Mashed Potato Fritter

Yet again, in an attempt to be more regular with my blog, am beginning to publish recipes that have been waiting to be posted. Joining the group Chef at large in FB has really rekindled my enthusiasm to be an active blogger and that prompted me to post this very interesting, low oil, potato fritters that I made a couple of weeks back.

This fritter was inspired by a Beirut blog I follow. Many of the Lebanese and Beirut recipes are customisable to Indian taste and this potato fritter is one such inspired version from the following link mashed potato fritter. Off to the recipe...

Prep time: 30 mins                                                 Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients:
2-3 potatoes
1 small onion
1/2 cup green peas
2 green chillies
sprig of curry leaves
1/2tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala or red chilli powder
dash of turmeric for colour
Salt to taste

Preparation:

- Peel the potatoes and boil them along with the green peas and set aside for cooling.

 - Meanwhile, dice the onions, chillies and get the other ingredients ready.

- Mash the potatoes and mix in the other ingredients along and make small balls of the same and keep aside.

- Heat a non stick panniyaram pan or a cast iron pan/skillet.

- Add little oil in each of the portions and once the skillet is hot, place one ball of potato in each and flatten with a spoon.

- Fry on both sides and remove on serving dish.

- Enjoy the fritters with any side of your choice:-)

Note: Variations to this can be done using eggs, cheese, paneer or other vegetables of your choice.

Tawa Idli

Had made Kancheepuram idli's recently for dinner. Had got so excited with the texture of the idlis and ended up making so many more idlis than can be eaten..:-) So, they became Tawa idli's the next morning for breakfast;-) It was raining idlis from dinner until breakfast that in the end, I had to stop making idli batter for the next 10 days:-)

Tawa idlis are the best way to use up left over idli's and will always be an instant hit and you will be surprised there is no more left over. I have earlier uploaded a different version of this Tawa idli, which is more South Indian....Idli Upma while this is more a North Indian version!

Try making any of these versions and enjoy the flavours of the left over idlis....

Ingredients:

- 8-10 left over kancheepuram idlis or normal idlis
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 2-3 green chillies
- 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste

Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp gingely oil or cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp channa dhal
- 1 tsp urad dhal
- few curry leaves or coriander leaves

Prep time: 10 mins                             Cook time: 15 mins

Preparation:

- Cut the left over idlis into bite sized cubes.

- In a tawa, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the channa dhal, urad dhal and curry leaves and fry them till the dhals turn golden brown.
- Add the onions, green chillies and fry until they turn translucent. Now, add the green peas and tomatoes. To this, add salt, turmeric and chilly powder.
- Fry these until the raw smell of the chilly powder leaves and the green peas is cooked well. This may take 5-7 minutes.
- When the masala is cooked, add the cut idlis and mix up well such that the masala gets coated over the cooked idlis.

- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any sauce or chutney.

Note: Pls note, idlis already have salt. So, add only salt necessary for the masala to cook.

Home made Potato Chips....Ready to use anytime!

Summer holidays to me spark in mind, lush green fields, a river or stream flowing across, pump sets that gush out water in full force into the fields and kids drenching themselves in that fresh cold water, a country home full of kids running helter skelter, a huge swing in the middle of the larger than life living room, a home filled with all possible summer fruits in abundance, pickles, all kind of sun dried fryms in the backyard waiting to be fried in oil, sheds with cows and calves and fresh milk, Children covered with mud and dust from head to toe completely tanned by the grace of Sun, Grandparents waiting to pamper these kids who are already immensely let loose....and I can go on and on and on....  


Kids these days hardly know how a Village looks or feels like! Infact, I was taken by surprise when I heard that some of my close friends have themselves never lived or experienced village life. I have reason to feel proud that I had been fortunate to know the country life in India and experience the love and gratitude of the people who live there.

