Hara Bara Kebab

Healthy and delicious shallow fried Kebabs made with spinach , green peas and potatoes. Perfect finger food to serve as an appetizer or as evening snack with tea. These kebabs are also great for stuffing inside sandwiches, burgers and pita bread. Healthy, light and filling !

 

 

 

Yield : 10 kebab

Recipe Source : http://www.cookwithmanali.com/hara-bhara-kebab/

Ingredients 

• 1 Cup fresh green peas ( thaw if frozen)
• 1 Cup Fresh spinach (that if frozen)
• 1 Large potato parboiled and mashed
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger piece
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2 Cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 Teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon red chilli flakes
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil to shallow fry ( I used EVOO)

To coat the kebab 

• 1/2 Cup Bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning ( mixture of dried thyme, oregano and rosemary, garlic powder)
• 1/2 Teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt

Directions 

1. In a microwave safe bowl, add green peas along with 1/2 cup water + 2 pinches of salt and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Drain water and set aside
2. In the same microwave bowl, add spinach along with 1/4 cup water + 1 pinch of salt and microwave on high for a minute. Drain water immediately and squeeze excess water from spinach. Chop it finely and Set aside
3. In a food processor add ginger and green chilli. Grind it to fine paste. Then add par boiled green peas and pulse it couple of times until they resemble coarse mixture
4. In a large bowl, add boiled and mashed potatoes. Add ground green peas mixture we prepared at step number 3. Add blanched and chopped spinach

5. Add bread crumbs. red chilli powder, cumin powder, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, red chilli flakes

 

6. Mix everything together. Make small balls out of this mixture and set aside

 

                                       

 

 

7. Heat oil in a tawa/ pan for shallow frying the kebab

8. In a plate, Mix all the ingredients listed under 'To coat the kebab'.

Now, take the kebab ball and flatten them gently to from thick discs                                   

 

9. Roll each discs in bread crumb mixture and coat the cutlets on both sides with bread crumb mixture

 

                                    

 

 

10. When the oil is hot, place 5 or 6  cutlets on the pan and shallow fry them until they are crispy and golden. Flip side and shallow fry on the other side too

11. Remove from the pan and drain on a kitchen towel

12. Shallow fry the remaining cutlets in batches of 4

13. Serve hot with ketchup of your favourite dip. You can serve it as a evening snack with a cup of tea

 

 

Palak Patte ki Chat

Popular street food with fried spinach leaves. Palak Patha Chaat is made with deep fried palak leaves drizzled with hung curd, green chutney, saunth chutney and then topped with sev and pomegranate seeds.

 

 

Ingredients

• 20 Deep fried Palak Leaves ( recipe available here )
• 2 Tablespoon beaten curd
•  4 Teaspoon Green Chutney
• 4 Teaspoon meethi Saunth Chutney
• 1 Teaspoon Chaat masala
• 2 Tablespoons nylon sev
• 1 Tablespoon pomegranate seeds

For the Green Chutney

• 1/4 Cup tightly packed cilantro leaves / coriander leaves
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 2 Green Chilli
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• Salt to taste

For the Meethi Saunth Chutney

• 1/4 Cup Tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup warm water for 10 minutes and the extract pulp
• 1/2 Teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 Teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon red chilli powder
• a big pinch of Hing / asafoetida
• 3 Tablespoon Jaggery / gur
• 1/2 Teaspoon black salt

Directions 

1. Prepare the Green Chutney : In a food processor / mixie add coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilli and grind it to fine paste without adding water. Add more chillies according to your taste. Transfer the chutney to a bowl and add salt and sprinkle lemon juice. Give it a nice stir. Cover the chutney with a lid / plastic wrap and refrigerate until further use

2. Prepare the Saunth Chutney : In a pan, heat 1/2 teaspoon oil vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add ginger powder, red chilli powder, hing and immediately add tamarind pulp. Season with rock salt. Bring the mixture to boil. Then simmer for 3 minutes until the mixture thickens. Then add jaggery / gur and mix. Cook the mixture on low flame for 5 minutes until the chutney thickens. Cool the chutney completely and store in airtight container. We are going to use only 4 teaspoons of this chutney. Remaining chutney you can refrigerate and use in other chaat.

