BAJJI CHAAT

Bajjilu………a favorite snack for many of us. Although they are very tasty and tempting, many give up this snack because they are deep fried. For those who cannot resist the temptation, I give this recipe. I don’t say that the recipe is low in calorie, but with this recipe you can eat your favorite bajji in lesser quantity , with more enjoyment. Give it a try. You can have 3-4 bajjis in the form of chaat, instead of 7-8 bajjis you normally take.
INGREDIENTS

• Potato fritters                   10-12
• Sweet onions                    1 small
• Tomato                              1 small
• Capsicum                           1 small
• Lemon juice                       1 Tsp
• Coriander                           3-4 sprigs
• Chaat masala                    1/4 tsp
• Sweet chutney                  1 tsp(optional)
• Green chutney                   1 tsp(optional)
• Salt and chilly powder     to taste.

PROCEDURE
Chop the onion. tomato, coriander, capsicum very finely.
In a bowl add the chopped veggies, lemon juice, little salt and chilly powder. Mix well and leave for 5 minutes.
Cube the potato bajjis into medium size cubes.
Add these bajjis to the onion tomato mixture. Mix well, top it off with chaat masala, sweet and green chutneys.
Serve immediately. 

BUTTER CORN(MY 150TH POST)

The butter corn recipe is a famous snack which is as popular as popcorn. This famous snack is now a days available is almost all theaters and malls in all major cities allover  India. The taste of this is ultimate and you will want to have more and more. A small katori of butter corn costs around 20 rupees, but it will not fill your tummy. With my Butter corn recipe you can make yummy snack for you and all of your family for just 20 rupees (cost of the corn).
INGREDIENTS

• Corn cobs             2
• Butter                  2 Tsp
• Salt                      to taste
• Red chilly flakes   to taste
• Black pepper        to taste (optional)
• Cilantro leaves      3 sprigs

PROCEDURE
Boil water in a large sauce pan. Break the corn cobs into 2 or 3 pieces. Add enough salt to the water and drop the corn cobs into the boiling water.
Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Switch off the flame, remove the corn cobs, let cool and then remove the corn gently with your hand. If the corn is well cooked it will be easy removing the corn from the cob.
In a pan heat the butter, sauté the corn for 2 minutes. Add the salt, red chilly flakes, black pepper, finely chopped cilantro. You have already added salt to the water so be careful while adding salt in the final step.
Mix well and serve hot.
Add chaat masala and lemon juice for an added flavor and taste.
Finely chopped garlic added to the heated butter gives a different flavor to the dish. Try it.
You can also try the frozen corn or even the dried corn. Soak the dried corn over night, boil and use them

RAGADA PATTICE

Ragada pattice, ragada samosa, ragada puri, ragada chaat………. The list goes on and on. Any thing served with ragada tastes awesome. This is one of the famous recipe in  the chaat world. The word chaat comes from the word chaatna…….finger licking. The tantalizing flavored recipes available at the chaatwalas are so delicious that you cannot stop licking your fingers  after finishing the dish. Now coming to our ragada pattice recipe, this is one of the recipe which has a bit of elaborate procedure of all the chaat recipes. The taste of it will be so tempting that you will not mind eating it every day. Basically I am a big fan of samosa ragada. A bowlful of ragada with two samosas will be a stomach filling menu for a happy evening. Well, coming to our ragada pattice, small mashed potato-patties are combined with a flavorful ragada to give  a best tasting chaat dish. This recipe is also called as Aloo tikki chaat.
INGREDIENTS

• Potatoes                       2
• Carrots                          1
• Bread crumbs                 3 Tsp
• Onions                          1 large chopped
• Tomatoes                     2 chopped
• Coriander                      3Tsp chopped
• Chana                            1 cup
• Green chilies                  2 chopped
• Red chilly powder          1 tsp
• Turmeric                        1/2 tsp
• Chaat masala                  1 tsp
• Salt                                to taste
• Sugar                             1 tsp
• Coriander powder         1/2 tsp
• Jeera powder                1/2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste         1/2 tsp
• Sweet chutney              2 Tsp
• Green chutney              1 Tsp
• Pomegranate seeds      for garnish
• Oil                                4 Tsp    

