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Dough Balls #Pizzahut style

These delicious little dough balls are versatile so soft and addictive, served as a starter or snack! with any dips of your choice.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 200 grams Italian Tipo 00 flour ** Extra flour for dusting and kneading
• 7 grams fast action dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 140 -150 ml water
• 3 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs (optional)

Instructions

• In a large bowl put the yeast, sugar and one or two tbsp of luke warm water and leave it for few minutes. When you see that it is bubbling up then you know that your yeast is active.
• To this add salt and oil, then add the flour and mix well. Then add water. Then using your hands mix thoroughly and make it into a slightly wet dough.
• Turn the dough onto to a well-floured surface and work it your hands for about 5 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Leave it to rest for 45 to 1 hr
• Place the well-kneaded dough into a well-oiled bowl and brush the top with oil and cover it with a clingfilm so it won't dry out.
• Once the dough is double in size. punch the dough and inflate the air, Make little balls from it and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 30 mintues to rise.
• Meanwhile Preheat the oven to 200°C / Gas mark 6**. Brush the dough balls with milk/alternative milk. Bake these dough balls for 15 to 18 minutes, After 10 minutes reduce the oven temperature.
• once done bring them out and bake the next batch until all the dough balls are baked. Serve them with olive oil seasoned with crushed pepper and salt. Or any of your favourite dips! Enjoy.

Notes

Italian Tipo 00 flour is finely ground than normal flour and will give your dough an incredible super smooth texture. I use this flour to make pizza as well and they turn out incredibly beautiful.
The same recipe above turns into an irresistible pizza as well.
Once it rises, punch down the dough and you can freeze it as well. The day you plan to bake take it out and leave it on the counter once it comes to normal temperature, continue the process to make either dough balls or pizza!
I usually bake at a low temperature as my oven gets very hot. Check your oven and bake.

The post Dough Balls #Pizzahut style #Vegan appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Kodubale is a delicacy from Karnataka. It’s one of the deep-fried snacks from this cuisine.  “Kodu” means Horn like shape (after a lot of debating with my friends I got stuck to this now!) and “Bale” means Bangle! So, a dish made in the shape of Horn but turned it into a bangle to keep them intact! Whatever, this tasty snack is simply delicious you can’t just stop at one it's so very addictive!
This is my Amma’s (Mother) favourite snack. She loves making these often, my mom learned a lot from my periamma (Maternal aunt) and I too learnt a lot from her, she was a real foodie! She used to try new recipes and keep the authentic recipes alive as well.  I have never seen anybody like her in, my whole family.  She is no more and I miss her a lot.  Most of my recipes are what I have learned from these two women in my life.  This post is dedicated to my Mum and her late sister.

I remember very well my childhood days in our rented house it was a tiny kitchen she used to put the oil and little dough to each of us make us sit in front of her and ask us to make them, it was like a thumb rule, they should be perfectly in a bangle shape.
I remember my childhood days very well, it was a tiny kitchen in our rented house.  When she put the oil on heat Mom used to give us all a steel plate and little dough to each of us in a bowl, make us sit right in front of her and ask us to roll them into little bangle shaped rings, it was like a thumb rule, they should be perfectly in a bangle shape. She is still a perfectionist.
After she fried she used put them in little plates next to us and to munch on so we enjoyed our given task!! Sometimes we used to go crazy and we used to make the first alphabet of our name or any other shape we fancied, she wouldn’t mind as long as the job was done.  As she always made in large quantities. (I am sharing the same quantity here as given by her, and even today I make the same quantity).  But, after some time my sisters used to get bored and run away but, I always stuck with mom and completed the task!  Probably, that is one of the reasons I started learning and loving to cook from a very young age.  I was a sous chef to them!

I still remember the only time she would never allow us to make kodubale was during Gokulashtami festival, every item on the list had to made with Madi (Madi is a term used in Brahmin communities wherein men and women in the family after bath wears dried clothes untouched by other persons and cook food without eating anything as they make it for Puja and God!).  That’s the only one time she wouldn’t allow us to touch and mom, dad, and periamma used to make all the savouries and sweets they used to make around 30 dishes!  Those days were fun, all the three of us use to enjoy!! Gokulashtami is a big festival in Tamil families. The Mango leaves, a lot of flowers, different kind of fruits, Rangolis etc.., It was bliss!!

This recipe I promise you, you will keep it forever. Don't forget to check my notes on my tips and follow it to T for a fool proof and perfect recipe.

