SAVORY BESAN BREAD TOAST

     SAVORY BESAN BREAD TOAST  

                      (Yield: 24 -28 pieces)

This is an Indian version of Savory French Toast.

This is a very easy and quick to prepare. It makes great afterschool snack for kids.

INGREDIENTS:

·      6 -7 Sandwich Breads, make two diagonal cut to make 4 pieces from each bread or cut anyway you like

·      ¾ cup Besan Flour/Chickpea Flour, sifted

·      4 T Rice Flour

·      ½ cup Onions, finely chopped

·      3 -4 Green Chilies or as per taste, finely chopped

·      5-6 Sprigs of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped

·      1 Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped

·      Salt as per taste

·      ½ tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or as per taste

·      2 Pinch turmeric Powder

·      Water as needed to make thin /runny batter

·      Oil for shallow roasting breads

LET’S COOK:

Sift besan flour.

In a bowl combine all ingredients except breads and oil.

Add water to make thin/runny consistency batter.

Heat heavy bottom non-stick pan on medium heat.

Add half-teaspoon oil and spread all around by tilting pan and allow oil to get hot.

Hold bread triangle from crust edge and deep in besan batter and make sure bread is coated completely with batter and roast on medium heat. Roast 3-4 breads in one batch depending on how big pan you use.

Add oil all around the bread and roast until crisp on one side.

Flip bread and add some more oil around the bread and roast until golden brown in color.

Repeat this process and finish roasting remaining bread triangles.

Serve immediately with tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice.

Enjoy…

Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/RASOI/294579340553283

TIPS:

Avoid using soft toasting bread.

Sandwich breads are thicker and compact compare to toasting bread, so it holds batter well and stays crispy.

If your bread is too fresh and soft then place them in small toaster oven at 450 degree Fahrenheit for few minutes on medium setting until it turns slightly dehydrated, tough and crispy.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/RASOI/294579340553283

TURIYA PATRA SUBZI

                               TURIYA PATRA SUBZI

                                                         (Serves 2-3)

It’s very famous Gujarati subzi. It may sound like an unusual combination but when it comes to a taste it has a very unique taste. It’s a combination of ridge gourd and steam cooked patra.

INGREDIENTS:

·      0.75 lb. OR about 340gm. Turiya/Ridge Gourd/Chinese Okra

·      8 Round piece of Ready To Eat Patra (I use Deep Brand ready to eat Frozen Patra)

·      3 T Oil

·      ½ tsp. Mustard Seeds

·      ½ tsp. Cumin Seeds

·      2 Whole Dry Red Chilies

·      Pinch Asafoetida

·      7-8 Curry Leaves

·      1 T Garlic, chopped

·      1 T Ginger, finely chopped

·      2-3 Green Chilies or as per taste, chopped

·      ¾ tsp. Turmeric Powder

·      1 tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or as per taste

·      Salt as per taste

·      ¾ cup Water

·      1 tsp. Coriander Powder

·      ½ tsp. Cumin Powder

·      1 ½ tsp. Sugar or as per taste

·      1 ½ tsp. Lemon Juice

·      ¼ to 1/3 tsp. Garam Masala

·      2 T Coriander Leaves, chopped

LET’S COOK:

Wash and peel turiya. Peel turiya between ridges too for even cooking.

Cut turiya in medium size pieces.

Bring 8 frozen patra pieces out from freezer and keep it in a bowl on kitchen counter to thaw.

Heat Oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat.

Once oil is hot add mustard seeds. Let mustard seeds to pop.

Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for few seconds.

Add 2 whole dry red chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves and allow curry leaves to sizzle for few seconds.

Add chopped garlic and let it sizzle for few seconds.

Add chopped ginger and green chilies and stir-fry for few seconds.

Add turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chili powder and turiya pieces and mix well.

Add salt (NOTE: Try to add less salt in the beginning, because it may look lots of turiya at this point but at the end it will shrink a lot and that time your subzi may be over salted so add less salt right now and adjust the salt at the end as per taste) and add ½ cup water (NOTE: Remember turiya will release lots of water so don’t add too much water) and mix well and cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until turiya turns tender.

Add coriander powder, cumin powder and half portion of chopped coriander leaves and cook for 1 minute.

Add sugar, lemon juice and garam masala and mix well.

Add patra pieces and ¼ cup water and mix subzi and cover the pot and bring it to a quick boil.

Switch off the heat.

Keep it close for 2 minutes.

Mix subzi and garnish with remaining half portion of coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Roti, Paratha and Basmati Rice.Enjoy...
Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/RASOI/294579340553283

BITE SIZE POTATO CROQUETTE BALLS

BITE SIZE POTATO CROQUETTE

                                                    BALLS

                                   (Yield: About 35 to 40 Bite Size Balls)

What are croquettes? It’s a French Word meaning “To Crunch”.

Croquettes are small food rolls often made in oval shape, round disk and round ball form. Typically its made from mashed potatoes and mixed with various spices and rolled in a thin flour batter and coated with bread crumbs and then deep-fried in oil to give crispy exterior.

