Quick Spinach Canopies

I had harvested a fresh batch of Organic Baby Spinach from my garden and was thinking of how to use them differently. Came up with the idea to keep it simple. This one is a quick fix finger food, the perfect starter for any parties or gatherings. And even better, it has only 5 ingredients. I am not adding the quantities, as it depends totally on your liking.

Difficulty level: Super easy

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 0 min

Ingredients
Organic baby spinach
Goat cheese- plain or spiced
Dried cranberries/raisins
Balsamic vinegar

Olive Oil

Arrange the baby spinach leaves on a serving plate. Scoop about 1 tsp roughly (make adjustments depending on the size of the leaf) of the goat cheese & add a few dried cranberries before drizzling some Olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. It is a good mix of flavours & textures from all the ingredients in there. You don't even need to add salt as the goat cheese will have enough. Enjoy the freshness & crunch of the spinach with the burst of flavors from the other goodies.

Best Homemade Garlic Knots

These are the best homemade garlic knots. They are made from homemade dough, leftovers freeze beautifully, are super soft and fluffy, golden brown and works best with extra garlic butter.


Who doesn't love the aroma of fresh home-made breads & rolls filling the air? This simple recipe gives you soft, fluffy rolls and the garlic herb butter adds a nice flavour to the already piece of heaven.

This batch yields 2 lbs of dough for 16 knots or 1 pizza plus 8 knots. I use the same dough for cheesy breadsticks as well. You can buy the store-bought pizza dough, but I like to make it from scratch if you can allow 60-90 minutes to rise. Also make sure that the yeast is fresh and use the correct temperature (between 100-110°F/ 38-43°C) water.

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation time: about 2 hrs
Baking time: 18-22 min

Ingredients
1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water
2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast(1 standard sachet)
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 and 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour plus more for hands and work surface

Topping:
5 Tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, melted
3 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
optional after baking: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
optional after baking: 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley



Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula in the next step.

Add the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and half of the flour. Beat for 15 seconds, then add the remaining flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray– just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)

Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Using floured hands on a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into a 16×5 inch log. (5 inch width really isn’t as important as the 16 inch length here, no need to be exact.) Using a very sharp knife, pizza cutter, or bench scraper, slice into 16 1-inch strips. Roll each strip into 8 inch ropes. Tie each into knots. You can tuck the two ends of the knots underneath the knot or leave them out, that’s up to you. Arrange the knots on 2 lined baking sheets. (Either parchment paper or silicone baking mats work.)

Lightly cover the shaped knots and let them rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes. They will slightly puff up during this time, producing softer rolls.

Towards the end of the rise time, preheat oven to 400°F (204°).

Topping: Stir the melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt together. Brush on the knots. Reserve some of the topping for when the knots come out of the oven.

Bake for about 18-23 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush the warm knots with remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and/or parsley, if using.

Serve plain or with marinara sauce for dipping.

Cover and store leftover knots at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze baked and cooled knots for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter, then reheat as desired. (I usually just microwave them for a few seconds.)

Cheesy straws

With the kids studying from home due to the pandemic, there is an insatiable need for a variety of snacks at home. I decided to whip something up with things I had in hand. The more cheese you add, the yummier it gets. And who doesn't like cheese....

Difficulty level: Easy

Preparation time: 15 min

Baking time: 25 min

Ingredients

Puff pastry sqaure sheets- 10

Shredded cheese- atleast 1 1/4 cups(I used cheddar & parmesan combined)

Italian seasoning- 2 tbsp

Fresh ground black pepper- 2 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Thaw the puff pastry sheets for atleast 3 hrs. Preheat the oven to 400F. 

Combine the shredded cheese, Italian seasoning, fresh ground black pepper and salt well and keep aside. 

On a working surface, spread some the cheese mixture evenly. Put one of the puff pastry sheets and press down lightly so that the cheese mix sticks to the sheet. Spread more of the cheese mix evenly and pat down. Make 1 inch wide strips using a pizza cutter. Twist the strips to make them  curly. Transfer to a baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and and the puff pastry has turned crisp. Enjoy them right away. 

                                         

                                                    

Chilli Baby Corn

It has been a year since I started this blog. How time flies. I want to thank you all for your support and well wishes and hope I can continue to count on it in the future.

Most people would choose a sweet dish to celebrate an anniversary, but given that I like savory dishes more, I decided to go with that.


Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:


Baby corn : about 150 gms (20 numbers), cut in half width-wise

For the batter:
Corn flour(corn starch): 1/4 cup
All-purpose flour: 1/4 cup
Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste, if needed (soy sauce already has salt, so keep that in mind)
Oil: for deep-frying
Water

For the gravy:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Ginger: 1" cube, cut into long thin strips
Garlic: 2 big cloves, cut into long thin strips
Bell peppers/ capsicum: 1/4 cup, chopped into about the same size as baby corn
Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
Green onions/ spring onions: 1/4cup, chopped
Red chilli paste: 1 1/2 tbsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Corn flour/ corn starch: 1 1/2 tbsp, mixed with 3 tbsp water (making sure there are no lumps)
Salt: to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. In the meantime, mix the ingredients for the batter with enough water to make a slightly thick batter. Drop the cut baby corn pieces and mix to coat. Deep fry until light golden brown. Drain onto platter lined with paper towel. Keep aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil and saute the ginger and garlic slices. Once it starts to turn colour, add the bell pepper pieces and saute for a minute. Add the sauces and saute for another minute. Add the corn flour syrup and allow to boil. Add the sugar and fried baby corn. Mix well. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, until it gets to desired consistency. Add the green onions and remove from fire. Serve immediately topped with more spring onions. Perfect as an appetizer for any gathering. Dig in!!!!

Soy chunks Kabab

I have expressed my love for Soy Chunks elsewhere on this blog. I thought I should experiment  bit further and see if I could use Soy Chunks to fill, what I feel, is a gaping hole in the options available for vegetarians in the area of Kebabs and grilled food. How many times can you eat Paneer anyway?!


Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 20-30 min+ 30 min for marinating
Cooking time: 15-20 min
Makes: 7 kababs

Ingredients:


Soy chunks: 1 1/2 cup, boiled in salted water (as per the usual package instructions)
Onion: 1/2 of a medium, coarsely chopped
Green chillies: 1-2 nos.
Curry leaves: 1 sprig (optional)
Chicken masala powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Cumin, whole: 1/2 tsp
Lime juice: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Cooking oil : a few sprays, to coat the pan
Wooden skewers, baking tray lined with aluminium foil

Make a fine paste with all ingredients, except for the cooking oil, in a mixer. Keep in mind that the soy chunks are already salted and add additional salt as needed.

The mixture should be enough for 7 thick kababs. I like to use all the space on the skewers other than for holding,without burning my hands.

Have a baking tray (or something similar), lined and ready to arrange the skewers. Take a ball from the mixture and press onto a skewer, so as to spread it uniformly all around. Keep it onto the lined tray. Repeat for the rest of the mixture. Refrigerate the tray for at least 30 min.

Heat the grill pan (or any other flat skillet will work just fine too) and apply a few sprays of the cooking oil. You can alternatively drizzle some oil and work it around for a uniform coating. Arrange the skewers and allow to cook on a medium flame for 5-7 min on each side. Turn, and do the same with the rest of the sides to get a uniform char.

This can be served as an appetizer or entree (goes with chapathi or nan or any other bread), with cilantro chutney.

Quick Roasted Paneer Kababs

A few days ago, my son asked me if he could eat Paneer for dinner. I came up with this recipe for him. It is quick and not too spicy.

You can definitely add more heat to the dish to please your individual palette.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min + 30 min. for marinating
Cooking time: 10-15 min
Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:


Paneer: 200 gms, cut into-bite sized pieces
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp
Egg masala powder: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste

In a bowl, mix all the spices with 1 tsp oil and enough salt. Combine well to get the spices uniformly distributed. Add the paneer pieces and mix everything together well with your fingers. Keep aside for atleast 30 min.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil on a high flame. Add the paneer, all at once, and reduce the flame. Cook the paneer on every side, turning every 2-3 minutes.

Serve warm with mint or coriander chutney.

Tapioca & salmon ( കപ്പ & മീന്‍ ) cutlets

One of the most famous traditional dishes in Kerala is Tapioca and Fish( കപ്പ & മീന്‍ ) Curry. This is my attempt to recreate that dish in a different format.

Tapioca is also called Cassava.


Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 5 min + 2 hrs. for marination
Cooking time: 45 min
Makes: 8 big cutlets (about 4 servings)

Ingredients:


Tapioca: 1 1/2 cups, cooked with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt
Salmon: 6 oz. fillet (about 175 gms)
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp + 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp
Fish masala: 1 tsp
Lime juice: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp + for deep-frying
Onion: 1 small, finely chopped
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: a few
Egg: 1, beaten with 1 tbsp water (egg-wash)
Breadcrumbs: 1 cup
Cookie-cutter; optional

Marinate the salmon fillet with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2tsp chilli powder, fish masala, lime juice and salt to taste. Keep aside for 2 hrs., the longer the better.