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Kodubale/Kodbale (Spicy Bangle rings)! Delicacy from Karnataka

Kodubale is a speciality from Karnataka. Delicious, spicy and crispy perfect Bangle shaped snack which is deep fried, quick to make and tasty.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups Rice Flour
• 1 cup Chiroti rava
• 3/4th cup Maida
• 1 tbsp Omam (coarsely powdered)
• 2 to 3 tbsp white Sesame seeds
• 2 tsp salt ( salt as required)
• 1/3 cup oil (Hot Oil)
• 1/4 cup (2 sprigs) chopped curry leaves

Grind to paste

• 1 cup freshly grated coconut ( pressed almost tightly)
• 1 cup Dried copra (precisely 1/2 the dried copra)**
• 20 Byadgi chillies**
• 1/4 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves (loosely packed) (optional)

Instructions

• Heat a pan and dry roast maida and chiroti rava till it is warm to touch. Keep aside to cool.
  
• Take all the Ingredients under Grind put it in a mixie jar and grind to a smooth paste of coconut, dry copra, red chillies, Hing and coriander leaves (optional).
  
• Take a bowl put all the dry ingredients together, Maida, Chiroti Rava, Rice flour, coarsely powdered Omam and salt as required mix well and keep aside.
  
• Heat a ladle full of (1/3 cup) of hot oil and pour it on the dry ingredients, mix well and keep aside. Heat oil in a wok keep it on the stove to a medium flame.
  
• Next add the ground smooth paste into the dry ingredient mixture mix well cover and keep aside.
  
• Heat oil in a wok keep it on the stove to a medium flame. Take a little portion of the mixture in a separate bowl sprinkle water and start kneading it to make a dough! Do not add more water, sprinkle or use little water ( 1 to 2 tbsp of water) every time and start bringing it into a dough consistency. (check notes)
  
• Once the dough has come together, knead it once and start making Kodubales! The dough should be rolled like a rope with the thickness of our little finger (about 3/4th of an inch) it should be perfectly in a round shape like a bangle with the end pinched and pressed to seal the edge on to the overlapping dough on which it is turned around so that they don’t get opened when they are fried in oil
  
• once the oil is hot drop around 8 to 10 in one batch, depending upon how much oil and kadai you have used to fry! Keep frying them turning around now and then so they cooked well on both sides and turn crispy, on a medium low flame. They turn golden brown once they are done. Take them on to a kitchen towel so it absorbs oil.
  
• Follow the same procedure with the rest of the dough ingredients deep fry all the them. Once done, store them in a air tight container it will stay up to 20-25 days! (unless you don't finish them before that)
  
• Hope you try it out make and enjoy!!

Notes

 

 

Notes and Tips:

1. I have given quite a large quantity so, please do remember do not add water completely to the mix. Divide the mix in parts, take one portion at a time and mix water little by little knead well and make the dough.  According to my mom If you make dough out of the whole mix and then use it, when you fry the rings they will absorb more oil, also they change the colour of the end product and they won’t have a long shelf life.
2. Don't forget to add hot oil to the mixture and mix well, this is the trick for the crispiest kodbales!
3. Keep the temperature of the oil constant for perfectly made crispy kodbales. Once when done and after you remove the kodbales bring the flame to low when you drop the rings then go back to the medium flame and fry them until done.
4. When you roll out them into ropes sometimes you might find that they break or become hollow don’t worry it is natural. Again, knead them into the dough, and roll them they will be fine.  Do not extra Maida or anything else to make it stiffer.  Just knead well and use it.
5. Seal the edge after you overlap it onto the main ring, so it won’t open up.
6. Before frying check, the oil is sizzling hot! To find out hold your hand 3 to 4 inches above the oil you can feel the heat! Otherwise, check by adding a pinch of the dough into the oil, it should come up within seconds and float to the top that means your oil is at the right temperature. Now you can slide the kodbales carefully from the side of the wok don’t drop it from a height, this will splash the oil everywhere, so just slide them into the oil.
7. Don’t leave the rings to dry out cover them with a cloth and the dough mixture too!
8. I have mentioned you can make around 60, it depends on the size you make. It also depends the thickness of the dough rolled don’t make them too thick, it may be not crunchy, don’t make it very thin as well it will be very crunchy but loses its taste.
9. I have used only Byadgi chillies, you can use a combo of Guntur and Byadgi chillies.
10. You can use Roasted Gram (chutney dal) instead of sooji as some kannada people make it.
11. My Mom sometimes uses 1 whole coconut it gives real taste.

