Potato Skins

Try this very easy starter..... with a lil bit more on the calorie side

Courtesy : Flavor

So you would require

10 - 15 Small potatoes
1Tbsp olive oil
1Tbsp Butter
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese - you can also experiment with other varieties
1/4 cup cream
1/4 tsp mustard sauce / powder
Crushed Black pepper and red chilli flakes - to taste
Salt to taste
Fresh Parsley / Coriander leaves - to garnish


Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Pierce the potatoes with a fork, and arrange the same on a baking sheet (lined over a tray) in a single layer and brush with olive oil
Roast it uncovered, until tender , this may take about 30 - 40 minutes
Once done , allow it to cool
Halves the potatoes , using a melon scooper or a teaspoon , scoop out the flesh / middle part in the bowl
Return the potato skins to the baking tray
Mash the potato flesh along with cream, cheese, salt , pepper, chilly flakes and mustard
Sprinkle some salt over the sides of the potato skin and stuff each with the potato mixture
Bake the potato skins until golden brown on top , for about 15 - 20 minutes

Dahi Tamatar Ke Kebab with Khajoor Chutney and Hormukh Phak

Planning the menu for a luncheon can be a Herculean task if you have invited over friends with an extremely diverse meal preference. And among them are ones with a bias for traditional Indian cuisine, and those with a palate for Continental or Oriental dishes.

If this is your scenario, don't lose heart and ditch the idea of rustling up a surprise in favour of calling in from a restaurant. A dash of creativity in menu planning is all it takes to please even a motley gang. Simply fuse different cuisine, and you are good to go. A traditional Indian appetizer, an Oriental main course and an Italian dessert is not a bad idea either, and will keep even a fussy foodie in perfect peace.

So here is some eclectic assortment that's just right for the occasion, and simple enough to be tried at home from chef Inder Dev of Fortune Select Excalibur, Gurgaon


Dahi Tamatar Ke Kebab with Khajoor Chutney 

Ingredients:

Tomatoes red 4 nos
Bread slices 4 nos
Butter milk 1 cup
Yellow chilli powder...a pinch
Lemon rinds 1 tsp


For filling: 

Hung curd 1 cup
Fresh cream 2 tblspns
Finely chopped green chilli 1 tsp
Finely chopped dill leaves ½ tsp
White pepper powder...a pinch
Garam masala powder...a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


For khajoor chutney: 
Khajoor 200 gms
Black jaggery 40 gms
Ginger 20 gms
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Sesame oil 2 tblspns

Method: 
- Take equal sized red tomatoes, wash and then remove eye by slicing the top.
- Combine all filling ingredients and mix them well.
- Fill tomatoes with the above filling and keep aside.
- Mix butter milk, yellow chilli powder and salt.
- Soak a bread slice in butter milk mixture, wrap filled tomatoes with soaked bread slice and seal from all sides. Repeat the same with remaining tomatoes and bread slices.
- Deep fry wrapped tomatoes in a medium hot oil until golden brown and crisp. Drain.
- Cut into half, sprinkle lemon rinds on top and serve immediately with khajoor chutney.


Khajoor Chutney: 
- Combine all chutney ingredients, mix well, add a cup of water and simmer until it becomes thick.
- Strain and cool.

Hormukh Phak 


Ingredients:

Mushroom 250 gms
Baby corn 75 gms
Carrots 75 gms
Zucchini 75 gms
Broccoli 75 gms
Thai red chili cut into slices 1 tsp
Basil 2-3 nos
Onion finely chopped 1 cup
Coconut milk powder 2 tblspns
Thai red curry paste 2 tblspns
Oil 2 tblspns
Salt to taste
Thai seasoning...a pinch
Tender coconut shell...to serve

Method: 
- Clean and chop mushroom, baby corns, carrots, zucchini and broccoli.
- Heat oil, add Thai red chillies and cook for a moment, then add fresh basil and chopped onion and saute until transparent.
- Add vegetables and cook until tender and water evaporates.
- Add Thai red curry paste and cook for a moment.
- Dissolve coconut milk powder and stir in the preparation.
- Mix well, adjust salt and seasoning.
- Transfer into a tender coconut shell and serve with steamed rice.

