Pav Bhaji

This dish was a Maharashtra based delicacy, but due to its exquisite taste & sheer simplicity this dish has become a crowd favourite. A perfect accompaniment for tea, this can easily be favoured for lunch, dinner or even a quick bite. Pav means bread and bhaji means vegetable dish. The main base for the bhaji here is tomato.

Cuisine: Maharashtra (India)
Serves: 3

Ingredients
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 3 small tomatoes finely chopped
• 7-8 dry red chillies
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• ¼ cup cooked peas
• ¾ cup boiled potatoes
• 2 tbsp. pav bhaji masala(store bought)
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Few coriander leaves chopped
• 6 Pav (store bought)

Keep dry red chillies in boiling water for an hour. Grind with garlic cloves to a smooth paste. You can add little water for this but add 1 tsp. at a time and grind. Set aside.
In a pan, add butter & oil. Add cumin seed and when they start to splutter add the prepared dry chilli paste. Saute for a minute and then add the chopped onions and green chillies saute. Add tomatoes and cook till they soften. Add Pav bhaji masala and chilli powder, cook for another minute and add the peas and boiled potatoes. Add Salt and with a masher, mash everything. If you don’t have a masher, use the back of the spoon to mash. Add 2-3 tbsp. water and keep on a low flame for about 3-4 minutes. Switch off the flame and garnish coriander leaves.

Parippu Vada (Dal/Lentil Fritters)

Cuisine: South Indian
Serves: 10-12 (20-25 pieces)

This tea time snack is an all time favourite in Kerala. For those who aren’t aware of this snack, it’s made of bengal split gram or lentils. Just for ease in addressing let’s call it lentil fritters.
Back in Kerala, you can see these vadas in almost every road side tea stall (thattu kada). These deep fried fritters are a great combo with a strong tea or a coffee during evening.

Ingredients

•  2 cups of Channa dal (split Bengal gram/kadala parippu)
• 1 onion finely chopped
•  1 stalk curry leaves chopped
•  3 dry red chilly chopped
•  2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
•  1 tsp. chilli powder
•  ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
•  Salt to taste
• Asafoetida a pinch (kayam)
• Oil for deep frying

Soak channa dal in water for 3 hours. Drain and coarsely ground it. It shouldn’t become a fine paste. Some channa dal shall not be blended well. That’s absolutely fine. Because that’s gives a little bit of crunchiness.
In a kadai or deep bottom pan, heat oil. While the oil is heating, transfer the grounded mixture in to a bowl and mix everything. Check for salt and add if you required. Make small balls out of the mixture and flatten it slightly in your palm. When the oil is hot (not piping hot ok!!!), add it to the oil. And fry on a medium low heat until both sides turn golden brown.

Transfer and drain on paper towel and serve hot with tea/coffee.

Note: If you find difficult in flattening the mixture, just wet your hands and flatten it. Do not add any water to the mixture or else it will break when you put it in the oil.

 

Erachi Pathiri

(Meat stuffed rotis)

Ingredients

• 250 gms boneless chicken cubed
• 1 tsp. chilli powder
• ½ tsp. garam masala powder
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• ½ tap. Coriander powder
• ½ tsp. pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp. ginger garlic paste
• 2 large onions (finely chopped)
• 1 stalk curry leaves
• A handful of coriander leaves                 
• Oil for deep frying                       

      For the Pathiri

• 1 ½ cup flour/maida
• 1 cup whole wheat flour/ gothambu podi
• 1 tbsp. oil
• Water to knead
• Pinch of salt

In a bowl, place the flour, oil, salt and water and knead into smooth dough. Cover and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker, add the chicken, garam masla, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander, pepper powder and little water along with salt. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and cook on a semi high flame till the water evaporates. Remove and set aside.

In another bowl, add 2 tbsp. oil and saute onions till they turn soft and translucent. Add 2-3 green chillies (according to your spice level) and along with curry leaves. After a minute or so add the cooked chicken and mix for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Remove from flame and set aside to cool. Once it’s cooled, shred the chicken with your finger.

Now for pathiri, divide the dough into small lemon size balls. (You can start heating the oil at this point of time).Roll out 2 dough balls into a poori like shape but a little bit thicker. In to one, place the filling in the centre .Take the other one to cover the top and press together the edges slightly. Now take the bottom edge and fold it upwards and press it. Make sure you are not pressing it too tightly otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the board. Take a toothpick or fork and seal the edges. Repeat this process for the pathiri.

Deep fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel and enjoy!!!!!

Egg Puffs

Ingredients

Puff  Pastry

• 45 gms butter softened + 175 gms butter refrigerated
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cup maida/ all-purpose flour + extra
• ½ tsp. lime juice
• Cold Water  – just enough to knead the dough

For the Egg Masala

• 3 boiled eggs halved
• 1 small onion julienned
• ½  tsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp. chilli powder
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• ½ tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 small tomato
• Few coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. oil

Masala: In a pan, heat oil and add onions and sauté till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Sprinkle few drops of water and sauté. Add tomato and salt and cook until it is done. Add the eggs and coriander leaves and mix. Keep this masala aside.

Puff Pastry: In a bowl, add 45 gms butter, flour, lime juice, salt and cold water and make a soft non sticky dough. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Keep it aside. Take the rest of the butter and with a pestle or with a rolling pin( roti roller), crush the butter nicely and sprinkle some dough and shape it into a small flat rectangle( slightly smaller than the dough) and place it in the centre of the  rectangle.  With the short end of the dough towards you, fold the top third down and bottom third up. Now roll the dough in to big rectangle (don’t worry if any butter sticks out. Just tap them with little flour) & fold again like mentioned above. Chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.  Repeat the process 5 more times.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut into medium small squares .Place the egg filling into one end of the square and fold gently. Brush with egg wash (1 egg beaten). Place it on a baking sheet & bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and puffed up. YYuummmmmm !!!!

Onion Pakoda

 

 Ingredients

•       2 onions medium julienned
•       1 ½ cup besan/ gram flour
•       ½ cup rice flour
•       Salt to taste
•       ½ tsp. asafoetida/hing
•       1 tbsp. chilli powder
•       1 stalk curry leaves
•       ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
•       ¾ Cold water + extra
•       Oil to deep fry

In a pot, heat the oil.

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients except onions and cold water. Mix and add cold water to make a thick batter (thick enough to coat the onions). Add little more water if you prefer. But the batter shouldn’t be too loose.

Add in the onions and mix. When the oil is hot, add the batter coated onions and deep fry. Do not crowd the pan. Deep fry in batches. A perfect combo for an evening tea !!!!