Butter Murukku

With stuck at home, we need as many snacks as possible however I am not making too much healthy but tried this. There was no red chilli powder at home, so thought I can try this. This came out really good and crunchy. Perfect for even little kiddos. The recipe is simple. Next time I would like to try with baking (not sure how the taste goes, but nothing harm in trying one set). 

Ingredients

Rice Flour - 3 cups

Besan - 2-3 tablespoons (big scoops)

Jeera powder

Butter - 1 stick (you can add less if you want)

Salt to taste 

Pepper powder 

Sesame seeds 

Warm/Hot water 

Method of preparation

Take all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the room temperature butter into this. Mix it well withe flour. Start adding hot water little by little and make it a soft dough just like any other murukku/sev batter.

Keep the oil ready. Once the oil is hot, use the single star kind in muruku maker and start pouring the shape either in oil or you can make hte shapes on a plate and drop them one by one. Once they turn golden color, dry them on the paper towel and store them in air tight container. 

TIPS 
(1) you can add cold water also, but adding hot/warm water gives it more crispiness I feel.
(2) Add Ajwain if you want to
(3) Sesame seeds are optional

Cilantro Salsa

Sorry readers, I have been out almost all 2018. But here I am - promising myself to keep up and keep busy myself and update my recipes I try whether self learnt or from some other website to keep posting here.

One of the recipes I liked from my work cafeteria and I love making it whenever I have fresh cilantro and here it is and simple one

Ingredients
Cilantro
Jalepeno/green chillies
Tomato
Olive Oil
Salt

Method of preparation
- Blend the above ingredients together in a blender and enjoy it

Usage
- you can have it like chutney with white rice
- Have it as an appetizer along with chips or
- use it as a spread on sandwiches.

Note
- We need only 1/2 tea spoon or so of olive oil. Do not need much unless quantity is too much
- Jalepenos or green chillies vary on how much spiciness you would like to have. 

Mint Chutney Sandwich/Pesto Sandwich

I learnt this from my friend Deepali. She had a panini maker and this sandwich comes out awesome in it. I used the regular tawa to make this sandwich. For adults or kids who likes a ting taste of mint add Mint chutney and if kids are too young, add the basil pesto sauce. This is made in seconds and done eating in minute. I like to serve it with Avacado and little ketchup if desired. 

Ingredients

Bread ( I use whole wheat/Whole grain)

Spinach
Peppers (can add multi colored to make it interesting and yummy for kids)
Cheese (I used the pepper jack slices or shredded cheese but can use any kind you like)
Mint chutney or Basil Pesto (I used Deep frozen mint chutney for us and Classico traditional basil pesto sauce for kids)

Method of preparation
Prepare the bread by spreading the sauce on it (Basil pesto or mint chutney).Add cheese to it.

 Now add the spinach and peppers in any way you like. I added like below:

Just combine the two bread slices and heat it in panini maker. For those who do not own a panini maker, add little ghee to tawa and add the bread sandwich. Once you feel that the side is done, carefully turn it to other side for a little bit of time and serve with your favorite sauce or serve as is. This can be used as lunch/snack/dinner anything. Enjoy!!!

Tofu & Guacamole

Another quick snack which my kids love it and Thank you to my friend Deepali for sharing this recipe for us. Shallow fry the tofu cubes, and keep them aside. 

When ready, apply the guacamole on top and serve kids fresh. I hope your kids and you love it too!!!!

Cheese and Crackers (kids Special)

This was a quick snack which I give my kids when they are hungry. The crackers and cheese are ready made from market. I cut the cheese square slices I get according to the cracker slices. Bingo your snack is ready and kids love it !!! try it out 

Healthy Salt biscuits (Salt Biscuits made with wheat flour)

I used the healthy in the title because instead of regular old maida, I used wheat flour for this recipe. I got this recipe from my aunt and made it instantly the next day. Turns out, kids love it as a time pass snack.

Ingredients
Wheat Flour (Roti flour)
Red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Warm oil
Water to mix it to dough
Sesame seeds (Can avoid if you have nut allergies)
ajwain seeds (very little)
Cumin seeds (very little)

Method of preparation
Mix the wheat flour along with red chilli powder, salt, sesame seeds, ajwain, cumin. Now add warm oil slowly and mix it up. Add water to above and make it like a dough. Keep it aside for few minutes and then flatten it out with a rolling pin or belan. Cut into diagonal pieces with either pizza cutter or a knife and fry them in a hot oil for a minutes or until it turns a little brown. Drain and store them in an air tight container. Your snack is ready whenever you want.

