Banana Blossom Cutlets

Finger Food Fridays !!!

And this time with a Healthy Pan fried Banana Blossom and white peas spicy cutlet.

Speaking of Friday, guess where we are off to today??? 

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA.... Really!!! (I'm still pinching myself)

I'm super excited. I was in a state of disbelief until I had to pack. I hate packing. May be a little less than unpacking though. But YESSS... the tickets are booked, hotel's spoken for, the bags are packed and the Passports are out and ready to be stamped. It's been so long that we took a vacation, and we've been all working so hard in office, that this is such a welcome break.

I'd never heard of Cambodia, while Raj went on and on that we should go there once in our life. This was waaay back some 5 yrs ago. I ignored him then and we went to Phuket (which I loved loved loved). But then I saw photos of these magnificent temples online and I wanted to see them NOW. So here we are, a few hours away from actually seeing those beautiful temples, but before that we have miles to go and lots of airport wait time.

Has anyone of you out there been to Cambodia and can give me tips on what to see and where to eat and where to shop? I'm all ears. 

What this means next Tuesday, I won't be blogging live, it will be a scheduled post. Watch out for it though, it is on the lines of Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart, only minus the mushrooms and plus some colorful ingredients, but just as delicious. But I will (hopefully) be active on Twitter tweeting our latest photos of sites we saw, food we ate (I'm excited to try out the Khmer curries, I've heard wonderful things about them) and knick-knacks we shopped for (dying to see what Siem Reap has to offer in the night market) - don't miss it out, follow @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter.

Back to Friday's finger food - Banana Blossom Cutlets. Banana Blossom or Banana Flower as it is sometimes called is a popular in South East Asian cusine (so perfect for today's post). Banana flower is very much like an artichoke in structure and in flavour. Usually, a typical Banana Blossom Cutlet uses potato along with the banana blossom to bind it. But here, I've used mushy white peas and a little bit of besan or chickpea flour to bind them. The banana flower in itself has no taste, (but it is loaded with texture), so generously use spices. 

Preparing a banana blossom needs patience, but the reward at the end is worth it. Did you know it acts as an anti-depressant? So by the time you are done eating, you WILL be happy! So back to preparing, 

• The maroon outer layer is to be discarded, the tiny flowers attached to the stem are for keeps. 
• Continue peeling away the layers until you reach a white heart where distinguishing the layers becomes difficult. 
• Chop this heart finely and immediately soak it in water with added lime juice to prevent browning. 
• For each of the tiny flowers, remove the inner filaments and chop the flowers finely and add to the water. 
• These need to be soaked for 4-5 hrs or overnight to remove any bitterness it may contain. 

The white peas need soaking too, until they can be cooked. So this would be the right time to soak them too.

After 5 hrs, cook the peas until mushy and cook the banana blossom until done. Drain both and mix. Add in besan or chickpea flour, spices, salt and mash well. Shape into patties and pan fry while spooning oil on each of the cutlets.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Goan Banana Blossom Curry - Semi dry curry made with banana blossom and white peas in Goan style
• Sabudana Vada - Shallow fried vadas or poppers made with Sabudana/Sago, Peanuts and mashed potatoes.
• Raw Banana Fry - Dry spicy curry made with raw banana or plantains in South Indian style.
• 10 minute Plantain Chips - Goan style chips made by pan frying finely sliced plantain dipped in spices and fine semolina.

Banana Blossom Cutlets

Banana Blossom Cutlets are vegan pan fried snacks made from cooked banana blossom, mushy white peas and spices.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     8 Hours (includes soaking time)
Cook time:     1 Hour
Yield:                10-12 cutlets

Ingredients:

1 cup Banana Blossom, chopped (Refer to the post on top to see how to prepare banana blossom)
0.25 cup dried White Peas
2-3 Tbsp Chickpea Flour or Besan
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the chopped banana blossom in water overnight or for 4-5 hours. 
Soak the dried white peas in water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
Drain out the water and pressure cook for 1 whistle or cook in a sauce pan until done.
Separately pressure cook the white peas with 1/2 tsp salt for 2-3 whistles or until done.
Drain out the water from the banana blossom and the peas.
Combine the banana blossom and peas and mash them slightly.
Add in the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, besan and salt and mix well.
Shape into cutlets.
Heat a frying pan and grease it.
Place the cutlets on the pan and spoon 1 tsp of oil on each of them. Cook on medium heat.
Flip them when the first side browns. Cook until the second side browns.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

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Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart

Sweet Caramelized Onions + Peppery Sauteed Mushrooms + Crisp Pastry + Creamy Cheese Sauce = Yum yum YUM!!!

