook it if any water left.

5. Take the kneaded dough and make small rounds like you do for a poori.

6. Roll it with a rolling pin and make circles. Make sure to not have thick edges.

7. Now, cut the circle into half.

8. Take the semi circle, a dip your finger in a water bowl and run your finger across the border of the semi circle.

9. Now make it into a cone by folding the side.

10. Add stuffing into the cone.

11. Heat a kadai with oil and fry the samosa till golden brown/

12. Serve with pudina chutney and tamarind chutney.


NOTE : Since it was my first time, I had trouble with the initial lot of samosa's, the dough was a little too thick, I had to learn it the hard way with each round. So when you roll the dough, keep it thin at the edges and you should be good.

Mirchi Bajji

It was -12 degree celsius today and I was craving for something hot and spicy. So I decided to try my hand at Mirchi bajji, one of my favorite snacks.
Ingredients:
1. Besan - 1 cup
2. Rice Flour - 1/4 cup

3. Baking Soda - A pinch
4. Salt
5. Tamarind paste
6. Cumin Seeds
7. Coriander powder
8. Green Chillies
9. Ajwain Seeds (Vaamu)
10. Onion and Lemon

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cook Time : 15 mins

Method:
1. Mix the besan rice flour, baking soda and a spoon of salt with some water, till the mixture attains a milk consistency.

2. Now, take the green chillies, make a slit along the length, leaving the top and bottom closed. Remove the seeds in the chili. (Removing seeds is difficult than I thought)

3. Now let us make the stuffing. Take one spoon of cumin seeds, coriander powder, ajwain seeds, tamarind paste. Also add salt for taste and make a powder out of them using a blender.

4. Now stuff the chilis with this mixture .

5. Take a kadai and fill it with oil till half the volume. Heat the oil.

6. Take the stuffed chili's one by one and dip them in the batter and drop them in the oil gently.

7. Fry till golden brown and remove onto a plate.

Mince some onions. Add some salt and red chili powder and sprinkle some lemon juice. Serve along side bajjis.

Chicken 65

This is my first attempt, the chicken was a little too fried for my taste. Nonetheless taste was good

Ingredients
Chicken

Ginger Garlic paste
Garlic
Green Chillies
Pepper
Curry Leaves
Chilli Garlic Paste
Salt
Egg
Corn Flour
Cumin Seeds

Cooking Time : 45 mins

1. Clean the chicken. cut chicken into small pieces.

2. In a bowl put the chicken pieces, salt, ginger garlic, 1 egg, 1 cup of corn flour and pepper. mix well and keep aside.

3. Take a kadai with oil. Heat it and fry these chicken pieces. Make sure that the chicken pieces dont get too hard. (I made this mistake, the pieces have to be a lil juicy )

4. Mince garlic cloves and green chillies.

5. In a pan, take a little oil, add cumin seeds, minced chili and garlic and curry leaves. After 2 mins add the chili garlic paste.

6. You also can add a red color for the look you get in restaurants ( I avoid it).

7. Now add the chicken pieces to this mix and toss it for two mins.

Gobi Manchuria

Request : Do not judge the recipe by the picture.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower : 1
Soy sauce
Chilli sauce
Onions

Green Peppers (Capsicum)
Salt
Ketchup
Corn Flour
All purpose flour (Maida)
Garlic
Ginger Garlic

Cooking Time : 1 hr

1. Make the batter. Add 1 cup maida, 1/4 cup corn flour, 2 spoons ginger garlic paste, salt ans water. Please make sure the batter is not watery.

2. Cut the onions and peppers into big dices. Mince garlic.

3. Take oil in a pan . Add the minced garlic and diced veggies , half a spoon ginger garlic, pinch of aginomoto.
Add salt only for the gravy keeping in mind you already have salt in the batter. Allow them to saute for 3-5 mins on medium flame.

4. Add spoon of soy sauce, chilli sauce and ketchup and mix well. (i call this my base)

5.  Cut the cauliflower into florets.

6. Dip these florets in the batter and fry them in oil. Fry it on a medium flame so it cooks slowly adn evenly.

7. Once done, add the fried florets into the base.

Eat away!!!