Note: If the flattened out dough is thin then the snack will turn out crispy.

Pita Pockets with Veggie patti filling

This is a very simple recipe, easy to make and fast to have, yet healthy too. All you need in you is some laziness and ingredients at home. we can have this as lunch/dinner/snack. My kids started loving this. Most of the people might know this already, but still wanted to share it.

Ingredients
Pita pockets
Hummus
Veggie patties

Method of preparation
Cut the pita bread in half, and open the pocket of it. Now apply hummus according to your taste to inside of the pita bread. Roast/heat the veggie patti until it is done. Now cut the veggie patti in half and insert it into the pita bread as shown in the photo. Your lunch/dinner/snack is ready. Enjoy !!!

Note: if you have patience and need more taste in it, add the chopped onions, cucumubers and stuff inside the pita bread. Tasty and healthy addition.

Healthy Cookies

This is a recipe from a friend of mine. Thank you Deepali for sharing the recipe. This is easy to make cookies and healthy too. So you try it and let me know how it is. :). Just make sure that the time you put the cookies in oven is not too much otherwise they turn out too crispy.

Ingredients

1 cup soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup powdered milk
1teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs ( you can use 1 cup buttermilk or egg replacer also, I used egg replacer )
1 1/3 cup rolled oats
2 1/3 cup wheat flour ( I use chappati flour)
1/2 cup chocolate chips / raisins


Method of preparation
Mix all the ingredients till vanilla extract. Mix them together till they blend in and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix to make the dough. Bake at 350 degree f until slightly brown. It often takes 10-15 mins but depends a lot on size of cookie. Turn them over after 10 mins and let them cook for another 5 mins.

Try it and enjoy the cookies !!!!

Aloo Bajji's/ Potato Fritters

I am sure every kid will love it..... even  lot of elders too, except when they are watching their weight or trying to look for healthy stuff. I can be sure that once in a while it is ok to have some fun stuff. Especially food like bajjis. I remember that one of my husband's uncle make awesome potato bajji's. Although these are not that range.. but are definitely worth and try and easy and simple to use. When there's a party or somebody coming over for chai.... these are best company. So no more talking only reciping...... haha

Ingredients

Potato - Peeled and chopped into thin slices ( you can use a mandolin to do that, but I find it easier and thinner when done with hand and knife :) )

Besan (Chick pea flour)

Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Ajwain/Jeera - little bit

Water  - to mix the batter

Oil to deep fry

Sooji (Semolina ) - 1-2 spoons (this brings the crispy nature of fritters)

Method of preparation

Mix besan, red chilli powder, salt and little jeera (I used jeera powder). Add water to it and mix it like a paste (the consistency should be little thin than the paste so that it sticks to the potato pieces when dipped but not too thick that it coats like a thick layer).

Dip the potato pieces in the besan mixture made above. make sure there is batter on both sides of the potato  and put it in the hot oil. 

Deep fry till it is lightly golden and drain it on a paper tissue. Serve hot with any sauce or ketchup. Enjoy !!!

Bread Toast With Coffee

My husband requested for a bread toast. So I decided to do a bread toast along with Bru Coffee. Easy to make fast and yummy to eat. I initially toast/roast it on the tawa and then added ghee on both sides slightly. Ghee gives a good taste to lot of things and I can say one of it is bread toast. Heated milk in microwave and mixed bru coffee and sugar to prepare the instant coffee. So have a good day.

Bread Pakoda

On a weekend, my husband was asking me to make break pakoda. He had some specifications in mind on how it should be. He studied in BITS pilani and he was remembering the bread pakoda's from there. So he was asking me not to dip the bread in water, but do it just like the regular pakoda. I made it and it came out really delicious that I had to try it one more time just for taking photos and sharing with you all. So here goes the recipe that I used for bread pakoda's.

Ingredients
Bread - cut corners of bread and cut them in half
Batter:
Besan (Senagapindi)
Salt to taste
Jeera powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder

Stuffing Curry:
Onion - 1 small, chopped finely
Potatos - Boiled, Peeled and chopped ( I used 5 potatos)
Turmeric - 1/2 tea spoon
Oil - 2 spoons
Jeera - 1/2 tea spoon
Ginger - very small piece - grated
Green chillies - depends on your taste - finely chopped (I used 3 very hot green chillies)
Salt to taste

Method of preparation
Stuffing preparation:
1. Once potato's are ready, take a kadai and add oil to it. Let it heat up and then add jeera to it. Adding Ginger to it is optional. But if you like to make aloo bonda with left over Aloo curry, then I would suggest add ginger. Add green chillies also at this time.
2. Add the onions and let it fry till translucent. Then add  turmeric, Salt to taste and lastly potatos. Mix them nicely. Potato's might look like they are mashed but it will still taste good. Your stuffing curry is ready.