If you've ever enjoyed this combination, I need not say more. If not, then you are definitely missing out on something. Raj definitely did, the guy just won't eat mushrooms. I had to make something else for him, but that's a recipe for another week. But for now, it's all about this individual sized portion of rich cheesy heaven.

This Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart is perfect for the cold winter days. Winter always makes me want to have rich warm food. I'll give you two options - wait for winter. When the nights are cold, snuggle up under a blanket on the sofa or next to the heater and eat a warm hearty sized portion of this amazing Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart, OR, say why wait for winter when I can have this piece of yummy goodness right now.

Read on to find out why you should be choosing option 2. 

Caramelized Onions are super delicious. Sweet, soft, rich brown is the way to go. Caramelizing onions is a slow process, you have to lovingly delicately coax those pungent crisp onions into sweet submission. But here's the good part, you can caramelize them in advance and stock them in your fridge. After that they can go into sandwiches, on top of crackers or soups, or you know, eat them just like that standing in front of your fridge. They taste great anyway. To caramelize the onions, slice the onions into slices and then gently fry them on low heat with a pinch of salt until they brown slightly. Then add balsamic vinegar, sugar or jaggery, and a little bit of water or stock and let them cook until they are sweet, soft and dark brown. Just make sure they never burn or they will turn bitter. I promise you this is the only time bit of the tart that actually takes some effort.

Mushrooms - The easiest part of the tart. Clean them, slice them, saute them. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper and they are done. My favorite thing about mushrooms is how quickly they cook. Don't you just love it. I prefer when my mushrooms still have texture and bite to them, so I tend to undercook mushrooms. You go ahead and cook them how you like them. Remember, they also cook in the oven when the tart is baked after assembling.

Pastry seem daunting to you? All that rubbing cold butter with flour until it resembles sand? Keep that for another day. What I have here is a vegan pastry that can be made in under 5 minutes. Well, except the baking part, of course. Here's a recipe I learnt a long time ago - whisk cold water with oil and it combines to form a smooth emulsion. Add flour and salt to this and gently fold in. No kneading required. In fact, the recipe asks you to not knead. Mix until combined and then refrigerate it for 15-20 mins and then roll out and blind bake them for 15 more minutes until they are done. Wasn't that the easiest pastry you ever made?

The last bit is the Sauce. It is creamy, rich and cheesy. This sauce is what brings together the whole tart and also imparts the maximum flavour. It is a basic white sauce, may be slightly thicker than usual with added cheese. This sauce needs to be thick cause the tart does not contain any eggs, so a thin sauce will make your pastry soggy and the tart runny. To make the sauce, just fry flour in oil or butter and add milk. Add in the garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg and simmer until you get the desired consistency. Then just mix in grated cheese and allow it to cool slightly before adding to the tart. 

The number of steps may look a lot, but then good things need some effort. Let's be realistic, I don't see you caramelizing onions or making a cheesy white sauce on a busy weeknight, but if you get a free night or weekend when you decide to sit at home and watch classic movies on TV, then give this Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart a try, and I promise you will not regret the effort you put in. And when you are as well putting in the effort, let me tell you, make how much you think you will eat, and a little more, cause these tarts are DIVINE!!! Thank me later :)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Vegetable Quiche - Mixed vegetable tart
• Eggplant Pizza - Guilt free pizza made with grilled eggplant as the base, topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
• Stuffed Potato Skins - Baked potato skins stuffed with an instant tomato sauce, fried green Capsicum and Mozzarella cheese.