Spinach Cheese Swirls with Avocado

This tempting appetizers look like they are reallyyyyy difficult to make, but guess this is one recipe that a fresher to cooking experiments can try their hands on.....and results in flaky puff with your choice of stuffing and an awesome dressing

(I am sorry for the clumsy pics, as I was in a hurry while preparing this...but next time when I bake this will post more clearer pics )

So all you require is

1 Sheet Puff pastry ( thawed)
All purpose flour to dust
Rolling pin
Oil - for brushing


Stuffing - Cheese Spinach Mixture

1/2 cup Spinach - finely chopped
3 Tbsp of fresh coriander / Parsley leaves - finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2Tbsp Mozzarella Cheese - grated
1Tbsp Parmesan cheese - grated

Heat the oven to 400°F.
Sprinkle the flour on the work surface / baking tray.
Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface and roll it out a bit

Brush the pastry sheet with oil
Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing
Top the sheet with the cheese and spinach.mixture
Starting at a short side, roll up like a jelly roll
Cut into about 20 (1/2-inch) slices
Place the slices, cut-side down, onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Brush the slices with oil
Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown
Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 5 minutes



Topping / Dressing

3Tbsp Mashed  ripe avocado
1Tbsp boiled corn kernels
1Tbsp onion - finely chopped
1/4 tsp green chillies - finely chopped
1Tbsp Tomatoes - finely Chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp lemon juice

Mix all the above ingredients and keep aside

Finally........In a plate place the pastry swirls and top it with the Avocado mix
Sprinkle some fresh ground black pepper over it

TIP's:


For a flavor twist, try a different cheese.  Any shredded cheese will work in this recipe
You have endless options for the stuffing's
For best results, make sure to remove as much liquid as you can from the greens before adding it to the pastry. If it's too wet, it may make the pastry soggy
For the toppings, you can also try versions such as Pesto, Hummus, Cucumber - Yogurt Dip,  mixed glazed fruits, Apple Plum Reduction

Babycorn Pepper - Salt

This week......is Chinese special........I am trying to re create Indo Chinese recipes, that I am missing out here when I want to have them

10 - 12 baby corn, boiled
1/2 tsp cornflour
2tsp refined flour / plain flour
1.5 tsp black pepper corns freshly crushed - you can also use pink and white instead
2Tbsp Spring Onion greens - chopped
2 Stalk Spring onion bulbs - sliced vertically
Salt to taste
2 green chillies - finely chopped
1tsp ginger - finely chopped
1tsp garlic  - finely chopped ( i avoided this, but it does increases the flavor)
1Tbsp celery - chopped
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1tsp Vinegar
1tsp Soya sauce
1/2 Tbsp + for deep frying - Oil

Cut the boiled baby corns vertically ( 2 -3 cuts for a babycorn) into smaller pieces - bit size pieces
In a bowl add the baby corn and season with with salt and white pepper, add cornstarch / cornflour along with plain flour to dust and mix it well
Heat oil in a pan and add the coated baby corn and fry until crisp
In the meanwhile heat oil in a wok and add garlic, ginger , green chillies and celery ( you can add more apart from the specified quantity in case you like celery)
Give it a stir and add the onion bulbs, you can also add sliced onions
Saute well
Also keep a check on the babycorn, and stir it so that its evenly cooked and crisp - crunchy
Add soya sauce to the wok along with salt and the crispy babycorn , directly from the oil at this stage
Give it a mix and add vinegar, crushed peppercorns and garnish with spring onion greens
Serve it immediately since the baby corns needs to be crunchy and crisp......tat s when you will enjoy it the most

Masala Vada

Masala Vada and these 2 words just take me back to my college days, where everyday I longed to have the vada at the University Canteen ......the vada tasted same everyday and she used to keep aside some for me , cos as they plated the vada, it would just vanish...So this recipe is from our Canteen Amma from the University of Madras......

So all you need is a cloudy weather....masala tea or coffee and vadas :)...Can't ask for anything more

So we shall start off with

1 cup Soaked Channa Dal ( soak it for 2 - 3 hrs)

1 Green Chilly

2" Ginger

Keep aside 2 Tbsp of dal  and grind the rest into a coarse mixture

Next you would require

1large Onion - finely chopped

1Tbsp fennel seeds / saunf

10 - 12 curry leaves

2 pinch asafoetida

1Tbsp red chilly powder

Salt to taste

Now add the channa dal ( whole , kept aside) and the ground mixture to the above ingredients

Mix well

Heat oil in a pan

Shape the vadas to your convenience , you might just want round ones or flat it on a plastic sheet and then slide it slowly 

