POHA VADA

                       POHA VADA

                                    (Yield: 10 Medium size Poha Vada)

Poha vada is simple and quick to prepare.

Poha is soaked in enough water to soften it then mixed with onions and with aromatic Indian spices and bind with rice flour and yogurt to make vada dough and deep fried until golden brown and crispy.

INGREDIENTS:

·      1 cup Dry Thick Poha (Thick Beaten Rice, Thick Flattened Rice)

·      ¾ cup Onions, chopped

·      4-6 Curry Leaves, tear into small pieces

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

·      1 T Coriander Leaves, chopped

·      ¾ tsp. Cumin Seeds

·      1 Pinch Asafoetida

·      ¾ tsp. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or as per taste

·      ½ tsp. Coriander Powder

·      ¼ tsp. Cumin Powder

·      1/8 tsp. Aamchur Powder or ½ tsp. Lemon Juice

·      ¼ tsp. Chat Masala

·      ½ tsp. Garam Masala

·      1 ½ tsp. Sugar

·      ½ tsp. Salt or as per taste

·      3 T Rice Flour

·      2-3 T Yogurt to bind poha mixture, amount of yogurt will depend on moisture content in poha

·      Oil for deep frying

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LET’S COOK:

Wash poha 1-2 time to remove loose white fuzz and soak in enough water for 4 minutes or until poha turns just soft to the touch.

Drain poha in colander and let it drain for 10 minutes.

In a bowl combine all ingredients except rice flour and yogurt and mix and mash poha.

Sprinkle rice flour on poha mixture and mix well.

Add 1-tablespoon yogurt at a time and bind mixture into thick dough.

Heat enough oil in a pan on medium high heat.

Divide the dough into small lemon size balls and shape them into vada/patties.

Gently drop 4-5 vada at a time and fry until golden brown and crispy.

Place on paper napkin to absorb extra oil.

Serve hot Poha Vada with chutney of your choice.

Enjoy…

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CHILI CHEESE CROSTINI TOAST

     CHILI CHEESE CROSTINI TOAST

                                                 (Serves 4 with pasta)

Chili Cheese Crostini Toast is a simple and quick to prepare. It is a very delicious afterschool snack item for kids.

INGREDIENTS:

·      2 Loaf Baguette, the long skinny style

·      1 cup Cheese, shredded (¾ cup Cheddar Cheese and ¼ cup Mozzarella Cheese or use any cheese of your choice)

·      ½ cup Sweet Purple Onion, chopped

·      ½ cup Green Bell Pepper (Capsicum) OR Yellow Bell Pepper OR Red Bell Pepper OR mixture of all three bell peppers.

·      3-4 green Chilies or as per taste, chopped

·      1 T Coriander, chopped

·      Salt as pet taste (NOTE: Cheese dairy product contains lots of salt so add accordingly)

·      1/8 tsp. Black Pepper Powder

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LET’S PREPARE:

In a bowl combine all the ingredients except crostini rolls. Keep aside.

Place bread roll on a cutting board and hold knife at 45-degree angle and cut the bread in to desire thickness.

Bake crostini in toaster oven until golden brown and crispy.

Once it turns golden brown bring it out.

Set toaster oven on broil.

Meanwhile spread cheese and bell pepper mixture on toasted crostini bread.

Put it back in toaster oven till the cheese melts. (Keep a close eye on it)

Let it cool little bit.

Serve hot with any pasta dish of your choice or have it for snack.

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CRISPY CHINESE BHEL

             CRISPY CHINESE BHEL

                                                            (Serves 1)

Crispy Chinese Bhel is made with a blend of deep fried crispy noodles and stir-fried vegetables and uniquely flavored with Indo-Chinese sauce.

INGREDIENTS FOR NOODLES:

·      75 gm. Schezwan Instant Noodles (I use ¼ pack of Noodles from 300gm Family Pack Instant Schezwan Noodles), Break in 4 pieces

DO NOT USE SPICE PACKET THAT COMES WITH NOODLES.

·      2 cups Water

·      2 tsp. Oil

·      1 T Corn Starch or Corn Flour or Rice Flour (I use Corn Starch)

·      Oil for frying Noodles

LET’S FRY NOODLES:

Boil 2 cups of water on high heat.

Switch off the heat.

Add teaspoon oil and noodles in hot water and let it sit for 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain noodles and wash it under cold water to stop further cooking.

Drain well.

Transfer in a bowl and add teaspoon oil and mix well.

Transfer on a paper napkin or cloth kitchen napkin and spread noodle on it and let it dry for 10 -15 minutes.

Meanwhile heat enough oil in a pan on medium high heat.

Transfer noodles in a dry bowl and add cornstarch and mix well.