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart is a tart made with sweet caramelized onions, pepper sauteed mushrooms, an easy vegan pastry and creamy rich cheese-y white sauce.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast / Snacks
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:                6 Tarts (3.5" each)

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
0.25 cup Olive Oil
0.5 cup cold Water
0.25 tsp Salt

For the Filling:

2 large Onions
10-12 button Mushrooms
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2-3 Tbsp Water
2 tsp Jaggery Powder or Sugar
1.5 Tbsp Oil + 2-3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1.25 cups Milk
25gms Cheese or 2 Cheese Cubes
3-4 cloves Garlic
0.25 tsp Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:

To make the Pastry:

Whisk together 0.25 cups of water and the oil to form an emulsion.
Take the flour in a large bowl, add salt.
Add the emulsion to the flour and mix with a spatula or hands until combined.
Fold the dough 4-5 times, do not knead.
Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Grease the tart tins.
Divide the pastry into 6 equal parts. This recipe uses 6 individual tart tins of 3.5" diameter. If you plan on making one large tart, do not divide the dough.
Dust the counter with flour and roll out the pastry until it is big enough to cover the tart tin.
Place the rolled out pastry in the tin and gently press the pastry in tin. Remove any excess pastry from the sides.
Put in baking beans and bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Allow them to cool a little and then remove the pastry shells from the tins and keep aside.

To make the Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add in the flour and fry for 45-60 seconds.
Add the milk and allow it to come to a boil.
Lower the heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Continue to simmer for 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.
Grate the cheese into the sauce and mix well.
Simmer for another 2-3 mins and remove from heat. If the sauce has become very thick, add 1-2Tbsp milk to loosen it.

To make the Filling:

Slice the onions lengthwise.
Heat 1.5 Tbsp Oil in a frying pan.
Once it is hot, add the onions. Add a pinch of salt and mix well,
Fry the onions on low heat until they are golden brown. Caramelizing onions takes time, this may take around 18-20 minutes.
Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar or jaggery and 2 Tbsp of water and allow to cook for another 8-10 minutes.
When the onions are brown, sweet and soft, remove from heat and keep aside.
Slice the mushrooms.
Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the mushrooms.
Add salt and pepper.
Saute the mushrooms for 4-5 mins until soft and remove from heat.

Assembling the Tart:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Place the caramelized onions and mushrooms in the tart.
Spoon in the sauce.
Sprinkle another layer of onions and mushrooms on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top browns.

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Sabudana vada | Sabakki vada | Sago Poppers

Hi folks, what's cooking this week?

Now that Navratri is here, what are your plans? Has that gorgeous "Ghagra-Choli" come out of the wardrobe ? Did you go for Garba or Dandiya?

I'm not sure I'll ever wear a Ghagra-Choli, but dancing the Dandiya is definitely on my bucket list and I wish to cross it off soon. 

You know what I enjoy about festivals in India? The colors. I love to see people dressed up in colorful attire. Colorful flowers in markets and adorning houses. Large "Pandals" where community or sarvajanik celebrations happen. The diyas or lanterns that are lit up outside houses. Beautiful Rangolis everywhere. It sets such a festive mood, you want to celebrate. What is it about festivals that excites you?

Festivals always bring good food with them. So does Navratri. A lot of people fast during Navratri where they avoid rice, wheat, meat etc. Sabudana Vada is very popular during such "upavaas" or fasting. I don't fast, I've never done so till date and considering the foodie I am, I doubt I'll ever be able to avoid food for too long. But that does not stop me from eating all the yummy snacks like Sabudana Vada. In fact, I make them very often for breakfast or tea time snacks. They disappear quicker than I can cook them. 

Sabudana Vada is a popular Mahastrian snack made by frying balls of sabudana (sago), mashed potato and crushed peanuts. While traditionally, the vadas are deep fried, I pan fry them or shallow fry them. 

To make the Sabudana Vada, first the sabudana needs to be soaked for around half hour and then drain out the water and leave the sabudana in a box or a covered bowl for 1-2 hours until they fluff up. Then add in the mashed boiled potato, crushed peanuts, curry leaves, chopped green chilli, chopped coriander leaves and salt and mix. Take lemon sized balls of this mixture and flatten them gently and place on a hot greased pan. Spoon in 1 tsp of oil on them and cook until one side browns, then flip and cook until the next side browns. If you are in a hurry, or you don't mind deep fried snacks, then go ahead and deep fry them and enjoy the traditional taste of Sabudana Vada.

Sabudana Vada tastes awesome with chutney or ketchup. I don't bother with either, as no one in my family cares what comes with it, as I said it disappears quicker than it appears. 

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Sabudana Khichdi - Another popular Maharastrian fasting meal made with the exact same ingredients as this vada.
• Sabudana Chana Vada - Sabudana Vada where Potatoes are replaced with Chhole or Chickpeas.
• Millet Cutlets - Shallow fried cutlets made from foxtail millet and mixed vegetables.
• Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters -  Fritters or Tikkis made with mashed Brown Rice and grated Zucchini. Spiced with Garam Masala and pan fried. 

