Palak Pakoda

Ingredients

Palak/Spinach – 5 cups, chopped

Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour – 1 cup

Rice Flour – 2 tsp

Onion – ¼ cup, chopped

Green Chilly – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Ginger – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Asafetida/Hing – ¼ tsp

Cilantro – 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Oil – for frying

Preparation

Take a mixing bowl and add gram flour and rice flour with some water to make a smooth paste without any lumps. Then add palak, onion, green chilies, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric powder, hing, salt, and cilantro. Mix them well with your finger tips. Make sure that you add very little water as we need a thick batter.Now in a deep frying pan when the oil is hot ;Take a spoon of batter and drop into the hot oil .Make sure that  you keep in low heat so it cooks well inside. Fry them until it is golden color in all the sides. Place them in good tissues to absorb excess oil.

Hot palak pakoda with ketch up and hot tea makes a perfect tea time.

Green Peas Vada

Ingredients

Green Peas – 1 cup

Green Chilly – 2 or to taste

Onion – ½ cup, chopped

Garlic – 1 clove

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Cilantro – handful

Garam Masala – ½ tsp

Salt – to taste

Preparation

Soak green peas in water over night or 4-5 hours. Drain well. Grind with all other ingredients in a food processor with no water. Make desired shape and shallow fry.

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients

Onion – ¾ cup, finely chopped

Green Chilly – 2, finely chopped

Ginger – 1½ tsp, finely chopped

Garlic – 1½ tsp, finely chopped

Garam Masala – ¼ tsp

Red Chilly Powder – ½ tsp

Fish Masala – ½ tsp

Egg – 1

Bread Crumbs – ½ cup

Mayonnaise – 1 tbsp

Dijon Mustard – 1 tsp

Lemon Juice – 1 tsp

Mint Leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Cilantro – handful, finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Oil – for shallow frying

Roasting Fish

Salmon Fillet – ½ lb

Black Pepper – 1 tsp, ground

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tsp

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Keep salmon on a greased sheet pan. Brush oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Shred salmon. Drizzle lemon juice on fish. Add salt if needed. Mix well and keep aside.

Meantime, in a saute pan, add oil. Put onion, green chilly, ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute. Add red chilly powder, garam masala, fish masala and salt. Fry for 30 seconds. Add shredded salmon, mint leaves and cilantro. Mix well. Make fish patties and keep it aside.

In another bowl, whisk egg. Mix mayonnaise and dijon mustard and salt to it. Dip fish patties in egg batter, then roll over bread crumbs. In a frying pan, heat oil. Shallow fry salmon cakes till both sides turn brown. Serve hot.

Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients

Chicken – 1 lb, cut into stripes

Onion – 1, sliced

Carrot – ¼ cup, sliced

Mushroom – ¼ cup, sliced

Broccoli – ½ cup, boiled

To Marinate

All- Purpose Flour – 1 tsp

White Pepper Powder – ¼ tsp

Egg – 1

Salt – to taste

To Make Sauce

Soy Sauce – ¼ cup

Water – ¼ cup

Ginger – 1 tsp

Garlic – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Teriyaki Sauce – 2 tsp

Sugar – 2 tsp

Preparation

Marinate chicken and fry till its done.

In pan, add soy sauce, water, ginger, teriyaki sauce and sugar. Boil until sauce gets thicken.

In another pan, add oil. Once oil gets heated, add vegetables and sauté till they get soft. Add broccoli and mix well. Add fried chicken and sauce. Cook in low flame for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Fried Tortilla Rolls

Ingredients

Tortilla - 4

Mushroom – 1 cup, chopped

Corn – ½ cup

Spinach – 1 cup, chopped

Onion – ¼ cup, finely chopped

Mozzarella Cheese - ¼ cup, shredded
Taco Blend - ¼ cup, shredded

Cilantro – handful, finely chopped

White Pepper Powder – ½ tsp or to taste

Salt – to taste

Oil - 1 tsp

Oil for frying

Preparation

Heat oil in a skillet. Add mushroom, onion, corn and spinach. Add pepper & salt. Sauté till vegetables get soft. Turn off stove and let it cools down. Add cheese and mix well. Spread mixture on tortillas and roll tightly in half way. Fold left and right sides inward and complete rolling the remaining half. Sealed the end with flour paste (Mix flour with water). Make additional tortillas in similar way. Deep fry in hot oil until both sides turn golden brown.




