Category Archives: Appetizers/Snacks

Appetizers/Snacks

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:

Medium size cauliflower-1

Medium size onion-1

Capsicum/Bell pepper-1/2

Spring onions-a small bunch

Coriander/ Cilantro- 8 to 10 strands

Garlic cloves- 6

Ginger-Small piece

Green chillies/- 5 (medium hot)

All purpose flour/ Maida- 3 Tbsp

Rice flour-1 Tbsp

Corn Flour- 3 Tbsp

Red chilli powder- According to spice level

Black pepper- 1 tsp

Salt –to taste

Tomato Ketchup -1/2 cup

Red Chili sauce -1tbsp or according to your spice level

White vinegar-1tbsp

Soy Sauce-1 Tbsp

Sugar-A pinch

Oil for frying

Preparation

Cut the base of the cauliflower and separate the florets.  Soak them in salt water for 5-10 minutes in order to remove dirt and germs. Dry the florets.

Chop onions finely, cut spring onions and capsicum/ bell pepper lengthwise. Mince garlic cloves, ginger, green chillies/ jalapenos and coriander/cilantro and keep aside.

Mix all the flours, red chilli powder, pepper powder and salt, add the florets to the dry powder and mix well. Add 4-5tbsp of water just enough for the mixture to form a thin coat on the florets. Too much water will make the manchurian soggy.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the battered florets till they turn golden brown on medium high heat. Keep them aside while you prepare the sauce. To get a crispy manchurian, refry the florets again and add to the sauce.

Sauce

Heat 2-3 Tbsp of oil in a pan.  Add minced garlic cloves, ginger, and green chilies. Sauté for a minute and add chopped onions. Cook till they turn translucent. Now add capsicum/bell pepper and spring onions. They do not have to be cooked long (they have to be crispy). Add salt (according to taste), tomato ketchup, red chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and mix well. Finally toss the fried florets with the sauce for a minute, garnish with cilantro/coriander and serve HOT!!!
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Appetizers/Snacks

Chakli

img_2407Ingredients:

½ cup urad dal

2 cups rice flour

1½ tsp salt

1½ tsp jeera/cumin seeds

1½ tsp sesame seeds

3 tbsp oil/unsalted butter (hot)

¼ tsp hing/asafetida

1½ to 2 cups of water

More oil for frying

Chakli Press

Method:

First wash the Urad dal and pressure cook with 1 cup of water (3-4 whistles)

Once it is cooled, transfer it to a big bowl and mix salt, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, red chili powder, rice flour and hing. Mix well. Adjust salt and red chili powder according to your taste.

Now heat 3 tbsp oil/unsalted butter and pour it on the mix. Add around ½ cup of water and mix it to make a soft dough.

Heat the oil in the pan to fry on a medium low heat. Using the chakli press, make few and keep them ready to fry. Once the oil is hot enough (check by putting a little dough into the oil, it has to come up immediately), add the prepared chaklis

Fry them until they turn light golden brown on both sides or until there are few oil bubbles bubbling on the chaklis. Flip them once or twice in between.

Once they turn light golden brown on both sides (it usually takes 6-8 minutes), take them out and transfer them onto a paper towel to drain the extra oil. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough.

Once the chaklis have cooled completely, store it in an airtight container.

 

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Appetizers/Snacks

Sun Dried Tomato and Black Olive Chutney

Sun dried tomato and black olive puree

This chutney is great served as a dip/spread along with a sliced baguette or pita chips.

Ingredients:

15 sun fired tomatoes packed in oil, drained

8 large black olives, pitted

1 medium garlic clove

2 tbsp whole fresh parsley leaves

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt

1 loaf Italian bread cut into 24 pieces 1/2 inch thick

Method:

Place the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, parsley and thyme in the work bowl of a food processor or a blender . Pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until all the ingredients are coarsely chopped. Pulse in oil, 1 tbsp at a time to form a smooth but a still slightly coarse paste.

Scrape the purée into a small bowl. Add salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet. Bake, turning the slices once, until they are lightly browned  and crisp.  Place the toasted bread slices on splatter and spread 1 generous teaspoon of the purée over each slice. Serve immediately.

Sun dried tomato and black olive puree

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Appetizers/Snacks, Cakes n bakes

Desi Pizza (Indian style pizza)

Desi Pizza

Ingredients:

1 loaf Italian bread

1 finely chopped onion

1 chopped bell pepper

24 oz fresh mozzarella cheese

Tomato ketchup

Mint chutney

To make mint chutney:

Coriander/ cilantro – 10 to 12 strands

Mint leaves – 1 cup

Green chillies– 2 to 3

Cumin seeds- 1 Tsp

Sugar- 1/4 Tsp

Blend everything together with little water and make a thick paste.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Make half-inch thick slices of the bread. Arrange the slices on cookie sheet and spread 1-2 tbsp of tomato ketchup on the slice following by mint chutney.  Add 2 tbsp of onions and bell pepper on top and sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese generously on top of it.