PROCEDURE
Soak the kabuli chana for at least 6 hours. If you are making the chaat in the evening soak the chana in the morning. White peas or green peas can also be substituted for the kabuli chana.
For making the aloo tikki or patties, only potatoes are used, but I like to use carrots also. You can even skip carrots.
Cook the potatoes, carrots, garbanzo beans in a pressure cooker.
For the aloo tikki
Mash the boiled and peeled potatoes and carrot. Add enough salt, Chopped green chilies, bread crumbs, a Tsp of chopped coriander leaves. Mix them well. Now make small thick patties out of the mix. Shallow fry the aloo tikki  with 2 Tsp of oil on a medium flame till they are crisp on the outside.
For making the ragada
Take a pan and heat 2 Tsp of oil and add the ginger garlic paste. Now add finely chopped onion pieces. When the onions turn brown add the finely chopped tomatoes, green chilies. Cook for about 2 minutes till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Now add the boiled chana. Mash half of the chana. Cook for two minutes. Now add the dry spices one by one. Turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, chaat masala, sugar, salt. Add half cup of water and cook on a slow flame for 10 minutes with lid covered. Now the ragada is ready.
Arranging the Ragada pattice
Place two patties on a serving plate. Pour the ragada over the pattice. Now sprinkle a table spoon of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, chopped cilantro. Top it with sweet chutney and green chutney. Add a pinch of chaat masala and a spoonful of pomegranate seeds as a garnish.  Serve hot.

ALOO PAPDI CHAAT

As any other chaat item this is also very easy to make and delicious to eat. The crisp mouth melting papdi (also called papri) pieces are combined with finely cut veggies, chaat chutneys and served with a dash of salt, pepper and chaat masala on the top. Papdi is like the thick crisp puri. Maida is combined with jeera and salt and made into a very stiff dough. Now the dough is rolled into small thick puries and deep fried. Well I will come with the papdi recipe in my coming posts. Here I have used the store bought papdi. Some chaatwalas break the papdi into small pieces and combine the pieces with veggies, while some others serve the whole papdies topped with veggies and chutneys. You can choose any way you like. 
INGREDIENTS

• Papdi or Papri               15(small) or

                                               10(Large)

• Boiled potato                1 large
• Onion                            1 medium
• Tomato                          1 medium
• Coriander                      4 sprigs
• Sweet chutney              2 Tsp
• Green chutney              2 Tsp
• Salt                                to taste
• Red chilly powder          1/4 tsp(optional)
• Chaat masala                 1/4 tsp

PROCEDURE
If the papdi used are large then crumble them into small pieces, and if they are small and round you can use them as it is.
Boil the potato and cube it into small pieces.
Finely chop the onion, tomato, coriander.
In a large bowl add the papdi, chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet chutney, green chutney, salt, red chilly powder and chaat masala. Mix well and serve immediately.
Alternatively if the papdi’s are small, arrange then in a tray, top them with the veggies, chutneys, salt, chilly powder and chaat masala.
A spoonful of thick beaten curd can also be used if you like.  

SPICY GOBI BITES

  This recipe is from my kitchen and my own creation. I wanted to make a simple cauliflower recipe which is spicy and tasty, but do not contain any sauce and that’s how I attempted this dish.  This can be had as an appetizer or a snack or even had as a side dish for naan or roti. I fried the marinated gobi and tossed it in a spicy thick gravy. The dish turned out awesome. If any of your family members do not like the soy sauce or the tomato sauce then this can be a perfect alternative to gobi manchuria. Try this and I am sure it won’t let you down. There is no rule to follow the same recipe, try adding your own ingredients to suit your taste.
INGREDIENTS

