BREAD BONDA / BREAD PAKODA !!!!!!!

Bread Bonda is a yummilicous tea time snack.  It is a very popular snack at all over Mumbai especially road side. Aloo mixture is sand witched between two slices of bread & deep fried in a flavoured besan batter. I used left over POTATO BONDA stuff as inner stuff for this. A must try recipe. Quick & easy too. 

INGREDIENTS:-

For outer covering :-

besan/bengal gram flour - 1/2 cup
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
hing powder - 1/4 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp
cooking soda - 1/4 tsp

For Aloo mixture:-

potatoes, boiled, peeled, mashed - 1 cup
green chillies, finely chopped - 2
coriander leaves, finely chopped - 1 tbsp
salt to taste
red chilly powder - 1/4  tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
hing powder - 1/2 tsp

Other ingredients:-

bread slices - 4
oil for deep frying

METHOD;-

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under "For outer covering" & make a batter by adding sufficient water to it. (add water little by little so that no lumps are formed).

2. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under "For aloo mixture" & make inner stuffing & keep it aside.

3. Place a slice of bread on a clean flat surface & spread 2 tbsp of the aloo mixture evenly over it.
4. Place another slice of bread over it, press tightly from all the sides. ( you can use little water for this).
5. Repeat the same thing with other 2 pieces of bread.

6. Dip each piece in the batter till it is evenly coated from all the sides, slide in hot oil & deep fry in a medium flame till they turn light brown in colour & crisp from all sides.
7. Drain on  absorbent paper.

8. Cut both the pieces diagonally & serve ho with mint chutney & tomato ketch up.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

INSTANT NEER DOSA !!!!!

Do you have some left over chicken curry ?? or do your neighbour gave you paneer ghee roast or any spicy dish ?? & you want to eat these yummy side dishes with mouth watering neer dosas. But you don't want to do soaking, grinding etc as you are alone at home or you don't have time to do so. So, what will you do now ??? ...no no please don't eat it with roti/ bread as above mentioned side dishes tastes awesome with  neer dosas. & now onwards you don't have to worry about soaking, grinding etc. Because i have a very simple but yummy instant neer dosa recipe for you all.

INGREDIENTS :-

rice flour - 1/2 cup
water - 1 & 1/4 cup
salt to taste
(i made 3 neer dosas from above measurement)

METHOD :-

1. Take the rice flour in a bowl.
2. Add water little by little by stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed.
3. Add salt & mix well.

4. Heat a non-stick tawa & pour the dosa batter with the help of a cup from outside to inward forming the outer circle first & then moving inwards.
5. Don't try to spread it. You have to put it with the cup only at first time.

6. Cover it with a lid & let it cook for some time from bottom. You can see when it changes its colour on the top & also starts leaving the tawa, remove it from tawa.
7. Transfer it to a serving plate & serve it with your choice of side dish.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

and here's a tip:-

You can mix coconut milk instead of water with rice flour. This gives extra taste for neer dosa.

POTATO BONDA / ALOO BONDA / BATATA VADA !!!!!

Potato Bonda is a popular South Indian snack. You can either eat it as starter or as evening snack with chutneys/ketch up. You can use it in making vada pav too. You can fry them either as flat balls or as round balls. I gave both the shapes & u can see that in the above picture. You can temper potato mixture with mustard seeds, urad dal & curry leaves for extra taste. ( i didn't). You can add extra vegetables like boiled green peas, boiled carrot cubes etc for extra taste. (i didn't).

INGREDIENTS:-

For the inner mixture:-

potatoes, boiled, peeled & mashed - 2 large
green chillies, finely chopped - 1-2
coriander leaves, finely chopped - 1 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
hing powder - 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

For outer cover:-

bengal gram flour - 1/2 cup
red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
hing powder - 1/4 tsp
salt to taste ( i added 1/2 tsp)
cooking soda - 1/4 tsp

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:-

1. Add salt+red chilly pow+turmeric pow+chopped coriander leaves+chopped green chillies+hing powder to the mashed potatoes & mix well in a bowl.

2. In another bowl take bengal gram flour+salt+red chilly pow+turmeric pow+hing pow & mix well. Add water little by little & mixing with hand make a batter (neither too thick nor too loose).

3. Make small balls of aloo mixture.

4. Dip each ball in the batter & deep fry them till golden brown.
5. Serve Aloo bonda hot with chutney & ketch up.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

MINT CHUTNEY/PUDINA CHUTNEY !!!!

I adopted this recipe from TARLA DALAL. You can serve it either as dips for starters or as spread for SWs, rolls etc. You can store it in your freezer for few weeks.

INGREDIENTS:-

mint leaves, chopped - 2 cups

coriander leaves , chopped - 1 cup

onion, chopped - 3/4 cup

green chillies - 2-3

salt to taste

sugar - 1 tbsp (optional)

lemon juice - 1-2 tbsp

METHOD :-

1. Combine all the ingredients & grind to a smooth paste in mixer using very little water.

2. Refrigerate & use as required.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

BREAD ROLLS !!!!

BREAD ROLLS...i prepared this snack for the first time for my dear Papas bday. I think i was 20 yr old then :D & everyone liked it a lot. Even today my sweet little sister calls it as Akka's snack :D. Quick & easy to make snack. Perfect snack for the party. & my son's favourite too. 

INGREDIENTS:-

bread slices - 10
potatoes , boiled - 4 medium
green chillies , finely chopped- 6
coriander leaves, chopped - little
salt to taste
hing powder - 1/4 tsp
lemon juice - 1tsp
oil for deep frying

METHOD;-

1. Peel & mash boiled potatoes Mix these well with  other above mentioned ingredients (except oil) in a bowl.

2. Trim the edges of bread slices.(cut the brown part of bread from all sides).
3. Take small bowl of water to wetting bread.
4. Take one slice of bread & dip in the water lightly on one side. Place the slice in between your palms & press squeezing out the access water. this will make the bread moist.
5. Take 1 tbsp of prepared mixture & place it in the centre of slice & completely cover it all around giving oval shape. Repeat the same procedure for other bread slices too. 