3. Deep fry palak leaves (follow recipe from here ) and arrange on a serving platter

4. Drizzle curd over the palak pakoras

5. Drizzle green chutney  followed by saunth chutney

6. Sprinkle chaat masala

7. Sprinkle nylon sev all over

8. Finally sprinkle pomegranate seeds

9. Once you prepared this chaat, this should be served immediately. Otherwise the crispy palak leaves will turn soggy because of the chutneys we drizzled

 

Paruppu Kuzhambu

Paruppu Kuzhambu is a south Indian style dal made with toor dal. Toor dal is pressure cooked with coconut, shallots paste and then tempered with shallots, garlic , cumin and red chillies. Best served with a generous drizzle of ghee with hot steamed rice or with roti. South Indians serve this no veggies dal as a side dish with pongal , Idly or Dosa. Kids friendly dal and packed with protein.

 

Ingredients

• 1/3 Cup Toor Dal
• 1/4 Cup Fresh grated coconut
• 6 shallots
• 2 Green chillies
• 1/2 Tomato chopped finely
• 2 Tablespoon Tamarind extract
• 1/4 Teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 and 1/2 cups of water to cook dal
• 1 Teaspoon vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

For the tempering

• 1 Tablespoon sesame seed oil / vegetable oil
• 1 Teaspoon ghee / clarified butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 Sprig of curry leaf
• 1 Dry red chilli
• a generous pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 3 Garlic cloves sliced thinly
• 4 Shallots chopped finely

Directions

1. Wash toor dal several times and soak it for 15 minutes in plenty of tap water
2. Drain water completely. Add toor dal to the pressure cooker
3. In a food processor / mixie grind shallots, fresh coconut and green chillies into fine paste with 2 tablespoons of water. make sure the paste is smooth and there are no chunks of coconut
4. Add this coconut shallots paste to the toor dal
5. Add tomatoes, tamarind extract, turmeric powder to the dal and give it a stir
6. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to the dal
7. Pressure cook the dal on high for 1 whistle and then reduce the flame to lowest heat setting and pressure cook for 10 minutes and switch off the flame
8. Once the pressure drops, open the pressure cooker and with a back of the spoon/ laddle gently mash the dal
9. In a pan, heat sesame oil and ghee for tempering
10. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds. When they crackle, add curry leaf and broken dry red chilli
11. Finally add hing / asafoetida to the hot oil. Then add garlic and shallots and fry until they onions are crispy and golden. switch off the flame
12. Add this tempering to the pressure cooked dal. Add salt to taste and bring the dal to gently boil
13. Switch off the flame and serve dal with steamed rice or roti or idly / dosa as a side
 

Palak Pakora / Spinach fritters

Crispy and addictive fritters made with whole spinach leaf dipped in spiced besan/ chickpea flour batter.

 

 

Ingredients

• 15 Spinach leaves with stem intact ( I used palak)
• 1/3 Cup Gram flour / besan / chickpea flour
• 1 Tablespoon rice flour
• a pinch of baking soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon red chilli powder
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon pepper powder
• a pinch of hing / asafoetida
• salt to taste
• 3 Tablespoon water to make the batter
• Oil to deep fry fritters

Directions

1. In a bowl , add besan, rice flour, red chilli powder, baking soda, turmeric powder, cumin powder, hing, salt and mix everything
2. Add water and whisk to make a thick batter
3. Heat oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, dip a spinach leaf in the batter and carefully drop it in the hot oil. Dip 4 more spinach leaves and drop them in oil
4. Fry the pakora until they are crispy and golden
5. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel
6. Fry the remaining spinach in batches of 4
7. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or your favourite dip
 

Stir fried eggplant and potatoes

 

An easy stir fry with eggplant and potatoes. Mildly spiced and delicious side to serve with flavoured pilaff / rice.