Keep the gas over medium to low heat , else the vadas might be uncooked from inside

Deep fry until brown and drain on a kitchen towel

Serve hot with chutney , sauce of your choice

Raw Banana Kebab

Ingredients

2 raw banana
1/2 cup fresh sweet corn - roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated paneer
4Tbsp grated carrot
1Tbsp chopped raisins
1tsp green chillies - finely chopped
1tsp grated ginger
2Tbsp grated potato
1Tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1tsp red chilly powder
1tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1tsp chat masala

Oil

Boil raw banana / plantain along with the skin, I used a pressure cooker for 2 whistles, alternatively for 20 min Remove from water and let it cool , prolonged exposure to water can result in the plantain being mushy and very soft
Once cooled, remove the skin and grate
Add all the other ingredients except oil and make a firm dough
(In case you feel the dough is soft and sticky add corn flour / maida )

Now you can either opt to

- deep fry the kebab , either in form of round tikkis, or roll in a skewer , press the ends and remove it gently to slide down in hot oil
- Oven bake .... pre heat the oven at 450 and place the kebab in a skewer and apply oil on the surface, after 15mins turn it to BROIL , turn the kebabs at regular intervals until brown on all sides

Garnish with Onion rings and mint springs, with a dash of lemon and sprinkle some chat masala
Serve hot with Chutney / Sauce of your choice

Crispy Chilli Potatoes with Honey and Sesame

At Mainland China - back in India, I just loved this starter and have attempted to recreate the original one...Though it did not turn out exactly it still gave me the taste i longed for.........


 2 large  Potatoes - cut into cubes / wedges
2Tbsp Fresh red chilly paste
1Tbsp Sesame seeds
1Tbsp Lemon juice
Salt: To taste
2 tsp Sugar
1tsp Honey
1tsp Vinegar
Oil: For deep frying
2Tbsp Sesame oil / vegetable oil
1Tbsp Maida / All purpose flour
1/2tsp Red Chilly powder

• Par boil the potatoes [ Boil water in a saucepan along with salt and put the potatoes cubes/wedges , cover the lid and boil it for 5mins and drain] and keep aside
• Add salt , maida and red chilly powder to the potatoes and mix with light hands
• Heat oil in a wok and fry the coated potatoes until crisp and brown
• Mix in red chilly paste ( I got a ready-made one, but you can also use fresh red chillies instead) along with vinegar, sugar, salt , honey
• Heat oil in a pan and add the sesame seeds and fry for a minute 
• Now add the crispy potatoes and mix it and add the paste
• Stir and mix well
• Before removing off the heat add in lemon juice and dress it with honey
• Serve hot 

You can garnish it with cilantro / spring onions / sliced red chillies / lemon wedges

Potato Paneer Tubs

Potato Paneer Tubs

Spicy potato marinated in a rich yogurt mixture....

Serves 4

You would require

Potatoes - 2 large ( I used Idaho potatoes)

For the Stuffing

Paneer / Cottage cheese : 50 gms - grated / crumbled

Coriander / Cilantro : 2 tablespoons finely chopped

Ginger - Garlic - Green chilly paste : 1tsp

Chat masala: 1/2 tsp

Salt: To taste

Cumin powder:1/4 tsp

Crushed Papad: 5Tbsp (roasted / Fried)

For the marinate

Yogurt: 1 cup - whisked well

Coriander / Cilantro: 1 Tbsp

Black salt:1/4 tsp

Red chilly powder / Cayenne powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt: To taste

Mustard Oil: 2 tsp

Here you go.........

Wash and clean potatoes . Place them in the middle rack of the oven and heat it at 350degrees for 40 mins ( in case the potatoes are too large add another 10 mins)

In the meanwhile mix all the ingredients for the marinate and set aside

Once the potatoes are done leave it at rest for half an hour ( if you don't have much time start right away)

Cut the potatoes into half length wise and scoop out some of the inside with a melon scooper / spoon

Mix the inside of the potatoes along with ingredients required for stuffings and stuff the potato shells generously with the stuffing

Now marinate the potatoes stuffed shells in the yogurt mixture with light hands and leave it for 30mins

Preheat oven to 180degrees and place the shells in a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20 mins

Turn over and bake for 10 mins or until its golden brown of your choice

Serve hot with Chutney and salad of your choice

Note: If you want to add extra calorie...let me know ..........