Mash the tapioca well, taking care to remove the middle vein. 

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and shallow fry the salmon until well done (about 3-4 min on each side). Pull the salmon apart into small pieces.

In another skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute the onion until light brown. Add the cumin seeds and curry leaves and continue sauteing. Add the rest of the turmeric powder and chilli powder. Saute for 2 min. Add the mashed tapioca and mix well. Now add the pulled salmon and mix well until everything is uniformly distributed. Keep aside for 10 min, so as to let it cool a bit.

Allow the oil (for deep-frying) to heat up on a high flame. In the meantime, have an assembly line ready- the tapioca- salmon mixture, egg-wash and breadcrumbs. Take some from the mixture and shape in the shape you desire (or use a cookie-cutter for a better finish). Dip it well in the egg-wash and roll in breadcrumbs. And then into the hot oil (on high flame) until golden brown, after turning sides once in between. Repeat for the rest. Serve hot with ketchup or masala chilli sauce or hot & sweet sauce.

This was taken by my 4-yr old son!

Egg drop Soup

As I have alluded multiple times on this blog, I am on a constant quest to find new ways to feed my kids vegetables. Soups are always a good way to do that. This particular recipe ends up being bland enough that the kids can eat and you can spice it up with the pepper and chilies for the adults.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15-20 min
Makes: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:


Vegetable/ Chicken stock: 4 cups
Mixed vegetables: 3/4 cup
Sweet corn: 1/4 cup
Egg: 1, beaten
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 1 tbsp+ 1 tsp
Salt, pepper: to taste

Bring the stock to a boil. Add the veggies and cook as per the package instructions (usually 6-8 min). In the meantime, beat the egg well  in another bowl. On a high flame, add the beaten egg in a thin stream and allow to cook for 2-3 min (so as to cook the egg completely). Dissolve the cornflour in 1/4 cup of cold water, stirring well so that no lumps are formed. Add this to the soup mixture and allow to cook until slightly thick, adding enough salt. Serve hot with pepper, soy sauce and green chillies in vinegar.

Papdi chat

I love chat and living in Buffalo there is not much of an option but to make it at home. We recently tried a Papdi Chat kit that was not really good. So I decided to do it properly, taking the recipe from www.showmethecurry.com.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 20 min
Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

Papdi: 40

Potato: 1 medium, cooked, peeled and diced

Tomato: 1/2 medium, finely chopped

Chickpeas/ garbanzo beans: 1/4 cup, cooked or canned

Onion: 1/4 medium, finely chopped

Yoghurt: 3/4 cup, well beaten

Roasted cumin powder: to garnish

Chat masala: to garnish

Salt, red chillipowder: to taste

Mint chutney, tamarind chutney: to taste

Thin sev: 1/2 cup

Add salt (to taste) to the well-beaten yoghurt and mix well and keep aside.

Arrange the papdi on a platter. Sprinkle potatoes, tomatoes & chickpeas on top. Drizzle yoghurt evenly on top. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, chat masala and red chilli powder to taste. Drizzle tamarind chutney and mint chutney to taste. Sprinkle thin sev to finish it off. Serve immediately.

Grilled Onion, Tomato & Goat cheese Salad

With our kitchen garden providing us a bounty of tomatoes, I have been looking for recipes using tomatoes and stumbled upon this recipe in a magazine (Mary Jane's Farm).

I could not use my outdoor grill (as the weather was not co-operating), and so decided to do it indoors. I used a flat griddle on my stove top, did everything just the same, and it worked just perfect.

Also, I did not have pine nuts in hand and so used sunflower seeds instead.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time:10 min
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:


Red onion:1
Grape tomatoes: 2 cups (1 dry pint)
Extra-virgin olive oil: 1/4 cup+ 2 tbsp
Red vine vinegar: 3 tbsp
Fresh basil: 2 tbsp, chopped
Crumbled goat cheese: 1/4 cup
Pine nuts: 1/4 cup
Salt, pepper to taste
Wooden skewers

Soak the skewers in water for 20-30 min. In the meantime, light the coals or preheat the grill to medium heat. Quarter the onion and separate into double-thick wedges. Thread onions onto separate skewers (all tomatoes and all onions) and brush with 2 tbsp olive oil. Place skewers on grill and turn several times, until tomatoes are hot and charred(they will 'pop' when done- about 5 min).

