Skewered Spicy Pepper with Paneer

A few months back I went to visit my father. While there we experimented with skewered vegetables and paneer in his air fryer. It struck me that I had not made this at home in a long time. Once I got home I made some for the whole family.

My daughter is in college now and food is always a problem there. I thought this would be something she could make for herself in her apartment.

We love colored bell pepper so that is the main vegetable I used. Some red onion and paneer. Served on skewers with its own bowl of chutney makes a great appetizer for a party. It can be a side during dinner or a light dinner by itself.

You will need
wooden or metal skewers
8 oz paneer cut into thick cubes (fresh made or store bought)
1 red bell pepper, cut in large cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into large cubes
1/2 onion, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup yogurt
salt to taste

For the spice mixture
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
1/2 stick cinnamon
2 pods cardamom shelled
1-2 dried red chili pepper

Green Chutney

Roast all the spices on medium heat for a about 3-5 minutes or until you can smell the spicy fragrance. Turn off heat and let the spices cool. Dry grind in a coffee grinder to a powder.

Add the yogurt and mix it all together with salt to taste.

Put all the chopped vegetables in a bowl.

Mix in the yogurt and leave aside covered for about 15-30 minutes, longer if desired.

The yogurt will be absorbed by the vegetables and paneer.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. If using wooden skewers in a pan of water soak the skewers for about 10 minutes so they don't burn in the oven. Load the paneer and vegetables on the skewers and place on a baking tray.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Broil for the last couple minutes.

Enjoy!

Samosa Chaat With Chole

I have had samosa and I have had chole but I had never tasted a combination of the two. In fact I had never heard of samosa chaat with chole where the two are eaten together. The ingredients seem like they would make a perfect combination so I decided to give it a try. I had baked some samosa. I had made tamarind chutney and pudina chutney to go with it. All I needed was chole and some whisked yogurt.

I have the say the result was exceptional. The flavors were great together. They were perfect for a cold fall afternoon. I will definitely make this combination again.

Chaat toppings vary as per taste. I have seen pictures of sev and onion added as topping to this chaat. For my family I chose the chutneys and yogurt. Once you have the base you can experiment with the topping till you find a combination you love.

You will need
For the chole
1 cup chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1 tbsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. chole masala
1 tsp. cumin coriander powder
1 green chili pepper, minced
1 large tomato, diced

1 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste

salt to taste

For the chaat
Samosas
Tamarind chutney
Pudina chutney
1/2 cup yogurt, whisked
Chole from recipe above

To make the chole
Soak the beans overnight. Discard the soaking water, add half a cup of fresh water and pressure until tender for about 10 minutes (3 whistles). Reserve the cooking water. If using canned beans drain the water, rinse and keep aside until needed.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion. Saute the onion on medium low heat until it is translucent and starts to change color. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chole masala, cumin coriander powder and the green chili pepper. When the spices coat the onion add the tomatoes. Add the reserved water. If using canned beans add fresh water. Cook the masala until the tomatoes are mushy and the masala comes together. It will start to ooze oil. Add the tamaring paste and cooked beans.

Add a little water if too dry. Add salt to taste and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes and turn off heat.

To assemble the chaat
In a plate place two samosas. Crush their center so the other ingredients can be added.

Add a spoonful of chole masala on the top. Sprinkle some whisked yogurt, tamarind chutney and pudina chutney.

Enjoy!

Dahi Vada in Appe Pan (Not deep Fried)

We love dahi vada but not the oil absorbed during deep frying. So what is the solution? Do not deep fry the vadas, use you aebleskiver or appe pan instead. With a few drops of oil you get the same deep fried taste and flavor.

Instead of using urad dal for this recipe I used moong dal. I was in a hurry. I decided to make dahi vada at 2 in the afternoon. There was no time to soak the dal so I switched dals and used moong dal instead. Worked out well.

After I had run the soaked dal through the food processor I ran a hand blender through the dal to make it light and fluffy. That and the use of some baking soda helped make the dahi vada soft and light.

I recently invested in an appe or aebleskiver pan. Since then I have tried a few deep fried treats using the pan. So far I have been very happy with the results. You will see many more recipes from me using this pan.

You will need
1 cup moong dal
1 Serrano pepper
1 tsp. baking soda or 1/4 tsp. Eno Fruit salt
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste

For the dahi
2 cups yogurt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin powder

For the garnish
Tamarind dates sweet chutney
cumin powder
paprika

Prepare the dahi and refrigerate. Prepare the sweet tamarind date chutney following the recipe here. If you do not have cumin powder roast cumin seeds until fragrant and grind to a powder.

Soak the dal for at least two hours in warm water. Drain the water and discard. Using as little water as possible grind to a coarse paste in the food processor. Add the other ingredients for the batter and keep it ready. If you are using Eno add it after the pan is heated.

Heat your aebleskiver or appe pan and add a few drops of oil in each of the wells.

Add a tablespoon of the batter in each well of the hot pan.

Let it cook until just browning before flipping it over. Cook the other side.

Remove from heat and soak in cold water for a minute. Pull the vada out of the water and give it a little squeeze to get all the water out.

Add the vada to the prepared dahi. Repeat for all the vadas. To plate this dish put 2-3 vadas with dahi on the plate. Sprinkle paprika and cumin powder over the top. Drizzle the sweet tamarind date chutney. Adjust the flavoring to taste.

Enjoy!