Now, how does the above story relate to this post?!Well, thinking of summer holidays I was reminded of all the fun things I did as a kid and while discussing with a colleague en-route to work, I learnt from her this super simple potato chips that she enjoyed making as a kid during summer hols! So, all the Urban Mom's out there, am sure you are busy rolling up your sleeves to keep your kids engaged in the holidays! So, why not get your kids to do some fun thing with their favourite veggie the potato....and make them feel good about themselves. Am sure they will enjoy this immensely....though this job is'nt all that messy it still is fun to be out in the sun, waiting to get the potatoes off the terrace into the oil and snack heartily on them while watching their fav cartoon!

Don't go laughing at my ingredients list but truly this is all you need!


Ingredients:

- 1 kg big potatoes
- 1 tsp oil
- a big pot of boiling water
- Salt to taste
- 5 to 6 slit green chillies(optional)
- 2 large white clothes:-)
- ample space with ample sunlight (preferably backyard or terrace)!

Prep time: 15 mins                            Cook time: 4 mins               Dry time: 8 hours

Preparation:

- Peel the potatoes and wash them.

- Slice them into big round pieces using a chips slicer/shredder.

- While you finish slicing a half potato, turn it over to the other side to slice the rest. Makes the job easier and faster and safer for your hands!

- Boil a large pot of water, add slit chillies, salt and 1 tsp oil( helps to keep the slices seperate).

- Add the potatoes and boil them exactly for 3 mins( not more than 3 minutes)
- If you feel the potatoes are still too raw, switch off the heat and leave them in the hot water for 1 more minute.

- Drain them immediately on to a strainer.

- In your terrace or backyard, where you have enough direct sunlight, spread a white cloth and place stones on all corners to prevent the cloth from flying/folding.
- Now, spread the slices of potatoes next to each other.

- Since the potatoes might start flying around when they begin to dry up, it is best to cover them over with another white cloth!

 - This way you can also prevent the potatoes form being picked by birds!

- When they are let to dry for 7 to 8 hours, voila...you have sun dried potatoes, that can be stored in a box and fried whenever you need a quick snack!

- On frying them, you can spice them up with some salt(if needed) , chilly powder or pepper or any other flavour your family likes!


Foot note:

- Do not boil the potatoes too long. They would get cooked and would be difficult to handle.
- Spread them out as soon as you drain them. If you let them stay in the strainer for too long, they could get cooked up in the heat.
- Instead of using slit chillies you can grind them and add into the water. I found, the spiciness from slit chillies did not get into the potatoes.
- Be very careful with your fingers and palms while slicing the potatoes! You can use wavy slicers to create shapes on the potatoes too.

Cheese Corn balls

Usually I try to bake what needs to be fried but today I happened to do the opposite:-) Fried something that needs to be baked...well, I guess it is high time I get myself an oven before I begin to overdo this frying act. As part of the Gutsy cook club I had  decided to make cheese corn puffs but as it turned out, did'nt have enough time to wrap it up by the weekend and over-shot the schedule. So, this one is kind of a modified version of the cheese corn puffs adn it turned out pretty good. A quickie for those sudden guests popping in from time to time...

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
- 1/2 cup fresh or canned corn( if frozen thaw it well ahead of making)

- 2 green chillies
- 1 egg white (optional)
- 1/2 cup cheese ( any flavour)
- Salt as needed
- oil for frying

Prep time: 10 mins             Cook time: 4 to 5 minutes per batch

Source: Food Network

Preparation:

- Grind the corn and chilly together without adding any water.
- Mix the ground paste with the flour, cheese and egg white.

- Add salt as needed
- Heat oil in a pan and fry small portions of the mix in low heat.

- Serve hot with any sauce of your choice:-) is'nt that the simplest!