 Batter preparation:
Mix all the ingredients of batter like a thick one. The batter should be as though you are preparing for bonda. Loosely mixed batter may not stick to the bread properly and may result in soaking up excessive oil, which in turn might change its taste.

Pakoda preparation:
Take two bread slices. Apply water with finger to the edges. Add some curry in the middle of bread. Now take another slice of bread and apply water to the edges again. Put the water applied bread on the top of stuffed bread. press gently with your fingers on the edges. Make sure the curry is not popping out or the bread is not wide open .

Now take the bread sandwiched and dip it in the besan mixture. Make sure the besan mixture is on all the sides and slowly drop it in hot oil (on medium flame). Fry it till it turns slightly golden brown

 Take the pakoda's out from the oil and drain it on a paper towel, to loose the excessive oil. Serve it with your favorite sause. I tried it with both green chilli as well as hot sause and it tasted good.

Note/Suggestions:
1: I tried to make it in triagle shape, but frankly speaking it did not turn out well as in triangle shaped pakoda's it was hard to stuff good amount of sabji and then closing it on corners was a big task. I believe it will require a little effort or little practice at least. So for starters, I would suggest stick with rectangular pakoda's.
2: If Curry is left over, then you can have it either with roti or poori or you can do some aloo bonda with same curry. I tried twice and they came out wonderful.
3: You can also add grated carrot to it. I did not get a chance to try it yet. but it will be healthy and tasty too. But make sure the carrot is properly cooked, before adding the final step of potato's.
4:If you want a bigger version of pakoda's with more stuffing then use the big slices instead of cutting the bread slices to half. I can guarantee, one or two will definitely fill your tummy.
5: If you want even more crunchier top layer, then I would suggest add a spoon of sooji or a pinch of baking powder to besan mixture. Adding either of above will make the top layer crunchy.

Try this and let me know, how it came out. Good Luck and hope you like it.

Bean Dip

Its nice to go out to lunch and dinners sometimes. I tend to learn lot of new items whenever I got out. One of them is this Bean dip. We tasted it today at our relatives home as appetizer. It was served along with Tostitos chips. I can guarantee, if we add little less salsa then it is perfect as a healthy snack for children when they are home from after school. Meaning this can be part of afternoon snack. Hope you all will also like it.

Ingredients

Pink bean tin

Hot Salsa

onions

cilantro

Cheese

Jalepenos

Method of preparation

1. Empty the can of beans. Wash and drain the beans in colander. Do the same with Jalepenos.

2. Blend the beans with salsa to paste in a grinder/blender.

3. Add it in a serving bowl which is microwave safe and heat the mixture for 2-3 minutes in microwave so that it is kind of cooked up.

4. Now spread cheese, onions, cilantro, Jalepenos and put it in microwave for another 2-3 minutes or until cheese is little melted.

5.Now you are ready to serve your bean dip with any chips. Best combination for this is Tostitos type chips (or corn chips).

Pesaru pappu garelu/Moong dal fritters

We made this for our girl's first batukamma. It is easy tasty to make it. So here goes the recipe:
Ingredients
Pesaru pappu (Moong dal)
Onions chopped small
Ginger, garlic, Green chillies grinded
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
Method of preparation
1. Soak moong dal for an hour or two. and then coarsely grind it.
2. Once it is grinded coarsely add ginger, garlic and green chilli paste along with salt to taste.
3. Take a cover (plastic or polythene) and wet it a little bit with water. Take small amount of mixture and press it to make it round shape with hand. Then leave that round shape slowly in hot oil and deep fry them.
4. Remove it and serve them along with any chutney or ketchup. Sprinkle chat masala if required for added taste.


Note:Sorry about the confusion on using minapa pappu in title instead of pesaru pappu. Thank you for identifying the wrong wording.

Curry puffs

Easiest recipe for curry puffs. I made this yesterday for my husband as Father's day special. Ofcourse I dont make it from scratch but I use puff pastry sheets, which makes my life very easy to make these tasty puffs.