INGREDIENTS FOR POTATO CROQUETTE BALLS:

·      3 Big Potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated. Grate the potatoes on the large holes of the grater

·      1 T Oil

·      ½ tsp. Mustard Seeds

·      1 tsp. Cumin Seeds

·      ½ cup OR 1 small Onion, finely chopped

·      1 tsp. Garlic, crushed

·      1 “ Ginger Cube, grated

·      3-4 Green Chilies or as per taste, finely chopped

·      ¼ tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper Powder

·      1 tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or as per taste

·      ¾ tsp. Coriander Powder

·      ½ tsp. Cumin Powder

·      1 tsp. Garam Masala

·      ¼ tsp. Chat Masala

·      ½ tsp. Aamchur Powder (mango Powder)

·      2 -3 T Coriander leaves, finely chopped

·      1 ½ tsp. Sugar

·      1 ½ tsp. Lemon Juice

·      Salt as per taste

  

LET’S MAKE POTATO CROQUETTE BALLS:

Wash and boil potatoes.

Peel and grate potatoes on the large holes of the grater and keep aside.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan.

Add mustard seeds and allow them to pop.

Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for few seconds.

Add chopped onion and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add crushed garlic, grated ginger and chopped green chilies and cook until onions are just done.     

Add black pepper powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, chat masala, aamchur powder, coriander leaves, sugar, lemon juice and salt and mix well to prepare smooth mixture and prepare big marble size balls.

INGREDIENTS FOR BATTER:

·      1 cup Maida/All Purpose Flour

·      1 T Cornstarch

·      Salt as per taste

·      ½   tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

·      ¼ tsp. Baking Powder

·      Water as needed to make thin batter

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

·      ¾ cup Flavored Italian Style Breadcrumbs or as needed to roll Maida batter dipped potato croquette balls

·      Oil for deep frying

LET’S MAKE BATTER:

In a bowl combine Maida flour, cornstarch, salt and Kashmiri red chili, baking powder and prepare lump free batter adding water as needed to make very thin batter. This batter is just to wet potato balls, so it should be very thin.

Heat enough oil in a pan on medium heat.

Now with your right hand fingers roll one potato croquette ball at a time in Maida batter and then with left hand roll that into breadcrumbs. Make sure potato croquette ball is coated completely with breadcrumbs. (Using two hands to do two separate works helps to keep breadcrumbs dry and lump free)

Make one batch of 9-10 potato croquette balls ready for deep-frying. While first batch is frying make second batch of potato croquette balls ready by deeping in Maida batter then in breadcrumbs.

Deep fry 9-10 potato croquette balls at a time in a hot oil until light golden brown in color.

Allow cooling for few minutes and refry it in hot oil at slightly higher temperature until golden brown in color. (Frying twice at two different oil temperature potato croquette balls turns very crispy)

Repeat with the remaining potato croquette balls.

Serve hot with Green Chutney and Tamarind-Date Chutney.  

Enjoy…

TIPS:

(1) If potato mixture stays soft then you could add 1 -2 T bread crumbs to absorb moisture and then make balls.

(2) Planning to serve these potato croquette balls to big crowd in party????? Fry once and keep it ready. When guest arrives refry again, once oil is hot, it will take only 5 minutes to refry them.

Serve with toothpick inserted in fried ball for easy serving.

OR

After rolling potato balls in breadcrumbs, now instead of frying them keep it in refrigerator until ready to fry them when guest arrives.

VARIATION:

Use Semolina/Suji instead of breadcrumbs to roll potato balls.

MAKE THIS RECIPE KID FRIENDLY by stuffing cheese inside potato ball and make Potato Cheese Croquette Balls. Do not stuff cheese cube. Shred cheese and make cheese ball from shredded cheese and then stuff inside the potato mixture.

This way cheese melts better compare to cheese cube. 

Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/RASOI/294579340553283

HOW TO HULL STRAWBERRIES WITHOUT EXPENSIVE HULLER

       HOW TO HULL STRAWBERRIES

       WITHOUT EXPENSIVE HULLER

HOW TO HULL STRAWBERRIES AND ENJOY EATING IT HASSLE FREE WITHOUT BUYING FENCY, EXPENSIVE STRAWBERRY HULLER.

ALL YOU NEED IS STRONG PLASTIC STRAW WITH WIDE OPENING

LET’S HULL STRAWBERRIES:

Wash and pat dry strawberries.

Hold strawberry with your left hand and insert straw from center of the pointy bottom tip of the strawberry; apply slight pressure up towards the green leafy part at the top of a strawberry (that is also known as Calyx/Hull) while steering the straw in center of the strawberry. Calix/Hull pops off the strawberry.

Discard the hull and pull out the hulled strawberry.

Repeat the same with remaining strawberries.

Fill hulled strawberries in Ziploc bag and place Ziploc bag in an airtight container. Store in the freezer.

Frozen strawberries should stays good for 6 months.

I hope you enjoy hulling strawberries and enjoy eating it without having hassle to remove green top.

Enjoy…Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/RASOI/294579340553283

“HAVE A HAPPY JULY 4^TH WEEKEND”