Sending the recipe to

Winter Carnival hosted by Radhika of Tickling Palates

Poha(flaked rice)-Oats-Sago(tapioca) Idli for Blog hop

A super simple idli recipe using less of urad dhal and these three awesome ingredients. This idli can be a healthy option for those on low pulses/lentils diet. My blog hoping for this week is with Kalyani of Sizzling tastebuds! Actually, am not sure if I have blog hopped with the correct Kalyani because I did not have the link to her page. But basis the schedule for the upcoming hops, I zeroed in on her blog!

All in all it turned out awesome seeing through her blog. Found some interesting recipes on her site and this one caught my attention instantly. Turned out really soft and was liked by all at home:-)The sago is an addition from me to the original recipe though.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups Idli rice
- 1/4 cup Urad dhal
- 1/4 cup Sago (saboodhna or javarisi)
- 1/4 cup regular oats
- 1/4 cup thick poha
- Salt to taste
-Water for soaking and grinding the batter:-)

Soaking time: 3 to 4 hours    Grinding time: 30 mins      Fermenting time: 12 hours or overnight

Preparation:

Making the batter:

- Wash and soak the rice in enough water. Soak the oats, poha and sago along with the rice
- Wash and soak the urad dhal separately
- On soaking for 3 to 4 hours, grind the urad dhal first. If using mixer or blender remove the urad dhal and grind the rice and other items and mix with the urad dhal batter.
- If using a grinder, add the urad dhal and once it becomes smooth, add the rice and other ingredients to it and let it grind to a smooth batter.
- Remove on to a big vessel, mix in salt as needed and allow to ferment well.

Making the Idlis:

- Grease the idli plates with oil or cooking spray.
- Ladle small portions of the batter into the idli plates and steam them for 5 to 7 minutes on high.
- Remove the idli plates and let them cool for 5 minutes.
- On cooling, remove the idlis from the steamer plates. Do not try to remove the idlis while they are hot. They tend to stick to the plates.
- The idlis tasted great with Onion-Tomato Thogaiyal. Ofocurse you are free to use any side of your choice:-)

Recipe part of Blog hop wednesday event at Tickling Palates by Radhika

Vati Dal na Bhajiya

:-)) for all those who are not familiar with Hindi...don't be taken aback....its a simple fried dumpling of nothing more than Moong dhal....ha ha ha! Then, why you may ask...did I give this such a title...well, that is what my all time fav cook & author Tarla Dalal has named it....Her measurements are so perfect that they never fail u! A picture speaks a thousand words...look at my pics and the one on the book....is'nt that proof enough!

Yes, I flicked this snack out of her "Mumbai's Roadside Snacks" book! Such a lovely book with all those amazing pics of  all the roadside chat of Mumbai...yumm! For those of you with a really sharp eye...you can almost dig the recipe straight out of the pic...but let me do my job right...

Ingredients:

- 1 cup moong dhal
- 2  green chillies
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
- 7 to 8 black pepper corns, coarsely crushed
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep frying
- I added little hing and curry leaves (optional)

Prep time: 10 mins    Cook time: 15 mins    Soaking time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Preparation:

- Soak the moong dhal in water for atleast 1 1/2 to 2 hours
- Drain, add green chillies and grind them to a coarse paste adding as much water as needed

- Remove to a bowl and add salt, crushed pepper corns and coriander seeds. As i do not like the crunch of coriander seeds, I grinded them along with the dhal.
- You can add a dab of hing and some curry leaves too for added falvour.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil and drop spoonful of mixture and fry until they turn golden in colour and crispy.

- Remove on a kitchen towel and serve with any sauce or Meetha chutney & Teekha chutney

- 1 cup of moong dhal makes about 25 pieces of bhajiya's.

Lentil Salad - Moong dhal - Paasi paruppu Sundal

After thinking, talking and writing so much about how special Navarathri is...it would not be right if I do not do a post on a "Sundal"! Being the 1st day of Navrathri, I thought of making a sundal (as it is called in Tamil)...it is basically any lentil, that has been boiled and given a tadka or tempering.....how simple can that be:-)?!

