Im taking a break from my blog for a few weeks....In the meantime, please enjoy the recipes I've put up!! I'd really appreciate if you could leave some comments....it will only motivate me to post more recipes if I know the ones I've put up are liked!!
xo
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Vegetarian Eggless Fritter 5: Aloo Tikki [Potato and Pea Cutlet]
Total time required to make: 30mins
Serves: 4
Aloo tikki are a versatile type of potato fritter/patty. They take no time to whip up and can be eaten as fritters, with chilli/mint chutney, in a hamburger as a patty or on top on a pea/chickpea ‘ragda’ which is a thick and spicy curry. My favourite way of eating is would have to be with ‘sev’, onion and tamarind/mint chutney and chaat masala sprinkled on top.
Ingredients:
6-8 medium potatoes, boiled
½ cup frozen peas, thawed and crushed
1 slice stale bread
1-2 medium green chillies, minced
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbs chopped coriander
1-2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhana jeera powder [ ground coriander + ground cumin] [optional]
1 tsp turmeric [optional]
1 tsp garam masala/ kitchen king masala
Pinch chaat masala [optional]
1-2 tbs lemon juice [optiona]
Salt to taste
Method
Mash potatoes using potato masher.
Add crushed peas and remaining ingredients except bread.
Crumble the slice of bread to make breadcrumbs and add to mixture. If the mixture doesn’t come together you may need to use another slice.
Form mixture into patties and shallow fry until golden brown.
Drain well and serve.
Serves: 4
Aloo tikki are a versatile type of potato fritter/patty. They take no time to whip up and can be eaten as fritters, with chilli/mint chutney, in a hamburger as a patty or on top on a pea/chickpea ‘ragda’ which is a thick and spicy curry. My favourite way of eating is would have to be with ‘sev’, onion and tamarind/mint chutney and chaat masala sprinkled on top.
Ingredients:
6-8 medium potatoes, boiled
½ cup frozen peas, thawed and crushed
1 slice stale bread
1-2 medium green chillies, minced
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbs chopped coriander
1-2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhana jeera powder [ ground coriander + ground cumin] [optional]
1 tsp turmeric [optional]
1 tsp garam masala/ kitchen king masala
Pinch chaat masala [optional]
1-2 tbs lemon juice [optiona]
Salt to taste
Method
Mash potatoes using potato masher.
Add crushed peas and remaining ingredients except bread.
Crumble the slice of bread to make breadcrumbs and add to mixture. If the mixture doesn’t come together you may need to use another slice.
Form mixture into patties and shallow fry until golden brown.
Drain well and serve.
Vegetarian Eggless Fritter 4: Potato Roshti/ Rosti [Swiss Potato Fritter]
Serves: 4
I made these a few years ago and really liked them. Although simple, they taste quite different to any potato fritter I’ve had before. I think grating raw potato and frying it really brings to light quite a unique flavour, which is really delicious! I try to use as little oil in this as possible because the shredded potato tends to soak up a lot of oil. I’ve only ever used raw potato for this, but you can also try par-boiling the potatoes first, then grating and frying them. Good as an accompaniment [in place of rice or pasta] or for Sunday brunch with fresh salad. You can try the following recipe with other root vegetables such as sweet potato or taro [suran]…what ever is on hand! Let me know how your version turns out!
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes peeled and grated.
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Optional: Pinch chilli flakes/ paprika/ minced garlic
Method
Grate potatoes and wash under cold running water to remove excess starch. There will still be enough starch remaining to hold the shredded potato together in the pan.
Add salt and pepper to grated potatoes.
Shape into small, flat rounds [ or alternatively into one big pancake which you cut into wedges once cooked] and place in a lightly oiled pan.
Fry on both sides until cooked all the way through. [You could also experiment cooking them in an oven. Lightly grease a tray with butter or oil and cook rosti for 10-15 minutes, turning once].
Vegetarian Eggless Fritter 3: Crispy Indian Eggplant Fritters
Total time required to make: 15 mins
Serves: 3- 4
I don’t find eggplant to be the most versatile vegetable. Apart from typical dishes like the Maharashtrian ‘bharleli vangi’ [which is eggplant stuffed with a peanut paste], a simple dry curry, raita [ a summery salad] or it’s use in a ‘pulao’ [pilaf] of some sort, I usually can’t think of new dishes to make from it!
Eggplants tend to have minimum flavour of their own, so depend on other ingredients to impart their flavour on them, and being very absorbent, are good at doing so. Eggplant fritters can make some people think of eggplants dripping with oil...and if made in too much oil/ kept in oil for too long, that’s just what they will become. In this recipe, I cook most of the eggplant with as little oil as possible before adding a little oil towards the end for flavour. This means that the eggplants aren’t as oily and bad for your health as they could be! This dish is best served as an accompaniment to a main meal and taste great with cool yogurt to counteract the spicyness.
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into 1cm rounds
3-4 tbs rice flour
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhana jeera powder [coriander seed- cumin seed powder] (not essential)
Pinch of turmeric
½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt to taste.
Oil for frying
Method:
1.Cut the eggplant into rounds and salt them immediately to stop them going brown.
2.Make a mix of the rice flour, spices and paste.
3.Heat a non stick pan and add no more than 1 teaspoon oil to coat the pan. Dip each eggplant round into the spice mix and place into pan.