The post Kodubale/Kodbale - A Delicacy from Karnataka appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Did you all enjoy eating Pancakes yesterday, I made a special pancake for my daughter will post it soon, photos are still in my camera, need to download and sort it out.  I thought of doing it today, but it’s been a long and tiring day.  I never thought I would be so busy, joining college has taken most of my time.  It’s been a long back I did any studying so, coming back to terms with it is a big deal for me.   Cooking has become an ordeal for me these days, just  for two has become a strenuous job.  I miss my kids so much who came home  always hungry, checking out what I have in store! Cooking and baking had a purpose and  fun then.

The Day before yesterday I was talking to my sister I was telling her it’s not been a good winter this year, I felt that the weather hasn’t been that cold.  Maybe I jinxed it, already past week it’s been horrible with stormy gale force howling winds creeping  through the chimney  walls was scary and horrible to listen to.  Couldn’t even walk on the road, it was raining and so windy I thought I might fly away.   When you are out the house you know how numb your hands and feet feel the comfort of a home onto my couch with a warm shawl around me is all that I long for. And of course, I love warm and comfort food and when you are too lethargic to cook steaming Soups are the best option with lovely crusty bread is all I wish for.

I love peppers and usually have it in my pantry, I use it every possible way! I get these in abundance in summer and I grow them in my little garden, the fresh pepper from the plant is so delicious, I just love it.  My favourite is the green pepper I think I like it because of the spiciness it gives rather than the others.  All the other coloured peppers are mildly sweet to my liking.

Soups always remind me of my home, I wouldn’t have so much soup as I have it here, and Soup was something I used to have when I visited a restaurant with my North Indian meals.  After coming here, it has become a staple food for me with a crusty loaf.

Author: Jayasri
Recipe type: Appetiser
Cuisine: Fusion
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 Large Red Peppers
1 small Green Pepper
1 small Yellow Pepper
1 Tomatoes
1 Onion
2 cloves garlic
1’’ Ginger
1 or 2 Bay leaf
3 to 4 cloves
½ tsp Black Pepper corns
½ tsp Cumin
2 tbsp of Crème Fraiche (optional)

Method:

On a stove top place a metallic frame and place all the veggies said above to roast turning them now and then which helps in charring them Or you can place these on a baking sheet and cut the peppers and place the cut side down in between place the garlic cloves and onion and tomatoes in a preheated oven gas mark 5 or 6 for 20 to 25 minutes until they are charred.
Remove them from the oven or from the stove top once they are cool remove the charred skin from the peppers and tomatoes, I don’t throw them away but keep it and use it in my curries.  Gives a smoky flavour to my dish.  Remove the skin from onions and garlic as well and keep aside.
In a skillet add a tsp of olive oil once it is warm enough add cloves, pepper corns, Bay leaves and cumin roast them to this add skinned bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic and sauté for a one or two minutes.
In the mean time take 500ml of vegetable stock in a pot and allow it to boil with the bay leaves removed from the sautéed veggies above.
Once they are cool take the rest of the sautéed ingredients into a blender or mixie Blend them all into a smooth paste
Add this smooth blended paste into the vegetable stock mix well add Himalayan salt, taste and adjust.
You can also taste and add finely freshly crushed black pepper corns to suit your taste, and allow it to boil further 5 minutes.  Don’t boil for too long you will lose the colour.

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Roasted Tri-coloured Bell Pepper Soup

Hearty Healthy a Winter warmer with lots of nutrition significant amount of vitamin C, beta carotene, B complex, vitamins, calcium, phosphorous and Iron.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Fusion

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Jayasri

Ingredients

• 2 Red Peppers
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ’’ Ginger
• 1 or 2 Bay leaf
• 3 to 4 cloves
• ½ tsp Black Pepper corns
• ½ tsp Cumin
• 2 tbsp of Crème Fraiche optional

Instructions

• On a stove top place a metallic frame and place all the veggies said above to roast turning them now and then which helps in charring them Or you can place these on a baking sheet and cut the peppers and place the cut side down in between place the garlic cloves and onion and tomatoes in a preheated oven gas mark 5 or 6 for 20 to 25 minutes until they are charred.
• Remove them from the oven or from the stove top once they are cool remove the charred skin from the peppers and tomatoes, I don’t throw them away but keep it and use it in my curries. Gives a smoky flavour to my dish. Remove the skin from onions and garlic as well and keep aside.
• In a skillet add a tsp of olive oil once it is warm enough add cloves, pepper corns, Bay leaves and cumin roast them to this add skinned bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and garlic and sauté for a one or two minutes.
• Meanwhile take 500ml of vegetable stock in a pot and allow it to boil with the bay leaves removed from the sautéed veggies above.
• Once they are cool take the rest of the sautéed ingredients into a blender or mixie Blend them all into a smooth paste
• Add this smooth blended paste into the vegetable stock mix well add Himalayan salt, taste and adjust.
• You can also taste and add finely freshly crushed black pepper corns to suit your taste, and allow it to boil further 5 minutes. Don’t boil for too long you will lose the colour