Mumbai Masala Sandwich

Fresh sandwich bread stuffed with potato filling, tomato, onions, chutney and a special spice powder. These ingredients make up the Mumbai Masala sandwich.

I worked in Mumbai for a year but never summoned the courage to try these from the large number of roadside eateries. The best I could do was wada pav from a cart outside our residence and that was because my roommate bought it for me. Recently I ate this sandwich at a friend's house and finally understood why everyone loves it so. I had to try it at home.

I  got my chance when I made this sandwich bread. My daughter loves potatoes and bread separately but did not care for the potato bread combination. My husband loved it even if he had never heard of the sandwich before. I really liked it and can see how it fits into the Mumbai street food scene.

You will need (for 4 servings as a meal)
A loaf of Sandwich bread
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, cut into rings
1 tbsp butter

For the potato filling
3 large potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 Serrano pepper (or other green chili pepper), minced
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 inch ginger, shredded
1 tbsp. sandwich masala (recipe below)
1/3 cup frozen peas
4-5 sprigs cilantro
5-7 curry leaves
salt to taste

For the chutney see this recipe

For the spice blend powder
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
6-8 cloves
1 in cinnamon stick
1 tsp. black pepper corns
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. black salt
1/2 tbsp. aamchur

Make the chutney and keep aside. To make the spice blend powder, roast all the spices, except black salt and aamchur, and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the black salt and aamchur. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Boil and peel the potatoes. Mash roughly and keep aside, do not knead. Chop the onion and green chili pepper. In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Next add onion and Serrano pepper. Saute till tender then add the turmeric powder, sandwich masala, ginger and frozen peas.

Saute for a few minutes until peas are cooked.

Add the potatoes and salt to taste. Add a few tablespoons water to soften the mixture if needed. Turn off heat and allow it to cool.

To prepare the sandwich cut slices of bread and apply a layer of butter followed by chutney on one side of both slices. Spread potato filling over the top of one of the slices. Add a slice or two of tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle the sandwich masala liberally, adjust according to taste. Place the second slice chutney side down over the first.

Apply a little butter to the bottom of a sandwich toaster and place the sandwich inside. Add a dab of butter to the top.

Close the contraption and brown both sides. If you do not have one of these sandwich toasters then you can toast it on a pan.

Enjoy!

With this post I have reached a mini milestone. This is my 300th post.

Colorful Cutlets

Picnic BBQ is a great way to spend time outdoors with friends. Most park ramadas are equipped with electrical connections. All you need is an electric skillet. These cutlets make a great snack for the afternoon tea. You can shape them ahead of time and cook them when needed. As I was making these at home today I decided to bake them. But the process for stove top cooking is exactly the same.

You will need
1 large potato
3 carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
paprika, salt and cumin powder to flavor each vegetable
1 tbsp. oil.
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

If you do not have breadcrumbs make your own. Bake day old bread for 5-8 minutes until toasty, or you can toast it in a toaster. Try not to use the store bought sugar laden breads. Allow to cool without covering. Cut up the cooled dry bread in a food processor and you have breadcrumbs.
Boil the potato, cook the carrots and peas separately. Peel and mash the potato. Mash the carrots and peas. Season each vegetable separately and divide into 8 portions. Take the butter out of the refrigerator and cut it into 8 portions. Flatten one portion of potato in the palm of your hand. Spread one portion of carrot on the potato and finally on the peas. Place one portion of butter in the middle.

Bring the sides together trying to ensure the layers remain intact. Flatten it to shape like a cutlet and roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat for all the remaining portions. Arrange on a sheet (oven proof if you want to bake them).

At this stage you can cover the sheet and keep aside until needed. On a hot day keep the sheet refrigerated or on ice. When ready to cook either pop the tray in an oven preheated to 375 F for 25-30 minutes or cook on a skillet with a tbsp of oil.

Enjoy!

Dhokla

I have heard a lot about foolproof dhokla recipes. I have one such such recipe. It uses baking soda. Then I heard that using Eno, an antacid, gives better results. Since then dhokla with Eno was on my wishlist.

I do not have step by step pictures for this one. I tweaked the recipe a little.

You will need
For the dough
1 cup channa dal
1/2 cup mung/moong dal
3 tbsp. sour yogurt (I used sour cream as I ran out of yogurt)
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Eno
salt to taste

For the tempering
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. white sesame seeds
a pinch turmeric powder
4-5 curry leaves
1 green chili pepper (optional)

For the garnish
2 tsp. sugar dissolved in 3 tbsp. of water
2-3 tbsp. fresh grated coconut (I used frozen)
2-3 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

Soak the channa dal and moong dal separately for about 3 hours. In a blender add the ginger paste and yogurt. Drain the water from both dals and add them to the blender. Grind to a smooth thick paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients for the dough except the Eno.

Grease the bottom of a pressure cooker pan. Keep the pressure cooker ready. Stir in the Eno in the dal mixture and transfer the mixture to the cooking pan. Pressure cook for 5 minutes. Let the cooker depressurize. Let the cooked dal rest for 5 minutes.

Pour the sugar solution over the dhokla. You may skip this step but it helps the dhokla retain its moisture. Cut the dhokla into cubes and let them cool completely.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the ingredients for the tempering. Pour the tempered oil over the dhokla. Transfer the dhokla to a serving dish and garnish with fresh grated coconut an chopped cilantro.

This is my entry for week four, day three of BM #40 for the theme bookmarked recipes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#40.