Sabudana Vada / Sabakki Vada/ Sago Poppers

Sabudana Vadas are shallow fried vadas or poppers made with Sabudana/Sago, Peanuts and mashed potatoes.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian/ Maharashtrian
Prep Time:     2 hours
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:              Makes 12-15 vadas

Ingredients:

1 cup Sabudana/Sago
2 medium sized Potato
2 finely chopped Green Chilli
8-10 Curry Leaves
0.25 cup Peanuts
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
A pinch Garam Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Optional)
4-5 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the sabudana and drain all the water. Let it rest covered for about 2 hours or until the sabudana have softened.
Boil the potato and peel it.
Roast the peanuts and grind into powder in the mixer.
Mash the potato, add the sabudana, curry leaves,coriander and green chilies. Mix well.
Add salt, red chili powder, garam masala, peanut powder and mix well.
Shape into balls and flatten them gently.
Heat a tava or frying pan and grease it.
Place the sabudana vada hot tava and spoon around 1-1.5 tsp of Oil per vada. You may need more or less oil depending on your liking and the tava you have used. I used a non stick tava.
Flip them when they brown on one side.
Remove from heat once both the sides are browned.
This can be served with chutney or ketchup.

Read more ...

Sweet Potato Chaat Recipe | Shakarkand Chaat Recipe [Video]

Sweet Potato Chaat recipe with video instructions. Sweet Potato Chaat is a flavorful street food inspired snack that is made with baked sweet potato, sweet and spicy chutneys, finely chopped vegetables, spices and sev.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

I had an in-between kinda week. Some ups, some down, but definitely busy on all fronts.

Firstly, lots of work at office. I've been spending all my time in meetings and discussions. For once, talking is really tiring me out. I've gone super early to work (by my standards) and left late almost everyday this week. And worst of all, I've been working after I reach home too. Sad state of affairs there. I hope it ends soon.

Raj had potluck on Wednesday and I cooked him a big batch of food to take to work. I took that as an opportunity to click my first ever food video. Video, Guys!!! Exciting stuff there. I'm waiting for some time so I can start editing my humongous video and add some nice captions so I can post my very first video post. If that work out, I bet you'll see more of that in the future.

I think I was all buzzed up with energy this week (or may be it was that large scoop of Cold Stone ice cream), I actually managed to finish off 2 novels this week. I'm glad that I'm back to my reading self that had taken a backseat in the recent past. It may have been something to do with the fact that James Patterson novels were so thrilling, it was impossible to put them down. I'm on his third novel and absolutely loving it as of now. I see myself reading quite a bit this weekend.

Now that the weekend is almost upon us, what are your plans? Doing something interesting or just relaxing?

I would love to tone it down a bit and relax this weekend, but I don't see it happening. My aunt is coming from out of state for just the weekend. I see a lot of running around taking her places in store for us. Gardening takes a back seat, yet again this weekend. 

I'll now stop ranting about busy weeks and busy weekends and get down to business.

This Sweet Potato Chaat is E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E ! Yup, it totally is. Every spoonful is a flavor bomb.

Chaat is one word for a variety of Indian street food that is served in tiny little carts all across the country. There are so many different types of chaat available - Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, Sev Puri, Masala Puri etc. This Sweet Potato Chaat is inspired from Aloo Chaat and Dahi Puri. 

This Sweet Potato Chaat has many layers, the first is baked sweet potato. While it can be fried, I chose to bake it just to keep it healthier. You can deep fry it or parboil the sweet potato and then shallow fry them. I had imagined that the sweet potato will turn too sweet for my chaat, but with all the chutneys and sprinklings, it actually tasted very good and added just a slight hint of sweetness to the entire dish.

The Sweet Potato Chaat is incomplete without the chutneys. I used 2 chutneys out here - spicy and fresh Coriander Mint Chutney and the tangy and sweet Tamarind Date Chutney. The 2 chutneys balance each other out in flavor. If you are making these chutney, make a little more and store it in the fridge, they both taste amazing with a variety of finger food or make really awesome marinades and dressings.

Chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander add crunch and freshness to the chaat. I would recommend that you do not skip any of them if you can help it.