 

Masala Vada

Ingredients

Channa Dal – 1 cup

Onion – ½ cup, finely chopped                                                 

Ginger – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Green Chilly – 3, finely chopped

Pepper – 2 tsp, crushed

Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

Asafoetida / Hing – a pinch

Rice Flour – 1 tsp

Curry Leaves – handful, finely chopped

Cilantro – handful, finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Oil – for frying

Preparation

Soak dal in water for at least an hour. Drain well and grind coarsely. Add rest of the ingredients in batter and combine well. Mean while heat oil in a frying pan. Make lemon-size ball, flatten, and slide slowly to the hot oil. Fry till both sides get crispy golden brown.

Fish Cutlet

Ingredients

King Fish – 1 lb

Potato – 2, boiled & mashed

Onion – 1, finely chopped

Green Chilly – 4, finely chopped, or to taste

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp, or to taste

Pepper – ½ tsp, crushed

Ginger – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Fish Masala – ½ tsp

Curry Leaves – handful, finely chopped

Cilantro – handful, finely chopped

Lemon Juice – ½ tsp

Bread Crumbs – for coating
Egg white-1

Salt – to taste

Oil – for frying

Preparation

Cook fish with turmeric powder, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Remove bones and skin, shred them and keep aside.

Heat oil in a skillet. When it gets hot, add onion fry till soft. Add ginger, garlic and green chilly. Fry for 30 sec, then add masalas: red chili powder, pepper, fish masala. Fry well. Add shredded fish and mashed potatoes. Mix gently. Add salt, curry leaves and cilantro. Mix well.
Keep bread crumbs in a plate. Make cutlets of desired shape, dip in egg white and roll in bread crumbs. Make sure it should coat well with bread crumbs.
Fry in oil till both sides get golden color. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Falafel

Ingredients

Chick Peas – 1 cup

Onion – 1

Garlic – 4 pods

Coriander Powder – 1 ½ tsp

Chili Powder – ½ tsp or to taste

Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

Pepper – ½ tsp or to taste, crushed

Cilantro – 1 cup or half a bunch

Plain Bread crumbs – 2 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – for frying

Preparation

Soak chick peas in water over night. Drain well and blend it in a food processor till coarsely grind. Keep aside. Add onion, garlic, cilantro and spices: coriander powder, chili powder, cumin powder, pepper in a food processor and blend well. In a bowl, combine together blended chick peas and cilantro paste. Add bread crumbs and salt. Mix well. Mean while heat oil in a frying pan. Take small balls from falafel mixture, make falafel shape and deep fry till both sides become medium brown color.

Note

 I used a table spoon to get the falafel shape. Apply little oil on spoon, put mixture on spoon, mould a spoon shape, drop on other hand and drop it on oil for frying.

Uzhunnu Vada(Medu Vada)

Ingredients

Urad Dal (Split Black Gram) – 1 cup

Onion – 3 tbsp, finely chopped

Green Chilly – 2, finely chopped

Ginger – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Curry Leaves – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Pepper – 1 tsp, crushed

Salt – to taste

Oil – for deep frying

Preparation

Wash and soak dal in water for overnight or at least 4 hrs. Drain and grind well to a fine paste. Add rest of the ingredients in batter and combine well. Mean while heat oil in a frying pan. Wet the hand, take batter, make lemon-size ball, flatten, make a hole in the center using thumb and slide slowly to the hot oil. Fry till both sides get crispy golden brown. Wet hand every time when shaping vada.

Note

Dal should be grind well using less water. If using food processor, no water is needed for grinding.

Source

Got tips and ideas from friend Santhi.

Chicken-65

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs - 2 lb

Onion – 1 cup, chopped

Green Chilly(optional) – 1 tsp, chopped

Chili Garlic Sauce – 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp

Lemon Juice – 1 tsp

Water – ¼ cup

Oil – for frying

To Marinate

All-Purpose Flour – 1 tsp

Rice Flour – 1 tsp

Chilly Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Garam Masala – ½ tsp

Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Curd – 1 tbsp

Egg – 1

Pepper – ½ tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Preparation

Marinate chicken and keep it for half an hour. Fry them till get golden brown color.

Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and sauté until it gets soft. Add chili garlic sauce, chili powder, curry leaves and lemon juice. Add ¼ cup water. Add chicken and mix well.

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients

Cauliflower Florets – 5 cup

Oil – for frying

For Batter

All- Purpose Flour – ½ cup

Rice Flour – 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp

Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

For Sauce

Onion – 1 ½ cup, diced

Red & Green Pepper – 1 cup, diced

Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

Ginger – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Garlic – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Green Chilly – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Tomato Sauce/Ketchup – 2tsp

Tomato Paste – 1 tsp

Soy Sauce – 3 Tbsp

Corn Flour – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation

Combine all-purpose flour, rice flour and water to make a thick batter. Add red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Dip florets in batter and fry till it turns golden brown. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add ginger, garlic and green chilly. Fry for 30 seconds and add onion, red and green peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Add chili powder and salt. Mix well. Add corn flour in one cup of water and mix with sauce. When gravy becomes thickens, switch off the flame and add fried florets and mix well.