Ingredients
Pepperridge farm puff pastry sheets
very little maida or roti flour
for stuffing:
potato chopped
carrot chopped
beans chopped
batani (peas)
Garam masala - 1/2 table spoon
chat masala - 1/2 table spoon
Red chilli powder - depends on taste
Salt to taste
Jeera
Oil
Lime/lemon juice - 1 table spoon (optional)

Method of Preparation
Remove the puff pastry sheets from freezer and keep it outside for defrosting it. You can even use microwave for doing it, but I like to do it naturally rather than using microwave as it sometimes overheats it.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Start by making the stuffing ready first. Take a kadai, add oil to it and let it heat.

2. Add jeera to it. Now add all the vegetables with pinch of turmeric to it.

3. Add red chilli powder, mix it and let it cook for few minutes covered on medium flame.

4. Now add garam masala, chat masala and salt to taste and mix it. once the vegetables are cooked switch off the stove. Do not overcook the curry.




5. Now the stuffing is ready lets make the puffs ready. there will be two big sheets in each puff pastry and we can make 9 puffs for each sheet. Cut the sheet into 9 by using a pizza cutter or knife.

6. Now sprinkle little maida or roti flour and make them a little bigger to stuff the curry properly using belan. Do not press harder or make the sheet thin, as it would reduce the puffiness by overpressing it.

7. Add curry to middle of the sheet and press all the sides with little water.

8. Arrange all the curry puffs in oven safe tray. Arrange them with little gap in between puffs so they have enough roof to get puffed up.

9. Bake the puffs for 20 minutes or till you see they are done by observing the color of the puffs turning slightly golden brown.





Remove the puffs from baking and serve hot with any ketchup or chutney.

Maize poha chudva/chevda

This item reminds me of my childhood. My mom n dad when they go to hyderabad exhibition they used to bring the maize poha from there and then my mom used to prepare chudva out of it. It tastes crispy and nice. Try this recipe and I can guarantee you wont be disappointed by the taste. This recipe can take a little time and patience to make but tastes very good.

Ingredients
Maize poha
Oil
Peanuts
Chick pea (putnalu)
Red chilli powder
salt
citric acid (a pinch or two)
Oil



Method of preparation
1. Take a vessel and add oil to it and heat it.

2. After the oil is heated up, take a small amount of maize poha and spread it in a bowl type spatula with holes. (I shall post the picture of what I am talking soon). Lower the spatula until the poha touches the oil. Poha will get fried like papad. Remove it after it becomes papad immediately. If you feel it is hard for you to get a spatula of that kind or if you feel it is hard to do that way, you can add poha directly in the oil but make sure you remove immediately as soon as it increases. Making it stay longer in oil will make poha turn brown and black immediately.

3. After poha is prepared add peanuts and chick pea also the same way (by adding it to oil).



4. Now take maize poha, fried peanuts and chick pea in a bowl. Add salt, red chilli powder with a pinch of citric acid and toss them till they mix up.

Now you have your timepass snack ready.

Note: If you are health conscious, you can even spread maize poha in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in microwave for 15-30 seconds (heat settings of microwave may be different).

Sandwich with Ginger Tea

I was hungry in the afternoon and was looking for something tasty and healthy. Found bread, so though of making some sandwich with garma garam ginger tea. Here is how I prepared.

Sandwich Preparation
Ingredients
Bread
Onions
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Capsicum
Cilantro
Oil - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Black pepper

You can use the sandwich maker or if you don't have one then you can use Tawa to heat the sandwich until it is toasted correctly to your taste.







Method of Preparation
1. Take small pan and add oil to it. after it is heated, add the chopped vegetables. for a minute or two until they are partly done.

2. Add salt and black pepper powder to it. Your stuffing is ready.



3. Put the stuffing on one bread piece and then place another bread piece on top of it. Now place the sandwich in sandwich maker and close the cover.



4. Your healthy, tasty and quick sandwich is ready to eat. Have it with tomato or green chutney along with Ginger Tea.



Ginger Tea


Add little water in a small bowl and add tea powder to it. (for 1 cup I generally add 1/2 tea spoon tea powder). Add sugar depending on your taste. I add Ginger grated at this point. once it comes to boil, I add milk to it to make it enough for all drinking people. Filter it and serve hot.

Mixture/Chudva & Maida Sweet

Chudva/Mixture
Ingredients
Thick Poha
Peanuts
Chick Peas (putnalu)
Cashews (Optional)
Red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Garlic (smashed and fried , optional)
Optional
Sev and Boondi

Method of preparation
1. Heat oil and deep fry the thick poha. Also deep fry peanuts, chick peas (putnalu), cashews.
2. Put everything in a paper towel so that it can soak the extra oil.
3. Add red chilli powder, salt to taste, smashed garlic.
Your chudva/Mixture is ready.

