Kastha Kachori

Over Navarathri I had this amazing snack over at my friend's. wanna guess what it was? Khasta Kachori chat. It is a crispy fried dough(puri) filled with mung dal, crispy and flaky on the outside, hollow on the inside. These can be eaten as is or like a chaat. Well, I got the recipe from my favorite author, Tarla Dalal and made it over the weekend when I had my friend and her in-laws for tea. It was an instant hit with my guests.


Ingredients:

For the dough

2 Cups all purpose flour
salt to taste
1/4 Cup melted ghee

For the Filling:

1/2 Cup yellow mung dal, soaked for 2 hours and drained
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon ginger-green chili paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon dried mango powder(amchur)
2 Tablespoon besan (bengal gram flour)
Oil for frying

For Chaat:

3 Cups of yogurt, whisked
1/4 Cup boiled and diced potato
1/2 Cup boiled chick peas or mung beans
4 Tablespoon green chutney
5 Tablespoon sweet chutney
chili powder for sprinkling
cumin seed powder for sprinkling
1 Cup sev

Method:

For the Dough:

1. Combine all the ingredients for dough in a large bowl. Mix well, add water as required and knead to make a semi-soft dough. Cover with a damp towel and set aside for 15 minutes

For the Filling:

1. Grind the mung dal in a food processor or mixer to a coarse mixture. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a broad pan and add fennel seed. when the fennel crackle add asafoetida and the coarse mung. Mix well and cook on medium flame for a minute.

3. Add ginger-green chili paste, dry mango powder, chili powder, garam masala, salt, and besan ; cook on medium flame fro 5 minutes or till the mixture is lightly browned. Remove from stove and allow to cool.

For the Kachori:

1. Divide the dough in to 12 equal portions.

2. Roll out a ball of dough into a 3" diameter circle. Place a spoonful of dal filling in the center.

3. Bring together all the sides, seal tightly and press it lightly.

4. Roll the filled dough lightly to a 2 1/2" diameter circle. Roll out the remaining dough into kachoris. Keep aside.

5. Heat oil for frying in a broad pan on a medium flame. Deep fry 3 kachoris at a time on a slow flame for 8 minutes, turning them in between till they turn golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all kachoris are fried.

Place kachori on a serving dish. Make a hole in the center of each kachori. Spoon a few boiled potato, boiled mung beans or chick peas. Top it with a Tablespoon of beaten yogurt and 2 teaspoon sweet chutney and green chutney.  Sprinkle a little cumin powder and chili powder and 2 tablespoon sev over it.

Whole wheat dosa(crepe)

I was too lazy to cook a whole meal last night. I decided to make something quick and light. My mom used to make a quick snack with wheat flour batter. Its called wheat dosa or crepe. It is usually eaten for breakfast in India. It is made with a mixture of wheat flour, rice flour and all purpose flour made into a batter. It tastes delicious with an kind of chutney. But, I like it best with milagai podi(dosa powder). Kids can make this with little supervision. It would be a great mid-night snack for teens!

Ingredients:

For the Batter:

1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
1/4 Cup rice flour
1/8 Cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 Cup sour plain yogurt
water
salt to taste
oil to make the crepes

For Tempering:

1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 green chili, chopped
2-3 curry leaves
oil to temper


Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

                                                                

2. Mix the yogurt with water and add to the the bowl to make a batter that is not too thick or too thin.

                                                                  

3. Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a small pan, temper mustard and cumin seeds. Add chili and curry leaves when mustard splutters. Stir into the batter. Set the batter aside for 10 minutes

3. Heat a griddle to medium heat. When the griddle is hot (test by sprinkling little water). Pour a ladle
of batter around the center of the griddle. Do not spread with the ladle. Instead, just pour it around to make a thin crepe. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes. Gently flip the crepe over with a spatula and cook the other side for a few minutes.

 

 

4. Slide on a plate. Continue making crepes with the remaining batter.

5.Serve with a chutney or milagai podi.

                                              

Mushroom Biriyani

I am really excited today. Getting the house in order and setting my mom's room. You may wonder why! She's coming back from India tomorrow! I was looking in my refrigerator last night and guess what, I found..2 packages of mushrooms, Baby Bella and Chanterelles.  My mom doesn't eat mushrooms, but I love them in all sizes and shapes. Well I can't use them much with my mom around, so I cooked the mushroom and soy nuggets(meal maker) with aromatic basmati rice in coconut milk.. oh the smell of rice and  coconut milk!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Basmati rice, soaked in water for 20 minutes
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 green chili, sliced
1 Cup sliced mushroom
1/4 Cup soy nuggets(meal maker), rinsed soaked in hot water
salt to taste
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 Cup coconut milk
1 Cup water

Masala:

1/2 inch cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 cardamom
1 star anise
1 mace
1/4 spoon poppy seed
1/4 spoon fennel seed
2 green chili

Method:

1. Pound the ingredients for masala in a mortar or blend together in a mixer. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaves and 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed.
3. Add the ground masala and saute for a minute.
4. Add sliced onion and chili. Saute till translucent.
5. Squeeze out the water from the soy nuggets, add to the pan and saute for 3 minutes.
6. Add mushroom and saute till all moisture leaves, about 5 minutes.

Paneer Bhurji

Who doesn't love Paneer? Also known as Indian cottage cheese, paneer  is a very good source of protein. It can be cooked in many ways, sauteed, grilled, sandwiched and much more. My son loves paneer in any way. Paneer bhurji looks like scrambled egg. It could be a breakfast dish or used as stuffing for paratha or eaten as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 Cup paneer, crumbled
1 Tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 Medium onion, chopped
1 Medium tomato, chopped
2-3 green chili, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. When it splutters add onion, green chili and ginger-garlic paste. Saute till onion is cooked and the raw smell leaves. Add tomato and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, garam masala and salt. Saute for couple minutes.

3. Add crumbled paneer to the pan. Mix gently and cook for 5 minutes until everything is blended well.

4. Serve with toast or roti.

Notes: Paneer can be substituted with crumbled tofu.