• Cauliflower florets                 1 cup
• Maida                                     1 Tsp
• Corn flour                               1 Tsp 
• Rice flour                               2 Tsp
• Red chilly powder                  1 tsp
• Onion                                     1 small 
• Tomato                                  1 small 
• Onions, carrots, capsicum     1 cup julienned
• Green chilies                         2 julienned
• Ginger Garlic paste               1 Tsp
• Sugar                                    1 tsp
• Salt                                       to taste
• Lemon juice                         1/2 Tsp
• Oil                                         for deep frying
• Ginger                                   1 Tsp( julienned)

PROCEDURE
In a bowl add the maida, rice flour, corn flour, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, sugar, salt, lemon juice. Add enough water and make a thick paste. Now add the gobi florets. Mix well. Cover with a lid and let marinate for 1/2 an hour.
Now heat oil in a pan and deep fry the gobi till deep brown and crisp.
Cube the onion and tomato and grind to a paste. In another pan add 2 Table spoons of oil and add the grind onion and tomato paste. Fry till the raw flavor is removed, and the paste leaves the oil and turns golden brown. Now add a pinch of salt, julienned veggies, chilies, ginger. Fry for another minute (the veggies should remain crisp) and add the fried gobi. Toss till all the gobi gets the coating of the gravy. Now remove into a serving dish and top with some raw veggies. Serve hot.   

PALAK ONION PAKODA

  

Spinach is the tastiest leafy veggie and this when used to make the tasty jhatpata  pakodas not only increases the taste, but also infuses health into fried pakodas. I like the pakodas to be extra tastier so I added onions also.
INGREDIENTS

• Palak                      1 cup finely chopped
• Onions                   1 finely chopped
• Gram flour              1 cup
• Rice flour                2 Tsp
• Green chillies         1 chopped finely
• Salt                         to taste
• Red chilly powder   1/2 tsp
• Oil                           for deep frying

PROCEDURE
Combine all the ingredients and add enough water to make a thick mixture. The mixture should not be too watery, keep it crumbly. Too much water make the pakodas absorb more oil. So watch and add the water.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the pakodas in small batches. Keep the flame medium. If the flame is too high the pakodas don’t cook from the inside. On the other side if the flame is too low they absorb more oil and become too hard.

TIPS

• Usually I use a whole bunch of palak. Blanch the Palak leaves for 2 minutes in hot water and then chop the leaves and use them. This way you can use more of palak. Alternately you can chop the palak and micro wave for a minute and use. In this method extra water is not required to make the pakoda batter. Add flour and onions into the soft palak till you get a thick mixture.
• Simple palak pakodas without onions also tastes good.
• Use a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste to enhance the taste.

VEGETABLE CUTLETS(100th POST)

One of the best and easy to make snack with lots of vegetable goodness and healthy to eat without counting the calories is pan fried vegetable cutlet. Unlike other snacks which contain one or two veggies, these veggie cutlets contains lot and lots of vegetables and so these are very healthy. This is a very good recipe for kids who do not eat all veggies as curries. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with mild masala these cutlets tastes awesome. Its fun for kids to give different shapes for their own cutlets. These wonderful mouthwatering cutlets can be made in a jiffy if all the veggies are cooked and kept ready. These can either be deep fried or shallow fried. Here I give the recipe for the shallow fried mixed vegetable cutlets.
INGREDIENTS

• Boiled potatoes                 1 large
• Boiled carrots                    1 large
• Boiled green peas              1/2 cup
• Finely chopped cabbage    1/2 cup
• Finely chopped palak         1/2 cup
• Finely chopped onion        1 small
• Bread                                 2 slices
• Bread crumbs                     1/4 cup
• Green chillies                      2 chopped
• Red chilly powder              1/2 tsp
• Salt                                    to taste
• Coriander                          2 Tsp(chopped)
• Garam masala                   1/4 tsp(optional)
• Ginger garlic paste           1/2 tsp(optional)
• Oil                                    for shallow frying

PROCEDURE
Boil the potatoes, carrots and green peas. Peal the potatoes and carrots and mash them. Finely chop all other veggies. Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger garlic paste. When it is done add the chopped onions. When the onions turn transparent add the chopped cabbage, chopped green chilies and chopped palak. When the veggies turn soft and dry add the boiled and mashed veggies. Add the salt and cover with lid. Wait for a minute and then add the garam masala and the coriander leaves. Remove from fire and let cool.