These are very healthy and each day a different lentil is used and is offered as Neivedhyam or Prasad. Later, these are distributed to all those who come home for chandan kumkum. That is as far as the Navarathri connection goes. But in terms of the health connection, you can make these any time of the year and is a healthy snack for kids and adults as well!

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup moong dhal
- 2 green chillies
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp hing or asafoetida
- 2 tbsp grated carrots (optional)
- 1 or 1 1/2 tbsp shredded coconut
- few curry leaves
- 1 tsp oil and mustard for seasoning

Prep time: 1 hour          Cook time: 20 mins

Prepapration:

- Soak the moong dhal an hour before you would like to make these. Soaking helps to cook the dhal faster. If not, you can directly boil them too.
- In a deep pan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the turmeric and then the soaked moongdhal. Let this boil for about 10 mins.

- After 10 mins, check if the dhal has cooked. You need to be able to mash it lightly with your fingers. It is enough to cook them al dante. Do not cook to a mashing consistency.
- Remove form heat and drain the dhal on a strainer. Store the strained water to be used later while cooking. I usually make rasam with this water. Why waste its goodness:-)
- After 5 minutes, in a pan, heat the oil, allow the mustards to splutter and add the green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and carrots. Fry them on low heat for a couple of minutes.

- Now, add the  drained moong dhal, coconut and hing and give everything a toss for a couple of minutes and remove from heat.

- Sprinkle the lemon juice over and give a toss before serving!
-Tasty and healthy moong dhal sundal, ready in under 30 mins...enjoy!

Linking this recipe to Heart & Soul Co-hosted by Alea of Premeditated Leftovers:

Idli Upma

Bored eating the usual sooji and semiya upma....try this delicious idli upma for a change! This is a regular in Chennai at my in-laws home. Main reason being, Chennai is undoubtedly always hot, hotter or hottest and this weather helps any dosa or idli batter to ferment really quick.

Long story short, when we have left over fermented idli batter, my MIL generally makes the idlis in the night and allows it to cool over night. This way, it helps breaking down the idli's easier and faster for making the upma. I never got a chance to make this upma here in US for 2 reasons. One, I end up making small batches of batter and does not last beyond a couple of days and two, the batter never gets over fermented for me to think of alternatives!

Now, am part of the Blog Hop Wednesdays of Tickling Paletes and my hop partner for this week is Chaitanya of  Delicious Desi Foods. Last week, while I was leafing through her blog, I came across Idli upma and instantly decided to make them for this wednesday event! Sadly, I noticed that her entry had not got much attention. What better opportunity to make the recipe more popular than this:-) Ofocurse, I made it a couple of days back but am posting it today. Hope you all like my version of it....

Ingredients:

- 10 to 12 idlis
- Idli powder or chutney powder mixed in oil (optional)

For seasoning:

- 1 medium onion
- 2 to 3 green chillies or more as you prefer

- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp each of channa dhal and urad dhal
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp hing or asafoetida
- mustard and curry leaves
- Salt , if needed

Prep time: Over night          Cook time: 10 mins

Preparation:

- Steam the idlis the previous night and let it cool over night. This will help is loosening up the idlis in the morning for the upma. If this is not possible, you can cool the idlis under a fan and try breaking them up too.

- To add more zing to the taste of th upma, I smeared all the idlis in a mix of idli powder and sesame oil, overnight. The idlis were soaked in the flavour of the sesame oil and the chutney powder and it added so much more taste to the upma.

- Chop the onions and green chillies and set aside. Loosen up the idlis and set aside.

- In a pan, heat the oil and splutter the mustard and curry leaves. Add the dhals and let them roast. Now, add the onions and green chillies and fry them till the onions turn translucent.

- To this, add the broken idlis and top it with hing and turmeric. Add salt, as needed.

- Toss everything for a couple of minutes and serve!

Sending this to Blog Hop Wednesday organised by Radhika at Tickling Paletes