snacks

Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes & Mozzarella

November 3, 2013 By

This month Host for IFC was our dear blogger and wonderful chef +Priya Suresh aks I was so excited to try the italian cuisine recipes she challenge this Month. This is My first one from the list of italian dishes she had given us option. So happy to be apart of IFC ( International food challenge) an group evolved by +Saraswathi Tharagaram (author of saras yummy bites ) and +Shobana Sekar (author of Kitchen secrets and snippets ).

Campania is a highly populated region in the southern Italy, Located on the Italian Peninsula, with the Mediterranean sea to the west. There are various regional cuisine in Italy and Campania is one among them. Best known around for its world famous pizza.
Campania’s exuberant cuisine relies on sun-kissed vegetables and herbs, salty capers, dried pasta, and fresh farmhouse cheeses, chief among them water buffalo’s Mozzarella.

Recipe source : Food Family and Finds

Ingredients

1 loaf French Bread, sliced ( I used store bought)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced or Grated Mozzarella as required .
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 glove garlic, minced
Few chopped basil leaves ( you can also have the leave instead of chopping them )

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a small bowl, mix garlic and butter
Brush both sides of sliced bread with garlic butter
Top with cheese and tomato slices,chopped basil leaves.
Bake 10 – 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve warm.

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Ragi Spinach Pakoda

May 8, 2013 By

Today am going to share a very healthy and delicious variety of pakoda . This pakoda was shared by my buddy +Divya Prakash of “Divya’s culinary journey” 🙂 . She is a lovely blogger and very kind hearted person . Her blog is filled with so many yummy and delicious recipes and her clicks are just amazing. She had shared these pakodas long back which tempted me a lot and i tired them on the same day i saw these. Adding some own touches to the original recipes , these pakodas where great hit and my h loved them a lot . Thanks to +Divya Prakash for this delicious recipe and am glad that i tried it :).. These are perfect tea time snack and a very gud variation in pakoda’s. Lets quickly move on to today’s special snack from divya’s space.

Recipe Source : Divya’s culinary journey

Ingredients

Ragi flour- 1 1/2 cups
Spinach (chopped) – 1/2 cup
Onion (chopped)- 3/4 cup
Green chilli – 1 no (Finely chopped)
Ginger- 1inch (finely chopped)
Red Chilli pd- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Pd- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric pd- 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves (chopped)- 1 sprigs
Cilantro(chopped)- 2 Tbsp
Sounf/Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste
Oil – 1 tbsp (for pakoda batter)
Oil to deep fry

Method

In a bowl combine flour, Red chilli powder, turmeric powder,Cumin pd salt and to this mix onions,spinach, chopped ginger, curry leaves, fennel seeds and chopped cilantro.
Add water little by little and keep kneading till they are well combined . Then add 1 tbsp of hot oil to this and mix well.
In a kadai/ skillet, heat enough oil to deep fry.Cluster the pakoda batter is hot oil and deep fry the pakodas in batches. Fry them till the pakodas turn crispy and the bubble in the oil settles down.
Remove them from oil, drain them in paper towel and serve them hot with any chutney or sauce .

Tips

The batter of these pakoda should not be too thick and nor too thin. They have to be clustered in the oil . So adjust the water accordingly. This depends the flour type you are using .
Deep fry these pakodas in batches and don’t over crowd them will frying . This helps in making these pakodas more crispier .
You can even add little amount of pottukadalai /Roasted channa dal/ even peanuts to this pakodas to get the crunchy bites in these pakodas. 🙂

Thank you for these delicious snack divya 🙂 we loved this a lot n i’ll be making them again 🙂 This one is for you my dear friend !!

Rice pakoda

April 15, 2013 By

We all will be having left over rice and will be wondering what can be done with it . Here is an delicious starter recipe from Homely Food . Thanks to meenu anuty for the wonderful idea to make use the leftover rice . These rice pakoda’s so very delicious and my H just loved this crispy treat. I made some minor changes to the original recipes by adding dill leaves to it for extra flavor and delicious taste. Lets quickly move to the recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups rice
1/2 cup Besan
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup curd
2 chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp red chilli pd
1/4 tsp turmeric pd
1/2 tsp cumin pd
2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
2 tbsp dill leaves chopped
1 inch ginger finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method

In a bowl take the leftover rice and combine all the ingredients mentioned above.
Mix well and see whether you are able make balls . If you are not able make balls and the mixture is bit dry then sprinkle some water and try to make balls.
In a pan heat oil and once the oil is hot enough to fry start sliding the balls in the oil.
Fry them till golden brown and keep them on a kitchen towel/ tissue so that excess oil is drained out .