Mash the fresh soft bread and mix it with the cooked mixture. Now add the bread crumbs. Mix well. The mixture should be soft but should be able to made into patties. At this stage you can add some more bread crumbs or can also add corn flour if the mixture is too soft. Now smear your palms  with oil and make small cutlets with the mixture. Set aside.

Coat each cutlet with bread crumbs to enhance the taste. Now heat a tava and shallow fry with oil. The cutlets can be had with any sauce or ketchup.

TIPS

• Any veggies which suite your taste can be used. Don’t use veggies with excess water. If you do want to use them, squeeze out excess water and use( bottle gourd, Zucchini etc)
• The cutlets can also be used as patties for vegetable burgers.
• The cutlets can also be deep fried instead of shallow fry.
• Coat the culets with some oil and bake these in an oven.      

GREEN CHUTNEY

Green chutney and sweet chutney are the two popular words that you hear in the chaat world. Weather it is Dahi puri, pani puri, bhel puri, ragada, aloo tikki, or  the samosa, pakoda,  bajji, cutlets , every thing in the chaat world has either the green chutney or the sweet chutney served along. The green chutney or the hara chutney is made in seconds and is served as a accomplishment for bajjis, pakodas, samosas etc. It is also used in chaat preparations. This can be made in a jiffy and doesn't need any cooking or pre preparation.
INGREDIENTS   

• Coriander                 1 small bunch
• Pudina                      1 small bunch
• Salt                           to taste
• Green chilies            5-6
• Sugar                        1 tsp
• Lemon juice             4 Tsp

PROCEDURE
In a blender add the coriander leaves, pudina leaves(not the stems) , salt the green chilies, lemon juice, sugar and blend to a fine paste. If it is too thick add a little of water or lemon juice. Use it as a dip for the samosas, bajjis, dhoklas or use it for making chaat preparations. As this does not involve any cooking this do no have a long shelf life. It can be refrigerated for one or two days. Some like to add peanuts or the cashews. Try them if you like.

SWEET CHUTNEY

 

Sweet chutney is a must in most of the chaat preparations. This sweet tangy chutney is like the tomato sauce and can be served as a dip for samosas or bajjis . This is secret ingredient in the tasty flavorful chaats. Made with tamarind, jaggery, dates, this chutney can be made in larger quantity and can be refrigerated for 3 months.
INGREDIENTS

• Tamarind juice                   1/2 cup
• Jaggery                              1 cup
• Dates(khajoor)                   15
• Salt                                     to taste
• Red chilly powder               3 Tsp
• Jeera powder                     1 Tsp
• Coriander powder               1/2 tsp
• Chaat masala                      1 Tsp
• Water                                  1+1/2 cup

PROCEDURE
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract thick juice and measure it to half cup. In a pan heat a half cup of water and put the dates. Deseed the dates and use them. When the dates turn soft cool them and grind them to a fine paste. In another nonstick pan add the tamarind paste, jaggery, dates paste and water. The consistency should be of liquid consistency.   Let this come to a boil. Keep on stirring intermittently. Reduce the flame and cook for about 10 minutes. By this time the mixture becomes slightly thick. Now add the salt, red chilly powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, chaat  masala. Again let the mixture cook for 20 minutes and by this time the mixture becomes thick and the syrup will coat the spoon. Now switch off the flame and cool the sauce. Remove into a glass bottle and store it.
TIPS

• Adjust the sweet according to your taste.
• The chutney becomes even more thick after cooling, so remove the chutney from the stove when it is on the  liquid side.
• The chutney can be thicker if used in chaats.
• Keep it on the liquid side if used as a dip.
• Initially the mixture should be of liquid consistency and gradually reduce it to a thicker consistency.  This way brings out the flavor and taste of the chutney.
• This can be refrigerated for 3 months.
• Use it as a dip for samosas, pakoras, bajjis, cutlets, rotis and many more.