Note

Don’t cook fried florets in sauce, since it gets soft.

Kothu Parotta

Ingredients

Parotta – 6, chopped

Onion – 1, chopped

Tomato – ½  cup, chopped

Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Green Chilly – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Garam Masala – ¼ tsp

Tomato Paste – 1 tsp

Tomato Ketchup – ½ tsp

Cilantro – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Curry Leaves – 2 tsp, chopped

Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Preparation

Defrost parottas. Reheat in a pan, chopped  in a bite-size and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When it pops add onion and cook till soft. Add curry leaves, green chilly and turmeric powder. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add masalas: red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Add tomato paste and tomato ketchup. Pour 3 tbsp of water and add salt. Let the water gets dried out, then add parotta and chopped tomatoes.Mix well. Garnish with cilantro.

Note

Parottas are available in Indian store. Check these in freezer section.Can use a kitchen scissor to cut the parottas.
   

Onion Vada

Ingredients

Onion – 3, medium sliced

Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour – 1 cup

Rice Flour – 2 tsp

Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Green Chilly – 2, finely chopped

Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Asafetida/Hing – ¼ tsp
Baking Soda -  ¼ tsp

Curry Leaves – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Cilantro – 2 tsp, finely chopped

Salt – to taste

Oil - for frying

Preparation

Combine all ingredients with hand and pour enough water to make a thick batter. Take little batter by hand or spoon, drop in oil and fry till it turns golden brown.

Chicken Puffs

Ingredients

Chicken -1lb cooked & minced

Onion – 1/4 cup, chopped finely

Green Chilly-1 no, finely chopped

Red Chili Powder – 1/2tsp

Coriander Powder-1/2tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Ground Pepper-1/2tsp

Garam Masala-1/4tsp

Chicken Masala(optional)-1/2tsp

Ginger-1tsp,finely chopped

Garlic-1tsp,finely chopped

Cilantro-2tsp,finely chopped

Curry Leaves-2tsp,finely chopped

Salt-to taste

Egg-1

Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets-1

Preparation

Thaw  Puff Pastry at room temperature. Pre-heat the Oven at 350 degrees F.

Cook chicken in salt & pepper.Then grind in a blender or food processor.

Heat oil in a skillet.When it gets hot,add onion fry till they turn translucent.
Add ginger,garlic and greenchilly. Add masalas – red chili powder ,coriander powder,turmeric ,garam masala,chicken masala..Fry well.Add minced chicken.Mix gently.Add salt,curry leaves and cilantro.

Cut the Pastry sheets into 4 equal sizes.Apply little water over the edges. Put 1 tbsp chicken mix in the center.Fold and seal it.

Crack egg in to a bowl.Add 1tbsp of water.Whisk till it is well blended.Brush it over puffs.

Keep the Puffs in a cookie sheet lined with butter paper or parchment paper.
Put it  in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with chutney or ketchup.

Beef Cutlet

Ingredients

Beef -1lb cooked & minced

Potatoes – 2 medium, boiled and mashed

Onion – 1/4 cup, chopped finely

Green Chilly-1 no, finely chopped

Red Chili Powder – 1/2tsp

Coriander Powder-1/2tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Ground Pepper-1/2tsp

Garam masala-1/4tsp

Meat masala(optional)-1/2tsp

Ginger-1tsp,finely chopped

Garlic-1tsp,finely chopped

Cilantro-2tsp,finely chopped

Curry Leaves-2tsp,finely chopped

Bread Crumbs – for coating
Salt-to taste

Egg white-1

Oil – for  frying

Masalas for marination

Red Chili Powder – 1/2tsp

Coriander Powder-1/2tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Ground Pepper-1/2tsp

Salt-to taste

Preparation

Marinate beef with red chili powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder,ground pepper and salt for 30 mins.Cook in a pressure cooker till it is done.Grind it in a blender and keep aside.
Heat oil in a skillet.When it gets hot,add onion fry till soft.Add ginger,garlic and green chilly.Fry for 30 sec,then add masalas.Fry well.Add grind beef and mashed potatoes.Mix gently.Add salt,curry leaves and cilantro.
Keep bread crumbs in a plate.Make cutlets of desired shape,dip in egg white and roll in bread crumbs.Make sure it should coat well with bread crumbs.
Fry in oil till both sides in golden color. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.