Notes

If you find the soup is thin to your liking mix 1 or 2 tsp cornflour or arrowroot powder in 2 or 3 tbsp of water before adding it to the soup, this makes the soup to thicken up and looks creamier. You can top with crème fraiche and serve it steaming hot with a country bread.

The post Roasted Tri-coloured Bell Pepper Soup appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Today is a spicy treat from my veggie garden.  Well, I can’t say if this is everybody’s cup of tea, but if you love spicy food this is definitely a treat. You can also make it spicy or not too spicy if you choose but definitely something you would enjoy with your cup of chai ya coffee.  Most of the food I cook brings back memories which are sometimes nostalgic, some are funny & some bring a warm smile on my face like this one.

The  smell of the first rain drops on the soil which I call it the earthy smell, I would run out and inhale the smell it imparts, something nostalgic about it, brings out lots of memories.  When I was a little kid we used to make paper boats & later on when I had my kids I used to make pater boats for them to play with, we used to run  outside in the garden or on to the road, trying to find little streams or where we could see the  water flow so we could sail our boats and enjoy every minute of it, If there was a heavy down pour and our boats drowned or soaked we wouldn't mind or disheartened we would make more boats!,  I know it is bringing back your memories isn’t it ?  Mmmh..

Coleus Aromaticus

When I think of all Bhajjis & Bondas it reminds me of all those days in Bangalore, especially when it is monsoon, Ice creams is another delight I used to enjoy when it rained, what a combo.  These days fried snacks are a far away delicacy which I try not to indulge in. I have not been a big fan of fried foods, too much oil & my hunger disappears, I have always been a bit of health conscious not a health freak as I love eating but everything in moderate. I do care about oily food a bit more so deep fried is always a second thought especially when feeding my kids,  Now a days my teenage kids very rarely ask me for fried snacks, they like everything bake

Costus Pictus

In Bangalore, I used to live in Gandhi Bazar, there are some famous food joints their. But, all little joints are the best place to eat, have you ever tried? There is a little place at the end on DVG road, under a shop, I don’t know if he is still there, he had a little joint and this man used to make amazing Bondas, Bhajjis, & Masala vadas etc.., I can’t remember what other things he was making but he used to stay just for 2 to 3 hours and it would be so busy.

Those are the days which we used to enjoy so much. Once the rain stopped know tor if it was a cold winter evening, eating these was one of my favourite, the most I ate I think was when I was pregnant with my first child, I craved to eat very spicy chilli Bhajjis.  You can see I have made Bhajjis with Doddapatre (Coleus Aromaticus) & Costus Pictus , I don’t know their common names  though , making bajjis you have to follow the same method, This same method you can use in  making  Potato,  Chayote, Ridge Gourd etc..,

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Chilli Bhajji / Molaga Bhajji / Menasinkaayi Bhajji

Absolutely addictive, spicy and tasty can't stop with one, of course not a healthy treat, as it is deep fried, Vegan, Gluten free.

Course Appetisers, snacks &amp

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Author Jayasri Ravi

Ingredients

• FOR THE BATTER Tempura Batter
• 1 Cup Gram flour chick pea flour
• 1/3 Cup Rice flour
• 2 tbsp Corn flour
• 2 tsp Chilli powder*
• pinch of Asafoetida
• 2 tbsp hot oil
• 1 tsp salt*
• water as needed
• Oil for deep frying as needed
• VEGGIES FOR THE BAJJIS
• 6 to 7 Chilli Bajjis / Banana Peppers
• 6 to 7 Doddapatre
• 1 Onion
• FILLING
• Grate 1 or 2 Carrots
• 2 medium sized Onions
• 3 to 4 sprigs of coriander leaves
• 1/4 tsp of Chilli powder
• 1 tsp of Chat masala powder
• 2 to 3 pinches of salt / or as per taste

Instructions

• Take all the Ingredients for the batter in a bowl and add water as required, the batter should be in between Dosa (Pancake) & Idli batter consistency, It should not be thin nor thick.
• I have said hot oil; when you are preparing the batter, heat oil in a pan, take 2 tbsp of this oil when it is hot add this to the batter, this makes the Bhajjis more crispier.
• Dip the chillis one by one coat it well and drop into the hot oil and fry it to golden colour.
• The same way wash the leaves wipe clean and dip them in the batter and deep fry.
• How to make the filling (stuffing) for thesey chillies:
• Slit open once the bhajjis which have come out of the oil, and drain in on a kitchen towel, Mix all the ingredients from the above said list, check the taste increase or decrease spices as per your preference, fill this filling in the slit open Bhajjis and enjoy.

