Chicken 65 Recipe | Restaurant Style Chicken 65 Recipe

Chicken 65 or Fried Chicken is spicy, juicy and delicious appetizer and it's difficult to say no to this yummy snack, who doesn't like chicken 65 after all of course ignoring the vegetarian, vegan people here :) Chicken 65 is regular feature item while visiting restaurants and where does the 65 name comes from is a big mystery. I am posting this recipe now so if you are having New Year Party, get-together or potluck then you can try this easy yet delicious chicken fry.

Palak Pyaaz Pakoda | Spinach Onion Fritters Recipe | Palak Pakoras

Palak Pyaaz Pakode, palak ke pakode or spinach onion fritters are easy pakora recipe with fresh spinach (palak) and adding little onion for crunch. Another winter specialty is having fresh, green vegetables with ample of beautiful looking spinach. In North India now spinach is everywhere, fresh and cute and during our trip we were making every second day palak dal, palak pakoda and finally towards the end of our vacation I manage to click the palak pyaaz pakode pictures.

30 Snacks Appetizers Recipes for Ramadan | Ramadan Recipes

 

Holy Month of Ramadan for 2014 is starting in one more day and i am sharing 30 appetizing snacks recipes which includes low fat non-fried tikki, cutlets, sundals, some fried goodies of pakoda, few filling chaat recipes and these chaats are very filling makes the meal by itself, Indo-Chinese recipe variety plus 3 chicken snacks, I have very less non-veg starter or snacks recipe so including whatever I have with me for now. But choose for below wide variety of snacks or appetizer for your Iftaar.

Beetroot Cutlet | Beetroot Tikki (Patties) | Easy Snacks Recipes

Beetroot cutlet or beetroot tikki, beetroot patties is easy, delicious, healthy and colorful snack for tea time or for kids lunch/snack box. We can also serve this as starter or finger food during party or get-together. I wanted to post beetroot cutlets for very long time but I was not able to take pictures whenever I made this until this time it happened finally and sharing this beautiful, perfectly spiced beetroot tikki with you all.

Lobia Vada | Karamani Vadai | Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes

Lobia Vada or pakoda is one of the easy vada recipe to try it's can be done in jiffy without much hassle, just we have to remember to soak lobia/karamani either previous night or even 2-3 hours of soaking is enough making it perfect option for tea time snacks option; soak lobia while making lunch and have a great tea time.  More than whole urad dal vada I make use other dal for vada like moong dal vada, this lobia or black split urad dal, masala vada, maddur vada (one of the favorite) and few others.

Arbi Patta Pakoda | Taro Leaves Fritters Recipe

Arbi Patta or Colcasia (Taro) leaves, Rikwach or Kacchu or Kochai patta as it's called in my in-laws place is a treat to eat.  In my home Arbi Patta only relished while a visit to hometown that also depends on season if it's available, as I never seen taro leaves in Chennai.  But now I have ample of access to this gorgeous leaves at my in-laws place there are plants in our garden, house if not get it from neighbors and if they come to know I want to eat then get extra leafs :).

Besan Fish Fry Recipe | Pan Fried Fish with Chickpeas Flour

Fish recipes are something that I lately ventured into that thanks to my brother whom gets the fish and I have no choice but to make it. Generally I like to make different fish curry as it's easy task for me and doesn't have to cook much but my brother gets bored of only fish in gravy and ask me to make fish fry, normally I do South Indian style Fish Fry or Meen Varuval as it's called but this time I tried it something different and added besan (chickpeas flour) and other spices to make this fish fry in Northern style as it's called Besan Ki Fish Fry or Besan Ka Macchi.

Lauki Pakoda | Dudhi Bhajiya | Bottlegourd Fritters

Lauki (bottle gourd) bhajiya is one of the popular pakoda in our home, since my dad don't eat potato so bottle gourd fritters gets featured a lot. As a kid I was not a very big fan of dudhi bhajiya we would remove the bottle gourd/dudhi pieces from pakoda and eat the only the outer skin so my mom has to always make potato pakodas for us.  It's strange that most of the things we use to dislike a kid start to be fond of it in our life later I have numerous things like that in my list and this lauki pakoda is one such item.  Now I don't remove the bottle gourd piece any more from the pakoda and in fact I like to eat this one.