Desi Pizza

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Desi Pizza

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Appetizers/Snacks

Vegetable Cutlet

Vegetable cutlet

vegetable cutlet

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables- 1 cup chopped and boiled (I used beans, carrot and peas)

Potato- 1 cup (boiled)

Cilantro- 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp (adjust the spice level according to your taste)

Coriander seeds- 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric- a pinch

Lemon- 1

All purpose flour- 4 tbsp

Bread crumbs- 1/2 cup

Salt

Oil for frying

Method:

Peel and grate boiled potatoes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, once it splutter add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, sauté for few seconds and add grated potato, chilli powder, chopped cilantro and mix well. Squeeze as much as water as you can from the boiled vegetables and then add it to the potato mixture. Then squeeze some lemon for more taste. Sauté until the remaining water evaporates, for about 2-3 minutes.  Add salt and adjust the spice level at this point. The patties is the one which gives a great taste for the cutlet when fried. Allow the mixture to cool.

Meanwhile.. in a frying pan, add enough oil to fry the patties and turn on the heat. Put all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs in two different dishes  mix water to all-purpose flour and make a thick batter and keep it ready. Divide the mixture into equal small portions and flatten them into desired shape with 1/4 inch thickness.

Vegetable patties

Dip the patty first in all purpose flour batter and then coat it completely with bread crumbs and fry in the heated oil until golden brown. Enjoy with ketchup  and mint chutney.

vegetable cutlet

vegetable cutlet

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Appetizers/Snacks

Cream Cheese Puffs

Cream cheese puffs

Original recipe can be found here http://www.compulsivefoodie.com/2012/08/06/cream-cheese-puffs-2/

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Crescent roll- 1 box

cream cheese, at room temperature-4 ounces

garlic powder-3/4 tsp

red chilly powder-1/4 tsp

 finely chopped cilantro-1 tbsp

Method:

In a bowl, mix cream cheese, garlic powder, red chilly powder and cilantro . Keep aside.

cream cheese puffs

Cut out a wax paper or parchment paper, open the crescent roll, split it into 2 halves and join the perforated lines together and apply the cream cheese liberally on one side.

cream cheese puffs

Roll this and close both ends. Roll this in parchment or wax paper and keep aside . Do the same with the remaining dough and take both the rolls and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

cream cheese puffs

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees, cut the rolls into 4 or 5 pieces, and place them on a cookie sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove and let it cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with sauce of your choice. Enjoy!

cream cheese puffs

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Appetizers/Snacks

Onion Pakoda

onion pakoda

Ingredients

Onion – 1 cup (sliced very thin)

Gram flour- 1 cup

Rice flour-1/4 cup

Curry leaves- 4 to 5 leaves

Baking powder- 1/2 tsp

oil- 2 tbsp

Green chillies-1 (minced)

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp – 1 1/2 tsp (according to your spice level)

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

salt- to taste

Oil for deep-frying

Method:

Slice onion into very thin strips.

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Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. (add red chilli powder according to your spice level) Add onion, minced chilli and 2 tsp oil to this mixture and combine everything well.

onion pakoda

Sprinkle very little water (1 to 2 tbsp) and mix.  Mixture should not come to a dough consistency, it should just come together when pressed gently.

Heat oil in a frying pan and take a ping-pong ball size mixture in your hand, press very gently and drop into the oil slowly.

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Fry until golden brown and remove and place them on a paper towel. (Do not shape or press the dough mixture too hard while dropping into the oil). The long strips of onion slightly coated with flour gives a wonderful crunchy texture.

onion pakoda

Enjoy with tomato ketchup or just plain!

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Appetizers/Snacks

Besan Paare (Spicy gram flour crisps)

Besan Paare

Ingredients:

Besan, (gram flour)- 1 cup

Whole wheat flour- 1/2 cup

All purpose four- 1/2 cup

Fine semolina- 2 Tbsp

oil- 4 Tbsp

Salt- 1 1/4 tsp

Red chilli flakes- 1 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds or carom seeds( ajwain)- 1/4 tsp

water- 1/2 cup or as needed

Oil to fry

Method:

Mix all the ingredients by adding little water at a time, make it into a soft dough. Rest the dough for 10-15 minutes in a damp cloth or paper towel. Knead the dough for 2 minutes and divide into 4 equal parts.

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Mean while heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.

Roll the dough into 9 inch circles which are a little less than 1/4 inch thick.

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Prick the flattened dough with fork all over so it does not puff while frying.

Cut them into 3 inch long pieces or into a shape that you want.

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Make sure the oil is hot enough and add the paare’s into the frying pan just enough so you can turn them and fry all of them equally. Fry until they turn golden brown on both sides and allow it to cool. Munch it with your hot favorite drink!

Besan Paare

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Appetizers/Snacks, Cakes n bakes

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Zucchini crisps

Ingredients:

zucchini- 2, medium

olive oil- 1 Tbsp

1/4 cup- bread crumbs

1/4 cup- grated parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp- salt

pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 450 degree F. Mix all the ingredients expect zucchini in a bowl.

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Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds.

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Then dip the zucchini rounds on both sides and layer them on the preheated baking sheet which has been greased with cooking spray.

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Bake them until they are brown and crispy for 28-30 minutes and serve immediately!

Zucchini crisps

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Appetizers/Snacks

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

 Ingredients:

Pitted dates- 10

Goat cheese- 4 0z pack

Bread crumbs– 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slit the pitted date lengthwise and fill it with ½ tsp of goat cheese pressing the sides.

Take the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate and dip the slit side of the dates with breadcrumbs, coating it as a top layer.

Place the dates in the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, (depending on your oven). Dates should be soft when done, cool the dates for 5 minutes before serving! Enjoy.

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