6. Let this sit for 5-10 mins before frying. This will evaporate some water from bread & will absorb less oil while frying & make rolls crispier.

7. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Drop the rolls slowly without over lapping.
8. Fry the rolls until they are golden brown, turning occasionally.
9. Take them out & spread them on a paper towel.
10. Serve immediately with green & sweet chutney & tomato ketch up.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

and here's an tip:-

You can add 1/4 cup of boiled green peas(fresh/frozen)  to the potato mixture for extra taste. I do this always when ever i have green peas in my fridge.

BIMBULI BHAARTHA !!!!!!

Some of you may not know what bimbuli is, so i will post a picture of bimbuli tree with bimbuli here. We amchis use this in our coconut based gravies instead of imli. & we also use it in kultha saaru, saaru-upkari etc. & we make gojju, bhaartha, pickles etc. 

  (here is the pic of BIMBULI TREE. source : Internet)

INGREDIENTS:-

bimbuli - 4
grated coconut - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 4
garlic flakes - 4-5
salt to taste

METHOD:-

1. Wash, cut(as shown in the main picture) & cook bimbli in sufficient water. ( it cooks quickly)
2. Cool it  & don't throw the remaining water, use it while grindng.
3. Grind this along with grated coconut+green chillies+salt+garlic flakes(peeled) to a smoth paste using very lilttle water.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))) 

SAPAADA BHAKSHYA !!!!!

I adapted this recipe from RUCHI SAVI. This sweet dish is served as prasadam Sathyanarayana Pooja. I used less ghee here as i am little bit calorie conscious :D But if you use more ghee & sugar in this it tastes just awesome. Will try that too one day & will post it in my blog.

INGREDIENTS:-

semolina/sooji - 1 cup
sugar - 3/4 cup
ghee - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
milk - 3 cups ( OR 2 cups milk+1 cup water)
ripe bananas, big - 3-4
cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

METHOD:-

1.  Put 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan/kadai. Add sooji & roast it on a medium flame till you get a nice aroma & a slight change in colour. Keep sooji aside.
2. Peel bananas & cut into thin slices & keep aside.
3. Pour milk into the pan & bring it to a boil. Keep it on medium flame all the time.
4. When milk is coming to a boil add the banana pieces & half of the ghee. Then stir it for 2-3 mins so the banana gets slightly cooked.
5. Now add the roasted sooji slowly into the boiling milk, keep stirring it as you add sooji. Mix well & cover it  Leave it for 3-5 mins till sooji gets cooked.
6. Once sooji is all cooked, add the sugar, the remaining ghee. Mix well till sugar is dissolved & incorporated.
7. The whole mixture starts comes together like a lump, that is when it is done so you can switch off the stove.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))

PADDU-2 / APPO-2 !!!!!!

We can prepare delicious appo/paddu in many ways. We can make it sweet too. Here is another recipe for paddu/appo. 

INGREDIENTS:-

urad dal - 1/2 cup
white rice - 1 cup
salt to taste

METHOD:-

1. Soak urad dal+rice in water for 2 hours. & grind it smoothly & add salt to the batter. Ferment it for 8-10 hrs / over night. ( consistency should be like dosa batter)
2. Heat appam pan & put 1/4 tsp oil in each compartment.
3. Make the flame medium. Mix the batter well & fill all the compartments with this batter & cook appam on low flame.
4. Once top is cooked turn it upside down with the help of a flat spoon or knife & cook it again till it is fluffy done.
5. Now remove it from appam pan & serve hot with your choice of side dish.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))))

GHEE RICE !!!!

INGREDIENTS:-

basmathi rice - 2 cups
onion, finely chopped -8
cashew nuts, broken - 1/2 fistful
ghee - 6 tbsp
clove - 8
Cinnamon - 6 ( each of 2 inch)
cardamom - 4
salt to taste

METHOD:-

1. Pressure cook rice + little salt + 4 cups of water for 3 whistles & spread it in a broad pan to cool.
2. Heat ghee in a non stick kadai & fry onion + broken cashew nuts  till onions are light brown.
3. Finely powder cinnamon+cardamom+clove. & add it to the kadai & mix well.
4. Now add cooked rice laddle by laddle by mixing well.
5. Your ghee rice is ready to serve.
6. Serve it hot with koorma or your choice of gravy.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

ROSE PANACOTTA !!!!!!

Panacotta is an Italian dessert which tastes just like amchi duddali. Earlier i tried Mocha panacotta & posted it in my blog too. This time i tried Rose Panacotta. I just followed the recipe of Vanilla panacotta...only i replaced vanilla essence by rose syrup & the result is too good.

INGREDIENTS:-

Fresh full fat cream - 1 cup (250 ml) ( i used Amul)
Full cream milk - 1 cup (250 ml)
sugar - 1/2 cup
rose syrup - 2tsp
Gelatin - 1 tsp
water - 2-3 tbsp

METHOD:-

1. Mix the gelatin powder in 2 tbsp of hot water.
2. In a non stick add milk & cream together & bring the mixture to a boil on low flame.
3. Add sugar to it & also rose syrup to the mixture & mix well until the sugar dissolves.
4. Add the melted gelatin to the mixture & mix it well immediately.
5.  Pour the mixture into the mould ( i used a plastic bowl) & let them come to a room temperature.
6. Cover it with clean wrap & keep it refrigerated for a minimum of 5-6 hrs or you can keep it overnight.

7. Next day demould it & serve it chilled.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))))