Maida Sweet

Ingredients
Maida
Ghee
Sugar
Oil

Method of preparation
1. Make the sugar syrup by mixing sugar and water in equal ratios or as less water as possible. Sugar syrup should be strong.
2. Mix maida, hot oil, a little salt. Make it like a poori or chapati mix.
3. Take small rolls and make roti or chapati from it.
4. Cut the middle part in lines by keeping the ends and circle intact. Roll it as shown below.
5. Deep fry the above in oil. Then take the fried thing and dip it in the sugar syrup.


6. Sprinkle cardammon powder on top and enjoy the sweet.

Pav Bhaji

This is a very famous, healthy and lovely item of India. I love this item and do it quite often at home. Ofcourse, the mazaa of eating it on the chat place is totally different experiance. Now-a-days they also do serve this as an appetizer at marriages. So here goes the recipe I use.

Ingredients
Pav/Bread - Toasted in butter or Ghee
Onions
Oil
Tomatos
Pav Bhaji Masala (I love everest masala, but if not available then I use Badshah)
Salt to taste
Red Chilli Powder

Vegetables I used:
Cabbage (Very less)
Cauliflower
Potato
Peas
Carrot
Green Beans (if possible)

Things to add from top or garnish
Tamarind chutney
Curd
Onions Chopped (very small)
Lime/Lime Juice
Kothimeeru (Coriander)

Method of preparation
1. Heat all the vegetables in a pressure cooker/ or any other way you like by adding water.

2. Strain the water and keep vegetables aside. (you can save some water for later use in the pav bhaji. The water from which is from this is very healthy, since it has all the healthy content like proteins and vitamins.)



3. Put a bowl or kadai on stove top and add a little oil to it.

4. Add Onions and after they turn golden brown add tomato's to it.


5. Add the Pav bhaji masala, Salt and red chilli powder according to your taste. (Add extra even for the vegetables that you are going to mix). Spices can be adjusted to your taste at any point from here, until you switch off the stove.


6. Add the cooked vegetables to above and mash them with masher.


7. After the ingredients are mixed up well, adjust the spices.


Toasting the bread:





Serve in a plate with a little curd and tamarind chutney on it. Also spread little lime juice and onions and garnish with coriander before serving. Serve with Pav that is toasted with butter or ghee.



Have it when it is hot. It tastes superb.... almost equal to tela taste

Fresh Mild Salsa

We got a new comer in my kitchen. A new chopper. Shall post some pictures of it soon. Good thing about it is, we make the salsa in few seconds without striving hard. Here is the recipe of it.

Ingredients
Tomatos (preferably Roma tomatos) - 2-3 medium sized
Onion (preferably red onion) - 1/2 - 1 medium sized
Yellow Capsicum - small piece
Coriander - upto you. This gives nice fresh taste to the salsa
Jalepenos or green chilli - 1/2 - 1 very small one.(avoid it if possible).
Salt to taste (if needed).

Method of preparation
we added everything to the chopper and turned it so that the output is small pieces of everything. Have it with Tostitos or any corn style chips. Tastes good and wonderful.

Burrito or Tacos

One of our friends were making it so took a quick memory recap and made at home. Its fast to make it at home too, if you have all the ingredients. We dont like the rice in burrito or tacos so I did not add it in my recipe but it can be added if desired.

Ingredients
Tortillas
Black beans
Shredded Cheese (We bought the Mexican Shredded Cheese)
Red Onion - 1
Tomato - 1 and 1/2
Avacados - 2
Guacamole Mix
Salsa (can make fresh salsa at home or buy it from store)
Jalepenos (dipped in vinegar, from store)
Rice (Optional)
Sour Cream (Optional)




Guacamole Preparation
1. Chop 1/2 of the onion into very small pieces. Chop one Tomato into small pieces.

2. Peel the Avacados and cut into small pieces. Make sure you dont include the inside big nut.

3. Add the chopped onions, avacado pieces and guacamole mix into a bowl and try to mash them. If you have a pestel, I would recommend to use it. Your Guacamole is ready.



Note: Avacados are very sensitive to feel or see but when you try to crush it, its not that easy :) So I would recommend make it very small pieces so that your life becomes easy for crushing it.

Method of Preparation
1. Fry the Tortialla on a pan for a less than a minute.

2. Take the tortilla in hand and put a spoon of black beans, Guacamole, Jalepenos (1 or 2 depending upon your spice level required), Salsa, some onions and tomato's in the middle of the tortilla. Also add sour Cream, and at the end add the shredded cheese. Wrap it up and have a bite.....

Will post the Fresh Mild Salsa preparation soon.