Dry Aloo 65 | Potato 65 | Indo-Chinese Recipes

Aloo (potato 65) or also known as Chilli Potato is another Indo-Chinese specialty popular in North India whatever I have seen.  Boiled potato mix with spices, flour and deep fried to perfection, a delight to have as a snack or starter.  Though for me I prefer Gobi 65 over aloo 65 cause there are other things I like to do with potato like tikki than making aloo 65, nevertheless I made these beauties some time back and took pictures in real hurry before it start to disappear.   Aloo 65 is a very simple and easy snack and if you have boiled potato in hand then it can be done in jiffy, a good change from usual pakodas.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

DH brings pumpkin/kaddu/kumda/kumro quite often, there are few recipes which are very regular one of those is pumpkin dry curry or say stir fry, other one’s I shall post soon.   I wanted to make pumpkin soup for long as it’s one of the favourite at ‘The Soup Shop’ and after having it at Secret Recipe I decided to try it.   Exactly like Secret Recipe I made it as curried pumpkin Soup and as expected it was delicious, creamy with hint of spices.  This easy soup is filling and goes well with western, Indian or Chinese food, we had it with fried rice. Try this simple soup recipe and I am sure you will love this too as we did. 


Ingredients: [Severs 3-4]
Chopped Pumpkin/Kaddu/Kumda - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 1 tsp chopped
Ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry/Sambar Powder - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4
Oil - 1 tbsp
Vegetable Stock Cube - 1
Water - 1.5 cup + as needed
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste [if needed]
Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped
Garam Masala  - 1/2 tsp [optional]


Method:
1. In a pan or pressure cooker heat oil, add cumin seeds and let it crack.
2. Add ginger and garlic and sauté.  Add onion and sauté until light brown.
3. Add pumpkin pieces and sauté for 2 minutes
4. Add curry or sambar powder, garam masala and mix well.
5. Now add 1.5 cups water, curry leaves, vegetable stock cube, salt and give a stir
6. Close pan with lid and cook for 10-15 minutes or until pumpkin gets cooked or pressure cook for 1 whistler.
7. Once pumpkin cools down, puree it in mixer or blender.  Bring it back to pan, add water 2 cups or as required and simmer for 3-4 minutes, adjust salt if required.   Add chopped cilantro and off flame. 
Serve Hot/warm and relish the soup.

Variations:
1. You can add 1/4 cream while simmering the soup for creamy soup.  But the soup itself is creamy I don’t find a need of adding any cream.
2. Quantity of water to add while simmering is depends on how you like your soup consistency.
3. Add pepper powder only if required, otherwise it really not needed.
4. If you are using curry powder you can avoid garam masala.
5. While serving you can add 1tsp of olive oil on top of soup if you prefer. 
Have a nice day ~~

Aloo Pakoda | Potato Fritters Recipe

 
Gong Xi Fa Cai to all celebrating Chinese New Year, may year of Dragon be more fruitful n joyful.
Coming back to today’s recipes whether we call it Aloo Pakoda/pakora or Bhajiya as at in-law’s call it or south Indian style bhajji, it’s the same thing, now a days we have rain God blessing in Singapore and aloo bhajiya is perfect company along with garama garm Chai aka Tea to enjoy the rain.  Normally potato fritters is made by cutting the potatoes in thin roundels and dipping in gram flour batter which I have blogged in my Assorted Pakoras Post. 


This style of making pakoras is my mom recipe, and this more tasty than the usual aloo bhajiya, she doesn’t add curry leaves but I do as curry leaves adds good flavour to the pakoras and I also add rice flour to bring little crunchiness ….so do try adding both.

Ingredients [Serves 3-4]
Potato - 2 Large
Besan/Chickpeas Flour - 1 Cup
Rice Flour - 2
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig [chopped]
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cooking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - as needed (around 1/8 cup)
Hot Oil - 2 tbsp
Oil - To deep fry

Method:
1. Peel, wash and dice potatoes, transfer in a large bowl and add rest of ingredients except oil.

2. Give a good stir, now add water 1 tbsp at a time and mix until everything comes together, this doesn’t require so much of water so keep adding water only in less quantity. 

3. Heat oil a in wok, take 2 tbsp of hot oil & mix with potato mixture.   Scoop a spoon of batter and drop in oil, do this 4-5 times to get 4-5 pakoras and fry until golden brown in medium heat. 
If using hand, scoop around 4-5 pieces of potato for one pakora and deep fry.

Delicious pakoda/bhaji is ready.

Have it with coconut chutney, sauce or just with hot tea/coffee. 

Have a nice day ~~

Ragda Patties | Chaat Recipes

Ragda Patties is one of the popular street food or chaat item in North India and it’s one of the chaat items that I make the most and never really got the chance to post the recipe for the simple reason that it’s get’s over so fast before any clicking can be done!  So this time I made this for a friend and decided to post the recipe.  Slowly ragda pattices has been one of our favorite chaat cause it’s works perfect as a chaat/snack and also as a meal, I mostly do this for dinner. List of ingredients looks long but it's actually quite easy to prepare and if we have the chutney ready then it's quick too.