Crispy rice pakodas are ready to serve with any chutney .

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Snack gourd Rings ( come on – let’s cook buddies) Entry -7

April 6, 2013 By

Hope all are enjoying the event entries :).. Next delicious entry by +Aishwarya Srinivasan 🙂 Non-blogger’s to take part in this giveaway event click here and check the details . I and family are enjoying these yummy recipes 🙂 .. An lovely surprise giveaway is in search of a yummy and delicious recipe .. . Tell your friends not to miss this chance to showcase their culinary art and have fun taking part in this event 🙂 .

Lets move on to today’s recipe by +Aishwarya Srinivasan 🙂

Introduction

My Mom used to make this recipe also. It is a Bajji recipe but it looks like onion rings. It will be crispy outside and if u eat, it melts in your mouth. You could not find the taste of snack guard.

Ingredients

Snack guard – 1 medium
Besan – 5 tbsp
Rice Flour – 1 1/2 tbsp
Baking Soda – 1/8 tsp
Salt – to taste
Red chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Water as needed.
Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation

Wash the Snack gourd, cut it into two halves and remove the seeds.
Cut the snake guard into small thin 1/2 inch circular rings.

Sieve besan, rice flour, baking soda, salt, chilli pd.
Make this batter as idli batter consistency.
Dip the rings into the batter and deep fry in oil.
Strain the oil and place it in tissue paper.
Serve hot for snacks.

Variation

You can also make bajji using Chinese Okra (Peerkangai) .

Bread Medu Vada/ Instant Medu Vada (Come on – Lets Cook Buddies) Entry – 3

April 3, 2013 By

Hey friends hope you all know am hosting an giveaway event for our non- blogger friends . Blogger’s do share this with your non- blogger friends and encourage them take part this event and make this event a grand success dearies 🙂 .. Click here for details to take part in “Come on – Lets cook Buddies” event

Here comes another fantastic and innovative recipe shared by +Aishwarya Srinivasan … This recipe looks so yumm and so different. Lets see what aishwarya has to say and also the recipe of this innovative dish.

Introduction

Yesterday I gave fruit salad to my hubby for evening snacks. But he said he wanted to have something hot and crunchy. I had bread in my kitchen and I tried this new recipe. It is an Easy and Simple vada made with bread. No need of soaking dals.. No need to grind.. It is an Instant Medu Vada. Lets look the ingredients of this recipe.

Ingredients

8 Bread Slices
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/2 cup Curd (Yogurt)
Baking soda – a pinch
Salt to taste
Ginger – 1 inch (Finely chopped)
Green Chilli – 2 (Finely Chopped)
Coriander leaves
Onion – 1/2 (Finely chopped)
Curry leaves – 1 String
Cashews – 5
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Oil for deep frying

Method of Preparation

Cut edges of the bread slices and cut each slice into four pieces. Place in a deep bowl.
Add rice flour and curd to the bowl. Mix well and mash the bread with your hand.

Add Baking soda, Cumin seeds, Salt, ginger, chillies, coriander leaves, onions, cashews and curry leaves.

Mix well to form a dough.
Dampen your palms and roll each portion in a round shape balls. Flatten it and make a hole in the center of each round portion, like medu vada.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Deep fry each vada on low heat till it is golden brown and drain it.
Serve hot with chutney.

Variation:

You can also make it as Sambar vada too.

Rava dhokla / Semolina cake

March 28, 2013 By

This is really yummy tea time snack which my H loves a lot . Dhokla’s are soft and porous a great snack anytime of the day. Dhokla are a great gluten free light and healthy option as well..As dhokla this Khaman is made of rava / semolina it is a bit heavy but really a delicious and instant dhokla .This goes well with some mint or coriander chutney .They are a good breakfast options too .. Lets quickly look for the recipe for this yummy Gujarati snack .