Once oil is hot add half noodles and fry them on high heat for 4-5 minutes or until crispy, turning once in a while. Frying time will depend on moisture content in noodles.

Place fried noodles on paper napkin to absorb extra oil.

Finish frying remaining noodles.

Keep aside.

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INGREDIENTS FOR STIR FRIED VEGETABLES:

·      2 T Oil

·      1/3 cup Onions, julienne cut

·      1 tsp. Garlic, minced

·      1 tsp. Ginger, finely Grated

·      1/3 cup Carrots, julienne cut

·      1/3 cup Green Bell Peppers, julienne cut

·      1/3 cup Red Bell Peppers, julienne cut

·      1/3 cup Cabbage. julienne cut

·      1 T Scallions, chopped

·      1-2 Green Chilies or as per taste, slit lengthwise and cut into 1” pieces

·      1 ½ T Tomato Ketchup

·      1 ½ tsp. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce or as per taste

·      2 tsp. Soy Sauce

·      1 ½ T Schezwan Sauce or as per taste

·      1/8 tsp. Black Pepper Powder

·      Salt as per taste

·      1 T Scallions, green part only for garnishing  

·      Few Fried noodle for Garnishing

LET’S STIR FRY:

Heat oil in a wok on high heat.

Add onions and stir-fry for 30 to 45 seconds.

Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add carrots and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add green bell peppers and red bell peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add cabbage, scallions and green chilies and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Do not fully cook vegetables. Leave some crunch in vegetables.

Add all sauce (check note at bottom) and black pepper powder and mix well.

Taste vegetables and add salt as needed, because all sauce contains high amount of salt in it.

Add fried noodles (save some for garnishing) and mix well and transfer on a serving plate and garnish with scallions and remaining fried noodles on top.

Serve immediately.

If you are planning to serve this dish to a large number of persons then you can make fried noodles and veggie mixture ahead of time and keep it separate until time to serve. Before serving, heat up veggie mixture and add fried noodles in it and mix and serve.
Enjoy…

NOTE:

Add more or less sauce as per your preference.
You can also use Hakka Noodles, Maggi Noodles, or Ramen Noodles.Click on the link below to like my "RASOI" Page.

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THANDAI

                         THANDAI

                                                             (Serves 4)

Thanda drink in Hindi means cool drink. Thandai is a very delicious refreshing cold milk drink, made with dry fruits and uniquely flavored with saffron and spice powder. Traditionally Thandai is prepared during the Holi Festival (The Festival of Colors)

INGREDIENTS:

·      4 cups Milk (About 1 Liter)

·      ½ cup Sugar or as per taste

·      15-20 Almonds, soaked and blanched

·      15-20 Pistachios, soaked and blanched

·      15-20 Cashews, soaked

·      1 tsp. Poppy Seeds (Khus-Khus), soaked

·      2 T Melon Seeds, soaked

·      Few Pinches of Saffron Strands, crush in mortar and pestle with pinch of sugar

·      2 tsp. Fennel Seeds/Saunf

·      ½ tsp. Cardamom Powder (use 4-5 green cardamom pods)

·      2 Pinches Black Pepper Powder

·      2 tsp. Rooh Afza Rose Syrup or 2 tsp. Rose Water or few drops of Rose Essence (I used Rose Water)

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INGREDIENTS FOR GARNISHING EACH THANDAI DRINK:

·      Few strokes of Nutmeg

·      Few Saffron Strands

·      ½ tsp. Slivered Almond and Pistachio

·      Rose Petal, if available

LET’S MAKE:

Soak almond and pistachios in hot water for 1 hour and remove shell.

Soak cashews, poppy seeds and melon seeds together in hot water for 1 hour.

Crush saffron strands and cardamom seeds with pinch of sugar in mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Crush fennel seeds in mortar and pestle and keep aside.

Drain water from cashews, poppy seeds and melon seeds.

Blend drained poppy seeds, melon seeds, cashews and blanched almonds and pistachios with little milk until smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat the milk on medium high heat.

Add sugar and bring it up to a boil stirring once in a while.

Add crushed fennel seeds and ground paste and continue boiling for 1 minute.

Add crushed saffron, cardamom powder and continue boiling for 1 minute.

Switch off the heat.

Add black pepper powder and Rooh Afza Rose syrup or rose water or rose essence.

Refrigerate at least for 2 hours to infuse all spice flavor into the milk.

Strain Thandai Milk through fine strainer and discard solids and transfer in a serving glass.

Garnish with few strokes of nutmeg, few strands of saffron, slivered almond and pistachio on top and rose petals if available and serve Cold Thandai Drink.

Enjoy…

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“HAPPY HOLI EVERYONE” March 6^th 2015