Bursting with so many flavors and spices, ragda pattice is a treat.  I have made this couple of times for guests and they started to love these too.  Ragda here is almost same as sundal that we get in Chennai from street hawkers, it was fun to eat hot piping sundal on raining days! I do the same some times too just make the ragda/sundal and relish it.  And ya ofcourse I did disappear for some time now but that’s was not a planned break, let's checkout the recipe now.



Ingredients:

For Ragda: [Serves 3-4 people]
White Dry Peas/ White Vatana - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 4 cups or as required
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
White Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp
Crushed Peanuts - 2 tbsp [optional]
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Fresh minced ginger-garlic - 1 tbsp [or ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp]
Onion - 2 medium
Green Chillies - 2
Tomato - 1 large
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Amchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1 tsp Or Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - to garnish

For Patties (Aloo Tikki)
Please refer the recipe here

For Serving:
Green Chutney - To taste
Sweet Chutney - To taste
Chopped Onion
Chopped Cilantro
Sev



Method:
1. Wash and soak vatana/dry peas over night.

2. Drain, rinse and pressure cook vatana with water and salt for 2 whistles.
 
3. Meanwhile finely chop onion, green chillies, tomato and cilantro, keep aside.

4. In a pan or wok heat oil add Asafoetida/Hing, cumin, mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Followed by peanuts (if using), curry leaves and sesame seeds, allow it to pop. (keep a lid handy, after adding sesame seeds over the pan or it will pop all over) Add ginger-garlic and sauté until light brown.



5. Now add onion, green chillies and fry until onion becomes translucent, Add all powder spices except amchur powder and give a good stir.



6. Add tomato and  cook until tomato mashes well or oil starts to leave side of pan.  Now add boiled vatana/peas and mix everything well.



7.  Add more water if required and adjust salt, add amchur powder or lemon juice, bring it to good boil and simmer in slow for 5 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro.


Our ragda is ready.



To Assemble/Serve
1. In a bowl or flat plate keep 2 pattices/tikki and pour radga over. 
2. Add green and sweet chutney, sprinkle onion, sev and cilantro.
Have it warm and enjoy. 



Have a nice day ~~

Eid Ul Adha Mubarak with Aloo Tikki | Potato Patties Recipe | Chaat Recipes

Wishing Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating.

Now a days there is no festive for any particular Religion, most of us celebrate everything or at least enjoy the holiday coming along with festive.  I wanted to do a sweet post for today but then it didn’t happen, never the less I am here with Aloo Tikki, one of the easy chaat recipe.  The good thing about these tikkies is; it can be a dish by itself or compliments any other chaat items so well, if you ever notice any road side chaat wala hot smoking tawa, there will be always aloo tikki align so beautiful in the corner.  Aloo tikki or patties makes a good party appetizer, a quick snack or breakfast and perfect for kids snack/lunch box. 

Ingredients: [Makes 6 medium size patties]

Potato - 3 medium size
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
Cilantro Chopped - 2 tbsp
Mint Chopped - 1 tbsp [optional]
Salt - to taste
Oil - For pan fry
To Serve
Green Chutney
Sweet Chutney



Method:
1. Wash and pressure cook potato for 3 whistles or boil in water until cooked.
2. Once pressure released from cooker, remove potatoes, rinse in tap water and remove skin.
3. Mash potato (avoid any lumps).  Add all the ingredients except oil and mix well to form a smooth dough.  Add more corn flour if needed. 
4. Divide the dough in equal portion and make medium size tikki/patties.


5. Heat a tawa or pan and drizzle little oil around 1 tsp, place patties and cook until golden brown in medium flame.  Flip to other side, drizzle some more oil and cook until golden brown.



Serve hot with Green or Sweet chutney or with tomato sauce/ketchup.  Enjoy these with hot tea or coffee or as breakfast. 


Have a nice day ~~

Vegetable Sandwich | Street Style

As most of you liked Murukku Sandwich recipe, I thought I should post this sandwich recipe too which is my all time favourite.  I simply love this sandwich for it’s simplicity.  This Vegetable sandwich goes a long way, on our every trip to Elephant Gate (also known as Sowarpet) in Chennai this is must along with fresh, yummy sugarcane juice.  And when I started studying there then it was regular for lunch, we group of friends will go and enjoy juice, chaat items or these sandwich and this used to cost us only Rs. 5 ahh those were the days. 

This is one of most simple sandwich to make and taste so delicious, so far to whomever I have served this all have enjoyed and asked for more.  My nephew love this and he always asks me for second serving.  If you have unexpected guests then it’s a wonderful sandwich to greet them along with tea or coffee or you can have this as a quick breakfast or as evening snack to munch on guilt free.  You can use whole wheat bread or multi grain bread whatever you like.  It’s normally made with white bread. 


