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Archive for the ‘Starters’ Category

Aloo Tikki (Potato Patties) & St.Martin’s day

16 Nov

Last Thursday on Nov 11th,  Riya’s Kindergarten Team, have remembered St.Martin’s day . The parents and children have been invited to a beautiful children playground, which is located on top of the hill close to Kindergarten. It was amazing to listen to the Music band and songs from little voices. The parents too did join with them. The Interesting part was everyone marching with the Latern lamps and singing St.Martins songs.

Being an Indian, I always like to present and highlight Indian food to foriegners when I am invited to a get together. Aloo tikki is a Indian appetizer made with potatoes and some spices. It is a crispy, crunchy and soft spicy delicacy. Everytime when I present a food with Potatoes to my Western friends, it was a big hit and this time too.

Here goes the Recipe..

Ingredients:

  1. Potato – 250 gms, boiled, peeled and smashed
  2. Cumin ground- 1/2 tsp
  3. Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
  4. Chat Masala – 1/2 tsp
  5. Chilli ground – 1/4 tsp
  6. Corriander ground – 1/2 tsp
  7. Green chillies – 1, finely chopped, (add more if you like have hot)
  8. Groundnuts – 1/4 cup coarsely ground
  9. Raisins – 2 Tbs
  10. Corriander leaves – few sprigs, finely chooped
  11. Salt for taste
  12. Oil – few Tbs
  13. Bread crumbs – 1/4 cup

Method:

  1. Add the smashed potatoes and add all the rest of ingredients except oil and Breadcrumbs.
  2. Make small balls out of this potato mixture and slightly flatten .
  3. Now coat the patties in the breadcrumbs on both sides and keep it ready.
  4. Heat the griddle or a flat pan. Apply few drops of oil to the pan.
  5. Now add  Potato patties to the pan and cook in a medium flame for 3-4 min on both sides.
  6. When it is golden brown color on both the sides remove from the pan and serve it with Indian chutneys and dips. Coriander and mint dips goes well with this.

Some pictures from St.Martins’ day 2010….

Wow!! Cute Cat Latern. The children and teachers should have put lot of effort to make this beautiful one.

This Skeleton has come directly from Halloween …

Hey!! Look at it. Mine is so beautiful.

Children singing songs with the paper latern electric lamps.  These Latern’s are sophisticated and safe for the little ones to carry and play with.

 
6 Comments

Posted in Starters, others

 

Spanish Tapas

29 Jun

Patatas Bravas

Patatas Aioli

We wanted to try our first Tapa in Spain, but had no idea before about tapas. There were lot of small retaurants in Barcelona on the road side which were named as Bars. We tried our first tapas in one of these Restaurant. Tapas is a small sized snack and can be had before meal or along with meal.  Tapas can be had as  starter or an appetizer. Spanish Omelette and Garlic shrimp is among  the popular Tapas .

The two dishes which I have posted here is nearly same, only the sauce topping is different. Patatas Bravas is topped with tomato puree sauce and Patatas alioli is topped with Mayonnaise sauce. Bravas and Alioli  where tasting great with the fried potatoes.

Ingredients for the potato base:

  1. Potato – 3 medium, peeled and cut in to bite size pieces
  2. Olive oil – 5 Tbs
  3. Garlic – 5 cloves, minced
  4. Salt for the potatoes

For Bravas sauce :

  1. Olive oil – 1tsp
  2. Tomato puree – 1/2 cup
  3. Chilli flakes – 1/2 tsp
  4. Salt a little
  5. Oregano – 1/2  tsp, dried

For Aioli sauce: Mayonnaise sauce

  1. Egg yolk – 1
  2. Olive oil – 1/2 cup or any vegetable oil
  3. Lemon juice – 1 Tbs
  4. Salt – 1/4 tsp

Method for potato base:

1. Add the oil to the hot pan and shallow fry the potatoes. Add salt and garlic and cook till the potatoes are soft. approx 15 – 20 min.

( You can also serve the potatoes at this point. It tastes wonderful.)

Method for Bravas sauce:

1. Add oil to the hot pan and add tomato puree, chili flakes and salt and let it cook for 15 minutes. Cover it with lid and cook.

2. Add the oregano when it is done.

Method for Aioli sauce : Mayonnaise sauce

1. Add the egg yolk and start whisking, slowly add the oil and continue. Add the lemon juice and salt and do whisking .

you can see the sauce gets thickening . you can also refrigerate it and use it later.