Ingredients

1 cup semolina(rava)
1 tbsp chickpea flour(besan)
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 no green chilli finely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder(haldi)
1 tsp eno fruit salt

For tadka/tempering

2 tbsp oil
1 tsp fine mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
2 slit Green chilli
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Grated fresh coconut(optional)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
1 tsp Sesame seeds or til (optional)
Water -3/4 cup

Method

Mix semolina, besan, yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste,Green chilli, salt, and add water to this to make a batter. Consistency should be like dosa batter.
Grease a small pan with oil.Take a large pan or pot in which the smaller pan can fit.
Add water in the larger pan and bring it to boil.
Keep it in the large pan containing boiling water
Put the Eno fruit salt in the batter and beat well till frothy for a minute and immediately pour in the greased plate.
Cover the large pan with a lid and let steam on high for about 10-15 minutes.
To check for whether the dhokla’s are done insert a toothpick in the center of the dhokla.
Take the plate out of the steamer and let cool slightly for 5-8 minutes and cut into squares or diamond shapes.

Heat the oil for the tempering in a small pan , add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and when they splutter add the slit green chillies and saute. Add 1/2 cup water and sugar , boil them. Pour this tempering all over the dhokla.
Sprinkle with shopped coriander leaves and grated coconut(optional).
Serve then warm with ketchup or green chutney .

Dill leaves pakodas/fritters and Dill bread pakoda

March 13, 2013 By

Made some dilli leave pakodas/ fritters for tea time snack which is very good for fussy kids and adult who do not include green leafy veggies in their diets . Dill is one of those herbs that in effect have two different seasons. In early spring it is used for its leaves and then later in fall for its seeds. Each part of the plant has its own characteristics and properties. Dill leaves are very rich in minerals, vitamin C and flavonoids,Protection Against Free Radicals and Carcinogens,An Anti-Bacterial Spice, A Flavorful Way to Help Prevent Bone Loss. Lets quickly look at the ingredients to prepare this healthy pakodas recipe

Ingredients:

2 cup oil (for frying)
1/2 bunch of dill leaves (sepu )
1 cup Bengal gram flour (besan)
1 chopped green chilli
1 tsp red chili powder
1 t/s turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 tbsp cumin pd
salt as per taste
water to make batter

Method:

Chop the dill leaves finely and keep aside.
Mix all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl except oil and warm water. Now add the chopped dill leaves and give a nice mix.

Add little warm water and mix with your finger Or fork. The consistency should be thick enough. If it’s too dry add little water if too thin add more gram flour to it.

Take a deep frying pan add oil. Place on high heat once oil is hot reduce the heat. Take a spoon and scoop out the batter one by one. Don’t cluster too many at a time. Fry few until nice crispy and golden brown on medium heat. Repeat the same with rest of batter.

Serve hot with tomato sauce and tea.

Tips:

Ensure you fry them on medium heat else they will burn.
The batter consistency shouldn’t be too thick Or thin.
You could make same fritters with spinach Or fenugreek leaves.
Place them on absorbent napkins to absorb excess oil.

Variation :

Dill Bread pakoda :

when my hubby was having these pakodas he asked for bread bhaji and i told him i didn’t make bhaji batter that time this idea popped up in my mind.. Just made some cubes of bread and coated with the above pakoda batter and fried them till golden brown

.. and got the bite sized bread pakodas ready .. they were really yummy and tasted very good with the flavours of dill leaves..

Yellow Pumpkin cutlets

February 19, 2013 By

I was just thinking to prepare dinner so opened my refrigerator and found pumpkin without knowing what am doing i picked it up and so started, with approximation added all the ingredients listed below,plated and served to my dear hubby ..To my surprise he loved it and ate all the cutlets i served him :), then I named it as pumpkin cutlet.. It was a surprise recipe even for me he he 🙂 ..lets see the ingredients and method for these yummy n crispy cutlets 🙂

Ingredients

Chopped Yellow Pumpkin – 11/2 cup heaped
Potato – 1 medium sized
Chopped Green chilli – 1 no
Cumin pd – 1
Red chilli pd – 1/2 tsp
Rice flour – 2 tbsp (I added rice flour to make my cutlets more crispier you can also substitute them with cornflour)
salt to taste
Dry Bread crumbs to coat
Oil for frying

Method

Boil chopped pumpkins and potatoes till they are well done , Mash them together and mix well with other ingredients excluding bread crumbs till well combined .
Now make the mixture in to desired shapes either circle or any other shape . I made them in a triangular shaped cutlets .
Nicely coat the shaped cutlets in dry bread crumbs so that they are fully covered with bread crumbs.
Heat oil in a pan and when they are hot enough to fry the cutlets slide in the coated cutlets on by one and fry them both the sides till golden brown .
These cutlets taste good with tomato ketchup, you can also dip them in green chutney and enjoy .