Notes

Some things to Note:
The coating or the batter consistency is for just 6 to 7 Bhajjis, you can keep increasing the same proportion of ingredients to fry more Bhajjis
Adding Hot oil to the batter makes crispy Bhajjis.
I usually cut an onion in the end to mix with the left over batter which makes crispy pakoras

The post Chilli Bhajji / Molaga Bhajji / Menasinkaayi Bhajji appeared first on My Veg Fare.

PURSLANE & KALE FATAYER

I came to find out that Fatayer (Lebanese savoury triangular pastries) is a Mediterranean street food, usually made with Purslane (Baqleh) and the one made with spinach called Fatayer bil-sabanegh and she says can be adapted to using any kind of greens we like.

I had started thinking what shall I bake, I had a busy day from past two days, came home late last night had a terrible headache and I was in no mood to bake anything, My baking or cooking always ends up with my kids coming back from school they come home look for something to eat, they love something like a snack, but I always prefer that they eat well, something healthy, always look for something good for them to gorge.

 

 H got me this plant and I have been trying to protect it now as it is so cold in my conservatory, It grew very well in summer with beautiful leaves but I never used it. I was scared that it might die, this plant is grown everywhere in India it is commonly known as Purslane or Verdolaga, in Tamil it is called Paruppu keerai, in Kannada Dudagorai.  Basically it is a weed grown everywhere in India, It is still used in various cooking ways in India.  I still keeping looking for it everywhere here if I could find a bunch of it, As I was googling through I found out that they are very rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, and they are also rich in vitamin C, they are even used in medicine for treating cancer etc.., etc.., Just Google around to see more information on this plant.

I wasn't sure if I could grow it here, for the weather conditions, it seems Googling I have found out that it will be dormant and grows back, I don't want to take any risk so I keep it in my conservatory, not that it is looking any healthy now, fingers crossed it won't die on me.

I was searching for something new I could cook up from this plant, I was surprised to see a few ways now I can use it not only in the India way of cooking, when searching I found this recipe on Anissa's blog, I was in awe with her photography and loved I could try out something new.

I so found out that middle eastern cookery enjoy this nutritious weed, here is how I made it, I have adapted the recipe very much but tweaked it a little bit, as I did not how much my kids would love it, when ever I prepare something new I use what my kids like and see how it goes and then revert back to the original recipe.., kind of making them comfort with their usual food. This is how I made it...

PURSLANE, KALE, SPINACH, WATER CRESS AND ROCKET  FATAYER

Recipe Source: Anissa's blog

Serves : 4

makes : 12 (depending on the size)

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE DOUGH

175 grms ( nearly 1 and 1/4 cup) of All purpose Flour

2 tbsp of Garlic Flavoured Extra virgin Olive oil

1/2 tsp salt
Nearly 3/4th cup of water

FOR THE FILLING

1/2 Cup of Purslane

2 Cups of Kale

2 medium sized onions

1 Cup of Water Cress, Spinach and Rocket

1 tbsp of Sumac

1 tbsp of Sichuan Pepper

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp salt
Cheese (optional)

 METHOD:

In a bowl take all the Ingredients under For the dough mix them well first, resembles like a crumbled cheese make a well in the center and  start from 1/4 cup of water making it into a dough, keep adding water until a firm dough is formed. Knead this dough until it is smooth and elastic and leave it in a bowl covered with a wet cloth until you make your filling ready. In a bowl wash drain and and chop the Greens roughly, to this add chopped Onions and all the other Ingredients listed under the filling mix them well thoroughly and leave aside. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees ( I preheated and baked my pastries on Gas mark 6 as my oven gets too hot).

Take the dough make 12 round balls and one by one, flatten into a disc place some filling on each disc lift two sides 1/3rd of the circle and pinch them together and lift the third side and pinch them like a triangle seal all the three sides with a thin raised inverted Y in the middle.

Be sure to seal the pastry well so they don't open up during baking, transfer them on to a baking sheet and bake 15 to 20 minutes according to your oven's heat.

