KAJU PAKORA /CASHEW PAKORA

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup cashew nuts
1 cup chick pea flour /besan
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp sabzi masala/garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 green chili finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped mint , coriander or methi leaves
1 onion slised
oil to deep fry
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl.
2. Sprinkle little water so that the batter coats the cashews evenly.
3. Take a spoon full of batter and drop in hot oil and cook till it becomes golden brown in color.

Note:

1. You can make it without rice flour, replace it with same quantity of chick pea flour , just add a pinch of baking powder to make pakoras crispy.

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RICE PAKORA

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice ( freshly cooked rice or leftover cooked rice)
1  onion, finely chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp carom seeds/ajwain, (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
5 tbsp gram flour/besan
salt as per taste
oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Mash  rice with your hands or with a spoon.
2. Add rest of the ingredients to the mashed rice and mix well add little water to make a soft dough .
3. Keep aside for 8 to 10 minutes
4. Heat oil in a kadai .
5. Make lemon sized balls  and drop them in hot oil and deep fry on medium heat till they become lightly brown in color.
6. Drain out them on absorbent paper or kitchen towel and serve with green chutney or tomato sauce.

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CHEESE FRITTERS / PANEER PAKORA

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

200 gms cottage cheese
2 cups chick pea flour (besan)
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
a pinch of baking powder (optional)
2 tsp chaat masala powder
oil for frying

Method:

1. Make a thick batter of coating consistency by adding 1/2 cup water to chickpea flour.
2. Add   salt to taste,turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala, dhania powder and baking powder to it and keep aside.
3. Cut cottage cheese in tO 1" by 1" long thin slices.
4. Take one slice and sprinkle chaat  masala evenly over it.
5. Place another slice over it and press it with soft hands.
6. Repeat the same with rest of the cheese slices.
7. Dip each  piece one at a time in the chick pea batter and deep fry it in hot oil till it becomes golden brown in color.
8. Sprinkle chaat masala on it and serve it with a tbsp full of tamarind chuttney and the same quantity of dhania chuttney or pudina chuttney mixed together.

Variation:

1. Instead of sprinkling chaat masala between cheese slices you can spread dhania chuttney or pudina chuttney .

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PIZZA PARANTHA / MASHROOM,ONION,CAPSICUM PARANTHA

Ingredients:
2 cup wheat flour
1 small onion finely chopped
1 small capsicum finely chopped
2-3 mushrooms finely chopped
2-3 tbsp Grated cheese
pizza pasta sauce
salt and pepper
oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Knead regular dough as you knead for regular chapati or parantha using as much water as required.
2. Keep the dough on rest for 5-10 minutes under damp cloth.
3. Divide the dough in 3-5 parts.
4. Take one part at a time roll it into a ball.
5. Dust the ball with some flour and make a circular disk.
6. Now spread pizza pasta sauce on it.
7. Then a tbsp full of all the chopped vegetables mixed together.
8. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and then place some grated cheese on it .
9. Now join the edges of the circular disk to seal the stuffing inside and again roll out with the help of a rolling pin using as much dry flour as required.
10. Shallow fry this parantha from both the sides on a non- stick tava (griddle) using oil till it becomes golden brown in color.
11. Serve hot with ketchup. 

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FRUITY CHOCOLATES

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
melted chocolate white or dark or a combination of both
fruits of your choice

Method:

1. Cut the fruits in desired shapes and insert a tooth prick in each of them.
2. Now dip them in melted chocolate and place them on a foil or on silicon sheet.
3. Take them out gently and serve .
4. You can also make skewers using long tooth pricks like shown in the picture below.

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CHAPATI NOODLES

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
3-4 chapatis or plain paranthas
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 medium sized onion thinly sliced lenth-wise
1/2 cup cabbage shredded
1 medium sized carrot cut into thin strips
1 small capsicum cut into thin strips
1/4 tsp white or black pepper powder
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp shezwan sauce or chili sauce
salt to taste

Method:

1. Roll all the chapatis together and cut thin noodles like strips out of them.Keep aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan add onions, carrots and capsicum and cook these for two minutes now add cabbage and the thinly sliced strips of chapati and stir the chapati noodles with vegetables.
3. Add soya sauce,shezwan or chili sauce, vinegar and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes on high flame stirring continuously
4. Do not serve immediately because the chapati noodles will take 5-10 minutes to absorb the sauces.
5. So make them 5-10 minutes before serving and heat them before serving.