Remove tomatoes from grill and place cover on grill. Continue grilling the onions until tender- about another 5 min. Remove tomatoes and onions from skewers and toss with remaining olive oil, vinegar and basil in a large serving bowl.Top with goat cheese and pine nuts, add salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Vegetable Cutlets

I have always loved cutlets, but used to feel guilty about eating these deep-fried delicacies. So I wanted to try if they would come out equally good and tasty when baked.

I decided to make it mild, so as to be kid-friendly, by omitting the green chillies and going light on the chilli powder. But feel free to add more heat to your desire.

I used a toaster oven to bake this. If you are using a regular oven, temperatures may vary. So keep a close eye on the patties, so as not to burn them.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 15min
Cooking time: 18-20 min
Makes: 10 small cutlets

Ingredients:


Potato: 1 big, cooked with some salt, and mashed
Onion: half of a red medium, finely chopped
Grated carrots: 3/4 cup
Oil: 4 tsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Bread crumbs: 3/4 - 1cup
Salt to taste
Egg: 1, beaten with 1 tbsp water

Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onions. Once they turn light pink, add the grated carrots and saute for about 5 min, stirring occasionally. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Add the spices and enough salt. Keep sauteing until the raw taste of the spices have gone. Allow to cool until it is slightly warm, about 5-10 min.

Shape into small patties and keep aside. Make an assembly line- the patties, the egg-wash (egg & water mixture), breadcrumbs and the lined baking tray. Now take one patty at a time, dip it in egg-wash, then roll it in the breadcrumbs and arrange on a baking tray. Repeat with the rest.

Toast (450 degree F) the patties for 12 min in a toaster oven. Flip the patties and toast for another 6-8 min, depending on the color of the crust desired.

Easy Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian

I think I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of Cauliflower. But in an attempt to get my kids to eat vegetables, I seem to end up with a lot of left over vegetables. Here is a handy dish if you ever are,by chance, holding a lot of cauliflower.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:


Cauliflower florets: 1 cup
Onion: 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
Green chillies: 2, cut into thin rounds
Cornflour/ cornstarch: 4 tbsp
Soy sauce: 2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 3/4 tbsp
Powdered black pepper: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Chilli paste: 1 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup: 2 1/2 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp + for deep-frying

Heat oil in a skillet. In the meantime, mix the cauliflower florets,1/2 cup sliced onions, green chillies, cornflour, 2tsp soy sauce, ginger-garlic paste, salt and pepper to form a tight batter (tight enough to form balls). Make small lime-sized balls and deep fry them until golden brown.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute the rest of the onion until light golden brown. Add the rest of the soy sauce, chilli paste and tomato ketchup and mix well. Add the fried cauliflower balls and mix well, so as to coat the balls with the sauces. Serve warm.

Corn & pepper Salad

We once had a salad from a chat place in California. It was a really simple, yet tasty one. Even my kids (who are usually not very fond of salads) loved it. So, I decided to re-create it at home.

When I made this for some friends of my husband's from work though, I skipped the chat masala and lime juice.

Difficulty level: Easy

Preparation time: 15 min

Cooking time: Nil

Makes: 8- 10 servings

Ingredients:

Cooked corn: 2 cups

Bell pepper: 1 big, diced to the same size as corn kernels

Salt, pepper: to taste

Chat masala: 1 tsp

Lime juice: 3/4 tsp

Mix everything well, and serve warm or cold.

Jaipuri Chicken

I saw this recipe on the TV and given that I like cumin, I thought I should try it myself. It really came out well.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min + 1 hr. to marinate
Cooking time: 50 min
Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:


Chicken: 500 gms, cut into bite-size pieces
Onion: 1 medium, cut into small pieces
Garlic: 1" cube, cut into big chunks
Garlic: 6 flakes
Cumin: 1 tsp
Caraway seeds: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Chilli powder: 3/4 tsp
Chicken/ meat masala: 4 tsp
Lime juice: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 2 tbsp

Grind all the ingredients except for the chicken and oil, to a fine paste. Add half of this paste to the chicken. Mix well and keep aside for 1 hr (minimum).