Bake them until they are golden in colour and serve them warm or cold.

VERDICT:
The pastry was really delicious, my children loved them, they even told me I shouldn't have added the cheese!, Next time I can just stick to the basic recipe without my little tweak of adding cheese in it thinking kids would like it.

Do not use any cheese in this recipe and you will have a wonderful Vegan Savoury pastry to enjoy.

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This recipe is not something new as I said earlier, A new wine in an old bottle, A slight twist to our authentic Urad Dal vada recipe, A twist which our customers loved, so  has come to e-book, as my judges, critics showed a thumbs up sign, It all started with something I promised my kids I would prepare it when they came back from college, Now, what was it , It is something everybody loves , Gobi Manchurian, my kids love it as everybody who has tasted it do, It is a fusion of Indo-chinese cooking, but,  decided to make something else, ( Just like I twist my reicpes!!).   When Kalyani announced this month's Magic mingle - Urad dal and Lemon, I have been thinking, and I came up with this, I was a bit worried to post, as one of the posts I made with Haldiram's samosa and turned it into a chat, one of the readers thought that it was ridiculous to make chat like that, Personally I feel their is no such specific recipe that you have to make chat only with these, right ?.  In Bangalore we have so many chat center's and you would be surprised to know the different kind of chats people make, eat and enjoy.  Thinking in that line I thought why not when you like Vada, Dahi in your chat why not turn it into a chat., to make slightly healthier I added some more Dals to it, But, it totally your choice to make it the way you want to give it a twist.., I will give you some variations in the end.
Coming to my recipe.. what and how I made it. read through...

URAD DAL VADA CHAT

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE VADAS
1 Cup Urad Dal
2 tbsp Channa dal
1 tbsp Moong dal
2 tbsp cup Horse Gram / Kollu
1 tbsp Poha / Avalakki /thick flattened Rice flakes
1/4 cup +2 tbsp water
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 capsicum / Pepper
3 to 4 Green chillies
1 tsp coarsely crushed Pepper
1'' Fresh Ginger
salt as required ( 1 and 1/2 tsp)
A pinch of Asafoetida
A pinch of Baking soda

FOR THE CHAT
2 Carrots finely grated
2 Onions chopped fine

1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tbsp Lemon juice
2 to 4 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Chat masala powder

FOR GARNISHING
Fine Sev and spiced Mixture ( I have used murmura mixture) as required
Sweet Chutney
Green Chutney

FOR DAHI MASALA
1 Cup of fresh thick Yogurt / Dahi / soy yogurt
1/w tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Chat masala
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Chilli powder ( as required)

METHOD:

FOR MAKING VADAS
Soak Urad dal, channa dal, moong dal and Horse gram for 3 hours.  Wash and soak poha saperately.
Chop Capsicum / green pepper, Green chillies, curry leaves and crushed Black Pepper.
Grind all the soaked Ingredients above with ginger and poha in it. use very little water, by sprinkling or tbsp water now and then, and grinding it into a smooth paste,
Important point: Do not add too much water, this will make the batter obsorb more oil and vadas will be very oily and kind of losses its texture, Once it is completely grinded well, you will notice that batter when picked will not stick to your hands, it will fluffy.

Once the batter is ready add all the other Ingredients mix well and fry them in hot oil, make small round balls with a small hole in the middle and fry them. Heat the oil, hold your palm on top of the oil ( not very close ), when you feel the heat that means your oil is hot, keep the flame to medium add a drop of the batter to check if it is hot, within a few seconds if the batter springs on to the top that means your oil is perfect. Now fry the batter as vadas, once they are golden red in colour, take them out of the oil and drain them on a kitchen paper.

METHOD TO MAKE THE CHAT
Grate carrots, chop onion, and all the other Ingredients under chat mix well and keep aside, do not add salt.
Once the vadas are ready add salt and lemon juice to the chat otherwise it will start giving out water, so add it in the end mix well just before serving.

METHOD TO MAKE DAHI MASALA
Take 1 or 2 cups of Plain Yogurt / Dahi in a bowl to this add little salt ( not too much as vada, chat mixture all have salt in it ), then add required quantity to chat masala, chilli powder, sugar accordingly as required to the quantity of Yogurt you are using. Above I have give for the quantity of one cup mix well and use.

ASSEMBLING DAL DAHI VADA CHAT
Cut the vadas horizontally into half, place them on a plate, sprinkle the chat mixture on top of it, then add the sev or some spicy mixture on top of it, add sweet chutney, green chutney as required to the Dal vada, you can enjoy the chat as it is or you can add Dahi Masala to it and enjoy the chat.