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PAAPDI CHAAT

Ingredients:

6 papris
1 potato boiled, peeled and diced
1/4 cup chickpeas boiled
1 cup plain yogurt
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin seed powder (bhuna jeera)
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
2 tablespoons hari cilantro chutney
2 tablespoons tamarind chutney

1 tbsp each of pomegranate seeds,chopped coriander leaves and sev bhujiya for garnishing 

Method:

1. Put the yogurt into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add a little milk if needed to consistency of pancake batter. Add salt to taste. Set aside
2. Arrange the papdi on a plate.
3. Spread potato cubes and chickpeas on papdis . 
4. Drizzle yogurt over papdis.
5. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder, and red chili to your taste.
6. Finish the papdi chat by drizzling with tamarind chutney and hari cilantro chuttney.
7. Garnish with pomegranate seeds,chopped coriander leaves and sev bhujiya

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PAAPRI / PLAIN MATHRI

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour (maida or plain flour)
2 tbsp semolina (sooji)
2 tbsp oil + oil for frying
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
Approx 1/3 cup lukewarm water or as needed

Method:

1. Mix the flour, sooji, salt, and 2 tbsp oil in a bowl. Add water to the mixture a little at a time and knead a firm dough.
2. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into about 3-4 equal parts.
4. Roll one section of the dough to eight inches in diameter, fairly thin ­– about thickness of dime. Do the same with the remaining two parts.
5. Prick the rolled dough firmly with a fork to avoid puffing of papdis while frying. 
6. Take a round cutter or a bowl and take out circles of desired size.Roll out the excessive dough in to a ball ,then repeat the method mentioned above and take out papdies out of that as well. 
7. Heat oil in a kadahi or wok and fry the papdis on medium heat until both sides are a golden brown in color.
8. Remove cooked papdi with a slotted spoon on an absorbant paper towel. Do the same with remaining papdis as well.
9. After the papdis cool down to room temperature they will become crisp.
10. Papdis can be stored in airtight container for 1 month.

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SOUTH INDIAN RAITA / SOUTH INDIAN STYLE DAHI BHALLA

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 0
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

200 gms hung curd
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp powder sugar
1" ginger grated
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chili
salt to taste
2 tsp boondi


Method:

1. Mix hung curd,milk and sugar with the help of blender.
2. Grate ginger and squeeze out it's juice, and mix it in the curd discard rest of it or use it in ginger tea or in any other vegetable.
3. Break the curry leaves with hands in small pieces and mix them in curd as well.
4. Cut the green chili lengthwise in small pieces and mix these pieces with curd.
5. Finely add salt at the time of serving and garnish with boondi.
6. Serve chilled. 
7. You can serve it with vada or bhalla as well.

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METHI MALAI PANEER

Preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
1 cup white sauce
200 grm cottage cheese cut in cubes
1 onion very finely chopped
1 tbsp dry kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp black or white pepper powder or as per taste
2 tbsp fresh cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp oil or butter
Method:

1. Heat oil or butter in a pan and add chopped onions,stir till they become pink in color. 
2. Add white sauce and rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Cook till you reach the required consistency and serve hot with rice or chapati.

Note:

1. Be careful while adding salt as it is already present in white sauce.

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KURKURI BHINDI

Preparation time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
250 grm okra / lady finger (bhindi)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp sabzi masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/4 tsp degi mirch
1/4 tsp dry mango powder (amchoor powder)
salt to taste
mustard oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Wash the okra thoroughly and clean each one with a cotton napkin properly.
2. Cut off top and tip of the okra and chop it into 1/2 inch long roundels.
3. Heat the oil and deep fry okra into it till it becomes crisp and brown.
4. Drain it out on an absorbent paper. 
5. Take a tablespoon of oil in another pan and add cumin seeds to it.
6. When they start to crackle add rest of the spices and salt and mix well.
7. Add fried okra to it and mix well.
8. kurkuri bhindi is ready. Serve it with dal and chapati.

Variations:

1. You can add 1 tbsp of besan (gram flour) before adding spices, roast it and then add rest of the spices and okra.

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