I also zinged up the chaat with yogurt, but if you are a vegan, feel free to skip it. 

Chaat is never complete without the chaat powder. Chaat Powder is a mix of spices and you can easily get them in stores. I also add Black Salt in all my chaats, it gives it another layer of flavor. It has a funky smell and can be turning off to some people. You can replace it with Himalayan Pink Salt or regular salt. 

Add a handful of fine Sev and a squeeze of lime and you are done. 

Don't get bogged down by all the instructions, just mix up everything in one bowl and serve it. The ingredients below are just a guiding value, customize the chaat according to your liking. Adjust the quantities as per your taste. If you tried the Sweet Potato Chaat, leave me a comment with your experience.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Masala Puri - Bangalore street side favorite food made with green peas and a spicy sauce.
• Baked Sweet Potato Chips - Crispy baked sweet potato chips
• Bombay Pav Bhaji - Another popular street food of bread and spicy vegetable mash.
• Tawa Pulao - Mumbai's favorite street food, spicy masala fried rice.
• Baked Potato Skins - Crispy potato skins stuffed with tomato, peppers and cheese.

Video Recipe

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Sweet Potato Chaat

Sweet Potato Chaat is a flavorful street food inspired snack that is made with baked sweet potato, sweet and spicy chutneys, finely chopped vegetables, spices and sev.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 large Sweet Potato
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
0.5 cup whisked Yogurt
3-4 Tbsp Tamarind Date Chutney
3-4 Tbsp Mint Coriander Chutney
2-3 Tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 cup fine Sev
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2-3 tsp Oil
2-3 tsp Lime Juice (optional)
2-3 tsp Chaat masala 
2-3 tsp Roasted Cumin powder to taste
1-2 tsp Black salt to taste
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degree Celsius.
2. Peel and dice the sweet potato into 1 cm sized cubes.
3. Mix in oil, 2 tsp red chilli powder (optional) and salt with the sweet potato and place it on a baking tray in a single layer.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked.
5. Allow it to cool a little.
6. Depending on how many servings you want, divide the sweet potato.
7. Place the sweet potato on a plate.
8. Add in mint coriander chutney, tamarind date chutney, cumin powder, black salt, red chilli powder and chaat masala as per taste and mix well. Add lime juice if desired.
9. Add in finely chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander leaves.
10. Top with fine sev and serve immediately

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Super Tasty Millet Cutlets

TGIF!! Right? Weekend officially begins for most of us.

Well not so much for me this week. I'm working tomorrow. Not a happy feeling, I have to admit. Saturday is my favorite day of the week. I like that happy feeling that there is another day of holiday left. By Sunday, I'm usually sad that the weekend is "almost" over. Now all my plans for Saturday are out of the window and pushed to next Saturday. I wanted to go get some fresh mud to plant the variety of seeds I got free at an Organic Terrace Gardening workshop conducted a few weeks ago. 

I am looking forward to some fresh vegetables in the near future, but those plans have to wait until I get an entire weekend to dedicate to my balcony garden. 

More about that later.

So what else happened this week for you guys? 

I baked my first Vegan chocolate cake for Gee and Raj's birthday on Wednesday.  I have baked vegetarian cakes, but never vegan. It was super delicious, but so wrong in texture. I hope to keep trying to perfect it and hopefully will have it soon on the blog. 

So, none of that on top had anything to do with either my recipe for today or my new found obsession with millet. I'm beginning to use millet extensively these days, remember this post on Healthy Millet Salad? Since then I've tried out a few more recipes with Millet, but these Millet Cutlets have to be my favorite. I secretly love the fact that they are healthy too. Well not so much of a secret anymore, is it?

Usually vegetarian cutlets use potato as the base as it binds well. But this recipe, just like my Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters recipe, uses the starchy grain as the binding agent. And the good thing is, just like potato and rice, millet in itself is bland, so it absorbs all the flavor of the spices.

I used simple vegetables I had at home - frozen peas, beans and carrot. Feel free to use other vegetables like Zucchini or Beets. Next time I'm definitely adding Beets. Beets will give it lovely color and that earthy sweetness which I absolutely love in cutlets.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Vegetable Cutlets - Mix vegetable cutlets with coriander and mint chutney
• Healthy Millet Salad - Protein packed salad made from millet, kidney beans and fresh vegetables and herbs.
• Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters recipe - My most popular recipe of fritters or cutlets made with brown rice, zucchini and spices.