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add the rest of the ground paste and saute until the oil separates. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. Add more salt if needed, cover and cook, without adding any water. Remove the cover and allow excess water to evaporate, until it reduces to desired consistency (if you prefer the dish with gravy). If you prefer it completely dry, allow all the water to evaporate. Cook on a very low flame, adding the rest of the oil, until gets dry and crispy. Goes well with rice or chapathi.

Easy Shrimp fry (ചെമ്മീന്‍ വറുത്തത് )

Here is a very simple recipe for fried shrimp. In spite of its simplicity, it is still a very tasty dish as evidenced by how both my kids ate the shrimp.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min + 1 hr. for marination
Cooking time: 15 min
Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:


Shrimp: 17, cleaned and de-veined
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
Fish masala: 1 tsp
Lime juice: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 1/2 tsp+ 2 tbsp for frying

Marinate the shrimp in ginger-garlic paste, fish masala, salt, lime juice and 1/2 tsp oil. Keep aside for 1 hr. Heat the 2 tbsp oil and shallow fry the shrimp until they curl up and/or turn pink on you. Goes well with rice or as an appetizer. 

Pepper Fritters( മുളക് ബജ്ജി )

I love spicy food. This was, actually, one of my favorites dishes when I was pregnant. The first time I ate this was at the Thrissur Pooram  Exhibition (a major event in my hometown similar to a state fair). This is one of the staple foods sold there and I used to go to the exhibition just to eat them. In India, they use a special pepper which we get in our part of the world. But here in the US, I use either the Hungarian peppers or Banana peppers to make this.

Difficulty level: Easy

Preparation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 20 min

Makes: 18 pieces

Ingredients:

Hungarian peppers: 3,big

Besan( chickpea flour): 1 1/4 cups

Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil: for deep-frying

Cut the peppers into three pieces width-wise and then each in half, lengthwise. So each pepper will give 6 pieces. De-seed them completely, or if you are brave enough leave some seeds behind. 

Make a thick batter of besan with turmeric powder and salt, adding enough water. Dip the pepper in the batter and deep-fry until golden brown. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or chilli sauce or chilli chammandhi.

Paneer pudina tikkis (cottage cheese patties with mint)

My neighbour once mentioned that she had never tried Paneer before. She was doing a garage sale and so I decided to make her some snacks for tea. I decided to make her Paneer tikkis with pudina (mint leaves) and cilantro (coriander leaves). Both the mint and cilantro were fresh from my backyard vegetable garden.

The original recipe, from Tarla Dalal, called for only pudina but I decided to add some cilantro as well, for a change.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
cooking time: 10 min
Makes: 10 tikkis/ patties

Ingredients:


Grated Paneer: 1 1/3 cup,without pressing down
Mint leaves: 2 tsp, finely chopped
Cilantro: 2 tsp, finely chopped
Corn starch/ corn flour: 2-3 tsp
Green chillies: 5-6, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil: for deep-frying
Chat masala: to sprinkle while serving(optional)

Mix all the ingredients except for oil and chat masala well. Make 10 balls of the same size. Flatten it a bit to form patties/ tikkis. Deep fry them in medium hot oil until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Serve hot sprinkled with chat masala. Goes well with tomato ketchup.

Bruschetta

For the first few months after arriving in the US, I was on a quest to find vegetarian dishes that suited my taste in the different types of popular restaurants here. After all, how long can one survive on Indian restaurants as the only option to eat out!!! Italian was an early favorite and bruschetta was one of the reasons why. It is a simple but tasty dish and while it is considered an appetizer there is no reason why you can't treat it as a meal.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 5 min
Makes: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:


French baguette/ french bread: 400 gms (about a loaf)
Tomatoes: 4 medium
Olive oil: 1 tsp + for brushing
Grated cheese: 3 tbsp+ more to add on top, if needed
Dry basil: 1/2 tsp
Italian seasoning: 3/4 tsp
Salt, pepper: to taste

Cut the tomatoes into really tiny pieces and add 1 tsp olive oil, the grated cheese (I used a mix of Parmesan , Romano and Asiago), the dry herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well until the cheese and oil are uniformly distributed.

Cut the bread into 1/2" thick slices and lay on a baking tray. Apply some olive oil on the entire surface facing up, using a pastry brush. This helps to get a nice brown colour and a crispiness on the outside. "Broil" this in the oven until light golden brown (about 2-3 min, depending on the oven). Remember to keep a very close eye on this as it can get burnt very easily.

To assemble, take a slice of the bread and put some tomato topping on top. Sprinkle some more grated cheese, if needed. Serve immediately, or it will start getting soggy.