Tip: Adding more olive oil may sometimes makes the sauce bitter. So it is better to add few spoons of olive oil and remaining with vegetable oil.

 
10 Comments

Posted in Spain, Starters

 

Crispy & Spicy Okra / Ladies finger and Mathematics

16 May

Ladies finger is also called as Okra or Bhindi or Vendaikai. It has got even different names in other countries. It has been long time since I made this dish. Try this dish with someone who hates to eat this vegetable, they can became fan of it. Crispy and juicy taste of okra may attract even children. As everyone in my home liked it so much, I had to make two batches one after the other from scratch.

A Story of Okra and me—Some incidents are unforgettable even though we have crossed so many years. I still remember my school days paintings with vegetables. The teacher asked the children to  draw some shapes using the vegetables as a homework. My Mother is very creative and she has lots of interest in Embroidery ,Handicrafts and artworks.  She helped me in collecting Onion, Potato ,Tomato and this okra . We did painting by dipping the cut vegetable (horizontally  or vertically)with colors and then to the paper to make colored vegetable shapes. I liked okra shapes than other veggies. May be this is the reason, I get remembered of this when I see this vegetable.

Ladies finger and Mathematics In India Grandparents, Parents and elders say that, children and students can be good in mathematics when they consume ladies finger(okra). Though this veggie contains good amount of nutrients, I do not know how much of this story is scientifically true?

Ingredients:

  1. Okra(Ladies Finger) – 250 gm
  2. Oil – 5 Tsp
  3. Chilli Powder – 1/4 Tsp
  4. Pepper – 1/4 Tsp
  5. Corn starch – 2 Tsp
  6. Rice Flour – 3 Tsp
  7. Salt for taste

Method:

1. Wash the vegetable and then cut both the ends and make a long slit in the middle without separating into 2 pieces.

2. Mix all the ingredients together with okra except the oil. Sprinkle few drops of  water such that the masala stick with the okra.

3. Heat a pan, add little  oil and arrange the okras one by one. Shallow fry the okras for 5 minutes by turning to the sides. Fry in batches.

Tip: If you are not diet conscious okras can be also deep fried to become more crisp .

 
11 Comments

Posted in Starters, Vegetarian

 

Roasted Egg Plant with Bulgarian spicy salt

12 May

Bulgaria is one of the good holiday destination in Europe.  My hubby had been there for a Business Trip and become fond of Bulgarian salads and steaks. One of the common spice they use is Balkan Salt. It is normally taken with bread or bacon. He got few packs to try it at home. I have used this salt on steamed vegetables it was tasting superb. So I tried it with Egg plant,  the end result was really good.

Ingredients:

  1. Egg Plant  - 1
  2. Balkan Salt to season egg plant. (Balcon salt is a mix of Salt, Red pepper, Corn flour, Fenugreek, Balkan Savory)
  3. Oil – 2 Tsp

Method:

1. Cut the Egg plant in to 0.5 cm – 1 cm thick slices length wise. Apply the balkan salt on both the sides.

2. Add oil to the pan and shallow fry the slices for approximately 2-3 minutes on both sides.

Tip : Serve it warm as a starter or side dish.

 
10 Comments

Posted in Side Dish, Starters, Vegetarian

 

Cheezy Chilli Peppers

01 May

                This chilli is from capsicum family and it is also called Banana Chilli because of  its shape and size like banana. It is not hot, and tastes just like capsicum. In India, they used to make milagai bajji with this chilli (chilli Bajji).

Ingredients :

  1. Green Chilli peppers – 6 nos
  2. Cream cheese – 100 gms
  3. Pizza cheese – 75 gms
  4. Pepper – 1/4 spoon
  5. Bread crumbs – 2 Tsp
  6. Oil – 2 Tsp
  7. Salt for the chilli

Method:

1. Slit the Chilli and remove all seeds. Apply salt inside the halfed chillies .

2. Shallow fry in the pan with few drops of oil for 3 minutes . Do it on both the sides.

3. Mix both the type of cheese and stuff it in the chilli. Sprinkle little pepper powder on top and then bread crumbs.

4. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees , and bake it for 5 minutes.

5. Serve with hot chilli sauce.

 
3 Comments

Posted in Starters, Vegetarian