Super Tasty Millet Cutlet

Shallow fried cutlets made from foxtail millet and mixed vegetables.

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 13-15

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Foxtail Millet or Navane
4-5 Green Beans
3 Tbsp Green Peas
1 small Carrot
1-2 tsp Green Chilli-Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbsp Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1-2 tsp Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
Oil to fry
Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the millet in water for 30 minutes
Finely chop the green beans and the carrot.
Boil the green beans, carrot and green peas until done.
Drain the millet, and pressure cook it in 1 cup of water until the millets are cooked. Cook it for 1 whistle or for 3-4 minutes after the pressure builds up. If not using a pressure cooker, cook it the same way you would cook rice regularly until the millet is well done.
Allow it to cool until you can work with it.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked millet, cooked vegetables and mash slightly.
Add the coriander leaves, green chilli-ginger paste, lime juice, garam masala, turmeric powder, jaggery or sugar, salt and mix well.
Shape into cutlets and keep aside.
Heat 3-4 Tbsp of Oil in a frying pan and place the cutlets on it. Once the first side is golden brown, flip and cook until the other side is browned.
Serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney.

Read more ...

Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls

My latest addition to Finger Food that is finger licking good - Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls. Silky smooth garlicky coriander hummus rolled in thinly sliced grilled eggplant. This recipe is super quick to make and has all makings of a healthy snack.

Who is a Hummus fan?? Obviously, Me, well so is Raj, there's Gee too... Well, the whole family is nuts about Hummus. The usual combination for hummus is Pita, but when you are bored to knead dough and roll out those light little pockets of Pita, I recommend trying this simple gluten free option to enjoy that amazing hummus.

As much as I like Hummus, I love Coriander or Cilantro just as much, or may be a little more. A sprinkle of coriander here, a tablespoon of coriander there. I literally, use it in everything I make. That vibrant fresh sprinkling of green, just brightens up any curry. It does the same to this Hummus. This Coriander Hummus is just one level above the regular Hummus in terms of flavor and color. I mean who does not find this lovely green appealing?

I can eat this Coriander Hummus with anything - crackers, chips, regular bread, chapati, roti, naan. I think I'm only yet to try it with rice. But on days that you are too bored to knead the dough and make your own light Pita pockets or you just fancy going gluten free, try this awesome combination of eggplant and hummus and tell me if you hear complains.

Ever since I bought my AWESOME new grill pan, I've been grilling EVERYTHING. Paneer, Eggplant, Peppers... this is just a small list. Grilling is so much fun, I love that nice char marks that I get from my new pan. Check out this super delicious Grilled Paneer Sandwich I made using the same pan.

However, I think I should warn you, these rolls are addictive and may never be enough for your family. They are also quite filling.

If you don't want to make your own hummus, you can just use your favorite store bought hummus. Roasted Pepper Hummus will also go great with the Eggplant.

If you like this, you may also like:

• Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich - Sandwich inspired by the Panera Bread sandwich of the same name.
• Olive Hummus - Hummus made using olives. No Tahini required.
• Eggplant Pizza - Grilled eggplant topped with tomato sauce and cheese

Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls

These Eggplant Rolls are made by grilling finely sliced eggplant and spreading coriander hummus on them before rolling them into bite sized rolls.

Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Middle Eastern
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 13-15

Ingredients:

For Coriander Hummus:

1 cup cooked Chickpeas
1/2 cup Coriander leaves
2-3 Garlic cloves
2 Tbsp Water
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

For Grilled Eggplant:

1 large Eggplant or Bharta Baingan
Water
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
3-4 tsp of Oil

Method:

To make Coriander Hummus:

Chop the coriander leaves and garlic.
Blend together the chickpeas, coriander leaves, garlic and salt with water and Olive oil until it is a smooth creamy paste.
Add more Olive oil if required.

To make Grilled Eggplant:

Take a large bowl of water and add 1/2 tsp of salt to
Slice the eggplant into fine slices lengthwise and put them in the salted water. Leave them soaked for 10-15 minutes.
Pat the eggplant fry using a tea towel or kitchen napkins and rub them with oil, salt and pepper.
Heat a grill pan or a griddle. Once it is hot place the eggplant slices on it in a single layer without overlapping them.
Spoon oil on the eggplant if required. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side until the eggplant is cooked.