Ingredients: [Serves 2]
Bread Slices - 4
Onion - 1/2
Ripe Tomato - 1
Boiled Potato - 1 small
Cucumber - 1/2 or 8 pieces
Green Chutney/Sandwich Chutney - 2-3 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 2-3 tbsp
Butter - As needed to spread  [optional]

Method:
1. Cut all the veggies in round shape. I like to separate few of onion circles so I can use less of onion as doesn’t like to have onion smell after eating.

2. Trim bread edges and spread butter (if using) on two slice.  Apply green chutney or sandwich chutney on top of butter and in another two slice spread tomato sauce/ketchup. [ I didn’t use butter]

3. Arrange the veggies as you like on the slice we have applied chutney.  I normally first keep cucumber pieces, followed by tomato, onion and potato, cover it up with another slice of bread.
Try to keep tomato slice in middle so that it doesn’t makes the bread soggy.

Cut in desire shape and enjoy these yummy beauties.  You can arrange the sandwich and make it as toast but I personally don’t like that as the veggie becomes little soggy while we toast. Or you can toast the bread and then arrange the sandwich too then I find the bread becomes chewy   so I just do this way using white or brown bread.

Serve with tea/coffee, juice or anything of your choice.  This can be a quick snack or breakfast if you have chutney ready, I normally keep my green chutney in fridge which lasts me more than a week. 
Arrange the sandwich just before eating or the bread might become soggy due to chutney and veggie.  And this goes to Archana’s Fast Food Not Fat Food, a event started by Priya

Have a nice day ~~

Murukku Sandwich & Sandwich Chutney Recipes

 

Yes, that’s right it’s indeed Muruku Sandwich.   Are you thinking what’s on earth is that, well it’s nothing but vegetable layer between two mini muruku pieces to make sandwich.  It apparently famous in Chennai, I gain knowledge about these sandwiches from my sister.  I liked the idea so thought of sharing with you all, hope you like it too. 

We all know about green chutney and most of us use same for sandwich too but then my dear sister told me about this sandwich chutney which made in a little different way than green chutney.  This recipe is from street vendors whom sell bread sandwich on road side.  In this chutney one ingredient used is cucumber peel, after peeling all the cucumber for sandwiches they use peel/skin to make chutney, interesting right?  I asked my sister 10 times is she sure this the way it’s done and she assured me this is the recipe indeed.  

Sandwich Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:

Cilantro - 12 sprigs

Mint Leaves - 2 springs

Cucumber Skin/Peel -1/2 cup or of 1 cucumber

Roasted Gram Dal/Dalia - 1/2 tbsp

Garlic Pod - 1

Green Chillies - 2

Lemon Juice - 1/2 tbsp

Rock Salt/Kala Namak - 1/4 tsp  [Or chat masala]

Salt - To Taste

Method:

1.  Grab all the ingredients, make sure to wash well cucumber before you peel it.  [ I missed out lemon here]

2.  Grind all the ingredients in a mixer or blender and add 1 tbsp of water only if required.  

Adjust salt n chilli if required and our sandwich chutney is ready. You will get light green colour chutney, I used little extra of mint and got the dark colour! Consume this chutney same day and do not try to store.

Let’s move on and make the sandwich now.

 

For Murukku Sandwich

There is no measurement here as we have to use the ingredients to our taste and requirement.

Mini Murukku - 12 pieces or as required

Tomato Pieces - Few

Cucumber Pieces - Few

Onion Pieces - Few

Boiled Potato Pieces - Few [optional]

Sandwich Chutney or Green Chutney - To spread

Cheese - For Topping

Thin Sev - For garnishing [optional]

Method:

Normally these sandwiches are made from mini murukku smaller than what you see in the picture since I don’t have those super mini one’s I am using these.

~ Cut all the vegetables in tiny pieces, use boiled potato if you wish.  You can also use any other vegetable of your choice. 

To arrange the sandwich apply chutney on muruku pieces, keep one cucumber piece, onion pieces followed by tomato and cover it up with another muruku piece. 

Our muruku sandwich is ready, how simple is that?  In shop it comes as pair of 9 sandwich here I made of 6, you can make as many as you like.

Sprinkle cheese to make it Cheese Muruku Sandwich, in shops it serves with lot of cheese topping.  No wonder kids loves this!

Or instead of cheese you can sprinkle little of thin sev, you can make it as open sandwich too for that don’t cover the sandwich top with muruku piece. 

Use toothpick to make these yummy sandwich as party appetizers, what you say?

Kids love this and so adult.  A very quick snack to make and please your kid, family or guest. 

Have a nice day ~~