COTTAGE CHEESE NUGGETS

COTTAGE CHEESE NUGGETS.......SMOOTH FLAVORED COTTAGE CHEESE WITH A FILLING OF CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER ROLLED IN CRISP CRUMB......

Ingredients :

Cottage cheese - 250 Gms
Peanut butter -  3 Tbsp (prefer the chunky variety)
Boiled potato - 50 Gms (mashed)
Fresh mint leaves - 2 Tsp (chopped)
Chili flakes - 1/4 Tsp
Green Chili - 1/4 Tsp minced
All purpose flour - 2 Tbsp
Crumb - 1/2 Cup
Salt - according to taste
Oil- for deep frying

Method :

Finely grate the cottage cheese and then mash it until it has a smooth texture.
Mix the mashed potatoes, mint leaves, salt, chili flakes, minced green chilies and the flour into the mashed cottage cheese.
Take a heaped teaspoon of this above mixture in your palm and flatten it.
In the center of this place a little peanut butter.
Enclose the peanut butter in the cottage cheese mixture nicely
Shape into small cylinders or any other preferred shape.
Repeat this process with the entire mixture.
Roll them into the bread crumb.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry them golden.
Serve hot.

HOP TOWN SALAD.....

HOP TOWN SALAD........

Ingredients :

Mock chicken (can be substituted with normal chicken for the non vegetarians) - 400 Gms
American corn  - 1/4 Cup
Potatoes - 1/4 Cup (peeled and diced)
Carrots - 1/4 Cup (diced)
Peas - 1/4 Cup
Jalapenos -  hand full 
Mustard sauce - 1 Tbsp
Mayonnaise - 4 Tbsp
Honey - 1 Tbsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt - according to taste
Dry Basil - 1/4 Tsp

Method :

Boil the mock chicken until tender and cut into small length wise pieces.
Boil the american corn and all the diced vegetables and the peas.
Mix the boiled chicken and all the vegetables together after discarding the water,
Let them cool.
Add rest of the other ingredients to the above.
Mix well .
Serve cold.
Goes well with garlic bread.

PINDI CHANA

PINDI CHANA - CHICK PEAS COOKED WITH SPICES AND TINTED WITH INDIAN GOOSE BERRY AND TEA LEAVES......

Ingredients :

Chick peas (Kabuli Chana) - 2 Cups
Onions - 1/2 Cup (Finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 1/2 Cup (finely chopped)
Cinnamon stick  - 1 Inch
Black cardamom - 2-3 pieces
Green cardamom - 4 pieces
Bay leaves - 2
Asafoetida  - 2 Pinches
Dry Indian goose berry ( Amla) - 4 pieces 
Tea leaves (CTC) - 1Tsp
Salt - according to taste
Digestive fruit salt (Eno) - 1 Heaped Tsp 
Oil - 3 Tbsp

For the tempering :

Clarified butter (Desi ghee) - 2 Tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 Tsp
Dry pomegranate powder - 1 Tsp
Powdered garam masala - 1 Tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2  Tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 Tsp
Ginger - 2 Tsp (julienne )
Green chili - 4 (slit)
Cilantro - 1 Tsp (chopped)

Method :

Wash and soak the chick peas in water along with the asafoetida powder for 8 to 10 hours.
Discard the water.
Heat oil in a pressure pan and add the onions and the whole spices (bay leaves, green and black cardamom, cinnamon ) 
Fry them until golden.
On the other hand boil the tea leaves in 4 cups of water. Strain the tea.
Add in the chopped tomatoes to the golden onions and cook until they turn tender.
Add the soaked chick peas and saute for 2 minutes.
Add to this the strained tea along with salt and Eno and dry goose berries.
Close the pressure lid .
Pressure cook on full flame until the steam forms then reduce the flame to low and further cook for 20 minutes.
Let the steam remain in the cooker ,
Once the steam finishes open the lid , Check if the chick peas are done....if not then further pressure cook for 10 minutes (it happens with some tough varieties of chick peas).
Discard the whole spices and the goose berries from the cooked chanas.
Further cook the chanas on full flame without the lid until the excess stock evaporates.

Heat the clarified butter in a pan.
Add the slit green chilies along with the julienne ginger ....saute for half a minute.
Add the Coriander powder, Dry pomogranate powder, Garam masala, Cumin powder, Chili powder and saute for 1 minute.
Add the cilantro.
Pour this tempering over the cooked chanas.
Mix well.
Serve hot with bhaturas, naans, paranthas or kulchas with onion rings....

FRUIT SALAD...

FRUIT SALAD....

NEW YORK SANDWICHES...

HOD DOG BUNS.........NEW YORK SANDWICHES....HOT MELTING CHEESE OVER STEAKS
SANDWICHED IN HOT DOG BUNS.....