To make the Rolls:

Spread the coriander hummus on the grilled eggplant slices and roll them to make Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus rolls.

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Mixed Dal Handvo Recipe | Lauki Handva Recipe | How to make Gujarati Handvo

Mixed Dal Handvo or Lauki Handva is a popular gluten free Gujarati breakfast or snack, made from mixed lentils, rice and bottle gourd. Handvo is made with a rice-dal fermented batter and grated bottle gourd (lauki / ghiya). Handvo is steamed / pan fried in a frying pan or a kadhai. Handvo is suitable for a Jain diet.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

I had been waiting for this long weekend for ages and it has gone in a poof.. Somehow, all my long weekends seem busier than my regular 2 day weekends. Any of you out there with me on this one?

So, what did you do this Ganesh Chaturthi? I hope you all had a wonderful Chaturthi.

I spent my days cleaning the house before the festival and then just cooking, cooking and more cooking. Whew! Does life get busy around festivals!

I made these super delicious Steamed Modaks. I love them sooo much more than the fried ones. I think I ate more than all others combined. 

To add to this Raj has a potluck in office and he wanted to take these Almond Chocolate Brownies. Thanks to my small oven, we had to keep baking it batches and it kept us in the house watching the oven for a long time.

But the festivities are done, the sweets have taken a toll on my weight for sure. It's now time to get back to something nutritious and healthy. These Protein Packed Mixed Dal Handvo or Handva as it is sometimes called, was just the thing I had in mind for Tuesday breakfast. 

To tell you the truth, I wasn't convinced about Handvo when I watched it on TV. I wondered if it could taste so good as the show presenter was saying. Then, I tried it at home, following this recipe from Tarla Dalal and I must say, those guys on TV weren't lying, it is absolutely delicious. And healthy too... Now I can have my cake and eat it too!!

What is Handvo or Handva?

Handvo is a pan-fried or steamed savory cake made with a fermented batter of rice and mixed lentils. Rice and a variety of lentils or dals are soaked for 6-8 hours and then blended to form a thick coarse batter. To this batter, yogurt or curd is added to help it ferment better.

You can tell that the batter is fermented by looking at it, it should be light and fluffy and should have risen. If the temperatures in your region are high, this may take as less as 5-6 hours and if they are cold, it may take 10 hours or longer. 

Lauki or Bottle gourd or Ghiya is lightly fried in a tempering of mustard, curry leaves, asafoetida (hing) and turmeric powder before adding to the batter. If you cannot find bottle gourd, you can replace it with Zucchini or skip it too.

This batter is then steamed on a greased pan until cooked.

The side facing the pan first is crispy and the inside is soft. 

You may add a tempering before serving, it is highly recommended.

Handvo tastes best with pudina chutney, but you can also serve it with ketchup or just plain.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

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Video Recipe

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Mixed Dal Handvo Recipe | Lauki Handva Recipe | How to make Gujarati Handvo

Mixed Dal Handvo or Lauki Handva is a popular gluten free Gujarati breakfast or snack, made from mixed lentils, rice and bottle gourd. Handvo is made with a rice-dal fermented batter and grated bottle gourd (lauki / ghiya). Handvo is steamed in a frying pan or a kadhai.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Gujarati
Prep Time:     16 hours
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     6 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4 to 5

Author:                Anupama

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice
0.5 cup Moong Dal
0.5 cup Toor Dal
2 Tbsp Urad Dal
2 Tbsp Chana Dal
0.5 cup thick Curd ( yogurt / dahi)
0.25 tsp Baking Soda (meetha soda)
2 cup Bottlegourd (Lauki / ghiya), grated, loosely packed
2 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tbsp Curry leaves, chopped
0.25 tsp Asafoetida (Hing), gluten free
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Sesame seeds (til)
Oil to grease the pan
Salt to taste
Oil to grease the pan

For the tempering:

1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Sesame seeds (til)
1 sprig Curry leaves

Method:

