Sabudana Vada

This is a traditional snack from Maharashtra, but widely famous as a fasting or vrat snack especially during Krishna Jayanti / Navratri fasts

For me its just another fast food :)

The one thing I love about it is that its very different from the normal fried pakoda s you have. Hard exteriors with a soft and gooey interior makes it taste so heavenly

You can add so many variations , so I am marking them as optional


Ingredients:

Sago pearls / Sabudana : 1 cup
Potatoes : 3 large ( boiled and mashed / grated)
Green chillies: 2 finely chopped
Coriander leaves: 1/3 cup finely chopped
Peanuts : 3 Tbsp crushed / powdered ( Optional)
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Salt : as taste ( you can substitute your vrat namak / sendha namak)
Pepper powder: 1 tsp Or Chilly powder of the same quantity
Bread crumbs or fresh ground bread : 1 (Optional)
Lemon juice: 1 tsp (Optional)
Oil : for deep frying

Soak the sago , for atleast 45 mins, drain the water completely and allow it to stand for another 30 mins. This way the sago will puff up well and resting allows it to soak the excess water
Now add all the ingredients, and mix weel to form a stiff mixture
I personally omitted the peanuts
In a deep pan , heat the required amount of oil for deep frying
In case the mixture is a little bit sticky, you can smear your palms with some oil
Divide the mixture into equal balls and with the help of your palms, flatten it or rol up to the desired shape you would want to have
Slide each piece slowly into the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown on both the sides
Drain on an absorbent paper and serve hot
Goes well with tea green chutney or even plain sauce




In case you guys have any variation to the above please do write the same to me

Note:

During Vart , bread is not used, you can ofcourse remove the same, but if you tend to make it on another other day, I would suggest the addition of fresh ground bread  or bread soaked in water and crumbled, as I have noticed the vada to be more crisper and it absorbs lesser oil

Tandoori paneer Pizza

A delicate Indo Italian fusion


Ingredients

Pizza Base 8" : 2
Tomato sauce: 1/4 cup
Chilly sauce: 2 Tbsp
Shredded mozzarella cheese: 1 cup
Butter : for greasing and glazing
Oil/ghee : 1tsp
Coal pieces: 2

FOR THE TANDOORI PANEER TOPPING

Paneer cubes : 1 cup
Cubed bell peppers: 1/4 cup
Deseeded tomato cubes: 1/4 cup
Cubes onions: 1/4 cup
Fresh cream: 1 Tbsp

TO BE MIXED INTO A MARINADE

Curd: 1/3 cup
Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
Dried fenugreek leaves or Kasuri methi: 1 tsp
Ginger - garlic paste: 2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
Butter: 2 tsp
Salt: to taste


To Proceed....

For the paneer topping

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade except butter
Marinate the paneer, capsicum and tomato cubes in the marinade for 30 minutes
Heat butter in a saucepan , saute the onion cubes for 1 - 2 mins
Now dd the marinade along with fresh cream and cook on simmer flame for 3-5 minutes
Remove from fire and keep aside in a covered bowl
Meanwhile heat the coal directly on gas, and once red hot transfer it to a small bowl
Place this coal bowl amidst the covered bowl, pour the oil / ghee over the coal, and cover the bowl immediately
Let it rest for 5 - 7 mins, until the marinade gets a smoky flavor and then discard the bowl with the coal
Divide the smoky marinade into two equal portions

Preheat oven at 200 C (400 F)
Place the pizza base on to a greased baking tray or on to a pizza stone
Spread the tomato and chilli sauce on to the base
Spread half of the marinade on to one base and the other half on to the other one
Sprinkle cheese and bake for 10 - 15 mins or till the base is evenly browned and the cheese melts
Cut and serve immediately

Coconut Rice - Modern way ToI

Coconut rice is made with many variations. One version is when chana dal and rice are steam cooked along with grated coconut.

Ingredients:

Chana dal: 200 gms

Rice: 350 gms

Coconut: One half of a whole coconut (can use the whole coconut if the size is small)

Mustard seeds: ½ tsp

Cumin seeds: ½ tsp

Urad dal: ½ tsp

Red chilli (Whole): 2

Curry leaves: 4-5

Salt to taste 

How to go on.....

- Soak the chanal dal for one hour before cooking. Rinse the rice before cooking.

- Take oil in a pan and heat it. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, red chilli and curry leaves in to it. Once the mustard seeds start to crackle, add soaked chana dal and rice and mix the ingredients well. Add adequate water, but see to it that you add only as much water the whole mixture needs to cook.

- Add salt and grated coconut. Put the lid on the vessel and allow it to cook for 10 minutes. - After 10 minutes, mix the ingredients well and see how well cooked the chana and rice are. If you feel it will get ready by another five to 10 minutes, then allow the entire thing to cook in a low flame. Add another two spoons of oil at the same time. Let it settle for a while.

- If you want to cook it in a pressure cooker, it will taste equally better. But add less water than what you would have if you were cooking in a vessel.

- Serve the hot coconut rice will appalam and piping hot rasam. It is indeed a yum treat for taste buds.