4.Let the rounds cook for 3-4 minutes on a very LOW flame on each side without adding any oil.
5.To test if they are cooked, cut one in half. When they are almost cooked through, add about 1 tablespoon of oil and increase the flame to medium-high. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes on each side while continuously shaking the pan to prevent sticking.
6.Drain well and serve with minted yogurt.
Vegetarian Eggless Fritter 2: Bread Pakora [Bread Fritter]
Trust the Indians to come up with something new! Just use the same besan batter as in Eggless Fritter 1, dip slices of bread [halved or quartered] in it and fry. Great for using up stale bread.
Vegetarian Eggless Fritter 1: Kanda Bhajji [Spicy Onion Fritter]
Total time required to make: 25-30mins
Serves: 4
This would have to be my favourite type of bhajji/pakora/fritter. Coming from a Maharashtrian family, these bhajjis are made regularly in my house, especially when there are no vegetables left in the fridge! There is nothing better on a cold and rainy day than to sit indoors next to a heater eating hot kanda bhajji and tea! It’s one of the most comforting combinations. Kanda bhajji is really simple to whip up as well as quick, so it’s perfect when unexpected guests drop by. They are also a good side to any Indian meal, or simply sandwiched in between 2 slices of bread with tomato sauce. I recently tasted some Burger King ‘Onion rings’ while in transit in Singapore. Despite having a similar concept, they were they blandest tasting onion fritters to my tastebuds! And why wouldn’t they be, after being accustomed to this spicy Indian version all my life!
The besan [chickpea] batter used can be used to make fritters from any vegetable possible; onion, cauliflower and potato being most commonly used.
Ingredients:
Serves: 4
This would have to be my favourite type of bhajji/pakora/fritter. Coming from a Maharashtrian family, these bhajjis are made regularly in my house, especially when there are no vegetables left in the fridge! There is nothing better on a cold and rainy day than to sit indoors next to a heater eating hot kanda bhajji and tea! It’s one of the most comforting combinations. Kanda bhajji is really simple to whip up as well as quick, so it’s perfect when unexpected guests drop by. They are also a good side to any Indian meal, or simply sandwiched in between 2 slices of bread with tomato sauce. I recently tasted some Burger King ‘Onion rings’ while in transit in Singapore. Despite having a similar concept, they were they blandest tasting onion fritters to my tastebuds! And why wouldn’t they be, after being accustomed to this spicy Indian version all my life!
The besan [chickpea] batter used can be used to make fritters from any vegetable possible; onion, cauliflower and potato being most commonly used.
Ingredients:
2 Large onions, halved from root to top and sliced thinly
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ajwain (not essential)
Pinch asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ajwain (not essential)
Pinch asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. After slicing the onions vertically and thinly, mix them in salt and leave for 10-15 minutes. This draws out the water from the onions and allows them to become soft enough to come together with the batter mix.
2. Add besan and spices to the onions. Add a little water at a time to make a thick batter. The batter should not be too thick or too runny. If too runny, the fritters won’t form, and if too thick, they will taste too doughy.
2. Add besan and spices to the onions. Add a little water at a time to make a thick batter. The batter should not be too thick or too runny. If too runny, the fritters won’t form, and if too thick, they will taste too doughy.
3. Heat oil in a wok and add teaspoons of batter into the oil. I usually use two teaspoons; take a dollop of batter into one, and use the other to slide the mixture into the oil.
4. Fry on a low heat till bhajjis are golden. [The oil should not be too hot or too cool…if its too hot, the fritters will burn [and you will get bitter fritters]; if cold, they will absorb a lot of oil. I first heat the oil until boiling, and then turn the flame right down so that it’s only just boiling. This means that the bhajjis will cook slowly but completely, and remain moist.
5. Drain well on paper towels and serve hot with tomato sauce/ chutney of your choice.
The two other variations use the same principles as above. If you are using potatoes, its essential to slice them in rounds as thinly as possible as they will only be in the oil for 3-4 minutes and need to completely cook in this time. You can also try boiling the potatoes first. Boil a couple of potatoes in water until they are just cooked. Slice them thickly [approximately 0.5 cm thick], dip them into the batter and fry like above. Both these types taste great.
Cauliflower bhajjis are also quite common. Cut half a small head of cauliflower into small florets [2cm diameter], dip into batter and fry. These may take a few minutes longer to cook depending on the size of the floret.
4. Fry on a low heat till bhajjis are golden. [The oil should not be too hot or too cool…if its too hot, the fritters will burn [and you will get bitter fritters]; if cold, they will absorb a lot of oil. I first heat the oil until boiling, and then turn the flame right down so that it’s only just boiling. This means that the bhajjis will cook slowly but completely, and remain moist.
5. Drain well on paper towels and serve hot with tomato sauce/ chutney of your choice.
The two other variations use the same principles as above. If you are using potatoes, its essential to slice them in rounds as thinly as possible as they will only be in the oil for 3-4 minutes and need to completely cook in this time. You can also try boiling the potatoes first. Boil a couple of potatoes in water until they are just cooked. Slice them thickly [approximately 0.5 cm thick], dip them into the batter and fry like above. Both these types taste great.
Cauliflower bhajjis are also quite common. Cut half a small head of cauliflower into small florets [2cm diameter], dip into batter and fry. These may take a few minutes longer to cook depending on the size of the floret.
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