1. Mix the rice, moong dal, toor dal, chana dal and urad dal in a large bowl. Wash 2 to 3 times and soak in water for 6 hours.
2. After 6 hours, drain the water and blend to a thick coarse batter without adding any water. The dals would have soaked up water and that is sufficient to blend. If you still are struggling to blend, add very little and blend.
3. Remove the batter to a large bowl and add in the curd and baking soda. Mix well and cover and keep aside to ferment overnight or for 6-8 hours.
4. Next morning, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
5. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the chopped curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder and grated bottle gourd. Mix well and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or until the bottlegourd softens a little.
6. Add this to the batter and add salt. Mix well.
7. In a shallow kadhai or in a frying pan add 1-2 Tbsp oil and spoon in the batter. Sprinkle sesame seeds. You will have to cook the handvo in batches. The size of your frying pan or kadhai will determine how many batches. I made 2 handvos in a 24 cm frying pan.
8. Cover and cook on low heat until the top is almost cooked. It should look somewhat set. This may take 8-10 minutes.
9. Carefully flip the handvo and cook on high heat until the second side is cooked and has brown spots.
10. Cool the handvo a little before slicing. Handvo will appear to be sticky when hot, it will set better as it cools.
11. Just before serving, make a tempering by heating oil and adding mustard seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds and pour on the handvo.
12. Serve warm with pudina chutney.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Matar Dhokla

Kothimbir Vadi

Sabudana Vada

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Methi Paratha

At a loss of what to pack for lunch tomorrow?

Travelling somewhere and need to carry along your own food?

Or

Just wondering what to make for breakfast tomorrow?

TA-DA!!!

Presenting Methi Paratha -  A humble, healthy, whole wheat flatbread flavored with spices and Methi leaves or Fenugreek leaves.

Methi Paratha is perfect for boxed lunch or breakfast. Number one reason being - it doesn't leak!! So you don't need to worry about a messy lunch bag. Also, it doesn't spoil for a long long time (by long long, I mean at least 2 days in tropical weather, much more in cooler weather). And the dough stays great in the fridge for at least 4-5 days. So you can make it ahead of time and store it.

And guess what's the best part?? Leftovers.... Seriously... Just cut them into small triangles and follow this recipe to get your own flavored Whole Wheat Nachos. Complains, anyone?

I've been making Methi Paratha for a long long time and I've faced certain issues with the way I was making them earlier. I never cooked the Methi leaves, I just chopped them and added it to the dough. All was well until I added the salt. After that though, my dough would just keep getting watery and sticky and I had to just keep adding more and more wholewheat flour to try and stiffen the dough a bit. And by the end of it the paratha would have the methi leaves to the flour ratio all messed up. Also, I'd end up with a messy rolling pin which would have bits of dough stuck to it that I had to clean before rolling out the next paratha.

If you are facing the same problems, read on.

Gee (in her big sister wisdom) showed me how to overcome this. Such a simple solution. Just cook the methi leaves slightly. Cooking them makes the leaves release the water in them. Also adding a little bit of salt during the cooking ensures almost all the water in the leaves is out where you can see it. This leads to a smoother dough that does not turn to sticky in a few minutes. The dough retains it's consistency and is super easy to handle. No sticky rolling pin either.

As for any paratha, Methi Paratha needs to be cooked on a medium to high heat. Cooking them on low heat, makes them hard and brittle. You may need to be watchful that you don't burn them while cooking on higher heat, but hey, you get soft parathas as a result of it.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Baked Wholewheat Chips - Perfect way to finish off those leftover parathas
• Szechwan Paratha - An Indian-Chinese fusion paratha

Methi Paratha

Methi Paratha is a whole wheat flat bread flavored with fresh Methi or Fenugreek leaves and spices. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 8-10

Ingredients:

3-4 cups Methi Leaves (washed and chopped)
2 cups Wholewheat Flour
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 tsp Oil
Salt as required
Oil or Ghee for cooking the Paratha

Method:

In a pan or kadhai, heat the 2 tsp of Oil.
Add the chopped methi leaves into it and stir well.
Cover and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until the methi leaves have wilted.
Now add the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder. red chilli powder and 1/4 tsp salt and mix well.
Cover and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep it aside.
In a big bowl or plate, mix together the whole wheat flour and the methi leaves mix.
Now add salt as required and water. Knead it into a smooth dough.
Made small balls of the dough and roll it out into parathas (about 1-2mm thick).
Heat a greased tava or a griddle on medium high heat. Place the paratha on it and spoon oil.
Flip and cook the other side when the first side has cooked (small brown spots appear on it).
Serve hot with butter, pickle or yogurt.

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