We all loved the chat with Dahi / Yogurt Masala, it was very tasty.  So, I decided to call this Dal Dahi Vada Chat.
This was my chat as I just ate one (a little bit one was mine!!) , cut the vadas horizontally into half, sprinkle the chat on top of it as shown in the pictures, then pour Dahi Masala on top of it. Enjoy...

This Chat goes to Magic Mingle of Kalyani's this month she gave us Urad dal and Lemon juice., tune in I have some more recipes on this combo..

VARIATION: You can just make this with only Urad dal,  You can omit capsicum/peppers from this above recipe, Make it VEGAN by not using Yogurt in this recipe or you can use soy yogurt.

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FRIED TOFU WITH  SESAME SEED TOPPING AND KAESHI SAUCE

INGREDIENTS FOR TOASTED TOFU
250gms Tofu Block
3 to 4 tbsp of white Sesame seeds
oil as required*
Bread Crumbs*
corn flour*
water*

METHOD:
Remove the Tofu from the wrap press and remove the water from it, cut them into rectangles.
In a bowl mix both bread crumbs and sesame seeds in small portions, so you won't be wasting both of them, use them as needed.
In an other bowl mix corn flour with water and make it into a pancake consistency and keep it ready.
Dip these rectangles in the corn  flour batter first then into the bread crumb mixture.
Heat a small pan and toast these Tofu pieces on both the sides carefully until golden brown in colour.
* I have indicated this star to tell you that I have not mentioned the exact measurements and these things are totally used approximately. A small tip I could give you is when making the corn flour batter do not add too much water start with little water and when mixing water you will start to know how it reacts and how corn starch gets settled down in the bottom.., If you are new to this concept, it is better that you add around 1 or 2 tsp of plain flour which helps in making the consistency of the batter.

KAESHI SAUCE
adapted from here
INGREDIENTS:
170 ml dark soy sauce
30 ml Mirin
25 gms sugar

METHOD:
About this recipe and if you are too keen on learning Japanese dishes and love it.., it is better to go the website, as she discusses about the use of different kind of Mirin., The one I have used is an alcohol free.
Put the Mirin in a pan bring to boil, lower heat and simmer a bit
Add sugar and still till everything is melted
Now add soy sauce let it warm up slowly, do not allow it to boil, when it starts bubbling switch of the stove and keep it aside.
If any scum has formed on top of it, skim off carefully.
She says Kaeshi can used straight away but tastes best when left for about a day,
This can kept for several month under refrigeration in an air tight container.
You can even add more sugar to taste if you like it sweet...
I think my daughter added more sugar as to her liking...
So you can increase decrease the contents as you like it.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#14

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CRISPY RICE STUFFED CROQUETTES

Looks beautiful and Gorgeous isn't it......., Let's see what's its all about then, go on read ....,

INGREDIENTS:
1 to 1 and 1/2 Cup Cooked Rice
1/4 cup of peas
A few spring onions
1 small carrot
4 French beans
A few sprigs of Coriander leaves
1 or 2 tbsp of Lemon juice
2 to 3 Green chillies
A few curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp Black Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of Coriander powder
1/4 tsp of Cumin powder
1/2 tsp of Turmeric
Salt as required
2 tbsp of oil

FOR THE COVERING
250 gms of Potatoes ( Increase potatoes if you wish)
3 to 4 tbsp of Corn flour (Increase as you wish)
1/2 tsp of Chilli powder
1tsp of Salt
Extra Oil for toasting

METHOD:
It's a simple recipe, nothing extraordinary.
First of all wash your potatoes and pressure cook them to 1 whistle, this would have made them quite soft, once it is cool take out the potatoes, peel the skin off and set aside to cool, as it will still very warm inside. Meanwhile take 2 tbsp of oil heat it in a wok then add the mustard seeds, after they splutter add chopped green chillies saute them for a minute, till they change colour, then add finely chopped, carrots, beans and then the peas sprinkle a little water, close a lid and keep it in a low flame until it is well cooked, check now and again so that they don't stick to the bottom of the kadai, sprinkle water if necessary, Once you know the veggies are well cooked add the chopped spring onions, and all the masala powders  mentioned above, Saute them for few minutes once they all soften up add Cooked Rice, mix well mash up the rice a little bit , then add Chopped fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice as per your taste with salt as required mix well and  set it aside to cool.