Ingredients :

For the veg steak (can be replace by mutton or chicken steak )

Potatoes - 2 cup (boiled and mashed)
Cottage cheese - 1 cup (mashed)
Carrots - 1/2 cup (grated)
Green chilies - 2 Tsp (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 Tsp (minced)
Salt - according to taste
All purpose flour - 6 Tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

For the sandwiches

Cheddar cheese slices - 6
Hot dog buns - 6
Mustard sauce - 3 Tsp
Mayonnaise - 6 Tsp

Method :

Mix boiled mashed potatoes, mashed cottage cheese, carrots, green chilies, ginger, salt and 3 Tbsp of flour together.
Make  12 balls out the above mix.
Flatten each ball with the palm to give it a thick round flat shape to form a steak
Refrigerate them for half an hour.
Dissolve the remaining 3 Tbsp of flour in a little water to make a batter of dropping consistency. 
Heat the oil in a frying pan.
Dip each steak into this batter and deep fry golden.

Slit the hot dog buns from the center, taking care that they don't divide into two pieces - each remains into one piece.
Fill each hot dog bun with a teaspoon of mayonnaise and half teaspoon of mustard sauce.
Place two steaks in each hot dog bun in standing position....they should get the support from the walls of the buns.
Heat the oven to 250 degrees with both top and bottom rods on.
Cut each cheese slice into two.
Place the cheese slice over the steaks in the buns.
Place them in the hot oven and bake toast until the cheese melts and the hot dog buns turn slightly dark brown,
Serve immediately.

DHOKLA

DHOKLA.......A STEAMED SNACK FROM THE LAND OF GUJARAT PREPARED BY FERMENTING RICE AND LENTILS........

Ingredients :

Rice - 1 Cup
White urad dal - 1/3 cup
Chana dal - 2 Tbsp
Boiled rice - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt - according to taste
Ginger paste - 1 Tsp (optional)
Garlic paste - 1 Tsp (optional)
Green chili paste - 1 Tsp (can substitute with 1/2 Tsp red chili powder too )
Oil - 2 Tbsp

For the tempering :

Oil -  1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Green chilies - 4 (Slit length wise)
Coriander leaves - 2 Tsp (chopped)

Method :

Soak the rice, urad dal , chana dal and the boiled rice for 5-6 hours in water
Grind them to a fine smooth paste using 1 cup of same water that was used for soaking.
Leave aside for 10-12 hours to ferment.
Grease a steaming pan with a little oil.
Switch on the flame below the steaming pot with water in it.
Mix the salt, baking powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic-chili paste and oil with the rice-dal batter.
Beat it nicely.
Pour it in the steaming pan and place the pan in the the steaming pot,
Cover,
Let it steam for 18-20 minutes......check by dipping a toothpick at the center, if it comes out dry then its done ,,,,if not then further steam for 3-4 minutes.
Let it cool.
Take out the steamed dhokla from the pan.
Cut into pieces.
Heat the oil for tempering in a pan.
Add the mustard seeds. Fry them until they start popping.
Now add in the green chilies and coriander.
Saute for a minute.
Add the cut dhokla pieces and carefully toss them.
Switch off the flame and serve either warm or cold with coriander-mint chutney.

MOZZARELA FINGERS

MOZZARELLA FINGERS...........SOFT MOLTEN CHEESE WRAPPED IN CRISP CRUMBY SPICY GOLDEN BLANKET

Ingredients:

Mozzarella cheese - 250 Gms (cut length wise into strips)

Bread crumb - 1 Cup

Salt - according to taste

Black pepper powder - 1/4 Tsp

Oregano  - 1/4 Tsp

Chili flakes - 3-4 Pinch

Garlic - 1/4 Tsp (minced)

Corn flour - 4 Tbsp

Oil - for deep frying

Method :

Dissolve the corn flour in water to make a thick paste of dropping consistency.

Mix in the salt, black pepper, oregano, chili flakes and minced garlic.

Dip each strip of the mozzarella cheese in the batter of cornflour.

Coat each dipped strip with the bread crumb nicely that no edge or side remains naked.

Refrigerate the crumbed strips for at least an hour.

Heat oil in a pan. the oil should be piping hot.

Press the strips with hand that the crumb retains its shape tight.

At one time put 3-4 strips in the hot oil for frying.

Deep fry them golden.

Serve immediately for best taste.

AMRITSARI ARBI FRY.......A VEGETARIAN VERSION OF AMRITSARI FISH

AMRITSARI ARBI FRY.........VEGETARIAN VERSION OF AMRITSARI FISH. IT'S CRISP FROM THE TOP AND SOFT AS YOU BITE IN.........

Ingredients :

Arbi - 1/2 Kg
Besan - 2 Tsp
Ajwain - 1 Tsp
Zeera - 1/2 Tsp
Amchoor - 1/2 Tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 Tsp
Garlic cloves - 8 (big) (peeled)
Kashmiri mirch powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - according to taste
Yogurt - 4 Tbsp
Oil - for deep frying

Method :

Boil the Arbi in a pan for 20 minutes , check if tender , strain off the water and cool the arbi. Or else further boil for another 5 minutes. 
In a grinding jar add ajwain, zeera, garlic and powder them,
Mix besan, amchoor, garam masala, kashmiri mirch powder, salt, yogurt and powdered ajwain, zeera and garlic together.
Peel the boiled arbi. Cut length wise each arbi  into two pieces . Slightly press them with your palms.
Rub the mixed masalas over the arbi pieces,
Leave aside in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry the marinated arbi pieces.
Serve immediately with lemon.
Goes very well with hot crisp paranthas.......