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 Cup thinly sliced eggplant or baby brinjals
• 1 Large potato chopped into small cubes
• 2 Tablespoon vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ural Dal
• 1/2 Teaspoon Channa Dal
• One sprig of curry leaf
• 2 Dry Red Chilli
• 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 Teaspoon Red Chilli powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper powder
• salt to taste
• a pinch of hing / asafoetida 

Directions  

1. Wash eggplant, pat dry. Cut into quarters. Then slice it thinly lengthwise. Add 1/2 cup tap water to the sliced eggplant and set aside. Adding water will prevent them from changing color                                  

2. Peel potatoes and chop them into small cubes and set aside

3. In a pan, heat oil. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter

4. Reduce the flame to low and add urad dal, channa dal and fry them until they are golden. Add curry leaves and broken red chillies and fry for few seconds

5. Switch off the flame and add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, hing and give it a stir

6. Add sliced brinjals , potatoes and mix everything together

7. Now turn on the flame and keep it on low. Leave the veggies in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally

8. No need to add water. Let the brinjals get cooked on its own juice/ water

9. Serve hot as a side

Armenian nutmeg cake

Armenian Nutmeg tea cake. Sweet crumb base with a moist, light and airy cake topped with cashew nuts. The base is crispy, crumbly and the cake is so soft and moist. Love the texture of this cake especially the crumb base.

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture taken after unmoulding the cake from the spring form where you can see the nice crumbly base with a dark brown shade and then followed by the cake layer with lighter brown color

 

 

 

Yield : one 8 inch cake

 

Recipe Source :  http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/2012/04/armenian-nutmeg-cake-meshgengouz.html

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of All purpose flour
• 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 and 1/2 Cups brown sugar
• 150 Grams cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup milk ( I used full cream milk)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 and 1/2 Teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/2 Teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/3 Cups raw cashew nuts tossed in 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C

1. Mix the baking soda in the milk and set aside. Grease a 8 inch spring form cake pan and set aside
2. In a food processor, add all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pulse it couple of times
3. Then add cold butter and process the mixture until it resembles like crumbes
4. If you find there are chunks of butter which remain unprocessed, press the mixture using your finger tips and rub it gently
5. Divide this mixture into two equal portions. Take one portion and place it in the cake pan and gently press it down using fingertips to form a nice crust
6. Add milk+baking soda mixture to the food processor and pulse it along with the remaining mixture to form a cake batter
7. Now add nutmeg, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder and pulse it once
8. Pour this cake batter over the crust we already have in the cake pan
9. Sprinkle the cashew nuts gently over the cake batter
10. Bake the cake at 180 C for 40 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean
11. Cool the cake in the tin for 15 minutes. Then loosen the sides of the cake pan and carefully remove the cake
12. Cool completely and serve
 

Lemon Sables / Classic french butter cookies

These Classic French cookies are buttery, crisp and laced with tart lemon zest. These cookies are bursting with lemon flavor, they have a fantastic sand like texture and just melts in mouth.

 

Recipe Source : http://www.unegaminedanslacuisine.com/2011/08/lemon-poppy-seed-sables.html

Yield : 30 Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 Cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2/3 Cup confectioners sugar
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract ( original recipe says almond extract, since I had only vanilla extract I used vanilla extract. Go ahead and use almond extract)
• Zest of 3 lemons

For the Sugar Coat

• 1/2 Cup granulated white sugar
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/4 Cup milk

Prepare the sugar coating

1. In a small bowl , add sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest into granulated sugar with fingertips until the sugar turns light yellow and you smell a nice fresh aroma of the zest.

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, add all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and mix
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar and using a hand mixture cream together for 5 minutes until the mixture is creamy, smooth and turns pale
4. Add egg yolk and beat until it is incorporated
5. Add vanilla or almond extract , lemon zest and beat till well combined
6. Reduce the speed to low and add flour mixture we have from step number 2 and beat until flour is mixed thoroughly with butter
7. Turn the cookie batter on a lightly floured surface. Gather the batter and shape it to ball
8. Divide the batter into two equal parts. Roll each portion into a log of  1 and 1/4 inch diameter. Wrap each log separately in a plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour
9. After one hour, take the log out of freezer. Preheat the oven to 180C
10. In a large plate add 1/4 cup milk. Roll the log in the milk
11. Then using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4 inch thick cookies
12. Then roll each cookie in the sugar lemon zest mixture. Sugar will stick only on the edges of the cookies since the edges are previously rolled it milk
13. Place the cookie on a greased and lined cookie sheet. Repeat step number 12 for rest of the cookies
14. Bake the cookies at 180 C for 5 minutes
15. Then reduce the oven temperature to 160 C and bake for 8 minutes more or until the cookies turn light golden at the edges
16. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest in the sheet for 5 minutes
17. Then transfer the cookies gently to a cooling rack. Cool completely and store in airtight container