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Masala vada/Masal vadai Recipe | Paruppu Vadai

January 17, 2013 By manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

Masala vada/masal vadai is one among the favorite snack of tamil nadu . Masal vadai are the crispy delight prepared from channa dal soaked and ground in to coarse paste in which onion, green chilli , ginger,fennel seeds and salt is added, after which they are shaped and deep fried in hot oil till golden and crispy beauties. slurrrp !!! mouth watering right?? My mom never fails to make these in rainy days so i learn’t to make masala vada from her .. lets quickly look into the ingredients and method to make these delicious vadas..

Ingredients

Channa dal/Bengal gram dhal- 1 cup
Onion-1 no ( finely chopped)
Green chillies-3 nos ( finely chopped)
Fennel seeds/ sombu-1 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mint leaves – 4- 5 ( chopped)
Ginger – 1 inch piece

Salt as needed

Method

Soak Channa dal for 3 – 4 hours. After 3-4 hours drain channa dal completely.
Grind the batter to a coarse mixture without adding any water. I usually remove a handful of soaked dal before grinding and add them after I am done grinding.
Note: Don’t grind too long as we don’t want the batter to become a paste.
Mix onions, green chillies, ginger, fennel seeds .cut mint leaves curryleaves salt and cut curry leaves.

In a kadai heat oil , at the same time make vadai by taking a portion of the batter and flattening them between your palm.

Now deep fry the shaped vadai in hot oil fry the vadai till golden in color. Do the same for the rest of the vada mixture and fry them in low heat.
Lower the flame after you drop all vadai and cook in medium flame until done , keep flipping from one side to other frequently. Drain it in paper towel.
Serve hot with coconut chutney as side dish or enjoy it as is .

You can serve even with Tomatillo cilantro chutney Click here

Tips

Soak the channa dal well till it breaks when you try with your fingers, if its not soaked well the vadai will turn hard.
You an skip onion and add cabbage or spinach as well.
Green chillies can be skipped and you can use red chilli, but make sure you grind them with channa dal.
Flatten the vadai well in between your palms and press it , even that helps in making crispy vadai.
Leftover Vadai can also be used for making vadacurry.
Crush these masala vadas in White peas/ vatana gravy sundal top it with onion, coriander leaves and enjoy!!

Pineapple samosa

January 16, 2013 By

Samosa is one my fav and would love to have them any time in a day.Here is something different type of samosa which I’m sure all of you would like to make for you family and friends and will enjoy in rainy season. Yesss its pineapple samsosa which i adapted from tarla dalal recipes .. without any further ado lets peep into the ingredients and method to prepare this unique samosa

Ingredients

For The Dough

1 cup plain flour (maida)
2 tbsp ghee
salt to taste
1/4 tsp baking powder

For The Stuffing
2 tsp chopped pineapple
2 tsp crumbled paneer (cottage cheese)
1 tsp mozerrela cheese
salt to taste
2 tsp chopped capsicum
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dry red chilli flakes (paprika)
2 tsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Other Ingredients
oil for deep frying

Method

For the Dough
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well and knead into a stiff dough, using water as required. Keep aside.

For the stuffing
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and mix well. Keep aside.

Preparing samosa’s:

Roll out parathas from prepared dough and cut into two parts.
Give shape of samosa, put 2 tbsp of stuffing.
Seal the edges properly.
Similarly prepare other samosas.
Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep fry till they turn golden brown from all the sides.
Drain on an absorbent paper.
Serve hot with pineapple salsa . click here for pineapple salsa recipe

I and my Hubby love to have somosa’s in a rainy day ..smelling the wet mud and tasting hot samosa’s hmm nothing can be better than this to celebrate valentines day . And of course enjoying the romantic weather sitting on our patio.. am hoping for rain this valentines day 🙂

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