Now your filling is ready. Next is your covering.. how to go about it, well reading the Ingredients I think you know what I have done.
I have just given a approximate on potatoes, Increase or decrease according to your filling you have made.
Once the peeled potatoes are cool, mash them nicely until soft to this add salt, chilli powder and corn flour to make it into a firm dough, use Corn flour as necessary, I did not use too much as I wanted the potatoes to retain their taste, too much corn flour might change the texture!, Using less corn flour might be a bit of a problem, as the dough might be little bit sticky and difficult to handle but once you know what you are doing it is easy to shape them up, but they might be quite fragile to handle, so do be careful.
Once the dough is ready make small rounds put a 2 to 3 tbsp of stuffing press the ends nicely so they don't break up anywhere, and join them as shown in the picture, roll it on a flat surface so the covering is equally distributed then fry it on a Tawa/Girdle with tsp of oil and roast them to a golden brown colour, serve them with few salad leaves and sauces of choices.

FEW VARIATIONS: If you want you can make it round croquettes and deep fry them in oil.
You can make a Maida/plain flour or Corn flour dip (ie, make a paste of one of the flours) Dip the croquettes into the flour and then roll it on bread crumbs and then either deep fry them or grill them on a stove top or grill them in a oven, change as you wish.
Some children are picky to eat rice, I think this would be quite an interesting one for them to enjoy.
If you do not want rice at all for yourself then just add more vegetables which would be a fantastic meal in itself.
Have an other look at my Crispy Rice stuffed Croquettes

c u soon with an other recipe hope you all enjoyed it.
I would like to send this to Priya of Now serving who is hosting two event, One Fast food not fat food and her other event started by Pari of Food delicious - Only Fusion Recipe.

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LEEK AND MUSHROOMS FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS:
150 gms Button Mushrooms
1 Medium sized Leek
1 and 1/2 tsp (or required amount of needed) Salt
1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
A pinch of Soda
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
4 to 5 Green chillies (optional)
1 tsp of crushed Pomegranate seeds
Few sprigs of Coriander leaves
3/4 th cup Gram Flour
Oil for Deep Frying

METHOD:
wash the Mushrooms and remove the stalk, Remove the first two layers and the end of Leek and slice it into two, and wash them well and slice both of them into thin slices then add rest of ingredients into a large bowl mix them well together and start adding water do not make the batter too thin or too thick, Add water to the Ingredients to coat them very well.
Heat oil in a Pan/Kadai/wok, using a tbsp drop spoonful of this batter into the hot oil a few at a time until they are golden yellow in colour, once they are done they usually float to the top, Once they are fried take them out and drain them on a kitchen towel.
These fritters or Bajjias are now ready to devour :))

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This is with my first pastry dough !!

Hi everybody,Yes, I too have joined the Daring Bakers !!, and this is my first challenge, Oops!, it was quite a challenge for me, well anyway I and my girls enjoyed it the most we all did the baking, as they all helped me in baking, taking photos and not of course the best was all of us sat and filled them with whatever we liked and ate it together!!. They even said that the pastry was good than the store bought one !! .

The September 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was Hosted by Steph of A whisk and a spoon, she choose the Vols-au-vent based on the puff pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough” family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. (In fact, if you participated in the Danish Braid challenge back in June 2008, then you already know the general procedure for working with laminated dough.) A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.

Prep Times:-about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule)-about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete Forming and Baking the Vols-au-VentYield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent
Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry DoughFrom: Baking with Julia by Dorie GreenspanYield: 2-1/2 pounds doughSteph’s note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. While I encourage you to make the full recipe of puff pastry, as extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.
There is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). They do seem to give slightly different ingredient measurements verbally than the ones in the book…I listed the recipe as it appears printed in the book. http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry

The same filling i used and made it like a large pie !!

With some more left over pastry I made puffs with savoury filling which once I had posted by using ready made puff pastry block and with some more I made another savoury filling with left over okra and peas gravy mixed with potato,capsicum and onion dry curry!! They were the best so my kids and friends said. They even asked for more !!

At last I posted this.., with so many difficulties, just now when I uploaded my photos to the blog at 12:30 in the night suddenly google page disappeared and said their was an error and reloaded on its own again !!, but all the photos were gone, Good God ! I had to redo them again. Oh! no I deleted another two photos by mistake, oh! God now I am tired I will post this it is getting 1 O'clock in the night. Good night and hope my readers will enjoy this and thanks for the recipe and suggestions and guidence to the all the daring bakers who helped through this, I really did enjoy this and looking forward to the next one, bye....

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